North East Judging Great British Menu

It's been a hard-fought rematch on Great British Menu.

I hope you don't deliver, chef!

With determined returning chefs Charlie Lakin and Stephanie Moon...

Finesse!

..snapping at the heels of returning champion Colin McCurran.

-No chance you'll be able to knock me out.

-Ooh!

The prize, to cook at a special banquet celebrating 25 years of Red Nose Day.

Yesterday's dessert course was a battle for survival

between Stephanie and Charlie, that saw Charlie leave the competition

and Colin score a perfect ten.

At last, Colin, you give in to the Comic Relief brief!

Today, Colin and Stephanie will go head to head for the last laugh.

I don't think I'm the one who's stretched today.

Backstage, the judges are expecting nothing short of perfection.

Colin - complicated, theatrical.

-It can go wrong.

-Must be nervous. She is up against a banquet winner.

And making sure the food has fun as well as flavour

is legendary television and radio comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor.

Absolutely, scrumptious!

The food must deliver gastronomic and breath-taking excellence.

Prue!

And make the judges laugh.

Today, it'll be exit stage left for one of Britain's finest chefs.

There can only be one person who goes through

and I'm sure you wish to know who it is.

After a hard-fought week, returning chef Stephanie has achieved her goal of reaching the judges' chamber.

-Morning, Colin.

-Morning, Steph. How are you?

-Good! Ready for...

-climbing a mountain today, looking at those scores.

-Anything can happen!

The fourth judge is marking on humour and that could be my trump card.

-We'll see. It's going to be a challenge.

-Bring it on!

Returning champion Colin McCurran has led the way all week

with technical, cutting-edge cooking.

After smashing through yesterday, he's determined to defend his title.

I'm back cooking for the judges. It feels great.

But third-time returner Stephanie is just as resolute

and she's hoping her witty, playful dishes will take her all the way.

I love a good laugh. This year, I've really nailed it.

I'm going all out for a great score!

Judges Oliver Peyton, Prue Leith and Matthew Fort

know which chef is cooking which menu this year.

They're also finding out how the competition has gone for the chefs in the week.

-There's a big gap between these two.

-There is, I'm sorry to say.

She's got a lot of work to do.

The chefs will need to have more than one great course,

as the judges are scoring every dish to determine the winner.

-Hi, Colin!

-How are you?

-Are you feeling relaxed, in control?

-In control, but maybe not relaxed.

-And, Stephanie, you've got a bit of a way to go, haven't you?

-I have. Hopefully, third time lucky.

Come on. Leave them in peace.

-There were different, seeing the judges there.

-Oliver ate a lot of my corn bread!

-Do you think he enjoyed it?

-I don't know. He had a few.

But I noticed on the way out a little bit went in the bin.

There's a massive gulf in the numbers that Jason gave to Colin and to Stephanie.

I hope that corn bread is no reflection of her cooking today.

She'll have to crank it up a couple more gears.

It doesn't really matter what her marks are up till now. What matters is what WE give them.

And her titles are funny... I have great hopes for her.

Returning champion Colin is desperate to reach the final banquet with a technically complex starter

of tomato gazpacho mousse that scored seven in the week.

-Colin, how are you feeling? You're first up today.

-Focused is the word.

That's fair enough.

My starters definitely got a sense of humour in it. How about yours?

-I've taken a more subtle approach. My red noses are on the plate.

-Ooh!

I do think my starter is more of a gutsy belly laugh than Colin's.

Today, fourth judge and comedy actor Tim Brooke-Taylor will be making sure the dishes are witty

as well as gastronomic.

Are you a goodie-goodie-yum-yum?

-I do like my food.

-I do think this year's brief poses particular problems.

Cooking at the highest level is a serious business,

and to bring humour into that as well is a bit of a culture clash.

I can see that, yes.

Colin's hoping his starter will hit the brief.

He dips his gazpacho mousse in liquid nitrogen,

then hot tomato gel.

It's going to be a tough day. There'll be a lot of emotions.

I do feel sharp and on my game.

I hope to give you a good run for your money.

Colin's starts his plate with a smear of cod brandade,

a salad of colourful heirloom tomatoes follows,

then on goes his faux gazpacho tomato.

The dish is finished with nasturtium leaves and borage flowers.

-Nice flowers, chef.

-Thank you.

-Are you feeling the pressure, Colin?

-I am, yeah, feeling the pressure.

PRUE LAUGHS You thought you were getting soup!

Ah, inside... This is very clever.

Breathe, Colin, breathe!

I can't take it any more!

-This is just delicious.

-Beautiful. The gazpacho in the middle is great.

