Wales Starter Great British Menu

-This year the country's best chefs...

-Boom!

-Are you going to be brave in these situations?

-..have battled...

-Ah! Trying to kill me.

-Gloves off today.

..to put their finest culinary hour on a plate...

-Jeepers. It's like Dad's Army.

-The pigeon was spot on.

After all your hard work, I thought you absolutely nailed it.

-I got through.

-'Oh, that's fantastic.'

..for the chance to cook for our World War II veterans at a special

banquet commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-day

at London's incredible St Paul's Cathedral,

a bastion of British wartime resilience.

This week, fighting to represent Wales and take the last

remaining place in the finals are ambitious newcomer Andy Beaumont...

Hopefully I can give something back to them with this banquet.

..former military man David Kelman...

I want it to be nice and clean.

..and returning contender Mary Ann Gilchrist...

Mmm.

..who didn't make it past the judges last year.

Are you happier with the brief this year?

I am much happier with the brief.

This time she's aiming to go all the way.

I must confess I'm feeling the pressure.

Her rivals are out to stop her.

-You need to keep up with the times, Mary Ann.

-Oh.

But she's not having any of it.

-Hopefully mine will taste a lot nicer.

-In your dreams.

June 2014 will see Britain commemorate 70 years since D-day.

And four of the country's finest chefs honour the men

-and women who fought for us with a meal to remember.

-Wow.

-All right, cheers.

-Inspired by sacrifices made during the war.

It's just mind-boggling, really.

Fighting it out this week for a chance to cook at the D-day

banquet are returning contender Mary Ann Gilchrist,

with over 40 years' cooking experience.

I'm back. I've learnt from my mistakes

and I'm going to give it everything I've got this year.

Army cadet turned chef David Kelman, whose family has

served in the armed forces for generations.

The D-day brief is really close to my heart

and I'm determined to get a dish to the banquet.

And 28-year-old Andy Beaumont

determined to make a name for himself in this year's competition.

My dream is to get Wales to the D-day banquet.

Well, boys, how are you feeling about the competition?

I'm a little nervous, I ain't going to lie.

But I'm just raring to go and ready to get in there

-and see what we can do and have a bit of fun.

-What about you, David?

Feeling a bit nervous and apprehensive.

-My only concern right now is the veteran chef.

-Yeah.

Judging the Welsh contingent this week is one of Britain's

-most outstanding chefs.

-It's going to be interesting, isn't it?

A bit scary until they've arrived.

Michelin-starred veteran of the competition...

..Angela Hartnett.

-That's a lovely reaction. How are you, Mary Ann?

-Nervous.

-Nervous.

-Second year running, though.

-I know.

-Are you going to show these two how it's done?

-I'm going to try.

-Good.

-How are you, Andy?

-Not too bad.

-And how long have you been a head chef?

-About four years now.

-OK. So the underdog?

-Yeah, the underdog.

-And David, nice to meet you.

-And yourself.

-A military background, I hear. All your family's in the...Army?

-Yeah.

Pre-World War I, all the way through.

Well, you know the brief, so I'm looking for delicious food, a story

on a plate and a dish that really is going to do justice to our veterans.

Good luck.

Up first is Mary Ann Gilchrist.

Last year, despite a lack of finesse...

The one thing still... your presentation.

..her bold flavours and classical cooking techniques took her

-all the way to the judges' chamber...

-Mary Ann and Richard, welcome.

..where she was beaten by eventual banquet winner Richard Davies.

Richard.

So what's the inspiration behind your whole menu?

Basically, the austerity of the times during the war.

-And what's this dish going to be called?

-21st-century Woolton Pie.

Woolton pie was a pie that was commissioned during the war

to make best use of produce that was grown by the population,

-which was basically meat-free.

-Right.

-We've got swede, which will be finely diced.

-Carrots.

-Carrots, peeled and finely diced.

-Potatoes.

-Yes.

