Wales Starter Great British Menu


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LineFromTo

Hey-hey!

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This year's Great British Menu is the most fiercely fought yet.

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-BLEEP.

-I don't want to go through easily.

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I'd like to give you a beating first.

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The cream of Britain's cooking talent are battling to create

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awe-inspiring dishes

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worthy of a spectacular Olympic feast.

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So far, there have been tears...

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BLEEP!

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I'm kind of upset with myself. really.

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..and tantrums.

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-It's not working.

-BLEEP!

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And the veteran chefs haven't pulled their punches.

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Is that ordinary, or is it extraordinary?

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Now, Wales' finest are running the gauntlet.

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Returning contenders, James Sommerin

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and Richard Davies are facing up to one-time veteran, Stephen Terry,

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and this time, it's personal.

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You crucified him a little bit last time,

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yet you're saying you haven't practised your dish as much as us.

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It's starter day and with Stephen winging it with his dish...

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How come you're being last-minute Terry and practising it now?

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..things could get sticky for the former champion.

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It should be thickening. There's three egg yolks in.

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I'm a little the poo but it's exciting.

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Can't wait to do this for 100 people, flipping hell!

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HE LAUGHS

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The countdown to the London 2012 Games has begun

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and, as the world's elite athletes steel themselves

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for the ultimate test,

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Britain's best chefs have looked to them for inspiration.

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Look at that! It's huge.

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Let's do it, push those limits.

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Their challenge -

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to turn the Olympic spirit into groundbreaking dishes,

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creating menus of gold-medal winning ambition and daring.

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It's all about passion, it's all about drive.

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And, this is my Olympics, I'm pushing myself that extra mile.

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To stand a chance of cooking at the Olympic feast,

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they must first impress a demanding veteran of the competition.

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This week, it is a Michelin starred chef from a Welsh-Italian family -

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a formidable talent who earned her stripes in Britain's top kitchens.

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It's Angela Hartnett, MBE.

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I might be quite a difficult judge.

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I'm not just looking for quirkiness and something that's ground-breaking.

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It's got to work as a dish.

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This time, Angela's scoring a chef who's been a veteran himself

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and he won't want to be the one she sends home on Thursday.

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Well, the veteran returns.

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-How's things?

-Yeah, good.

-Brilliant.

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-Excited?

-Yeah, very. I'm very excited.

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Looking forward to competing with you, as opposed to judging you.

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Looking forward to it?

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Yeah, I suppose a little bit nervous

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but I want to get off to a good start today

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and maybe without Stephen judging me, I'll be able to do that.

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-Good luck.

-May the best man win.

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-Definitely.

-Best of luck.

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One haddock, one mackerel, one duck, one belly pork.

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First up is determined third-time competitor, James Sommerin,

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head chef at the Michelin starred Crown at Whitebrook.

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Two ducks going on table two.

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Three years ago, his precise, innovative style

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so impressed the judges, they picked his starter for the banquet.

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But the decision was overturned by the public vote.

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I'm going into this with one goal,

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and that's to come first.

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I want to make sure this time I can get a dish to the banquet.

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So I'm pulling all the stops out.

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I'm in it to win it, and I'll do everything it's going to take.

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-Do you want it here?

-Yeah, perfect.

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-All excited?

-Yeah, a bit nervous.

-Really?

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Yeah, it's you, it's you.

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You'll get me a bad reputation.

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No, but we all know you are a perfectionist.

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So, tell me the title of your dish, James.

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It's sage cream, with chicken and onion.

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Everybody knows chicken, sage and onion stuffing.

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-So we've got a warm panna cotta.

-Yeah.

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-Chicken consomme.

-Yeah.

-Confit chicken wing,

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good Welsh cheese.

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-Is this like a brie?

-Like a brie, yeah.

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-A bit of cheese on toast.

-Nice, sounds good.

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The onion element, I will make some onion rocks.

