North East Starter Great British Menu

This year on Great British Menu:

the nation's finest chefs are striving to produce

a performance on a plate

for the chance to cook at a special banquet

celebrating 25 years of Red Nose Day

at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

The challenge is to create gastronomic masterpieces

which will raise a smile and raise money for Comic Relief.

Hope it's going to make me laugh!

Once again, they're being scrutinised and judged

by a veteran of the competition every step of the way.

-It's a serious competition.

-It lacks that real oomph!

It's got to be a delicious plate of food.

This week, fighting to represent the North East,

last year's champion Colin McGurran.

I really want to get back to the banquet. I loved it.

-Once you've tasted it...

-You want more.

Returning contender Charlie Lakin.

I'm after shock here, I'm after "Boom!" There you go.

And third time returning chef Stephanie Moon.

I see it. This is my big push this year.

Stephanie can't afford to lose this time.

I can see the fire in your eyes. Have you set yourself a lot to do?

But one chef is determined to defend his title.

-I don't want to crash and burn on the Great British Menu.

-Don't look at me!

-Sorry, I didn't mean to!

And another is risking it all.

This is the point of no return!

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

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

Over the past three decades,

the charity has used comedy and laughter to change the lives of millions,

both in Africa and in the UK.

In this year's competition, the chefs have been challenged

to entertain and delight with playful witty dishes

that are culinary works of art.

-Extraordinary!

-That works for me!

Yay!

They've travelled far and wide with some well-known faces.

Would anybody like to come and buy a pie?

And undergone all kinds of crazy and comical challenges

to raise some much-needed funds.

First, they must impress a demanding veteran of the competition.

Judging the North East, one of Great British Menu's most revered chefs.

Former champion Jason Atherton.

-Hello, Chef.

-You guys have all competed against each other before.

Colin, anything less than the banquet this year is a failure for you.

Charlie, last year, Colin pipped you to the post. Ready to come back fighting?

-Definitely.

-Good. You look like you're ready for a fight!

Stephanie, you struggled a bit last year.

I had a bit of a 'mare last year.

This is the North East. I expect bold flavours, innovation,

a lot of guts and courage. And I hope you put a smile on my face at the same time.

'Each chef in the kitchen has been here before.

'They know each other back to front. They've got to compete against each other

'and they've got to make sure their dishes stand out.'

This has got to be the best of the best. We're looking for ten out of ten.

-Two whitebait and two pumpkin.

-Chef.

Kicking off is last year's banquet winner Colin McGurran,

head chef of his own restaurant, Winteringham Fields in Lincolnshire.

That's two pumpkin. Can I have two eel?

Colin's known for his ambitious and creative cooking style.

After winning a place with his starter in last year's banquet,

he's determined to be the curtain raiser once again.

This year, I'm very confident about the dishes I'm doing.

I trust them and believe in them.

It is a re-match, and with every re-match, you want to make sure you keep beating them.

I love winning!

-Are you ready?

-I am, yes.

-It's basically a tomato gazpacho.

-Yeah.

I'm using flavours that are very strong and natural,

and I want to join this together with some cod brandade.

-What's the essence of the dish?

-The gazpacho will be in the form of a mousse,

in the form of a tomato.

So that will be the Red Nose Day, if you like.

-And also the salad garnish. We've got heirloom tomatoes.

-Yep.

The presentation is everything in this dish.

Which is what we're going to try and nail today.

The pressure's on for reigning champion Colin.

He'll be using highly complex techniques and precision handling

to create a show-stopping tomato gazpacho.

The thing with Colin's dish, once you take the presentation away,

you're left with tomato gazpacho.

It's going to have to be absolutely perfect to give him a big score.

Two Kentish, please, guys!

Next up is ambitious returning competitor Charlie Lakin,

head chef at the Marquis at Alkham in the Kent Downs.

Two beetroot salads, please.

He cooks unique dishes inspired by nature and bold in flavour.

But after losing out to Colin in last year's judging chamber,

he's back and more determined than ever.

I've got to go at it. The pressure is on me to push on

and get all the way to the final.

If I have to trample on a few people to get there, I've got size 15 feet!

-Charlie, are you ready?

-As ready as you can be for this.

The dish is called Mind Your Step.

-I know that.

-The presentation, I'm pretty certain you'll see the funny side of it.

But for now, I'd like to keep that under wraps.

