South West Dessert Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu,

three of the South West's finest chefs.

Experienced heavyweight Dominic Chapman...

-I'm not

-BLEEP

-calm, I'm all over the shop.

..ambitious newcomer Josh Eggleton...

It will be amazing to cook for the veterans.

..and returning contender Emily Watkins...

It's absolutely anybody's game.

..are battling it out for the chance to thank our World War II heroes,

at a glorious banquet marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day

at London's iconic St Paul's.

Yesterday's battle was for the main course...

BLEEP.

-..with Josh stealing the glory...

-I'm going to give you a nine.

A fantastic idea and it tasted incredible.

..and second-timer Emily staying in last place.

Tell me, guys, honestly, where did all mine go wrong?

Today is the dessert course.

-There is only a couple of points in it and it's going to be tight.

-Yeah.

And it's the chefs' last chance to get to the judges' chamber...

I've got zero confidence at the moment.

..as one of them will be leaving the competition.

BLEEP.

Really?

June 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day - the momentous battle

that helped bring an end to World War II.

The chefs have been tasked with creating patriotic dishes

that evoke the fighting spirit of the 1940s...

Looks like blood, sweat and tears has gone into this one.

There's a lot of love there.

..and have used wartime memories to inspire their menus.

They had all literally been shipped out and a lot of them

must have got killed.

Judging the South West chefs for the last time today

is two-Michelin-starred former champion Sat Bains.

I've got to send a chef home.

They're all very talented, so it's going to be really horrible today.

You must be feeling on top of the world, Josh.

I am, I'm feeling great and I want to stay there. I want to stay ahead.

-It's absolutely anybody's game still, isn't it?

-Massively, yeah.

-Any of us could get there.

-There's only a couple of points in it and it's going to be tight.

First up on 23 points is determined newcomer Josh Eggleton.

He scored nine points for his main course, yesterday, and is going

all out to get to the judges' chamber with a hugely ambitious dish inspired by his nan.

This dessert course is massive for me. There is a lot going on.

I could fall on my face on this one.

-Josh, how are you?

-Yeah, good.

-Wow, that's a bit of a box.

What have we got going on in here then? Tell me the dish.

The name of my dish today is VE Day Street Party.

-Going back to inspiration from my nan.

-OK. So what's in it?

-There's quite a lot of stuff here.

-It's five desserts in one.

-Wow.

I'm going to make a Victoria sandwich - classic.

And then I'm going to flavour that with bergamot essence, so the flavour of Earl Grey.

-And then I'm going to do a fruit scone.

-OK.

-On top of that, I'm going to use custard powder

-to make a creme patissiere, or pastry cream.

-OK.

I've got strawberries and cream,

so I'm going to do a strawberry jelly. Bit of basil,

panna cotta and then some macerated strawberries on top of that.

-OK, and what's the bay leaves for?

-Bay leaves are for chilled, spiced rice pudding.

I'm going to flavour that with some nutmeg and a little bit of vanilla.

What's the dripping for?

-Dripping, again, going back to inspiration from my nan.

-OK.

She used to have bread and jam during the war. I'm going to get sliced white bread,

take the beef dripping, put it on the outside of the bread

and I'm going to put it in a toasted sandwich machine.

You've got scones, sandwich, you've got to make a panna cotta.

-A lot of technical issues here, aren't there?

-Yeah, yeah.

Do you think you will do it in the time frame?

Yeah. I'll do it. Hope so.

With Josh's dessert, he's setting himself up a massive task.

Five desserts with several components.

Will he make it? I'm worried.

Trailing behind Josh by just two points

is Michelin-starred heavyweight Dominic Chapman.

He's been praised for his accomplished cooking all week,

but has so far struggled to tell a story on the plate.

I want to win. I really want to win.

You don't come this far, work as hard as you've worked

and then go home with nothing.

-So, Dom, what's the name of your dish?

-My dish is a Victory Trifle.

-OK, well talk me through.

-Yeah, I've got lovely blackberries.

They're going to be the fruit of the trifle, which are always delicious.

I'm going to soak some sponge fingers in sherry,

then there will be layers of cream and custard,

-finished with a syllabub.

