North East Starter Great British Menu

Great British Menu continues.

Fire!

Britain's finest chefs are being scrutinised by demanding veterans.

He's setting fire to a sorbet. If he pulls that off, he gets a ten.

It's the toughest competition for the ultimate prize -

the chance to create ground-breaking food at a dazzling Olympic feast.

I'd love to put a dish in front of great Olympians, people who have achieved so much in their lives.

This week, three of the North East's cooking elite step up to the plate.

People say it's tough, but honestly, it IS tough!

Returning contender Stephanie Moon is fending off rising star Charlie Lakin.

You enter this competition to win it.

-And ambitious hot shot Colin McGurran.

-The chefs competing with me need to be careful.

-Today, it's the starter round.

-I'm taking a massive risk.

All eyes are on Stephanie as she tries to make her own cheese in record-breaking time.

-BLEEP

-I've dropped three of my goat's cheese on the floor.

Nerves are getting to her. Let's hope she can pull the dish together.

This year, Britain will play host to the greatest show on Earth -

the London 2012 Games.

And we've challenged the country's top chefs

to translate the Olympic spirit into ground-breaking dishes.

The brief is quite scary. You'll have to push yourself to the absolute limit.

To take it that step further is a real challenge.

Inspired by the feats of world-beating athletes, they must cook technically brilliant menus

-that deliver a brand-new gastronomic experience.

-Wow! That's immense.

The prize is the chance to cook for an Olympic feast in honour of our sporting heroes

and friends and families who have helped them triumph.

Cooking for British Olympians, past and present, is amazing. It's a dream, really.

Every course of their menu will be tasted and scored by a veteran of the competition

who demands nothing less than perfection.

This week, it's a Michelin star holder and his expectations are sky-high. It's Nigel Haworth.

This year, the challenge is the toughest of the toughest.

They've got to make sure that their dishes are the best they've ever cooked.

On Thursday, the two top scorers go through to cook for the judges.

If anyone gets in my way, I'll just barge 'em out.

-How long for Table 3?

-First up is returning contender Stephanie Moon,

chef-consultant at the prestigious Rudding Park Hotel in Yorkshire.

Two chicken Caesars, a prawn avocado and a real chips...

-Last year, this chef shocked everyone with her bold ideas.

-This is good fun.

-This is good.

-Her inventive dishes got her through to the judges.

-I have never had anything even vaguely close to this.

But failed to win her a place in the final.

I was close last year, but not close enough. This year, I'm not taking any prisoners. I'm going all out.

-Good morning.

-Good morning, Stephanie.

-How are you doing?

-Very well. You?

-Very well, thank you.

-You're returning again?

-Yes, the pressure is on this time.

-Absolutely.

-What are you cooking for us today?

-I'm actually going to make goat's cheese,

then I've got some lovely sort of artisan bacon and I'm going to make a scone using some Yorkshire flour.

Why are you choosing to make your own goat's cheese,

rather than buy a quality goat's cheese from Yorkshire?

I want to show that I can hit the challenge.

It's the Olympics. I want something that's really going to stretch myself

as an Olympian would stretch themselves.

And you feel that you can technically, in an hour and a half, make a perfect goat's cheese?

-Yeah, I do.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you.

So Steph reckons her quirky idea

of creating goat's cheese in record time is bang on the brief,

but will it get her a gold from Nigel?

Stephanie is making her own goat's cheese in an hour and a half.

Is there a good reason for that? She could have bought her own cheese. Will it be any better?

OK, let's get these starters up and running. Let's get this ball rolling.

Next up is newcomer Charlie Lakin, head chef at The Marquis in Alkham, near Dover,

where his rustic cuisine has seen him tipped by the Michelin guide as a rising star.

Rabbit and a Dexter as is, thank you.

Although based in Kent, Charlie's heart is in the North East and he's determined to do himself justice.

I want to get stuck in and let them know that I'm here.

-Hi, Charlie.

-Hi, chef.

-How are you?

-Not so bad.

What have you got for us?

I'm going to be doing a wild rabbit with carrots, Douglas fir and capers.

-That's an interesting ingredient, Douglas fir.

-It's got an amazing citrussy flavour.

I'll do a carrot and Douglas fir panna cotta,

so the Douglas fir will bring out the sweetness of the carrots on the plate.

This is for Olympians. What makes your dish special?

It's all about the final execution, the way it goes on to the plate.