I've got a nice bit of duck. I'm going to do a rizola with the breast.

I'll confit the legs and make a rillette flavoured with port

and a variety of different foraged things. I've got some mugwort here.

Then we've got a good local blue cheese from where I'm from up north.

-Yep.

-And I've got a fantastic chocolate.

-Unusual to have cheese, chocolate, duck.

Yeah.

Why is this starter going to give you the head start this year?

Visually, it's a real sort of "yeah!"

Well, we'll see.

Keeping everything under wraps, Charlie's not only taking a huge risk

with the presentation of his dish, but also with his daring choice of flavour combinations.

Chocolate, duck and blue cheese.

Sounds disgusting!

If he gets it wrong, it could be the first ever nought out of ten on Great British Menu!

Main of the day. The snapper. Let's go, guys.

Last up, and her third shot at the competition

is Stephanie Moon,

chef consultant at the prestigious Rudding Park Hotel, North Yorkshire.

Table 27.

Last year, Stephanie not only misinterpreted the brief,

but faced near disaster when nerves got the better of her.

BLEEP

Last year was not my year and I felt I did myself an injustice.

I'm kind of upset with myself, really.

This year is my last bite at the cherry.

I think I'll be underestimated.

I think that's going to give me a sharp edge.

It's your third and final chance, as you put it.

I have to prove something to myself.

-I'm gunning for it.

-Do you want to talk me through your ingredients, what you've got here?

This is called Why Did The Chicken?

I'm using a herb fed local chicken to where I live.

The way I'm serving it is the classic old joke,

-"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

-OK.

-I'm serving it in many different ways.

-Yes.

-A consomme with chicken dumplings.

-A chicken veloute with a chicken lollipop.

-Yep.

Barbecued chicken winglet with home-made corn bread and a little remoulade.

Why is this dish going to make people smile?

I've put it in front of people, they look at it,

and then they get it within a second.

Well, guys, we're in the kitchen all together. The pressure's on.

It's the first course. Game on.

After last year's fall, Stephanie's picking up her game

with a gastronomic showstopper.

But she's given herself a mammoth task.

Her playful performance on a plate is served in three separate acts.

Stephanie's hungry. I love that.

You can see the fire in her eyes. She's using the whole chicken,

dismantling everything, with corn bread, barbecue sauce.

She's left herself a lot to do. I just hope she pulls it off.

So, guys, back in the kitchen again.

-I see it as my big push this year.

-Big opportunity.

-Yes.

Hopefully not a swan song!

I really want to get back to the banquet because I loved it.

-Once you've tasted it...

-You want more.

-Yeah.

Don't you think, Charlie, he should let somebody else have a taste of that success?

We were all quite close last year.

So this year, it's all to play for.

It's really important to nail it on this course.

I don't want to get to Friday and be knocked out by Colin.

I want to be the guy supping the champagne thinking, "I'm back in the kitchen in a couple of weeks."

Charlie, you're wrapping your duck. How are you getting on?

-You've got your foraged herbs...

-I wanted a fruitier flavour. It's an inspiration from what's around me.

If I hear another British chef tell me about foraged herbs,

I'd chuck myself off the side of a building.

No, I don't sing and dance about them too much.

Charlie's gone down the foraged route.

But it's still chocolate and cheese!

He's got to make sure the flavours balance.

That's the key here. Flavour, flavour, flavour.

Table 20, 22, please.

Working with wild ingredients

is something Charlie Lakin does on a daily basis.

Although his restaurant is in Kent,

his cooking style remains firmly in the North East.

I'm Yorkshire through and through.

My style of cooking is deep-rooted in rural cookery.

It's all about big hitting,

big flavours, probably not too much for the faint-hearted!

To find the unique ingredients for his dish,

Charlie doesn't need to venture far.

Today he's going foraging with three-year-old daughter, Mirabel.

-Are you going to put your jacket on?

-No.

Charlie's dad, George, also a keen forager, is joining them.

This is great ingredients. Good local produce.

Every chef and every Yorkshireman likes it when it's free.

You can taste it, can't you?

It's got that herby, minty sage, even rosemary coming through.

I'm going to use this in my duck confit before I make the rillette.

It's different, Charlie. Definitely different.

Are you all right up there, tuppence?

Dad, I spend all the hours God sends in kitchen. It's great to get a chance to get out.

