Northern Ireland Fish Great British Menu

Britain's most talented chefs are bringing out their funny sides

on this year's Great British Menu.

THEY LAUGH

This week it's a fierce battle between three of Northern Ireland's finest chefs.

Returning champion Chris Fearon.

It's quite scary when you try to be funny.

His old boss Raymond McCardle.

I'll leave the comedy to you, Chris, will I?

And fresh faced young gun Ian Orr.

Have to get in the spirit, like.

They're fighting for the chance to serve witty, playful dishes

at a special banquet, celebrating 25 years of Red Nose Day!

In the starter course Raymond took the lead...

I've marked that a seven.

..leaving returning champion Chris defeated.

Far from perfect - needs a bit of work here and there.

And Ian's Rabbit in the Hat didn't raise the laughs he expected.

It's a bit of fun. They can wear it if they want.

And is that funny?

Today is the fish course.

Raymond is intent on keeping his lead and opts for a seashore display

for the King of Fish.

I like your cockiness, Raymond.

I'm not cocky, it's confidence.

Will young gun Ian prove to be a dark horse?

I've definitely got the shakes!

Whilst Chris is determined to make a comeback

with his elaborate prop.

That's mad-looking.

But will he be able to pull it off?

Did you practise this, did you?

This year's challenge is to create a truly dazzling gastronomic menu.

Wow.

The chefs are also raising money and smiles

by taking part in fund-raising challenges.

And being inspired by Comic Relief funded projects in the UK

that change people's lives.

Judging the fish course today is two-time champion Glynn Purnell.

Today I'm looking for a proper scrap.

I won the fish a couple of years ago.

I know how what I'm talking about. I know how to win the fish.

So I'm looking for somebody to take the bull by its horns.

The pressure is on Ray to maintain his position,

and on Chris to stop his rivals from stealing his crown.

Well, lads, new day - fish day.

One point ahead, Ray.

Yeah, I think it's going to be close. Right to the wire. One point.

There's nothing in it

First up, is Raymond McCardle,

quietly assured going into his fish course,

relying on fine Irish ingredients

rather than witty props to keep him in the lead.

I'm very confident in the fish dish.

My restaurant's right on the sea.

If I can't cook a piece of fish, I shouldn't be here.

You must be feeling good this morning? In the lead?

Yeah, I'm feeling great.

Right, so tell me - fish course.

Are you going to blow us away?

Hopefully. It's going to be turbot in a shellfish rock pool.

OK, cook my turbot on the bone, low temperature,

Such a low temperature that it almost looks alive

when it goes on the plate.

It looks like a typical Irish beach scene.

For the comedy end - I'll leave the tail on and hanging off the plate,

like it washed up out of the sea.

I'm going to use Japanese flavours.

I'm using sea spaghetti,

quinoa rouge for the pebbles on the beach, toasted.

-OK.

-And with the crab and the razor clams and the shellfish -

it's Northern Ireland's coastline.

It's what I see every day, what I cook every day.

Lovely, I look forward to tasting it.

Raymond is determined to hold onto first place with his tail of turbot,

set on an Irish beach, complete with marine life, seaweed and oil slicks!

Interesting that Raymond's actually leaving his fish on the bone,

which is always a nice way of serving fish - can be a bit fiddly sometimes.

But definitely keeps more flavour, so if he undercooks that

and you can't pull it off the bone, he could be in trouble.

Next is Ian Orr, in joint last place.

He's devised a complicated dish, which he's determined to cook perfectly.

Yesterday I made a silly mistake, slightly over-cooking a rabbit.

Today I have to be on my game.

And I just can't make any more silly schoolboy mistakes.

So what are we cooking?

So, Glen, I've got beautiful scallops here.

So I'm doing a kind of seared scallops,

with a scallop tartare. I'm making a beautiful cauliflower bread.

So, basically Irish potato bread, but instead of potato,

I'm using cauliflower.

And then I've got this lovely little wrapped eggs,

so I'm doing a runny egg yolk on top.

And I'm making beautiful scallop crackers from tapioca flour.

