Wales Main Great British Menu

This week, three of Wales' finest chefs.

Returning contender Mary Ann Gilchrist...

Watch this space.

..ambitious newcomer Andy Beaumont...

This is really just me playing around,

trying to up my game a bit for the competition.

..and former military man David Kelman...

Just decided I ought to simplify it a bit more.

..are fighting it out to cook at a banquet commemorating

the 70th anniversary of D-Day

at the glorious St Paul's Cathedral,

an iconic bastion of British wartime resilience.

Yesterday...

none of the chefs impressed with their fish courses...

-Not perfect, that one.

-Not as good as I want.

We're all having the hiccups today.

..as Andy lost his lead to David, who joined him in first place,

with Mary Ann just one point behind.

You all have to now raise your game.

With today's main course...

BLEEP!

..they're all anxious to get ahead of the pack.

-BLEEP.

-It's not cooked.

-OK, I'll leave you alone then.

-But for David, emotions are taking over.

-Oh, David!

Oh, come on, sweetheart. Eh?

To honour the heroes who fought on D-Day,

the chefs have been asked to create menus that evoke wartime memories

and show how British cuisine has evolved since then.

Ta-da!

For inspiration, they've visited people

and places that had to adapt to the challenges brought about by the war.

The idea was to create a dish that was good enough to be

served at the Savoy but, at the same time,

simple enough to be made by any housewife in her own home.

Judging them this week is veteran of the competition

and Michelin-starred legend Angela Hartnett.

Yesterday was disappointing.

It should have been executed a lot better,

their seasoning should have been much more spot-on

and some of the cooking should have been much more spot-on.

So I really want them to make sure they're hitting nines and tens today.

Me and Andy are in front by one point, it's quite close,

so any mistakes today could be the meaning of being last

or first coming into dessert.

I want my lead back, you know. I'm not going to let you have it.

I definitely don't want Mary Ann to catch me up, that's for sure.

Army cadet turned chef David Kelman is in joint first place.

He hasn't hit the high marks yet

but is confident about the rest of his menu.

I hope to get an eight or a nine for the main course then

push on for a nine or a ten for dessert.

That's what I'm aiming for.

So, David, what are you cooking today?

This dish is called End of Ration, it's a celebration

of all the ingredients that came back in after the war.

The influence there is from my gran, she used to love bananas,

-that's one of her favourite ingredients.

-Right.

-It's my take

on chicken and banana curry.

So I'm going to do a lovely ballotine with the chicken,

-stuff the chicken with a banana...

-Stuff it with a banana?

-Yeah.

I'm going to do a red onion and quail egg onion bhaji.

-OK, how are you going to do that?

-Soft boiled egg.

And the crispiness of the onion bhaji.

-And the spice there as well.

-Nice.

We're going to do a little bit like a raita with the cucumber,

a lovely slow-roasted tomato...

-So, essentially there's lots of curry elements?

-Yeah.

-OK.

And the presentation as well is going back to what my gran

-used to do during the war, she was making munitions for D-Day.

-OK.

So to tie all that in together, I think it's really nice.

So, do you think this dish is going to put you in the lead?

If I execute this dish the way I've done before, then, yeah, it will do.

Ooh, confidence.

So David's doing this chicken and banana curry, which actually does

sound quite nice, but yesterday he had lots going on with his

fish dish, he has to watch that today.

You don't want to suddenly have one item that just does not fit

with the whole dish.

Next up and also in joint first place, is ambitious new chef

Andy Beaumont, whose menu is inspired

by his family's wartime farm.

Yesterday, he lost his lead due to poor seasoning.

I was devastated after losing the lead on the fish course,

it's a stupid mistake to make, a schoolboy error.

Just want to get back in the kitchen and get back in front.

-Morning, Angela, how you doing?

-I'm good, thanks.

So, what's the name of your dish?

It's rabbit different ways with Woolton pie.

Ah, Woolton pie again. It's what Mary Ann made for her starter.

She did, yes, but mine's very different.

I'm using the classic recipe that they used to use at the time.

-I've got oats in my pie.

-Yep.