-Do you think it's funny?

-It's better than that, it's tasty!

-It's absolutely delicious.

-It's a good joke.

It's not a ho-ho-ho joke, but it's a nice, smiley, "Yes, I'll have a second helping!" joke.

So how are you feeling, Colin? We had the same score on the starter.

These judges are going to love the comedy side of yours,

-so, you know, that is a concern for me.

-Yeah.

This is the most delicious really gazpacho flavours, but so clean and pure.

But why would you put cod brandade in a gazpacho?

-It goes perfectly beautifully well with the...

-It's delicious.

Absolutely scrumptious.

I love the fact that they all mix together so well.

You're not tasting one thing at any time and that's very clever.

-I'd like it all over again.

-Ah, second helping, please!

Stephanie's up next with her starter.

Her "Why did the chicken?" dish, includes a chicken oyster lollipop,

a barbecue-glazed winglet on corn bread and herb dumplings,

floating in a chicken consomme.

One of Jason's comments about my consomme was that it wasn't clear enough.

-Yeah?

-Have a look at this, chef.

-Oh, yeah.

-Tell me what you think.

-It's very, very clear.

Consomme's a lot clearer. It's a vast improvement, so, yeah, this competition's getting closer.

Stephanie starts her plate with veloute-filled eggshells

and places her oyster lollipops inside.

-How's it going, Steph?

-Good!

She pours her consomme into egg-shaped glasses,

adds herb chicken dumplings and tops the consomme glass with a crispy chicken skin.

-Your consomme's looking fantastic.

-Only took a day to get it right!

-Rather than a pint of stout.

Everything's so fragile and precarious, isn't it?

-Imagine this at the banquet.

-Eh, all right, all right!

But it is funny.

-Ah, road kill?

-I suppose so. I don't really get it.

It must have been run over by a mobile kitchen.

Do you think they'll see the humour side - chicken in the road?

-Definitely.

-It's obvious, isn't it?

-If they don't see that, they're not the people I think they are!

Mm, that's delicious! Mm!

-This is very good cooking.

-There's good tastes here.

I love the fact that she's got all these tastes and she's used it

telling us the story of the chicken who crossed the road.

It's a very clever idea, beautifully done. This is absolutely...

I'm going to use the word "scrumptious" again here.

It's fantastic consomme. It's so clear and such deep flavour.

That consomme was probably one of the best consommes I've ever made.

Very nice.

What about the corn bread? Sits a bit heavily with everything else.

I think she's done a great job. She's off to a flying start. We're in for a good day.

It wasn't the chicken's lucky day, fair enough, but it's delicious.

In the kitchen, the chefs are under way with their fish courses -

a dish Colin got a nine for in the week.

So, Colin, anything to change on this dish. I mean, a fantastic score.

-I presume you're not changing anything.

-No, nothing to change.

To perfect it more, just a touch more dry ice.

-Yeah.

-Er, and do it last minute.

Colin's determined to create a spectacle with confit salmon,

cockles and mussels set off with an intricate sea rock,

infused with Japanese flavours.

But, already, there's a problem.

-Erm, Chris!

-BLEEP!

-Hello! Can you get

-BLEEP!

-Excuse me!

His dashi jelly starfishes have been left in the chiller too long.

Chris, can you take my things out of the moulds and put more gelatine mousse in there?

With the dashi jelly, please.

Is everything OK, Col?

Just a bit over on my gelatine. I need to reset them.

Colin's under pressure. You've heard him raise his voice. I've seen him run. He's feeling it.

Colin starts his plate with a hessian sack and tops with mussels.

A quenelle of salmon tartare follows, along with steamed cockles.

While he pan-fries his salmon, he tries to save his starfish jellies,

which still aren't set.

At the pass, mussel stock and dry ice are mixed

to create the final spectacle.

Thank you.

But as the plates go out, Colin's concerned they may crack.

Too much dry ice, I think. Starts to buckle the plastic.

-Duh-da-da-duh!

-What's that rag doing here?

It's all been washed up.

It's washed up, Oliver. Where's your romance?

This rock is just so beautiful with all its encrusted barnacles on it.

The mussels are cold which is always a bit of a shock.

Especially when you've got smoke coming out underneath them.

How do you feel about your fish dish being there in the judges' chamber?

-I'm a bit concerned about the plates buckling.

-Yeah.

It's so frustrating when you put all this work in and that can happen.

-Beautifully cooked fish.

-But is it funny, Prue?

No, it's not funny. It's just delicious. This is quite funny, the jelly starfish.

-It makes me laugh looking at it.

-There's a lovely journey on the palate of different flavours.

