London and South East Starter Great British Menu

Great British Menu is back!

What's going to make a miserable chef like me smile?

-HE LAUGHS

-And it's the funniest yet!

-HE IMPERSONATES A DUCK

-Returning champions.

He did it for the North East.

Guys, guys!

Previous losers.

-Boom!

-Are you threatening to go further this year?

I'm definitely threatening.

A whole host of talented, new British chefs...

-It's tough trying to get this out.

-Sorry!

-..are shedding blood, sweat and tears.

-Agh!

To produce gastronomic masterpieces, that are also witty and fun.

Whoa-ho!

For a special banquet, celebrating 25 years of Red Nose Day,

at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall.

Each of them hoping to raise money.

-Thank you very much.

-Raise a laugh.

And support Comic Relief.

My breath's been taken away for the first time on Great British Menu.

This week, fighting to represent London and the South East

is rising star, Matt Gillan.

-This is for your dance floor.

-Your dance floor!

Experienced chef Adam Simmons.

-I haven't done any of that.

-And returning contender, Tom Aikens.

Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Maybe I have!

Judging them all week is fearsome veteran Richard Corrigan.

-That's a school boy error!

-And from the off, Tom's hell bent on success.

BLEEP!

But will the pressure make or break him?

-BLEEP

-legs

-BLEEP.

-These legs are

-BLEEP

-tiny. They're like sparrow's legs.

This year's challenge is inspired by Comic Relief's Red Nose Day appeal.

-Oh!

-The charity uses comedy and laughter

to change the lives of millions -

both in Africa and the UK.

And has raised over £800 million

through the power of entertainment.

Chefs have been set the task of creating witty, playful dishes -

a dazzling feast that will put a smile on everyone's faces.

And have travelled all over the country

to meet the people who rely on Comic Relief's support.

I do feel like I've turned a corner.

That's brilliant.

And together with some of Britain's best known entertainers...

We've got some lovely pies here.

-Lovely pies.

-..have done the unimaginable.

How did I get roped into this?

And the unthinkable, to raise some much-needed cash.

It's for a great cause.

I'm really proud, actually, to be doing this.

Judging the chefs this week

is three-time Great British Menu champion

and seasoned veteran, Richard Corrigan.

-Morning, chefs.

-Good morning, Richard!

-Welcome to the Great British Menu.

-Morning.

-Thank you.

Good morning, Richard.

Mr Aikens. Seasoned professional, and two newbies.

-New boys, yeah.

-Come prepared this year, Tom?

-Absolutely.

-I'll see you in the kitchen.

-See you later.

I'm expecting a really entertaining battle.

Sprinkled with a bit of humour

but underneath all that, I want to see some great food.

One scallop. One venison.

First up is ambitious newcomer Matt Gillan -

head chef at the Michelin-starred concept Restaurant, The Pass,

at South Lodge Hotel, in West Sussex.

He cooks fun, quirky dishes and despite being ten years younger

than his opponents, is confident he has what it takes to outwit them.

It's a challenge that really suits me.

My food's all about fun.

Yes, I might be the underdog out of the three of us.

However, the smaller the dog, sometimes the bigger the bone.

Hello, chef!

Matt, tell me about your menu.

OK, we have pigeon, beetroot, orange and gingerbread.

Three different types of beetroot and chicken liver parfait.

I've gone with chicken livers rather than pigeon livers.

-Why?

-Just because it's not such a harsh, strong taste.

Is this witty and playful?

Most definitely. Very lively, interactive dish.

A prop very similar to a dance floor, I guess.

Basically, we're going to create a bit of a disco feel.

-Silver leaf.

-It's for the chicken liver parfait.

I'm going to make a silver ball - a disco ball.

-A disco ball!

-It's the one element of my dish that I'm most nervous about.

It's risky but it's risky not taking risks.

If this doesn't bring a smile to you guys' faces,

then you need a sense of humour transplant.

Matt's kicking off his menu with a playful pigeon dish,

with chicken liver parfait and funky beetroot.

Dance floor, flashing lights.

Silvered livery balls!

Is it a bit gimmicky for most people? Possibly.

Four scallop. One chicken. Five beef.

Next up is experienced chef Adam Simmons

of Michelin-starred Danesfield House in Marlow.

Service, please.

He's been tipped as one of the top chefs to watch this decade

and is determined to make a big first impression,

with surprising flavour combinations and cutting-edge techniques.

There's a lot of creativity within the dishes that I've created.

I've got a lot to prove.

It's about winning and it's about me being top dog.

Adam, how do you feel about being on the Great British Menu?

