North East Judging Great British Menu

For the last four days, there's been high drama in the Great British Menu kitchen.

We need you at the pass, Charlie.

I've never attempted this yet.

Seriously?

For me, I'm not sure that actually quite works, Steph.

In the Northeast battle to reach the Olympic feast,

one chef has already bitten the dust.

BLEEP

I'm gutted to be going home. I think you can probably tell that!

Now the two who remain face the fight of their lives...

I don't want to go through easily,

I'd like to give you a beating first.

..as they brave the fearsome judges for the very first time...

I don't know if I can be bothered cos he hasn't been bothered, why should I be bothered?

-It ain't good enough.

-Matthew, that is so unfair!

..with experimental chef Colin McGurran taking yet another massive risk.

-Is this your new design for the dessert?

-Yeah.

-Have you practised?

-Nope?

-Ah...like your style.

Could rustic newcomer Charlie Lakin smash his way through to the finals?

I'm going to give it everything I've got.

There'll be a lot of blood, sweat and tears in this kitchen. Hopefully the tears are Colin's.

It's been a close-fought battle so far between the two new boys.

Yorkshire lad Charlie Lakin has had steady scores

for his updated hearty classics

and finished the heats one point ahead of his rival.

This week for me has been bloomin' hard,

but today, it's a fresh day, I'm going to nail it today.

Breathing down his neck is ambitious Colin McGurran,

whose highly technical, visionary cooking

has veered from the sublime to the ridiculous.

I think Charlie finishing the frontrunner yesterday,

I still don't think that gives him the lead.

I know the dishes are fantastic, they just need that perfection on them

and I think they'll be show-stoppers.

They both know that this time, it's do or die.

Morning, fella.

-Morning.

-So you're practising at last?

Well, yeah I have to. I've got to nail these dishes today.

Up and down there, but I've been nice and consistent throughout.

I'm going to go grab a coffee and kick back for five minutes.

-Good luck to you.

-Good luck, you.

The chefs have been challenged to translate the Olympic spirit into daring dishes,

creating technically perfect food that breaks gastronomic boundaries.

Deciding whether they've succeeded or failed are our demanding judges,

Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton and Matthew Fort.

This is such an Olympic opportunity,

a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do EXACTLY what they dream of.

It's about world-class food. It's about being the best.

It's about putting British food on a world map.

They'll never get another chance to do this again. This is gold-medal time.

This is break-the-records time for the chefs.

Both chefs are cooking for the judges for the very first time

and Charlie's determined to win the psychological battle.

I've kind of got it going today, yeah?

Steady Eddie all the way through.

Well, as you know me I'm a risk-taker and I'm going to try and achieve it.

I've really got a proper fight on my hands today,

which is going to be good. I like idea of that.

I don't want to go through easily,

I'd like to give you a beating first.

Colin's first to brave the judges today

with his Quail In The Woods -

a theatrical dish which uses several experimental techniques.

It bombed with veteran Nigel,

who gave Colin a devastating four for poor execution.

Obviously, this dish for you, the lowest score.

A bit nervous going into it?

I still think that this is a great dish.

I still believe in it so I'm going to today nail it and show the dish

and what it's truly for.

Colin's pushing himself by using four tricky techniques -

coating the quail breast in a gelled consomme,

confiting the legs,

deep-frying the eggs in batter

and making a chicken liver parfait.

There's a lot going on on that plate. The quail egg could overcook,

the dry ice might not work and then that just looks duff.

So he could've stitched himself a little bit there.

The woodland presentation is dramatic,

but is the gastronomy equally ground-breaking?

Very fragile, guys.

I just hope the dry ice and the aroma gets to them and they feel the dish.

Will the judges think Colin's experimental dish reaches Olympian heights?

Good God!

-What is going...? Ah!

-Wow.

-ALL LAUGH

This is fun, it's a bit of drama. You've got the forest

and you've got a sort of haute-looking plate next to it, it's a big contrast.

Fancy stuff there.

I would guess this is quail by the size of it.

