Dessert Final Great British Menu

It's D-Day for the eight finalists on Great British Menu.

Calm, calm, calm down.

To get here the chefs have had to impress Britain's biggest culinary guns...

-Have you plated this before?

-What do you think?

-BLEEP!

-After all that stress, you didn't even plug it in.

..and have to face the wrath of the ferocious judges.

I mean, I hate to do this, but I think it tastes disgusting.

It's absolutely awful. It's a tragedy.

I think it would have to be incinerated as an offence to human health.

-OK, thank you.

-Their challenge, to cook groundbreaking food

for a magnificent feast honouring our Olympic heroes.

-Keep confident with it.

-It's about exploring our potential.

That's what the Olympics does to people,

it challenges you to find out where your boundaries are.

Oh, look at that!

-BLEEP!

-BLEEP!

It's been an explosive final few days.

Stop, stop, stop, stop! LAUGHTER

-I'm not listening to your

-BLEEP,

-just trying to stay focused.

BLEEP, BLEEP!

With some truly amazing dishes...

Ah, yummy!

-I mean, life doesn't get much better than this.

-It's just a masterpiece.

Ding, dong, Daniel. It's a ten.

..yesterday the judges found it impossible to choose between them.

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

Daniel, Nathan, Simon and Colin.

Today it's Stephen and Chris's last chance to impress with their desserts.

-Tough week so far.

-Yes, it's been a tough week.

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

And the judges face the ultimate decision.

I'm now going to announce

the dishes that are going to make up the final banquet.

First to arrive are London's Phil Howard,

Simon Rogan from the North West and Scotland's Alan Murchison.

-Back in the box.

-Home stretch.

-Pastry nightmare.

-I know.

Next is Nathan Outlaw from the South West

and Northern Ireland's Chris Fearon.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Pressure going.

Last chance saloon for me to really, you know,

get an opportunity to get to the banquet, you know?

Finally it's Colin McGurran from the North East,

Daniel Clifford from the Central region, and Stephen Terry for Wales.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-All right, chief?

-You all right?

At the end of the day, it's D-Day.

-Let us see who's going to the banquet.

-We get to find out, don't we?

The chefs' fates rest in the hands of our judges,

Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton, and Matthew Fort.

We've still got the puddings to go and I want to see the same level

of brilliance that we've experienced in the earlier courses.

It has to have surprise in the look of the thing,

surprise in the technique with which it's been done.

Astonishment at the flavour.

It needs to be a sensory experience, it needs to be a sort of

journey on the palate because so much of the food we've had so far

has been that. I think you want to continue on that theme.

Today's veteran judge holds a Michelin Star,

an MBE, and is one of the country's top chefs.

It's the unstoppable Angela Hartnett.

Welcome to the judge's chamber, Angela.

Thank you very much, it's great to be here, as always.

We really are looking for innovation to finish off what is going to be an amazing banquet.

I think five or ten years ago, there was a bit of innovation

but it was just flat, there was no point to it,

but I think now understanding it has got a lot better

and chefs are really using it very cleverly.

This is the final ceremony, as it were, and I want to have

that kind of send-off into the night,

laughter, light, smiling, dancing, and, you know, just good fun.

The first hurdle is being allowed to cook.

The chefs were each given detailed feedback on their dishes

and failure to respond adequately has left

a few chefs sitting on the bench this week.

Let's have a look at these puddings because, frankly,

I think there are a couple of dogs in here.

For example, Colin McGurran,

it was chocolate, rhubarb and custard.

I could make a better custard blindfold and with a hangover.

He has to change that and I jolly well hope he has.

I think my dessert is a good dessert

and I think I'm going to rise to the challenge of trying to beat them all.

OK, so let's look at Chris Fearon.

It was fantastic, it was an Olympic Torch and it was fun.

Very Olympian, it seems very Olympian.

-OK, Nathan Outlaw?

-Yes...

-We didn't like that.

-Tragedy!

Elderflower and lemon are not necessarily a marriage made in heaven.

Well, if he has changed it completely, then, you know, good.

I just want to be in the mix and the techniques are quite basic

but sometimes simple is beautiful and simple is what you need

and hopefully I'll get a chance to cook it.

Right, now Stephen Terry has had a really bad week.

I think in this case, the pudding was always his strongest dish.

-ANGELA:

-I thought it was fantastic. Even though they're very

classical desserts they're absolutely executed to perfection.

PRUE: Phil Howard never disappoints, does he?

This was delicious but very classic.

That little bit of innovation just wasn't there.

It'll be interesting to see if he's done anything.

My feeling is that he cooks what he cooks

and we're going to have exactly the same as we had before.

I may be wrong.

It's a big deal, this banquet, and they clearly want something that's different.

Yes, I'm going to put up a good dessert.

It's fun, it's delicious, it's sharp.

But, you know, there might be, you know, better things out there.

-Simon Rogan.

-Absolutely fabulous, this.

-He has not had a weak dish and this is possibly his strongest.

-Wow!

Alan Murchison, this was a sort of gold medal,

which wasn't a great success.

I think Alan deserves a second chance. There are worse puddings.

We've certainly eaten worse puddings. And, indeed, Prue's got one in her hand.

Ah, this one. Yes, poor Daniel Clifford, I mean, oh!

It just didn't work.

I do think we made it abundantly clear to Daniel that

-we were not in favour of this dish.

-Do you think he'll have changed it?

I certainly hope so!

The judge's comments were that it was too sweet

and they said it was lots of little desserts on a plate

that didn't really marry together.

Personally, I didn't agree with that.

Hopefully they've learnt to love it. Otherwise, I'll be making the tea.