And I'm doing a mashed potato top with some egg yolks to

enrich it, to really bring out the flavour.

And how are you cooking the rabbit?

I'm doing it in several different ways.

I'm going to braise the back legs down,

take the rack off the front and liver and kidney from the inside.

-And your rabbit looks farmed to me, is it farmed?

-It is farmed.

The dish was inspired by my family back in Wales.

-During the wartime, they used to breed rabbits on the farm.

-Yep.

I've basically taken that as my inspiration.

And how are you feeling after yesterday?

Little bit disappointed, silly mistake on my part,

obviously not being on top of the seasoning.

It won't happen again. This is a really good dish, I think

this is my strongest dish in the competition.

That's exactly what he's just said. ANDY LAUGHS

So Andy's doing rabbit and Lord Woolton pie.

He has to make sure they balance together,

that the pie doesn't oversell the rabbit if you like.

Mary Ann did one in her starter which was delicious,

so his pie has to live up to that.

Last up is second-timer Mary Ann Gilchrist.

Despite a mediocre score for her fish course,

she has every intention of making up for it today.

I'm one point behind.

It's a level playing field, practically,

so I've just got to do my best.

-So, tell me the name of your dish today.

-Rabbit stew.

OK, and what's the inspiration behind it?

Rabbit was readily available during the war,

it wasn't rationed and it was relatively cheap.

-I'm going to stew the whole thing in beer.

-OK.

-So, what is going to accompany your rabbit stew?

-Bubble and squeak.

-OK.

And basically, bubble and squeak is always leftover vegetables, isn't it?

That's correct, it's a waste not, want not situation.

And how are you feeling today? Confident about this dish?

-Yes, I am.

-OK, so, all interesting dishes.

Yesterday, a little bit under par, we can all do better,

and looking for some great-tasting main courses.

Mary Ann, she's doing a simple stew.

Compared to the other two, is it necessarily a 21st-century dish?

No, it's something we've all been cooking all our lives,

but it has to be elevated to the level of a banquet.

So she's got to make sure it's perfection.

All eyes are on ex-military man David from the start,

and his unusual chicken and banana curry.

So I think it'll be good getting a curry to St Paul's Cathedral,

something a little bit different for the veterans.

-Yeah, it certainly would be!

-I think everyone loves a curry.

Curry was around way before the wars.

As long as it isn't too hot for the veterans to eat.

Oh, no, I like mild curries, I don't like spicy curries.

It's David's most elaborate dish yet.

He's busy making a quail egg bhaji...

spiced potatoes,

roasted tomatoes...

cucumber and mint raita

and crispy chicken skin with black onion seeds.

All to be served with a coriander-coated banana

wrapped with chicken and ham.

David's dish is really confusing, I don't quite get what he's doing.

I can smell curry spices in the kitchen,

he's got banana and chicken.

Chicken, banana, curry - sounds like a completely wacky idea.

Having said that, it's something I used to make about 25 years ago,

and I know it works.

So I'm actually looking forward to it!

-OK, David, this is your ballotine?

-Yep.

-So you've battered out your chicken, obviously.

-Yep.

That's coriander.

You have chosen my worst ingredient, you know that, don't you?

-I know, yeah, I know.

-Coriander. But we'll give it a go.

'So David's got his chicken/banana ballotine,

'which is interesting, unusual, and to add to that he's wrapping it

'all in coriander, which I can't stand.

'But my only real worry with David is that it all comes together.'

As long as it's not too complicated or confusing

and tastes amazing, it could be a stunning dish.

Taking a more traditional approach are David's rivals...

..who are both basing their dishes on Britain's favourite wartime meat.

Both doing rabbit today. One's doing wild, one farmed.

I would have thought you'd have wild rabbit, since you're a farmer's boy.

Well, yeah, but cos my uncles used to actually farm rabbits

I thought it was in keeping to stay with the farmed rabbits.

-Yeah.

-I've got to be honest, I find farmed rabbits rather bland.

-Yeah.

The wild rabbit really does pack a bit of a punch.

Personally I think farmed rabbit is great.

