London and South East Dessert Great British Menu

It's show time here on great British menu for three of London

and the South East's award-winning chefs.

I'm a bit all over the shop right now.

Returning contender, Tom Aikens...

You know what? I can run rings around you lot.

..risk taker Matt Gillan...

My last day, I don't want any issues.

..and highly technical Adam Simmonds...

There's nothing I can't handle.

..are cooking witty, playful dishes for the chance

to cook at a special banquet,

celebrating 25 years of Red Nose Day.

Yesterday, Tom got another feather in his hat for his playful

rabbit main course.

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

-Could be.

And new boy Matt made a huge error.

-Have you felt your plate?

-Yeah.

-You put it on a cold plate.

Today, it's dessert and Matt can't afford to make any more mistakes.

It's massive, it's the dessert course.

Is this your final trope?

This is my last chance.

And Adam has it all to lose.

I'm sure you would like to push me, wouldn't you?

Yeah, straight off a cliff.

It was, by far, your worst dish.

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

fun, gastronomic cooking that will make people smile.

And the chefs have all done their bit to help raise

money for Comic Relief.

HE YELLS

Today is their last chance to impress

three-time Great British Menu champion Richard Corrigan.

Dessert is notoriously hard. And it has brought many a chef down.

So, Matt is certainly still in the race.

If Tom or Adam make one big mistake, he's through.

I'm up first this time.

It's pressure. I've been up first twice.

-Sometimes it is nice to get up first.

-Yeah.

Cos then you can watch the other ones crumble.

How are you feeling, Matt?

A little bit deflated.

I was hoping for better than a seven to stay in contention.

So, hopefully, it all goes wrong for you boys.

How do you feel?

Who knows? It could go completely pear-shaped.

First up, with 26 points, is returning contender Tom Aikens,

who has tried and failed here once before.

He's held on to the top spot all week with fun, inventive

cooking and is determined to win a spot

in the judges' chamber tomorrow.

My strategy is to go like a whirlwind.

It is going to take a lot of effort.

I really have got to be focused on everything I do.

Hi, Richard.

-Tom, what is your dish called?

-A Nose Too Far.

-A Nose Too Far?

-Indeed.

I'm doing a coconut and strawberry panna cotta

and a coconut sorbet.

-So, very refreshing.

-Very refreshing.

-Coconut, strawberry...

Lot of mint here, Tom.

Yeah, well, with the mint, again, it is a refreshing part of the dish.

I'm doing a mint oil that is mixed with Absorbit.

And that dries out the oil so you've got like a powder.

-You think this will do it?

-I think it will.

I mean, it is kind of the finale to my banquet

and my menu and I think, with all the ingredients I have used over

the course of the menu, I think this is the one to finish it off.

Tom's last laugh is a complicated strawberry

and coconut dish with panna cotta, jelly, sorbet and mint oil,

with comedy in the name and the presentation.

Tom is really into his variations on the theme again.

I hope he is not one strawberry too many.

Sometimes it's best to keep it simple.

Next up is technical newcomer Adam Simmonds, whose flavoursome food,

although short on humour, has kept him in second place all week,

a position he needs to hang onto today

if he is to stay in the competition.

I think my biggest fear at the moment has to be Matt

because it's all mine to lose.

So if I make any mistake, then he is in with a shout,

so I've got to be completely on the ball.

The name of your dessert?

Frozen white chocolate mousse, lemon and fennel.

-And that's all you get.

-That it?

-That's it.

Fennel and lemon obviously goes very well together.

The white chocolate, obviously, is very sweet.

So the lemon cuts through the white chocolate.

-You like juggling the flavours, don't you?

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

-Can you juggle?

No.

There's a lot of things going on here. Fennel herb in here as well.

This is representative of who I am and what I do, you know?

-Here we go again. Is it comedy or tragedy?

-No, it's a comedy.

-Is it?

Good. How confident are you of getting this dish into the final?

Yeah, I am very confident that the dessert will get me

in front of the judges.

-Are you sure?

-100%.

Adam's grand finale is a frozen white chocolate mousse with lemon

granita and dehydrated fennel,

a simple dish that uses more cutting edge techniques.

I have no idea how this course of Adam's is going to turn out.

I mean, the great risk is his nitrogen-glazed chocolate mousse.

It just doesn't work out.

Trailing behind Adam by three points is risk taker Matt Gillan whose

quirky dishes have so far failed to out wit his more experienced rivals.

If I were the first chef to leave this competition,

I'd be absolutely gutted.

I couldn't put any more of me into this course if I tried.

-How are you?

-Excited, nervous, anxious.

-All of the above.

-What are you cooking?

Apple parfait, cherries, salted caramel and popcorn.

That's what we are going with.