Good morning, chefs. How are you all feeling?

-Good.

-Good.

Today is putting day.

We're lucky enough today to have the fabulous Angela Hartnett

-with us to help us in our deliberations.

-Thank you, Oliver.

I'm sure you all want to know who's going to be cooking today.

And there are three chefs in jeopardy today.

They are...

Nathan Outlaw...

..Colin McGurran...

..and Daniel.

-Nathan, have you changed your dish?

-Yes, I've completely changed it.

-It's a completely different thing.

-Great.

-Colin?

-Yes, disastrous previous dessert.

-So, have you changed it?

-I've changed everything, every component pretty much.

-Great.

Daniel, have you changed it?

I think last time when I could cooked it, it...

I think I rushed it, to be honest. I wasn't tasting everything

as I was going. Now, I'm going to spend...

If I get a chance to cook it,

I'll taste everything and make sure it's perfect.

OK. Well, that means that Nathan and Colin,

we should give you the opportunity to cook again today.

Sadly, Daniel, you won't be cooking today.

-Angela, have you got any advice for them?

-Enjoy it.

We all love cooking, we all love food and

when you enjoy it and have a great time cooking, you cook your best,

-so good luck.

-Thank you.

Today is a big day - results day.

Look forward to seeing you at the end of the day.

-Thank you all very much and good cooking.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Daniel, I feel for you, mate.

-No, but you know... I was ready for it.

You did have a fantastic main course yesterday.

Yesterday I was that emotional about it, I didn't have much left this morning anyway.

'Obviously I'm upset,'

but the show must go on and I'm waiting for the result.

I've got everything crossed for the chicken dish,

because my heart and soul went into that.

The rest of the chefs will compete in three groups,

beginning with Phil, Simon and Alan.

-Right then, guys.

-Last one.

-Big push. Over the finish line.

Hope we see that bit of kit in action. I might come and borrow it!

Few risks today, Phil. You're doing stuff last minute, so am I.

Well, I've been doing it for 20 years,

-might as well keep doing it today.

-Yes.

First to cook is two-Michelin-starred heavyweight Phil Howard

with his take on rhubarb and custard.

He's had a rollercoaster week, not being allowed to cook his starter.

He then made the top three with his fish dish,

but then his main course failed to make it.

I was disappointed, but I don't think it was wrong.

Today, dessert day. Top three - I hope so!

I don't feel it's my strongest course,

but it's certainly up there and I think it ticks all the boxes.

Trouble with Phil's pudding is that it WAS technically perfect.

But...

exciting, cutting-edge? Not really.

What we want is innovation

and there was nothing innovative about that pudding.

I do think that Phil has a finely tuned watch

and I think part of his problem in this competition is even if he

felt like changing, it's technically quite hard for him to do so.

He is classical and he loves good, in a way, honest classic food.

But maybe he'll surprise you.

Phil, have you made any changes?

Yes, I've changed it - I've changed what's going up on the pass,

but it still using exactly the same... Well, similar ingredients.

My original dish had a little cone on the side with an ice cream.

As much as they absolutely raved about it, they did say it was too classical.

So I've switched it over - I've put the souffle...

The original cone was smaller than that, so I'm putting the souffle

into this tuile, wrap a bit of gold leaf around it - this should work.

-Have you practised that, chef?

-A little bit!

Souffle in a cone is not something I've seen before,

it's certainly pushing boundaries. That's quite tough to do.

So are you putting the souffles in these?

-Yes, the souffles are going in there.

-What flavour is it again?

Rhubarb ripple.

I've always struggled making souffles with rhubarb.

Thanks for that(!)

There's been a few raised eyebrows about trying to put a souffle into a tuile.

It's certainly something I've never seen done before.

And the central component is now a bit of a panna cotta,

rhubarb, orange layered jelly, soupy, sorbet sort of thing.

I like it - it fits the brief, it's fun, it's a pudding.

That's really clever. How have you done that?

-Setting it one way then setting it the other?

-Yes.

Phil's panna cotta, jelly and sorbet can be done in advance, but

the souffles have to be made at the very last minute to avoid spoiling.

Phil's doing a souffle in a cone. That's a risk.

Blimey - is, isn't it?

Souffles are highly sensitive to changes in temperature,

so the oven door must stay shut for them to rise properly.

But the trickiest aspect is timing - taking them out too soon

has the same effect as taking them out too late - they will collapse immediately.

Phil's window for getting it right is down to a matter of seconds.

It's coming now, look.

With his souffles holding, Phil wraps some gold leaf

around the top before delivering them to the pass.

Go.

Mad, isn't he?

I think I delivered a fun, sharp-looking pud

and I think that should be enough to get me in the top three.

But I've been around enough this week to realise that

you just don't know. It's very hard to call it.

-Whose pudding are we eating here?

-I know!

-What happened to the souffle?

I'm so glad he's changed his pudding. I've just found the souffle!

That's amazing. It's a hot souffle in a very fine ice cream cone.

-That's very smart.

-Isn't it?

-Yes, Phil Howard! Get in there! Yes!

-He surprised all three of you!

-It's got the wow factor, hasn't it?

-Mm.

And has he broken boundaries? Of course.

I think the cone is a completely new idea. I've never seen it before.

Hands up, I got him wrong.

I thought he would be too classic to just change overnight.

-Very interesting. Lovely taste...

-That is a perfect jelly.

And perfect rhubarb cooking and perfect sorbet and amazing souffle...

-I mean, can you fault it?

-No, I can't. It's very smart, very clever.

He's blown you away with innovation.

-Without doubt, it has to be in the top three.

-Absolutely.

I'd definitely put this in the top three.

