Northern Ireland Starter Great British Menu

The stakes are high on Great British Menu.

The nation's top chefs

have been challenged to make a feast fit for the People's Banquet.

Last summer, the best part of a million of us

tucked in at The Big Lunch,

an annual event that tries to get people cooking and eating with their neighbours.

Inspired by this,

we've laid down the gauntlet,

our chefs must create dazzling dishes designed to share -

breath-taking platters to create a buzz at the ultimate street party.

I think it's great to be able to create food to share

to get people interacting, communicating,

and just have some fun over really good food.

If they win, their dishes will be paraded down the ancient cobbled streets of Leadenhall Market

to 100 expectant guests.

To get a dish there would be a massive honour

and I'll push myself to the limit.

This week, slogging it out to represent Northern Ireland,

are Brian McCann, Chris Fearon and Chris Bell.

Their first bout is for the starters.

The contenders - Guinness glazed ham with pigeon sausage rolls,

shake-in-a-bag style coronation chicken,

and a British summer picnic.

Only one will be victorious.

-I think it's going to be very close.

-If I was them, I would be smelling danger.

Today's the day. It's D-day.

I do not want to go home. I want to win this.

This time, the competition is all about food that brings

communities together -

sensational sharing dishes that get everyone talking.

This year's brief is so challenging,

it has completely taken me out of my comfort zone.

It is difficult this year.

To develop their menus, all the chefs have been out and about

meeting the unsung heroes whose cooking connects people in their neighbourhood.

-Did you enjoy it?

-Very, very nice.

And to give the competition a personal twist,

if the chefs win a dish on the final menu,

the people they've met will be their guests of honour

at the People's Banquet.

If I'm lucky enough to get through, I would love you to come

as a guest of honour.

Ooh! So exciting!

But to be in with a chance, the chefs first have to impress a former champion

who knows exactly what it takes to win.

Every day, he will taste and score their dishes out of ten.

This week for Northern Ireland, it's Richard Corrigan,

the most successful chef in Great British Menu's history.

Come Thursday, he'll send the two highest scoring chefs through to the judges

and one chef home.

It's a pretty tough brief. You're talking about making mini buffets.

Lots of food to share, so it has to be visually stunning.

That's a very hard brief for any chef to take up.

Check on. One beetroot, two sea bass, one pork, one sirloin, please.

Yes, chef.

First up, it's Brian McCann,

head chef at Shu in his home town of Belfast,

he's no stranger to the competition

and he's determined to go all the way to the People's Banquet,

having been kicked out by Richard last year.

This year, because I've been there before, there's more pressure on me,

I do not want to go out in the first round, I need to go through.

-Good morning, Richard.

-Brian, welcome.

-How are you?

-Very good.

What are you cooking for us?

We're going to do Pat O'Doherty's gammon. I'm going to boil it whole, glaze it,

and I'm going to do pigeon sausage rolls.

Sausage rolls, everybody knows them, just a bit of a twist.

Pickled cucumber, pickled quail eggs and a beautiful wheaten bread.

Really simple, great food for sharing.

And the ham, how's it going to be presented?

A few nice slices, wheaten bread. Really simple.

If somebody doesn't like it, they don't have to eat it, they can have sausage roll and pickles.

Inclusive, not exclusive. I want everybody to enjoy it.

Brian's hoping his hearty platter

with its array of comforting British classics,

will evoke childhood memories of picnics.

I love the idea of the pigeon sausage and pastry,

but ham?!

Is it really good enough to put on the People's Banquet?

Check on. I want belly pork and one burger.

Yes, chef!

Lovely burgers.

Next up, it's 29-year-old underdog, Chris Fearon.

He once worked for rival, Brian,

and now heads up Deanes at Queens, down the road in Belfast.

a brasserie style restaurant dishing up no-nonsense food.

I'm just a simple chef from Belfast. I haven't got Michelin stars or gold medals.

But Chris hasn't been afraid to take risks with the dishes for the competition.

The problem is they're all working on a theme,

so if one goes down like a lead balloon, it's Titanic for me.

-How's it going, Richard?

-Chris, how are you?

-Not bad.

-What are you cooking?

I'm doing my version of a classic coronation chicken

and instead of doing a classic mayonnaise, I'm going to combine it with coleslaw.

It's what I grew up with, chicken and coleslaw!

This is something you're going to really improve upon.

-I'm going to put my own stamp on it. It'll be presented in a wacky way.

-OK.

