Wales Main Great British Menu

Three of Wales' most ambitious chefs are locked in battle

to represent their country at a feast for our sporting heroes.

Having reached the banquet with his fish course before,

former champion Stephen Terry had high hopes for yesterday's round.

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

I'll try and stop you getting there this time.

But he was beaten by ultra-competitive James Sommerin, who stole a one point lead.

-Broken all your culinary boundaries, James?

-It's broken me, I tell you.

That was pushing me, I was against the clock. That was brilliant.

Now it's main course day, and with the scores on a knife edge,

he's risking everything to stay ahead.

-We're using liquorice.

-That's slightly unusual.

Will James' gamble pay off?

Do you think Angela likes liquorice?

Or could it be the chance his foes are looking for?

Can I fess up? I don't like liquorice.

I think the pair of them are going to want to take me off top spot.

But I think I can just keep them at bay.

With the eyes of the world on Britain in the run-up

to the 2012 Games,

our top chefs are blazing a trail for the nation's gastronomy.

Good, much better.

-Push those limits.

-Woo-hoo-hoo!

But veteran Angela Hartnett's yet to be blown away

by the Welsh contenders' efforts.

Halfway through the competition, none of the guys have really reached those Olympian heights.

I'm not being tight, I'm just being fair,

and none of them have pushed me to the point

where I think, "Wow, that's an amazing dish, give them ten points."

After two courses of average scores, there's just one point in it.

-What have we got to do to get more than a six?

-I don't know.

She's not throwing the points away this week.

Well, I got seven yesterday.

But, I mean, in terms of a race, we're coming down the back straight.

-It's going to be close.

-It's all about the final sprint, isn't it? You're one stride ahead, James.

Michelin star James Sommerin nudged ahead in yesterday's fish course,

and he's now determined to build on his narrow lead.

I'm quite excited this morning.

Really looking forward to it, had a good night's kip,

and I'm just ready for a scrap this morning, so I'm really fired up.

-That looks like a nice box of tricks.

-Yeah, it certainly is.

-So what's the name of your dish?

-It's Mangalitsa pork,

cooked with liquorice, carrots and leek.

-What's Mangalitza pork?

-It's a Hungarian breed, originally.

It's really close to wild boar. Fantastic flavour.

I'm uncertain whether I'll use the loin or the tenderloin.

That's why I've got both in the box. We're also cooking the jowl.

-We're using liquorice.

-That's slightly unusual.

Yeah, it is. It's kind of pushing boundaries.

And then we've got carrots, different varieties, you know,

good heritage carrots, and then,

you know, you can't take a Welshman away from his leek.

You've got to keep it a little bit home.

So what's inventive about it? What's Olympian?

Well, the pig in itself.

What, has it won a gold medal or something?

Well, it deserves it, because the flavour is absolutely amazing.

Slightly innovative, with the liquorice flavours,

and there's no modern chemistry involved in this.

Again, really good, honest cooking.

James is banking on a radical flavour combination

to give his rare-breed meat the Olympian edge.

But is it a risk too far?

James is doing liquorice with pork.

I've never eaten that, never seen it on any menu.

If it doesn't work, that's him out of the competition.

On the other hand, if he sells it well, it's delicious,

that could be his invention that takes him into the next round.

Next up, and in joint-second, is returning contender Richard Davies,

who's hellbent on staying out of third place today.

'Last time I was here,

'huge disappointment to be going home first.'

I don't want that to happen this time.

You know, I'm going to be doing everything I can

to stay in the competition.

Hi, Richard.

So what have we got here? What's the title of your dish, first off?

Er, we've got slow-cooked rib of beef

with horseradish ice cream and beetroot ketchup.

We've got the beetroot juice here.

So you're not using a whole beetroot or fresh, you're using a juice?

Yeah. We're using a juice,

and we're using some Gellan gum to thicken it, to set it.

I've not really used it before the competition, but obviously, tried and tested.

Talk to me about this lovely piece of meat. I mean, it looks fantastic.

Why are you slow-cooking it? Why not just roast it, then slice it?

For me, the competition was about pushing your boundaries,

modern cooking, and we're using the water baths

and then we're going to finish that in the pan, get a nice, caramelised outside on there.

So what do you feel is going to be groundbreaking about this dish?