-Again, peeled and finely diced.

-Cauliflower.

Go on, make it into florets or something.

-Don't just finely dice them.

-No, we're going to finely dice it.

-I'm not doing floret.

-So, parsley. That going into the pie?

With the parsley, I'm going to make a parsley sauce to go with

-the Woolton pie.

-And do you feel this is gastronomic enough?

I just don't do fancy stuff. I never have done.

Feeling confident you're going to get back into the judges' chamber?

Now that I've met these two, I'm not so sure.

With Mary Ann's pie, there's no real great technicality there.

Very simple, so that's where the challenge is going to be.

It's got to be really delicious to be able to beat those other two.

Next up is young gun Andy Beaumont -

a newcomer to the competition, eager to earn his stripes.

What's the inspiration behind your whole menu?

I'm from a family of farmers. My father

and grandfather all had farms in the wartime and that's inspired me

to do my dish, celebrating living off the land,

using good home farm produce.

Sort of bringing them up to date, using modern techniques.

What's the name of this starter that you're doing?

-The dish I'm doing for my starter is Tongue To Tail.

-OK. So tongue.

I'm starting off with ox tongue. I'm going to slow braise it

and I'm using that to form the skin of my cannelloni.

-And then the oxtail?

-The oxtail is going to form the inside of it.

I'm going to slow cook that again, and then some of the braising

juice from the oxtail is going to be mixed in with some cream.

Kind of a foam-sauce sort of thing.

It will slowly melt down into a sauce when it's on the plate.

And do you think this is going to do justice to the veterans

-in the Remembrance of them?

-Definitely, yeah.

-It's going to beat Mary Ann?

-I hope so.

I'm quietly confident. I'm going to have a go anyway.

Andy's story is this farm story, this family history.

By using all these cheaper cuts, he's linking it very well to the

brief but it's got to taste good and with quite a few

elements going on they've got to work together and it's got to balance.

Last up is former army cadet David Kelman hoping to do his

military family proud with a modern take on a popular wartime meat.

So tell me the inspiration behind your menu.

It's all about Remembrance.

I've got a long history of the family dating back to World War I,

from all the military. I was in the Cadets for five years,

spent time in the Territorial Army as well.

So what is this dish called, this starter?

-The starter is Run Rarebit Run.

-Run Rabbit Run?

-Run RAREbit Run.

-RAREbit Run.

-So we're going to make a lovely rabbit pie

and we've got a lovely dark ale from where I'm from.

That's going to be part of the base of the Welsh rarebit.

-Will that be on some sort of toast?

-No, we're not going to toast them.

I'm going to thicken it with a bit of Ultratex

so we get a lovely smooth pate-type and I'm going to do some

lovely pickled vegetables with...

So you've got some baby onions here, carrots.

Baby onions, baby carrots, baby turnips.

How are you feeling about this, Mary Ann?

-It just sounds so complicated.

-It's not complicated. It's a pie.

And how do you feel this is going to tell a story on a plate?

It's a bit quirky, a bit of a laugh

-and it will be served in a rabbit hutch.

-OK.

There's a bit of music there as well.

There's a bit of music, as in I'm going to hear a bit of music?

-You are, yeah.

-Feeling confident?

I think it'll be a great start to the banquet, if I'm honest.

David's serving his dish in a rabbit hutch, which will be interesting.

I'm intrigued about the Welsh rarebit bit.

Let's see how it works with the pie.

It soon becomes clear that former military man David's not

the only one with a close personal connection to the brief.

So were any of your family in the war, Andy?

My uncles were runners, running from different posts,

passing messages back and forth and that sort of thing.

So what about yourself, Mary Ann?

My father flew Mosquitoes and in 1944 was shot down and was

a prisoner of war until the end of the war

And my mother wrote propaganda leaflets

-for the British War Department.

-So she's one of the ones who wrote

-little leaflets dropping over France?

-That's right.