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So using liquid nitrogen.

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So they're going to be frozen?

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Like a hard ice cream, I suppose.

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How are you pushing the boundaries?

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Lots of different elements, maybe too much.

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An obvious question - you desperate to win?

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Yeah, big-time.

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Hopefully third time lucky.

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James is using all the latest techniques to create

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his deconstructed chicken and stuffing.

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But could his innovative approach be his downfall?

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He's using liquid nitrogen to make these onion pearls.

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So he's got the risk factor.

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He's got to set panna cotta, pour in a hot consomme

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on something that is cold and set, could be a total disaster.

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Is that on two?

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Three terrine, three chicken halibut, all market.

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Next up is second timer, Richard Davies, another Michelin star holder

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and head chef at the Manor Hotel in Wiltshire.

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Make sure you've got 12 of those, get those caramelised.

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Richard learnt his trade from top names, including Gordon Ramsay,

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but a lack of practice scuppered his last Great British Menu attempt.

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How long?

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Last time, I wasn't prepared and maybe I was a bit naive,

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'thinking I could just turn up and produce outstanding dishes.'

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Where is the rest of this?

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'This year I've got something to prove.'

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I want to get a dish on the menu and come home with my own gold medal.

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Hi, Richard.

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-Morning.

-Nice to meet you. How are you doing?

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Not too bad, thank you.

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What's the name of your dish?

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Ravioli of quail, with a parfait of foie gras.

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We are going to put a whole breast inside the ravioli.

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A bit of truffle through there.

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Jerusalem artichoke veloute on there, Madeira jelly

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set with agar, so it's not going to melt.

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Something a bit different.

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How are you pushing the boundaries?

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I'm doing things that I've not done before,

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So new technique, new ideas.

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I'm going to make a little tuile with a feuilles de brick.

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Why feuilles de brick instead of filo or puff pastry?

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I went for that because it's quite a neutral flavour.

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And we are going to be making the parfait with the livers,

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chill that and pipe that into our little tuile.

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Wow. Lots going on!

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You've been practising a lot?

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When you competed last time, you didn't practice much?

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Yeah, I've literally been practising for the last six months.

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You've competed against James and Steve before?

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Yeah, me and James are old foes, as they say.

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Richard's also stretching his skill with his refined quail dish.

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But is cooking pasta for Italian expert, Angela, a winning strategy?

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Richard's chosen to make

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a quail ravioli.

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I've made them for years,

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so it'll be interesting to see what he does.

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Lots of risks involved, he has to make sure his mousse doesn't split,

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quail is cooked, but not overcooked.

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So, lots of elements to get right and make sure he does.

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OK, one away and two smoked haddock, one with hollandaise, yes?

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Thank you.

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Last up is seasoned competitor, Stephen Terry,

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chef proprietor of the Hardwick in Monmouthshire,

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where he cooks his brand of ingredient-led food.

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BELL RINGS

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Service.

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He's a one-time banquet winner and a veteran chef,

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but it's the memory of losing to James Sommerin in 2009

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he wants to vanquish.

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It was lovely to be a mentor, great honour,

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but, personally, give me a competitive slot any day,

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I'd bite your arm off.

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I want to beat people. I don't want to mentor them, I want to beat them.

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What are you making, what is your dish?

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It's called the Opening Ceremony.

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-It's a pigeon salad, I've got, beautiful squab pigeons.

-Yeah.

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Some chicken livers, the breasts and the chicken are both cooked

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in a water bath, so nice and slowly cooked. Nice and pink.

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-And then just finished in this amazing wild boar pancetta.

-Looks good.

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The fat that's released will colour the breasts and the livers in that,

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so that adds to the flavour of that.

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And the other thing which is tricky

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and a bit of a risk factor, is a liver sabayon.

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Something I did once and I've only done it once.

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So there's your risk elements, why is this Olympic?

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It's an Opening Ceremony,

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they're being served in this beautiful cast iron dish with a lid.