You've got the crisp crunchiness of the deep-fried egg in its batter.

I'm not sure if it's ground-breaking but it certainly is unusual.

I'm a man who likes my meat still walking, but that breast is raw.

I think the pate's delicious and absolutely a thing of great beauty.

Other than that, I think it's quite ordinary.

When you get rid of all the wonderful decor,

that is what you've got.

-Yeah.

-And I don't think that amounts to gastronomy.

When something like this comes in in front of you, you go,

"Wow, this is amazing!"

The problem is you have to follow it up

and I don't think Chef's followed it up here.

If I were marking this, I would say, "Imagination - 10/10."

Practicality, I think I'd probably give it about 4/10.

Colin's cheffy quail has failed to live up to its promise.

Will Charlie's more rustic style give him the edge?

His starter trounced Colin's in the heats with a strong score of seven.

I don't have half the woodland floor in there,

but I still am quite confident, I think I've got the better starter.

Charlie's preparing wild rabbit three ways -

making a classic rillette from the legs,

deep-frying strips from the belly and smoking the loin -

a method that Colin is quick to pick up on.

It looked quite smoky, is it over-smoked or...?

No, not really.

It's nice and moist.

It's how we like it.

He's hoping to wow the Olympians at the feast with his star ingredient,

foraged Douglas fir.

I tend to disagree with new combinations being ground-breaking

cos you could put a really horrible flavour into something and then say,

"Well, it's ground-breaking."

Douglas fir has a distinctive pine taste and Charlie's using it

in a carrot puree, a flatbread AND a vinaigrette dressing.

# Dum... #

So, Charlie you're singing now, is that a sense of nerves?

-Nah, just trying to give you a bit of entertainment now, lad.

-Great, thank you.

ground-breaking ingredients are going to be a feature of this year's brief,

so the judges have been given cards to help them identify flavours.

Will they be wowed by Charlie's daring use of Douglas fir?

Well, that's totally smoked. It's so smoked I can't tell you what it is.

Judging by the size of it, I think it's probably rabbit.

Well, it's the problem with rabbit.

Rabbit is actually a very delicate dish.

It's over-smoked.

The pate I don't like at all, erm, but there are some nice elements in it.

I mean, this little bit of flatbread is delicious.

I like these bacon-like...

Do you? I think they're SO chewy.

On a competition level, I really don't understand this idea

of this being in any way world-beating.

I just don't understand this dish.

-Do you think there might be a clue in this piece of card here?

-We'll see.

Well, actually this confuses me even more,

cos it says this dish is flavoured with Douglas fir pine.

Hmm. Where?

Well, I thought it was flavoured with smoke.

Here's a chef who's trying very, very hard - there's no question about that.

But he doesn't know when to stop.

He's entered for the pentathlon

and what he should've done was enter for the shot-putting.

PRUE LAUGHS

So, Charlie's starter has failed to dazzle

and, going into the fish course, Colin's leading by a whisker.

Having shone in this round in the heats,

he's keen to press home his advantage.

So, what score did you get on your fish?

Yeah, all right, I got a seven, you got an eight,

I know what I've got to do to bring it up.

I know what I've got to do.

And that's bang the ovens really hard and knock your dishes off.

Colin's highly technical and visually spectacular mullet dish

recreates a seascape

using exotic ingredients including purple potatoes,

pomegranate and seaweed.

His imaginative approach has been a talking point all week.

Colin's definitely got some big risks taken in there.

He's got some very impressive dishes,

but are they actually achievable for 100 people?

The piece de resistance is shimmering water made from set seaweed stock.

It's a risky technique and the dish stands or falls by its success.

That's looking a tad fragile there, Chef, coming off as you want it to?

It's a lot thinner, a lot finer.

It's been reduced so it's a lot clearer as well,

but that one was a bit too thin.

Am I irritating you, lad?

-You are, yeah.

-Grand.

Game plan's working.

Can Colin pull his challenging dish out of the bag for a second time?

-Better?

-Two down...two to go.