-Oh, wow.

But Mary Ann's austerity-themed starter is

based on experiences of her own.

But I was born just after the war when rationing still existed.

-Surely not.

-I know, I'm nearly in my grave.

She's busy preparing the vegetable filling for her Woolton pie,

a wartime recipe named after the then Minister of Food

to encourage people to eat less meat.

Originally made with potato pastry, today Mary Ann's using flour

and butter to make hers more delicious.

-So you experienced rationing yourself?

-Yes, I did.

Are you more happy with the brief this year?

I'm much happier with the brief.

We've got Angela as a judge, so you've got to be a bit nervous.

I'm terrified of her!

Mary Ann is head chef and patron of the Carlton Riverside in Powys...

Perfect.

..where she's cooked classical food for 23 years with

the support of husband Alan who's in charge of front of house.

Hello, Carlton.

I had a ball last year, so I thought, "What the hell, I'll do it again."

The fact I came second to one of the winners made me very proud of myself.

She's enjoyed researching wartime recipes for this year's brief.

It was food my mother cooked.

It was food my father ate during the war,

so I'm looking forward to the challenge.

But she also knows her limitations.

My competitors will probably be much better at presentation than I am.

I can't do the fancy stuff that a lot of these young guns can.

But I do what I'm good at.

The flavour is every bit as important as presentation.

Lord Woolton's pie.

-Getting a dish onto the banquet would be my shining star.

-Beautiful.

I'm not going to hold my breath, but I'm going to do my best.

I think I'd have to give it a V for victory.

SHE LAUGHS

Mary Ann has started to roll the shortcrust pastry

for her vegetable pie.

Angela's worried about it being too simple, so it needs to be perfect.

How are you doing?

SHE GRUNTS

-Why the "Uh"?

-I'm just beginning to feel hot and bothered.

-OK. So that's going in your pie?

-Yes.

-And then you've got a parsley sauce.

Just a very light... Thanks for reminding me.

Just doing a little reduction of a broth.

Juice it down, season and then at the last minute

-put some finely chopped parsley in it.

-OK.

So, Mary Ann. Her pie mix did taste great but it is basically a pie.

Very simple compared to what the other two have got going on.

Young gun Andy's dish is anything but straightforward.

He's busy braising oxtail to be wrapped

in sliced ox tongue as a cannelloni...

..which he's serving with potato quenelles

and a cream-foam sauce.

All ingredients his family would have had

at their farm during the war.

During the war, my auntie and nan were Land Girls.

They told me stories of how they used to work on the farm,

doing ridiculous long hours.

All the work the men used to do. Grow all the food and everything

to send to the front line to feed the soldiers. There was a lot of

worry and stress for the relatives involved in the war more directly.

But hopefully I can give something back to them now with this banquet.

Having trained in Michelin-starred kitchens,

28-year-old Andy Beaumont is now

head chef at Hammet House, in Pembrokeshire...

..where he puts his own twists on modern European dishes.

I've got a lot of youth and creativity on my side

and I think that is going to help me get through to the banquet.

I'm super-competitive. No matter what I've done in my life,

I've always tried to be the best and try to win.

Despite his busy job,

Andy still makes time to help out at his family's farm in Abergavenny.

A lot of my ideas and creativity come from

when I'm at home at the farm.

There's plenty of time in the world to think about the dishes

and ideas and combine different flavours together in your head

and you think, "Yeah, that'll work."

So here's a bit of oxtail I've made.

His mum and dad are more than happy to try his wartime starter.

Hope you'll have some more.

Do you think it's good enough to get me to the banquet?

If I was voting, yes.

Andy is happy on the farm, but his first love is cooking.

If I don't get to the judges and the banquet, I will be devastated.

This is really my chance to shine and prove what I can do.

Having rolled his oxtail and tongue cannelloni, Andy can start his

technical foam sauce, made from the reduced oxtail braising liquid.