I often look at what I cook and how I work. I'm not a sprinter, I'm not a gymnast.

-I'm a judo fighter, I'm a boxer.

-Right.

-That's my style of cooking.

To make sure his hearty rabbit starter packs an Olympian punch,

Charlie is relying on a risky ingredient.

Charlie is using Douglas fir, using pine. Could be furniture polish.

Is it a gimmicky ingredient?

If it is going to work, it's got to be the element that brings the whole dish together

and makes it incredibly special.

Check on. We have one quail, one foie gras, two mackerel, two lamb, one veg, one rosti.

Last but not least is ambitious new boy Colin McGurran

who took on the former two Michelin-starred Winteringham Fields when he was just 27.

-Service, please!

-He believes his brand of forward-thinking cuisine is perfect for this year's brief.

My dishes have never been done before and I think they'll go a long way.

To win the competition would be amazing because you're competing with the best chefs in the country.

-How are you feeling about the competition?

-Quite confident.

-What have you got for us?

This dish is "quail in the woods" and I'll use every part of the quail.

We'll salt the legs and poach the breast in its own quail consomme.

It'll be set in a gel, so there's no loss of flavour.

We're going to use the livers to make a parfait.

We're having the quail eggs which will be lightly tempura-ed.

-That sounds risky.

-I'll be skewering on to a Douglas fir stalk.

As an Olympian, you think about discipline, practice, training.

Have you practised this dish?

I've practised it a few times, but I don't want to practise it too much.

I prefer also to have a bit of my own kind of flair.

-Stephanie, it could be risky.

-It sounds like a lot to do, a lot of elements.

Colin is planning a theatrical,

woodland-inspired presentation for his ambitious dish.

He's pushing his technical skill to the max and Nigel is worried.

He hasn't practised it that much. If you don't get all those elements right, it doesn't come together.

It's not perfection and that's what we want. Colin has got a lot to do.

The starter gun has been fired and with seven elements to his complex dish,

newcomer Colin needs to get cracking on his confit quail legs,

but he's quickly distracted by what Charlie is up to.

I see you've got rabbit there, but what are you planning to do with it?

Cooking it! No, I'm looking at doing three elements with the rabbit, to be honest.

I'll do rillettes of the legs and shoulders. I'll smoke the loins and make crackling with the belly.

They both have their eye on their experienced rival Steph

who is fast-forwarding the art of cheese-making.

-You've got a few bits that could go wrong there?

-Massively. I'm taking a massive risk here.

What are you doing as your dish?

It's goat's cheese with a whey scone,

made obviously from the curds and the whey.

My initial thought with Steph's dish, I don't want to say it, but you feel it's a little bit gimmicky.

But credit to her for making cheese!

Charlie is hoping Steph has missed the brief, but it's Nigel Haworth she must impress.

The first day, the first dish is the hardest one.

The nerves will jangle.

It will be about the chef that can actually concentrate and execute a perfect dish under pressure.

Charlie is banking on the unusual flavour of Douglas fir to elevate his rabbit to Olympian heights,

but Nigel has noticed that Colin also has plans for Charlie's star ingredient.

-You're both using a bit of Douglas fir.

-I'm using it as a major flavour element.

Colin here is using it as a bit of a pretty element.

-Is he?

-I think so.

-Are you listening to that, Colin?

-I am.

-A bit of...

-A little bit of... in the ribcage!

-Do you think he's being poncey?

-No, it's no different to anyone using a rosemary stalk.

I understand that Charlie is doing a pine needle or a Douglas fir panna cotta. That is risky.

It's a very strong flavour and it can taste like soap or toilet cleaner.

It's a dominant ingredient in his dish.

He's got to be careful that it's not too dominant

and doesn't overpower the flavour of the rabbit.

Charlie Lakin's rustic style can be traced back to his childhood in rural Yorkshire

where his parents have their own smallholding.

I had a fairy-tale upbringing into food. I was born and bred in this.

-That's the size you want.

-That's the little babes. They smell gorgeous.

-His one main love is food.

-Food.

-He loves cooking it, he loves eating it.

Charlie's bid for glory rests on giving traditional dishes a modern spin

and his forester dad is helping him.

I wanted to use Douglas fir in my starter and one man that can get it for me is my dad.

He's planted hundreds of them.

We're after the tender young stems in the middle because the flavour is a lot fresher and cleaner on 'em.

I've planted all sorts of stuff in the garden for you to eat.