He's definitely in the running. And we'll see later if he's over the finish line.

I never thought Phil could do a revolution like that.

-It was fantastic. It's a ten.

-Phil Howard is the master of reinvention.

-It's a nine.

-Tasted fantastic.

It showed excellence and technology, forward-thinking food.

So I'm giving him ten points.

Phil's skills thrills. Nine.

A great score for Phil, but if anyone can match it,

its Michelin-starred Simon Rogan.

So far, all his dishes have made it into the top three.

He's cooking anise hyssop with rosehips,

hazelnuts and sweet cheese.

I've got three courses in the top three already,

but this is my strongest course, I feel.

So I fully expect to hit the grand slam.

This is just a sensational pudding, Simon's.

The thing about Simon that's so wonderful is this localism -

you know the rosehips came from over his hedge, practically.

It was a revelation in terms of the ingredients that he used,

the way he used them, the effect that he produced.

Phil's set the standard, hasn't he?

So I'm very curious to see how good it is.

Come on then, Simon - this outrageous piece of kit here -

let's hear about it.

I'm going to make a distillation of anise hyssop.

You know when you rip herbs out of the ground, you get that lovely,

fresh, natural smell?

The only way to achieve that really is from a distillation.

-I'm looking forward to seeing this.

-Yes.

-It's over the top of my head.

Simon is using a rotary evaporator to distil

a solution of blitzed anise hyssop and water.

-So you're controlling the heat of the water?

-No, I'm controlling

the amount of air pressure in the flask.

The machine creates a vacuum, which makes the solution boil

at a low temperature - in this case, only 50 degrees.

It's starting to come through.

The vapour that's created retains a freshness that would be lost

in a normal distillation, where a much higher temperature is required.

The end result is...?

Just a distillation of the lovely, fresh aroma of anise hyssop.

-If this isn't pushing boundaries, then...

-Yes.

Once again, Simon is doing something that I've never seen before.

He's going to be hard to beat again today.

-He thinks this is his strongest dish, which is worrying.

-Yes.

-Mr Rogan, is something on fire?

-No, just very cold, mate.

Just spraying my solution into nitro just to give a bit of snow.

Gives it that freshness, the whole dish, to finish it off.

Is it not a bit cold and the flavour suppressed, or is it still beautiful?

No, it's still beautiful.

Simon has cooked brilliantly this week. He's got all sorts of stuff going on.

If he gets it right and the dish is nearly as good as the rest,

then we could all be in trouble.

I see.

Done. I'm ready.

Very clever.

Simon starts plating up with poached pears, then adds hazelnut crisps,

rosehip syrup, sweet cheese ice cream and finishes with

his special anise hyssop snow and fresh sprigs of the herb.

OK. Snow away from the guest.

-Good job, mate.

-That's fantastic.

-You all right?

-Yep.

Whoo-hoo-hoo! My God.

I don't know where it all comes from! Know what I mean?

I feel really good. I think quality-wise, taste and execution, I think...

It's right up there, really.

From the moment this goes down, you're just intrigued, aren't you?

It's just fabulous-looking.

I love that of all the different textures,

you've got the smoothness of the pear, the crunchiness,

the herbs and the savoury element.

Without the hyssop giving a sort of aniseed freshness to it,

it wouldn't have the same effect.

Between every mouthful, your mouth goes, "ah!" and you're ready for the next one.

I cannot fault this pudding.

-That's a phenomenal plate of food.

-Definitely innovative, you know?

It's one of the most amazing things I think I've ever eaten. It's just impeccable.

I just love this. Nobody, in any competition,

has ever made a pudding like this.

Very different from Phil's in style, but equally as tasty, as delicious.

My only criticism is I think it's undersized.

Matthew, you've just eaten three courses!

So this would be a really perfect pudding at the end of the banquet.

I think that's right. That's the right amount.

I almost want to cry, because I think we are already

struck by two of the best puddings we've had in any competition.

I know that this feast is going to end on a big, big, big bang.

There's a good chance that...

-Simon gets four top-three places.

-Yes.

Simon has been Mr Consistency in this competition.

He is consistently been absolutely brilliant - nine.

Simon's dish was one of the most delicious and the most unusual

and the most surprising I've ever tasted.

It's a ten.

This was one of the most interesting puddings I have had

in a very long time.

Simon has been just amazing in this competition, so for me, it's a ten.

First time I've ever eaten Simon's food.

So good, I could have eaten three of those dishes. It's definitely a ten.

Another top score. Can Alan Murchison match it?

He's got two dishes in the top three already

and is attempting a third with a gold chocolate medal.

Two dishes in the top three, good position to be in

going into what arguably I think is my best course.

The judges weren't as ecstatic about it as myself, so I've changed it.

I'm as confident as I can be it's got top-three potential, without a doubt.

Alan Murchison has come here to win,

you can see that from his previous outings.

I genuinely believe he will definitely have tweaked this dish.

I hope we will have, otherwise it certainly won't get anywhere.

The chocolate was very thick - it was good chocolate,

but it was just hard work.

You had to bang through the chocolate and it was very caramel-y.

It needs a total facelift.

So Alan, just run through the components of your dish then?

-I'm lining the mould with chocolate.

-Yes.

In the regionals, I'd done it with coffee and caramel.

They weren't keen on the mouth feel of it, they thought it was messy,

they wanted something cleaner, so I've chosen vanilla mousse

with cherry - done different textures and flavours of cherry - and yes,

classic, almost Black Forest flavours, really.

Yeah. Very much so.

I think the dessert course today is going to be really, really contested.

Alan's really got to get his flavours absolutely bang-on.

