Central Main Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu,

three of the Central region's top chefs,

-Daniel Clifford...

-I'm a master at this, boys!

-..Paul Foster,

-and Aktar Islam...

-Oh, a bit of drama there!

-..are battling it out

to celebrate the Olympics with an awe-inspiring feast.

Yesterday was a fight for the fish course...

-It's all right, it's meant to happen.

-Really?!

..that saw last year's champion usurped by a daring newcomer.

-Got some points to catch up on Paul, haven't you?

-It's going to be tough.

Award-winning Daniel stormed his way up the leaderboard.

Daniel, another exceptional piece of cooking.

Former champion Glynn Purnell expects the same high standards

from their main courses today.

I'm looking for fantastic dishes - taking the shackles off,

pushing the boundaries.

Something that's going to blow me away.

Daniel's taking one of his biggest risks, with a dish no-one will have seen before.

I've got two nines so far. Today I'm going for a ten.

-So what's that, chicken skin?

-Yeah. Might be a bridge too far.

It's no walk in the park, it never has been, never will be.

..and it all ends in tears.

I'm starting to think I've done too much. I don't know.

I ain't going to mess around. I almost started crying.

This year, the chefs have been pushed to their absolute limit.

Their challenge - to create awe-inspiring dishes...

-ALL: Wow!

-..that live up to the spectacle of the London 2012 Games.

Good shot. Some power in there, mate.

The prize - the chance to cook for our sporting heroes

and their families, who've supported them on their quest for success.

This is my only opportunity to cook an Olympic banquet in my country,

so I can't pass this up.

Their first hurdle is Michelin-starred former champion,

Glynn Purnell.

The chefs need to see themselves a little bit like Olympians -

pushing themselves every day.

The main course is a massive platform,

you can steal the competition on the main course.

After yesterday's scores, the pressure is on,

especially for last year's winner, Aktar.

For me, it's a case of playing catch up.

I'll do my best and that's all you can do, really.

-We've all got so much to play for.

-Exactly, yeah.

The gap between me and yourself is nothing - two points.

I'm going to put everything into this, cos I know I want to be on top of the podium.

Storming ahead with 18 points is two Michelin-starred Daniel Clifford,

a returning contender who's crashed out of the competition twice before.

His cutting-edge style has so far racked up two nines -

a score he's looking to perfect today with a risky main course.

It's about surprise, it is about flavour, it's about aroma.

It's got everything. This is the package. It's a lot of work.

-So where do we start then?

-Where do we start?!

It's going to be a slow-roast chicken,

deconstructed in a different way. Some popcorn, to make a bit of fun,

and it's got some lovely little surprises in it.

Chicken as a main course has never been successful on the Great British Menu,

so it's quite a brave move to go straight in

and do a cheeky main course.

But we're cooking for Olympians.

That's what they eat on a daily basis. This is not a safe option.

So you've practised this dish?

I hibernated for two weeks to get this right.

So it's chicken, truffle, smoked bacon, sweetcorn...

With a couple of surprises.

Daniel's playing his cards close to his chest,

promising to take everyday roast chicken to new, Olympic heights,

with a host of trailblazing techniques.

It's the humble chicken,

but I think he's got a few more surprises.

But is it going to be good enough for the Olympians? I mean, chicken?

We have it every Sunday.

Chasing Daniel's lead with 13 points is ambitious newcomer, Paul Foster.

His daring use of unusual ingredients has held onto

the silver for two days running

and kept last year's champion Aktar at bay.

But he needs to deliver a knockout blow

to be sure of a place in Friday's final.

It'd be nice to have a bit more of a two-point gap,

cos that can go in one dish.

But saying that, it means he's right behind me,

so that'll push me even harder.

-Excited about today?

-Yes. Ready to go.

What's the name of the dish?

Got duck breast and heart with broccoli -

doing some unique things with broccoli -

pink fir potatoes cooked in pine and some roasted peanuts.

So duck hearts - an interesting sort of ingredient to use.

They're fantastic - you can cook them pink and they've got a lovely texture.

And this, obviously - you're using foraged ingredients -

is this the groundbreaking ingredient that's going to

elevate your main course?

Yes, and how I'll use it with the potatoes,

the way I'll get my flavour in there, the broccoli will stand out.

It turns humble broccoli into something different.

Paul's taking a big risk with a simple duck and broccoli dish,

using foraged pine and unusual duck hearts to stand out

from the crowd - ingredients that could make or break him.

If the duck's overcooked, then it's finished.

Hearts - that's a bit of a risk.