You're going to get your chicken in a bag and put your spice into it and shake it up.

A bit of theatre involved. Breaking boundaries down.

If I was sitting beside you, I don't know you that well

I think it would be a bit of fun.

Chris has gone for broke with his out-there interactive take

on an old favourite.

Season shake and curry on coronation chicken

a feast for the eyes he hopes will get people talking.

Chris Fearon's idea of the chicken in the bag

seasoned with the spices,

it could leave the judges shaking with anger

because the whole idea of the chef

is to season the food, to dress the food, to make it taste great,

not to give it to the clients to season themselves!

Two terrine away, please.

Last, but by no means least, it's Chris Bell.

Born and bred in County Antrim,

he's now head chef at The Longridge in Lancashire,

which has held a Michelin star for his accomplished British cooking.

It's an achievement he's hoping to match today.

Competitions are about winning. Losing is not entering my head.

If I execute my menu how I see it, then I'll be fine.

Morning.

Chris.

What are you cooking? A lot of stuff in this basket.

This is my variation of a classic British picnic.

The cold meat, I'm going to do some potted chicken legs.

I'll pickle some eggs.

-And the livers?

-I'm going to make them into chicken live pate.

-Stilton?

-We'll turn it into my version of a quiche or a flan.

The picnic idea, what brought that around?

The brief this year is all about sharing foods

-It's as British as it comes.

-Yeah.

-That's what I grew up with.

Great memories for me, I think everybody can relate to it.

I've just got to execute it the way I think it should be.

Chris has also been inspired by outdoors eating.

He's going all-out to impress with eight separate components

served straight from the hamper.

There's some great stuff there.

I really want to taste that dish, but is it a bit too lunch-boxey?

Some bread, some pate, some cheese.

Is it good enough to woo the judges?

With the fight for their starters underway,

each chef is wondering if their platter will come out on top.

What do you think Richard's impression is of our dishes?

I don't know what he's going to think of my dish. I don't know if he'll like it or not.

If the dishes are good enough, they'll get you through,

-if they're not, you'll go home.

-Yeah.

Fighting talk from first-timer, Chris Bell.

Richard will be basing his scores on taste,

and whether the food is good to share.

There's no room for error,

something Brian knows only too well.

-Do you feel a bigger responsibility to win this year, Brian?

-Definitely.

Everybody wants to win.

Brian and Chris Bell are both hoping to pull in the points

with cold, picnic-inspired starters.

Chris Bell is busy preparing his main event - potted chicken legs topped with chicken liver parfait.

And for Brian, a massive Guinness glazed ham,

which he's serving with pigeon sausage rolls, bread and pickles.

Unlike Chris Fearon, who's simply marinating the meat for his chicken and coleslaw,

they're both juggling a lot of elements

and they need to keep their eye on the ball.

The glaze reduction just boiled over there.

-Is it burnt?

-What do you think?

I'd be checking it if I were you. Call me old-fashioned!

There's people making mistakes, things boiling over, there's smoke, there's fire!

This is it, the pressure's on.

Brian may have bitten off more than he can chew,

but he isn't about to lose face

to his former sous chef.

I have no concern about any ailments in my dish at the moment. That's all drama.

He's playing it cool, but it was schoolboy errors that saw Brian

leave the competition last time.

-You were here last year.

-Yes.

-You failed miserably.

-Yes.

-Have you tested this dish?

-Yes.

-And you're happy with it?

-Yes, yeah, yeah.

I need to get through. I want to represent Northern Ireland.

I want to showcase this produce. I want to give everybody who's made some contribution to the community...

I want to get them on the table.

You sound like a Northern Irish politician now, yeah?

BRIAN LAUGHS

The challenge for the chefs this year has been to come up with sharing plates

for the People's Banquet.

To inspire him Brian headed back to Andersonstown in Belfast

where he first discovered his love of sharing food with others.

It was an absolutely brilliant place to grow up. We'd never change it. Neighbours were brilliant,

friends were brilliant, everybody came together. We were always helping each other.

His fondest memories of sharing food are at the Tullymore Community Centre

where he and his brother spent many a summer socialising and eating.

'We used to play football there in the afternoons. There was school discos, learning to dance.'

It was a brilliant place for all our friends.

Some of my earliest memories sharing food have to be here.

Big trays of food, all the kids sitting there.

Do you remember the cocktail sticks with the ham, pineapple and cheese?

-Yeah.

-Can you remember those?