I've gone away and I've worked really hard on trying to get

flavour profiles absolutely right

and also to make the mouth feel and textures a lot more interesting.

It's really important that I've not got too much chocolate,

but it's also a chocolate dish.

I suppose if I had to be honest,

I would say it's a huge chocolate, rather than a pudding.

I find chocolate and fruit can sometimes be jarring,

rather than harmonious - I like infused orange in chocolate,

but chocolate and a fruit, I can find it a bit jarring.

And how does that come out of the mould?

If it's tempered properly, it should just pop straight out.

But, as it turns out, it's more difficult than Alan thought.

-Got two of them.

-..It's the amount of sweat.

It's funny, it's just...

I don't know what the hell it is today, but it's BLEEP.

Slowly, slowly.

-Wahey! Look at that.

-I'm very impressed with that.

Very BLEEP, I can tell you!

I knew you were being quite casual about it, but that's not funny!

With all his medals out, all they need now is gold spray.

Personally, I think you'd have been better off spraying them bronze, no?!

He starts plating up with a cherry and white chocolate ribbon,

then adds his precious gold medal.

Oi! Don't want to do that.

-Did he drop it?

-Is it OK?

Once they've had a big meal, they can eat the dessert, then have a little sleep on the pillow!

-There we go.

-Thank you very much.

-Do you know what? There's almost a bead of sweat there.

-Good.

Ice-man. You don't sweat.

Fancy medals, chief.

-Different.

-Get one of those round our necks, later on?

-If we're lucky.

I've changed the internal workings of the dish completely

and hopefully the judges will love it today.

I'm really happy with it.

HE SIGHS

The best thing about this pudding is watching Oliver wrestling with...

You're such a party pooper, you are! Just stop and try it, will you?

That's difficult to eat.

I think it's groundbreaking, but you need a pneumatic drill to eat it.

Has anyone got a power saw that I can hack my way through into this pudding, please?

It's just too thick, this thing.

One presumes you gave him feedback initially?

-Has he embraced any of the feedback?

-No, well, he's changed the middle.

But I don't think this middle is any better than the last one.

You might be tempted to eat the ribbon and it is truly horrible.

Yeah, it's horrible.

And the raspberry mousse underneath it is... I don't want to say it,

but it's disgusting.

No, it's not nice.

It's a disappointment, especially after those two amazing desserts.

This is just... It's all wrong.

It lacks any kind of sophistication, originality

and even sense of personality - I mean,

what comes across here is just something which is...

Could be churned out from any chocolate shop in the West End.

Everything in there is just... It doesn't work for me.

For me, it's not hitting any marks at all.

I'd be very surprised if that got a top-three finish.

Alan, technically, is a much better chef,

but that dish really only deserved a four.

I don't think Alan is ever going to fool me

that that was a gold medal, so it's a three.

I think Alan must be feeling dreadful.

He knows that dish was no good. It's a four.

In spite of Alan's wishes to be a medal winner,

that dish wasn't even an also-ran - four.

-Next to cook are Chris and Nathan.

-Here we are, Chris.

-Best of luck.

-I need a big result today.

-Chance to get into the top three, chef.

Last chance saloon for me, man. I have to pull off something smashing.

First up is two-Michelin-starred heavyweight Nathan Outlaw,

who's cooking a completely new dish -

summer pudding with honey cream, yoghurt and lemon thyme.

His original dish failed miserably in the heats for completely missing

the groundbreaking aspect of the brief.

I've come up with something which I think is cutting edge -

groundbreaking flavours, the combinations.

I'm looking forward to cooking it.

To be honest with you, the less said about Nathan's pudding, the better.

I was really disappointed by his first attempt

and I feel reluctant to get excited yet.

Well, he has changed it entirely,

so it's a question of whether it's any better.

The tart I did before,

apparently you can just find it in any old restaurant.

-Any old restaurant?!

-Any old two-star Michelin restaurant?!

-Yeah, yeah!

-What are you up to?

-Just making a take on a summer pudding.

Got the various fruits, your traditional berries and then

the honey parfait and some honeycomb.

Are you doing any tricks to try and push boundaries?

Yes, there is groundbreaking things in there like,

I made the bread, which is like a lemon thyme and beetroot,

so a little bit different there, but it's subtle.

I'm sure it'll taste brilliant. I'm sure it'll be delivered amazingly.

How he's going to elevate it to that cutting-edge brief of pushing boundaries, I don't know.

I've got a very simple dish. No technical wizardry in there,

it's no sort of wow factor as such - it's all about the flavour.

I'm going to quietly beaver away in the corner

and come up with something that will pack a punch and really push it through to the top three.

Nathan starts with a dot of puree,

honeycomb, vanilla yoghurt

and fresh summer berries.

He gets his special summer puddings out of the oven

and caramelises some sugar on top before adding it to the plate.

Finally, he adds his honey parfait and some honey syrup.

OK.

I executed it the way I wanted it.

It tasted good, but after seeing what I've seen today,

some of the plates that have gone up, some serious high standards.

Thank you.

It's summer pudding, that's what it is. And it's warm.

It's certainly a marked improvement on what went before.

-There is pleasure to be had in this pudding.

-Not a lot.

-You're right there, Prue!

-I agree with you, Matthew.

-It's not a perfect pudding, but it's OK.

-It's a great summer pudding.

It's delicious,

but are they going to think it fits the brief enough?

Mm.

It's not very exciting, there's nothing new here,

there's no real innovation.

It doesn't get my heart beating faster, that's for sure.

It's not really breaking any boundaries.

The bread for the summer pudding, is... Did he say beetroot?