It doesn't have quite such a strong gamey flavour,

but I think my dish is going to shine through, I really do.

We'll have to see.

Returning contender Mary Ann is aiming to make up the point

she's trailing the others by stewing her rabbit in beer.

And to keep with her waste not, want not austerity theme,

she's also making the nation's leftover favourite.

-This is your, eh...

-The beginnings of my bubble and squeak.

-What else have you got to add to it?

-Mashed potato.

My one homage to the 21st century with this one

is I haven't cooked the cabbage to extinction.

I have a book which was produced during the war.

They did suggest things like boiling cabbage for 20 minutes...

-I like a bit of boiled cabbage.

-I like, well...

-But not for 20 minutes.

-I like it sweated out like that.

-You've got potato, that's going to be soft anyway.

-Yeah.

So you want a bit of bite. And if I can't get the membrane off

this rabbit kidney I'm going to scream.

You're on your own there.

I hope to God I've nailed this course because I want

to at least be able to level the scores if not go a little higher.

It's probably going to be described as a fairly simple dish again,

but it's all in the cooking and flavour.

Determined newcomer Andy's take on rabbit is far more complicated.

Like Mary Ann, he's using the whole rabbit,

but cooking the various cuts individually.

He's busy trimming his rabbit rack for frying.

And rolling the saddle in pancetta as a ballotine.

How are you cooking that? Water bath, yeah?

-Yeah, water bath it at 56...

-And then you roast it.

Yeah, roast if off then, bacon nice and crispy.

He's also making the wartime staple Woolton pie.

With meat being scare, it contained only vegetables, and was named after

the Minister of Food, Lord Woolton, who had great success promoting it.

Mary Ann knows it well,

as she created her own version for her starter course.

I really liked Mary Ann's, it was really nice.

So, how are you going to do better than that?

Well, the version I'm doing,

I'm trying keep it as original as I could. It was a really humble pie.

I'm doing it slightly different to Mary Ann's, I'm using mashed potato

instead of pastry, and I'm also putting porridge oats into mine.

This is as close to the original as you're going to get, is it?

It is, yeah. Hopefully the flavours in mine

will shine through and...you'll think mine's better than yours.

-Oh, you reckon? LAUGHING:

-I'm hoping!

To find out exactly how the original Woolton pie was made,

Andy went to its birthplace - the luxurious Savoy Hotel in London...

-How are you doing? I'm Andy.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

..where he met up with hotel archivist Susan Scott.

Well, do come in, welcome to the Pinafore Room.

It's very notable for its connection with

Winston Churchill, because it's the room that he used

when he founded his private dining club,

the Other Club, in 1911. And...

..I have these to show you.

So we have two pieces of material from the archives.

This has the original recipe, as it was typed up,

to make Lord Woolton pie.

You can see that it's actually dated 19th of March, 1941,

so it has the recipe exactly as it was invented by the chef,

and the maitre chef at the time was Monsieur Latry.

That's fantastic.

The idea was to create a dish that was good enough to be

served at the Savoy but, at the same time, simple enough

to be made by any housewife in her own home,

with ingredients that she could get hold of quite easily when you

consider how difficult it was to get things because of the rationing.

Yeah. How long was it around for?

Was it like a daily thing or just a one-off?

I don't think it was daily, but it certainly wasn't a one-off.

This menu that we have here is actually from quite

a few months later, and you can actually see on the menu,

the speciality of the day is...

Lord Woolton pie.

Obviously there were lots of difficulties with rationing,

difficulties with travel, difficulties with the blackout,

all sorts of problems that meant that you'd think people wanted

to stay at home, but I think people just thought that you

didn't know what was going to happen from one day to the next.

A lot of soldiers obviously, who'd be home on leave,

-so you might as well go out if you could and have a good time.

-Yeah.

Well, Susan, you've taught me so much about the Lord Woolton pie,

so I thought I'd bring my own one along for you to try.

-Fantastic.

-Here we go.

-OK.

I think the Lord Woolton pie is really going to sum up British

-fighting spirit. Tuck in, see what you think.

-See what I think.