Will the judges think Colin's flight of fancy is fit for the banquet?

My interest is already piqued.

This is the first dish today where I've gone,

-"Ooh, interesting, what is this?"

-It's certainly novel.

I mean, whatever it is... What are those purple bits?

What's this plasticky stuff on top? It'll be some gelatine-y...

That's very clever, actually, cos it does look like a rock pool.

-Looking down there you see fronds of seaweed.

-Very pretty!

This is absolutely delicious!

I love it. I love the cleanliness of the vegetables.

The fish is really beautifully cooked.

It's got tons of flavour.

-Do you actually think we NEED the gel?

-Oh, yes.

I like the gel. It sort of makes it feel mysterious.

The problem I have is with the purple potatoes.

I just don't think they fit.

What you want is banalness, plainness.

No, no. You don't eat colour.

Colour doesn't taste.

I think the potatoes taste absolutely delicious

-and they LOOK absolutely wonderful, so what are you on about?

-I know.

This is Olympic-class cooking.

It's gastronomic. It's creative.

It breaks all the boundaries. It leaps all the hurdles...

-Gold-medal winner?

-Gold-medal winner!

So a stellar review for Colin's fish.

How will Charlie's dish measure up?

His fish is cooked in a water bath,

a cheffy technique he's not used to using.

I did it on a bit of a wing and a prayer to be honest.

I don't think Charlie's dish is original.

Water-bathing in fragrant juices like beetroot and things like that,

it has been done.

He-hey!

In the heats, Charlie was criticised for a lack of finesse

and he knows today he must produce a polished dish.

Charlie, it looks a bit charred there, is it OK?

Yeah, I mean that one definitely is a bit of a bin-filler,

but to be honest I'm not too worried cos I'd be silly to cook

only what I needed, wouldn't I?

Quietly inside I'm thinking, "Oh, my GOD!"

But I ain't going to show no-one.

I ain't going to show Colin that I had a bit of a...

-HE THUMPS HIS CHEST

-..going on.

Charlie's putting up a good front,

but is his simple fish served with cauliflower puree,

cauliflower fritters and beetroot garnish enough to impress the judges?

-Happy?

-Yeah, I suppose I am.

Can this course put him back in the running

for a place at the Olympic feast?

Thank you.

Prue, shall I take that away from you now?

I know you don't really want it!

It's my worst thing, spoonage and masses of foam.

And foam over beetroot is particularly dumb

because the beetroot leaks into it.

I don't know if I can be bothered, cos he hasn't been bothered,

why should I be bothered?

-No, he has...

-I'm not bothered, this is not a dish to bother about.

-Oh, no, it's not THAT bad.

-Oh, come on! It's terrible!

What's good about it?

The monkfish is tasteless.

This is not a ground-breaking dish.

There's no revolutionary technology here.

There's no revolutionary technique here.

There is a very interesting use of sea radish,

which I confess I've never come across and which I would very much like to come across again.

I think the monkfish is perfectly cooked.

Actually, I think the cauliflower fritters are nicely cooked

but I think they don't go together.

I don't think a cauliflower fritter, frankly, can save a dish, do you?

I mean, if your life hung by a cauliflower fritter...

No, no, I quite agree, this is not the best fish dish.

So Charlie's fish has failed to hit the high notes.

Halfway through the contest,

the chefs can only guess what the judges are thinking.

I reckon I've got it by a nose.

I do think I've got JUST that little bit ahead.

But I can feel him breathing down the back of my neck, to be honest,

so just got to keep going and keep looking over my shoulder,

make sure he ain't too close.

I'm hoping that he starts to panic.

I need to shake him psychologically.

I need to start playing a little bit more tactically now

cos he just doesn't bother about anything.

He has a very cavalier attitude, which is sometimes great under a lot of stress.

Now, it's the main event, the main course.

Charlie's first up with Dexter beef, with braised snails

and his special innovation - snail and marrowbone croquettes.

I don't think his snail croquette is the bomdiggidy of cooking.

It's nothing unusual, it's nothing new.