-OK, Andy. How's it going?

-Not too bad.

-This is what you're going to use to make your foam?

-Yeah, that's right.

Blend it up with a little cream and into a cream whipper,

so the gas will give it a nice, light, airy taste.

Airy taste or oxtail taste? Let's hope it tastes of oxtail, not air.

-Yeah.

-All right.

I think, personally, he's making more work for himself than he needs to.

If the foam, from what I understand, is about to collapse

and then form the sauce, just make the sauce.

At the end of the day,

if it just tastes of air, it's absolutely pointless.

I don't understand these new-fangled things you young guns use.

-You need to keep up with the times, Mary Ann.

-Oh.

Andy's foam is not the only modern method that's caught

Mary Ann's eye.

To complement his rabbit pie and pickled vegetables,

former military man David is bringing the old classic

Welsh rarebit into the 21st century using a thickening agent

-called Ultratex.

-It'll be like a nice cheese pate.

-Right.

So, really nice.

All right. What does Ultratex do to improve it?

It'll thicken it but not alter the flavour at all.

I've always either done things by reduction or made a classic roux.

I didn't want to cook it for a long time

and still have that little bit of dryness on your teeth.

I want it to be nice and clean.

I don't get dryness on my teeth when I do a roux.

Is that because you take them out and put them in water?

-That was really rude.

-You gave me the ammunition there.

Yes, that's true. I did.

David is head chef at Ellenborough Park Hotel, in Cheltenham...

Can you get another piece of lamb in there?

..where his 21st-century take on British food has put them on the map.

We've gained three AA Rosettes in the fine dining restaurant

and we keep winning accolades hand over fist on what we do here.

He eventually found his way into the kitchen after six-and-a-half years

in the Army Cadets and Territorial Army.

But the same can't be said about his grandparents.

My great-great-granda was in World War I and World War II

and survived.

My grandad was on the torpedo boats during World War II.

My other granda was an air raid warden during World War II

as well, so I've got to nail this and try and get

to the banquet to say thank you very much to these people.

And also for my family as well. My wife's a big support of mine

throughout my whole career. This is what I've got for you.

It's a little bit of rabbit pie with some crispy belly

and some Welsh rarebit for you to try.

He's been spending a lot of time on his menu.

He's so dedicated, so I'd love it to be all worthwhile.

-Do you think Daddy will win?

-Yes, Daddy will win.

-Yeah.

I don't really care whether he wins or loses because

I'm still going to be proud of him either way.

-It's just better if he does win, you know.

-Go on, then. Yes!

Ow.

With plating up approaching, David has almost finished his rabbit pies

and Mary Ann is keen to see how they compare to hers.

-That looks very similar to mine, but yours are quite small.

-Yeah...

-Hopefully mine will taste a lot nicer. Fingers crossed.

-Than mine?

-Than yours, yes.

-Yeah. In your dreams.

-We'll see, eh?

Proof is in the pie.

Returning contender Mary Ann is first to plate up her

vegetarian Woolton pie with parsley sauce.

I don't know about the boys, but I must confess I'm feeling

the pressure and I'm getting quite stressed.

-With no time to lose, her pies go in the oven.

-How long have I got?

-About ten minutes.

-Oh, great.

While her pies are baking,

she finishes her sauce with freshly chopped parsley.

-I think she's happy, Andy.

-I think so, yeah.

It may not be as complicated as yours, but it still tastes good.

It's all about the flavour. Don't worry about the presentation.

He wants you to get through to the final

so he's got easy competition for the judges.

SHE GROANS

-So are you going to be on time, Mary Ann?

-Just about.

She starts her plate with the parsley sauce.

I need somebody to mop my brow. I'm warm. Thank you.

Come on out, you swine.

Yes!

With her pie added, she finally plants a patriotic flag.

OK, Mary Ann. Pleased?

It's come out exactly how I wanted it to

-and I thought Union Jack for victory.

