South West Main Great British Menu

Three of the Southwest's cooking elite

are crossing swords...

So, boys, are you ganging up on me,

or is there something I should know about?

..intent on one of their dishes taking pride of place

at the Olympic banquet.

Yesterday, competition pro Simon

tried to scale new heights with his surprising fish course,

but hit rock bottom with the lowest score of five...

-This is just scallops and cream.

-Blimey.

-Ever seen anything like that before?

-Never.

..as seafood chef Nathan knocked spots off the competition,

and kept hold of the lead.

It's delicious. It really is delicious.

Now it's the main event,

and Nathan is hoping to play on his seafood strengths

to keep winning.

Duck and monkfish go well together?

I think they work really well together.

Monkfish and duck. It's a big risk, I think.

Did I just see the great Nathan Outlaw with a few shakes at the end?

If I'm not shaking in front of you four,

-I'm not human, am I?

-THEY LAUGH

As Britain showcases the best sporting talent

at this year's Games,

our chefs are striving to reach the same Olympic heights.

That's barbeque heaven.

Two-time main course banquet winner, veteran Tom Kerridge

is expecting the exceptional.

I want these guys to be putting food in front of me

that blows me away with respect of the meat they're cooking.

Today I am looking for big, big scores.

Despite Simon's downfall, they're halfway through,

and it's still anyone's game.

How are you feeling - good start?

Yeah. First two days have gone well for me.

Simple and sure seems to be doing you good, doesn't it?

Yeah, but you know what the competition's like.

-It can change in a matter of...like that.

-Yeah.

I know I got into the lead, but I think there's two more courses.

How are you feeling, Si?

I'm feeling good. I'm still happy and comfortable with what I'm doing,

so I'll just keep trucking on.

-Good luck.

-Chief.

-Good luck to you, Nathan.

Good luck, Simon.

Out in front, with 17 points,

is seafood chef with two Michelin stars,

Nathan Outlaw.

After failing to get to the banquet before,

this year his sights are set on the prize -

planning bold dishes with a twist, and a taste of the sea.

Tom appreciates my food, the simplicity and the execution.

I'm just hoping the next couple of days will work the same way,

cos I'm out in front and I want to stay there.

Morning, Tom.

-How are you feeling?

-I'm feeling good.

So what have we got for us?

We'll do roast duck, with barbequed monkfish.

Fish and meat in a main course?

I do like the marriage of surf and turf dishes.

I think they do work, when you get the balance right.

How are we doing the two?

The duck - we're going to cook the breast pink.

The legs I'll slow cook in a bit of fat.

Then we'll make a nice little ball with it.

The monkfish - I'm going to marinate it in the barbeque sauce.

Then I will char it.

Barbeque sauce?

It's not your traditional barbeque sauce you get in a bottle,

it's one I have developed,

using all the flavours that work with duck and monkfish.

Is it pushing the boundaries here?

I think probably, in the sense that people will see it on a menu,

and say, "Duck and monkfish?!

"That's pushing the boundaries."

Nathan's hoping to elevate surf and turf to Olympian levels with...

Nathan is playing to his strengths.

Everyone knows he is a phenomenal fish cook,

and he's using fish in a main course.

Something that is a big risk, I think. It's a big risk.

Next up, and only two points behind, is last year's reigning champion,

Paul Ainsworth. His creative, boundary-pushing style

has so far earned him two silvers.

He needs to pull out all the stops to win gold.

I'm not in the best position I'd like to be in,

but we're only halfway.

I'm a past champion, and I want to be there again, more than ever.

Good morning, Mr Ainsworth. How are you?

-Very well, thanks.

-What have we got?

The dish is called Wishful Chicken.

Pushing boundaries with chicken, Chef?

Chicken's never won Great British Menu.

Got a lovely, beautiful English chicken.

The breasts, I'm going to do chicken kiev.

Chicken kiev?

That takes me back to my childhood, Chef.

Then I'm going to make a ragout.

I'll do little peas, sweetcorn,

oysters. Just back into the shell.

