London and South East Main Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu, two new boys -

-technical Adam Simmonds...

-Me, I'm laughing.

..and risk taker Matt Gillan...

Critical. Critical time.

..are trying to outwit determined returning contender Tom Aikens.

No chance.

The challenge - to create witty, playful dishes.

Oh, Tom!

The prize - the chance to cook at a special banquet

celebrating 25 years of Red Nose Day.

Yesterday's fish course was a battle of the scallops...

Spanking fresh. Just how I feel.

..that saw Matt's quirky snow globe joke...

Captain Nemo had something like this, didn't he?

..fail to raise a laugh.

I think this is a joke that might have gone a bit pear-shaped.

Today it's the main course and Matt needs to make Richard smile.

I've got a few points to catch up on. Do or die today.

But has he made a huge error?

It's got to be hot food, Matt, I hope, yeah?

No good looking pretty if it's not hot.

-Have you felt your plate?

-Yeah.

You put it on a cold plate.

This year's challenge is to create a performance on a plate,

gastronomic masterpieces that make people smile.

Have you had yours, love?

The chefs have joined forces with some of Britain's best-known

entertainers to raise a laugh and some cash for Comic Relief.

-We've got some lovely pies here.

-Lovely pies.

Oh, she is hugging me!

Who will buy my rabbit pies?

Judging them all week is Great British Menu champion

and veteran Richard Corrigan.

The main course should have a real wow factor.

Great food, great cooking with a sense of humour.

Fail to deliver today, and tomorrow they may be sent packing.

-So, all to go for today, boys?

-Oh, yes.

-Main course, big one.

It's the one that everyone wants to get to the banquet, isn't it?

How are you feeling today, Tom? I mean, in the lead, just.

-The scores are still very tight, though.

-They are very tight.

-But I'm after you now.

-Are you?

-Yes. Today I'm after you.

I've got a lot of work to do today. I need to dig deep, push on.

-You know, I'm pumped for today.

-We'll see, won't we?

Chasing at Tom's heels with 16 points is technical chef

Adam Simmonds, who has been praised for his gastronomy,

but criticised for its lack of humour.

I don't think my food is ha-ha funny.

It's all about the experience that they are getting on the plate.

Flavour bursts, textures, that's the angle I've gone down.

-Adam.

-How are we?

-Very well, thank you.

-Good.

-I'm cooking a loin of rose veal, tongue, hay curd...

-Ah!

..clay-baked artichokes and artichoke ash.

-So, hay curd?

-Yeah.

It gives it a really grassy taste.

It should, it's grass.

-But to go with the veal...

-Yeah.

..it's the concept of what they eat.

There is no frills or gimmicks or anything like that.

But how does it fill the brief?

For me, it's about the product on the plates

and the value that that brings, giving the people smile, laughter

through the enjoyment of what they eat on the plate.

Adam is soon serving rose veal with hay curd and artichokes,

a simple dish with surprising textures and flavours.

I think it is going to be a really great dish, that.

But he has got to find a way to inject some humour into the food.

Topping the bill so far with 17 points is returning contender

Tom Aikens, who failed to make it past the judges two years ago.

His witty inventive dishes have made Richard smile all week

and he is going for a hat trick today.

There is no way I want to lose the point lead

I have over Adam or the couple of points over Matt,

so I'm really going to go for it.

Today I'm cooking rabbit,

and the rabbit is going to be stuffed with black pudding.

I am using the rabbit leg, as well.

And that is being stuffed with heritage carrots.

-And then simple carrot puree, quite a clean, simple dish.

-Quite earthy.

Might be right up your street.

Mm! Do you think the black pudding will work with rabbit?

The flavour combination I've tried several times

and I actually like it.

-Where's humour?

-It's in the title of the dish - rabbit in a hat.

-Rabbit in a hat?

-Rabbit in a hat, like a magician. I am the magician.

And the rabbit is coming out of the hat.

Tom is conjuring up a roasted rabbit dish with six different carrot

textures and more comedy props.

Oh, very yummy.

But is he going to over-carrot his own dish?

There is a possibility.

Trailing behind with 14 points is risk taker Matt Gillan, whose quirky

dishes have scored well, but failed to surpass Tom and Adam's so far.