So, what's that little bit of sense of humour

you're going to bring from this dish?

Well, basically, Glen, I've got a plate design that's as a joke,

so it's - why did the scallop cross the roe?

-Because he saw a cracker on the other side.

-OK.

-Raymond's smiling.

-You thought that was funny, Ray?

So, obviously, you being the new boy...sorry, the younger.

You're almost the dark horse...

Definitely the underdog. Hopefully, maybe I can be

the Black Beauty in the race. Just winning.

-Well good luck, Black Beauty.

-Thank you.

Ian's dish is built around an old joke,

and relies on risky last minute cooking of seared scallops

and cauliflower bread, with scallop tartare and scallop crackers.

Ian could have a problem

if he doesn't roll his crackers out thin enough.

Scallops are quite wet, so quite a technical thing to do.

That could be an issue for him.

Finally, former champion and prop-maker, Chris Fearon.

He hopes his ambitious and funny presentation

will take him into the lead.

But will his food match up to his props?

I think with my fish course today, it's definitely got the wow-factor.

A fun element to it. And the flavours are there as well.

If I execute it today, I hope to get a high score.

How are feeling about the scores from the starters?

Yeah, I was a bit shaken up yesterday,

but, you know what? Today's a new day, you know, it's not over yet.

-It's not over yet, boys.

-Tell us about your dish?

Well, it's called - Stitched Up Like A Kipper.

I couldn't get any kippers for this dish, so I got mackerel instead.

-Right, OK.

-So, I'm getting the mackerel, and I stick them together,

and I'm making a little aromatic pilaf,

that I'm going to put in the middle.

And then, just a real simple, little, wee, fennel salad,

with some lemon juice. And quail eggs.

I'm just going to make smoked haddock, sort of a fish paste,

and coat them around it, treat them like a Scotch egg.

It's all going to come together, with a mental prop.

It's a big rock pool, with fishing rods, and the fish goes in there,

and you go fishing for it.

Is that the element of humour that you're going to bring into it?

Yeah. That actual presentation, as well as deconstructing.

The prop is equally as good as the food.

OK. Like I say, I'm intrigued to try it, and I'm hoping for a good scrap.

It's started off that way.

-So, good luck and don't disappoint, yeah?

-Thank you, cheers.

Chris needs a good score for his mackerel stuffed with

curry spiced pilaf, and quail egg wrapped in a haddock paste, and

he hopes his fishing rod props will help him deliver on wit and flavour.

One thing that's worrying me about Chris's dish,

is it style over substance?

You know, are we going to get massive props, but no flavour?

If he can get the two together, with the fantastic spices,

and a really good presentation, then he could be in for a high score.

With Ian and Chris just one point behind Raymond,

any mistake now could be disastrous.

So Ian, how do you feel like being called the Black Beauty?

I don't mind that actually. Did you hear that one?

What's all this Black Beauty thing about? Are you a horse?

Basically, I'm the dark horse. I feel like I'm definitely

the underdog in the competition.

I think you want to be the underdog because it takes the pressure off.

Boys, I've nothing to lose.

Youse are the guys with the reputations, not me.

-We know what you're all about.

-You are a dark horse.

I'm hoping I can be a Great British Menu winner as well.

You know, see what happens.

So, I do think Chris is under a lot of pressure in the kitchen,

because that's his old head chef.

So, he's definitely feeling the pressure today.

So, in terms of the comedy and the humour, do you have a prop?

Like the last one was very funny you did there.

-No, no prop.

-Just letting the fish doing the talking?

-Let the fish do the talking!

-Good man, yeah.

So, hopefully that's humourous enough.

What about yourself? So, have you gone all out in presentation today?

Yeah. Yeah, it's my style.

I like it, I like to have a bit of fun with the food.

It's a bit more serious than the last one, you know what I mean?

-Today's fish dish is serious? With the fishing rods?

-Oh, aye.

-Go fishing, Ray.

-Yeah, good. That's good.

I love the tension between youse two boys, it's great.

Absolutely brilliant. You know...

I think Ray's looking a bit comfortable over there.