And to turn broccoli interesting is going to be a hard task!

Snapping at Paul's heels with 11 points is returning champion

Aktar Islam, the self-taught underdog whose Anglo-Indian cuisine

made it all the way to the banquet last year.

He's determined to get back into the race and hang onto his title.

It's going to be tough. Got a lot of components.

Just got to thunder on and be wary of not putting too much

pressure on yourself.

So how are we feeling?

I'm good, had a good night's sleep, but let's be honest,

bit nervous, bit shaky.

I can see it's lamb, but what are you doing with the lamb?

Got lamb three ways,

so we've got belly confited down with a pumpkin puree,

bone marrow going into the gravy,

trying to get a bit of flavour into it, bit of offal as well.

-A lot to do.

-A fair bit.

What's unique about this dish,

are you using any sort of modern or different techniques?

I'm taking the traditional British influences - lamb, mint, peas -

but then I'm bringing some of the Indian stuff in as well.

It's a case of taking well-known, established ways of cooking

-and pushing that forward.

-Sounds like three fantastic dishes.

Don't let the pressure of the kitchen get you down, guys.

-Let's have three great main courses and good luck.

-Thank you, chef.

Aktar's attempting to push culinary boundaries by marrying

British lamb with Indian spices, serving the belly,

loin and sweetbread with three spicy sides.

Lamb carries spice quite well, but he's set himself a lot of work to do.

I'm slightly concerned, is he man enough to take on the challenge,

or is he just going to buckle?

Under starter's orders,

all three chefs get straight to work on their Olympic main courses.

They've got a lot to do, especially Daniel, who is going all-out

with an extremely technical chicken dish and giving little away.

-Chicken is everybody's favourite, we all eat it on Sundays.

-Any little surprises in there,

any little aces up your sleeve? How will you make it incredible?

I'm going to do everything I can to it, and a little bit more.

They asked us to do something groundbreaking

and if I can pull it off, people will be blown away.

If I can't pull it off, it can be a disaster on a plate.

Paul's serving duck with Douglas fir-infused potatoes -

a foraged ingredient few people will have tasted,

and attempting to turn broccoli into a medal-worthy dish.

You're putting a lot of effort into that broccoli,

you've chopped it three different ways. Yes.

It's going to be sweet, acidic, charred.

Quite an intense flavour though.

Broccoli is not one of my favourite vegetables,

but he's using pine needles as well, so there's some unusual

combinations, which is a risk, but as we know, risks can pay off.

Aktar's juggling lots of different components,

making lemon-spiced lentils and minty korma gravy

to accompany his three ways with lamb.

-A lot of spices going on there.

-Yes, really aromatic.

A fair bit going on.

Having sussed out their competition,

all the chefs can do now is cook their hearts out.

-All right, chef?

-I'm good. Just thundering on, you know.

The fish was tense, but today the competition has really kicked off.

You know, I'm not being funny,

but I'm sure there's a few kicks under the table,

so this is what we like to see in the Great British Menu kitchen.

I think Daniel's really going for it.

So much so, he's not leaving much space for anyone else.

We're fighting for stove space at the moment.

-What's going on, Daniel?

-What's going on?

-Yes.

World War three, at the moment, mate.

-So what's that?

-Basically the arm of the chicken.

-Yes.

I've deboned it, stuffed it with truffle. That's one of the surprises, chef.

Daniel's got all sorts of surprises up his sleeve today

and he's giving nothing away.

Clearly he's breaking boundaries. Has he bitten off more than he can chew?

Paul's keeping his duck nice and simple - blowtorching the skin

to crisp it up first

and popping it in the water bath for 40 minutes.

Paul, you're quiet again. Keeping your head down, chef?

Got to make sure every bit of sinew is off these duck hearts -

I don't want to give you any chewy duck heart.

-Are they strongly flavoured, or...?

-No, they're not really offaly.

That's why I'm a big fan of them. It won't overpower the broccoli.

Paul's taking a big risk today - he's cooking duck hearts

and they're not everyone's cup of tea.

They need to be cooked perfect, otherwise the dish is ruined.

Aktar's serving offal too, hiding lamb sweetbreads in traditional Indian bhajis.

Do you think it's original, innovative?

Sweetbread is not something that people normally use or

associate with Indian food anyway,

so they'll look at it and think, "Probably an onion bhaji".

-Bite into it - get that...

-Sweetbread inside.

-Exactly.

Aktar must be on the ropes at the moment - he's doing things

that are out of his comfort zone, but has he practised it enough?