Doing the same with Mirabel as we did with you. It's a great thing.

You've come a long way, kid. You've come a long way.

-Cheers, Dad.

-I'm proud of you.

It means a lot.

Means a lot.

Yeah.

I couldn't be prouder.

So, Colin, this time last year, you were running around, flapping a little bit.

You got to the banquet. You're looking pretty calm and relaxed.

Bit of experience, now. You've got your reputation on the line.

You have to make sure you do yourself proud and get yourself organised.

Cheers for that one!

I think with Colin, he is only just doing tomato salad

but it isn't going to be tomato salad with Colin.

He's going to bring something special to the plate.

Colin's serving his gazpacho as a mousse,

which involves a delicate process of boiling, cooling and chilling.

But after last year's win, he's feeling confident

his highly technical dish will deliver.

Jason understands that I got my first starter, last year,

to the banquet. And I suppose the pressure is on.

-How are you getting on?

-I've made my own gazpacho mousse.

-Right.

Given it this shape and also the creases of the tomato...

-It looks like...

-Yeah. So what I'm going to do now

is dip this into the liquid nitrogen,

make it nice and cold, so when it hits the gel...

I want the gel to be quite thin.

That agar and that type of stuff. Chewing on gel.

I don't want you to be chewing on gel.

I want you to enjoy the flavour. So it's full of flavour, and just enough to hold the mousse together.

Great.

Colin McGurran is one of the North East's most creative chefs.

-OK. Two beef. Four minutes, please.

-Oui, Chef.

My style of cooking is very precise. Very controlled.

The thing that really inspires me is using humble ingredients.

But the challenge is to take something simple and make it fantastic.

90% of Colin's produce comes from farmland surrounding his restaurant.

The simple life is something both Colin and his family relish.

I've done another veg medley.

'When you're doing challenges like this, and your confidence waivers now and then,

'it's good to have good support, good family, and it keeps you going.'

You got really nervous watching him in the final.

-I wanted him to win, and he did!

-Really nervous, weren't you?

-They were crazy.

This dish is all substance. I've thought very hard about nailing the technique

and making sure the flavours deliver over and above everything else.

To ensure the best produce for his dish this year,

nothing less than perfect tomatoes will do.

So Colin's visiting tomato farming expert Chris Cole.

Chris, what I'm looking for is a variety of tomato

that's got the element of you think it's going to be hard, but it's ripe, like a green one.

This is Green Zebra.

It's got that nice balance of sweetness with acidity.

Amazing.

This is a tomato from Korea. It's called a Black Korean.

-This is exactly what we're looking for.

-Eye-catching.

Everything has to be a surprise, and has to be an absolute pleasure.

I've shown you mine. Are you going to show me yours, Colin?

On your plate, you'll think it's a tomato salad.

-That is the surprise.

-The gazpacho is in there.

Wow!

That's extraordinary!

'The expert's told me he likes it.'

If he likes it, it should be good enough for the judges!

Back in the kitchen, Stephanie's given herself a huge task

with her three-ways chicken dish

which has eight different elements.

She's still got to make her corn bread from scratch.

The juggling act is taking its toll.

How are you doing, Steph?

Suddenly I'm feeling the pressure, Chef.

You're pushing yourself this year, making sure you nail every component.

I'd like to think so.

It's hard for Steph having been knocked out first last year.

For her to come back hard and making sure you perfect things properly,

she's got an awful lot to do. It could be an Achilles' heel for her if she doesn't perfect it.

Traditional chef Stephanie is used to serving no-frills fare

at her restaurant in Yorkshire.

Two chicken Caesars, a prawn avocado and a real chips.

I'd like to think that my food is fun, it's food people want to eat.

Local food cooked well.

Just how we like it.

A lot of chefs are very serious. And I enjoy a good laugh. I really do.

Last year, Stephanie pushed the fun too far with gimmicks and it backfired.

I'm not sure that quite works.

Determined to get the balance between gastronomy and the spectacle spot on,

Stephanie's taking a trip to Harrogate Theatre

to get some tips from someone who knows the secret to show-stopping success.

-Wow! Hello, Chris!

-How are you doing? All right?

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

Pantomime dame Chris Clarkson.

Oh, my life!

When performing, you need to make sure that you are comfortable with the role you're playing

as yourself.

