Mains Final Great British Menu

It's Day Three of the Great British Menu finals

and the pressure increases for our eight ambitious finalists.

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Their challenge?

To cook groundbreaking food for a once-in-a-lifetime Olympic feast

in honour of the world-class athletes who've inspired the menus.

If you don't put the hours in,

when it comes to the racing you'll get absolutely stuffed outside.

BLEEP

Yesterday, the chefs came to blows in the fight for the fish course.

How's it going, man? Are you good?

How's it going, man? With five minutes to go.

Oh! Oh!

Legendary Phil, experimental Simon

and meticulous Alan triumphed with their dishes.

This is gastronomy, this is really what food is all about.

Absolutely beautiful.

It's just a masterpiece.

It's got to be a 10.

Tonight, it's the main course and everyone is on a knife edge.

I could die on my sword here today, I think.

I'll look forward to it.

A bit salty, so it's frustrating.

And the tension is spilling over into the judging chamber.

This is boring, old...

Matthew, you've been banging on for hours.

You've just eaten too many meals in your life

and you cannot see a good flavour when it comes your way.

Tonight, it's the main course.

First to arrive are London's Phil Howard,

Colin McGurran from the north-east and Scotland's Alan Murchison.

Back into our little box.

-How are you feeling after yesterday?

-Good.

Well, you two should! You got two in the box already.

They're followed by Stephen Terry for Wales and Simon Rogan from the North West.

Ready for action?

Always ready for action.

-You're hoping to get three out of three?

-I'm always hopeful.

-Three out of three looks a bit unacceptable.

-It wouldn't be gentlemanly behaviour, would it?

Finally, it's Nathan Outlaw from the South West,

Daniel Clifford from the Central region and Northern Ireland's Chris Fearon.

THEY GREET EACH OTHER

As each day passes, the pressure intensifies.

I'll be gutted if I'm not allowed to cook, because I've made the tweaks.

I'm worried they might have a go at me again. I had a few problems with my dish first time around.

We've got two days left to go

and the boys who aren't in the top three, the nerves are starting

-to kick in, you're thinking, "Have I lost my opportunity?"

-The pressure.

-Yeah.

The chefs' fates are in the hands of our panel of judges -

Prue Leith, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton.

They'll decide which three dishes are ground-breaking enough

to be considered for the Olympic feast.

Right, today is the main course and we want things to go up,

keep going up.

Honestly, we've got some crackers already,

and today should cement the beauty that this feast is going to be.

If we talk about this feast like a relay race,

every single course has got to perform absolutely to the maximum.

This is no different from the others.

Helping them decide is the only chef to have won the main course twice.

He's also just bagged his second Michelin star.

It's Tom Kerridge.

-Morning, Mr Kerridge.

-Good morning, hello.

It feels a lot safer this side of the desk,

-I've got to be honest with you!

-With this competition,

we have seen things together that you would never think of,

but work beautifully and you know that only comes from trial and error.

Absolutely. The pork dish I won with last year,

it took six months to get the pork belly right.

If those guys in that kitchen have been doing the same thing,

there is going to be some really good dishes today.

The judges' first task of the day

is to decide which dishes are fit to compete.

Going into the judging chamber to find out who's cooking

is always going to be a nerve-racking experience.

I think there are some twitchy chefs today in the room.

I think a couple of them might not have listened to the judges and not changed their dishes.

There's a lot going on in Colin's dish

and I think it didn't all come together

as a single statement, which is what I'm looking for.

It looks as if it could be more of a starter than a main course.

It's round three today.

Quite excited. If I get the opportunity to cook, that is.

I think I really need the opportunity after yesterday's performance.

'This was a disappointment. This is Alan Murchison.'

We asked him to change it.

It was a kind of veal barbecue.

Three little things lined up on a plate with a splash of sauce.

Not really what we're looking for.

It's not really what I'd expect from Alan Murchison, either.

He's always somebody who's driving hard and pushing forward.

I think, given the first two dishes I've delivered,

I should be allowed a chance to prove I've listened to the judges.

We ought to talk about Stephen Terry.

I felt really sorry for Stephen,

because he's not been doing brilliantly first and second course.

I think it may be lack, in terms of in comparison to some

of the other the dishes, in levels of pure gastronomic brilliance.

If I was told not to cook, I would have to question why I'm here.

This is Nathan Outlaw's barbecue and it was surf-and-turf monkfish

and duck.

-Tom, you judged this.

-I did.

-How did you like it?

I just thought it was two main courses put together on one plate.

I didn't quite get it, so maybe he's tweaked it.

I'm not nervous about it. I'm very confident it's a different dish.

There's no reason why they wouldn't let me cook,

because nobody else is doing that combination.

-Simon Rogan. That was just lovely.

-I had misgivings about this.

I thought this was essentially, by his standards,

a very conventional dish.

Really excited about the main course,

if I'm allowed to cook it.

So the aim is to get on that top three again today.

-Daniel Clifford.

-I think this has definitely got potential.

It's a contender.

I'm very confident in this one,

so I can't wait to get into the kitchen and start cooking.

Another classic, wonderful chef, Phil Howard.

I think that particular dish has all the qualities we would expect

and was shown off to glittering perfection.

I would be shocked if I was not cooking today, I have to say.

Chris Fearon's lamb dish, it was like a little canape party.

Everything was delicious, but it's a big plate with lots of bits on it.

It didn't have a centre to it. It didn't really have a soul to it.

I have to keep optimistic and I have to stay positive.

But I might not get the opportunity to cook, you just don't know, fingers crossed.

Hope for the best.

There are two, possibly three,

certainly two, which I think there are strong question marks over.

If they've been changed, so much the better,

but if they haven't been...as far as I'm concerned.

Let's get the chefs in.

-Good morning, chefs. CHEFS:

-Good morning.