He's got time to make jokes, and tease other people in the kitchen.

I hope he doesn't take his eye off the game,

because I'm right on his heels, there's only one point in it.

With time ticking,

underdog Ian concentrates on his complex scallop dish.

Every element needs to be perfect

if he's going to be a serious contender.

What's happening here?

Just making a blackberries and puree, Chef.

-What else we got going on?

-This is my scallop roe cracker,

that I've just rolled out really fine.

What things could go wrong with this?

Basically if I don't roll it thin enough, it'll be too thick.

If I don't dry it long enough as well, it won't puff up.

That's definitely a big risk factor.

You know yourself, if they're not dry enough,

they're just going to be stodgy, and the whole point

is the crackers should be really light.

It'd be interesting to see whether his cracker does turn out,

because if he doesn't get the cracker on the plate,

basically it's a joke without a punch line.

A new competitor, but an experienced chef,

Raymond hopes his turbot and seaweed dish will keep him ahead.

-Hi, Raymond.

-Hi, Glen.

-What are we up to?

I'm just about to cook the spaghetti

-in the two different cooking liquids.

-OK. So which one's this now?

That's the red dulse.

That's actually organic seaweed. And this is sea spaghetti as well.

So, some of these Japanese flavours are quite strong,

so it's obviously important that you get the right balance,

-so you don't overpower that beautiful turbot.

-Yeah.

I'm only just going to serve like a couple of wee strands per plate.

-Are you confident with this dish?

-I love this dish.

I really love this dish.

Ray's style of cooking is definitely pushing the boundaries.

The food he's doing, I'm looking forward to tasting it.

A nice bit of turbot, with all the Japanese spices, but we'll see,

he might overcook or undercook it.

Is the seasoning right? The Japanese flavours?

But hopefully he'll get it right.

As well as going all out to win the competition,

the chefs are also taking part in fundraising challenges

to raise money for Comic Relief.

Ian, what did you do for your fundraising challenge?

So, lads, I went water-skiing. First time, and it was absolutely Baltic.

Like, it was...they gave me a winter wetsuit, and it was still freezing.

But it was really fun, absolutely brilliant.

Ian is in Coleraine to meet water-skiing instructor, Ivor Mairs.

-You're going to learn how to water-ski today.

-Is it easy?

Well, it's cold. We've got a bit of a challenge,

but we'll give it our best shot.

To raise money for charity, Ian has been sponsored by staff

and customers from his restaurant to learn how to water-ski.

If he succeeds he'll raise £1,000.

I've told everyone that's sponsored me, a lot of money,

I have to get on this rope.

-OK, we will endeavour to do that, brother.

-Good man!

-OK!

With the water temperature at just above freezing,

it isn't going to be an easy challenge.

I'll sponsor you £100 if you get in the water, how's that?

-£100, you say?

-£100 for charity.

-We'll do that later. Later, yeah.

-Later, good man.

-OK.

It seems Ian doesn't want to be the only one in the freezing water.

Oh, it's cold! It's very cold!

Now he's on the end of the rope, the challenge is to get up and stay up.

Just a few little things.

After three attempts Ian realises it's definitely much harder

than it looks and the freezing water doesn't help.

But he doesn't give up.

Excellent attempt.

Mission accomplished.

-Yeah!

-Woo! Woo!

Now there's just one more thing to do for charity.

You get in the water!

-Woo-hoo!

-I owe him £100!

Once dry, Ian is keen for Ivor to taste

his competition fish course and give his feedback.

-Would you mind if I joined you?

-I would insist on it, sir.

-Crack the yolk, that's the fun part.

-OK.

-Am I doing this right?

-You are doing it right.

-OK, here we go.

Very, very good, brother. You CAN cook.

'I really hope that is'

a winning dish for Ian, it was very good, it was awesome.

Arms straight! This is too good, man, you should win with this!

'Ivor enjoyed it and he loved'

the egg yolk with the raw scallops with the cooked ones

so today went brilliant.

It was definitely fun and all for great cause.