I don't think it's great so it could be his downfall,

or Achilles heel in this particular dish.

Alongside the croquettes,

he's serving slow-cooked blade of Dexter beef and beef fillet.

But are two classic cuts really the food of champions?

What's your thoughts about the Olympics and the association with this dish?

I think you've got both ends of the spectrum of the Olympics,

you've got the big impact, sort of heavy weightlifters,

judo fighters in the braised.

You've got your 100-metre sprinters in the fillet.

Will that be obvious to the judges? Are they going to think,

-"Yeah, heavy weightlifters and sprinters," and things like that?

-I think they will.

OK.

Competent cooking won Charlie a solid seven in the heats,

but is it enough to wow the judges?

It smells absolutely lovely.

Mmm, looks like a bit of shoulder.

Oh, look at that.

And it just falls apart!

-Look at that, is that sexy or is that sexy?

-Beautiful.

Delicious!

It could be Dexter beef, couldn't it? Cos it's small, it's tiny.

-Tiny, tiny.

-But, oh, it tastes so good.

And there's a snail here, you know.

They are sort of glistening in goodness.

The thing about the croquettes is,

I'm not getting big flavour from the marrow

and I'm not getting a big flavour from the snail.

That's the only sort of sadness here for me.

Very nice, lovely ingredients, beautifully handled...

Beef and mash.

-..but honestly, about as radical as I am.

-Come on, listen...

You really do have to travel an awful long way

to find beef better than that and better cooked than that.

And that makes me happy.

This dish is the gastronomic equivalent of a really good accountant.

Matthew, that is so unfair!

The brief is to actually push back the boundaries of cooking.

Does this do that? No!

Charles's found a staunch defender in Oliver.

but is it enough to see him overtake Colin?

He got a nine for his pork cheek with black pudding cream

and mock apples, super-chilled using liquid nitrogen -

a daring element which could be a step too far.

Do you think they'll like the idea of the cold on the plate?

You know, when we tasted it, we had a hard, frozen ball

-in the middle of ours, so it wasn't...

-Did you?! That's definitely a risk.

You know, if he thought it was too frozen that's fine,

but it was one of Nigel's favourite components that he thought really worked well.

Colin's using the unusual cut of pigs' cheeks,

but he was criticised in the heats for less-than-generous portions.

So, me old mucker, are we putting them up as starter or is it going to be a main course portion today?

This one is a main course. A main course for normal people, not for you.

I hope we get some decent canapes then if it's your menu. I'll be starving at end of it!

You're thinking it's just little gymnasts you're cooking for.

Is black pudding served with humble pork cheeks a dish fit for our sporting heroes?

-Thumbs up with that.

-It's a smaller portion.

-A bigger portion.

-Are you sure?

-Two pieces.

It's big for a starter but I don't think there's enough for a main.

Will Colin's dish satisfy the judges' appetite for pioneering cooking?

Mm!

Does that look like a main course to you?

A very, very small dolly's main course.

Is that a toffee apple we see before me?

I have absolutely no idea at all but I think this is a canape, not a main course.

This smearage is black pudding, which is the first use of smearage in an effective manner!

-It's lovely!

-This pork is utterly delicious. It is so tender.

Look at this! It's a mousse.

-Stone cold for a start! It's apple.

-It's pork and apple, isn't it?

It's a very conventional dish masquerading as a very unconventional dish, isn't it?

-Yes.

-That is a really beautiful piece of cooking.

I'm not enjoying it anything like as much as you are.

There's not enough oomph in it.

The one misgiving I have, and it's shown up by the difference in textures.

Parts of it cold and parts of it are only just warm.

Clearly, plating this up is a lot of work

and doing it for 100 people could be a bit of a big ask.

It's dolly's food. It's not for Olympians.

So, a mixed review for Colin's main.

It's dessert time and Charlie's last chance to show the judges what he's made of.

It's three people's palates. Three peoples interpretation of the brief today.

If you get a straight, clear swoop, ding-dong!