-There's a lovely sweetness on it.

-These little pea flowers taste delicious, don't they?

-Ugh! Leakage! Ugh!

-Oh, my God! Mine's started leaking.

I think we have a serious problem with these dishes. Yours is as well.

He has to have rethink. It won't do.

I hope they enjoy it and can oversee the buckled plates.

You're not worried they'll see you as a one-trick pony on the dry ice front?

I am a one-trick pony. I stick to what I do best and that's it.

It's not making me laugh, but I am finding it strangely delicious,

which I don't tend to like with salmon and things like that. It's got lots of little tastes.

-I think Tim's a bit of a dark horse.

-A piece of dark horse would be delicious!

Back in the kitchen, the pressure's on for Stephanie to deliver.

-This course was my downfall last year.

-Yeah.

I'm hoping for this one to be the star of the show.

I really worked hard at getting that flavour of crab into that dish.

-Was it as stressful as this last time?

-Surprisingly, I don't think I'm the one who's stretched today.

Stephanie's serving a crab custard pie with crab wasabi peas

and a chicory and grapefruit salad.

Scoring only a six earlier in the week, she's determined to up her game.

She starts her plate with the salad.

Next she rolls her crab meat and wasabi balls in pea dust.

A scattering of viola flowers follows.

The final touch to her crab pie is a topping of hot lemon mayonnaise

and an additional lemon wafer to finish.

Thank you.

-Oh!

-Happy?

-The sense of relief every time you send out a dish!

Now I see! I was a worried this was going to pop straight into our faces.

PRUE: It's all very pretty, isn't it?

It's got some wit about it and also absolutely beautiful.

The surprising mixture of salady decoration

goes incredibly well with the crab. They're really nice together.

My only quarrel is that my sauce is so heavily curdled,

it's like scrambled egg on top.

-How are you feeling about that?

-The hot mayonnaise...

-Too hot?

-Maybe affected it... Maybe a degree too hot. That's the only thing I would have changed.

I really feel this custard doesn't quite cut the mustard.

Quite sophisticated though.

I don't want to under-score this dish. It's a beautiful piece of eating, very well balanced.

I quite like the little wasabi balls. I think it adds something.

It does. They go perfectly with the crab. That's what gastronomy is. Excellent, skilful preparation,

-and then good combinations of flavours and she's done it.

-Prue...

-The custard on top of that crab tart was curdled.

-She can get that fixed.

Time for the main course.

-Feeling all right, Colin?

-Feeling good.

-Feeling happy about this dish.

-I'm feeling happy, too.

The most amazing comments I've ever had about my food in my life was from Prue Leith.

-Which course was that?

-I think it was main course, actually!

-Just in time to tell me that.

-Just in time to tell you that.

Two courses have been eaten.

The judges are reflecting on the menu so far and discussing their scores.

When I came in and looked at the scores on the blackboards,

I thought it was a slam dunk for Colin, but it's absolutely not the case.

I think Stephanie should be over the moon.

But I think Colin's first dish was an absolute corker.

Colin really let himself down with that leaky cockle dish. So I reckon they're neck and neck.

It's very even but I know who's leading in my book.

- And you're not telling? - Well done, Steph!

LAUGHTER

In the kitchen, the chefs are unaware of the judges' comments

and Colin's up next with his main course of duck and turnips.

He's banked on his dish delivering on taste more than comedy.

But to get a good score, he knows the judges are looking for both.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Let me guess, Colin and Steph.

-Absolutely!

I can tell you, it's very close.

-Is it?

-Just to make you feel even more nervous!

-Thank you!

So far, there's been a lot of thumbs up. Look forward to the next bit.

Thank you!

Hearing that from Tim Brooke-Taylor makes me feel a heck of a lot better.

Yeah, Tim's saying we're neck and neck.

Yeah, I'm a bit worried.

But there's no time for Colin to humour up his main course.

In fact, he's losing confidence in the ONE playful element he has, his foie-gras bubbles.

I think I'm going to make the decision not to do these...

-You're not putting the bubbles on?

-No. It's so

-BLEEP!

-stressful...

-I...

-I have to admit chef, you've made the right decision!

That was last year's brief, not this year's.

And I was hoping you were going to get slated for it!

He starts by plating white cabbage on a swirl of turnip top puree.

On next goes the duck leg confit and baby turnips,

a covering of crispy duck-skin crumbs for the duck breast,

and a scattering of blackberries completes the plate.

There you go, guys.

-No regrets about the bubble.

-No. I think you're right.

Internally, like Jason, they should be smiling inside.

Er, er, er... It's not radiating happiness at me, is it?