Beetroot and something. Which is a bit wacky, but that gets so lost,

you don't really notice it.

There's lots of things going on here which just... I don't care about.

It's nice. It's a perfectly good pudding.

But it is not a great pudding

and what we need is a pudding of the same magnitude

as the Olympians who are going to eat it.

I've got a feeling he might be disappointed with the comments

he gets.

Nathan's pudding was an improvement, but it wasn't that much better, to be honest,

so I'm afraid it's only a six.

It was nowhere near the standard or the excitement that we need.

It's a five.

-Is better than his other pudding, but it's still only a five from me.

-It was a good pudding,

but it's not there up with some of the best we've eaten.

So for me, it was only a six.

An average score for Nathan.

Can Chris do any better with his Olympic torch?

He got his starter all the way to the banquet last year,

but so far, hasn't made it into the top three once

and wasn't allowed to cook his main course yesterday.

I suppose the nerves are on because I really want to finish in the top three.

Even if I don't make the banquet, I just want to be on board.

I came here and achieved something.

I would love to see Chris in a top-three position.

He has had a pretty bad competition this time.

His Olympic torch - great idea, not such good delivery.

It just needs a little more excitement in the contents.

All you need to do is tighten up the delivery, tighten up

the quality of the ingredients within it and actually,

I don't see why it shouldn't be up there among the good and the great.

Big man! Are you doing this the same way as in the regionals?

Made any changes?

I did exactly the same concept, but different flavours inside.

Originally, I had a Greek yoghurt ice cream,

then I had rhubarb liquorice, but the judges didn't like the combination.

So I just changed it. Peach, raspberry, honey and vanilla.

-Classic peach melba.

-Simple, simple, yeah?

-But all-singing and all-dancing.

-So it's an Olympic torch?

-Yes.

Chris is running about like a Tasmanian devil.

He's very busy and he needs to deliver.

The trickiest bit of Chris's dish is the tempered

white chocolate shards...

-All right, lads?

-..that represent flames on his torch

and his fellow chefs are intrigued by his method.

I want to give it five-second blasts, using the old magic box.

Here we go, chief.

You could leave it on for five hours, bring it up so slow, the more

the better, but if you need to rush it, you rush it.

Put it in the microwave.

He's doing some sort of intricate tempering action,

which in the timescale, he's pushing himself,

he's going at 100 million miles an hour - I hope he gets it all done.

I've never seen so much work going on for one dish in my life.

I'm trying to achieve something this week I can go home with,

with my head up high and I really want to push myself to the limit.

There's nothing wildly innovative going on there

or necessarily groundbreaking,

but the fact of the matter is, he's had a hard week

and he's just giving all he's got today.

He's in there, making a million different garnishes, you know.

He's just giving it everything he's got.

Boys, you know what to do? You need to move fast.

Off you go - quick, quick, quick, quick!

-Monumental.

-Thank you, chef.

-Fantastic.

-Thank you, boys.

This whole week's been so hard for me

because I'm coming back after winning last year.

The experience changed my life and I'm hungry to taste it again.

Aahhh!

PRUE: Ooh!

We're going to have a concert.

I just think it's fun, it's really great, great fun.

I think it looks absolutely brilliant.

-He's changed the whole filling from your last conversation.

-He has, yes.

-It's nice.

-Very nice.

It's fun.

Very nicely done.

He's achieved exactly what he set out to do.

-I think he'll be pleased with that.

-I'm very happy for Chris.

He's pulled it out of the bag.

All the ingredients now are working very well together. Yes - happiness!

It might not be at the further reaches of gastronomy in terms of innovation,

but in terms of making people smile,

it's hard to beat this, actually.

I loved it. I thought it was brilliant.

Is he using all the techniques? Not necessarily, but for me,

I'd be happy to put him through as the top three.

Depending on what else comes, this could definitely be a contender.

Yes, I would be not at all unhappy if this was one of the three.

It all looks quite simple, but there's an awful lot of components

in there that he's had to pull off.

All that chocolate work, I mean, it's impressive.

As always, it's just very difficult to call it.

You know, it wasn't the most technically advanced, but so what?

I really had fun and I enjoyed eating it.

And for that, I'm going to give him an eight.

I really liked this pudding.

He really listened, he changed it - it's a seven.

He's got it right - it tastes fantastic. It's an eight.

It may not have been the most original dish of the day,

but nevertheless, I still think it deserves a seven.

Last to cook today are Colin and Stephen.

-Well, Stephen - last one of the day.

-Best of luck, mate.

-Good luck.

Cheers, Colin.

Colin is first up.

He's not well known amongst the chefs, having spent

most of his career abroad and with both his starter

and main course in the top three already, he's been the surprise chef to beat,

but his dessert bombed in the heats

and he's had to change it completely to be allowed to cook today.

His new attempt is pineapple feuilletine with coconut and basil.

Today I'm a little bit apprehensive, really. I'm doing a new dessert.

I've practised it, but I don't know what the judges will think, because I haven't had any feedback before.

If I was being charitable about Colin McGurran's first attempt

at a pudding, I would say that it was made of mismatched elements

which weren't very well made.

So thank the Lord he has decided to change it lock, stock and barrel.

Obviously, it wasn't good enough,

but given what a surprise Colin has been, and the quality of what

he's knocking out in that kitchen, I'm looking forward to trying it.

He's technologically very clever, he understands everything,

he knows ingredients backwards, he's got a natural palate.

But he hasn't shown any evidence that he can make a good pudding.

Oh come on, it's going to be great!

Let's be positive!

Colin has impressed with groundbreaking techniques

in all his dishes and his dessert is no exception.

I've got a lot of technical skills to do today.