It's all very good putting on a silly dress and hat

but if you can't do the role without all this,

then you're not doing it correctly.

The food has to deliver on flavour

which I suppose the analogy is your gags, your humour, has to deliver.

But last year, I got too carried away with "the hat and the dress"

and didn't really bang home the flavour.

I think this year I've learned from that.

-Right. It's got to taste good or better than it looks.

-Yeah.

With a headline act to hand,

Stephanie's keen to see if she's hit it with her chicken oyster lollipops.

That was spot on!

Excellent.

"Eggs-cellent", even!

Easily that could have a starring role in the banquet. Easily.

'The performance, here, is what it's all about.

'That's what I take from today.'

What's on the plate has got to be strong, it's got to be good.

It's got to have a sense of humour and it's got to deliver.

Back in the kitchen, the mood is tense

as it's close to plating up time.

Stephanie's preparing corn bread for her three-ways chicken dish.

Can I get a baking tray for these, darling?

Charlie's filling his moulds of duck rillette with port consomme

so they'll be ready for his blue cheese and chocolate.

And Colin's finishing off his cod brandade

for his tomato salad.

This year, Charlie is all over the place.

Colin looks like Mr Cool.

So it will be very interesting to see how the food differs.

There's only one way to find out, isn't there?

Colin's first to plate up.

He starts with a smear of cod brandade.

His gazpacho fake tomato takes centre stage

in a salad of vibrant, colourful heirloom tomatoes.

He finishes off by pouring over tomato consomme.

There you have it. A tomato gazpacho with a cod brandade.

You think this is the dish that's going to put a smile on...

-I think it ticks all the boxes.

-Let's go taste it.

-Thank you.

That brings a smile to my face.

It looks as pretty as a picture, Colin,

but it's got to taste great.

I like the contrast between the room temperature tomato

and the very cold gazpacho.

I do as well. And the cream in the brandade works really well with that.

Quite a lot going on there. Do you feel you've got the temperature and textures bang on?

The gazpacho is a chilled soup normally, so that's going to be cold.

The tomatoes taste better at room temperature.

I think the texture, the balance, the flavour. Wow!

Yeah, the flavours are absolutely fantastic.

Cod is quite an interesting ingredient to put with the tomato salad.

I wanted a different flavour, rather than just vegetables or tomatoes.

But cod and tomato, I think, is a great combination anyway.

That's a worry, that dish!

Yeah, yeah. But hey, you know.

You feel this is the dish that's going to put a smile on their faces at the banquet?

It's quite serious, but with a bit of humour that brings a smile to your face when you cut into it.

So that's my thinking behind it.

-It's a joyous smile rather than a belly laugh, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Well, that's an interesting one. I think it went well.

I think Jason liked it, so I'm hoping for an eight, I think.

Next up is Charlie. As he pipes his duck confit with blue cheese,

his fellow chefs are getting curious.

This is the point of no return, now. There's no going back.

Fighting. There's on safety barrier any more!

To achieve the desired finish, he sprays on melted chocolate,

and the secret behind his presentation is out.

So you're basically serving dog muck on a plate?

I'm after shocking. I'm after, "Boom!" There you go.

Wow!

Charlie is spraying his muck, shall we say.

I hope this works out for him.

I know we have to take risks in this competition, but that's a risk too far.

He starts his plate by drizzling a pickled liquor reduction

and carefully places on pickled damsons.

On goes Charlie's centre-piece,

a massive risk in terms of its flavour combinations

and its presentation!

Completing the dish, twig-like breadsticks,

a scattering of foraged herbs

and slivers of duck rizola.

Why is this going to bring a smile to my face?

Well, it's that sort of potty humour!

Yeah, well, my breath's been taken away for the first time ever on Great British Menu!

The most important thing is, does it taste good?

So, Charlie, do you think that's going to be controversial?

It's risky.

When you see something that's normally something you wouldn't eat,

you have to get over that visual effect!

Very delicately put, Chef!

Talk me through what we've got in here.

Duck rillette in a consomme jelly.

Then a cheese mousse.

Are you happy that the cheese doesn't overpower the rillette?

It tastes good to me.

There's some underlying flavour that is quite strong.

And it's not the duck, is it?

That's the thing. You can't taste duck.

You've got a lot of interesting flavours going on there.

There is a lot going on.

But I mean it kind of comes together. It's quite a nice...