-Very excited but obviously very nervous.

-What are you cooking?

So, we've got lightly smoked squab pigeon, sweetcorn granola.

-What's the centrifuge for?

-The centrifuge is for Douglas Fir oil.

Then you've got the livers from the pigeon and I've made a parfait.

-You've used the livers.

-Yeah, the pigeon livers.

You don't like pigeon liver, do you?

It's too strong for my dish - too strong.

Where's your sense of humour?

It's about what the pigeon eats - corn, seeds, grain, nuts.

You've brought the forest that the pigeon lives in.

Yes, and that's the concept behind the dish.

Comedy and tragedy are good bedfellows.

It could go tragically wrong. Of course it could, but it won't.

Adam's cooking pigeon too and using some serious techniques

to create a savoury granola.

A slight concern about Adam's food.

I see a lot of craft, a lot of great ingredients. A lot of methods.

But where's the fun, Adam?

Starter. Two pollocks and bread for two.

-Wahay!

-Last but not least, is returning competitor Tom Aikens,

head chef at his own Michelin-starred restaurant,

-Tom Aikens, in London.

-Service!

Tom's known for his inventive cooking

and highly competitive nature.

So, losing to Tom Kerridge two years ago was a big hit to his pride.

The way that I left last time, I was obviously upset.

Coming back, I'm gunning for that number one spot.

Tom Aikens, what happened the last time?

I messed up.

Are you threatening to go further this year?

I'm definitely threatening, always.

What are you cooking, Tom?

The dish is called Chicken-Egg, Egg-Chicken.

You've got chicken, langoustines, eggs, truffle.

Two components, which is mainly the egg and the chicken.

Which one do you have first?

The egg or the chicken or the chicken or the egg?

That's where the fun will come.

I have to say, a lot going on here.

There is a lot going on but all the components,

they work for the final dish.

And the final dish for me is a perfect dish.

Do you think this will put a smile on my face?

Absolutely will! I've got a master plan at the end.

-Big weapon which you will love.

-OK.

Chefs, are you quaking in your boots over there?

-A little bit nervous.

-Or is this the young boy's corner saying...

It's the young boy's corner.

We're all here to win.

We're all here to win, otherwise wouldn't be here.

Tom's hoping to upstage his rivals with comedy props

and an extremely complex chicken dish.

Chicken, langoustines, truffle.

Great classic flavours.

Loads going on.

Will he get it on the plate on time?

How do you both feel about this year's theme? Comic Relief!

Yeah, it's definitely a challenge.

It's very different to the previous briefs that I've seen.

The whole emphasis on it being fun and witty,

they obviously think there'll be chefs that are too serious

all the time. So, I think it's good.

-Sense of humour.

-Exactly!

-Is this harder than you did before, Tom?

I wouldn't say it's any easier, that's for sure.

What makes your dish witty and playful?

-Me!

-Yeah. I'm laughing.

Actually, when the dish goes out, I was going to make a chicken noise.

-Is that your secret weapon?

-That's the secret weapon.

Hopefully, Richard will have a sense of humour.

Not a sense-of-humour failure.

I've got a little bit of audio on mine as well.

Have you? Ah!

-What music is it?

-I'm going to leave that.

I'm going to leave it as a little surprise for you.

-I haven't done any of that.

-Oh, you'll be fine.

You're using all the gizmos.

Intimidation from all corners of the kitchen.

Tom, we've seen his props. His box of ingredients was just massive.

Adam has got pigeon on as well, so we're head-to-head on pigeon,

but very, very different. I think mine's a lot more fun.

-Hello, Matt!

-Hi, Richard.

-Slicing off the beetroot.

-Yeah.

It's what I like to call my disco BEETS!

-Disco BEETS!

-Different varieties of beetroot

and then different marinades for each one.

-And this is for your...

-My dance floor.

-Your dance floor!

-You weren't even born in the '70s.

-I am an '80s baby, yeah.

But my mum was. I grew up kind of listening

to those types of things, so it's a nod to my younger life, I guess.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. So...

Matt's using different colour beetroots.

Obviously, the concept of his dish is witty and playful.

It's possibly a bit too much for me personally.

Is that going to detract from the food that's on the plate?

I believe in my dish. I'm really happy with it,

so the proof is in the tasting, I guess.

Matt Gillan cooks conceptual dishes

at his award-winning restaurant on a daily basis.

If you get that anywhere else, in any other restaurant,

I'd be surprised. Service!

We take influences from all over the world,

and then we pool it all together

and focus on textures, flavours, different temperatures.