You know, it's like, where's the happiness?

It sounds like a good pud, doesn't it, the Duck and Turnips?

-Actually, it's cabbage.

-Cabbage.

-And a bit of turnip.

-There's a lovely mellow sweetness to the duck.

-Aren't they little croutons?

-Yeah, croutons of...

-Bacon rind?

-They're very nice.

These turnips are absolutely delicious, leaves and all.

- And the blackberries with it is... - Yes, that's nice.

I think this is a really nice marriage of flavours.

I know what those little squares are. They're duck skin.

There's some very nice elements to this. You could not hope for a better quality piece of duck.

This is a pleasant, nice, good dish,

but what's this got to do with Comic Relief? Where's the humour?

Is there any humour on your dish?

I've told them there's no humour on my dish. I've said, "Look, this is a serious game."

-I'm just not very good at that.

-But, you know, the brief - that's all about humour, innit?

I have to say, the duck is absolutely delicious.

But it's not making me laugh. It's making go, "Mm, nice!" But that's as far as it goes.

Stephanie's deliberately eschewed humour in her main course of venison

to reflect the work of Comic Relief.

She's serving her meat with a winter savoury sauce and blue cheese croquettes.

But an addition of extra cheese is causing problems.

BLEEP!

-How are you getting on?

-All right, apart from my potatoes.

I made a change, put a piece of cheese in the middle.

And I've just left them in the oven a moment too long.

Got some fresh ones in the fryer now, as we speak.

Having saved her croquettes, Stephanie starts her plate with slices of poached, mulled pear,

which are joined by the T-bone venison.

She then scatters hazelnuts, salsify, baby beets

and pickled mushrooms follow.

Then the blue cheese croquettes. The dish is completed with her winter savoury sauce.

Even at the pass, he pulls in a blank.

OK, so there you go, guys. I hope they like that.

-This is Stephanie, isn't it?

-It is.

-This is "Behind the fun is some serious game".

-It's certainly a serious dish.

-All-in-all, I'm happy with that.

-Yeah, yeah?

-I would have liked to put the other potatoes on, but, you know...

-You know it's not humorous,

-apart from the title, but what do you think?

-I think they'll respect that.

I haven't had a croquette potato for years. I'm loving these! They're good.

-It's got a little hint of blue cheese. Are you getting that?

-Yes.

-And there are beetroots.

-You know, I think the beetroot's lovely.

Pear, and these little enoki mushrooms.

There's nothing on can complain about about the quality of the cooking at all.

I'm slightly saddened by the lack of humour or a nod to humour in the dish.

I see these little veggies leaping around and playing hopscotch, all having a lovely time.

But behind is the serious game and I think that's, basically, what Comic Relief is about, the end.

It's an intellectual concept which you don't immediately get from the plate. But it's delicious.

I think it has many virtues, but it's not sophisticated or clever enough.

It's not funny enough. It's not witty enough. It's just jolly nice.

What should it have then to make it a good dish?

-My job, frankly, is to criticise it, not to come up with alternatives!

-Some constructive criticism!

Tim, he doesn't believe in constructive criticism.

He believes in lobbing hand grenades in and seeing what happens.

Back in the kitchen, Stephanie's fighting her own battle with dessert.

I've got a lot to do and no time to do it.

Her grand finale is a raspberry and pistachio oeufs a la neige,

served on a lemon rapeseed oil biscuit

and a blown-sugar red nose cloche,

that Jason said was inedible yesterday.

-Are these meant to be eaten?

-They can eat them, like you can eat a stick of Blackpool rock.

-It's just for garnish really, is it?

-Yeah, it's just a bit of fun.

Pushing on, Stephanie rolls her meringues for her oeufs a la neige

in ground pistachio and freeze-dried raspberry powder.

She starts her plate by spraying melted chocolate

and pushes out disks of raspberry pate de fruits and white chocolate.

-Look at this, chef.

-Is it working?

-Happy days!

I'm going to give you a run for your money, Colin!

She layers up the disks on a lemon rapeseed oil biscuit,

adorned with fresh raspberries and crowned with oeufs a la neige.

And, finally, the red nose cloche.

OK.

Off you go, lads. Yep!

Are you happy with that?

-I'm delighted with that desert.

-Yeah?

-Every single element on that desert, I think, was spot on.

- It's wonderful! - The excitement is unbearable.

Given the title of this dish is Raspberry Blower, when it comes off, do we all go...?

Fantastic!

Bravo!

There's something very weird on these plates.

-It's chocolate.

-We have sweet custard.

-Sweet biscuit, marshmallow, sharp raspberry.

-Jelly.