So, you're ready for another tough day? ALL AGREE

Today, we have Tom Kerridge, as you see, and, as you know,

he has won this competition twice.

-Good morning, chefs. Wow, what a line-up!

-ALL:

-Good morning, Tom.

I'm sure you are anxious to know who will be cooking today.

I have to tell you that two of you are at risk.

They are Alan...

..and Chris.

Chris, lamb dish...

-EXHALES LOUDLY

-It was probably a little bit conventional

and you know how stern this competition is.

I do now I've seen everything else these guys are doing.

I feel a bit out of my depth.

So, Chris, are you changing your dish?

I'm tweaking it. Obviously, I couldn't change the whole dish

because I changed the fish dish. No, effectively it's the same dish.

-Same dish.

-Yeah.

Alan, the veal dish for us, it just didn't have the oomph.

I think it was ingredients on a plate,

rather than lots of great relationships in terms of flavours.

Have you changed it, Alan?

I have changed the dish completely. I've gone with a lamb dish.

I reckon we need to give Alan another crack, because he has completely

changed the dish.

But sadly, Chris, you've got a day off.

So, chefs, seven of you will be cooking today.

Tom, have you got any advice for them?

Make sure you nail it. This is the main one,

it's the main course and I'm sure you all want to win it.

I wish you the best of luck and I'm thoroughly looking forward to tasting them all.

Thank you, guys, good luck today, we'll see you later.

-ALL:

-Thank you

'I'm absolutely gutted to be knocked out. I have to take it on the chin.

'I'm not doing particularly well so far this week,'

so, yeah, it's hard to take.

So seven chefs are left, fighting for a top-three place.

First up is experienced competitor Alan Murchison from Scotland,

heavyweight Phil Howard from London

and maverick Colin McGurran from the North East.

Harsh start to the morning again.

You're so in the zone to cook, it's gutting not to be able to do it.

Especially for Chris.

He's come in here

and I think he's feeling overwhelmed by the competition this year.

-It's hard for him.

-BLEEP

-hard. You feel for him

Two-Michelin-starred Phil is cooking first.

He didn't get to cook his starter,

but delivered a stunning fish course,

which gave him a top-three finish.

Today, he's cooking roast lamb, pie and mash, served with carrots

and spherical mint jellies and he's feeling very confident.

I think if my dish yesterday

was worthy of top three,

my dish today should be worthy of top three, too.

It is a beautiful, polished piece of cooking. Everything is considered.

Everything was technically spot on.

There's a sense of development of the dish where you go, "This is it, this is as good as it gets."

I think that, in a way, is innovation itself.

I've gone lamb spring-style with little spring carrots

and really verdant, fully flavoured parsley creamed potato.

The only technical bit is I'm doing a little gel, a sphere,

a modern take on mint sauce, really.

No significant changes, but I'm going with a new cut of lamb.

What Phil's done is he's taken a dish based on classical values -

lamb and mint - but he's actually put a spin on it.

He's absolutely pushing boundaries, but with classic favours and great technique.

As well as changing the cut of lamb, Phil is also adding a herb crust,

which happens to be very similar to Alan's dish.

-Have you got the crust, as well?

-Yes, he has.

-I'm up first, they'll be hungry.

-They're almost identical.

-Except mine is greener and...

-Tastier?

Probably tastier, yeah. LAUGHTER

I could die on my sword here.

I look forward to it(!)

Very interesting. It's not often you see two chefs of their calibre

competing against each other,

cooking very similar dishes.

I think there's a little bit of added pressure, really.

Did the judges like your herb crust first time around?

They didn't get herb crust first time around. The herb crust is a tweak.

What were the comments like on your dish?

I had issues with the jelly, but that's resolved.

Phil carefully places his spring carrots,

followed by a dollop of spinach-and-parsley mash.

He tops with a sphere of mint jelly,

Then a lamb-and-potato pie.

He'll complete the dish with the saddle of lamb

and a spoonful of gravy.

Lamb to the right, yeah? Lamb to the right, please. Go, go,

go, go, go. Go. Thank you.

-Oh

-BLEEP.

Look at that. Look at that.

Perfectly cooked, isn't it?

-Happy?

-Yeah.

This is an immaculate-looking plate with two very odd blobs on it.

That's the spherification. That's the innovation.

-Doesn't it smell good?

-Mmm.

-And it's so pretty.

-I think the lamb is stunning.

-Me too.

SIMON: Ah, that lamb!

-Oh, yeah.

-Ha!

-Tasty, isn't it?

-Mm.

-Sets the standard.

I think there are two things that I don't like.

The little wobbly globs of stuff

that appear to have been washed in from outer space,

the spherification, and also this green, sludgy stuff.

I may possibly choke on my food,

but I do think, in this instance, the spherification really works.

He's got his classical flavours,

but there are ground-breaking touches with the jelly and stuff.

If it was mine, I'd take the bubbles off.

Then what are you left with?

This is a really good dish, but I don't think it's an amazing dish.

The weakest link on the dish is probably the spinach-and-potato mash,

but, overall, it's a beautiful, beautiful dish.

Whether it's ground-breaking, or innovative, I'm not sure.

This has been very badly trimmed, this lamb.

There's a piece of inedible gristle.

-I'm absolutely gobsmacked by that.

-You can't cut your fat off yourself?

It's not fat, it's gristle! Had it been fat, I'd have gobbled it up.

As it's gristle, I'm afraid I'd have to spit it out.

But you could just cut it off.

I have just cut it off!

And now I shall wave it around.

That should not have been on the plate.

Look, guys, I'm not saying this isn't great cooking.

This is the best Sunday lunch I've ever had,

but that's what it is, it's Sunday lunch.

I think maybe this runs the risk of being too conservative.

Too conventional.

It's a shame, because it's a beautiful plate of food.

To cook a piece of lamb like that, it's almost breathtaking. I thought it was amazing.