It's the food that the soldiers used to eat

when they came home on leave from the war,

I think it's really going to bring back some good memories

of the olden days, being home with the family

and eating some really good food while they're here.

-That is really tasty, isn't it?

-That's exactly what I needed

-to hear, thank you very much.

-It's absolutely gorgeous.

With plating up approaching,

Andy's classic Woolton pies go in the oven as planned.

But he's about to discover a major issue with his rabbit ballotine.

BLEEP.

-What's that?

-I've just cut this open and it's not cooked.

OK, I'll leave you alone then.

So, Andy was cutting open his ballotine, it was raw.

He's got to be so careful, he cannot be serving raw rabbit at a banquet.

I'm just going to crisp up the bacon on the outside

and get it in the oven. Hopefully I can get it cooked in time.

-Well, good luck, sweetheart.

-Thank you.

Fingers crossed it'll still come out all right,

but it's a bit of pressure.

Andy's first to plate up,

and now in a hurry to get the rest of his dish prepared.

He starts his wooden board with nettle puree.

Then adds rabbit rack...

rabbit liver

and kidney...

before he's ready to see if his rabbit ballotine is cooked enough.

Woo-hoo! We're back on schedule.

With no time to lose, he places the ballotine on his plate,

along with baby carrots.

-Well, Andy, you seem to have pulled that back from the brink.

-Yeah!

I didn't think I was going to get there at one point.

He adds jugs of rabbit sauce...

and finally, his original recipe Woolton pie.

OK, Andy. Oh, bubbling away.

-Relieved?

-Yeah. That was a tough one.

Shall we have a little wager and see which is the best pie?

I like yours, Mary Ann.

MARY ANN AND ANGELA: Ohhhhh.

-Sitting on the fence, eh?

-OK. Enjoy.

And inspiration from your family, yeah?

Yeah, they used to farm rabbits back in the wartime.

I've taken that and brought it bang up to date.

-He's pulled it off big time.

-Yeah.

But I shall be very interested to taste his Woolton pie.

ANGELA: So this, in your opinion, is how it should have been, yeah?

Yeah, got a potato topping on it, it's got oats in it.

I'm sorry, it's not as nice as mine.

And the seasoning correct for you?

Yeah, after yesterday's hiccup, I think this time I've got it bang on.

-Seasoned perfect.

-I think he's got it spot-on today.

ANGELA: And with the change of how you were cooking the ballotine.

I think it all works together really well.

I think it's worked in his favour really,

he had to just finish it off on that stove for a bit.

-Yeah, I think it's cooked perfect.

-So do I.

With the rack, is that the cooking you wanted?

It looks a little bit underdone right in the centre there.

The nettle puree, do you think that's

going to work temperature-wise for the banquet?

-It is initially served cold anyway.

-That puree's stone-cold.

-I'm not a big fan of hot food served cold.

-Yeah.

Scores on the doors, what would you give yourself?

-Erm, a confident seven.

-I think it'll be an eight again.

If it wasn't for the Woolton pie, I would have agreed with you,

but I really don't rate the Woolton pie.

-So I'd have said a seven.

-OK.

-How's you?

-Yeah, not too bad.

What'd you think of the pie, Mary Ann,

how'd you reckon it compared to yours?

-I preferred mine.

-Really?

-Yes.

-How about you, David?

Unfortunately, mate, Mary Ann's won that one.

She's won the battle of the Woolton pie, mate.

MARY ANN LAUGHS

Next to plate up is returning chef Mary Ann.

She needs her rabbit stew austerity supper to receive a high score

to make up for the point she's behind her rivals.

What's the tea service all about?

Well, traditionally, the evening meal would be served with a pot of tea.

BLEEP.

Did you just chuck a bit of chard in the bin there, Mary Ann?

-Yup, took my eye off the ball.

-Oh, dear.

-BLEEP

-conversation about tea!

-Only got a few minutes left, don't want to be doing that.

-Thank you(!)

Mary Ann must also braise celery and fry her bubble and squeak.

-Getting a little bit dark there, Mary Ann.

-I know!