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-Right.

-So you need to open the dish to see what it is.

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Looking forward to trying to beat these two?

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Yeah, absolutely.

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I feel a bit of a marked man, because these guys, I was judging them.

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The bull's-eye is there!

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Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery.

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ANGELA LAUGHS

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Stephen is banking on presentation to give his souped-up pigeon salad

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the Olympian edge.

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But has this former champion got complacent?

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Stephen's got loads of flavours going on.

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It's going to be an interesting dish -

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probably the most traditional in a way.

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But he's never practised, he hasn't put the dish together,

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he hasn't practised his sabayon,

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and that's a big risk to take in a competition of this level.

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All three chefs are out of the blocks.

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With six elements to his highly technical quail dish,

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underdog, Richard, has lots to get right,

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and it hasn't escaped his rivals' attention.

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Through your own admission, your last time in the competition,

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-you didn't practise enough?

-Yeah.

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Obviously you don't want to make the same mistake twice.

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You really crucified him a little bit last time.

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And you said you haven't practised much.

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Me? That's the way I work.

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We've all practised, haven't we?

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'He says he hasn't practised,'

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but I think it's blatantly obvious that he has, or at least certain elements.

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One-time veteran, Stephen,

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is relying on experience to pull off his pigeon salad.

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But Angela's spotted him having a sneaky trial run

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of his risky chicken liver sabayon.

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So how come you are being a last-minute Terry

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and practising it now?

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He's been practising since August.

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He's been practising since May

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and you're coming in and practising now.

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A bit risky for sort of last-minute?

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-I did it once and it worked, it's just getting the ratios right.

-Yeah.

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It is what it is, it's a chicken liver sabayon.

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It's not the most particularly ground-breaking thing.

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Let's hope the fact he hasn't practised won't be his downfall.

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For the last six years,

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Stephen has been enjoying a relaxed

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pace of life in the South Wales countryside,

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where he runs his own restaurant.

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The restaurant I bought

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when I left London just happened to be in South Wales.

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Met Jo, my wife and we've had three children

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and it's a great place to bring the kids up.

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And just look around you,

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what is there not to like about it?

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It's a long way from the bustle of London's top kitchens,

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so, to psych himself up for the competition,

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Stephen is visiting his old boss, Michel Roux Jr.

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-Hi, chef.

-Hiya, Steve.

-Are you well?

-God, yeah.

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It's been 20 years since they worked together,

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but Stephen still values the experience.

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Great memories, great friendships

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and a really good sort of foundation

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that set me up for life, really.

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It's going to put me in good stead for this year's competition.

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The thing about you, Steve is you've got the skills,

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you've got the technique.

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You've got the desire now.

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-Absolutely.

-So you can do this.

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Snails gone 22, Chris.

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Back in Wales, Stephen's bringing together his Michelin

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experience and the simple respect for ingredients that's the hallmark of his own food.

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You know, I don't have a lab and I don't have a load of powders

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and bits and pieces and stuff, but how I cook is very instinctive

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and that's where my natural ability lies.

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He's hoping and praying his strategy will do his adopted country

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and his family proud.

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I love Daddy's food and I think he's going to do win the best.

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I think Daddy will win too.

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THEY SQUEAL EXCITEDLY

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To stand up and fly the flag for Wales is a great honour,

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it really is,

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cos my wife's Welsh, my kids are Welsh and to me this is home.

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So a huge honour.

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Stephen's making a white onion risotto which he'll deep fry

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and serve with his pigeon salad.

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But it's his arch rival James Angela's watching.

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He's taking a more high-tech approach to his chicken, sage and onion dish.

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What's this, James?

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That's for my onion pearls.

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Ah, I see, so your pearl is going to be filled with that mixture.

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No, that is my pearl.

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So basically what happens is it's like a think soup.

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-Oh, OK.

-Syringe it in.

-Yeah.