Crazy kind of ingredient combinations

and just make it our own really.

To find inspiration for his starter

and meet the competition's Comic Relief brief,

Matt's looked closer to home,

where he lives with his girlfriend, Kerra, and her kids, Louis and Lucy.

Every week, we have bonding time, which is disco nights.

During disco night one week, it just hit me.

So, right, I have to do this little dish.

A funky pigeon with disco beets!

And who better to try his funky starter on

than his fellow disco maniacs!

Yay!

If YOU like it, Louis, the judge is going to love it.

I think Matt's dishes are perfect for Comic Relief this year.

Because they require quirky dishes, just like Matt. He's so quirky.

To get a dish at the banquet first time would be epic.

Comic Relief is an amazing charity.

I think anyone that raises money for Comic Relief

can be seen as a bit of a superhero.

Matt's preparing his pigeon breast - an ingredient he shares with Adam -

who's cold-smoking his in a specially adapted indoor barbecue,

and serving it with freeze-dried sweetcorn and Douglas Fir Granola.

But it's Adam's other gadget - the centrifuge -

-that's got everyone's attention.

-So, what's going on here?

Here, you've got the Douglas Fir oil.

What it does by putting it in there is it separates.

Then what you get is a clear oil

-and the sediment from the pine is in the bottom.

-OK.

-Interesting!

-It's all about the flavour.

-What do you do with the juice?

-The juice...

-I'll give it to you to drink.

-Put hairs on my chest!

However, Adam soon runs into a problem.

What's happening with your centrifuge?

Er, it's not on a stable surface, so, I've got to move it.

-So, an unstable centrifuge.

-Yeah.

-With an unstable chef.

-An unstable chef!

-Do you need a bit of help?

-Yeah, if you wouldn't mind.

Modern bits of kit, eh?

-OK.

-Thank you.

But Adam has more than one trick up his sleeve.

-What's all this?

-This is the freeze-dried sweetcorn.

So, we freeze dry it and then powder it.

It goes very well with this. This is the granola.

So, you've got your nuts, seeds...

And then the Douglas Fir oil in

and then maltosec, gives it a different texture.

So, with Adam's dish, he's using a centrifugal system,

he's using a dehydrator and he's freeze drying.

So, they're all new techniques.

Richard is quite a classical chef, in terms of his own cooking.

So, it will be interesting to see what he thinks of the dishes.

You clever chef!

-I do try.

-You do!

Adam's use of innovative techniques is central to the dishes

he serves at his restaurant.

We always try to find different ways to do stuff -

to make flavours better. It's all about what goes on to the plate.

Flavour, texture. That's why people come to eat here.

Outside of work, Adam knows how to have fun.

I'm a bit of a lad and I get the boys round

to do taste testing on new dishes.

They're probably my harshest critics.

So, who better to taste test his starter

than his straight-talking drinking mates?

-It's very nice.

-Yeah. Liquorice. Sweetcorn. Smokiness.

I think Adam's got a fantastic chance of going all the way.

Everything's fantastic.

His food will definitely bring a smile to people's faces.

I think Comic Relief is wonderful.

So, yes, to get a dish through to the final banquet

would just be a fantastic honour.

Adam's still having problems with his centrifuge,

despite placing it on the floor.

So unstable, it's unbelievable.

Even though it's on the floor, which I thought would be a stable ground,

obviously there's loads of people walking round.

So, at the moment, it's just unbalanced. I can still use the oil,

it just won't be as clear as I want it to be.

Adam's centrifuge is on the floor. It could cause some issues. Who knows?

Let's hope so, eh?

The main thing is if it doesn't go to plan, you don't get the jitters or more nerves.

But returning contender Tom's got problems of his own.

He's giving it everything he's got this year,

determined to put the ghosts of the past behind him.

His chicken and egg starter has three times the ingredients

of his competitors.

-Hi. Tom.

-Hello, sir.

-What have you?

Some langoustine custard and these are egg yolks

-that have been cooked in a water bath.

-The chicken is in the water bath.

I've put some sliced truffles under the breasts.

You still have a lot to do. Have you given yourself too much?

Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Maybe I have.

But I love pushing it. I always push it to the limit,

and I think if I get this one right, I'll be hopefully ahead.

You're feeling good about this, Tom?

I am. If I get it all up together, then happy days, really.

If I don't, then egg on my face.

Tom Aikens is one of London's most inventive and imaginative chefs.

My style of food has sometimes been referred to as art.

I think I'm very creative and imaginative.

My weaknesses, I would say, are very small.

I can't think of any.

Tom's reputation goes beyond just his food.