I never thought you'd be eating the trees that I grow. It's marvellous.

It gives you such an amazing flavour. That is what is the pushing of the boundaries.

It's what's going to take the dish to the next level and make it a gold medal sort of dish.

We'll just keep our fingers crossed now.

This is his gold medal.

-SOBBING:

-I'm very proud of him.

I couldn't be prouder of him if I tried.

Charlie is determined to live up to his parents' pride.

To win the challenge this year would be a big way for me to be able to say thank you

for the support I've had all my life from them.

Back in the kitchen, Charlie is stripping the meat from his rabbit to use in his classic rillettes

which he hopes is the perfect foil for his Douglas fir,

but all eyes are on Steph as she checks whether her risky goat's cheese is on target to set.

What are you up to now, Steph?

What I'm doing is turning the cheese.

What you should end up with is that lovely kind of crottin shape. That's what I'm looking for.

The risk is if I take that cutter off and it collapses... Good stuff.

Thank you.

Nigel is looking for perfect execution and Steph has left herself nowhere to hide.

It's very simplistic. There's no complication.

She's got to make the best cheese she's ever had and the best cheese I've ever tasted.

Having narrowly missed out on a place in last year's final,

this time Steph has scoured her native Yorkshire for inspiration for a winning menu.

This year, I'm setting out to go absolutely all out for Olympic standard.

I've got some crazy ideas. I'm going ground-breaking.

Steph is passionate about local ingredients and has grand plans for the produce on her doorstep.

I want to do things that haven't been done before.

I don't think anyone's made goat's cheese in an hour and a half.

To find out more, Steph has gone to Yellison Goat Farm to meet Stephen Akrigg.

-It takes us four days.

-Four days down to an hour and a half!

-I think you're very brave.

-I'll give it a go.

Steph also has some unorthodox ideas about presentation.

-How is the old branding iron coming on?

-Very well. It's in the fire, ready for you to test it.

I'll try that bit of wood there.

-That looks good.

-Yeah?

She has some wacky props up her sleeve.

There are some little twists and turns along the way that will surprise the judges.

-Can I take those, please?

-Yeah. Thank you.

Great food served in a way that is memorable.

-And here it is, Stephanie.

-Wow! Fantastic. Look at that. Superb!

It's a risky strategy, but Steph is willing to take the chance.

This year, I'm hoping, praying to get to that final.

To accompany her quirky starter, Steph is making a classic scone,

but such simplicity doesn't come into Colin's experimental woodland-inspired platter.

He is soft-boiling the eggs for his quail egg tempura,

just one of seven tricky elements he has planned for his "quail in the woods" dish.

Nigel wants to see his technique.

-That quail egg intrigues me.

-The key thing is to get the yolk just right,

so the yolk is runny, the white is set and the tempura batter is light.

-Lots going on.

-Lots going on.

Colin is a confident cook.

He's got lots of technical elements to the dish. He hasn't practised very much.

Will he nail it? Will he produce a dish good enough for the Olympic challenge?

He's got a lot going on on his plate. It's very technical, extremely technical, and it's a bit of a worry

whether he's going to get it right. I wouldn't like to be him if he got to the final.

WHISTLES Hi, girls.

Bold ideas and risk-taking have helped Colin rise fast through the ranks.

He's now chef-patron of a restaurant with its own farm in Lincolnshire.

I took on my first business when I was 23. I sold that and bought another business when I was 26.

I ended up with Winteringham Fields which is a huge business to take on.

Happy pigs.

Doing things that you don't feel comfortable doing is the best way.

Just do it and believe in yourself.

Obsessed with perfection from fork to plate,

Colin's wife Becks thinks he's ideal for this year's brief.

Colin is always pushing himself, striving to be better and better and better.

OK, guys, come over here and try this.

To help him dream up ideas for ground-breaking dishes,

Colin's talented kitchen brigade assisted him with perfecting his menu.

-If you had a blindfold, you'd be able to tell what it is?

-Yeah.

I've got my reputation on the line, so I'll push myself unbelievably hard throughout this competition.

Three of the North East's cooking elite are striving to produce awe-inspiring starters

that encapsulate the Olympic spirit.

-Phew!

-That's a bit strong.

-That's got a bit of a kick to it!

First-timers Colin McGurran and Charlie Lakin are squaring up to old hand Stephanie Moon.

It's a brand-new brief, it's brand-new players in the game.

Colin is the quiet one and Charlie is the one who likes a laugh. We'll see how their cooking styles differ.