This was a characteristically sophisticated, polished performance from Mr Howard,

but I think it was short on whizz-bangery,

so I'm going to give it seven.

I thought this was a great and cooking, so it's an eight.

Phil Howard is just one of the best cooks around.

But I don't think he filled the brief to be exciting.

It's a seven.

It didn't quite have the pizzazz, the oomph,

that I was looking for, so, for me, it's a seven.

A respectable score.

How will Alan Murchison measure up?

Will his brand-new dish of lamb, basil, goat's cheese and tomato

give him his third consecutive top-three dish?

The main course, got a bit of a kicking in the regionals,

so I had to change the dish completely.

It's going to call on all my experience, so we'll see.

Alan's got that beady-eyed look of a man in the zone.

He's one of the most driven characters I know.

I know he's changed his dish, but you can rest assured

he would have been trying his best to nail this one.

There's a serious point of jeopardy here for him.

I think he may not make it because, what's marked his cooking so far

is that he's practised and practised

and honed every detail to perfection.

This time, he hasn't had the opportunity to do that.

It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with.

I would be astonished if we don't get a fantastically good dish.

Alan is going head to head with Phil by also cooking lamb,

but he's keen to point out that he is treating it

in a much more modern way.

What I'm doing is a take on basil, tomato, olive with lamb.

But not in a way you'd conventionally see it.

I was going to say I find it hard to believe...

I'm not doing a sauce with it. I'm going to do one gazpacho.

I'm going to do goat's cheese panna cotta with it

and I'm drying out olives and making almost like an olive crumb.

It's extraordinary. Alan and I are doing virtually the same dish.

On paper, it's the same dish.

In reality, what comes up is going to be very different.

Alan's is a much more modern take, more modern techniques going on

in terms of presentation and the components of his dish.

So they will be chalk and cheese to eat, I think.

Chris would have been using lamb, too,

if he had been allowed to cook today.

This is something you've practised and are confident with?

I've had a play about with this dish. Am I confident?

Listen, mate, we've seen the results so far. Nobody can be confident with anything just now.

Panna cottas, jellies,

you're going to be top three or towards the bottom.

Just trying to take it up a notch.

-All the flavours are there.

-I'm glad I'm not doing lamb today. Sorry.

Today I've taken a risk.

I've done something really different. It might work for me, it might not.

Now, for the herb crust.

-Almost identical to yours, Phil.

-Mine was roast lamb with veg.

I'm not sure that's what yours is.

A quenelle of basil mash joins the tomato jelly,

then a garlic crisp to top the goat's cheese panna cotta

and a sprinkling of dried black olives.

Finally, the lamb with its herb crust and a drizzle of basil oil.

Oh, dearie me.

It's going to go one way or the other that one, isn't it?

Let's go. Please. Thank you very much.

PHIL: Get that. Could not be more different.

-The lamb looks nice.

-ALL AGREE

I've just sent a dish to the judges that

I don't really know what the reaction is going to be.

Hey ho, we'll see what happens.

I look at this dish

and I feel a terrible sense of oppression falling over me.

LAUGHTER

Someone's emptied their pipe tobacco all over my plate.

-What's the matter with you?

-And the basil...

Listen, this is boring old lamb

in the Provencal style dressed up

in emperor's new clothes.

We've got a classic combination of flavours that work very well

and then Alan has just tried

to twist the way that you receive them in your mouth.

There are some very nice things,

particularly the goat's cheese and the lamb.

-And what's the grit?

-Black olive.

-Oh, is it? It's gritty, it's unpleasant.

-PRUE: Oh!

There aren't many vegetables on the plate and there's no sauce.

-There's a couple of bubbles. That's your veg.

-It is tough to cut, though.

I can't taste lamb, I can just taste the crust.

I think the garlic crisp is so strong, you can't taste the mash,

you can't taste the lamb.

I think he's pushed the boundaries way too far here.

There is this green potato, which... Plasticine,

I knew I'd seen it somewhere before. I used to play with that.

I agree with you about the potato. That is not a success.

I think this dish lacks gravy and I'm not too blown away with

-the black olive powder thing.

-And as for this thatch on top,

-this dry...

-Matthew, you have been banging on for hours.

You've just eaten too many meals in your life

and you cannot see a good flavour when it comes your way.

I think we eliminated the wrong man from this competition first thing this morning.

-Is your dish better than that?

-It's not as pretty looking,

but my dish would be tastier than that. It makes me upset.

The lamb is tough.

The crust, it's soft and oily and far too powerful for the dish

and it doesn't taste nice. It's a pretty disgusting plate of food for me.

Alan has achieved the impossible.

He should've stuck to his first dish. Three.

Although I liked of the flavour of the lamb and goat's cheese together,

I think this was a stocking-filler dish for Alan, so it's a five.

Somehow, the dish didn't come together

and I found it, overall, disappointing.

It's a six.

There were some clever ideas going on,

but it kind of lacked something that pulls it all together.

For that point, it's a six.

So Alan's dish fell well short.

Can Colin raise the bar?

He's cooking hay smoked pig's head with a molecular mock apple,

textures of onion and a black-pudding puree.

Can this dish secure him a second top-three place?

The name of the game is to get as many dishes as possible in the top three,

so it's important to get this dish nailed.

My recollection of this dish was it was like bits and bobs.

He hadn't solidified his core idea.

I think we did say that in the feedback,

so, very likely, he's pulled it together somehow.

Colin's technical fish course failed to impress the judges yesterday,

but this hasn't stopped him pulling out more wizardry today.

-What are you doing?

-I'm trying to create an apple. There's an apple mousse.

Shaped like an apple. And you dip it in liquid nitrogen?

Dip it in, just to set it.

You know, this liquid is hot so I don't want it to melt,

-it needs to be sharp.

-What's in there?

This is apple juice and then I put a bit of xanthan gum

and agar in there to create this skin around it.