That's very classic - savoury and salty flavours going together.

With the last bit, I'll use the livers,

and make a little pate.

Chicken kiev. Will it be groundbreaking enough?

Is that pushing the boundaries?

Yeah, when you see how I serve it.

Paul's taking a big risk

with his playful take on a classic chicken kiev,

served with oyster, chicken parfait, and potatoes.

Chicken kiev? It's fairly basic -

something you don't deem as being the heights of gastronomy,

but...you get it right, it could be absolutely amazing.

You get it wrong, and it could be just a little bit supermarket.

Trailing behind, with just 13 points, is world-class competition winner Simon Hulstone.

His technical prowess and futuristic presentation

have so far let him down on flavour,

but today he's coming out all guns blazing.

I won't take this lying down. I will battle to the end.

I want to leave here respectable, and with decent points.

I want to let it be shown I can cook,

and the ability that I've got.

How are you feeling this morning?

Good. Today's a new day.

What have we got?

I'm doing lamb, with a salted toffee pea mouse.

Toffee pea mousse?

Basically, I'm making a caramel,

then I'm going to make a pea soup out of it,

but then set the pea soup.

And the lamb is...?

I have a rack and a loin, and some belly, as well.

Not everyone's eating lamb belly.

-It's almost a forgotten cut.

-And chicken, as well?

Yeah.

I'm making a chicken mousse, and I've got the lamb.

I'm going to fuse the two together.

Two mousses - kind of like yesterday,

-but meat-style?

-Yeah.

There doesn't look quite as much going on in this box

as yesterday.

It's back to basics. Nice, simple dish -

but full of flavour.

What do we have that's daring and pushing?

The pea mousse is a bit different.

It's more about different flavour combinations,

bringing that lamb together,

and just showing the skills.

-A slight change of tactic and plan?

-Yeah.

Every dish has been different,

and has its own little story.

This is another one I'm working on,

and just show a different side of me.

Guys, this is the main course.

The main event.

I know how much it takes to win this.

Do the Southwest proud.

-Let's see if we can pull points back.

-Definitely.

-Come on, Chef.

-Pleasure.

Simon's going all-out for a flavoursome feast of...

The last two courses with Simon,

the dishes seem to have got lost in technique.

Today, he really has to pull his socks up.

He really has to pull something out the bag.

It's got to be boundary-pushing gastronomy.

Because of Tom's seafood allergy,

he's calling on the assistance of fellow veteran Jason Atherton,

to taste with him once again.

It's Paul that I'm looking for your help. He's doing Wishful Chicken.

Like a chicken kiev.

-Yup.

-But then he's using rock oysters.

They all seem to be pushing themselves today,

and we know how hard it's going to take

to get the main course on.

This is like the 100-metre sprint, the premier event.

Everybody wants to win this.

I just hope one of these guys can do it.

Fingers crossed that they do something amazing today.

It's the main event -

the course every chef would love to serve at the banquet.

But for the Southwest, two things stand in their way.

Feeling the pressure on this one, boys.

Main course winner Tom Kerridge,

and then I thought I'd add to that and bring Jason back,

who's also a main course winner.

No pressure, or anything, on us today(!)

At least, they're not in it!

Simon's hoping to impress the veterans

with his use of lamb belly,

which has been water-bathed for 24 hours, for extra flavour.

But he's not convinced Paul's chicken will have what it takes

to win the main course.

With chicken, you tend to see - whenever you go to a wedding,

anywhere - it's pretty much the safe bet, the safe option.

-Chicken's never won it before.

-Does that worry you?

I don't see why it can't win it.

It's difficult to make a thing like chicken and get flavour into it.

-Would you be happy to go to a banquet and see chicken as a main course.

-I think so.

The beauty of this dish is,

you will see it in a way you've never seen it before.

I think the challenge for Paul is making chicken exceptional.

Anyone can buy a chicken and cook it every day of the week.

To make a humble ingredient like that into something special

takes a lot of skill from the chef.