Like her stew, all the veg are served in a wartime family pot

to be shared at the table.

-Tea, milady.

-OK, nice. Cup of tea, lovely.

Right, so... Is this fit for the veterans, do you think?

I think it'll bring back fond memories of the war.

It's very traditional.

But personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

-DAVID:

-Straight down memory lane, I think.

Yeah, definitely. It does tell a story.

The idea of sharing I think is great.

-Where's the 21st-century twist?

-I didn't intend there to be one.

-Another simple dish.

-Yeah.

-Typical Mary Ann.

-Oh, definitely, yeah.

-Pleased how the rabbit's turned out?

-Yeah.

-Rabbit's really, really dry.

-Yeah.

-Shame that.

How's your bubble and squeak, is that what you wanted?

No, it was crisp, but it went soggy in the casserole.

-Potato's nice.

-Little bit too dark in my opinion.

-Yeah.

And if you could change anything, would you?

I'd make it look a little tidier.

-Presentation? She's not there, is she? At all.

-No.

-It lets her down every time.

-Yeah.

So, out of the two main course rabbit dishes,

-yours and Andy's, whose do you think tastes the best?

-Mine.

Personally, on the dish I put up, I think

that lead's going to get a little bit bigger over Mary Ann.

-What would you score it?

-In terms of flavour, a seven.

In terms of presentation, probably about zero!

-I think I'd give her a six or a seven.

-I'd say a good six.

-Mary Ann, how are you getting on?

-I enjoyed it.

-Good.

-Whether Angela did or not, I'm not sure.

I think the only thing for me, Mary Ann, is that, you know,

very, very dry.

-Very dry.

-I didn't think it was.

-Ohh!

Yeah, I'd have to agree with David on that.

-But it's all down to personal preference.

-Yep.

We'll have to see what Angela thought of it.

Former military man David is last up.

He's aiming for top marks with his elaborate chicken

and banana curry, inspired by his grandmother.

What's with the tin plates?

It's for my gran, she used to work at the munitions factory.

-It was munitions for the D-Day landings.

-Oh, really?

It was a really dangerous job she had to do.

-That's a picture of her there, Mary Ann.

-Jolly nice picture.

-What's her name?

-Nancy.

It's really sad cos, about two weeks prior to me

knowing I was coming on here, she passed away.

-Oh, David.

-So, erm...

HE SNIFFS

Are you all right?

Oh, David!

Oh, come on, sweetheart. Eh?

-Do you need a hug?

-(I'm all right.)

-I'm all right.

-Come on.

HE SIGHS

I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's obviously brought it all flooding back.

Poor David, it just goes to show how much all this means to him.

He starts his plate with carrot puree, then adds his banana

wrapped in chicken and ham, which he tops with a quail egg bhaji.

Next, butternut squash, button onions and balls of cucumber raita.

Bit of Angela's dreaded coriander.

He tops his veg with chicken skin with onion seeds.

And finally serves his curried chicken gravy with

spiced potatoes on the side.

There we go.

"In 1939 the Government acquired Rhydymwyn Valley Works

"in Flintshire to manufacture munitions for the war effort.

"At the age of 18, my grandmother was one of over 2,000 workers

"at Rhydymwyn, unaware of the importance of the work involved.

"After the war and until her death at 92 years of age,

"one of her favourite foods was bananas."

And you think your grandmother would be proud and pleased?

-Yeah, she would, yeah.

-Good.

I think this is really touching.

-Oh, definitely, yeah, it means a lot to him.

-Yes.

-Beautiful little story.

-Yes, it is.

So you've got the Carmarthen Ham, the chicken, the coriander, the banana.

-That works together as elements to you?

-I think they do.

The chicken and banana combination, I actually quite like it.

It's a wacky idea, but it's one that

-I do remember from a long time ago.

-Yeah.

So the onion bhaji with the soft-boiled quail egg inside.

Runny yolk inside, yeah, exactly how I wanted it.

-Oh, you clever boy. I love a spicy onion bhaji.

-Yeah.

Are the onions cooked enough for you?

Yeah, I didn't want them to be too, too soft.