-What do you think, Andy?

-Very simple looking on the plate but it's all in the tasting.

-David?

-Yes.

Simple presentation but it's all in the taste, isn't it, Mary Ann?

Well, I think so.

-I don't know what it tasted like during the war...

-Yeah.

..but if you put a more careful

twist on it, in that it's properly seasoned. You've got a few

herbs. I think it actually works out as quite a homogenous dish.

-Enough pastry for you?

-Yes. Just about the right thickness.

The pastry's really nice. It's really soft and just

falls apart in your mouth.

I would have preferred the pastry being a little bit firmer.

-Sauce is exactly as you wanted it?

-Yes.

-Consistency? Seasoned?

-Yeah.

-It's got plenty of flavour with the herbs in it.

-I think it's tasty.

-And what about your filling?

-I think that is jolly tasty.

-Seasoned well.

-Really nice and soft. Not overcooked.

And if you took away the flag, how does that tell a story on a plate?

It's just a historical recipe.

What's let her down this year is the same as last year.

-The presentation is still a bit too simple.

-Yeah.

She got through on taste last time.

So, scores on the doors.

-If you were marking out of ten, what would you give yourself?

-Six.

-Six.

-Why six?

-Because, I suppose, it's too simple.

I would give it a good seven. Seven points on taste.

I'll have to mark it down to six, I think.

SHE EXHALES

-Are you all right, Mary Ann?

-Stressed.

-We thought it was nice.

Oh, thank you. What Angela thought, I don't know.

Young gun Andy is up next with his ox tongue and tail dish,

a tribute to the rural war effort.

He starts by placing his ox tongue cannelloni in a mess tin.

Then adds girolle mushrooms, potato croquettes,

parsley and garlic breadcrumb

and finally his technical cream-foam sauce.

-I've never been able to master a foam.

-Years of practice, Mary Ann.

That's all it is.

-Everything gone to plan?

-Yeah. It's gone really well.

-Good flavour in there. Nicely balanced dish.

-Mary Ann.

-Do you like ox tongue?

-No.

-No? Brilliant.

I hope to change your mind on that.

And this represents your theme, if you like, of the whole banquet?

Yeah. It's all food off the land. Cheap, easy things to get hold of.

The sort of food they ate back in the wartime.

It's a nice idea, but a bit tricky to get your knife and fork into.

With the actual cannelloni itself, the consistency is what you're after?

It's not too dry and not too wet, so it's come out just right.

-The tongue is slightly dry.

-It's a bit chewy for me.

And with the sauce, you wanted it to stay as thick as this?

That's kind of what I was after. It's melted down a little bit.

-The whole dish needs to be better.

-No. I agree.

-The crumb was the bread with the parsley, was it?

-Parsley and garlic.

If you're going to put parsley breadcrumb on it, I think

you need a bit more there.

You ought to be able to see it.

-Could you see the veterans eating this?

-Definitely, yeah.

Do you think the veterans are going to enjoy this?

I don't know that they will.

Bit of a dull start to the banquet, I suppose.

If you were giving this marks out of ten, what would you give yourself?

-I'd say a comfortable seven.

-OK.

A generous six, I think.

I was going to give him a generous seven.

How was that, Andy?

I was happy with it but you never know what they're thinking.

-I quite agree, sweetheart.

-Did you like the tongue?

-No.

-No.

-You didn't expect me to say yes, did you?

-I can never please you, can I?

No, you can't.

Former military man David is last up with his Run Rarebit Run dish.

-What are those?

-I brought a hamster for you.

-Oh, darling.

-Rabbit hutches?

-I want the veterans to have a smile

on their face when they eat something.

-It brings back nice memories, not bad memories.

-OK.

Think it's a bit over the top, Mary Ann?

He starts by filling unconventional

feeding bottles with beer vinaigrette.

Then pipes his 21st-century take on Welsh rarebit onto the plate.