In a bid to create a kiev with a difference,

Paul uses tarragon and garlic butter to fill the chicken,

which he'll then wrap in roasted chicken skin crumbs

and pine nuts.

Scoreboard leader Nathan has been sticking to his guns,

cooking simple dishes with a twist.

He's confit-ed duck legs,

and is now forming the flakes of meat into balls,

which he'll deep fry and serve with duck breast.

Keen to personalise the dish,

seafood chef Nathan is adding monkfish -

something the other chefs aren't too sure about.

The risk for Nathan, really,

is you're having fish again.

If you've just had fish

on your fish course,

do you want it again on a main course?

I'm looking forward to a caviar dessert(!)

But, to get any closer to the banquet,

it's veterans Tom and Jason who Nathan needs to convince.

Duck and monkfish?

Go well together?

I think it works really well.

I wouldn't put it in front of you two,

if I didn't think it's a good combination.

I'm a seafood chef.

It makes sense for me

to have my personality on the plate.

And I can probably give you something different,

from a groundbreaking point of view.

I think you'll enjoy it.

For me, with Nathan,

the biggest problem is the question mark

of monkfish and duck.

There isn't a focal point.

I'm still trying to get over that coming together as a dish.

Only time will tell.

With two Michelin stars, seafood chef Nathan

is at the top of his game.

But when it come to Great British Menu,

he's never made it to the banquet.

Desperate to make his third attempt a winning one,

he's invited Olympic legend Duncan Goodhew

to his restaurant.

-Hi, Nathan.

-Pleased to meet you.

His inspirational swimming career

saw him take gold and bronze at the 1980 Moscow Games,

quickly followed by an MBE.

Duncan now draws on his experiences to provide motivation to others,

something which could benefit laid-back Nathan.

I just need to get my head in the game,

and work out what's going to give me the edge.

Competition, so often,

is actually about everybody thinking,

"He never has a bad day. How can I beat him?"

Then you get the psychological edge on people.

What we have to try and do is work you round,

to feel you're the natural winner.

What we can look at is how we can strengthen you

for getting that edge it will take to win.

That'd be great, yeah.

Nathan is at the top of his game,

but he's not quite converting that into winning.

What I will do is look at how we can bring out

some of the internal aggression, and get him to the next stage.

Duncan's moving on to the physical

with a sparring session on the beach.

But Nathan is still holding back.

I was never good at this. I was too much of a nice guy.

Got to get in there. It's a ring now.

There's only one of you going to win. You know you're technically good enough.

Stop being such a nice guy!

Goodbye, Mr Nice Guy. Come on!

Blimey!

I feel more confident and psyched-up

now I've had a session with Duncan Goodhew. The guy's a legend.

If he says I can do it, I definitely can do it.

Get in there and win.

In the kitchen, all the chefs are hoping their main course

will be the one to make it to the Olympic banquet.

They're sacrificing everything to get there.

A lot of support goes into competing,

and competitions and training -

which the Olympians have.

If you're training for the Olympics,

it takes over your life.

It's very similar to what we do, in a way.

Our families support us in such a big way

that allows to basically never be at home, Si. You know what it's like.

You have to have an understanding wife or family, don't you?

It's dedication, it's long hours, it's intense training -

just like an athlete, isn't it?

Very much so. Our families give up so much

to allow us to do little things like this.

Even working the hours that we do.

It's dedication being married to a chef. Know what I mean?

We're never at home.

We're always cooking...

I think it's an honour, to be married to me.

With his chicken kievs cooking,

Paul's moved on to his parfait,

a mousse made from blended chicken and goose liver,

with brandy and Madeira wine.

But his attention is drawn to the unusual mousse

rival chef Simon is making.

What are you up to there, Chef?

This is my salted toffee pea mousse.

Right, OK.

Where's the toffee flavour come in, then?

I make a caramel.

Simon's banking on his culinary innovation

to up his score.

But, as Tom knows, the proof will be in the tasting.

Absolutely love the idea of Simon's pea toffee mousse.