-Sausage rolls obviously.

-Sausage rolls. Vol-au-vents with the mushroom soup!

For me it's trying to take some of those key points, the interaction, people sharing,

the fun, and put that into my menu.

It's a battle plan that Brian hopes will get him to the final this year.

I do not want to go out in the first round again. Of course I don't.

I want to get through for Northern Ireland.

THEY LAUGH

Back in the kitchen, Brian's making bread to go with his glazed ham and

pigeon sausage rolls.

And rival Chris Bell has also got his baker's hat on.

This competition has really started in here, hasn't it?

It's full on now.

Chris Bell is serving his bread with potted chicken, one of eight

chef-like picnic dishes keeping him busy.

Across the kitchen, the king of cool, Chris Fearon,

is easing himself into part two of just two - his spicy coleslaw.

-Where would a chef from Northern Ireland be without a bowl of coleslaw?

-You're right!

-My oh my. Coronation chicken...

-Yes.

..is what lazy chefs put on cold plates to serve in hotel buffets.

The name became ambiguous with bad food.

Have you changed it that much?

-I'd like to think I have.

-Tell me about it.

I love chicken on the bone and I thought to myself

it would be a great idea and a great interaction for people to have this,

and done in a quirky manner where it would be popped in the bags

and you'll have people shaking the bags - it will be funny.

Everybody will be smiling. It'll be tasty. You have to eat it with your hands!

It better taste good!

-You're putting the jeepers into me now!

-It better taste good.

-Thanks.

Is my fears going to be realised?

I see that coleslaw being tossed in that curry mayonnaise,

I see the chicken - he rubbing the spices on it in the oven.

It just doesn't seem really inspiring.

Chris Fearon's first experiences of sharing food

were from his childhood.

He headed back to his home town, Warrenpoint, near Kilkeel,

County Down to get inspiration for his menu.

The son of a fisherman, he has fond memories of the family

cooking and eating together when his father came home from the sea.

-Hello!

-Well, boy, what's the crack?

How's it going? How's it going? There you go.

'It was nice when Dad was home and we could all get together'

around the table and eat as a family, share the food. It was a good feeling to have.

He's looking to recreate these good times in his menu.

The whole logic behind the menu - I thought, "What do I like?" first of all.

OK? I thought of my stomach first.

He loved food and he talked about food. When he sat down for his breakfast

he'd be asking, "What are you making for dinner?"

It's a hunger that has inspired what he hopes is a winning formula.

I want to do something a bit different, you know,

quirky, exciting, a bit of fun factor as well.

Yummy, yummy!

Hopefully they'll understand where I'm coming from or I could be packing my bags pretty quick,

going back home to sunny Belfast.

Back in the kitchen Chris is putting the finishing touches to his controversial coleslaw.

he's barely broken a sweat today with his straightforward

season, shake and curry-on coronation chicken,

unlike rivals Brian and Chris Bell, whose picnic-inspired starters

have them both running round in circles.

It's a safe lunch-box-like feel you went for. What were you thinking?

-My best memories as a child were not restaurants. It was picnics with my family.

-Sure, yeah.

It's about the occasion, not necessarily just what these people are going to eat,

it's what they see and talk about while they eat.

-But there has to be a sense of humour.

-There is a sense of humour.

-There has to be a bit of fun as well.

-Totally.

Chris Bell's search for the perfect food for the People's Banquet

took him to County Antrim, Northern Ireland,

a region he's desperate to represent.

This is where I'm from. This is the country that I'm passionate about

and this is where my heart is.

I'll put as much into it as anybody working in Belfast, if not more.

His earliest memories of sharing food hark back to family get togethers.

There was always a barbeque and you always cooked it.

It was only burgers and sausages - not that there was anything wrong with your barbeque!

'Whenever people come together that haven't seen each other for a long time'

it is always food that brings them together, whether it be a wedding, a party.

It doesn't matter what the occasion is. If people are getting together

it is the best way of building relationships.

It's these childhood experiences of sharing food, Chris has used to inspire his menu.

Food to share has got to bring back memories.

I've tried to create an element of that within each course.

I'm trying to hopefully give people a memory of this banquet.

A tactic he hopes will get him to the final.

I have confidence in myself and I'm not here to make up numbers

and it would be a massive achievement to get a dish to the menu

and I'm going to do everything I can to get that.

Three of Northern Ireland's top chefs are putting their all into starters

that they're dying to see shared at the People's Banquet.