Their hopes and dreams are in the hands of one man - veteran Nigel Haworth.

There's lots of things going on, lots of things that could go wrong,

but I'm hoping that this year we'll really rise to the challenge. It's Olympic year. Let's really do it.

Returning contender Steph will be first to the pass today.

Her home-made goat's cheese safely in the fridge, she's set to stroll over the finish line

when disaster strikes.

BLEEP

Steph's gambled the whole course on her speedy cheese recipe.

BLEEP

She can't afford to give the new boys the edge.

Oh, I've just dropped three of my goat's cheese on the floor.

Nerves are getting to her. That's what the Great British Menu does to you.

She's not got much time left. Let's hope she can still pull the dish together. She's got to.

Luckily for Steph, she's cooked some spares,

so catastrophe averted, she begins to dress her customised plates

with sprouted seeds and crispy bacon bits.

With Nigel looking on, she slices her home-made butter, pan-cooks her whey scone

and gives her goat's cheese a caramelised crust.

One last quirky touch and she's ready to face the music.

-Stephanie, are you pleased?

-Apart from throwing a few on the floor, I'm quite happy.

-Right, shall we try?

-Yes, please.

Steph has knocked up a cheese with Olympic speed, but does it deliver the hit of taste the brief demands?

You spent an hour and a half making goat's cheese.

Do you think that's reflected in the end product?

It's a fresh, made with a lot of thought goat's cheese.

At the end of the day, it's an upper-class cheese scone.

It doesn't excite me.

Are you comfortable with the flavours coming together in the right direction that you wanted?

Yeah, I think it's fresh, summery...

It doesn't take itself too seriously, even though it was quite risky!

Nothing grabs you and goes, "Wow, I'm a home-made goat's cheese!"

My grandmother makes scones, so... CHARLIE LAUGHS

-If you're thinking about Olympic standard, that's undercooked.

-Too doughy.

For me, it doesn't quite hit the mark.

Is this dish breaking boundaries and has got the Olympic excellence?

As it says on the flag, this is my personal best, as good as I can do.

I think it went well, I think it went well, but it's so hard to read Nigel's reactions to things.

He ate quite a lot of it and I think that's a good sign, but we'll see, we'll see.

Now innovator Colin is under the spotlight.

He aims to showcase cutting-edge techniques in his avant-garde quail starter.

The legs have been cooked in a water bath while the breasts are dipped in a stock which will set to a jelly.

I'm keeping my head down. This is my first course. I want a good start.

I don't want anything to go wrong.

But to rival Steph's amazement, Colin is still experimenting even as he plates up,

adding a black olive soil to his dish.

-I meant to put carrot puree on.

-Yeah.

-I took that off and put this on instead.

-Right.

-I hope it's paid off.

Colin did say he prefers not to practise that much and innovate as he goes along.

I found that quite a surprise because I think you should know your dishes at this level.

But there's no time now for any more tweaks.

Colin garnishes his plates with his quail liver parfait and begins to fry his tempura eggs.

His quail legs and breasts go into specially made bark dishes, along with the tempura egg kebabs.

And decorated with foraged foliage, Colin's intricate "quail in the woods" makes it to the pass,

ready for a final dose of theatre.

You two are quiet.

He's speechless.

It's the early morning mist. I feel like I should have just got out of bed.

-Shall we try this, Colin?

-Yes, please.

-Come on then.

Colin has combined theatrical flair with pioneering techniques,

but will it all add up to a ground-breaking dish?

You didn't practise much. Do you feel that strategy has worked?

It just helps my adrenaline during the competition.

Ten things could have gone wrong today. I'm happy that they haven't.

-That's the jelly.

-That's the gel.

He's got some really modern, funky ways of doing stuff.

-You know when a chicken breast has been in the fridge too long?

-Yeah.

-It's like that.

Technically, it's a difficult thing to do, the tempura quail egg.

Yeah, I've gone for it on that one.

-Cut into that and see if it's soft.

-I reckon it is.

-That's a beauty.

-That's an absolute gem.

-Is this a gold medal dish?

-I'm happy with it. All in all, I think it's a very good dish.

That's great. I'm really pumped, actually.

There's not much bad you can say. It was well seasoned, the technical ability was there and it paid off.

Last to the pass is Charlie who is smoking his rabbit loin over cherry wood chips.

He's gambling on the taste of Douglas fir to elevate his hearty dish.