The flavour combinations are quite traditional,

but we've got a little twist on that.

We're making the beetroot into ketchup,

horseradish into an ice cream.

I'm sure many Olympians won't have eaten horseradish ice cream

-with their beef before.

-I'm sure.

So I think it's just a little bit of fun, a little bit different.

How are you feeling, points wise?

I mean, you're only one point between you and James.

I mean, there is literally nothing to separate us.

Well, James will say there's one point, but hopefully,

you know, I can bring it today and, you know, get a good score.

Richard's putting a fashionable spin on classic flavours.

But will his culinary pyrotechnics pay off?

He's using a horseradish ice cream,

so that in itself is very inventive, very different.

Would you put a cold ice cream with a hot rib of beef?

Beetroot ketchup,

he's mixing it with his chemicals to make it set like a gel.

This isn't his normal cooking, which could be a big risk for him.

Last in is old hand Stephen Terry, who's also languishing on 12,

despite having previously had a dish at the banquet

and been a veteran judge.

Angela's a pretty tough taskmaster.

I mean, to get higher then six, you've got to really dig deep.

I think I can achieve that today, and hope for the best.

-Morning, troops.

-Morning, Steve. How are you?

-Good.

-So what's the name of your dish?

-The Bunny Pentathlon,

showcasing wonderful rabbit, cooking it five different ways.

The first one is a bunny burger,

which you make from the loins. That's served with a little bit of heritage carrot slaw

and some triple-cooked French fries.

-I'm making a little faggot with the offal.

-And what's this?

This is some locally-cured ham. I'm going to wrap that around the loin

with a little sage and cook it in a water bath.

We're going to slow-cook the shoulders,

press it into a mould and then breadcrumb it, deep fry that.

And the other element of the dish, we're going to confit the legs of the rabbit,

and that's going to be diced small and set in a jelly.

What, apart from the amount of work, is groundbreaking about this, and Olympian?

The name of the dish, the five disciplines,

that's embracing the Olympic theme, for me.

It's all set on a plate I've had made for the dish,

and I'm embracing modern cooking techniques.

-Feeling confident?

-Yes, absolutely.

You know, in terms of a race, I mean...

he's just slightly one stride ahead,

-but we're halfway round the track.

-Exactly.

Most races are won and lost in the last hundred metres.

You've really got this metaphor for the Olympics nailed!

You should be commentating.

Once again, Stephen's taken the Olympic spirit to heart

with a sporting theme and an ambitious game plan.

Putting loads of stuff on a plate doesn't make it inventive,

and doesn't make it taste any better.

Every element has to be perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked.

It's a huge task ahead of him.

The race for the main course is on.

Desperate to hold onto his one-point lead,

Michelin-starred James is preparing his rare-breed pork.

But he's getting a ribbing for his star ingredient.

What's the liquorice for, James?

-I've got a liquorice puree going with the pork.

-I like liquorice.

I must be honest, I'm not a huge fan of liquorice.

-So you're not a huge fan but you're using it in your main course?

-Yeah.

I've done a lot of taste testing, and it works really well.

I suppose liquorice is one of those things,

you either love it or hate it.

Do you think Angela likes liquorice?

I don't know. We'll soon find out, won't we?

You're going to find out, aren't you?

James is heating his liquorice with water to make a puree,

and Angela's quick to zero in on his risky choice of flavours.

-And what's that?

-It's my liquorice.

It's just a bit thick at the moment.

Can I fess up?

-I don't like liquorice.

-Don't you?

Snap. I don't like liquorice very much.

-Really?

-Yep.

-That's interesting and brave.

We all know what liquorice was like when we were kids,

and it wasn't the nicest,

and I've sourced getting the right sort of liquorice.

It's not the powerful,

sweet liquorice we buy in shops.

He's been very smart, and it naturally has the properties

of aniseed, fennel, Pernod. All those flavours work very well with pork.

But I don't want to see a whole blob of liquorice on his plate

and this minuscule piece of pork.

Pork's the element, make sure that it enhances the dish,

but not overkills it.

Hot on James' heels is fellow Michelin star holder Richard,

hard at work on his slow-cooked rib eye of beef.

So far, he's produced technically perfect dishes,

but has failed to deliver the wow factor.