-So, you kept your cucumber in balls then?

-Yeah.

-OK.

It's just a bit of texture on them as well.

If you're going to do a cucumber raita, it ought to be in small dice.

Do you think the tomato's necessary, it's not one ingredient too many?

I could probably lose it.

So the roasted tomatoes have got really good flavour,

-but then I don't see how it fits in with everything else.

-Yeah.

What would you mark yourself?

An eight or a nine, I think I'll be happy.

-Eight.

-Yeah?

-A good eight.

I'd say strong seven pushing towards an eight.

I don't think he's done enough to get a lead over me,

I think we'll still be level pegging.

Big head.

Ah, thank God for that, all finished. Main course down.

I'm really happy with it, does my gran proud I think.

Good for you, sweetheart.

It really has been a bit of a roller-coaster day

and I think the main course is the toughest of the whole lot.

It is, definitely.

-How are you all feeling?

-A little nervous.

-Very nervous.

I'm going to start with you, Andy,

and your rabbit and Woolton pie with nettle puree.

You hit the brief.

The stuffed saddle of rabbit,

actually I like the fact that you ended up roasting it.

Yesterday, I said to you your fish lacked seasoning but today,

I have to say all the elements

-of your rabbit dish were spot-on.

-Thank you.

But as you know, your little rack - raw.

The nettle puree - it became cold.

And for me, a touch too much potato in that Woolton pie.

I thought it was tastier, but I did prefer Mary Ann's.

Mary Ann.

For your rabbit stew with bubble and squeak and tea...

I thought for a wartime dish, absolutely spot-on on the brief.

It was a lovely touch with the cup of tea.

And a delicious plate of food - hit all the spots for me.

A few little negatives.

It was nice that it was a wild rabbit and had that gamey flavour,

but certain parts of it were a little dry.

Another simple dish. It's a gastronomic competition,

you've got to compete with these young whippersnappers

who are going to do all the experiments,

and that's where you've really got to pull it out of the bag.

So, David. For your End of Rationing, with banana and chicken curry.

I was quite dubious about this for numerous reasons - coriander.

And I didn't want to admit it earlier,

banana's not my favourite fruit.

-BLEEP.

-I didn't want to sort of crush you before you'd started.

But I have to say, it worked. I thought it really was lovely.

The chicken was really nice and moist, your garnishes worked well,

and I like the idea of the story about your grandmother,

that obviously came straight from the heart.

The quail egg bhaji, I think the onion there was a bit too raw.

And again, you have that weakness of one or two extra ingredients.

Absolutely no point for those tomatoes.

Keep it simple, less is more.

-OK.

-So, Andy...

for your rabbit and Lord Woolton pie, I'm going to give you...

..a seven. I think you can do better.

Mary Ann. For your rabbit stew...

..I'm giving you...

..a seven. I thought it was delicious.

But you know your weakness, it's got to be a little bit more 21st century.

So, David...

..for your End of Rationing, I'm giving you...

..a nine.

I thought it was a great story, a fantastic plate of food

-and a surprising taste of food.

-Good.

So, you've taken the lead, how d'you feel?

I am absolutely chuffed to bits.

One more course to go, the dessert.

Only two of you can go through to the judges.

So let's have some great cooking and see what happens then.

Well done, mate, that's some good cooking. Good score too.

Three courses down and David has shot out in front,

with Mary Ann still only one point behind Andy.

I'm over the moon to be honest, I am really happy.

Someone said to me the other day - positive mental attitude.

If I have to take out Andy, well, that's what I've got to do.

Down to the desserts, down to the wire.

Mary Ann is still right behind me, she's hot on my heels, and I don't

want to go home on Thursday, I want to be here Friday for the judges.

So I've really got to pick it up.

Tomorrow, it's the dessert course.

With the scores close, the chefs are fighting for survival.

-I think it's my best dish.

-You're scaring me.

But will the pressure be too much?

-BLEEP!

-I can't put only half my dish out.

-Time to pray.

The battle of the desserts, eh?

-As one chef must go home.

-Oh, you're joking!