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And then put droplets into liquid nitrogen.

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-Right.

-Let them freeze and then that creates the pearl.

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The effect I believe he's looking for is when one goes in your mouth,

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it's as if you've got this AMAZING onion flavour.

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So if he doesn't have the flavour and you just end up with

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a frozen globule in your mouth,

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he's failed totally.

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Having narrowly missed out on victory twice, James has been

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working hard at his Michelin-starred restaurant near Monmouth.

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Going into this the third time round, I think this challenge is

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bigger than ever this time

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because I've got to be able to prove it that I'm the number one.

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He's been dreaming up exciting flavour combinations

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and unusual textures by brainstorming ideas using mind maps.

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I work very methodically.

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I'm not one for throwing bits and bobs into a pan

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and just hope for the best.

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It's a method he uses with his staff.

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What about a bit of caramelised pear for extra texture?

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'I tend to write everything down, so I'll start off with one main flavour

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'and then try and marry things that go together.'

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It could take weeks' worth of trial and error and a lot of paperwork.

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That's table six clear, one monk, one belly pork...

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Up against his two old adversaries, he's not going to be holding back in the kitchen.

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The challenge is amazing,

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but it's about keeping the other two at bay and beating them.

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For his deconstructed roast chicken starter, James has prepared

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confit chicken wings and a sage panna cotta set with agar agar.

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Underdog Richard's also showing off his cheffy skills

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making crispy pastry tubes for his foie gras parfait.

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But it's another part of his complex dish that's got everyone's attention.

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Richard's making raviolis, bit of a ballsy move

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when you're cooking for Angela Hartnett, the queen of raviolis.

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She makes pasta like nobody else, so...

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Yeah, you know, good luck to Richard on that one.

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-How's it going?

-Yeah, good.

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Quite firm, isn't it?

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-Yeah. I like...

-What's your recipe?

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-550 flour. Six yolks, four eggs.

-The standard.

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-You know, it's one of those...

-I use another recipe but don't feel any pressure, Rich, it's fine!

-Do you?

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And you want this wafer thin.

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Yeah, the idea...I want to be able to see the mixture through the ravioli.

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To me, Rich's main risk is whether he cooks that pasta

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and it doesn't split.

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He's only making two and if one splits and I have to eat

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a ravioli that's full of water, that's his dish ruined.

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These day's Richard is the proud head chef

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of a Michelin-starred country house hotel in Wiltshire.

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But he learnt his trade in his home town, Bridgend, in South Wales.

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I was 14, washing dishes at the local hotel and my head of year at school

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placed me on a permanent work experience instead of expelling me

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from school cos I'd been suspended a few times and he gave me that helping hand

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and I think it's guided me and helped me to be where I am today.

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Last time he competed, a lack of practice let him down,

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so this year he's spent hours researching cooking methods

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and hunting out quality produce.

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For my starter, the quail has been reared here and nurtured here

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and I'm hoping to take the perfect ingredient and turn that into something amazing.

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To take his menu to the next level, he's also been experimenting

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with molecular gastronomy techniques and he's been practising hard.

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'I've learnt my mistakes from before.'

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With any luck, the other two chefs will underestimate me this time,

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you know, but I think that could be at their peril.

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Three of Wales' most ambitious chefs are going all-out to create

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ground-breaking starters worthy of an Olympic feast.

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If they're eating one of my dishes I want them

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to be able to look at it and think, "How did he do that?"

0:15:590:16:02

-Just like we do when we watch them.

-"How is that possible?"

0:16:020:16:05

Yeah. How do they jump over the high jump or...

0:16:050:16:08

-Run the 100m in nine seconds.

-Throw the javelin 100 yards.

0:16:080:16:12

With all three chefs having done battle in the kitchen before,

0:16:130:16:17

it's a grudge match.

0:16:170:16:19

Deciding their fate is the redoubtable Angela Hartnett.