I don't know - the more you put into this, the more you get out of it.

Daniel's practised his innovative chicken dish within an inch

of its life, but still isn't letting on what surprises he has in store.

How's it going?

I've got five or six things, if I get them done I'll be laughing, if I don't. I'll be swimming.

And at the moment, guess what?

It's practice this time, chef. It's all practice.

Practice makes perfect.

This year, I've come down to win it. I want to go home, see my kids and see the smile on their face.

This means everything to me - I put everything into it this year.

Daniel cooks cutting edge food

at his two Michelin-starred restaurant in Cambridge.

-Morning, gents.

-Morning, Chris - how are you?

-Very well.

But he knew he'd have to do something extra special to

meet this year's groundbreaking Olympic brief.

Skin's lovely on that, isn't it?

He tested countless chickens to get his main course just right.

We should go for the Devon free range.

I want the food to be absolutely outstanding this year -

I want to blow the judges away.

For me, this menu is all about being different - doing things people haven't seen before.

He spent weeks devising a state-of-the-art dish

full of surprises.

If we can put an egg inside the chicken ballantine,

-it would be amazing.

-So you want to put the sweetcorn inside the egg white?

-Yes.

-Let's go, then!

It's an ingenious idea that took several attempts to get right.

Look at that!

-Looks like an egg.

-Looks like an egg.

-Beautiful.

-That's the mustard.

-That's great, isn't it?

But Daniel is not the kind of chef to stop at one surprise.

-Package has arrived from Geneva.

-All the way from Geneva?

-All the way from Geneva. Smell that.

It's like something out of Willy Wonka.

Daniel can't wait to test this cutting-edge sensory delight

on some of the locals.

Oh, wow.

-Roast chicken!

-Smells definitely like chicken.

-Roast chicken.

Well, they think it's a winner,

and after two failed attempts at Great British Menu glory,

Daniel is counting on his main course to go all the way.

To be a part of the Olympic feast would be absolutely amazing -

it would be like me winning my own gold medal.

That's the challenge this year and I really want to go and do my best.

Back in the kitchen, Daniel's stuffing his chicken breast

with that ingenious sweetcorn egg and Aktar and Paul

are beginning to realise just what they're up against.

-So... Chicken spray?

-I want a hit of chicken when it goes into the room.

I want to surprise them, I want, you know...

I've been thinking outside my box.

I'm a master at this, boys.

That's pushing it to the limit,

I would never have thought of putting chicken in a tin and spraying it.

It's definitely unique, he's raised the bar.

-Paul, did you think about perhaps getting a broccoli essence?

-No!

I think that might...

That might stink like your mum's overcooked broccoli on a Sunday!

-Are you taking the Mickey out of me?

-No, not at all!

You've got to remember, I've got two nines so far.

And today I'm going for a 10, yeah?

The atmosphere in the kitchen is... It's tense.

Main course, there always seems to be a bit extra to do

and you go in there, you can smell lamb roasting, chicken roasting,

you've got duck hearts being prepped. It's pretty wild in there.

With plating-up fast approaching, the pressure is mounting,

especially for returning champion, Aktar.

He's looking to catch up with rival Paul,

with an Anglo-Indian take on roast lamb and has a lot to juggle.

Like his award-winning competitor,

whose technical chicken dish is pushing him to the absolute limit.

What's going on, Daniel? It's a bit fast and furious.

Just popcorn at the moment.

I've got to finish the ballantine, I've got to cook my spinach,

finish my chicken sauce, make my pea puree,

finish my parfait.

So you haven't got much to do then.

I've got enough to keep me busy.

Unlike newcomer Paul,

whose simple duck and broccoli dish is all but ready.

Trying to keep out of Daniel's way today. The guy is on it.

He wants nine, he wants ten.

He has a lot of stuff going on out there.

Starting to think whether I've done too much. I don't know.

Pulling it together at the last minute is going to be a nightmare.

-So what's that, chicken skin?

-Yes.

Might be a bridge too far, this one, chef.

This is what we're asking you to do, push boundaries and show...

Push boundaries and give myself a heart attack.

Obviously we don't want Aktar to have a heart attack.

He'll slip into a korma!

DANIEL LAUGHS

I am slightly nervous, of coming on on a bit of a back foot,

and coming up to service time,

so I know that's always the most hectic time for me.

Difficult thing for Aktar is he's had two low scores.

He's the bottom of the pile, so he needs to self-motivate.

At the end of the day, we're half way through the competition

and no place in the final's been set yet.