So when the mousse softens and dissolves,

you've got to cut it like butter

and a massive hit of apple.

He's an impressive cook. He's Mr Stealth. He just delivers.

He delivers modern, very accomplished, contemporary...

But it's food. It's food that's designed to eat.

Colin's skill and innovation have made his competitors sit up

and take notice.

What are you looking to achieve with the burnt paper?

When the paper starts to char, you can see it blackening,

it gives that smokiness to it.

It gives that char. You can see that smoke.

It is going to add to the aroma, the flavour.

I think it's a great dish. There's suppose a bit of artistry there.

But it's all about good cooking and that's what I'm trying to achieve today.

Under the watchful eye of his rivals, Colin starts to plate up.

The mock apple is placed on his black pudding puree,

along with red, white and baby onions.

The smoky pork gel completes the dish,

topped off with deep-fried skin.

HE WHISTLES A JAUNTY TUNE

Check, check, check, check, check.

Thank you very much.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

If Tom Kerridge likes pork, he's going to love this pork. I hope.

It's very tasty, it was well seasoned,

nice bit of fat to it but the fat was so soft,

you could squish it between your teeth, it was so delicious.

It seems like a lot more clarity to the dish already.

It feels cleaner.

And the smells coming off the plate are amazing.

The perfume of pig.

-It has that sort of slightly artless look to it.

-Ah!

Where everything is carefully consid...

Will you stop interrupting with your "ah"?

I'm sorry, but I just lost you,

because it is the most divine pig's head.

-Tom, as a pig man, what do you reckon?

-It's...

..it's fantastic.

The flavours are coming through wonderfully.

-Pork and apple.

-Yeah.

Sunday lunch. My Sunday lunches never look quite like this.

There's cold elements and warm elements.

I think it's a fantastic dish.

Oh, very tasty.

Do you think there's enough for a main course enough vegetables as such?

It's like a starter size, in a way.

I think it's a sensational main course.

It's perfect, the right size in a four-course menu,

we may have a number of rich courses either side of it.

I think the black pudding, it needs more in the way of oomph,

a little bit more kick, a little bit more...

..excitement.

It wouldn't hurt, a tiny bit more spice.

Do know what would happen? We'd complain there were too many flavours.

"They were getting in the way of another, oh what a muddle it was."

When it's something you associate with a texture,

which is black pudding, and that peppery, spicy flavour,

it would have been more beneficial to have served a piece of black pudding

on top of the puree to demonstrate that skill.

To not to put it on, I think is a bit of mistake. ALL AGREE

It's a series of very carefully modulated, delicate flavours

that actually leaves your mouth very fresh.

Ready for pudding I would say after this.

It's fantastic. I just don't think it's a main course.

I think he's produced another elegant dish.

-But, as a main course, it just comes short of the mark.

-Yep.

-It's a tasting menu dish?

-ALL AGREE

Colin's dish, for me. was an exquisite dish, if it was a starter.

For that point of view, it's an eight.

I love this course. I thought it was the right size.

It was pretty, it was original, it was near-perfect.

It's a nine.

I don't think Colin has completed the journey on it.

The issue about it being a main course,

and I wasn't happy with the seasoning. It's an eight.

This was plate full of pure, porky pleasure.

Nine.

Good.

So Colin will take some beating.

Nice to get that out of the way?

It is.

I think taking risks was the only opportunity open to me today.

We'll see. I think it might be a bridge too far.

I'm looking forward to the results.

I think this one is going to be a good day.

Yeah, I'm not sharing your enthusiasm today!

The next chefs stepping up to the plate are newcomer Simon Rogan,

competing for the North West region, and Stephen Terry for Wales,

who's gone the distance to the banquet before.

BOTH: Best of luck.

-Be lucky, as they say.

-And you.

Simon has finished in the top three with both his starter

and fish courses, so he's going for the triple today

with his suckling pig cooked with mead, artichoke and nasturtium.

It sounds traditional,

but he's adjusted the dish since the heats

to make sure it meets the brief's demand for innovation.

I think it's ground-breaking enough now.

And yes, I do feel it's good enough to stand up against the rest.

The quality of the pork was really good,

but I think in order to get into the top three today,

he'll have to have tweaked it in some manner.

I think that's probably right

because Simon's cooking is so restrained.

I think he's a chef who is in such harmony with this ingredients,

that it's almost disguises its originality

and cutting-edge quality of it.

I know Simon's food and his capabilities,

I'm sure we'll be all blown away.

Have you made any changes to your original dish, Simon?

Yeah, I had one negative comment in the regionals that it possibly

wasn't ground-breaking enough.

I had lots of vegetables on.

I've changed it now to ask to little artichoke dumplings.

So it's quite unique, quite new to the scene.

Hopefully, that will fit the brief.

What do you think the odds are of getting a hat-trick?

Top-three finish?

I certainly hope so. It was a really tough day yesterday.

It was really hard to call and I came out on top,

so that was really pleasing.

Simon won his Michelin star with gastro-tech cooking

designed to maximise flavour.

So far, it's served him very well here, too,

and intrigued his competitors.

-How are you, Simon, all right?

-Not too bad.

What techniques are you doing that people might not usually see?

-I'm making some artichoke dumplings with kuzu.

-What's kuzu?

Kuzu is a Japanese starch.

You've got basically a gnocchi without any flour,

so hopefully a light, melt-in-your-mouth artichoke flavour.

I'm trying to modern it up a little bit,

modern up the presentation to make them see

that it was a good dish in the first place.

Simon's food's wowed me throughout this competition so far.

I think his imagination is amazing.

Choosing artichokes with pork, yeah, it works.

Bringing in this dumpling, which is clever, it's definitely ground-breaking.

I've never seen that before. It is certainly a style of food

unlike any other in the UK.

Simon's cured his suckling pig in sea salt, thyme and garlic.

What have you got there, Simon?

That's the pork shoulders,

so just crisping the skin up nice and slowly.

Hopefully, it's going to be nice and crispy on top

and nice and soft underneath.

It's a beautiful little shoulder. They were quite young?

They were.

Simon's dish sounds fantastic.

He's got amazing pork. You can see the caramelisation on the pig,

the size of it, it's going to be beautiful.

You just know that is going to taste amazing.

He's also cooking the loin. It's a complicated dish.

You all right, Simon?

-Just a lot to bring together.

-I know that feeling.

-Those are the bad-boy dumplings. They look fantastic.

-They do, don't they?

Simon cooks nameko mushrooms in a butter emulsion,

trims and plates up his pork shoulders and loins.

Next for the artichoke and kuzu dumplings.

The dish is finished with baby leeks, nasturtiums and mead pork sauce.

OK. The pork loin going that way, at 11 o'clock, please.

HE SIGHS

-All right, mate.

-Yum, yum. That's good.

But Simon isn't happy with the flavour of his pork.

It was in the salt for exactly the normal amount of time,

washed off exactly the same as normal.

Just taken it out of the bag and it's... a bit salty, so...

It's frustrating.

If I'd have got it right, I'm sure it would have been a top three.

The plating was a bit rushed and it was a bit messy for something

that I've done so many times before so much better.

That's the way it goes.

This has got a far more enticing look to it.

If we had doubts about Colin McGurran's size as a main course,

this is even smaller.

Goodness, it smells good.

Look at the little nasturtium leaves

and they've got that slightly bitter astringency

which is delicious with pork.

The little peppery hit, it's fantastic.

Crackling on top like a creme brulee. Beautiful.

The pork is fantastic. The flavour that comes through is stunning.

An awful lot of the flavour comes through the gravy at the bottom.

Look at the clarity of the sauce, how shiny it is. It's so clear.

-Amazing, isn't it? So much flavour.

-It is, it is.

These little blobs are what appear to be babies' food.

-It's a kind of an artichoke puree.

-Yeah.

These little gels, these little gnocchi things are the most amazing texture.

I really think the artichoke blobs are a slightly unpleasant texture.

They are neither that soft jelly which is such a pleasure

nor a creamy puree. They're just sort of not very nice.

-He was worried it was salty.

-I think that's what he said, yeah.

I don't think it's that bad.

This is just quality of the highest level.

Quite honestly, I think that is probably the best pork I've ever tasted

and I like that innovation of the artichoke.

It's quite disconcerting but it still delivers a very nice flavour.

Both of these two are going to say "No, no, no" to this,

but I think the pork has been brined and I think it's at its top height of saltiness.

The artichoke I thought I was not going to like at all

but you spread it on the pork and it's a great dish.

This is a great, great dish.

I think the artichoke gel is like stumbling across something unnatural

in the middle of a beautifully designed garden.

I actually think the subtleness of it is great.

I think they need to be there.

He's got a spanking quality as the primary component.

The little gnocchis, I've never seen anything like that before.

The net result on the plate is not fireworks but it's something that...

I've never seen anything like that before.

Listen, it was a fabulous piece of cooking

but those little globules of jelly on top, not for me, so it's an eight.

That slow-cooked pork was meltingly delicious.

A near-perfect dish and I gave it an eight.

This was a beautiful plate of perfect taste, texture and temperatures,

and for me, it's a nine.

Simon Rogan is a genius. This dish was genius, it's a nine.

So Simon's dish has performed well.

Will Stephen Terry be able to beat it?

He's competing with a five-strong rabbit pentathlon

including bunny burger, faggot and jelly.

He's determined to win his way into the top three

for the first time this week.

I'm very confident. Probably my strongest dish.

I've refined it slightly and just worked on the flavours

and very slightly different presentation. It's very good.

From knowing Stephen and the sort of chef that he is,

rabbit five-ways sounds incredibly exciting.

I love the dish as a whole.

My only consideration was I think I was looking for a little bit more veg to balance it.

You went from one lump of rabbit to another to another,

so I hope he's put some veg or salad or something in there.

He hasn't actually featured in the top three yet.

In fact, on day one, he wasn't even allowed to cook at all.

I think he's got to be gunning for it.

I suppose you'll be hoping to register your first big result today with that dish?

The judges will like the dish but rabbit's an interesting sort of meat

to use for a main course. They said it's quite brave.

-You don't see it very often.

-It is very brave, yeah.

On the first day, you didn't get a chance to cook.

Yesterday, probably not the result you were looking for.

This is a lot more accomplished, a much more tasty plate of food.

-It's hot, it's proper cooking.

-Sounds like a lot of work.

It is quite a bit of work but I have actually practised this dish.

To give his rabbit dish a sporting chance,

Stephen's put a lot of imagination into cooking it in many different ways.

-Can I taste you?

-It's the faggots, yeah.

-Rabbit faggots.

That's stunning. I think a certain Mr Kerridge is going to love that.

I think it's his style of food.

A tidy plate of food as we say in Wales.

That's lovely. Rabbit, it's divided the judges before.

Brave choice.

Stephen needs a result today. He's not had the best start

and he's here to prove himself like everybody else

so he needs a good result today and fingers crossed he can nail it.

Stephen's certainly being innovative with his rabbit leg jelly.

He swapped the moulds he used in the heats for bunny-shaped ones.

-Look at these little babies, huh?

-They are coming out all right.

They're really great. It could have looked gimmicky.

Most importantly, they look delicious, so what's in there?

It's just rabbit stock with confit rabbit leg diced up

with shallots, capers and parsley.

So that's component one and four to go.

You look like you've got more going on than what I did

and I found it a struggle so how are you coping?

Mate, it's like playing the drums, isn't it? Like flying a helicopter.

-I don't play the drums very often though.

-I don't fly helicopters either.

With the finish line in sight,

Stephen completes his rabbit faggots with peas and onions.

Next is the loin on a bed of spinach topped with ham and deep-fried sage.

The bunny jellies hop into place followed by the burger and braised shoulder.

He then drizzles over some extra-virgin olive oil.

The last touch is some skinny chips and Stephen's done.

Is that all in then, that one? Just be careful. Thank you.

-Oh, well.

-Good?

-BLEEP

I'm very pleased that Tom Kerridge is the fourth judge for this course.

I feel his side of cooking -

gutsy, good flavours, good cooking techniques.

I think he will really understand the dish and I think he will like it.

Our old friend, the cloche!

Do you know, that looks so much more refined than the first time around.

It's just all neater and cleaner.

It looks more gastronomic somehow

although I'm sure it's the same thing.

I don't know if you notice, I just want to draw your attention to that.

That is absolutely brilliant because that is a bunny.

-Wow.

-Look at that.

-Bon appetit.

He does make a lot of work for himself, doesn't he?

-This isn't an easy day at the office, is it?

-No.

The individual elements here are beautifully characterised.

These tiny little bits of saddle which have been served with spinach

are very delicate and then you've got the cold bunny.

Beautiful cold bunny.

I love the idea of using the whole of the rabbit

and different parts of it and bringing it all together.

I'm just not convinced that it all matches as one main course.

I don't think the individual parts have a great relationship to play together.

I can't imagine making this dish for a large number of people.

-It's a lot of work, very scary.

-It would be a task and a half.

You'd need a full brigade, all of us boys to give him a hand with it on the day.

Most of the five are delicious.

I've got a problem with the faggot which I find sort of overpowering.

I love that faggot.

It's really pepped up, it's really got a lot of oomph to it.

I also think the faggot is the best out of the five.

I thought the faggot was fantastic

which is where all the livers and the heart had gone so that's where the real flavour was at.

It's beautiful cooking, there's no doubt about that,

but there's nothing that's standing out, nothing we haven't seen before.

This is a series of well-tried, beautiful arrangements

which wouldn't be surprising to find in any issue restaurant

and it lacks that sense of astonishment and delight.

Dare I say it, this is very good pub food.

There are dishes we have seen today

where there is an absolute marriage made in heaven going on.

That's what this dish is just lacking.

It's lacking that, "Will you marry me? Yes, I will."

Rabbit on a banquet. It's going to be a risky one, isn't it?

I think there will be a lot of people asking for an alternative.

Stephen's rabbit for me was five different dishes all on one plate.

All of which were good cooking but not one complete dish.

For me, it's a six.

I love Stephen Terry, I think he's a great chef,

but I am not sure he quite showed his skill off to full advantage

on this dish so it's a seven.

Far too much protein, no veg, hard work to eat, it's a six.

Five separate dishes, six points.

Not a huge reaction for a great deal of work.

-How did that go for you then?

-It went all right.

I feel the dish went as planned,

a bit of work at the end pushing on but it's always the case.

The thing with the judges is that, I feared would probably happen,

is that it's not gastronomic enough for them. And yourself?

For me, I felt it was the worst piece of cooking this week

but you can't win them all.

We'll wait and see, we'll wait and see.

The last chefs competing today are Nathan Outlaw from the south west

and Daniel Clifford from the central region.

Both have two Michelin stars.

-Good luck, chief.

-Good luck.

Both of us have cooked some good dishes

but we've not made it into the top three yet. There's a bit of pressure on us, isn't there?

Nathan's up first with a bold take on surf and turf.

He's convinced that it not only fits the brief

but that it's a natural contender for the Olympics.

-Tom was judging you in the final.

-He wasn't quite sure on how it balanced together

but I sorted it out for the judges and the judges loved it.

Maybe he's had time to think about it and thinking, actually, Nathan was right.

Maybe too ground-breaking for him, he had to get his head around it.

Tom, you've eaten this dish.

I have and I thought it was two wonderful bits of cooking

but I didn't quite see how they all married together.

I loved it and I expected to hate it

because I'm really prejudiced about surf and turf.

I like to eat my fish first and then the meat.

There were very, very good ideas in this dish.

This is a good opportunity here for Nathan, to look if he's tweaked it in any way.

The sweet and sour nature of the barbeque sauce,

the rich, unctuous, beautiful, firm, muscularity of the duck.

Yummy.

But getting the balance isn't easy.

It's a very difficult dish to bring together.

Somewhat unusual combination of monkfish and duck,

fish for the main course.

-Yeah.

-Scored well?

-Really well, yeah.

Tom wasn't quite sure about the combination.

He said you needed something to balance it, to make it marry together.

When I did it for the actual final day,

I tweaked it a little bit on the sauce

and the judges thought the barbeque sauce was the actual best part.

-You've got barbecue sauce there?

-Yeah, yeah.

Wow, that's tasty.

Whether the tweaked sauce convinces Tom that the dish works

remains to be seen but Nathan's confident in his cooking.

The reason why the dish works together

is because I've trained hard as a chef

just like an athlete does for a big race

and that's why the dish works and the combinations are lovely.

The chefs who've cooked already

are assessing the threat from the final pairing.

They know what they've got to do to get on to that board.

They're both using ingredients which are not really winning material.

-Chicken's never done well.

-Duck and monkfish has never done well!

It's funny, that!

Nathan is chargrilling his monkfish.

Looks good.

Straight on the griddle. Wow, look at that.

That's what I'm after, that real char on there like that.

The monkfish looked fantastic, can't wait to try it.

Getting a top three for these guys is very important today

because if you don't get it on this one, it puts an awful lot of pressure for tomorrow.

Plating up starts with asparagus and samphire

followed by a slice of pan-fried duck breast.

Nathan then adds its unlikely partner,

the charred monkfish, and his controversial barbeque sauce

before finishing the dish with a crispy duck leg ball.

-I'm actually sweating on that one.

-Tell me about it.

Just be careful, yeah? Brilliant, thank you.

-BLEEP,

-that's very sharp.

-It went to plan.

The little tweaks I made from the regionals worked.

More flavour into it and for me, I just wanted to pack the flavour in.

I think I achieved that with that dish and I'm really happy with how it went.

Wow, this is a change from what I saw in the heat.

It has an awesome sense of purpose about it. He's come back fighting.

That barbeque sauce is still an absolute killer.

-I just, smell that, it smells really proper good.

-Smells delicious.

I reckon he's come up trumps there.

It's a dish of remarkably few parts, isn't it?

Compared to some of the things we've had to contend with today,

with mild support elements, this is very, very simple,

it's very focused.

Actually, I think it's delicious.

Really, really, really has got the marriage of the flavours together.

It's a massive turnaround for me. I think the dish is phenomenal.

-I think that's a great plate of food.

-What's the base?

-Barbecue sauce.

-He's got loads of things...

-It's barbecue, but it's complex, isn't it?

There's unusual flavours going on, but they all seem to go really well.

-It's not often we sit there and eat it until it's gone.

-No.

Much more accomplished dish, but for some reason,

and I think it still remains the barbecue sauce, it's brought it all together,

there's a real depth of flavour to every single item.

Massively improved dish.

I am so excited about the fish with the duck skin,

it's the most amazing flavour.

I mean, I just think...

..he is breaking new boundaries.

I think the charcoaling, which is much more marked this time,

helps to bring about that balance.

You have to acknowledge when something is just really,

a tasty plate of food.

I think he's pulled one out the bag, definitely.

I often think duck's a ridiculous meat to have as a main course.

-Ridiculous.

-Do you?

Yes, I think it's much better as a starter with some pineapple.

THEY LAUGH

That was a piece of sheer cooking brilliance. Nine.

It had everything. It's a nine.

It takes ginormous skill to make monkfish and duck work together.

It's nine.

Nathan really did turn this one around.

So, nine.

That's a stunning score.

So Daniel really is up against it now.

He's taking an everyday ingredient to new Olympic heights,

with his complex chicken dish with ingenious sweetcorn egg,

crispy skin filled with truffle popcorn

and a revolutionary chicken spray.

Chicken has never won the main course before,

but Daniel's confident of changing that.

Now I think this is groundbreaking.

I think I have a damn good chance, I think it's my strongest dish,

and if I deliver, there's a chance I'll be in the top three today.

I just remember thinking that the idea's great,

the sweetcorn, popcorn, it was such fun.

And it was a bit disappointing on the chicken flavour.

I think the chicken and the egg it looked so amazing, didn't it?

It's something you want to see win in the competition

because people are going to look at it and go, wow.

If there's one thing that Daniel Clifford is very good at,

and that is meat cookery.

I'm sure Daniel will do this chicken justice.

If he manages to cook this dish to the potential which it has,

I think we're in for a fabulous finale.

Chicken with vegetables sounds a bit conventional for Daniel Clifford.

I wouldn't say it's conventional, I'd say it's got veg on it.

-Got veg on it.

-A couple of dishes of the day with no veg on it, so...

-Ooh.

-HE LAUGHS

That was a cheap shot.

Daniel's choice of chicken's a bit risky.

He's got lots of stuff going on. Bits and pieces flying about the place.

He's going to put himself under a lot of pressure, getting that dish out today.

To add a different texture, Daniel's making truffled popcorn.

-Is that popcorn?

-Yes, popcorn, chef.

-Call it popcorn.

BLEEP

If you don't get a top three on this one...

What's your dessert like?

Well, I got told to change it by the judges, so,

I probably won't be doing it.

HE LAUGHS

So really, this is my last chance.

Daniel's not confident with his dessert,

so that puts extra pressure on him today.

He's putting everything he's got into this.

-Absolutely everything and you can tell he's been a bit on edge.

-Yes.

-He's been a little bit edgy.

-Do you reckon this will be a top three winner?

I can't judge it this week. As far as I'm concerned...

..I'm going to cook my heart out.

-Yes.

-It's the best I can do, really.

Daniel's moved on to the most innovative part of his dish,

the chicken ballantine.

Chicken breast in casing, sweetcorn jelly in truffled egg white

wrapped in long strips of potato.

It looks to me like this is going to be your trump card of the week.

Yes, you always have one dish, that you totally believe in and I think

this one hits the brief in every way that I want it to hit the brief.

I knew when I came down here it was going to be down to one dish.

I've changed the bits the judge asked me to do.

If I'm not in the top three, I don't know what to say, really.

For me, I've done my absolute most and I can't do any more.

But Daniel still has to deliver.

The potato wrapped chicken has been fried, and truffled popcorn

and chicken liver parfait tucked inside that crispy chicken skin.

He carefully positions them on a pea puree.

A new twist of wilted spinach, pea and brined leg comes next.

Under the watchful eyes of all the other chefs,

Daniel completes the dish with his crowning glory.

Technical chicken stuffed with a trailblazing sweetcorn egg.

Off you trot. Thanks very much.

HE EXHALES DEEPLY

I don't feel like I've proved myself this week.

When I was playing, especially with all the boys sitting there and just, you know.

I started really shaking and got really emotional about it, so...

That means a lot to me, that one.

With the dish served,

the waiter plays Daniel's masterstroke of presentation,

a scented spray.

-Roast chicken is what it smells of.

-It smells of roast chicken.

This looks almost too good to eat, doesn't it?

Each element looks so enticing, I'm not sure where to begin.

I'll begin by going crack and opening up the skin to reveal,

liver pate and popcorn.

-It's a killer.

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

-Yes.

And you know, the spinach and pea is so simple,

but it's a lovely contrast to the richness of the liver.

It's such good fun though.

The sweetcorn mousse thing in the middle of the egg,

the egg yolk, it is beautiful. Absolutely delicious.

It really brings a beautiful flavour of roast chicken coming together.

I think it's... what a great dish.

This is an absolute virtuoso display of controlled cooking technique

and this to me is the forefront of British cooking.

Looks amazing, doesn't it?

-Very tasty.

-Mmm.

I like this for a main course.

You've got a bit of veg, nice bit of meat.

I think it's a great idea, trying to make the sweetcorn

and truffles look like an egg inside a chicken.

-The chicken's cooked beautiful.

-Lovely. Really moist.

It's just amazing, really.

Very cleverly thought out.

It's the sort of dish that you know will be popular,

that everybody will clear their plates.

This is a shock and awe dish.

I think at a feast, an Olympic feast like this,

people would be blown away by how unusual it is.

I love the trickery, it's got the whole thing going on.

If I was to have to pass my baton of the main course champion,

this is a worthy winner.

And it's boring old chicken.

And it's boring old chicken.

It is groundbreaking. I've never seen anything like that before.

This is a really smart bit of cooking.

He's pushed this chicken dish to extremes

and you can still smell the chicken in here.

-Yes!

-THEY LAUGH

What can you give a perfect dish, but a perfect score? Ten.

This was my idea of heaven.

The best dish of the week. It's a ten.

Dan the Man has nailed the spirit of this competition in this dish.

It is a ten.

Chicken. Who'd have thought it? Ding-dong, Daniel.

It's a ten.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

Cooking complete, all the chefs can do now

is anxiously await the judge's feedback.

I wouldn't be surprised if I was in the top three

because I think I did a good, strong dish,

but there were some other good dishes out there too.

I'm confident, I can't wait to get in there and find out if I've done the job.

So, yes, I'm looking forward to it.

Come Thursday, the judges will decide

which of their preferred dishes will be served at the banquet.

If I do make the top three, I'll be mighty happy,

because I'm not really expecting to.

But they need a top three finish to be considered at all.

I took a risk today and do you know what?

When I put it up, it was OK,

but I don't think the judges are going to go for it.

It's time to find out which three main courses

will be considered for the Olympic feast.

Well, good evening, chefs.

We wouldn't expect anything less,

but we have seen some stunning dishes today.

But I know you want to know about the rankings.

So I'm going to announce them in reverse order.

And in seventh place,

we have..

Alan Murchison.

It was a great dish, but it just wasn't great enough.

I think you're being very kind.

-LAUGHTER

-Thank you very much.

-Let's move on.

-And in sixth place.

It's...

Stephen Terry.

I thought there was some masterly cooking

and some masterly flavours in there.

I know you must be pretty disappointed about that.

The first day, I'm asked not to cook, yesterday I came last.

One of the last today. The way I've interpreted the brief

is clearly not how you see the brief.

Actually Stephen, to be fair I think you did hit the brief.

My quarrel with it was that it was so much protein

and very little greenery.

You know, I didn't have a problem with the brief.

-I'm sorry, Stephen.

-OK.

-But someone's got to lose.

And Philip, I'm afraid you are in fifth place.

Phil, I really thought that was a beautiful bit of cooking.

I think it's a really well-balanced dish.

It just lacked the wow factor.

I'm a bit disappointed with fifth,

but I saw plenty of other great cooking today,

so I'm a bit disappointed about this position but on the other hand,

I wasn't walking in here assuming I'd be in the top three.

Right, now we have a problem.

We found we had four fantastic dishes left.

So we're going to put through, not three of you, but four of you.

-Thank you.

-Daniel, Nathan, Simon and Colin,

congratulations, all your dishes will go through. Daniel, how does that feel?

It feels like I've achieved what I wanted to achieve. I was pleased with what I put out.

I didn't know how you got that flavour out that chicken like that.

It was just sensational.

-Everything was so witty and it was perfectly conceived.

-Thank you.

-And Nathan, you must be relieved.

-Yes, I'm very relieved.

I wanted to get fish on there somewhere.

I didn't get in the final bringing a fish dish, but,

I'm pleased to be in contention for a place at the banquet.

Nathan, for me your monkfish and duckfish,

didn't get it, but today, the marriage of flavours I thought went very well

and once again that barbecue sauce was stunning,

-I thought it was a great dish.

-Colin?

-Thrilled. I thought it was very good.

We've been put through again and I think I cooked it OK

and yes, happy with the result.

I didn't think pork could be that light, delicate and refined.

I thought it was an exquisite, light piece of cooking.

Actually thought it was wonderful.

-And Simon?

-Yes, I'm relieved, actually.

To be honest, I thought it was my poorest day today

and I thought I didn't really execute the dish as I should have,

but very pleased to be considered nonetheless.

I'd like to see that dish if you were to do execute it properly.

I thought it was a wonderful dish and for me, that pork,

I love the balance of flavours, it was a beautiful bit of cooking.

So now, guys, we have one course to go.

Chris and Stephen, more than any of the others,

I wish you luck for tomorrow. Good luck and thank you.

-Cheers.

-Well done.

I don't want to be arrogant, but I was quite confident today.

I knew when everyone tasted it, so, I'm very proud, very proud.

I didn't think I was going to get in the top,

well, top four, as it were.

But really pleased I did and yes, I'm over the moon, actually.

Chuffed to bits that I was in the top three or four, if you like.

So, at least it's going through.

I'm really happy about that,

because it means I've actually got some fish in consideration for the final banquet.

Being in top four, it's brilliant.

Tomorrow, it's dessert.

I think it's groundbreaking,

but you need a pneumatic drill to eat it.

Stephen and Chris have one final chance

to get a dish in the top three.

-Tough week so far.

-Yes, it's been a tough week.

I just really want to push myself to the limit now.

And the judges decide on the winning Olympic menu.

This is my single favourite dish.

You know what?

I'll trade you that if you'll let me have this.

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