Bit of forest herbs. What are they bringing to the dish?

It's the textural thing. Them lovely little watery bursts.

Yeah.

I was expecting more from Charlie with this.

If I'm honest, it's not my favourite kind of flavours.

I've got to ask, do you feel that that is fine dining enough?

As an opening course to a meal, especially a Comic Relief meal,

it's hopefully going to get the laughter rolling.

Well, what can I say? I got the one response I didn't want.

I could have coped with laughter,

I could have coped with, "Oh, my God!"

I didn't want a flat response.

I think it's bombed.

Last to plate up is Stephanie. But with eight elements to her dish...

BLEEP

..she's put herself under immense pressure to get it out on time.

Steph? You're panicking a bit. What's going on?

I've got a lot to do at the last minute.

Chicken veloute's on. My lollipops are fried.

The consomme is on. Just got to brush off the crispy skin.

Finish off my little barbecued winglet.

-There's a lot to do.

-Anything else?!

A few more things, but I can't remember at this stage.

Even though it looks like organised chaos, it's all do-able, I think.

Crack on. See you on the pass.

Stephanie must remain calm if she's going to deliver a gastronomic masterpiece.

So, Steph, do you think your dish will make people laugh?

Oh, dear! Nice one!

It's time for Steph to get her "Why did the chicken?" dish on the road.

She starts with an eggshell which she fills with a chicken veloute dip

and places inside the chicken oyster lollipops.

She pours consomme into a glass egg

before adding the herb chicken dumplings

which is topped with a crispy chicken skin.

Finally, she layers her corn bread with a remoulade salad

and finishes with a barbecue chicken winglet.

-Happy?

-Yep.

Putting the jokes aside, is this a dish you think worthy of going to the banquet?

-I'd like to think so.

-OK. Let's go taste it.

So, Steph, it's really important that you get off to a good start.

It's all about confidence, I feel, for you.

-What do you think of the look?

-It looks good, but is it just three canapes?

That's a crispy chicken skin with barbecue and smokey bacon on top.

That doesn't really shout chicken skin to me.

So are you happy with the clarity here? A good consomme you can see all the way through.

Once I put those dumplings in, I don't know.

I think it was the dumplings and the nerves got... I don't know.

I take it this is a consomme. If it is, I'd like mine to be clearer than that.

Are you happy with the way the chicken oyster is cooked? Not too dry?

Um, maybe a touch.

An awful lot of work on this one. That will be a killer.

You're confident that this is the dish, if it gets to the judging chamber, they'll put it through?

It's simple humour, but I like that.

-Hello, guys.

-All good?

Some good, some bad, I think.

But it felt OK.

Are you happy with yours?

The dish tasted as it meant to. Just didn't get the sense of humour, though.

I know exactly how it feels. Last year, I got a four for something I thought was great.

-So I know... I'm not holding my breath.

-No. No.

Well, guys.

Colin, your gazpacho was pretty as a picture.

It had the wow factor. No two ways about that.

It tasted great. I liked all the vegetables.

But was it innovative?

No. No, I don't think so.

I felt that maybe you could have done something a bit more of you.

But all in all, I thought it was a great dish.

Charlie. "Mind your step". When you brought the slate to the pass,

I was speechless, to be honest.

I'm a big fan of blue cheese, and when I tasted the dish with the components together,

I thought it worked. But all in all, will people think it's a step too far?

So, Stephanie, for your "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

I really liked your presentation. Nearly every element I thought was executed great.

I felt the chicken consomme could have been a bit clearer.

The chicken oyster I felt was overcooked.

So to the scores, guys.

Colin, for your gazpacho...

..I'm giving you...

..a seven. I liked that dish. Well done.

Charlie...

For your duck I'm giving you a...

..five.

Steph. "Why did the chicken cross the road?"

It's going to be a...

..a seven. So joint lead.

This has been the best thing. If I can keep this rolling,

I'm on the right road.

I suppose he thought it was unoriginal.

I think my dish was the best of all three.

Obviously the presentation didn't do me any favours.

But it's out the way. All to play for.

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...

..to find out more and learn about Red Nose Day 2013.

Tomorrow the competition continues with the fish course

as Charlie tries to redeem himself.

Just how I like it. Last bloomin' minute. Bring it on!

Everyone's out to impress.

It's going to be a talking point in the dining room.

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