Richard knows he needs to add a kick to all his dishes.

Everything was all nice, it was all good,

but, you know, a bit dull, bit boring.

We're looking for a great taste sensation.

He's banking on his beetroot ketchup to provide the missing link today.

-Beetroot ketchup?

-Yeah.

It's like a sweet and sour element, I mean, this isn't finished yet...

Have you got any fried rice with it?

Fried rice?

Yeah, you said it's a kind of sweet and sour sort of thing.

To set his ketchup, Richard's using high-tech Gellan gum.

The biggest risk with the dish,

I think, is getting the texture of the ketchup right.

I'm not making it from a raw vegetable, we're using the juice,

using strange chemicals,

and, you know, wacky ways of bringing it all together.

Angela's keen to find out if the risk is worth it.

What's this one?

Er, that is the beetroot ketchup.

Why did you use that juice instead of beetroot?

Obviously I tried both ways,

and it gave a bit more flavour than the raw beetroot juice.

-That's quite acidic, that, it's quite sweet.

-Yeah, exactly.

You know, the ice cream's quite creamy, the beef's soft,

and, you know,

I'm just hoping that'll really give it the kick you're looking for.

Neck and neck with Richard is former champion Stephen,

who's cracking on with his five-part rabbit dish,

making faggots with the offal and preparing pressed shoulder fritters.

'The brief says it's about challenging oneself, you know,

'and I set myself a huge challenge today to achieve five dishes'

that are all finished hot to order on a plate.

-JAMES:

-I'm quite intrigued to see Stephen's dish,

cos he is serving burger

and chips on there. It does have a faggot.

They're not really what would spring to mind for pushing the boundaries.

Stephen's wrapping his rabbit loin in a bespoke smoked ham,

and Angela's keen for a closer look at this special ingredient.

-Hiya.

-And where's this ham? Just with sage in there, yeah?

-It's herbs and predominantly sage, but it's slightly smoked.

-Yeah.

And time wise, how're you looking?

I haven't got a clue, to be honest with you. Erm...

OK. I suggest maybe you do check.

'You know, he's been late twice.

'I don't particularly want to penalise someone for lateness.

I really want it to be about the food but it's not fair

on the other guys. They're being very straight,

they're making sure they're on time.

Stephen's time-consuming dish has been a long time in the planning,

and he's even commissioned a tailor-made ham

from a local producer.

-Hi, James.

-Hello, Stephen.

-How are you doing?

Yeah, I'm a bit piggy, but apart from that, I'm good.

-These look beautiful.

-They are.

Stephen has asked James to come up with three fresh ideas,

including a ham encrusted with sage.

-OK, so that's the sage one.

-Yep.

We've done this in Somerset Cider Brandy.

Oh, OK. Looking forward to tasting that.

It's been washed in Somerset Cider Brandy.

Let's not forget the third option,

which was the really heavily-smoked one.

-OK, so we've gone through five smokes, this.

-Five smokes?

Yeah, beech smokes, so, I say, delicate flavoured wood.

Now the hams are ready to taste, starting with the smoky one.

This is obviously cut from the middle, so it's not going to be...

-..as smoky.

-It's delicious.

Just such an amazing texture.

How will the brandy flavour measure up?

You see, that's a little bit firmer.

-God, you can smell that straight away, can't you?

-Yeah.

It's there, isn't it?

-Get that bit of apple.

-Yeah.

Straight away, in comparison to the smoked,

I think the smoked would work a bit better.

Finally, the sage.

Mm.

-I like that.

-Mm. I'm liking that.

-Yeah.

I think the sage works really well, I'll be honest.

I think it's a good...

It's a good combination, it'll work well on the dish

Could be the one.

It's time to see how it works with the loin.

If there was one thing I think we could maybe sort of

slightly enhance more would be a little bit more

-on the smokiness of the ham.

-OK.

So it's not up with the five times smoke, but maybe once or twice more.

Yeah, OK, we can do that.

With a few tweaks, Stephen's confident his ham will take him

through to the judges and beyond.

The judging panel on Great British Menu are very experienced,

very, very learned, and for them, they will be able to pick up

that something is very tailor-made individual, quite a unique product,

part of a dish that will hopefully be a winning formula.