So, you've got sweet-sour cherries and we will do

the same with the apple as well, sweet and sour apple

to go with the parfait.

A bit of a mixture going on here.

Yeah, lots of different flavours, lots of different textures,

temperatures.

Where is the humour? Where's the theatre?

The theatre, the humour, I don't want to give too much away,

I'm going to save that till the end.

That's more in the presentation.

I am fairly confident with this dessert.

I have got a lot of work to do.

Every element of this has to be bang on.

I need to really step up.

Matt has designed a surprise comic book presentation

for his dessert and is hoping to wipe out his competition

with a superhero-inspired flavour explosion

of apple and cherry.

When they are transformed into a mousse of cherries and apples,

they lose that fresh intensity of mother nature.

And they can be boring.

So let's hope, for Matt's sake, he gives us something brilliant.

With returning contender Tom out in front and the lowest scoring

chef leaving the competition today, Adam and Matt's dessert scores

are critical.

I know I'm feeling the pressure.

I really need the points.

What elements could go wrong, if any?

The parfait, the caramelized apple

might be too reduced down, too thick.

-The sorbet.

-So it's a whole host of things.

Well, it's the dessert course, isn't it?

Well, I think everyone is in the same boat, aren't they?

Tom, how many elements do you have on the dessert?

Too bloody many.

-How are you doing?

-I'm a bit all over the shop right now.

A lot of pressure, a lot of stress.

Those three cooks want to win this competition.

You can feel it in there.

You want to keep out of all of those cooks' way.

Dangerous place to be just right now.

It's even nervous going up to ask them questions.

-How is it all going, Tom?

-Very well, Richard.

You are really in the depths of it, aren't you?

-Absolutely.

-My God, I mean, there is like not one ball

in the air, there's around 25 over your head.

I love cooking under pressure. I love it.

Tom, as usual, has lots of different elements on the go

for his complex dessert,

including strawberry and coconut panna cotta.

-Gelee.

-Gelee, huh?

Strawberry jelly for his strawberry

and coconut cannelloni and an unusual mint oil powder.

This is one of those infamous e-number powders.

The ones that you love.

So far, so good, really.

I haven't messed a single thing up.

Adam's used cutting edge techniques all week,

but so far failed to incorporate any humour.

-So, liquid nitrogen?

-Yep.

And today's frozen white chocolate mousse with lemon granita

is no exception.

Is this the best way to make this?

I think so because rather than putting it in freezer,

hen you get more water particles,

so for me, you get a better result.

My expression, I'm sure, said it all.

Beautiful granita.

I mean, absolutely divine.

Risk taker Matt is putting in a superhuman effort to overtake

Adam, creating a comic book inspired apple

and cherry dessert that Richard is worried about.

-How are you doing?

-Getting there, Richard, getting there.

OK, so you are making your little parfait, filling it with what?

Condensed milk, a little bit of cream,

a little bit of vanilla and a little bit of salt.

-Is this your final trope?

-This is my last chance.

Matt's giving his dessert everything he's got,

including his secret weapon -

a superhero crumble with hazelnuts blended popcorn and cherry powder.

An unusual flavour combination that could make or break him today.

So, my dessert is based around my fundraising

activity I did for Comic Relief.

-Which was what?

-Jumping out of a plane.

-Very brave of you.

-A bit heroic, isn't it? A bit superhero like.

I'd probably need to be pushed to do it.

I'm sure you would like to push me, wouldn't you?

Yeah, straight off a cliff.

As well as creating witty, gastronomic dishes this year,

the chefs have been set fundraising challenges to

inspire their menus and raise money for charity.

I have been sponsored by quite a few people to do a heroic challenge -

to jump out of a plane.

A superhuman feat that Matt has used to inspire his dessert,

that combined his love of comic books

and superheroes with the Red Nose Day theme.

I think anyone that raises money can be seen as a bit of a superhero.

So, Matt is dressing the part for his heroic fundraising challenge.

I've never cooked semi-blind before.

And road testing his specially designed cherry popcorn crumble

on skydiving instructor Gordon and girlfriend Cara.

-Matt, what is this all about?

-Superhero crumble.

All right, let's do it.

-It tastes so different.

-Completely different, really nice.

It is stunning, it makes such a difference.

Having that element extra onto the normal crumble.

Matt, I reckon this is certainly going to be the winning dish.

Absolutely delicious.

All right, Matt, turn around with your back to me.

Confident his dessert has what it takes, it's

time for Matt to hit the skies and fulfil his fund-raising challenge.

You know, we've raised £600, nearly £700 for me

to be thrown out of a plane, basically,

so, you know, it is for a great cause.

-Let's go.

-Let's do it. All right.

-See you later.

-I love you.

Enjoy.

Exciting at the moment,

I'll probably be a little bit more nervous when I get up there.