I'm really charged, really positive about the main course

and I'm going to go all out and I don't think the boys are going

to expect the energy that I'm going to have today.

-So, what are you cooking?

-I'm going to do loin of venison.

I'm obviously going to use the fillet, as well.

Dried mushrooms. Quite an intense, rich mushroom puree to go in there.

-Fir oil.

-Fir oil?

-Yeah.

They look a little bit like cod liver oil tablets.

I didn't want it to be overpowering.

I want it quite subtle, subtle foresty flavour, really,

in there.

Where's the humour?

It's all in the presentation and just the association with venison

and the way I'm going to serve it.

Do you think you're going to claw a few points back here?

I think this, if I'm going to claw some points back,

this is the dish that's going to do it.

I think you will enjoy this, I really do.

Matt is serving venison, mushrooms and pine oil,

a strong flavour that needs to be handled carefully.

Matt's raw deer is one of my favourite wild meats,

but to have these pine oil droplets with the venison,

that could be a huge mistake.

In the kitchen, Matt is a man with a mission,

determined to succeed with his venison main course.

Matt, you have a lot going on here, yeah?

One, two, three, four, five, six...

-eight pans.

-Yeah.

-Adam and me have only got like five.

I've got a few points to catch up on.

-It is do our die today.

-I like that attitude.

How are you feeling? Pressure?

Obviously, I haven't got any props or gimmicks like you two have.

So it is about what is on the plate.

So, you are saying our food is a gimmick?

No, I didn't say your food... I didn't say your food was gimmicky.

-Picking on us now, isn't he?

-What I said was...

-Pretty confident today, isn't he?

-Yeah, he is.

I have to be.

If I'm not confident about what I'm putting on the plate,

then I might as well go home, and I ain't going home. So...

I can call a taxi for you now if you like.

Pretty intense in the kitchen. Everyone really wants this dish.

I especially want it, I need those points.

I need to stay in contention to get to those judges.

Matt is attempting to inject humour into his venison dish

by creating a edible woodland floor with the savoury granola

and pungent pine oil capsules that Richard is unsure about.

Is this the infused oil?

It has still got another 40 minutes. 20 minutes just on the stove

and another 20 minutes just to infuse it a little bit more.

You still wouldn't want a lot of it.

No, not at all, and it is not going to be a huge amount on there,

it'll just be enough, there will be a bit of perfume

on the plate and it'll just kind of mentally take you on a journey

through a forest.

Or back to your childhood with them cod liver oil droplets

your parents used to love stuffing down your necks.

-Yeah. But a lot tastier, though.

-A lot tastier.

-Let's hope so anyway.

-Yeah.

That is a very risky element at the stage in the game for him.

You know, if it's going to go wrong, it could go wrong in a big way

and he can't really afford for that to happen.

Adam's veal main course with unusual hay curd is simpler than Matt's,

and he's not dressing it up either.

You're getting a bit of grief from the rest of the kitchen

on your lack of humour?

Yes. Completely unjustified.

For me, it is purely about performance on a plate

and letting the plate of food speak for itself,

like a good comedian, you know.

Why should I flower it up when it is just what it is?

-Well, you want to win.

-Of course I want to win.

-I'm out to beat Mr Aikens today.

-Are you out to beat him?

-Oh, yeah.

-That's a bold statement there, young man.

-That's a... Ah!

-Us oldies can still whip the young ones'

-BEEP.

-You reckon?

-Absolutely.

I am obviously putting in a few extra props,

You know, just to bring the wit, the humour, the fun, the laugh,

the smiles... So it will be interesting to see

which one comes out on top.

Tom is making homemade black pudding that he's hoping will score

highly with Richard and lots

and lots of different types of carrot - diced,

roasted, juiced and pureed.

Tom is doing rabbit with six different types of carrot textures.

Personally, I think it is over the top.

However, the guy is a magician himself, you know.

He can pull rabbits out of a hat.

Tom has got every faith in his rabbit main course,

having tested a version of it on the great British public.

Part of this year's competition, as you know, is fund raising.

So, I made some rabbit pies

and I did it with a famous TV celebrity.

-Jessica.

-Jessica who?

-Rabbit.