With just one point separating the chefs,

top-notch ingredients could mean the difference between triumph and disaster.

You've to go all-out on a competition like this, really sourcing great produce.

It's all about the pursuit of perfection, isn't it?

It's like an Olympian in pursuit of sport, trying to achieve greatness.

It's best of the best.

Cos that's what success is all about, isn't it?

Well, you think how much effort they all put into their own

achievements and everything else.

Fiercely defending his narrow lead,

James is banking on his rare-breed Mangalitza pork.

But he's only cooked with it once before

and still isn't sure which cut he's serving.

'He's taken a little risk, which is unlike James.

'He normally goes into it very methodical, everything written down.'

He knows to the last ounce of salt.

So this way, he's deciding at the last minute

what he's going to use, which makes it quite interesting.

-So what are you going to use, you don't know yet?

-No.

-We'll do a bit of a taste test, if you want.

-OK, let's go.

-And you just salt or pepper as well?

-Just a little bit of salt.

-OK.

-And would you serve that slightly pink?

-Yeah.

'You don't want to under-cook it too much,

'because there is a thing about pork being a bit too pink.'

I think people are accepting these days that, you know,

yes pork can be eaten slightly pink.

You certainly don't want to overcook it because if you do, it is like old boots.

So which one are you going to use?

-I think you'll have to wait and see.

-THEY LAUGH

First to the pass today is Richard,

whose dish turns traditional beef and horseradish on its head.

But could his innovative ice cream be a step too far?

Horseradish ice cream with a main course, with beef...

I mean, I see the relationship between beef and horseradish,

it's a perfect marriage, classic. But an ice cream?

OK, Richard, how's your horseradish ice cream?

-I think I got the flavour right.

-Yep.

-Cos, you know, too much and...

-Overpower.

-You won't be tasting that.

-Yeah, I think I got the balance right, so...

-All right.

-Good.

-Fingers crossed you'll think the same.

Something cold naturally needs far more seasoning than anything hot.

It's got to make maximum flavour out of that horseradish

and make sure it's seasoned correctly, so when you eat it

with the beef, you get that powerful horseradish kick.

Richard quickly finishes off his slow-cooked beef in the pan,

and preps his garnish of watercress breadcrumbs and beetroot ketchup.

Then adds his vegetables, confit potatoes and crumbed bone marrow.

Finally his meat is sliced,

and with a scoop of controversial horseradish ice cream on the plate,

it's judgement time.

-OK, Richard.

-Yep.

-Olympian dish?

-Hope so.

Right, we better go before the ice cream melts, yeah?

So Richard's embraced modern trends.

But has he produced an awe-inspiring dish?

I like horseradish with my beef,

so I'm going to have some of this horseradish ice cream.

I think the horseradish could be a little bit stronger in that.

Enough horseradish in there for you?

Erm, I don't want to go crazy on that.

I think if you taste it on its own with the beef, you get it,

so maybe, maybe a touch stronger.

In terms of the cold and the hot, it's an unusual feeling,

it's not one you're used to when you've got a mouthful of beef,

-putting ice cream in your mouth.

-You either like it or you don't.

-It's the modern thing.

-Anything you'd change about the dish?

I would like to see the beef cooked a little bit less,

but with it being rib eye, I don't want to go too rare,

cos it's one of the toughest out of the beef cuts.

And this, the beetroot, are you happy with that?

-It doesn't overpower, doesn't under-power?

-No, I quite like that.

And it adds a real zing, like that sweet and sour,

trying to excite the mouth

and kind of tickle the tastebuds with that.

You can taste beetroot, but there is sweetness there.

I think it's very well-balanced.

The carrots are a bit under-cooked.

-A bit under-cooked?

-Well, this half's rock hard.

Mind his plates.

What's inventive about it, what's Olympian about it?

I don't think any of them will ever have had

a horseradish ice cream or even an ice cream with a main course before.

-Yeah.

-And I do think the ice cream works with it.

It's meat and two veg. I don't see what's really special about it.

Is it a gold-winning medal? Maybe a bronze.

Possibly a bronze.

Well, you know, really happy with that.

Executed the dish well, there's still a little room for improvement,

but really hoping for a great score today to put me into contention.

James is next to face the music.

His rivals looking on, he preps his plate with carrot,

leek and liquorice purees, then adds sliced carrots and leeks.