0:16:190:16:22

James is fiercely competitive,

0:16:220:16:24

obviously he will really want to win.

0:16:240:16:27

Steve's got something to...you know, he's got the reputation, if you like.

0:16:270:16:30

He's won before, past performer and a veteran judge.

0:16:300:16:33

And then Rich is probably the underdog.

0:16:330:16:35

Of anyone he's going to want to excel and come from behind to beat both of them.

0:16:350:16:39

So I'm sure, you know, they're very friendly,

0:16:390:16:41

but, scratch that surface, I'm sure there's lots of tension there.

0:16:410:16:45

Former champion Stephen is first to the pass today

0:16:460:16:49

and he's starting to feel the pressure.

0:16:490:16:51

You know, I'm up against time as always.

0:16:510:16:54

I'm a little bit in the poo but it's exciting.

0:16:540:16:58

If I practised it 100 times, it'd be like...so yeah.

0:16:580:17:02

Having fried off his slow-poached pigeon breasts,

0:17:020:17:05

wild boar pancetta and asparagus garnish,

0:17:050:17:07

all that remains is his unpractised, last minute sabayon.

0:17:070:17:13

I can't wait to do this for 100 people.

0:17:140:17:16

-JAMES LAUGHS

-Flippin' hell.

0:17:160:17:19

But it's not going to plan.

0:17:190:17:23

It should be thickening - there's three egg yolks in it...

0:17:240:17:27

He might be an experienced contender, but Stephen can't afford to be late to the pass.

0:17:290:17:33

These guys are going to be cooking for Olympian athletes past and present who strive for perfection

0:17:330:17:37

every day of their lives

0:17:370:17:39

so we need to do the same.

0:17:390:17:41

And that includes timing.

0:17:410:17:42

We shouldn't be keeping them waiting and I don't want them keeping me waiting.

0:17:420:17:46

With time against him, Stephen begins to assemble his salad.

0:17:470:17:50

He adds the cubes of deep fried risotto along with

0:17:500:17:54

strips of pigeon and wild boar pancetta.

0:17:540:17:56

-The wild boar, yeah?

-Yeah, it's lovely, it is.

0:17:560:17:58

Now running late, the risky sabayon dressing is added

0:17:580:18:01

and Stephen's dish finally hits the pass.

0:18:010:18:04

Do you feel this has captured the Olympic spirit?

0:18:060:18:08

-I think the liver sabayon pushed my boundaries, yeah.

-SHE LAUGHS

0:18:080:18:12

Definitely boundaries are being pushed there, for sure.

0:18:120:18:14

OK, so looking forward to eating this. Bon appetit, guys.

0:18:140:18:17

Come on, Steve.

0:18:170:18:19

Stephen's certainly taken a risk by not practising his dish,

0:18:190:18:23

but is his pigeon salad a daring concept which breaks new ground?

0:18:230:18:28

-Shall we open?

-Go on then.

0:18:280:18:31

-Yeah.

-Quite nice smell.

-Quite a hearty dish that it.

0:18:320:18:35

-Yeah.

-For a starter.

0:18:350:18:36

Are you happy with the cooking of the pigeon?

0:18:400:18:42

For me? Absolutely perfect.

0:18:420:18:45

Pigeon's cooked beautifully - poached in the water bath

0:18:450:18:48

so you can't really go wrong with it.

0:18:480:18:50

And the famous sabayon? Happy?

0:18:500:18:52

I mean, it's dropped a little bit, maybe cook it a WEE bit more.

0:18:530:18:57

And what's it adding to the dish?

0:18:570:18:59

It's a contrast - you've got a liver sabayon on a piece of liver.

0:18:590:19:03

It's a cheffy thing, you do it cos you can.

0:19:030:19:06

The sabayon doesn't really come through an awful lot.

0:19:060:19:09

After taking all that time and effort and the extra time he took.

0:19:090:19:12

For me it kind of works with the pigeon, maybe with the salad,

0:19:120:19:19

I'm not sure.

0:19:190:19:20

Cooking-wise, pushing the boundaries?

0:19:200:19:23

Well, I've embraced modern techniques with the water bath,

0:19:230:19:26

the sabayon's a bit odd.

0:19:260:19:27

It's not rocket science for sure but it's definitely not run-of-the-mill.

0:19:270:19:32

It's a tasty dish but, for me,

0:19:320:19:35

I don't think it's quite up to the Olympic standard, if you like.

0:19:350:19:40

I think that went OK.

0:19:420:19:43

I think Angela would make a good poker player cos you cannot read

0:19:430:19:46

anything into what she's given...she doesn't give anything away.

0:19:460:19:50

And I respect her opinion so you know, at the end of he day,

0:19:500:19:52

what will be will be.

0:19:520:19:54

Next up is Steven's old adversary James.

0:19:540:19:58

The showpiece of his chicken dish is his onion pearls

0:19:580:20:01

made from soup chilled to 196 degrees using liquid nitrogen.

0:20:010:20:07

Frozen onion snowy pearls, onion things.

0:20:070:20:09

I don't do that, it's not what I do.

0:20:090:20:11

OK, it's pushing boundaries, that's it,

0:20:110:20:15

it's pushing boundaries, but you know, why?

0:20:150:20:17

James quickly preps his Welsh brie truffle toast.

0:20:200:20:23

A ground-breaking way of serving cheese on toast, then?

0:20:230:20:27

-Quite a luxury way of serving cheese on toast.

-I'd say.

0:20:270:20:30

Then garnishes his sage cream with shallot skins

0:20:300:20:34

and the slow-cooked confit wings.

0:20:340:20:36

He adds foraged leaves and a slice of truffle,

0:20:360:20:38

then his cheese on toast and onion consomme ready,

0:20:380:20:41

it's time for the final flourish of the onion pearls.

0:20:410:20:45

So do you feel this reflects the ambition of the Olympic theme?

0:20:480:20:52

I would say yes. You know, I'm pushing myself.

0:20:520:20:54

Everything about it is fresh, it's different, but it's not too

0:20:540:20:58

out there that at least they'll be able to understand what the dish is.

0:20:580:21:01

-Right, let's go. Do you want to take that, James.

-No problem.

0:21:010:21:04

Has James pulled off his technical wizardry

0:21:060:21:09

and cooked a truly innovative and perfectly executed dish?

0:21:090:21:14

-So pour this over all of it?

-Yeah, you can do.

0:21:140:21:17

-So it's like a posh soup, isn't it?

-Yep.

0:21:170:21:20

Brought back down to earth with a nice tasty bit of cheese and toast.

0:21:200:21:25

So your onion pearls, are they how you actually wanted them to be?

0:21:250:21:28

Cos obviously some have melted a bit but then some are frozen, is that what you were looking for?

0:21:280:21:32

That's exactly what I'm looking for, to give it a good texture and flavour contrast.

0:21:320:21:36

I think James' rocks have quickly been eroded.

0:21:360:21:39

It almost looks like it's not supposed to happen.

0:21:390:21:41

It all just goes into some sort of cold soup.

0:21:410:21:44

Got enough onion flavour coming out?

0:21:460:21:47

I think it could maybe do with a little bit more, it's just getting the balance right.

0:21:470:21:51

I can taste two things, to be honest with you.

0:21:510:21:54

I can taste truffle and I can taste chicken.

0:21:540:21:57

I can't taste any sage, if I'm honest.

0:21:570:21:59

Yep, it all kind of just washes into the soup.

0:21:590:22:01

Are you happy with the panna cotta, enough sage for you?

0:22:010:22:03

Yeah, I think it's pretty good actually. You get more of a lingering flavour of sage at the end

0:22:030:22:08

which marries really well with the chicken.

0:22:080:22:10

To me, it's style over substance.