-Charlie, this is the pine-flavoured vinaigrette.

-Yeah.

-What's in there?

It's just a reduction of demerara sugar and Chardonnay vinegar,

blitzed down with a nice rapeseed oil and the pine needles.

Interesting. Hmm...

It's strong. I just hope he's got the balance right.

If the Douglas fir is the surprise element, let's hope he's put it in in a surprising, intriguing way

to make the dish a special dish.

All eyes are on Charlie as he decorates his slate

with soused carrots, panna cotta and a fir needle dressing.

He adds his smoked rabbit loin, rillettes and flatbread

and his updated classic is ready for scrutiny.

Is this going to get you on to the podium? Is this a gold medal dish?

Yeah, I think so. The flavours give you a big hit. Yeah, I think it's going to be there.

-Shall we go and try it?

-Let's do it.

-Come on then.

Will Charlie's unusual fir flavour make his rustic rabbit a world beater or a pine-scented failure?

Things are different. I've never seen a panna cotta look like that before.

You've got your Douglas fir in three elements. Do you feel that works for you?

There's not masses of it. It's just that constant underlying flavour.

How is it?

That is lovely rillettes.

The bread's nice and crisp. You can't really taste the fir in the bread.

For me, a panna cotta is a set thing. Are you still happy with that?

To be honest, looking at the texture myself, I feel it needs a little more gelatine to firm it up a bit.

-I'll try a bit of loin.

-You've got to be careful. Smoking it can cook as well.

-It's quite smoky.

-And the smoked loin is smoked enough, not enough or just perfect?

-I think it's about right.

I thought these smelt quite vinegary.

Wowser! That's the one thing I don't like.

Is this an Olympic dish? Is it breaking barriers, smashing modern and traditional cooking together?

There's quite a few disciplines on there and to get them all right and bring them together,

I feel you are pushing yourself.

Well, he's got a blooming good poker face on him. You don't know what's going on in there.

Touch wood, I've probably done all right, I reckon.

Soon they'll hear what Nigel really thinks and the tension is palpable.

This is the worst bit, waiting for the score to come in.

Did he like it? He don't give nowt away.

For the scores, you know, it's a killer, really, isn't it?

Does Nigel believe they've succeeded in pushing themselves to Olympian levels of excellence?

Steph, we'll start with you.

I thought the goat's cheese had a delicacy about it. Perhaps it just lacked a bit of punchiness.

I felt it needed a bit more oomph.

The scone, um...was good, but I think it needed a bit more lightness about it.

You made your own butter which was very pleasant,

you know, an achievement in itself.

Colin, your "quail in the wood"...

Well, I was so excited about all the foliage and you seriously embraced the challenge

and the promise was all there.

The quail egg was good. The confit could have been crispier, it could have been a bit more delicate.

I wanted a bit more gel on the quail breast, so it was coated.

I wondered whether you'd done too many elements and perhaps didn't just get them all quite to work.

The seasoning, Colin, was amiss.

Completely amiss.

And Charlie, the rabbit, the smoked loin and the rillettes were well executed.

It looked like it was going to be a very rustic dish, but it came over as an elegant dish in actual fact.

I was a little bit concerned about the strength of the dressing with your Douglas fir, but it worked.

I'm not agreeing with a panna cotta. I felt it was more of a puree and I think you need to work on that.

OK, so to the scores...

Steph, for your goat's cheese dish...

Five.

Colin...

..for your "quail in the wood"...

..I'm giving you four.

Charlie,

for your wild rabbit, carrot and Douglas fir...

..I'm giving you seven.

We haven't had the best of starts.

I think we need to raise the bar. Thank you.

Well done, chef. Well done.

Good start.

So, after the starter, newcomer Charlie stormed into the lead with a strong score of 7.

Returning contender Steph has landed a disappointing 5.

And ambitious Colin has failed to deliver with a lowly 4.

I could have done better and I've got to hold my hat up and say, "Right, let's crack on."

My score is a slap in the face. I've got to push hard for my next courses. I need to get these numbers back.

They'll put everything into this next course to get back on level-pegging.

-Tomorrow, it's the fish course.

-I'm not giving up yet. No way.

-Is Colin getting ahead of himself?

-You're looking ready there, mate.

-I'm five minutes ahead.

-Five minutes early?

And Charlie can't afford the slightest mistake.

-We need you at the pass, Charlie.

-I'm on my way. I just completely trashed my jelly on that one.

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