Everyone goes through cycles in their lives

where they may step over or under the line,

and I've definitely done several of those.

I've been called all sorts of names

and bad chef is definitely one of them up there.

But since becoming a dad, there's a softer side to him.

Having a little one really makes life complete.

If you have a bad day at work, and you come home to them,

and they're sort of laughing and smiling,

it makes all those things go away very quickly.

Which one came first? Egg or the chicken?

You like the egg. With this brief,

particularly it's all about surprises and fun.

I think with a dish like Chicken Chicken Egg,

it's a real tongue twister, and a mind twister.

And, hopefully, that will give the extra edge that I'll need.

Yes!

It's getting close to plating up time and Tom still has a lot to do.

BLEEP!

-Agh! These legs are

-BLEEP

-tiny. Like sparrow's legs.

First to plate up is Matt, and he's left the most intricate part

of his pigeon and disco beets starter until last.

Matt!

Richard... You've caught me at a critical time.

Chicken liver parfait - we're about to turn it to disco balls.

-How tricky is this?

-Really tricky.

Any type of wind, anything other than this paper it touches,

-it sticks to.

-Wow!

Do you know you are running out of time? You know that?

-Yeah.

-Listen. Best of luck. Thank you.

With his disco balls finished, Matt starts his plate

with his marinated slices of beetroot.

Then adds dots of orange gel.

Next, he scatters the plate with gingerbread croutons.

And adds his disco ball chicken liver parfait.

He puts his pigeon breast next to his spiced pigeon legs

and, to bring the dish back to the '70s, places it on top of a box

with disco lights, complete with built in music.

You thought about this long and hard?

Long and hard. What's not to smile about that?

Let's go!

Oh, I love the '70s sound!

-Very good.

-It is.

-It's definitely making us laugh.

-Absolutely!

It's fun, interactive. I can just see it

kick starting Comic Relief banquet.

I think it looks amazing. Is it too gimmicky for you?

I personally think so, yes.

-This is the pigeon breast.

-Pigeon breast.

-So, two breasts put together.

-Two breasts.

-Quite a lot of meat and it's nicely cooked.

-Yeah, it's lovely.

Are you happy with the consistency of the parfait?

It's a little bit soft, but taste-wise, flavour-wise,

I think it works really well. The leg.

-Good parfait, is it?

-For me, it's lacking slightly.

-In what way?

-In, um, depth of flavour.

Do you think the beetroot needs a bit of seasoning?

Maybe a tiny bit more.

Has that pickling worked?

-Yeah.

-Could it have stayed in that marinade a little bit more?

Had there been a bit more time, then yeah, probably.

I think the beetroot's slightly pickled, isn't it?

-Do you think it's slightly hard? A bit too raw?

-A little bit.

-A little bit.

-Do you think you've done enough here?

I'm happy. Very, very happy with it.

-Are you intimidated at all with this dish?

-No, I don't think so, no.

-Cock sure, obviously?

-No, not cock sure. Just confident.

Um. Well, the intensity just builds.

I thought once I'd served that, it would be fine.

Um, I'm happy with the dish.

Richard, I don't know, you just can't read him.

Next up is Adam, with his intricate pigeon dish.

He starts plating up with sweetcorn puree.

And dots of liquorice gel.

Then scatters the plate with hot smoked corn,

before adding his Douglas Fir oil and sweetcorn granola.

He continues by adding his smoked pigeon breasts

and cubes of freeze-dried pigeon liver parfait,

before topping the plate off with pigeon sauce.

Adam...

-Yes.

-Happy?

-Yes.

-Pigeon with its own lunch and dinner?

-Yeah.

-Packed full of flavour.

-I think so.

-Why don't you bring it to the tasting room?

-OK.

-I think it's very different to mine.

-Absolutely!

A forest, a tree

and food a pigeon would eat. Is that your sense of humour?

That's my sense of humour.

Is it fun? If you know the story behind it, yes, it's cheeky.

A bit witty. But it needs to be explained, I guess.

-Not too much meat there.

-No, I think it needs to be a portion.

The pigeon's obviously nicely cooked.

That wasn't supposed to be in there.

Oops! That could cause damage.

-That centrifuge, was it worth all the effort?

-I had big problems with it.

But I think you still get the Douglas Fir flavour

into the granola.

I was having issues with the centrifuge.

You know, I had to move it because it was unstable on the bench.

-And, for me, it hasn't come through.

-No, I can't taste it at all.

What score would you give this dish?

I'd mark it down than up because there's room for improvement.

-A great restaurant dish.