0:22:100:22:11

We're producing a dish

0:22:110:22:12

athletes and their families are going to enjoy...

0:22:120:22:15

I honestly don't think they're going to get it.

0:22:150:22:18

First dish down. I'm really pleased, I really enjoyed it.

0:22:190:22:23

I'm getting into the swing of things.

0:22:230:22:25

When it comes to marking, I'd hope that I'd be getting at least

0:22:250:22:28

a minimum of seven, if not an eight.

0:22:280:22:30

Last but not least is Richard whose ambitious dish has seven different elements.

0:22:310:22:36

All eyes are on him as he dresses his bowl with cylinders of salsify

0:22:360:22:40

and cubes of Madeira jelly, then adds baby gem lettuce.

0:22:400:22:44

It's certainly achievable for 100 people, this dish(!)

0:22:440:22:48

Finally, his Jerusalem artichoke veloute goes into jugs,

0:22:500:22:53

his foie gras parfait is piped into pastry tubes

0:22:530:22:57

and Richard's risky quail ravioli is ready for Angela's scrutiny.

0:22:570:23:02

-Awe-inspiring? Olympian?

-I think so.

0:23:040:23:07

But I would say that.

0:23:070:23:09

All right, well done, Richard. Let's go.

0:23:090:23:11

Richard' created an elegant dish, showcasing his technical finesse,

0:23:130:23:17

but does it take his craft on to new heights?

0:23:170:23:20

-So we pour this round?

-Sure.

0:23:200:23:21

-And this is the Jerusalem artichoke?

-Yeah.

-OK.

0:23:210:23:26

Visually very interesting.

0:23:260:23:28

Yeah, complicated. Complex dish.

0:23:280:23:31

There's a bit of work involved(!)

0:23:310:23:32

The pasta's really thin, that's what you were looking for.

0:23:330:23:37

Yeah, you can see the actual content of the ravioli.

0:23:370:23:41

The quail's cooked as you'd like it?

0:23:410:23:43

The ravioli, for me, is perfect.

0:23:430:23:47

The quail breast is cooked nice. Maybe...personally, a touch longer.

0:23:470:23:52

So the feuilles de brick, that's what you wanted texture-wise.

0:23:520:23:55

Yeah, I wanted something crispy so we've got crispy,

0:23:550:23:58

we've got crunchy, we've got soft.

0:23:580:24:00

I think the texture dumbs the initial flavour

0:24:000:24:03

cos you don't get the mousse straightaway.

0:24:030:24:05

-No.

-It's more pastry first.

0:24:050:24:08

And then, the artichoke - are you happy with that texture?

0:24:080:24:11

Yeah, maybe I might thin it out slightly,

0:24:110:24:16

but then I don't want to turn it into a soup.

0:24:160:24:19

There may be gold in this dish, but I'm not sure

0:24:190:24:22

if it's a gold-medal winner, James.

0:24:220:24:23

The balance is slightly off. Good dish, maybe not a great dish.

0:24:230:24:29

-Well.

-How'd you get on?

0:24:350:24:36

Good, I think. It's hard to tell what Angela's thinking, isn't it?

0:24:360:24:40

-She's tough, huh?

-You know, she's not giving anything away!

0:24:400:24:44

-She'd make a good poker player.

-Yeah, definitely.

0:24:440:24:46

It's daunting cooking for her, I must be honest.

0:24:460:24:48

-Quite rightly.

-It's Angela Hartnett MBE.

0:24:480:24:51

You know, it doesn't get any tougher than that, to be honest with you.

0:24:510:24:56

Interesting to see the scores on the boards, so, yeah.

0:24:560:25:00

The wait is over, it's time to discover what Angela really thinks.

0:25:000:25:04

OK, guys, one down, three to go.

0:25:080:25:11

We'll start with you, Stephen.

0:25:110:25:13

Your dish was the Opening Ceremony which was the pigeon breast

0:25:130:25:17

with asparagus, the deep fried risotto.