Back in the kitchen,

Ian's enthusiasm for water-skiing is still under discussion.

It was mad, absolutely mad.

-You enjoyed it?

-Really enjoyed it.

-Would you do it again?

-I would do it again.

-I would be terrified. I can't swim.

-No?

-No, I can't swim.

-But you are from the seaside.

-Yep!

-And you can't swim?

-Right.

-That's mad.

-I don't think it is that mad, like.

-Are you swimming today?

Sure, I can't swim!

So do you think you're going to drown today?

-No, you might be in hot water and all, big boy.

-I don't think so.

I like your cockiness, Raymond.

-I'm not cocky. It's confidence.

-I like it.

'Tensions are running pretty high.'

Chris is taking the banter

but I think he is starting to boil underneath.

-This how you getting on, boys?

-Not bad.

Are you ganging up on Chris cos he's the old champion? Is that is what going on?

-I think it is, definitely.

-Aye, we're trying to put him off.

But Chris is more focused on the curried pilaf stuffing

for his mackerel dish.

I mean this smells really sort of curry,

really spiced.

I use those spices in my fish course when I got on the banquet

but I found that I had to be really careful and not overpowering

the fish, so are you worried about that, or are you confident?

Yes, well, it's not my thing.

I took sort of French food, I don't really know too much about

this sort of style of food but obviously I have practised it.

-Yes, yes, yes.

-I haven't just come here and winging it.

Christopher needs to get the balance of them curries right.

I don't think the props are going to save him if the food is bad.

Yeah, great, wow, presentation, isn't that good?

If the spices aren't right, he will cane him.

Underdog Ian is also focused on perfecting his dish

of scallop tartar, cauliflower bread and scallop crisp.

So, Ian, you've got your scallops here.

-They are going to be cooked at the last minute.

-Last minute, yes.

Cauliflower bread, last minute. You slightly overcooked the rabbit

last time so all this last-minute stuff, you have got to concentrate.

Yes, can't be having another comment saying I've over or undercooked this.

Second course, we're halfway through say you don't want to lose any marks.

-Yes, exactly.

-OK. Good luck.

-Thank you.

Ian's first time on The Great British Menu, it's a difficult place to be.

That kitchen is hostile, you don't know where anything is.

So, cooking everything at the last minute is a massive risk.

It's plating up time and Ian's cauliflower bread is ready.

He moves on to the scallop tartar.

And places a raw egg yolk on top,

followed by the trout caviar.

On goes the all important dried scallop cracker,

dots of the raisin puree,

and with two minutes to go, he starts frying his scallops.

Beautiful scallops, lads!

Can't be having these overcooked, like.

Or under.

He puts the cauliflower bread on the plate, seasons the scallops

with lemon and parsley and finally lays them on top of his bread.

I've definitely got the shakes. Down a little bit.

Nothing like a bit of pressure.

So that is my lovely scallops,

so hopefully it is a bellyful of laughs, a scallop full of laughs.

-A bellyful of scallops!

-Bellyful of scallops.

-Or just a pure cracker.

-Pure cracker, I like it.

-Come on, then.

So, "Why did the scallop cross the roe?"

"Because he saw a cracker on the other side." It is funny.

All right, what do you think about that, huh? That's fun, isn't it?

It's a well thought out dish.

So we've got the scallop and the raisin puree.

The scallop, perfect.

-Do you think the scallop is cooked nice?

-They are just warmed through.

They are beautiful, you see how fresh they were?

The scallops looks pretty good, doesn't it? It's cooked nicely, isn't it?

Yes, I think it's a wee bit undercooked.

The cauliflower bread, are you pleased with the way it's come out?

-Can you taste the cauliflower enough?

-I can, Glyn, I can definitely taste it.

-Very strong flavour of cauliflower.

-It's definitely there.

Let's see if these are crunchy.

-You want to break the egg?

-Break the egg.

-That's spot-on to be honest.

-Mmm.

The soft with a crunch.

Maybe could do with a little bit more salt.

Do you think there is enough salt in the tartare?

I think there is,

Glyn, you know, it all works rather well together, I think.