The Mangalitza tenderloin and loin are sliced and served.

Then the jowl is added to the plate.

Finally he adds a drizzle of liquorice sauce,

and his dish is almost ready to eat.

One last touch.

-OK.

-OK?

-Sweating like a pig, I tell you.

-THEY LAUGH

-Olympian for you?

-Yeah, I think so.

-And happy with the pork obviously?

-I am.

I was actually really happy with it, so I've used all three pieces.

-Let's go. One of these, yeah?

-Yeah.

James is banking on left-field flavour combinations

and his rare breed meat to elevate his dish.

-But has the strategy paid off?

-OK, do you want to pour the sauce, James?

Gosh, I've got the shakes, the adrenaline's still...

Is the sauce liquorice sauce?

-The sauce has got a little bit of liquorice in there.

-Right.

Are you picking up much more flavour from the Mangalitza pork?

The Mangalitza has got a great flavour,

but I wouldn't say it's a world-beating pork, it's as good as.

So you're happy with the cooking of the meat,

-with the jowl and the loin, etc?

-Very happy.

I think it's a good balance of flavour, good balance of texture.

The thing is about liquorice, it is one of those, you either love it or hate it things.

So to eat this dish, if you don't like liquorice,

you won't like the dish, because it does leave a liquorice flavour in your mouth.

Which is a bit of a worry.

So you took a risk, really,

using an ingredient that you're not necessarily a fan of.

-Do you think it's worked in the dish?

-I do.

I think it's not offensive, it's not in your face

and it certainly doesn't overpower the dish.

They're carrots, aren't they? What's the green, then?

-Leek.

-Oh, of course it is. Yeah, leeks.

-Do you think you need all three purees?

-Probably not,

I think I could probably drop the leek puree and not bat an eyelid.

It looks aesthetic on the eye,

but does it bring anything to the dish? Maybe not.

It's an assembly of components that just sit neatly together,

-but it's not an exciting dish, for me.

-Mm.

You're in the lead now, James, by one point.

-Do you think this dish will take you further?

-I'd like to think so.

It is different, it's groundbreaking, to an extent.

Because I'm using something that is essentially a sweet element...

-Yep.

-..into a main course to try and accentuate the pork.

-Yep.

Different methods of cooking, pushing my own boundaries.

Well, I must say, I'm absolutely ecstatic.

I think I've actually put the boot up the other two a little bit.

I don't think they expected the pork to look as nice as it did.

I really hope and pray that I'm going to come out on top today.

Now it's Stephen in the spotlight,

and with five elements to be served hot and on time,

he's got his work cut out.

He pan fries his burgers and the ham-wrapped loin

and stirs cream through his sauteed chicory.

The faggots cooked in stock, his chips go on for their final fry.

But his jelly is holding things up.

Not a moment too soon, he arranges it on his specially-designed plate

and finishes off his ham-wrapped rabbit loin.

-Are you on time?

-Am I on time? I believe I am on time, Angela.

His cream chicory topped with his rabbit shoulder fritter,

his bunny burger goes on a crouton of fried bread.

A battered anchovy,

and Stephen's ambitious main course is finally ready.

Plates are brilliant. I mean, certainly captured the Olympic spirit.

-And you're on time!

-Yeah, there we are.

That's good enough for me!

OK, let's go. Let's go and eat one of these.

So again, Stephen's taken the Olympic theme to extremes.

But has he delivered groundbreaking gastronomy to match?

Is it the right proportion, given they're having four courses?

It's the main course, it's the nature of the dish.

It certainly looks like a mammoth plate of food.

Yeah, it's a nice healthy portion.

The ham, which you wrapped round the loin, do you think that overpowered the dish?

-Not too much sage, not too much smokiness for you?

-No.

The sage has come through, it wasn't too much smokiness.

So this is burger, chips and coleslaw.

I do like my burger bun a little bit...

-Softer.

-..softer than that.

How did you come up with this one, with the jelly?

Cos that's quite old-fashioned having a jelly.

I feel it was a nice contrast to the rest of the dish,

it all ties in together.

The jelly's quite nice. I think, you know,

if anything, it needs a little bit of salt, but, you know...

-This one was the...

-Pressed shoulder, braised shoulder.