I need to be absolutely on the top of my game, focused.

It's all about finesse, the delicate touch, it's all about getting it all

presented beautifully, so that's my main focus.

What are you going to do with that, Colin?

It's another way of adding a sugar tuile, but you put it in your mouth.

It just goes and it's a little bit sweet, a bit scented.

He's a man of mystery. All these different techniques.

We didn't know what to expect and he's blown us away.

Looks really impressive.

For this, it's purely a bit of effect

and also a bit of sweetness to the dish.

I think dark horse Colin is at it again!

The techniques he's using look quite impressive,

so it makes me a little bit worried.

I might be struggling to make the top three.

Colin starts plating up with his pineapple feuilletine,

then adds sheet of coconut gel, chocolate snow and basil.

Very elegant. Very elegant.

Next, he adds a pineapple coulis-filled chocolate spear,

a vanilla, pineapple and basil sorbet,

and finishes the dish off with his blown-sugar tuille.

-HE SIGHS

-Excellent, mate. >

Wow. Huh? Smart, huh?

-Impressive. Very impressive. Top three?

-Could be.

I want the Olympians to look at it and go, "Wow, this is great. Try that."

"Have you just tried this?" And pop and crackle, and I want them to enjoy

this little bombshell of a dish, and that is what I have in mind and that is what it delivers,

so that's why I think it could be a contender for the Olympic banquet.

SHE LAUGHS

Come on! That just looks delicious!

Well, I don't know if it looks delicious, so much as fascinating.

Intriguing. What this actually looks like is a sort of

-roll call of all modern cooking techniques.

-Exactly.

There's a bit of dust, a bit of spherification, a bit of this, a bit of that, bit of the other.

-Some phenomenal technique on there.

-It's got a bit of everything.

Yeah, he really does. He really does.

-Oh, coconut.

-I love coconut.

-I think the caramel is delicious.

I'm not sure whether you need the pineapple or the cellophane see-through thing.

Certain things are superfluous.

There's nothing that's really unpleasant there,

but it doesn't make a coherent argument for saying, "This is a unitary pudding."

What is wrong with you people?! I mean, this is interesting.

-They guy's trying different things here.

-He's trying and failing!

This is cool, come on!

I thought this looked amazing when it arrived,

but as I ate it I liked it less and less.

I don't like pineapple and chocolate together,

I don't like the sorbet and I really don't like the coating.

Come on! He's trying things, and we did ask for innovation.

Innovation is great but it's got to work together.

I've never thought of chocolate and pineapple together, to be honest.

It's very technical, very skilful but I think, in my eyes, this feels a frontrunner.

This was a classic case of cooking by technique and not by taste. 6.

Pineapple and coconut are wonderful together,

coconut and chocolate are fantastic together.

All three together are disgusting. It's a 5.

I am just genuinely shocked by your lack of empathy for this pudding!

This is all things moderne. He has transformed the pudding.

It's an 8!

To be honest, Oliver, that, to me, was style over substance.

It just wasn't good enough.

It's just a 6, for me.

An average score for Colin.

Can Stephen do any better? He is a returning champion

and veteran, but after not being allowed to cook his starter,

he hasn't been able to redeem himself, suffering poor scores

for both his fish and main courses. So, today, he's desperate for

a top three place, with his Bronze, Silver or Gold? dessert.

I'd love to get a top three. It would be nice to walk away from this,

after quite a tough week, with one top three finish.

I love Stephen. He's been a previous winner, he's a great chef.

I genuinely, genuinely hope that this is a great pudding and that it all works for him on the day, today.

-Well, he has been pulverised all week.

-He's had a horrible week.

-He's called this dish Bronze, Silver, Gold?

-I loved it.

It had some great things to it. When I judged it in the heats,

I didn't particularly like the consistency of the mousse.

If Stephen's going to get anywhere in the pudding today, he's going to have to have tweaked the chocolate.

He'll have to have worked on the trifle and that's what's going to put him in the top three.

If he hasn't, he's going to flag again.

Simple.

But Stephen has taken the judges' comments to heart.

He's added an olive oil jelly to the centre of his chocolate mousse

and replaced his trifle with a rhubarb and custard jelly.

Only his lemon tart remains unchanged.

It's a great classic little trio of desserts.

Very familiar favourites, but just perfectly executed.

You confident with it? This is your last chance, isn't it, to get on the...

Listen, I'm confident in my abilities, very confident in this dessert.

Stephen has probably not had the best week that he has wanted.

He's not really shown what he can actually do and I think

today he's going to be wanting to get in that top three.

How are you feeling, anyway? It's a tough week, so far.

Yeah, it's been a tough week.

Don't have any high expectations. given the judges' feedback so far.

'Stephen's been around for a long time.'

He's remaining true to his roots. Everything he has done this week has been technically correct.

It's just unfortunate for him that the brief has perhaps calling for a little bit more daring

than he is comfortable with doing. He's got three little desserts and they all are great classics.

It was maybe good enough in regionals, but we're all finding we have to step up our game now.

Stephen starts his plate off with his silver-wrapped rhubarb and custard jelly,

then adds a bronze-wrapped lemon tart

and his modified chocolate mousse with olive jelly,

then hides them all under steel cloches.

Just in front of the judges, like that. Thank you.

-Well done, Steph.

-Cheers, Dan. Happy, glad it's over.

It's been a tough week. I don't think I could have improved any elements.

I'm hoping to do well with this one and I think the judges are going to like it.

You lift that, I'll lift these. One, two ,three...

-Yo!!

-Excellent!

One, two ,three...go!

ALL LAUGH

-Bronze, I've got the bronze.