-No, not Jessica Rabbit.

-Was it not?

It definitely spurred me on to make sure that I beat you two.

To help raise money for Comic Relief

and get feedback on his rabbit main course,

Tom swapped his Michelin-starred kitchen for a pop-up pie shop

in London's East End.

Today I am here at Spitalfields market

and we are here to sell rabbit pies.

And who better to help Tom in his fundraising challenge

than famous EastEnder June Brown,

who knows a thing or two about making people smile.

Oh, I don't think I will have the... I know, do you mind if I do this?

I always do this to start

because I don't like those things ruining your hairstyle.

-Exactly.

-There we go.

Basically, a lot of the ingredients that

we use in my pies are in my main course dish.

So, we have the rabbit meat and we have carrots,

and then it's all bound together

with a nice, little grain mustard sauce.

-Oh, that's lovely.

-So, do you think it's a winning dish?

Well, it would be with me.

Tom wants to raise as much cash as he can so he is keen to get

some tips about how to pull in the crowds from June.

You have got to be overt, you have got to go over, out to people.

-You'll do that, won't you?

-I absolutely will.

-Yeah, so will I.

I am learning from the best, from you.

It's not long before Tom's pies....

We've got some lovely pies here.

-Lovely pies.

-Buy a pie.

-Buy a pie.

-What is your name, dear?

..and a certain famous lady catch the attention of hungry Londoners.

-Get in close. Better get in close.

-Oh, she's hugging me!

Thanks very much. BOTH: Thank you!

Lots of interest.

People obviously like June Brown, a.k.a. Dot Cotton.

-You can get a signed autograph, as well.

-Definitely.

They're going like hot cakes. Hot pies.

In no time at all, they're down to their last few.

-I'll pay a tenner for it.

-That's generous!

Pie, who will buy my rabbit pies?

-There you go, sir.

-And have a bucketload of cash for charity.

I'd say maybe £200.

Plus, some valuable feedback for Tom's main course.

They're really tender, really good mixture of flavours.

Yeah, pretty nice. Very impressed.

Good taste, good flavour. Wonderful.

-Will you buy the last pie?

-Yes, please.

-Oh, lovely, lovely. Did you hear that?

-That is great.

-I hope you win.

-Thank you.

-Can I come to the banquet if you do?

Absolutely.

-Thank you.

-You'll be the first one to be invited.

-Thank you.

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.

Back in the kitchen,

Tom is using the ingredients that went into his rabbit pies

in his rabbit-in-a-hat main course

and has moved on to his fourth complex carrot texture.

I'm quietly confident.

Adam's using just a handful of simple ingredients to

accompany his veal dish, like tongue and artichokes,

cooked in a surprising way.

Yeah, these are cooked in clay so they go really soft.

Then what you do is you fry them so they go crispy on the outside,

but they're really...they just melt in the mouth.

We are looking for some humour here.

The humour is in the concept of the dish, and it should stand out.

-I hope.

-You hope. Well, let's hope.

-Let's hope.

-Well, there's Bob Hope and no hope, let's see where you are.

-Yeah, yeah.

Matt's serving his venison loin wrapped in brick pastry and encasing

his potent pine oil in sugary gel-like capsules in a desperate bid

-to score vital points...

-Critical, critical time.

..a technical process that could backfire on him.

The capsules are potentially a little bit tricky.

It could go horribly wrong for me.

If my oil's not infused enough, then it's pointless being on the plate.

If my sugar's too hot, the capsules aren't going to be right.

If they break...

I mean, there are all sorts of issues that could happen.

So, fingers crossed.

So, everything going how you wanted, Matt?

It's going good so far.

So far, it seems to have come together.

-Does it?

-It has. It's all right, yeah.

Matt has been beavering away.

He has had some multiple pans going on, lots of things cooking,

lots of things stirring. Sauces, wrapping...

So, you know, he could surprise us.

HE LAUGHS

Matt's first to plate up and has a lot of last-minute cooking to do.

He quickly fries his venison fillet, seals his loin and leaves them both

to rest before turning his attention to his edible forest floor.

Starting with a spoonful of mushroom puree

and a sheet of set parsley cream,

followed by his savoury granola,

blackberries and a spoonful of cabbage and bacon.