-I've noticed that you've got

the sponge fingers and the Amaretti biscuits already made.

Would you have thought to make your own?

100% but you can buy beautiful sponge fingers,

so it's unnecessary to make your own.

-And the custard?

-Custard powder. Very, very important.

I want a thick layer of custard

and I find this is delicious and beautiful.

And, actually, it is a bit of a nod to the old war years.

I'm also going to add an apple granita and a blackberry jelly.

Do you think you've hit the brief?

What's the presentation going to be like?

I'm confident that this will really hit the brief.

I'm taking one of the greatest ever British desserts

-to France for a celebration.

-And how are you going to do that?

I'm going to do that with a rather special perry,

which I'm going to serve on the side as a little nod to the French.

Dom's finale is a Victory Trifle. Has he played it safe?

Is he understated? Is he going to pull something out of the bag?

His cooking is exemplary. Let's hope he pulls this off and just surprises me with something.

In last place with 19 points is returning contender Emily Watkins,

who made it to the judges' chamber last year.

Her menu has been strikingly similar to rival Josh's all week,

but has had mixed reviews from veteran Sat,

who yesterday scored her a disappointing six.

I think, in a way, I'm more nervous than I was last year.

I think my confidence is quite low at the moment. It's going to take quite a lot to get back.

Wow, lots of blackberries.

-Lots of blackberries.

-So, what's the name of your dish?

-It's called Street Party.

-Really? Wow.

-Yeah, again.

You two have not been in cahoots, have you?

I know. No, if we'd been in cahoots we definitely would have done different menus!

-So, tell me what you're doing with your Street Party.

-This is a representation of the South West.

-Yep.

-I'm doing a lardy cake from a West Country old-fashioned thing.

So, what is a lardy cake?

It's a bread dough, basically, which is rolled with lard,

mixed with sugar into a paste. It's usually dried fruit

but I'm again bringing in a little bit of a French influence,

-so I'm using brioche rather than a heavy bread dough.

-OK.

And I'm using fresh blackberries rather than a dried fruit.

And will the brioche prove in time, because it takes a little bit longer?

-That's what I'm worrying about. But I'm hoping so.

-Emily, what's this?

That is buttermilk to make a really nice, fresh sorbet

to accompany the lardy cake.

-What are the poppy seeds for?

-Making a blackberry tuile.

But also it is significant because it's Remembrance

to all the World War veterans.

-Do you think with this dish you can get a ten?

-I really hope so.

Again, Street Party. Her and Josh have been uncannily similar all week.

The name of the dishes, the ingredients they've used.

The risk factor with Emily's dish is, is it gastronomic enough?

With the lowest-scoring chef leaving the competition today,

the pressure to succeed is weighing heavily on everyone's minds.

I'd really love to get my dessert to the banquet.

I've got zero confidence at the moment.

Michelin-starred Josh is busy making a strawberry and basil jelly

and rose-water panna cotta for his VE Day Street Party.

An ambitious dish with five separate elements.

You must be feeling a bit like I felt in my main course with five desserts.

-Yeah, I think I am. I've got a lot on.

-Yeah.

Last chance, isn't it?

Last day, the pressure is on.

I'm really pushing hard for this one.

That's my fault for choosing five.

So, I've just got to make sure I pull it off.

Second timer Emily has also chosen a street party

to bring her D-Day-inspired menu to a close.

She's making blackberry jelly and blackberry and buttermilk sorbet to accompany her lardy cake.

A traditional West Country teacake she's updating with brioche dough,

-which usually takes a long time to prove.

-So, this is the brioche?

This is my key component, yep.

The brioche is made, as usual,

with butter, etc and then this is actual lard.

What's the temperature in the kitchen? Is it too hot for you?

That's the problem because I want it to be perfectly risen.

-How long will it take to prove?

-At this temperature,

closer to half an hour.

It's very, very hot where we're standing. That's the plan, anyway.

The kitchen is very hot.

If it proves too fast it could be quite doughy in the middle.

This is the main element of her dish.

She cannot afford for this to go wrong.

Experienced heavyweight Dominic is two points ahead of rival Emily

and looking to extend his lead with a celebratory Victory Trifle

with apple granita, blackberry jelly and a glass of French pear cider.

Dom, what's this? Dom?

Thank you, cheers.

He's been marked down this week for not telling a story on a plate

and he's using shop-bought, Italian ingredients today

to make a simple British classic.

You don't have time to make those?

-They are Italian sponge fingers.

-Italians can do a better job?

-They make a beautiful crunch.

-I'm making five desserts over here.

-I know, but...

-What? What's going on?

-You know,

I've got a few elements of my own to make

-and these work.

-I think my nan used to use those.

-Did she?

Rival Josh is taking no short cuts

with his VE Day Street Party dessert.

He has moved on to number two of five individual elements -

mini Victoria sponges, inspired by his nan Bernie.

Even with the crops, it was a big family effort.

Some of the crockery we're using today

-is some of my nan's that she's had for years and years.

-Yeah.

My nan was around in the Second World War.

I've got a photo of her here with me in it.

-That's brilliant.

-I'm just going to stick it up here for inspiration.

Good for you, that's really nice.

For the final dish on his menu, Josh wanted to draw on his nan's

first-hand experience of World War II. So, he headed home to Bristol.

I'm off to see my nan today to get some inspiration for my dessert.

I know she was evacuated in the war

and I just want to see what sort of sweet things

they were eating back then.

Hello, Nan.

Josh's nan Bernie was just 11 years old in 1944, when she returned from being evacuated,

but she has strong memories of the events leading up to D-Day.

At the beginning of 1944 we came home.

The American soldiers had arrived.

They were in a camp and they were fine young men,

younger than you are now.

I can remember we used to go to the perimeter fence and talk to them on Sunday afternoons.

And then my father came home one morning and he said they'd all gone.

They had all literally been shipped out,

secretly, to go off to D-Day.

-Mmm.

-The Normandy Landing.

It makes me feel sad because a lot of them must have got killed.

Josh's Nan has just as vivid recollections

of the food they ate at the time.

It was frugal meals - not like the luxuries that, you know,

-people have today.

-Was everything rationed?

-Well, bacon was rationed.

-Bacon?

-Butter was rationed.

-Yep.

-Lard was rationed. Sugar.

-We used to have the tin of powdered egg...

-Yeah.

..and we used to beat that and put it in the frying pan..

And then of course we had fried bread with sugar on.

It tasted like a hot doughnut!

It was his nan's nostalgic memories of the end of the war

that inspired Josh to make his street party dessert.

-This is Nibley Road. Which is not very far from us.

-Let's have a look.

Now, that's a street party.

And there is Uncle Graham on there, look.

-What were they eating?

-Oh, jelly and blancmange.

-Jelly and blancmange?

-And jam sandwiches.

-Jam sandwiches.

-Yes.

I'm thinking of basing my dessert on VE Day.

That would be really lovely.

-Don't forget the jam sandwiches.

-I won't.

I've listened to my nan a lot and some of the things she used to eat,

so I've taken inspiration.

I'm going out on a celebration based on street parties they had

at the end of the war, so everybody just finishes on a high.

-The pressure is still on for ambitious new chef Josh...

-BLEEP.

..who's busy preparing dish number three for his street party themed dessert.

Fruit scones with pastry cream,

which go into the oven as his Victoria sponges come out.

-How are you doing with all your elements?

-Getting there.

-This is one of five?

Yeah. I'm feeling confident on this one.

At the moment, I'm on schedule, so I'm hoping to stay there.

Josh has really pushed himself with the desserts.

Has he gone too far?

Five desserts. The sponge is OK, but what about the rest?

Across the kitchen, returning contender Emily

is making poppy seed Remembrance tuiles

to garnish her street party dessert,

which she puts in a dehydrator to crisp up before serving.

She needs top marks to stay in the competition

and is taking a big risk making brioche lardy cake...

I might have to cook it off a little bit earlier than I'd like to.

..as in the heat of the kitchen, the dough could prove

quicker than usual, ending up dense in the middle.

Emily is looking a bit worried about her dough,

but she needs to make sure that she gets that risen because it's a real tricky thing to achieve.

Emily isn't the only one watching the clock.

Dominic is making an apple granita to accompany his Victory Trifle

and, unknown to Emily, accidentally unplugs the dehydrator containing her tuiles

to blitz up his apples, before moving on to the custard

for his trifle.

Another shop-bought ingredient that Sat has concerns about.

-Can I have a taste?

-Yeah, but it's nowhere near ready yet.

-What have you got to do to make it ready?

-I need to cool it down.

I'll then put it into my trifle. It will set nice and firm.

-Do you think it's too thick?

-No. No, no. It will...

I promise you, it will be beautiful.

This guy is a Michelin-starred chef.

What is he doing making packet custard?

There's only two points separating Dom and Emily. It had better be good.

Returning chef Emily can't afford any setbacks.

She's first to plate up her West Country Street Party.

But when she goes to check on her poppy seed tuiles,

there's a problem with the dehydrator.

-Are you all right?

-The dehydrator's off.

Can I turn the dehydrator back on?

-Yeah, turn it on.

-The dehydrator was off, I'm not sure how long for.

It probably went off when I did the granita, actually. So, hopefully not long.

With some of the other dishes, I've let myself down in the execution, so, this time

I'm really trying to get all those things spot-on.

With no time to lose, she takes her brioche lardy cakes

out of the oven ready to start dressing her plate.

-Lovely. Happy?

-I am, actually, yeah.

But Emily won't know for sure if she's got the proving

of the dough right until she and Sat taste them.

-Feeling confident?

-Not massively at the moment.

It's quite late in the game to be trying to pull it back.

You happy with it?

The proof's in the pudding.

Next, she adds blackberry mousse, blackberry jelly cubes

and her blackberry and buttermilk sorbet.

I blast chilled these, so they hold by the time we try them.

Finally, it's on with her poppy seed Remembrance tuiles,

which may or may not have had enough time to crisp up.

Emily, how are we getting on?

I wouldn't say anything yet, because I'll probably drop it

on my way to the pass. Still a little bit shaky.

Jelly, ice cream and cake.

Do you think this is a dish to celebrate?

I think so, yeah. A classic combination as a little celebration.

Let's give it a taste.

So, what's the poppy tuile made from?

Blackberry puree cooked to a certain temperature,

then just spread very finely in the dehydrator.

-Do you think it's dehydrated enough?

-Yeah, it's nice and crisp.

This is a blackberry, poppy seed tuile.

Mmmm. Bit chewy.

Tell me about this, would you call it a sorbet or ice cream?

-A sorbet.

-How have you made that?

Buttermilk and a classic sorbet syrup -

sugar, water and glucose.

That ripple going through there, that's nice.

Absolutely delicious, yeah.

So, this is the main part of it.

I'm actually really happy with it.

It's exactly as it should be - gooey in the middle,

-saturated in lots of fat and sugar.

-Yeah.

I think Emily was worried about nothing and she's nailed it.

She was a little bit worried about the under-proving

but it seems to have worked - lovely.

Do you think this dish is celebratory?

For me, it fits the brief.

Do you think this represents a street party in presentation?

We've got the mini trestle table, that's quite a good idea.

Yeah, it's a bit more of a picnic, I'd say.

I think a few Union Jacks flying around would be nice.

Emily, do you think you've done enough to go through?

Let's wait and see what the other guys do.

I'm feeling quite relieved, actually, that the dessert is done.

I've given everything now. I felt very happy with what I put up there on the pass.

-BLEEP

-the pans.

Next to plate up is experienced heavyweight Dominic, with his old-fashioned Victory Trifle.

Dom, you look very calm.

-I'm not

-BLEEP

-calm, I'm all over the shop.

I don't know why.

He starts with sherry-soaked, shop-bought sponge fingers

followed by blackberries and powdered custard.

Then turns his attention to the sherry syllabub topping,

but at the very last minute decides to make it again from scratch.

Did you make that earlier?

-Yeah, it's too strong with sherry. It needs to be subtle.

-Yeah.

With time slipping away, he enlists the help of Emily.

Could you grab the granita out of the freezer, please?

Dominic tops his trifle with the sherry syllabub,

pistachios, almonds and shop-bought Amaretti biscuits,

before placing it on a specially-made board

with a dedication to the people of Caen -

a French city that was liberated shortly after D-Day -

adding a glass of French pear cider, apple granita and blackberry jelly.

Don't drop it, Dom.

-Voila.

-So, what do you think, Chef?

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

Let's go.

So, talk me through it.

It's a blackberry trifle - an Anglo-French Victory Trifle.

I love blackberry and apple.

And trifle - how English can you get with a trifle?

Quintessentially British.

What do you think the nuts and Amaretti biscuits add to the finished dish?

-Crunch.

-He didn't make these Amarettis, did he?

No.

So, on the base is sponge fingers, literally soaked in sherry.

Not too much.

Sponge fingers. Again, he didn't make those.

Do you like shop-bought ingredients?

If I'm going to get a product that I'm happy with

in the end, then of course.

Then we have the layer of custard.

I think the custard's a bit too firm.

You've got sherry in the base,

sherry on the top. Do you think there's too much sherry?

It's a sherry trifle. Granny's not going to be happy if you've not got

enough sherry in your trifle.

-And here we have the granita.

-I love this.

I'm very, very happy with the granita.

That's lovely. Really clean.

-Really nice.

-Cuts through.

So, it says on the board, "Dedicated to the people of Caen."

-Do you think this does it?

-I hope so.

The brief was about Normandy and D-Day

and it was all about the Battle of Caen.

So, I hope this is my honour to them.

Out of ten, what would you score yourself?

I really can't answer this one.

I need to leave that to you.

Last to plate up is front man Josh.

He's going all out with his VE Day dessert.

The second street party today.

He's moved onto the fourth of five individual components -

spiced rice pudding

with burnt sugar tuiles, which go into the oven to crisp up.

Josh has a surprise in store for rival Emily.

Can you give me a hand with um... a box?

-Is this your secret wild card?

-This is my bit of presentation.

It's quite heavy.

-Is it going to jump out at me?

-No.

-Go on, what's in there?

You're going to laugh because it's similar to what you did.

Oh, lovely. That's beautiful.

I like the bunting, as well. I was going to do bunting.

-It slightly puts my street party...

-BLEEP.

With the clock ticking, Josh sets about finishing his fifth dessert,

his nan's favourite of jam and beef dripping sandwiches,

-before returning to the oven to check on his tuiles.

-BLEEP.

-But disaster has struck.

-Everything all right, Josh?

The fan in the oven has just blown my tuiles

off the tray, so I've got to just start those again.

-BLEEP.

-It's the last thing he needs at this late stage.

So, he quickly whips up a new batch and gets them into the oven...

while he tends to his Victoria sponges

filled with bergamot cream and strawberries

and places his fruit scones and beef dripping toasties

on his nan's tea plates...

-Are you making a cup of tea?

-Yeah.

..along with his strawberry jelly and rose-water panna cotta

and, in the nick of time, his spiced rice pudding,

-complete with remade burnt sugar tuiles.

-You're quite worried, really?

Oh, yeah.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-He's done it beautifully.

Let's taste it then, Chef. Let's go.

-Brilliant.

-Well done, Josh.

-Cheers.

So, how would you start?

-As my nan would, I guess. Pour the tea.

-Perfect, let's go.

I'm not sure where to start, it all looks beautiful.

You don't want to break it

-but, at the same time, you want to eat it all.

-The rice pudding?

So, this is chilled, spiced rice pudding.

Also with this, I've got a bit of custard we can add.

-The tuile's lovely.

-It's just lovely sugar tuile, isn't it?

-The tuile's lovely, yeah.

-Nice and crisp.

I find the rice a little bit overcooked.

This is just a simple fruit scone.

On top of it, I've just made some pastry cream

and then on top of that, I've got some rhubarb and some gooseberries.

The scone is delicious.

I would like clotted cream

and a bit of strawberry jam on there, myself,

-but that's traditional.

-Yeah.

So, Victoria sponge cakes.

What we have here is a classic Victoria sponge cake.

-Nice light sponge.

-Yup. Nice.

-Nice strawberry and cream.

OK, talk me through the sandwich now.

So, I've made blackcurrant jam, got some beef dripping,

spread it on the outside of the bread,

jam in the middle and in a toasted sandwich machine.

I think it's very fitting with the brief.

You can't go wrong with a jam sandwich.

Do you think this represents Britishness?

When we won the war, everyone had a street party.

I want to take everybody at that banquet back to that.

Some of the elements aren't as sharp as they should be.

Visually, it's amazing.

-How are we doing?

-Good. Good, eh?

-Tough.

-Yeah.

How are you two feeling?

-Relieved it's done.

-Yeah.

I don't know what's going to happen next, but what a week.

It's going to go down to the wire, I reckon.

It's been a long week.

But only two of you can go through

to cook your menus for the judges tomorrow.

I'm going to start with you, Emily...

..and your Street Party with blackberry lardy cake,

jelly and ice cream.

The lardy cake was delicious.

The brioche was perfect

-and really moist.

-Thank you.

I love the sorbet. But...

..for me, the tuile - there was no bite to it.

Overall, you need to look at the presentation.

The idea was there, but didn't go far enough.

Dom, for your Victory Trifle

with Granny Smith apple granita and blackberry jelly...

The trifle was good, solid cooking.

The syllabub was light as air.

And the level of sherry was perfect.

It wasn't too boozy.

But I was a little surprised to see a chef of your calibre

using shop-bought ingredients.

Most of all, unfortunately, this missed the brief.

For me, this didn't tell a story on the plate.

Putting a glass of French perry

on the side of the plate just isn't enough.

Josh.

For your VE Day Street Party with five miniature desserts,

you gave yourself a huge task.

But...

..you nailed it.

The presentation was amazing,

the Victoria sponge was light and beautiful.

The jam toastie was delicious.

The rice pudding was the only weak point.

The rice was a little under-done.

But this really was a celebration fit for a street party.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

So, for the scores.

With a score of nine for their dessert...

..giving them the highest score across the week...

is Josh.

-For your VE Day...

-Well done.

-..Street Party.

-Well deserved.

So, Josh, that means you'll be cooking for the judges tomorrow.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

So, two chefs are left.

Only one can go through to cook for the judges.

Emily...

..for your Street Party,

I'm giving you...

-a seven.

-Thank you.

Dom,

for your Victory Trifle...

..I'm giving you...

a five.

So, that means you've both got 26 points.

As a draw, the decision falls to me.

I have to look at your menus across the week and take into account all four dishes.

Ultimately, who deserves that shot at making it to the banquet?

I've spent a long time thinking about it,

but I've come to a decision.

Going through to the judges...

-..is Emily.

-Really?

Well done.

-Well done.

-Congrats, Emily. How do you feel?

I'm really shocked. Thank you very much, Chef.

Dom, you've cooked brilliant food

-this week, but I think you missed the brief.

-Yep, I agree.

Thanks for all the cooking, guys. You did a great job.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Emily and Josh will be cooking for the judges tomorrow,

but Dominic must bow out of the competition.

I was absolutely convinced I was going home. But obviously I'm absolutely delighted

and I'm determined to pull it out of the bag for the judges tomorrow.

Well done, well done. Rock'n'roll.

I've learnt a lot and if I ever get the opportunity to do this again,

I'll come back stronger and I'll come back nailing the brief.

Listen, good on you. Go for it.

-Knock him off the pedestal that he's on.

-BLEEP.

I'm over the moon. I gave myself a huge task to achieve

and I thought, I could fall flat on my face here, so I'm relieved that I managed to pull it off.

Tomorrow, the fight is on...

Ah! You're trying to kill me!

Competition, isn't it?

..as Josh and Emily cook their entire menus again

for the panel of judges...

I doff my hat to this one.

-Does it really deliver on the brief? Just.

-It's pub food.

..but only one chef can go through to the national finals.

Our winner is...