He's cooking his Earl Grey souffle with gorse flower ice cream

which got just six points from Nigel yesterday.

If you get it all right, will it be good enough to go through to the finals.

The ingredients is where the difference comes in.

Yes, it's a souffle, but a great souffle is always pretty impressive to see in front of you.

It's a souffle, at the end of the day.

It's not a great idea. It's risky in the way that it can fall flat.

Charlie's Earl Grey-infused souffle

contains a ripple of fresh-cooked and freeze-dried strawberries.

After a disappointing rise yesterday, he's keeping everything crossed.

I've got an oven. A naughty oven. And you will rise.

And that goes for you too.

I know I left you till last, but I still love you all the same.

There's no doubting the technical challenge,

but will the fragrant flavours of Earl Grey and gorse flavour pack a gastronomic punch?

Move fleet-footed and gently, please, gentlemen.

Is Charlie's dessert a fitting finale for a celebration of sporting ambition?

So, a souffle is quite a traditional thing, right?

You know, there's something amazing about this ice cream.

Let's see if there's any illumination on the card, shall we?

Well, blow me down! The ice cream is flavoured with gorse flower.

Well, that is a first. I didn't even know they were edible.

You see them on the hillsides, yellow from horizon to horizon.

-I don't know what you're so excited about.

-When was the last time you ate gorse flower?

I've never eaten gorse flower and hopefully I will never have to ever again.

I had mixed feelings when I'd seen a souffle coming at us.

It's not a great souffle, is it?

I think it is delicious and the strawberry flavour is very strong.

The fruit has really got a kick to it.

To find that little base of strawberry down at the bottom

without it turn to mush is... Clearly, there's some sort of technique going on.

I think if you choose a pudding like souffle,

you need to have a really strong vision for it.

I don't think the chef has a strong vision for this dish.

I've been defending this dish because I've enjoyed it

but if I'm talking about Olympian heights of gastronomy,

it doesn't crack it because it isn't world-beating.

It just is not exciting enough.

So it seems Charlie has not taken a big enough risk.

Not something his rival Colin could be accused of.

He shocked everyone yesterday by putting up an untested dessert

and, having failed to impress, he's taking a massive gamble

and completely changing his dish once again.

-Is this your new design for the dessert?

-Yeah.

-Practised?

-No.

-Nah, I like your style.

Colin swapped dark chocolate for white

on his rhubarb and custard dessert

and ditched yesterday's presentation in favour of a theatrical surprise.

I reckon Colin is a nutcase, to be honest, doing another dessert that that he hasn't practised.

Colin is still serving layers of rhubarb puree, set custard and praline inside his chocolate shell

topped by his special non-melting sorbet

and he's about to reveal his brainwave for showing off this ground-breaking element.

I'm going to try and flame the sorbet.

OK. Sounds good. It's an interesting thing I've been wanting to see for a long time.

I've toyed with the idea of doing it myself.

-Instead, I've flamed the

-BLEEP

-vodka.

And you nearly had my beard there.

We're going to pour the vodka over the sorbet directly.

Then light it. OK?

Just watched him do a demo to the waiters on he wants them to flame it

and it didn't flame.

I'm just kind of hoping that when he gets in front of the judges,

it's not a duff duck.

You know, I hope it works because that's the big thing for him

on that plate. That's his big impact.

So, if it doesn't flame, what's the point of it?

Ugh!

It's not working.

I'm loving this already. There's two things going for it.

It looks good and he's taken a risk.

It mightn't have worked but he tried.

I agree it's ambitious and he took a risk. That also tells me that he hasn't rehearsed it enough.

These things can be done.

No matter how ambitious this is,

we could not afford a failure of that kind at the final feast.

This chef here has some greater problems than that.

The whole combination is not actually working together.

I don't like the chocolate much and what I think is truly horrible

is this sort of custardy stuff on the bottom.

It's rhubarb and custard with fancy bits.

This is a classic example of a pudding which was designed to be admired,

ooh-ed and ahh-ed at but not to be eaten.