It's really important Aktar gets a really good score today.

Aktar is first to plate up and still has a lot to do.

Talking about timings again, how are we?

-I think we're OK.

-Are we OK?

I'm always thinking. I like to surprise.

A couple of minutes early yesterday,

I should have got extra points for that, because that is an achievement.

It's definitely unique and out the box, you being early anyway!

Ignoring Paul's jibe, Aktar quickly seals his lamb loin,

brushes it with mustard,

and with the clock ticking,

rolls it in a vibrant coriander crumb coating.

Aktar, looking at the clock, you have one minute.

Yeah, cool.

Let's get it on the plate. Get it nice.

He spreads his slate with spicy pumpkin puree,

adds a cube of pilau rice,

his unusual sweetbread bhajis,

and confit belly of lamb, which he quickly pan fries.

You nearly ready Aktar?

Then spoons on his spicy lentils,

adds his sliced lamb and minty korma gravy.

I'll get one, if you get the other.

OK.

Happy with that?

Very happy, chef.

So timings are OK, and you felt comfortable getting it on the pass?

-I did, chef.

-Still feeling shaky?

I'll feel a lot better when you turn round and say it's a ten.

Right, let's see whether it is a ten. Let's go and taste it.

Will Glynn think think Aktar's Anglo-Indian lamb

is individual enough for the Olympic feast?

It looks lovely.

Yeah, it does.

He is a phenomenal cook, there's no doubt about it.

Is it diverse enough?

-Is it ground breaking, is it pushing the barriers?

-It is for me.

I've taken what is a humble lamb curry and pushed it to this.

I don't think the rice works. I think you could lose that.

I don't think the rice has any seasoning in it.

No, not a drop of salt in it.

Do you think you have the spicing right with the lentils?

I think so. There's not too much heat in it at all.

Lentils and lamb, for me, that's a good combo,

and that's what I wanted it on there.

I wanted that flavour out of it.

So many powerful things going on there,

that the lamb and the rice need some season, bring it through it.

You think the dish is well balanced?

Once again, I'm concerned about getting enough spice, but not heat.

I think I've managed to do that well, not in blowing your head off.

-You feel as if you're back in the competition?

-I'm quite happy.

Just served the main course.

Once again, Glynn, you don't get anything back.

He asked me if I was happy with it. I was happy.

I personally feel I've done my best.

Daniel's chicken is up next, and he still has a lot to do.

I feel like I've run a marathon, done the javelin, done the shot-put.

I just have to do a few swimming lengths and I'm done!

THEY LAUGH

He quickly fries his truffle chicken wings...

then turns his attention to his stuffed chicken breast,

truffled popcorn, and chicken liver parfait,

tucked inside that crispy chicken skin.

With his chicken out of the fryer, he starts building his plate,

adding the crispy chicken skin, spinach and bacon, chicken gravy,

and his crowning glory, the truffle and sweetcorn egg.

That look's a bit cheeky, doesn't it?

SPRAY CAN HISSES

Just so you get that chicken flavour.

So that was one surprise.

That's the other surprise. Any more surprises?

Well, that's stuffed with a nice lardon of truffle.

You should get that as you bite into it.

Let's see if the surprise hits the mark, OK?

Enjoy, lads.

Will Daniel's technical chicken dish full of surprises

sweep the gold for the third day running?

Is it consistent and as good as the other two dishes?

This one takes the brief to a new level.

This is everything I read into the brief.

It's the cheeky bits that are making the difference.

It's the element of surprise.

I would love to go all the way with this dish. It's my favourite.

That looks exciting. It looks interesting, unique.

I've never seen this, with a chicken skin.

Then he's got parfait and sweetcorn in there,

textures, flavours.

The flavours, do you think they're coming through enough?

Chef, I'm going to put myself out there

and I think that's perfect.

Sweetcorn's amazing. Try a bit of the parfait.

I haven't got a bad word to say about that at all.

It's got everything. It stands out, it's unique.

He's pushed chicken to the limit.

I'm struggling to say anything because I'm enjoying it so much!

Absolutely stunning.

Would you change anything on that dish?

No. No, I'm very happy with it.

I think that's...

Gold medal?

I think it's going to be at the banquet, chef.

-That's how confident you are?

-That's how confident I am.

Do you think this really embodies the spirit of the Olympics?

I think if this dish had legs

it would smash Usain Bolt's record out the water.

That was brilliant. Absolutely fantastic. Couldn't have gone any better.

I've run around all morning trying to get that right, and I feel really happy. Absolutely blown away.