Only problem is, he has to get the balance right.

If it's too sweet,

it could take the dish where he doesn't want to go.

-So, this is the pea mousse?

-Yeah, all ready to go.

How has this been made?

I've done the caramel, then thrown my peas, chicken stock in,

blended them up,

salted, seasoned, bit of agar, left to set.

Tom's expectations are that

I've gone a bit crazy, done a little bit whacky sort of things.

This time, I'm drawing it back in.

I'm doing a dish I want people to enjoy and eat. I'm not showing off.

Across the kitchen,

rather than risk an unusual combination

like pea and caramel,

Nathan is putting a twist on a classic -

a barbeque sauce to serve with his monkfish,

which has caught Tom's eye.

-That's the barbeque sauce?

-Yeah.

That's not the colour I expected it to be.

It has the orange in there.

It also has all the herbs in there.

You can taste it.

At least you've got orange and herbs.

Yeah, you can taste that.

It's a small amount on the plate. Not too much oil.

Most of it goes into the actual marinade of the monkfish.

Nathan's using barbeque sauce.

It works very well with meat, works very well with fish.

But that's not a sauce that's seen as the height of gastronomy.

With time almost up, Paul's onto the last element of his dish -

the medley of oysters, peas and sweetcorn he'll serve with the kiev.

But with the addition of seafood, Tom's allergy means Jason will be doing the tasting.

Simon is first to plate up.

Using a kidney-shaped board as his canvas,

Simon sets about creating his masterpiece.

First, the slow-cooked lamb belly,

then the salted toffee and pea mousse.

Next, taking his roll of lamb loin, chicken and garlic,

he presses in pistachios and cranberries,

before slicing and serving with fresh peas and onion garnish.

Another powerful presentation,

but will it stand out in flavour?

-Pleased?

-Chef, it's me.

I should taste a hell of a lot better.

-Let's go.

-Excellent.

Will Simon's lamb loin and belly

have the flavour to put him back in the race?

Happy, Simon?

I think I've redeemed myself slightly, but let's see how it tastes.

Is there anything you would change on that?

Maybe tone it down with the blobs here and there,

but, personally, I'm happy with this.

That's certainly a Simon dish again.

There's a lot going on there.

Pleased with the lamb, how it's cooked?

The lamb's come out spot-on, really.

The lamb and the chicken mousse together,

do they work well for you?

I think so, Chef.

It's all ingredients that work together.

I'm pleased with it.

-That's tender, isn't it?

-Hmm.

-Beautiful.

Trouble getting the mushrooms and the garlic flavour.

Very subtle.

The lamb breast,

all the flavours marrying?

Yeah, they're good.

I think so.

Yeah, that's tasty.

-That's the tastiest thing on this plate.

-Bags of flavour.

The pea and toffee mousse. Is that how you wanted it?

Yeah. I think, if anything, it's salty, rather than sweet.

The pea mousse, for me, does nothing for the dish.

I just think it's green caramel.

Bit of food colouring in there, isn't there?

That's not a mousse, to me.

Do you think the flavours have matched the way it visually looks?

I hope so, yeah. The ingredients are all classic combinations,

and I've put it into a very modern interpretation of presentation.

For a banquet, do you think you could manage

doing 100 plates this pretty?

If I got to a banquet, I'd have a blooming good go.

I question the complexity of it.

It is a beautiful-looking dish,

but that's definitely not achievable for 100 people.

It went OK, I think. Hopefully, I've redeemed myself.

Fingers crossed, I should get a better result.

Paul's chicken kiev is up next,

and he has another presentation trick up his sleeve.

You come out with these surprises all the time.

-What have you got now?

-Just a little something, Chef.

-What's in the envelope?

Well, you'll see.

Little gift for chef Tom.

Paul loves his flares, fireworks, bells and whistles.

Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks.

Working quickly,

Paul puts the last touches to his kiev -

the crispy chicken skin crumb,

served with wishbones.

He then fills an oyster shell

with the ragout of sweetcorn, peas

and oysters, and plates.