0:25:170:25:19

I thought it was a tasty, it was well-seasoned

0:25:190:25:22

and the flavours did work together.

0:25:220:25:25

Even the liver sabayon which I had my doubts about,

0:25:250:25:28

I thought I worked well.

0:25:280:25:29

Don't necessarily think you needed it in lots of ways.

0:25:290:25:33

Overall a good dish.

0:25:330:25:34

But I don't think it pushed the boundaries enough.

0:25:340:25:36

You've got better skills

0:25:360:25:38

and I think you need to show that in the next three dishes.

0:25:380:25:41

So, James, you did the sage cream, onion,

0:25:430:25:46

chicken and cheese with truffle toast.

0:25:460:25:49

My reservations were about the sage cream panna cotta,

0:25:490:25:51

would it have enough flavour?

0:25:510:25:53

But it did, it came through at the end. And I thought your consomme was delicious.

0:25:530:25:58

The thing that let you down, though, were your onion pearls.

0:25:580:26:01

I thought I was going to have this big burst

0:26:010:26:03

of huge flavour in my mouth.

0:26:030:26:06

Instead, it was just like a melting cream.

0:26:060:26:08

Finally, Richard, you did the ravioli of quail, parfait of foie gras,

0:26:080:26:13

Madeira jelly.

0:26:130:26:14

Your presentation was stunning,

0:26:140:26:16

really pretty, without making you sound like a girl.

0:26:160:26:20

Your ravioli was lovely, lovely thin pasta.

0:26:200:26:23

For me, the negatives - the veloute.

0:26:230:26:26

Was it really a veloute or a thick puree?

0:26:260:26:29

I think your overall dish, you needed a lift of flavour.

0:26:290:26:32

You need something to lift the whole thing up

0:26:320:26:35

and really bring that wow factor.

0:26:350:26:37

So, guys, the scores for your first round...

0:26:370:26:42

..Stephen, for your Opening Ceremony...

0:26:490:26:51

..I'm going to give you six out of 10.

0:26:540:26:56

James, for your sage, onion, chicken and cheese with truffle toast...

0:26:580:27:03

..I'm going to give you six out of ten.

0:27:050:27:07

And Richard, for your quail ravioli, foie gras parfait, Madeira jelly,

0:27:090:27:16

I'm also going to give you six out of ten.

0:27:180:27:22

So, guys, all of you, up it. We want Wales in there.

0:27:230:27:29

-Well done.

-Well done.

0:27:290:27:33

Kick up the arse from Angela.

0:27:330:27:35

So, after the starter, it's a dead heat with all three chefs

0:27:370:27:41

having bagged a distinctly average six.

0:27:410:27:44

A little bit disappointing with the scores today. Better than last time.

0:27:440:27:47

At least I'm not last.

0:27:470:27:49

We're all on an even peg and there's still all to play for.

0:27:490:27:53

It's almost like the 100m sprint.

0:27:530:27:56

We've had a false start so we're all back again.

0:27:560:27:58

We've got to start again because it's even Stevens.

0:27:580:28:01

We're still on the blocks, to be honest.

0:28:010:28:03

I thought it was it going to be close.

0:28:030:28:06

I didn't think we'd all be on six.

0:28:060:28:08

It's good. It enhances the competition, I think.

0:28:080:28:11

Tomorrow, it's fish - the course which took Stephen to the banquet.

0:28:130:28:17

I'd quite like to relive the experience, to be honest with you.

0:28:170:28:19

Try to stop you getting there next time.

0:28:190:28:21

To break the deadlock,

0:28:210:28:23

his Michelin-starred rivals will be stretching their skills to the limit.

0:28:230:28:26

We are cooks. We're not scientists. I believe I'm a marked man.

0:28:260:28:29

They're gunning for me. Young guns want to get the old boy out.

0:28:290:28:32

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