Textures are there. Scallops a wee bit under, but sure.

The raisin puree has a nice sweetness with the cauliflower.

-Yeah.

-I think this dish today could level the race.

I got a bit of shakes trying to get it under control a little bit,

but I am happy enough how it went.

But he's giving nothing away in the judging room, so,

he'll be the judge of that.

With experienced chef Raymond feeling that Ian has just presented

the dish to beat, he begins to plate up his Irish turbot beach scene.

He brushes the plate with crab bisque

and dots on toasted quinoa to represent pebbles on sand.

Marine life next with cockles, mussels, winkles and crab claws,

followed by seaweed, red dulse and sea spaghetti.

Then oil slicks made of fish sauce, rapeseed and dill oil.

Looks amazing, buddy.

Finally the turbot is taken from the water bath

and the tail of the fish is laid across the plate.

-Hard work?

-Yeah, it is.

There's a lot of elements. Getting everything cooked the same.

-What do you think, boys?

-Looks great.

-It's good.

So it certainly smells like a beach. Has it gone to plan?

Yes, I'm happy with everything the way it was cooked.

-I'm just not over the moon about the presentation.

-OK.

I don't think he'll be happy with it, because when he was telling me

about the beach I was expecting something different.

Yes, I was expecting like a beach, like edible sand,

it's not really the beach, is it?

What would you have done different?

I wanted the rock pool to run more into the middle

and the bisque here should have been a wee bit off the china.

Let's have a little look. We'll flip the skin up.

He was saying that he wanted it to look raw,

so he has achieved that, hasn't he?

Close to perfect, but for me it is a wee fraction under, maybe.

-Are you happy with that cooking degree?

-Yes, it's really soft.

Definitely a wee bit under.

Do you think this dish has ticked all the boxes, has it hit the brief?

That's what I seen as a comical piece of fish without going bananas.

-But, is it fun?

-No, it's not fun at all.

It's undercooked and it's very big.

You must be pretty confident now.

Yes, I don't feel threatened by that dish at all.

That was a tough one.

I wasn't overly...

I wasn't overly happy with the presentation,

it didn't come off the way I normally do it.

Last to plate up is former champion Chris,

who's out to get the top score to push him into the lead.

He's hoping the prop for his dish Stitched Up Like A Kipper

will give him the edge.

-Whoa, that's mad looking.

-How's it going to work, Chris?

Yeah, put the fish in here.

Attach it to there. That's it.

-Then, what do you do? Just take the fish out of the bag?

-Yes.

You could see that the Royal Albert Hall, couldn't you?

-You could, all right.

-It's a bit of craic, boys, you know.

Yes, yes, marvellous, man.

Chris attaches his nets to his hooks

and oils his mackerel fillets filled with the pilaf rice,

and coats in pork powder.

He deep fries his quail eggs wrapped in haddock paste,

pan fries the mackerel,

arranges his almond and fennel salad on the plate

and tops with parsley cress.

Meanwhile Ian and Ray keep themselves amused.

We have to get in the spirit of Comic Relief don't we, Ray?

You mean the spirit of stitching me up?

The quail eggs and mackerel are ready,

but timing is critical because the eggs and the fish

will continue to cook in their residual heat.

Finally Chris has to put the fish in the nets

to complete his witty presentation.

-Ian over here.

-Yep...

Just hold this up.

That's it. Can you not get it in, no?

You know, bend it in like a flop.

That's going to be an amazing dish for 100 people, isn't it?

-Don't worry about it, Raymond.

-I'm not worried about it, Christopher.

Keep it straight, mate.

-Untie the

-BLEEP.

Up against it, Chris has to untie his nets with the help of Ian.

Did you practise this, did you?

Do you mind letting me just do this until I am finished and then

crack all your wise jokes then?

At last both fish are in their nets and on the lines.

-That's us Glynn.

-Yeah, shall we take a rod and our fish?

-So you fish for your fish.

-Fish for your fish.

Let's go and taste it then, come on.

-Ray, what do you think?

-I think for a banquet it's not practical.