Brian's opted for a hearty platter of...

..and wheaten bread.

Chris Fearon has chosen

an off the wall coronation chicken in a bag.

For Chris Bell

it's an entire British picnic, hamper included.

They're all hoping for top marks from former champion Richard Corrigan.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is really tense.

You can see the desperation. These guys want to impress.

All three chefs are under pressure,

but Chris Fearon seems to be taking it in his stride.

His simple coronation chicken is already in the oven,

unlike Brian's ham,

which is boiled and cooled, ready for its glaze.

But Richard thinks he's spotted a problem.

-This is dry and the ham can be dry.

-Yeah.

-What are you putting in between to help...?

-Pickles.

-That's it - pickles?

-Yeah, pickled onions, pickled quail's eggs,

pickled cucumber. I'm also doing a pear and apple chutney.

His ham does seem overcooked. That could be the worst thing to happen to him today.

Overcooked ham is dry. It's not interesting.

I really hope for him that hasn't happened.

Brian won't know if he's over-boiled this ham until he carves it just before serving.

All he can do now is cover it in its glaze and get it in the oven.

He still has his pigeon sausage rolls to prepare,

but with plating up fast approaching,

all eyes are on Chris Fearon's incredible presentation.

-What's this thing here?

-This is the contraption. This is the mothership.

You've obviously put a lot of thought and emphasis on how this food's going to look.

-Yes.

-Is that more important to you than what it's going to taste like?

No. They did say it has to have a wow factor.

Just make sure that chicken's cooked though, aye?

Undeterred by his rival's words of warning, Chris pushes on to the finish line,

getting his chicken pieces into their bags

and onto their pick-and-mix-style counter, with sauces of spicy seasoning.

I mean, you're either going to love it or hate it. You know what I mean?

-You grab your chicken, in the bag...

-Yeah.

-..and you put your spice into it, as much as you want.

What do you recommend?

I'd say one-and-a-half, but you can whack the whole lot in if you want.

You close it up, shake it up to activate it...

Yeah, go on now, sing a wee song as well!

Great idea on the sharing factor, but do I want to get my fingers greasy?

Let's go and find out.

It's certainly a feast for the eyes, but is it suitable for the People's Banquet?

His rival chefs seem to think so.

-Brilliant idea.

-It looks the part.

-Very clever. Out of the box.

It's definitely a party dish.

The brief is about fun and I think this guy has hit it on the head.

We all recognise humour but is it good enough?

I'll have to taste it.

-Go for it.

-I'm going to taste the coleslaw. Is it too mayonnaisey?

-Do you think that's good enough for the judges?

-It could be lighter.

And your humorous chicken...

-Is that just a bit of skin, is it?

-Yep.

-Not so pretty.

You might want to think about that.

-Messy.

-It is messy.

-Well...

-Very messy.

But it's tasty.

I think eating it with your hands is lovely. It doesn't bother me at all.

I have a thing about crispy chicken skin. It should be crispy...

But that's just skin. That's the only thing. The skin.

Chris, is this dish good enough to get you to the banquet?

I think if it's refined and I fix it, I think it's good enough.

Richard won't be revealing his thoughts or scores until he's tasted all three dishes,

and he's hard to read.

'The guy is frightening and you don't know where you stand with him.'

It got less and less positive as he tasted it and...bit deflated now, I feel.

Chris Bell's modern take on a British picnic is up next and he's still hard at it,

topping his potted chicken with chicken liver parfait

and putting the finishing touches to his stilton and onion quiche.

He's chosen a table top hamper and chequered table cloth

to present his picnic.

Looks nice, Chris. Are you happy with it?

Bit late now, if I'm not!

No, no. I'm quite happy. The chicken turned out the way I had.

Everything's pickled the way I want it to be. The wee tarts are set,

but it doesn't matter if I'm happy or not, you know?

Richard is the man Chris needs to impress.

He races to fill his hamper with jars of his chicken liver parfait,

pickles and chutneys, and gets it to the pass.

There we go. Here's my summer picnic.

And the eating of it, what happens?

Everyone gets a board?

-Everyone gets a board.

-Yeah.

This sits in the centre of the table. Everyone gets one of these on their board.

You help yourself to onions, chutney, gooseberries,

couple of slices of toast each and then there's a flan on the side.

Take as little or as much as you want.

A mini buffet? Let's go.

Time to see if Chris's hard work pays off.

Is there enough in there?

A bit of each. I think it's more than enough for a first course.