The chef, if he goes through, should be told to change this pudding

because it ain't good enough.

They've given their all. Now the chefs face an agonising wait.

I'm bricking it.

Right now, I feel like a sprinter looking down the track,

thinking to myself, "In ten seconds' time, am I going to be an Olympic gold winner?" Me, I'm nervous.

Only one chef can win the honour of representing the Northeast.

When you stand in front of the judges and they're looking at you, commenting, I'll be worried.

The judges are about to discover which dishes make up which menu.

Today, I slightly sensed some of the inexperience of two novices in the competition.

-But there were also some very brave attempts.

-You couldn't criticise them for lack of ambition.

-No.

-Sometimes for lack of achievement.

Colin's taken big risks

in his bid for Olympian glory,

combining imaginative presentation with cutting-edge techniques,

while Charlie stayed true to his rustic style,

seeking out rare foraged ingredients

and creating unusual flavour combinations.

The judges will only learn who is behind each menu once they have picked a winner.

Pru, I can sense there are anxious chefs out there. Have you made a decision?

-I have made a decision, yes.

-Matthew?

-I have.

-Good. So have I, so let's call in the chefs.

Time for Colin and Charlie to be put out of their misery.

One will taste victory. The other, crushing disappointment.

Welcome, chefs. I know it's both your first time here in the judges' chamber.

-Charlie, how are you feeling?

-Nervous. It's been hard. Feeling quite drawn, to be honest.

-And, Colin?

-A tiny bit apprehensive. It's a mentally draining competition as well as physical.

Well, we've had some really ambitious dishes, I've got to say.

Some of them were absolutely world-class.

But it's not just about a dish.

It's obviously about the overall menu and we have to make a decision.

-Prue, have you made up your mind?

-I have.

-It's Menu B.

-OK, Prue. Matthew?

It's Menu B for me as well.

I am also Menu B. That means we have a clear winner.

We don't know who Menu B is and neither do you.

Let's find out.

The chef going forward to represent the Northeast in the final of the Great British Menu is...

-Colin McGurran. Well done, Colin.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

Colin, you look like a relieved man.

A lot of effort, a lot of work, so it's nice that they pay off

and I look forward to improving throughout the competition.

There was some extraordinary dishes and cooking.

The fish dish, which was a dish I think of extraordinary visual beauty and beautifully accomplished.

I think the quail needs work, to be honest with you. I think it's an incomplete dish.

The pork to me was really soft, a beautifully balanced dish but what about the pudding?

Well, it was disgusting.

LAUGHTER

However, it was a great concept. I love the whole idea of the Olympic torch.

-You could have taken some advice from Charlie on that.

-Yes.

There were some wonderful things to admire about your food.

-Your beef was absolutely sublime.

-That was fantastic!

-That was your centrepiece dish.

You just didn't replicate it through the rest of the dishes.

What do you think at the end of the Great British Menu week?

Never want to be here again or prepared to have another go?

-I'd love to have another crack at it.

-Charlie, commiserations to you.

Colin, we look forward to seeing you in the final of the Great British Menu

with a revamped starter or pudding or whatever it is you decide to do.

You both deserve a drink. Thank you very much.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I am a bit disappointed that I didn't get to represent my region.

I'm really pleased for Colin.

I really want to see him get a dish through to the final banquet.

When they all said, "Menu B, Menu B, Menu B,"

I thought, "This is either going to be very good or very bad."

I got through and I'm over the moon. I'm ecstatic. It's so amazing.

Next week, Northern Ireland step up to the plate.

Last year's winner, Chris Fearn...

Back here again. Round two, ding-ding.

..takes on the chef he beat, Chris Bell...

-Feeling under a bit of pressure today?

-Big time.

I'm really determine to get to the banquet this year. It'll take something pretty good to stop me.

..and former champion Niall McKenna.

These guys have got a lot going on here.

Has it got the "wow" factor, the flavours, the combinations?

Their quest? To create the ultimate Olympic dish.

-The mousse collapsed. Left the plates in the oven too long.

-God help us!

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