-A great restaurant dish.

But maybe not a Comic Relief dish.

I personally can't see this opening the banquet.

Agh! Fundamental mistake. A piece of bone in the pigeon -

could cost me dearly, that.

Erm, a schoolboy error.

Last to plate up is Tom and he's got plenty left to do.

See, I'm nervous now, yeah.

-BLEEP.

-How would you cope doing this for like 100 people at a banquet?

You two are going to help me for one.

He starts off by putting an egg shell

filled with mousse and truffle into his basket.

Followed by an eggshell with langoustine sabayon,

savoury egg custard and French toast.

He then turns his attention to his bowl,

starting with chicken breast, pressed chicken leg

and blanched langoustine tails.

Next he adds a slow-cooked egg yolk

and tops the dish off with langoustine oil.

Before pouring his consomme into a jug on the side.

Last, but not least, his secret weapon.

Oh, Tom! The philosopher of the kitchen.

-Has it translated into flavour, Tom?

-I think so. Absolutely!

-I love the dish, I love the chicken.

-Let's go and taste all this.

It clucks at you.

-Put a smile on all our faces.

-Very clever.

-So much going on! Could you get this out?

-Absolutely!

There's about 12 individual parts.

Then, within parts, there's more parts.

That's a lot of work - a lot of work.

Tom, do you think there's too much going on?

Of course I'm going to say no, but, in this consomme,

you've only got breasts, leg and egg yolk.

It is really a simple dish.

For me, there's possibly one or two elements too many.

I don't think it would hurt to strip one or two back.

-No, I agree.

-The consomme.

Do you think you could have packed a little bit more flavour in there?

-No.

-I think the consomme's very light.

It's very nice but it's very light.

Anything you're worried about, Tom?

For me, I don't see anything that is negative.

For me, it's hit all the marks.

-Very, very tasty food.

-It ticks all the boxes.

Tom is technically an amazing chef.

You know, he's showing it here.

I think it went very well. I'm very, very happy with the dish.

It definitely made Richard smile and laugh.

It's pretty nerve-racking at the moment.

I just want to get a good start. Just settle me for the week.

I probably won't do as well as I would have hoped,

just because of that error that I made.

I've been in the Great British Menu kitchen before.

I know how important it is to get those points first.

Hopefully I have done.

Mark, I'm going to start with you.

Your pigeon, beetroot and parfait with orange and ginger.

I loved the concept. There was a sense of humour there.

It was fun. Skilful cooking as well.

But... I think there was far too much pigeon on that plate.

The beetroot - it could have done

with a little bit more time in that marinade.

Overall, the dish certainly needed a bit more seasoning.

It lacked just that real oomph.

Adam... Your squab pigeon,

sweetcorn, Douglas Fir and granola.

You delivered a great plate of food.

I have to say it's my kind of food.

Pigeon and the food it would eat showed a sense of humour.

Overall, it was great. But...

That bone in the pigeon breast!

You wouldn't want to choke the judge, would you?

-No.

-It certainly could have done with a bit more seasoning as well.

And, the amount of pigeon on that plate was just far too much.

It really was a main course.

Tom Aikens... Chicken-Egg, Egg-Chicken?

The presentation, I think we all agree, was stunning and witty.

I loved the secret weapon.

The langoustine was beautifully cooked.

-But...

-Always a but.

The consomme could have done with a tad more seasoning.

And I worry there was just too much altogether going on.

Matt...

I'm giving you...

Seven out of ten.

-Congratulations!

-Thank you very much.

Adam...

I'm giving you eight out of ten for your dish.

-Thank you.

-Tom Aikens...

I'm giving you...

Nine out of ten for your dish.

-Thank you.

-A real masterclass, I have to say.

-Thank you.

Well done! I'm really looking forward to tasting your fish courses.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you.

To get eight with the problems I had is fantastic.

Third place! It's a bit of a struggle.

But there's only two points between myself and Tom.

Fantastic! It's a good start and that's what I wanted.

You know, to sort of get ahead of the other two.

All the chefs competing in the series

are doing their bit for Comic Relief by taking part in Menu Relief,

along with hundreds of other restaurants all over the country.

Go to bbc.co.uk/rednoseday to find out more

and learn about Red Nose Day 2013.

Tomorrow, the competition continues, with the fish course.

And it's the battle of the scallops between Tom and Matt.

-Matt, what are you doing with your scallops?

-I'm cooking mine, Tom.

-I understand you're not cooking yours?

-No.

But has our youngest contender, Matt,

-bitten off more than he can chew?

-Doesn't smell so good, does it?

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