Then, moving on to his wooden blocks,

he adds the chicken parfait, potato and gravy,

all served with a surprise golden ticket.

Wishful Chicken.

-Is this fit for an Olympic banquet?

-I think so.

I think this will get everyone involved,

evoking the Olympic spirit.

-Shall we go and taste?

-Yup.

Will the veterans think Paul's chicken kiev

worthy of the banquet wish list?

"With the bones from your Olympic feast,

"make a wish for a great British Olympics."

Come on, Tom - let's do it together.

There you go, Chef.

Half-and-half, mate. 50-50.

THEY LAUGH

Right, Tom. Shall we cut through - see what happens?

It's got enough crunch on the top?

Yeah. Just wanted the flavour of the chicken skin and the pine nuts.

What about the tarragon butter?

Really happy with the tarragon butter.

It's more of a herby stuffing.

It's quite clever what he's done with the coating.

But it gets soggy quick, because it's skin, isn't it?

And then the veg garnish here,

and the oyster.

This is why Mr Atherton is here.

Why is that groundbreaking for you?

What does that oyster bring to this dish?

I think it's a very mild flavour

that brings something different to the main course.

I would want more oyster.

It is slightly lost, because you just have the one.

The chicken in the parfait - is that too bitter?

No. I wanted some bitterness,

and some sweetness from the onions.

I really like the parfait, and the red onions with it.

Everything's there to make it a medal winner.

Is this worthy of a main course at the banquet?

Definitely. I think I've done myself proud.

As an athlete trains and pushes himself to the limits,

I've done that, I've done everything I can now.

HE SIGHS

I can't call that one.

It went in to the tasting room perfect.

That's as much as I can do.

Last to the pass, but first on the scoreboard, is Nathan.

With the clock ticking,

he last-minute deep fries the confit duck ball.

Then, as it cooks, serves asparagus,

with a slice of pink duck breast, and a generous helping

of the chargrilled monkfish in barbeque sauce,

and, for another taste of the sea,

a portion of samphire.

Finally, the confit duck ball and crispy duck skin,

and an extra helping of his signature sauce.

There you go.

Did I see the great Nathan Outlaw with a few shakes at the end?

Hey, if I'm not shaking in front of you four,

I'm not human, am I?

Do you think it's groundbreaking, Nathan?

I don't think you'll see the combination of duck and monkfish

on many menus. Certainly not barbequed.

I think it's very groundbreaking.

-Shall we go and taste?

-Please. Let's go and taste it.

Will Nathan's take on a surf and turf

be boundary-pushing enough for an Olympic line-up?

Visually-wise, impact-wise,

how does that compare with the other two?

It's quite a rustic style, not contrived.

A bit different to both mine and yours, isn't it?

-Certainly is.

-Nathan's a bit more rough round the edges.

I'm going to crack on with the duck.

Are you happy with the way that's cooked?

It could have been rested for a bit longer, for me.

-And the monkfish?

-Maybe a few more seconds on the char grill.

-It's nice.

-That monkfish is lovely.

It's perfectly cooked.

The confit leg. Does that work for you?

Yeah, I think it is about right.

It's crispy, so you have the texture.

That is nice and simple, isn't it?

A little bit unseasoned, maybe.

That barbeque flavour - does it come through enough for you?

I think it works well.

It's a different sort of barbeque sauce, isn't it?

Rosemary, isn't it?

-It's not smoky.

-Big hit of rosemary.

The combination of the duck and the monkfish -

one doesn't overpower the other?

No, I don't think so.

What my food is all about is trying to marry flavours

that do go together, but maybe with a bit of a twist to it.

Is it a 50-50 monkfish/duck dish,

or is it a duck dish?

I'm not sure how that would fit into the menu,

as a main course.

Is this an Olympic-winning dish?

For me, it's an Olympic-winning dish.

I think it showcases good ingredients

in a groundbreaking way.

I could quite happily get that cooked to perfection

on the day, if it gets there.

It's how I wanted it to be.

It's how I saw it in my mind.