Paul's trail-blazing duck hearts and pine dish is last up,

-and he needs to get it bang on.

-It's a tough one to follow.

He slices his Douglas fir-infused potatoes, spoons on his

broccoli puree, adds some roasted and dressed tenderstem broccoli,

and puts the finishing touches to his caramelised duck breast.

-How long have you cooked that duck for, Paul?

-40 minutes, 60 degrees.

All that's left to do now is get it onto the plate,

with his risky duck hearts, some roasted peanuts, and coriander dressing.

So, Paul. 100 people. Olympic banquet. Is it going to be there?

I hope so. I've put so much into this dish.

Have a taste.

Is Paul's simple duck and broccoli dish groundbreaking enough

for our incredible Olympic line-up?

Let's dig in. I love duck.

Oh, look at that.

-Now, that...is amazing.

-Mmm.

And the heart?

Could it be a step too far?

It's a risk, but with this brief you've got to take a risk.

That is beautiful.

I really like the texture of the potato, but the essence

of the Douglas fir, I think is one I will probably have to get used to.

-Is there too much broccoli on the plate?

-I don't think so.

If all the broccoli was the same, then there'd be too much.

But you've got so many different things going on,

it's almost like having a different vegetable on the plate.

Has this taken food to a new level?

It's taken potatoes to a new level for me.

Is it something you'd want to see at the banquet?

I'd love to see it. This is me on a plate.

It's natural, British, and unique, and that's the kind of thing I like to cook.

I need a G&T after that, I think.

Glad to have the main course out of the way. I think it went well.

Again, Glynn didn't give me anything, but he kept eating it,

which hopefully is a good thing unless he was checking it again and again!

With their main courses delivered,

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

-That was a tough dish.

-Glynn's got a challenge on his hands now.

Main course is the one I think we all gunned for.

Glynn has to give Aktar, the returning champion, a good score for him to stay in the race.

Let's go and get the scores on the doors!

Guys.

Again, another great day of cooking. Some fantastic stuff. So I've got the results.

Aktar. Your Anglo-Indian three-way lamb dish.

I thought taking the roast lamb idea

and bringing in the Indian influences was quite a nice little twist.

The lamb loin was cooked very well.

And the sweetbread was, like, an unusual way of bringing a bhaji into a sweetbread.

I felt though, there was a lot going on on the plate,

which really started to cloud the lamb flavour.

Once you had one flavour, it was another flavour coming in,

and then we were looking for the lamb. It was a little bit...

And I thought it was quite a hefty portion, because of the spice.

Paul.

Your duck with the hearts and the broccoli.

I thought the dish looked really simple, which was slightly unnerving at first.

But when you ate it, it fell very natural.

I really liked the pine with the potatoes,

and then the caramelised broccoli, then the really smooth, simple broccoli. A really good dish.

Daniel. Slow poached chicken and sweetcorn.

It was... You know, I almost started crying.

The chicken was taken and just spun on its head,

and turned into a wonder.

I thought the truffle, the popcorn, with the parfait was just

superb, and you've seen these guys faces when you carved that open...

-I didn't really, Chef.

-No. Well, I did, and I had the same expression.

-It was chicken at the end of the day, but it was superbly done.

-Thank you.

Right, then, the scores.

Aktar, for your lamb...

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

..a six out of ten.

Paul, for your duck,

I'm going to give you...

..an eight out of ten.

Daniel, for your dish,

I'm going to give you...

..a ten out of ten.

-Well done, Daniel. Well deserved, mate.

-Thank you.

It was superb. You pushed the boundaries. Outstanding.

So, boys, one more dish to go. The race isn't over yet.

It's been a tough week for all of you,

so let's finish on a big high. OK?

-Cheers, guys.

-Cheers, Chef.

What a day.

So, Day Three3 has seen Daniel score a perfect ten,

putting him head and shoulders above the rest, with 28 points.

Leaving Paul and Aktar with just four points between them,

fighting it out for second place.

A ten...!

I need a miracle. So I think it's down into the kitchen on my knees,

and I'll have to pray like I've never prayed before.

Anything could happen tomorrow.

If I have a bad day and Aktar has a good day, it's all change.

I want to get into the finals. If the judges call my name out, you know,

that will be a very special day in my life.

In tomorrow's dessert course, one of these chefs will be leaving the competition.

This is like the bell on the last lap.

Will Aktar be able to turn it around?

I've got my war paint on!

It's his last chance - and he knows it.

This could make it or break it for me.

-It's not working.

-BLEEP

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