Adds rabbit loin, pickled veg,

crispy rabbit belly

-and finally the rabbit pie.

-Are you happy, David?

-Have they come out how you wanted?

-It's an alien kitchen

-so you don't know.

-Yeah, it's true.

# Run rabbit, run rabbit

# Run! Run! Run!#

There you go.

I'm saying no more.

# So run rabbit, run rabbit

# Run! Run! Run! #

I do feel I'm in Dad's Army, having listened to that. Why the hutch?

Back in the day, they were breeding the rabbits. It wasn't a pet.

-It was a source of food.

-And you're pleased with the outcome?

I'm pleased with the presentation

and I'm hoping the flavours are there as well.

Could you see the veterans sitting down and eating this at St Paul's?

To visualise this being walked into the banquet hall with

the waiters carrying the hutches and the song going on... Happy times.

-Personally, I think it's slightly inappropriate.

-Yeah.

-Do you make your own puff pastry?

-Yeah. I think it's nice and moist.

The pastry is very different to yours.

-It's a lot firmer and it's got more chew to it.

-Yes.

-The Welsh rabbit comes through enough for you?

-Yeah.

I think it has a nice texture as a dish.

I do not understand the rarebit.

You could say it is just there to stick the veg on the plate.

-DAVID:

-The loin, I would probably cook a little less.

I think I've gone a little bit over with it.

-They are nice.

-Yeah. Really soft and delicate.

-Those are beautiful.

Scoring yourself out of ten, what would you say?

I think if I get about seven for that, I'll be happy.

-I would have said a six.

-I'd agree with you there.

Well, I think I've done OK. Room for improvement for myself.

I would agree.

-The one thing I really didn't get was the rarebit.

-OK.

First score of the week sets the bar.

-Yeah, you don't want to be last on the first day, do you?

-No.

Don't look so nervous.

Mary Ann. For your 21st-century Woolton Pie with shortcrust

and parsley sauce. I thought it was a great idea you took a wartime recipe.

I thought your shortcrust pastry was delicious.

Vegetable filling spot on and good with the parsley sauce.

Was it, though, 21st-century? Not really.

There could have been a bigger twist to it. You played it safe.

Andy, with your Tongue To Tail of braised oxtail

and ox tongue cannelloni.

You fit the brief well. You are using the cuts that people used at wartime.

I thought it was a really tasty plate of food.

You really had a beautiful oxtail filling. Nice and moreish.

The creamy foam was lovely.

But I felt it could have done with a bit more green,

-a bit more veg on there.

-Yeah.

I would have loved a bit more of that parsley, garlic crumb.

It was a lovely crunch. It tasted nice.

David, for your Run Rarebit Run with rabbit pie and pickled vegetables.

Using rabbit, again a smart idea.

It's an abundant ingredient that was used throughout the war.

I liked the song. Pickled veg was great. I thought it was delicious.

However...

..I felt the pie was a little bit under seasoned.

And for me, I thought the Welsh rarebit got lost.

I thought it was very tasty, but you could have made more of that.

So for the scores. Mary Ann.

For your 21st-century Woolton pie...

I'm giving you...

a seven.

Andy, for your Tongue To Tail of braised oxtail

and tongue cannelloni...

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

..eight points.

David, for your Run Rarebit Run, I'm giving you...

..a seven.

OK, guys. I'm looking forward to the fish course.

Good luck and let's have some really amazing tasting food. Thank you.

Thank you.

-Well done, mate.

-Well done, Andy.

-Well done, Andy.

-Well deserved.

-I'm so happy and so over the moon to get an eight.

It's an unbelievable score, especially from Angela.

Still all to play for. I'm only one point ahead.

We've still got three courses to go yet.

I've just got to take heart and move on and do better on the fish course.

I'm quite pleased with it.

To get a score of seven from Angela Hartnett,

who terrifies the living daylights out of me, was just amazing.