He's covered all angles. Cheese, pickle, meat.

I think the way we're spooning out stuff, moving about, swapping things over.

It's definitely interaction.

OK. Your pate.

-Is it set enough?

-I think the texture and temperature of that is just about bob on for me.

I think that parfait's a fraction under-seasoned.

Yeah, the bread's delicious. The toast.

Happy with that tart?

I am happy with the tart, yeah.

I think it's good pastry.

They're nice and sweet with the onions...

-Are they too sweet?

-Maybe.

Mmm...

-Pastry's very dry.

-I think it's lovely.

I like the pastry. I'm happy with the pastry.

There is something like a British pub lunch about this. Is it good enough?

I think that dish can win.

I've got to have confidence in it. We'll see if he likes it enough.

But I'm still confident.

Chris will have to wait for Richard's verdict but the pressure's off both our new boys for now.

They can only watch and wait as Brian plates up his numerous pickles, pigeon sausage rolls,

wheaten bread and, the star of his dish, the glazed ham.

But there's a problem - his ham's overcooked.

BLEEP off!

And Brian knows it could cost him valuable points.

Devastated.

The ham. It's over. Unquestionably.

Everything else, no problem.

But when you've something so simple,

and it's not done right, it's bad.

Do you help yourself here?

Yes, that's the whole part. Interaction.

Slice of ham, erm...

A little sausage roll.

A bit of the chutney,

or pickle...

Cucumber, which is one of my favourite things in the world.

-OK, let's go.

-OK, let's go.

With his main ingredient ruined, all Brian can do is hope his many accompaniments save him.

-So, the ham, that you're not happy with.

-Yep.

The ham I'm not happy with.

-Mmm...

-Dry.

It's a sin.

The ham... It's wrecked.

You know, it's about two hours overcooked, that.

-What do you think of your pigeon sausage?

-I like them.

Bit too gamey?

That's the quirkiness of it.

You know, it's a sausage roll. It's not too gamey.

These sausage rolls are delicious but I don't see how they're relevant to a glazed ham.

-It's all very wintery.

-It's very wintery.

-Glazed ham and cloves...

-Boxing Day food.

What about your bread?

I always think bread and butter. Clearly, you don't. Where's the butter?

No butter.

Do you think that's good enough for the Great British Menu?

Yes. I compare it to a street party. This is set in the middle of the table, everyone helps themselves.

It's got to be about fun and sharing. They don't want something poncy.

They want just good grub.

I know Brian can do better than that.

I am so frustrated with myself because I put so much time

and effort into it and I have not executed it properly.

I'm not happy with myself.

All three starters tasted. All the chefs can do now is anxiously await Richard's verdict.

Which starter will he deem the perfect plate to share at the people's banquet.

Richard will score each dish out of ten and every point counts

as the lowest scoring chef across the week will leave the competition on Thursday.

I will start with you, Chris. Chris Fearon.

Your coronation chicken with coleslaw could have been a real disaster,

but there were certain things I loved about it.

Presentation, cracking. The taste was really, really good as well.

-The coleslaw could have been a bit more interesting...

-Yeah.

-And the soft skin, you should work on.

-I will work on it.

Chris Bell,

very accomplished dish indeed.

Your pickles, delicious.

The room temperature chicken liver parfait just didn't do it for me.

And the presentation

was just a little bit flat.

Brian McCann...

Your pickles, delicious. Your overcooked ham needs no explaining from me.

I understand.

A bit of a disaster really.

Time to find out who our front-runners are after day one.

Brian McCann, I've given you...

..four points.

Chris Bell, I've given you

seven points.

Chris Fearon, a sense of humour goes a long way with me.

I've given you...

a whopping eight points.

Thanks very much, Richard.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

Thank you.

So, well done, chefs.

Didn't expect that at all.

So, Chris Fearon surprised them all to take the lead with eight points

for his quirky coronation chicken.

Chris Bell's come in a close second with seven for his picnic

and Brian's lagging behind with a disappointing four

for his overcooked ham.

I'm over the moon with the result. I didn't expect it.

To get eight points on the first dish, and come first,

it's a bit nuts.

This is not the position I want to be in - last place, four points behind the leader.

I have to pull my socks up.

Tomorrow, the fight continues with the fish course.

There is a balance in getting it just perfect or tasting shocking.

And it's sink or swim time for Brian.

What happens on this course can make or break the competition for me.

-This is my chance. I need to get back on track.

-Yep.

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