Time will tell now. See what happens with the scoring.

Mains cooked,

all the chefs can do now is cross their fingers and wait.

I'm really nervous.

I don't know if I nailed mine as good as the other two.

I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about my main course.

I think it was very simple

in comparison to Simon's and Paul's dish.

It's a very important score.

The difference between staying and going home, I think.

Before Tom can decide his scores,

he needs his fellow veteran's verdict.

All three very different dishes.

The only question I have for you, Jason, is, Paul's dish -

did that oyster bring anything extra to that dish

that I would have missed?

It brought a saltiness to the dish what was lacking. I felt it completed it.

With Nathan on 17 and Paul on 15,

Simon's trailing on 12, and needs to play catch-up.

Simon, I'll start with you.

Your lamb with braised belly,

salted toffee pea mousse,

shallot puree and asparagus...

Wow!

Amazing!

Visually, what a stunning-looking dish.

It blew me away. I thought it was fantastic.

Fit for any competition.

There was more focus on the flavour,

compared to maybe your starter and your fish course.

I loved the use of the lamb breast.

It enhances do many lamby flavours through a dish.

The smoked garlic, coming through in the chicken mousse -

it was very subtle, but it was really nice.

The pinkness of the lamb loin - again, beautifully cooked.

But...the pea mousse...

I got the toffee flavours, and I got lots of salt, unfortunately,

but not enough pea.

There just wasn't quite enough

of that pea sweetness coming through.

My biggest worry for that dish is,

could you do it for 100 people at a banquet?

You might need 100 people plating up.

Nathan.

Your duck and barbeque monkfish.

I thought the duck was delicious.

The barbeque sauce tasted like nothing I've had before.

It was really good. You have such a lovely light touch with food.

You make big, robust things

taste really, really light.

But it didn't really blow me away.

I thought it was two really wonderful ideas,

but there wasn't quite the synergy for what I was looking for.

The monkfish could have been a little bit longer on the char grill,

just to give it that bit more barbeque flavour.

Paul.

Your Wishful Chicken - kiev, peas and sweetcorn.

Presentation? Phenomenal.

I loved absolutely everything about it.

The chicken breasts - beautifully cooked, wonderfully moist.

The crumble on top of it? It was just delicious.

The butter - wonderful flavours.

The one thing I couldn't have with that dish was the oyster.

Jason said it was lovely.

The saltiness of the dish - he said it really worked.

OK, guys. Scores.

Simon, for your lamb with braised belly,

salted toffee pea mousse,

shallot puree and asparagus...

..I'm giving you...

..eight out of ten.

Nathan, your duck and barbeque monkfish...

..I'm giving you...

..seven out of ten.

Paul,

your Wishful Chicken - kiev, peas and sweetcorn -

I'm giving you...

..ten out of ten.

THEY CLAP

Well done, matey.

Paul, that dish truly blew me away.

This dish, I would be so proud

to be served at the Great British Menu Olympic banquet.

-Well done, Chef.

-Thank you very much.

Good scores today, boys.

But it's not over yet.

Well done, lads.

THEY CHATTER

HE SIGHS

So, day three has seen Paul steal the lead with a perfect ten,

and a total score of 25 points,

pushing Nathan into second place,

just one point behind, on 24.

After Simon's redeeming score,

he's not far behind, with 20.

I think my food's been groundbreaking, modern,

and I will do everything I can to stay.

The score was OK,

but I wanted to achieve a bit more than that.

I want my dessert to shine.

I'm overwhelmed. First thing I will do is get my breath back,

wipe my eyes, and get my head down for dessert. It's all to play for.

Tomorrow, someone's going home.

Will last year's dessert champion, Paul, blow it?

Turning into a bit of a Greek salad.

Anchovies, black olives.

Do you want me to get some for you, Paul(?)

Feta's really salty.

You can kill off the whole dish, and turn it into something bizarre.

Has he left room for competitive Simon

to snatch his crown?

Fantastic!

I'm really nervous. Cook at home today.

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