HE YELLS

I'm just really excited for him. Really excited.

The boy did good.

-Amazing!

-Yeah?

-Awesome! Brilliant.

-Yeah?

-Brilliant.

I'm now determined to go all the way to the banquet,

so, good luck, boys. You're going to need it.

Back on solid ground, Matt is juggling white chocolate touille,

which are going in the oven, and his apple parfait balls,

which he's coating in superhero crumble.

Getting everything done for this dessert is my main concern.

I've given myself a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

Adam has dehydrated some fennel and is making the base

for his frozen white chocolate mousse, a technical element

he needs to get right if he is to stay ahead of closest rival Matt.

Matt needs to win this course in order for him to go any further.

If I have a howler, that is going to happen.

I am under pressure right now.

And so is returning contender Tom, who set himself a huge

workload with his Nose Too Far strawberry and coconut dessert.

Tom, I see you have got a bit of a sweat on there.

Does that mean you're actually working hard for once?

For once, yeah. For once. I can run rings around you lot.

How do you feel Adam is doing?

-Are you capable of knocking him out of it?

-I don't know.

It is going to go to the wire, really, that's

why I'm pushing on. I'm still in it.

But while Matt has been concentrating on his apple

parfait balls, disaster has struck his white chocolate touille.

Have you got another sil pad there?

Another tray, please, really quickly.

I just heard Matt has burnt his white chocolate touilles.

I just hope he has got enough time to redo them.

But then Matt's second tray is a disaster, too.

I forgot about it in the oven the first time

and then in a rush, put the clean mat onto the hot tray,

dusted it, and I went to shape it

and it was just flaking apart.

So, with time and ingredients fast running out,

Matt has to prepare a third tray from scratch.

Lot of stress.

You don't need these things happening in the middle of a competition.

Unfortunately, they do.

Has that set you back? Are you under more pressure now?

Uh... My last day.

-It's not what you need.

-Don't need issues.

Returning contender Tom understands the pressure all too well,

having messed up his dessert the last time he faced the judges.

He is first to plate up

and hoping to put the ghosts of the past behind him

with his strawberry and coconut Nose Too Far dessert,

complete with comedy props.

Are you going to make it into shapes?

Is this going to cover up any holes in your dessert?

There are no holes to cover.

But Tom does have a lot of different elements to bring to the pass,

and needs to get his cooking,

as well as his presentation, spot on today.

He starts his plate off with strawberry

and coconut panna cotta, adds poached and dried strawberries

and his strawberry and coconut cannelloni.

Can you get me the aerated sorbet, please?

Then it's on with some freshly grated coconut,

mint and fennel leaves, his cutting edge mint oil

and a quenelle of coconut sorbet.

And finally, his witty presentation.

Chefs!

Oopsy daisy.

Willy bloody Wonka.

Come on, let's go taste.

Who knew Tom Aikens had such a sense of humour?

I didn't.

-It's very clever.

-Yeah.

Do think the sugar content is right in there?

I do. I mean, the mousse in the panna cotta is not too sweet.

The coconut sorbet, yes, I did raise the sugar content

because it holds just that little bit more

on the plate.

The sorbet is very sweet.

You get the sweetness first and then in the coconut after.

I think all the flavours work well together.

The addition of those herbs also just gives it another dimension.

What's the fennel for?

-Quite strong, that.

-Very strong.

I mean, there isn't an element on there that doesn't work.

-Do you think you have fulfilled the brief?

-Absolutely.

I think food in restaurants is always fun.

And this is more than fun.

Visually, the impact he has is massive.

But when you come to eat it, is it going to have the same impact?

I don't think so.

That was a bit traumatic, but amazing. I was very, very happy.

Every element came together.

Next to plate up is Matt, who will be going home today

if he fails to surpass Adam.

He starts with a swirl of plain popcorn crumble,

adds his superhero cherry crumble,

cherry gel and some gel-filled poached cherries.

-How are you doing there, Matt?

-I'll be honest.

I am glad to be at this point in this dessert now.

Is that because you had to do the touille several times?

He then adds caramel popcorn, caramel apple balls,

a spoonful of caramelized apple puree...

..and uses his cherry gelled to fix his troublesome white

chocolate touille in place.

Before finishing his plate off with his apple parfait balls

and revealing his secret comic book presentation.

Boom!

I like it.

-Are you happy Matt?

-Very happy.

-Let's go taste it, yeah?

Happy with the presentation, Matt?

I drew it, I designed it, I conceived it, it's all me.

So, yeah.

-Very clever.

-Boom.

I'd definitely would be happy to tuck into that.

-Happy with the flavours?

-Yeah, explosion of flavour.

Quite bold, all of them. Um...

-I like that.

-Did you get apple?

-Yep. Did you get apple?

Yeah, it is very faint, it is very light.