It's looking like a very sexy dish, this.

He then dots the plate with some pickled mushrooms

and dresses it with edible borage and viola flowers.

It's got to be hot food, Matt, I hope, yeah?

-Oui, Chef.

-No good looking pretty if it's not hot.

And finally, he gets his pan-fried venison loin onto his plate,

with his controversial pine oil capsules and fillet in pastry.

I hate cold food.

Ready, boys?

This is a really mature plate of food.

-Thank you.

-It's very simple.

Will it demand an encore?

-Of course it will.

-Have you felt your plate?

-Yeah.

You put it on a cold plate.

That's youthful stupidity.

Come on, let's go before it gets any colder, yeah?

What's it with young chefs and cold plates?

-You were very composed until the very end here, you know that?

-Yes.

Why didn't you have your plates in the oven?

Complete oversight. It just...

Cold plates, schoolboy error.

-Pressure.

-That could cost him a point, you know.

-Do you think the seasoning is right, Matt?

-I think so.

It balances out quite nicely.

It is quite an earthy, I think, mushroom puree.

It's quite salty.

It's very strong, the sauce is very strong.

Yeah, it is very strong.

And the mushrooms are slightly pickled as well, aren't they?

Yeah.

Do you think the capsules add to the dish?

Yeah, I think it does.

It gives, um, a slight, subtle perfume.

It has a very subtle kind of green taste, if you like.

I think it is a clever way of putting the oil on the plate

as opposed to just drizzle it, you know, drizzling it on.

But whether or not he's putting four on a plate,

-if he gets the banquet, that's 400.

-That's a lot of work.

That's a lot of balls to play with.

Do you think you've done enough

to get that score you deserve?

I don't know. I've put everything into this dish, so I hope so.

Richard just gives nothing.

All I can do is just wait for that score. I hope it's enough,

because otherwise it's going to make

the next course a real uphill battle.

Adam's next to plate up

and determined to steal the lead from frontman Tom.

Obviously, mine has got to shine out, especially to beat you, Tom,

and to stay ahead of Matt.

For you to shine out, you're going to need more than a torch, mate.

He quickly fries his clay-cooked artichokes before turning

his attention to his rose veal.

He then sprinkles on some unusual artichoke ash,

adds some roasted baby onions

a spoonful of delicate hay curd and his dehydrated artichoke crisps

before finishing the dish off with cubes of glazed tongue

and some veal and mushroom sauce.

Do you find the humour?

It's in the eating.

Come on.

How does that look for you?

It looks lovely. It looks very...very restauranty.

I don't see the humour, but, you know, like Adam said,

it's in the eating.

-Are you happy with everything?

-Yeah, I am, yeah.

I thought there'd be a slight issue with the curd,

but it's set and it's perfect.

-It's very subtle.

-Very subtle.

Do you think that does anything for the dish?

No.

Happy with the temperature?

It could do with being a bit hotter.

Veal tongue?

Nice dice.

I think he got a ruler almost to measure those.

Yeah, I think so. It's really well cooked, though.

Have the artichoke skins turned out how you planned?

Yeah, they're crispy, they're full of flavour.

Yeah, I think they've worked very well.

Does the dish have a sense of humour?

I think that for me, the dish has a sense of humour.

You know, it's about what the veal eats, earthy flavours.

You know, it is who I am and that's the human in the plate.

-The main course, it should be in your face.

-Yep.

It should be something to remember and I don't know

-if you would remember this dish.

-Right.

I'm delighted.

I don't think I could have done any more.

Last to plate up is Tom,

who is ahead on points but behind on time.

I'm a little bit under the cosh.

But we'll be there.

He is making confit rabbit balls with the leftover leg meat,

a fiddly process close to plating up.

It's lovely being last, everyone's watching you.

With the clock ticking, he gets his rabbit loin in the pan

and his confit balls in the oven...

Come on, push, Chef, let's go.

..slices his homemade black pudding and starts frying it in butter.

I thought this was supposed to be one of your simpler dishes.

Yeah, so did I. I was wrong, wasn't I?

Can you put the two plates into the oven, please?

Make sure they're nice and hot.

Learned from my mistake, there.

How long have you got before you plate up?