-How did he know?

ALL LAUGH

So let's have a look at the trifle, see if he's improved the trifle.

-This is just rhubarb and custard, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I love the sharpness of the rhubarb.

-Very good...and crunchy.

I love it.

I like the chocolate more. He's changed that slightly - less rich.

They are three very homely puddings, but somehow, because the sheer precision with which every part

of them have been made, they are absolutely dazzling.

That lemon meringue pie is just so good.

I think this is Stephen here showing off his ability to the best extent he can, which is just,

you know, extremely high quality.

-I hope he's happy, Steve. Three little puds, all spot on, in my book.

-Yep.

Yep, definitely.

Stephen's really improved this. The quality of each individual item is absolutely fabulous.

-It's absolutely delicious.

-This is just such fun. I think it would give enormous pleasure.

My only slight concern - teeny-weeny concern - is the innovation in the dish.

It's simple, but it's immaculately done. I would be shocked if they don't enjoy that. Game on, Steve.

-Yeah.

-Good work.

That was a delicious trio of desserts. And for that, I'm going to give Steve

a 7.

The only tiny thing missing, for me, was the innovation.

So, it's an 8.

Gold, silver, bronze - all medal winners.

It's an 8.

It was wonderful to be reminded just how good a chef Stephen Terry is.

I'm going to give that an 8.

Cooking complete, all the chefs can do now is wait.

'Anxious at the minute.'

I'm looking for a top three finish. After winning it last year, I'm nervous.

I'd love to come away with something this week. It was a hard week.

'It's all done, can't change anything.'

I really want to go through.

'Today's been tough, because most chefs are out their comfort zone cooking desserts.'

I'd be happy just not to come seventh, really.

'I would be disappointed if I didn't get a top three for my dessert.'

I'm only here because I want to win. I want to get a dish in the final banquet and that means huge amount.

-Evening, chefs.

-ALL: Evening.

How are you feeling? How's it been?

-Tired.

-Tired, yeah.

Daniel, what's it been like there watching them all sweating away?

It's been a good day. They've all really pushed themselves.

I've got it in my mind who I think's won, so it'll be interesting to see your results.

OK, I'm now going to announce the rankings for the puddings.

In seventh place today, it is...

..Alan.

Going For Gold, it was very difficult to eat.

The shell itself was very hard to break.

Sadly, I don't think it was better than your last attempt, actually.

What do you think?

Erm, bit disappointed, actually. I thought I'd improved it, so... I appreciate your comments

and I'll take it gracefully.

In sixth place...

-..it's Nathan.

-Nathan, I thought it was a marked improvement on the original pudding.

I'm sorry it didn't get further up the ratings.

I did better than I thought. I thought I'd come last, to be honest. Mine was just a simple dessert -

summer fruits and, you know, it's a tough competition today.

That means in fifth place...

..it's Colin.

We were all thrilled when we saw it. It looked as if you'd lined up every machine and gizmo you had

-and made sure you used them all.

-Yep.

-But, you know, it didn't deliver on flavour.

It was puzzling, interesting, but not really delicious.

By the way, I loved it, all right?!

In fourth place...

..it's...

-..Chris Fearon.

-Oh!

-That means congratulations

Phil, Simon, Stephen.

-Stephen, how are you feeling?

-Very pleased.

I was quite confident in my dish and my ability to produce it.

Very simple, but I think, you know, covering them over, just a little question mark over what you'll get

-is I think a fitting end to a meal.

-We loved the fun element of it.

Great flavours, great taste. It was good. Well done. Tough week, Steve?

Yeah.

-Phil?

-Yeah, I'm pleased. I loved the souffle I cooked at the regionals, but fully appreciate

it just didn't the brief well enough. But I think I came up with something that was sharper.

Phil, it was absolutely amazing. The souffle in a cone, I was trying to work out how you did it.

-It was wonderful.

-Thank you.

-Alongside that, there was also Simon. Do you know the meaning

of doing a duff dish?

Erm, I think the dish today was the only time all week I've been fully 100% satisfied

-with what has gone on the plate, so I was quite happy today, actually.

-I think you should be.

Fantastic range and balance of flavours and textures, and that sense of personality

-that just comes riding through on them.

-Thanks.

Chris, I've got to tell you, I just thought your torch was

a massively, massively improved pudding.

It was fantastic. It's been an incredibly competitive week - some of the finest food we have all

-ever eaten, and I just want to say, well done to you.

-Thanks.

-We all genuinely mean that.

-Thank you.

-OK, guys,

we've eaten everything and it is now time for us to make our decision

about what dishes are going to be cooked at the Olympic Feast.

If you wouldn't mind going back to the kitchen, we're going to make our deliberations, then call you back.

Thank you very much.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Well done, guys, well done.

'It's going to be hard for me to go back into the judges' chamber,'

knowing that I'm not in contention in any of the courses. To come away with nothing is hard to take.

I'm devastated. I'm devastated.

'I got to the top three,'

I'm very happy with that. After the week I've had, that's a big result for me.

'Seventh place is a joke, as far as I'm concerned.'

Not happy.

Anybody attending this Olympic Feast from around the world

is going to be blown away by any number of these dishes.

We've come to the hardest part of all.

Now we've got to come to a decision and make up the perfect menu.

-Tense?

-Nervous.

-How are you feeling, Simon?

-Quite nervous, actually.

'One would hope, with four chances of going through to the banquet, that I might'

bag one of them, but my dishes are up against two strong dishes in every course,

-so there is always a danger I might not go through.

-I think we all think that's a good starter.

-Although that was fantastic. It was beautiful.

-That was better on flavour, that was on presentation.