-It just took under 10 minutes to put two portions on it.

-Yes.

Forget the actual getting it on there,

are you happy with the cooking?

Yes, I'm concerned the fish may be over because

it took me so long to get it on the pass.

-The egg.

-Overcooked.

-Overcooked.

-Oh,

-BLEEP!

Well, I think that's down to the problem with the net.

Obviously the residual heat has overcooked the egg slightly.

I think it needs a bit more curry powder in there, doesn't it?

Maybe that's just me. Do you get any spice from that kedgeree at all?

None at all, no. I don't get any spice.

Is there enough curry in their to give the mackerel that flavour?

I didn't want to blow your head off with it,

I just wanted to get just a light, light flavour of it.

I know what you're saying, I think there should be more in there.

If the Scotch egg was runny and the fish had wee bit more spice,

it would be a perfect dish. I mean they are simple things to get wrong.

I was perfect in control the whole way up until

the very last minute I was just trying to get the fish

in the net and I can keep going and make excuses all day,

but, I mean, it's not good enough.

Well, that was devastating.

And, I don't even think I need to know what the result is going to be today,

I know what it's going to be. I know myself I completely messed it up.

Everyday is a learning curve, isn't it?

I thought I had a really strong fish dish today, until I looked at it

and I went, that's not the way I normally plate it.

I'm not expecting too much today. I don't deserve it after that.

What let me down today was the prop.

I thought that would be the last thing that let you down would be your props, like.

All right, chefs, how was that?

-Tough.

-Yes? Tough day?

-Tough day.

I have got a fish to the banquet before

so I was really looking forward to this,

and to be quite honest with you, I was quite disappointed.

Some of the dishes were quite badly executed.

So, Ian, let's talk about your dish, Why Did The Scallop Cross The Road?

At first I thought the scallop was a little bit undercooked

but because they were so fresh I thought they were cooked just right.

I thought the cauliflower really came through

and the texture was really nice as well.

I was very surprised by that but it was a pleasant surprise.

I thought the cracker when you dipped it into the egg yolk

really, really sort of worked well.

I really loved presentation and I thought the joke was there.

But...

But...for some diners maybe the tartare

-and the raw egg may have been a step too far.

-Yes.

One of my big concerns.

But all in all, a cracker.

Thank you.

Raymond, let's talk about your day at the beach.

I love the idea of the dish.

I love the fact you went down the cockle, the winkle,

down that route and they were cooked really well.

I actually thought the cooking degree on the fish was...

-It was OK.

-OK, thanks.

The texture of the fish was a slight concern

because it might have been on the edge of, is it raw?

The main concern for me was the consistency of the liquid.

It was far too thin.

By the time we ate it it had washed the beach away basically.

There were so many things... There were a lot of things going on.

I thought you had such a fantastic piece of fish on there,

it was sort of distracted by lots of little things on the edge.

It didn't quite marry all up really.

Chris, your dish now, Stitched Up Like A Kipper,

I can see you shaking your head there,

you may have got slightly carried away with the whole prop thing

-and I think you know, I can see it in your eyes you know that.

-Yes.

You know, the egg was overcooked, the fish was overcooked.

On a positive note, I like the salad, it was really nice,

light, acidic, I loved the flavours of the rice.

It was just a shame that you let yourself down with the props.

So now to the scores.

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

..a seven.

Thank you.

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

..a five.

Chris...

..for your dish I'm going to give you...

..a four.

So, tomorrow we have got the main event,

so you have a good night's sleep and I'll see you tomorrow.

-Thank you.

-Cheers.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Cheers.

I was gutted.

I was disappointed cooking today and I'm not going to do that again.

So half way through

and young gun Ian is now in the lead with a score of 13.

Raymond is following with 12.

But trailing behind is the former champion Chris with only 10 points.

I'm delighted I'm in the lead by one, but it's very early days.

If I don't get big points tomorrow for the main course

that's it, I'm going home.

Tomorrow in the main course, Chris is playing serious catch up.

Yes, it's a pie, it will be a damn good one.

That looks fit for a king, or an army.

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