-Two minutes.

-Two?

-Yeah.

Or 22?

You're a funny one, aren't you?

Tom slices his stuffed rabbit loin and gets it onto his plate,

with a dash of chervil sauce, his roasted heritage carrots

and carrot vinaigrette.

Very well, we're nearly there.

He grabs his comedy top hats...

..and finally his confit rabbit balls

from the oven and delivers his main course to the pass.

There you go, Richard, rabbit in a hat.

Or the Mad Hatter?

A bit of both, probably.

-Let's go taste it, Tom.

-OK.

-It's almost Alice in Wonderland, isn't it?

-Could be. Could be.

He put himself under a huge amount of pressure, more than I've seen.

I think he's paid the price a little bit on this one.

-Rabbit is notorious for being dry.

-Mm-hm.

-Do you think you've avoided that, Tom?

-Yeah, I mean,

there is that concern with rabbit, that it can be dry.

But using the water bath technique, you know,

really keeps the rabbit nice and moist.

I do think the...the loin is slightly over.

-Not much, but I don't think he'll be happy with that.

-No.

Do you think it has purpose by putting it on the dish?

Do you think it works with it?

I think it's a nice contrast,

I don't know if it actually goes with the rabbit.

Think it needs it?

In my opinion, possibly not.

Tom, are you a fan of the black pudding-rabbit combination?

Yes, you could say it's a bit brave, but it's interesting.

You know, I wanted to give the rabbit a bit more oomph,

and that was the reason why I put the black pudding with it.

I mean, once the hat is taken off,

does it deliver that...

that performance?

-Does it?

-I don't think so.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling the pressure now.

-I really need...I need these points.

-The pressure gets to everyone.

It's a different environment here, isn't it?

It's tough, it's just amplified in that kitchen.

-I need a good score today.

-Why's that?

Keep in contention with you and keep away from you.

-I think this one is going to be very even stevens.

-Yeah.

-I do.

Chefs, how are we?

-Yeah, good.

-Good.

-Nervous.

We're going to start with you, Matt.

Your loin of venison, mushroom and fir tree.

I loved the whole concept of your dish. I'm a huge fan of raw venison.

It was seasoned beautifully.

The pine oil droplets, I was sceptical of those.

But they worked!

But...

..your brick pastry was soggy,

the mushroom puree was slightly on the salty side.

A cold plate, you're not going to forget that, are you?

Adam,

your rose veal, tongue, artichokes and hay curd.

I loved the whole idea of your dish.

I'm a huge fan of artichokes.

I think cooking them in the clay, although slightly gimmicky,

certainly brought out a new depth of flavour in them.

And the hay curd...

-..sat very nicely on that plate.

-Thank you.

But...

The food could have been warmer.

Where was the wit and the humour?

Tom Aikens. Your rabbit in a hat.

I loved your carrots. Visually, I thought you could have overdone it.

But it all tasted great. I was worried about that black pudding.

But it certainly worked with that dish, wonderful stuff.

But...

I think you would agree, the rabbit leg was a little bit dry.

I think you're in danger of over-reaching yourself.

You're the boy who wants to sit front of the class.

Back to the scores.

Matt.

For your loin of venison, I'm giving you...

..seven points.

Adam. For your rose veal, I'm giving you...

..eight points.

Tom Aikens.

For your rabbit in a hat, I'm giving you...

..nine points.

Congratulations, Tom.

This is still anyone's competition.

Congratulations so far.

ALL: Thank you.

Again.

I wasn't expecting that.

So, returning contender Tom is still in the lead with 26 points.

Adam's in second with 24 and Matt is sitting in third with 21.

Well, it's not over till the last course is sent,

so still going to go for it.

But I was very happy with the main course.

It's going to be a real uphill battle now with the dessert

course to stay in contention.

Something bad has to happen to Tom or Adam's dessert,

which I hope it does.

Tomorrow, the competition continues with dessert...

I'm a bit all over this right now.

..the dish Tom slipped up on two years ago.

You know me, the balls I like to juggle.

-Oh, my God!

-This is my last chance.

And it is a fight to the finish

when one of Britain's finest chefs is sent home.

Only two chefs can go on to cook for the judges.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd