South West Main Great British Menu

This week, three of the south-west's

finest chefs - experienced heavyweight, Dominic Chapman...

I'm serious about this competition.

..Ambitious newcomer, Josh Eggleton...

I've come this far, I don't want to stop here.

..And returning contender, Emily Watkins...

I'm sweating.

..Are battling it out for the chance to cook at an honorary banquet

commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-day

at London's inspiring St Paul's.

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

An edible beach, basically?

-Yes, absolutely.

-Presentation's not everything, though.

Emily got the highest score of the day...

I'm giving you eight.

..Beating both her Michelin-starred rivals.

Just writing the name of the beach on a board, I don't think is enough.

But she's still in last place by just one point.

Today it's the main course.

What's going to make them better than mine?

These hands?

And Emily needs to repeat yesterday's success.

I really love this main course.

Has she bitten off more than she can chew?

Shaking too much.

BLEEP

This year, the chefs are paying tribute to those who put their lives on the line

70 years ago on the beaches of Normandy.

They've been challenged to produce 21st-century dishes

worthy of our war heroes,

and have delved into their personal family histories

and been inspired by people in their communities

who experienced this momentous period of history first-hand.

Everybody was doing something for the war effort.

You took it as a duty.

Judging the south-west chefs this week

is former starter course champion,

holder of two Michelin stars, Sat Bains.

My expectation for the main course today is obviously going to be very high.

It's about D-day, it's about the veterans,

they've got to incorporate that somewhere or get penalised.

Make or break today?

-100%. There's one point in it.

-Are you making changes today after Sat's comments?

I have to - I have to do something

to try and give my presentation a little bit more elevation.

-You?

-A little bit of a knock back yesterday, but I feel much stronger today.

-All guns blazing, eh?

-Much as I like you guys, I really need

to push forward and get ahead.

Chasing the tails of her Michelin-starred rivals

is returning chef, Emily Watkins,

with 13 points.

She's playing catch-up, despite getting a top score

for her fish course yesterday

and has high expectations for her main course today,

having received a ten from the judges last year.

Yesterday's score was great, I was really pleased with that.

so I feel I've really got to deliver on this course.

Morning, Emily, how are we?

Morning, Chef, I'm good, thank you very much.

-Better after yesterday.

-So what have we got here?

This dish is called Don't Come Back Empty-handed.

It's all about that World War II ethos.

If young boys were out playing in the fields, their mums would shout at them,

"Don't come back empty-handed!"

Bring blackberries, bring a rabbit, anything you could find.

So you've brought this rabbit here, where's it from?

It's actually from France.

I'm doing a herb salt for the bellies.

and slow-cooking them, confiting them so they're really nice and juicy.

The loins, I'm actually making into a banger.

And what's the oats for?

The oats are for home-made black pudding, using fresh pig's blood.

I see some snails there, what do they do?

The snails are flavour, texture,

and also really fits into that garden-allotment theme we've got going on

because you have the rabbit, the baby carrots,

baby turnips,

all the root veg which you'd find growing on

-an allotment during the war.

-OK, I'm looking forward to seeing it.

I think Emily's rabbit dish is very promising.

I can see the theme is an allotment, almost.

But she's set herself a massive task.

A lot of butchery to do, mousses to make.

I think because of last year, she got a very high score,

she's trying to emulate that and also surpass that.

Next up, in joint first place, with 14 points

is Michelin-starred Josh Eggleton.

He fell down on yesterday's fish course

for failing to tell a story on a plate.

The plan today is to make sure everything is cooked perfectly.

Getting the message across with my presentation,

-just more definition in what I'm doing.

-Rabbit?

-Yeah.

Emily's got rabbit as well.

So again, similar ingredients.

It will be tough to make sure the way I do them is better than what Josh will do.

-Touche.

-Yeah.

The name of my dish today is Normandy Rabbit.

I'm going to stuff the saddles with some spinach,

-and with the legs I will make some faggots as well.

-OK.

I have some heritage carrots, two ways.

I'm going to do salt-baked carrot...

In a salt crust or a dough crust?

-In a dough crust.

-OK.

And then self-raising flour.

With that I'm making some doughboys,

-that's what they used to call dumpling.

-Doughboys?

They're dumplings effectively, that's what my nan used to call them.

A lot my menu is based around experiences she had in the war.

Josh's dish, wild rabbit and doughboys,

is exciting, but it all comes down to the eating. Has it got the flavour?

has it got the presentation, has it hit the brief?

Last up is experienced heavyweight, Dominic Chapman,

who's neck-and-neck with Josh on 14 points.

He's been commended for his accomplished cooking

but criticised for not marrying his food with his presentation,

so today he's changing his approach.

I can't tell you how determined I am.

I am on fire today.

What's the dish called today, Dom?

I'm doing British Beef and Dumplings.

So what have we got in here?

I've got lovely beef cheeks which will be slowly braised

in beautiful red wine, Madeira and port.

I'll do some lovely dumplings.

And I'm going to put bone marrow in there,

but I want the bone marrow to melt into the dumpling

and give it a lovely flavour.

It's interesting because Josh also is doing dumplings,

-but without the bone marrow.

-It will be different, yeah?

My take on it is just adding some flavour...

-So his won't be as flavoursome?

-I hope not.

HE LAUGHS

I like it.

And then I will do some lovely vegetables.

Some beautiful carrots, radishes, broccoli

and, of course, you can't have braised beef without mashed potato.

Would this be a celebratory dish?

100%.

British Beef and Dumplings - for a veteran from the war years,

that's a celebration.

Dominic's dish, the beef and dumplings,

I think is a little bit safe.

He talks really passionately about it,

but it's beef and dumplings.

Does it tell a story?

OK, chefs, quite level, as you know, the scores

so I wish you all the best of luck

-and I want to see some fighting dishes, please.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Chef.

The chefs all know this is the crucial halfway point

and are more determined than ever to reach the ultimate goal

of this year's competition.

Come this far, don't want to stop here.

It would be amazing to get to the banquet

and be able to serve all those veterans.

They did so much for us

and to be able to bring that back and say thank you would be absolutely incredible.

Yeah, that would be special.

Emily was awarded a ten for her main course last year.

So there's even more pressure on her to get another high score today.

Emily, this was a strong course for you last year.

Do you think this main course is as good?

I love it, I really love this main course.

I think all the chefs really need to raise their game.

Dom and Josh are level-pegging

and Emily is only one point behind,

so everything to fight for.

The chef with the most experience in the kitchen is Dominic,

in joint first place.

He's desperate to extend his lead but has to get past rival, Josh.

Yesterday he was once more marked down by Sat

for failing to marry his food with his presentation.

So today he's changed tack.

I had the boards' dedications with the beach names on.

Didn't quite work.

In the time frame that I've had to change it, I've changed it.

I'm now going to make it more kind of D-day-esque.

Dominic starts his British Beef with Dumplings

by braising ox cheeks and pancetta in a classic

sauce of red wine, Madeira and port.

And he's convinced he's on the right track.

I am going to attempt to tell a story today through British beef.

-You can't beat a bit of British beef, can you, really?

-Can't go wrong.

What about in the war, was that a story?

There was beef around in the war.

It was pretty rare in the war.

It was in London, but down the West Country, you know...

What are you doing for presentation, then, Dom?

-That's a secret.

-OK.

Ambitious newcomer Josh also lost points yesterday

for not telling a story on a plate.

Today he's hoping to storm the scoreboard with his nod to Normandy.

An intricate rabbit stew with stuffed rabbit saddle,

a light rabbit broth and faggots.

What have we got here?

-This is a faggot, they're not rolled yet.

-What's in the mix?

Minced rabbit, rabbit offal.

-Some fresh tarragon...

-Let's have a taste, Chef.

-Happy with that?

-I might put a little bit more pepper

and the tiniest amount of salt.

I need to get ahead today, I need to get good points

and to push ahead, cos at the moment it's neck-and-neck

and I could be going home tomorrow.

Striving to get past rivals Josh and Dominic

and repeat yesterday's success,

Emily's rabbit dish is a complex affair.

As well as preparing slow-cooked rabbit legs

and pressed rabbit belly.

she's making a rabbit sausage and is working on a mousse with rabbit loin, cream

and eggs for the filling.

-So this is for your banger, is it?

-This is for my banger.

It'll have some herbs and spices run through it

and the rabbit offal as well.

My main course is all about what was out in the English

countryside during the war and making the most of it.

Looking to create a dish to honour the wartime spirit,

Emily went out into her own community,

the village of Kingham, in the Cotswolds...

During World War II, they really relied on absolutely every resource

and that's exactly what I'm trying to replicate in my menu.

Wanting to know what it was like living in her village during the war...

-Hi, John.

-Hello, Emily, come in.

..Emily called in on lifelong local, John Cooper.

I've been trying to create this menu as a kind of thanks

to veterans of World War II

and I'd love to hear from you about

what it was actually like living at that time.

My father served in the First World War

and he got gassed in the trenches,

therefore he wasn't able to hold down a full-time job.

Everything he'd done, I had to do.

-Huge responsibility.

-Yeah.

If you don't mind me asking,

how old were you at this time during the war?

-12, 13.

-That's very young.

Yeah. We were very fortunate

living in the country rather than people living in towns and cities.

-Of course.

-Because we'd the advantage of having your allotments,

and also you could go up the fields and kill a rabbit,

things like that.

Everybody was doing something for the war effort.

You must have been strong and fit when you were a boy growing up.

Still am.

HE LAUGHS

Does it make you very sad when you think of the wartime?

I don't know about sad, you took it as a duty.

You knuckled down to doing whatever you had to do.

Mother could always knock up something very quick and easy.

You'd never come back empty-handed.

That's a brilliant thing.

Armed with inspiration, and a name for her dish,

Emily headed into town.

Now I'm going to go into the butchers' in town to see what

they were doing during the war.

In the 1940s, Lambournes Butchers

in Stow-on-the-Wold was run by Gerald Harker.

-Very nice to meet you.

-You, too.

His daughter, Jane, grew up here

and recalls the time well.

I do remember the shop always being full,

the little old ladies

that only wanted one chop

or one sausage or something really cheap that they could

make a couple of meals from.

Sausages were made, properly,

out at the back of the shop here.

During the war, when meat was scarce, sausages were

bulked out with breadcrumbs and water,

causing them to pop when cooked

and giving them the nickname "bangers".

Emily wanted to try out her rabbit-packed sausages on Jane.

So bear in mind it is missing the offal.

-Very good.

-You enjoy it?

-Mm.

Do you think it's fitting the brief?

I think so, absolutely. And very, very tasty, so good luck

when you go in for the competition.

Thank you very much, Jane.

Emily is vying for victory and determined

to march past her Michelin-starred rivals.

She's working on yet another element for the main course,

Don't Come Back Empty-handed.

A Cotswold version of black pudding,

popular during the war, which she will later blitz to form soil

for her edible allotment presentation.

-What's this?

-That's my hodgepodge pudding. Or you might know it as black pudding.

-I love black pudding, it's my favourite ingredients in the world.

-Do you want to try it, Chef?

-Yes, please.

-It's quite spicy.

It's quite nicely seasoned...

I've got very high expectations of this...

Don't say that,

I'm watching all the...

You don't give anything away, do you?

Emily's hodgepodge pudding was delicious.

It was very hard to keep a poker face.

Inspired by his nan's memories of wartime food,

Josh is making doughboys,

dumplings made from flour, breadcrumbs, suet, herbs and lemon zest.

Rival Dominic is making dumplings, too.

He's incorporated an unusual bone-marrow filling

for an extra hit of flavour.

-These are your dumplings, Dom?

-Yeah.

-What's going to make them better than mine?

-Err...

These hands?

-Shall we try one?

-Yes.

What do you think?

Not bad.

What about yours? Where does "doughboy" come from?

I don't actually know. It comes from my nan, as far as I know.

-It might a regional thing.

-Yes, good name.

Here we go.

What do you reckon?

Like Sussex plum pudding.

I'm not worried that Josh is doing dumplings, they taste like a dessert.

-That sponge pudding with the lemon stuck in the middle.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's nice.

BLEEP

HE LAUGHS

Dumplings aren't the only cause of conflict

between Dom and Josh today.

They're both digging for victory

by serving vegetables in different ways.

To intensify the flavour, Josh is baking carrots in a special salt-dough crust.

What are you doing with your vegetables, Josh?

-Salt-baked carrots.

-Is that it?

I'm just charcoaling my purple sprouts in.

I just want some bitter notes.

True to form, Dominic's

hoping to let his ingredients do the talking.

Aside from pickling carrots and shallots,

the rest of his veg will be served blanched and tossed

in a butter sauce.

Dom, I understand you're just going to blanch your vegetables. Do you think that's playing a bit safe?

Simplicity is sometimes a beautiful thing.

I am looking for something that is going to elevate your dishes, so remember that, guys, yeah?

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I can salt-bake carrots as well,

but not for this dish.

I'm doing a mixture of vegetables that are fresh

and light.

I can't really salt-bake a piece of mange tout or a pea.

Vegetables play an important part of Emily's dish, too.

Her wartime allotment-inspired

presentation features hay-baked baby turnips,

carrots and potatoes

which will form a vegetable patch,

complete with edible soil made from her blitzed black pudding.

I'm really determined to get a good score today.

It's really, really important to me, the main course.

I have got so much to do and so little time to do it in, basically.

I have just got to absolutely concentrate

and just keep going, keep going, keep going.

-Josh, could you just give me a hand grabbing my props?

-OK.

Have we got the serving spoons?

Luckily, Dominic is first to plate up.

But he still has to pull together his last-minute

surprise presentation.

He carefully arranges his vegetables in his new enamel bowls.

-EMILY:

-The new dishes look good.

Good! I hope it shows that I'm serious about this competition.

We're running a bit behind schedule.

Yep, coming up right now!

Dominic spoons mashed potato

into a casserole dish, followed by braised ox cheeks,

pancetta and his bone marrow dumplings.

One minute, Chef!

He tops his dish with pickled carrots and shallots

and finally pours his sauce into jugs.

Veggies to the pass, please.

Come on, Dom, you're five minutes late already.

A little bit of extra gravy, just to be generous.

You think it hits the brief?

100%. I've changed tack.

Well, let's taste it.

So, Dom, are you happy with the presentation?

Yeah. This is more about

having a braised beef with the family

and everybody digs in.

-I am assuming this is for two.

-Yeah, it's definitely for two.

The ox cheek, do you think it is tender enough?

I do, I think it is beautifully tender.

The ox cheek is exquisite,

it's melting in your mouth.

It's lovely and soft.

This is the dumpling... this is what I was a little bit worried about.

I think the dumpling works.

It's nice.

I'm just wondering if it's a bit over,

-they seem to have collapsed a little bit.

-Yeah.

What do you think the vegetables add to this dish?

The pickles are supposed to cut through the richness of the dish.

The food is absolutely delicious, as always with Dom,

I'm just not sure if this is enough

for a banquet of this magnitude, you know?

Out of ten, what do you think this dish would get?

After yesterday, I'd be happy with a seven-plus.

I think for cooking, it is ten out of ten.

I think it is absolutely delicious.

In terms of hitting the brief, maybe eight.

Yeah.

Is he going to score it? I don't know, I've tried.

I have listened to what he said.

Cooking hasn't changed. It might not be perfect on the plate, but the cooking hasn't changed.

Determined first-timer Josh

is next to plate up.

After yesterday's low score of six,

he has to do better today.

What's that, Josh?

A sandbag, just to stabilise these soldiers' helmets.

Just trying to tell more of a story on the plate with the presentation.

He starts with doughboys, inspired by his nan,

along with rabbit faggots.

He slices rabbit saddle

and places on the plate,

then removes his carrots from their salt crust

And serves, alongside chargrilled broccoli

with rabbit broth on the side, in a reproduction World War II soldier's hat.

-Well, looks beautiful, doesn't it?

-It really does.

Josh, does it make you proud to be British?

Yeah, it makes me proud to serve that and proud to be British.

-Shall we go and taste it?

-Great.

The idea is, this gets put in the middle of the table

and you can ladle some of the broth

and some of the doughboys over the top.

-Good-looking dumplings.

-Yeah.

Kind of poached, rather than steamed.

Josh, are you happy with the texture of the doughboys?

I'm really happy with them today, they've held together and cooked all the way through.

They're quite heavy, those dumplings, aren't they?

-It is quite heavy.

-Quite doughy.

I kind of prefer a lighter dumpling.

Try the faggot.

This is minced leg and shoulder of rabbit.

I put some back fat in there from a pig.

I think it could have a bit more offal.

Talk to me about the rabbit, the way it is cooked.

Yeah, I'm happy with it, it is nice and soft.

The presentation looks lovely, doesn't it?

Perfect, that's technically very good cooking.

-Seasoning OK?

-A little bit shy.

These are heritage carrots and I baked them in a salt crust.

That salt bake has given it an intense carroty flavour.

-Yeah.

-Perhaps a little bit too dry.

It's a very fine line between gimmick and using a prop

for the good cause. Where do you think this sits?

I think this is telling a story about the war, it is obviously Normandy.

Listen, there's the brief and there's just going too far.

I don't think it's his strongest dish.

Josh, if your nan was in my shoes,

what score would she give you out of ten?

-She'd be biased, so I reckon it would be 11.

-Good answer.

Second-timer Emily

is last to plate up, but still has lots of elements to pull together

for her dish, Don't Come Back Empty-handed.

BLEEP

-How was it, all right?

-Yeah, good. I was happy.

How are you doing, Emily?

Sweating.

With time against her, she deep-fries her pressed rabbit belly,

finishes her slow-cooked rabbit leg...

Was it this much pressure last time you did a main course?

I don't think I had as many elements last time.

I'm feeling it.

..And then turns her attention to the rabbit bangers.

Are the bangers banging, Emily?

The bangers are banging.

Emily dresses her plate with wilted sprout tops,

rabbit belly, rabbit leg and her rabbit bangers...

Shaking too much to be able to do this today.

..Before beginning to build her vegetable patch with potato, carrot and turnip purees.

-Timing's becoming an issue, I think.

-It is, yep.

Now firmly up against it, Emily adds blitzed hodgepodge black pudding

edible soil, baked baby turnips,

carrots and potatoes,

pours her rabbit sauce into jugs

and finally, to complete her allotment presentation,

adds snails braised in garlic butter.

-Are you happy with it, Emily?

-Just about.

Do you think this dish could push you ahead?

I'd like it to.

Let's go and have a taste.

It looks impressive.

-It does, doesn't it?

-It's quite clever.

So, rabbit banger. I like the name.

Are you happy with the texture of the sausage, the banger?

I am. It has come out as it is supposed to be,

a nice mousseline.

As a rabbit sausage, I quite like it. It's got a good flavour.

What are these bits in it here? Is this liver?

That's the offal.

Do you think the offal is overcooked?

I think if it was less cooked, I would be worrying

it would bleed into the mousseline which wouldn't be nice, either.

It's a little bit overcooked.

Are you happy with the rabbit leg?

I'm really happy with the rabbit leg.

It's nice and juicy still, it's nice and tender.

-I think the leg lacks a bit of depth of flavour.

-JOSH: Yep.

Is the garlic in the snail supposed to be predominant

or more sort of...?

I think it should be a little bit more subtle.

I love the idea of putting the snails on it with the veg garden and the rabbit, for that matter.

Are you happy with the black pudding soil?

I am.

-So that's the hodgepodge pudding.

-Nice bit of richness.

Quite subtle, isn't it?

Is this a story on a plate?

For me, yeah, this is real living,

in the countryside during World War II.

It's a nod towards land girls and allotments

and there is definitely that element coming across.

What would you give?

-Seven or eight.

-I'd say it's a seven.

If you had to mark yourself out of ten, what would you give yourself?

I'd really hope for an eight, to be honest.

How are you doing?

Truthfully? I feel I've just done a service for 100 people.

HE LAUGHS

That took it out of us, didn't it, the main course?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it was tough.

For all of us, you know?

I'm happy with my main course today,

I feel a lot stronger than yesterday.

This year's dish, I've been really happy about it at home,

but I'm really concerned that I had too much going on

and it's tripped me up a bit.

Time to find out if this was your finest hour.

I'll start with you, Dom.

And your British Beef and Dumplings

with creamed potatoes and buttered vegetables.

The braised ox cheeks were tender,

juicy and seasoned really well.

The bone marrow in the middle really worked

and gave off a great flavour.

I've marked you down before for not telling a story on the plate.

With this dish I felt you really took my advice.

Thank you.

However,

the veg was a little too crunchy.

Quite rich, so I think it needed a bit more pickle on top of the dish.

Emily, for your Don't Come Back Empty-handed

with rabbit banger and hodgepodge pudding...

the rabbit leg was soft and juicy,

the snails were very nice.

I loved the idea of the allotment

representing the food that was available during the war.

But for me,

there were some serious schoolgirl errors.

The hodgepodge pudding was delicious...

..but you blitzed it up.

I don't know why you never left a piece of it with all the work

you put into it.

The rabbit banger wasn't quite right.

It tasted like there was too much egg in there

and the offal was overcooked.

I think you spread yourself a little too thin.

Josh, for your Normandy Rabbit Stew

with doughboys and faggots...

..the rabbit saddle was perfect.

It was moist and delicious.

The salted carrots really worked and I thought it was quite clever

to have the broccoli in there that's been barbecued.

And you can tell your nan from me, the doughboys were delicious.

I liked the use of the soldier's hat and the sandbag

because it gave a sense of history.

You showed real respect to the banquet guests, and I love that.

For me, the dish was spot-on.

So the scores.

Dom, for your British Beef and Dumplings...

I'm going to give you a seven.

It was a dish we could all be proud of, and not a restaurant dish.

Emily.

For your Don't Come Back Empty-handed...

I'm going to give you a six.

It's a great idea,

but it needs some work on the technical elements.

Josh,

for your Normandy Rabbit...

..I'm going to give you a nine.

Fantastic idea, and it tasted incredible.

(Thank you.)

Emily, I'm really sorry, I really wanted to score you higher

-but I just couldn't.

-Fair enough.

I know you've got it in you to reach the judges.

These guys might have stars, but as yesterday proved, it doesn't matter.

I really want you to believe in yourself, because I do.

Thank you.

Tomorrow's the dessert, I'm looking forward to some great cooking, guys.

-ALL:

-Thank you.

Well done!

BLEEP!

Good for you.

Ambitious newcomer Josh

takes the lead with 23 points.

Dominic's in second place with 21.

While returning contender Emily

is still trailing behind on 19.

-Good on you.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

So, I was really happy with my main course today

but there's a ten still to be had.

I am disappointed with a seven

because I tried really hard on that dish

and I just feel like it was maybe worth a little bit higher.

So, tell me, guys, honestly.

Where did mine go wrong?

The comments about the boudin,

we kind of made those comments, the offal was a bit overcooked.

My main course score was a disaster, to me, I was really disappointed

in it, but I can see Sat's points about it, I take them on board,

I spread myself too thin and it meant that I took my eye off the ball.

Tomorrow, it's the dessert course.

-Only a couple of points in it, and it's going to be tight.

-Yeah.

And the chefs' last chance to impress.

I've got zero confidence at the moment.

Who will be leaving the competition?

BLEEP!

Really?!

I really believe that, this time, I've hit the brief.