That was better first time.

I don't know.

-Alan, you've got two top threes.

-Yes, I was pleased.

Good start to the week, just gone downhill since then.

Very nervous.

I've been thinking about this and practising for many months.

I've put hundreds of hours of work into it

and I feel physically unwell.

This is my single favourite dish.

You know what, I'll trade you that if you let me have this.

This is precision cooking at its finest.

This is the cream of Great Britain, the best dishes, best cooks.

No-one knows how it's going to swing.

There's so many good dishes in the final three.

I've got one chance and it's tough, isn't it?

It's been a long week, it's been a hard week

and it would be really disappointing not to get a dish at all

through to the banquet.

I would rather have this. I think that goes better with that.

No, because I think I'm going to put mine like that.

This, for me in terms of presentation,

in terms of technique, in terms of taste,

I would not be happy with the menu if I didn't have it.

-How are you feeling, Colin?

-Chuffed I got two of my dishes to the top three.

Worse case scenario, if I don't go through,

I still feel as if I've achieved, so I'm happy with that.

-This is the line-up that I really like.

-How can you leave out that?

Whoever is cooking at the banquet, it'll be the most fantastic day

and lifetime memories.

This feels like a beautiful journey, very modern, it sets the right tone.

And it starts with such a visual bang.

-How are you feeling, Daniel?

-Four years, it's taken me to get this far.

It would be really nice to nail it today.

To be able to say that I won the main course

would be a massive achievement.

It would be a dream come true for me this year.

We've got the most perfect Olympic menu,

so let's call in the chefs.

Welcome, chefs, for the very last time.

We've eaten some of the most spectacular food

this country has ever seen, from an amazing line-up of chefs.

I'm now going to announce the dishes that are going to make up

the final banquet.

First of all, the important starter.

In the line-up are Alan Murchison's duck and pineapple,

Simon Rogan's grilled salad

and Colin McGurran's quail in the woods.

I can now announce that the winner of the starter is...

Colin McGurran.

-Well done.

-Well done, mate.

-Colin, come on.

-It's fantastic.

It's going to take a while to set in so really, really excited

and thank you very much.

Really beautiful bit of cooking, really well balanced,

very interesting, a fabulous start to the banquet.

-Genuinely, really well done.

-Thank you very much.

Next is the fish course and there was no slackening of standards here.

With great difficulty, we managed to narrow it down to three

and they are Phil Howard's mackerel taster,

Alan's mackerel and beetroot and Simon's lobster dish.

And the chef who will be going to cook the fish course

at the final banquet is...

Phil Howard.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done, mate.

-Phil, how do you feel about that?

-Fantastic.

Never been in this situation before, never entered a competition before.

I'm dead chuffed to take the humble mackerel to the banquet.

In fact, I'm quietly quite humbled too

because it's been a phenomenal week, so thank you.

Well, Phil, you elevated the humble mackerel, I have two say,

to royal status.

It was an astounding achievement.

Well now, we come to the meat course. There are four contenders.

We couldn't get it down to three,

so the four were Daniel's chicken and sweetcorn,

Nathan's duck and monkfish,

Colin's pork and apple and Simon's suckling pig.

I can reveal that the meat course will be cooked by...

Daniel Clifford.

Jesus Christ, I feel like I'm going to faint.

Thank you very much.

I'm going to cry in a minute so, I don't want to talk too much.

Your dish was a dish that epitomised most the spirit of the competition.

You got so much chicken flavour into a chicken

which isn't easy to do these days.

I kept saying, can he do this for 100 people?

I will put 110%.

-If it means I have to cook for weeks, I will.

-Great.

And finally, the glorious pudding.

And the final three dishes are Phil's rhubarb and custard,

Simon Rogan's anise hyssop and rosehips,

and Stephen Terry's bronze, silver and gold.

So I can now tell you that the winner of the pudding course is...

Simon Rogan.

-You must be a relieved man.

-So relieved, yes.

Well done.

Yes, chuffed, very chuffed.

Very unique piece of cooking, really interesting,

beautiful balanced flavours.

How much time do you devote to foraging the hillside?

The majority of the time now, really. I've got a brilliant team behind me.

I am in my kitchen but mainly on a service.

I let them do all the hard work which is the prep.

Well, gentlemen, we have our final banquet.

I would like to thank each and every one of you.

-It's been absolutely amazing. Thank you all.

-Thank you.

So, the final Olympic menu will kick off with Colin McGurran's

spectacular quail in the woods.

Brilliantly done.

I'm mentally exhausted, I'm knackered, I'm losing my voice.

Really chuffed.

Followed by Phil Howard's incredible tasting of Cornish mackerel.

Result.

I'm over the moon, over the moon.

Then Daniel Clifford's ingenious slow-poached chicken.

I've been on edge all day because obviously, I didn't cook

and to get this result, it's mind-blowing, I'm absolutely gobsmacked.

To cook for some legends, it's going to be brilliant.

And finally, Simon Rogan's trailblazing

anise hyssop with rosehips, hazelnuts and sweet cheese.

The banquet now is a reality.

I'm really, really proud.

It's going to be an amazing experience

and the people eating it, are going to be in for a treat.

But, there's little time to celebrate.

Tomorrow, it's banquet day.

The chefs have just one chance to deliver...

I haven't slept for the last couple of days.

..to a stunning Olympic guest list.

You've experienced here the work of the greatest talents within food.

There can be no other reaction, other than, wow!

But like all Olympian challenges, nothing goes to plan.

-Next tray.

-Hey!

Some amazing chefs have been put under a huge amount of pressure,

-a bit like being in the Olympics.

-Chicken! Chicken!

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