-Yep.

Try it with some of that, that's a smoked anchovy.

Smoky those, aren't they?

Hm. The smokiness really comes through.

Kind of kills the rabbit a little bit.

How do you feel this dish is inventive and pushing boundaries?

It's having the two big shot puts,

to set yourself a task like that and to get it on the plate. Who dares wins, really.

I just wonder whether it's just trying a bit too hard.

In terms of flavour, it delivers a big punch.

But in terms of presentation and technical ability,

is it showcasing his cooking?

Angela's got her work cut out with that dish.

-Here he is.

-Go well?

Yeah. I think so.

You know what Angela's like, she doesn't give much away, but I think,

you know, I don't think she didn't like it, let's put it that way.

I'm sure I'll get a good six for that.

-So these scores, they'll be very important going into the next course.

-Huge.

-I think it'll be close again today.

-Yeah, I think it will as well.

The moment of truth has arrived. Can James hold on to pole position?

OK, guys. Third course done and dusted, one more to go.

So, Richard, yours was the slow-cooked rib of beef.

Brave to do beetroot ketchup and the horseradish ice cream,

both very different, both new techniques, I think,

that you don't normally cook with.

I had my reservations about horseradish ice cream,

but I think you really did nail it,

I thought it tasted nice in the mouth, it was full of flavour.

Beef, we both agree, could have been cooked a bit less.

You know, you said yourself.

And with sous-vide cooking and that sort of water bath cooking,

you would think you would nail that spot on.

And I think maybe you needed to take a bit more care

with your vegetables, with your potatoes, with the carrot.

You could have added a bit more flavour to both those elements.

James, you did the Mangalitza pork with liquorice, carrots and leeks.

Liquorice with pork, not something I've normally tasted

or would read on a menu. But I think it did work well.

You understood the marriage of liquorice, aniseed, fennel.

I think you could have added a little bit of salt on your tenderloin,

a little bit on your loin, just to bring them up a bit slightly.

It was all cooked wonderfully,

it was all tasty, but it was very safe.

Where was your invention on there, where was your pushing yourself

or the boundaries?

HE SIGHS

Stephen. Your Bunny Pentathlon...

I like the inventiveness, you know, rabbit five ways,

I don't think in the whole competition of Great British Menu, rabbit's been done like that.

I thought the dish as a whole, all five elements,

I thought, you know, delicious, beautifully seasoned.

And I love the contrast with, you know, the savoury anchovy,

the smokiness of that with the rabbit shoulder, it was a great balance.

My negative on that, the jelly.

Just a little bit of seasoning could have lifted it.

I'm going to give a half point today, which doesn't normally happen,

and the reason being, I think the dish I give the half point to,

slightly above the other dish.

So, James,

for your Mangalitsa pork with liquorice, carrots and leeks...

..I'm giving you...

..seven out of ten.

Richard, for your slow-cooked rib of beef, beetroot ketchup,

bone marrow, and horseradish ice cream,

I'm giving you...

..a seven and a half.

Stephen, for your Bunny Pentathlon...

..I'm going to give you...

..a nine out of ten.

So you've got one more course to go, guys.

So good luck.

-Well done, Stephen.

-Well done.

It's tight, guys.

-Isn't it just?

-Well done.

Just a point and a half in it. You know, it's like... It's nothing.

-It's unreal, isn't it?

-It's nothing.

-Very close.

-No, I'm pleased with that.

-It was a good dish.

So with one course left, Stephen has stormed into first place

on 21,

while James has slipped into second on 20,

putting Richard in dangerous third on 19.5 points.

I'm blown away, I'm absolutely blown away.

I think I exceeded my own expectations. Not I think, I did.

I exceeded my own expectations. I never expected to get a nine.

I was a little bit shocked, actually.

Angela said it was safe cooking but it was good cooking.

Obviously not enough.

I'm not going to let today's score affect my attitude

towards the competition. I'm still in the competition

and I can still win the competition.

Tomorrow's dessert will determine their fate.

And with Stephen playing it safe...

Nearly everybody's had, you know, lemon meringue pie, trifle...

Not my lemon meringue pie and not my strawberry trifle, all right?

..anyone could be going home.

I'm just a bit nervous at the moment, a bit flighty.

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