-I'm really happy that went well. There's nothing more you can do now.

-That's it. You're done.

-I'm done.

-Do we like it?

-I love it!

- I think it's terrific. - And the biscuit is so short.

Perfect. This is highly enjoyable.

-Perhaps we're meant to eat this chap.

-Prue!!

That was going to be a Christmas present for somebody.

-It's just sugar.

-It looks very pretty.

My concern about this dish is that so much effort has gone into it

that I think it could have been more successful.

I feel it didn't deliver the knock-out blow.

Oliver, you are such a misery guts!

Colin's final showdown is a complex take on a tiramisu,

in the form of Tommy Cooper's fez, which has comedy in name

and in presentation.

I got a ten for it. Hopefully, I'll still get the same.

To plate up, he blowtorches the ringed meringue,

adds coffee puree and fresh raspberries,

shavings of white and dark chocolate

and finishes with his tiramisu fez.

I think it's perfect is that dish.

All that's left is the dry ice for his surprise presentation.

Thank you.

Hey-hey! Ha-ha-ha! Well done, chef!

PRUE CHUCKLES

Just like that!

I'm excited about this pudding already.

Yeah. Woah!

Oh, my goodness!

-Blimey!

-That's terrific.

-That's very exciting.

-He's fulfilled the first part of the brief, hasn't he? He's made us laugh.

And this, if I may say so, is a PERFECT bit of piping.

I was looking at thinking that is very, very well done.

I think the liquid he's poured in is a sort of coffee infusion.

-I think the judges will like it.

-I love the coffee. I don't particularly like coffee in anything.

-Look at those layers!

-It's like a parfait.

So this bears a passing resemblance

to my least favourite pudding in the entire universe.

It wouldn't be tiramisu, would it? I happen to know that's your least.

-You've put me right to the wire.

-Good!

-Well, not for me! Not for me!

The presentation is wonderful. It's witty. It's funny.

It frightened me it puffed up. There's a taste in there I don't like.

I'll tell you what it is, Tim. It's the taste of tiramisu.

Irrespective of Matthew's dislike for tiramisu...

-I have to say, I'm slightly with him on the tiramisu front.

-Hooray!

-Don't start on the tiramisu...

-Sticky toffee pudding, now you're talking!

The concept is so fantastic. I think it's a winner!

Cooking complete, all the chefs can do is wait, while the judges consider their final scores.

TIM: So to start with ten, it's quite tricky to go from there.

-Come on! I've given that a nine!

-It's tense, competitive, stressful

and one of them has got to lose.

If I was to go home today, I would be devastated.

All the hard work would be... It would destroy me.

Colin's tried to impress the judges with technically challenging dishes

and has focused on gastronomy more than comedy.

I've cooked my heart out.

You know, I think I have given Mr McCurran a run for his money.

I don't think either chef deserves to lose. I feel it was neck and neck. Both were great.

Stephanie's opted for a more obvious approach to the Comic Relief brief

and, eager to correct past mistakes, has this year put more thought

into the gastronomic elements.

The only decent thing is to get them in here, tell them who's won and who's lost.

Stephanie, Colin, a very warm welcome to the judges' chamber.

-What's it been like out there?

-Very stressful. Very tough.

Well, we have enjoyed some scrumptiously good food.

And you both ended on, I think, a spectacular high.

But there can only be one person who goes through

and I'm sure you wish to know who it is.

But the winner by a very small margin indeed...

is...

Colin!

-Congratulations, Colin!

-Well done, Colin. Well done.

Well done.

-How do you feel about that?

-I feel sick, nauseous.

It's been too close for comfort. It could have gone either way,

I know that full well, coming into the competition. And, today, I was pushed to the wire.

Now, Stephanie, this is the third time. It cannot be easy for you.

Well, I think to be beaten by a veteran of the competition... That's good.

It was only just. Colin, it was your first course, the gazpacho.

Yeah, I gave it a ten. Vibrant in colour and vibrant in flavour.

Steph's Raspberry Blower had me laughing.

And you kept the humour going all the way through, which was terrific.

Thank you, both, very much indeed. Colin, look forward to seeing you

-at the next stage of the finals of the Great British Menu.

-Thank you very much.

-Here you go, chef!

-You deserve just as much credit. You did a fantastic job.

-Och! I'm drained. Emotional, isn't it?

-It is.

Yeah.

I think you're going to do a brilliant job.

-Steph...

-To be honest, this week has been a brilliant week for me.

It has. You know, it really has and...

I think you're going to do well. Give us a hug, Colin! Well done.

-Go for it, man! Go for it.

-Cheers!

-Drink to that. All the best.

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