Has the apple worked in that?

I'm happy, happy with the flavour.

The chocolate touilles, they work this time.

Yeah, he did them several times.

Happy with the sugar content?

Yeah, I think it is just enough sweetness to be a dessert,

not overly sweet where you don't want to finish it.

-He has finished very strongly.

-He has finished very strongly.

It's funny, it tells a story, I think it really fits the brief.

-Although this is a very good dish, I think mine's better.

-You do?

-Yes.

The whole humour has come together for you?

It is witty, that is me on a dish.

That is the perfect end to a banquet.

Who knows, I need a good score and I just hope Richard gives me it.

Last up is Adam.

He has left the freezing of his white chocolate mousse until last -

a critical element that will bring crunch to his plate,

something that Matt both know could be his undoing.

Do you think this is going to be that performance on a plate, Adam?

Obviously, it's very different from the dishes

that you two guys have done,

it doesn't mean it's not going to get the same effect through flavour.

First on is some dehydrated fennel

and some soft white chocolate mousse mix.

Then it's on with some lemon sugar

and his crunchy frozen white chocolate mousse.

He then finishes the dish off with borage flowers, a quenelle

of white chocolate sorbet and last but not least, his nitrogen-frozen

lemon granita with a dusting of fennel pollen.

-Comedy?

-Theatre.

Grab it, let's taste it.

-So, what do you think, Matt?

-Very different.

The thing with Adam's menu is that it has always been in the eating.

Are you happy with the texture of the mousse?

Very airy, very light.

You could chew on that fennel for a while.

Yeah, but it's texture, it's flavour.

It's very strong in flavour, no?

Do think he'll be happy with his frozen mousse?

It doesn't stand up very long, does it?

Once it starts melting, then it is all quite...soft

Is there anything you would change?

I would probably make the frozen mousse slightly harder.

I love the lemon granules.

They definitely give it a good lift.

Comedy or tragedy?

I think comedy, but that is your decision.

It's a lovely dish, but where is the humour, the fun, the smiles...

-There is very little in it.

-Uh-huh.

Do you think you have done enough to stay in the game?

I am confident in my dish

and I am confident that I've done enough to beat Matt.

Blimey, boys, you look worried.

-Absolutely not.

-I tell you, I'm glad that's over with, eh?

Four days like this is worse than two weeks at work.

I need a holiday, I think, after this.

It's not over yet, we still haven't got those scores.

No, that's very true.

Chefs, I said dessert could prove to be a chef's undoing.

Let's see.

Tom.

Your Nose Too Far.

I loved every single element of that dessert.

It was whimsical, funny.

It was a master class in textures, flavours...

..and layers.

A showstopper.

Matt, your apple parfait, cherry pop corn and caramel.

It was the best dish you've done, well done.

Thank you.

I loved your cherry sorbet.

The toffee caramel centre of the parfait was a great idea.

It was visually stunning.

But...

It wasn't quite as refreshing as I thought it would be.

The caramel, although a very clever idea,

I think was just too rich for my palate.

Adam.

Your frozen white chocolate mousse, lemon and fennel.

When I tasted the granita...

..I really felt you were heading to the zones of excellence.

It was brilliant!

Probably one of the most delicious things frozen I have ever tasted.

Amazing.

But...

That's all I loved.

I didn't like it at all.

There was no humour. Matter of fact, it fell flat.

It was by far your worst dish.

As you know, only two chefs can go on to cook for the judges.

Tom.

For your Nose Too Far...

..I am giving you...

..the perfect 10.

Congratulations.

-You will be cooking for the judges.

-Thank you.

So that leaves two chefs.

Adam.

For your frozen white chocolate mousse...

..I'm giving you...

..a six.

Matt.

For your apple parfait,

your best dish, I'm giving you...

..eight.

Which means, Adam, you will be the second chef cooking for the judges.

Matt, so near.

So, so near. Commiserations.

Congratulations, Chefs.

Well done, boys.

It has been a pleasure.

-Tom.

-Thank you very much.

-It was a pleasure to taste your food.

-Thank you.

-And a real honour to taste your food, chef.

-Thank you.

-Matt, a real pleasure.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I definitely think that I deserve that ten.

The work that was in that dish, it all paid off.

It went extremely well and I was very happy.

Feeling truly gutted to be leaving the competition.

I put everything into it and it just wasn't quite enough.

It is probably going to be a sleepless night,

at the thought of facing the judges.

I just need to be on top form tomorrow.

Tomorrow, it's D-Day for Tom and Adam and the judges are back...

Time to get our noses in the trough.

..with a fourth comedy edition.

Surely this is an opportunity to say, what the cluck is that?

-One, two, three.

-Oh!

I feel I'm laughing, I'm there.

I can now announce that the winner is...

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd