Finals Fish Great British Menu

It's finals week on Great British Menu.

Makes me nervous. Your hands are shaking away there.

Nine of the country's top chefs are going

head-to-head for a place at the D-Day banquet.

Ah! Serious pressure here.

Their challenge - to cook dishes evoking the spirit of World War II...

He who dares wins.

..that show just how far British food has come.

Mmm. So good!

The prize - to cook for our World War II veterans at a banquet

commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-Day at London's

incredible St Paul's Cathedral,

a bastion of British wartime resilience.

Yesterday the finals kicked off with a shock twist...

Oh!

..with two chefs representing London and the South East

and nine chefs scoring each other's dishes...

10 out of 10 dish to me.

I can't see it scoring any higher than a five.

..along with the judges...

It's incredible. I think this is boring.

I'm going to give it a five.

..it was more competitive than ever.

No, no, no. BLEEP!

Adam Simmonds, James Durrant and Emily Watkins made the top three,

putting them in contention for the starter course at the banquet.

Well done, well done, well done.

Today it's the fish course.

I think the judges and the veteran will love this one.

And D-Day veteran Ken Sturdy is back to help decide on the winners.

Everything about the presentation I think is perfect.

Yesterday's star chefs are after a repeat performance...

You've already made the shortlist,

are you looking to do the same for this one?

Makes you pretty intent on wanting to, doesn't it?

..while the others are pushing the boat out...

Bringing in toys?

..to make the fish course shortlist.

Pressure plate of food.

Oh!

Prue said to me if she could have given me 12,

she would have given me 12 out of 10.

You didn't tell me that!

Competing this week are returning champions,

Central region's Aktar Islam, who finished sixth with his starter,

and the North East's Colin McGurran, who came seventh.

So, Aktar, what's happening?

Neither of us made it onto the shortlist, we need to push hard.

We do. We do, show them how it's done.

They're up against two newcomers, Scotland's Jacqueline O'Donnell,

They're up against two newcomers, Scotland's Jacqueline O'Donnell,

still reeling from being placed last yesterday.

Morning. Good morning.

Good morning. Morning, guys.

And Northern Ireland's Chris McGowan, who,

despite his fellow chefs praising his starter, ended up coming eighth.

You don't know. You just don't know, but new day. New day, new vigour.

They're followed by the two chefs representing London

and the South East, returning contender Adam Simmonds,

who grabbed a place on the shortlist yesterday...

Obviously I need to continue for the rest of the week.

..and Tom Sellers.

I'm feeling good about today. I like my fish course.

Finally, for the North West, it's James Durrant and the South West's

Emily Watkins, who were both in the top three with their starters...

Morning. All right? How are you? Morning.

..and Wales's David Kelman who finished fourth.

Today's another day, though, isn't it?

OK, guys, good luck, let's get on! Let's get changed.

Cheers, good luck.

Judging the chefs, as ever,

are Prue Leith, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton -

looking for perfection again today with the fish course.

Well, we have three great choices so far.

Adam, Emily, James - we'll have no problem

picking a starter from that lot.

It's fish today and, what,

Colin and Aktar - I should think will be keen

to get up on that leader board, don't you?

I tell you who else will be really keen is Tom,

because he is Adam's great rival.

And I think he's changed his dish.

There's all to eat for, a shoal of good dishes lie in wait.

To make sure the food evokes wartime memories, there's

a fourth judge, 94-year-old banquet guest of honour, Ken Sturdy,

one of the heroes who landed on D-Day.

He helped the judges pick Emily Watkins as the winner

of the South West region. Good afternoon, sir, how you?

Pleased to meet you again. Yes, very good to see you.

Up to something delightful again today, Emily? I hope so, I hope so.

Rumour has it you enjoyed my fish course last time

so I really hope to deliver it again today.

I am looking forwards. Surprise me. Thank you.

Hi, Ken. How are you? Lovely to see you again. Lovely to see you.

Are you ready for a long day? I certainly am.

Long but delicious!

Nine courses. Ken, tell us what you did on D-Day.

I was really with the Royal Navy, seconded to the Royal Marines,

reason being I was a signalman

and with five others, six of us altogether,

we provided a link between offshore bombarding ships

and the Army, so when the Army needed supporting gunfire

very simply, we were able to effect a link between shore and ship.

So I stayed with the Marines then until the Netherlands.

You must have felt like a Marine after that.

So I started the war in navy blue and finished in khaki.

Royal Marine khaki.

I think it's very suitable that you should be helping us

judge the fish section today. I was just thinking that!

I was just thinking that.

I'm game for anything that comes out of the ocean! Great.

The first group of chefs to cook today are the Central region's

Aktar Islam, Northern Ireland's Chris McGowan

and James Durrant from the North West -

all determined to make the fish course shortlist.

Good luck, guys. Good luck, chef. James, good luck.

Up first is returning champion Aktar, who has a reputation

for being late, and finished sixth with his starter yesterday.

He cooked the fish course at the banquet three years ago

but received a drubbing from the judges for his fish dish

in the regionals, so has come up with a completely new creation...

..with spicy battered haddock, haddock and potato chips,

salt and vinegar quail's eggs

and pickled onion -

a risky strategy that he needs to pay off.

Me, I made it to the banquet with the fish course before

so there is some serious pressure here.

I expect a lot from myself,

so I need to try and make it onto the top three today.

Ken, you're in for a bit of a treat, first off, because

Aktar is a chef who's fabulous at flavouring.

To be honest, we didn't like his fish dish last time,

so I hope he's done something about that.

The title he's given his new dish is We're Frying Tonight

which I think was one of those wartime mottos... Yes.

It's become a bit of a cliche since. Do you encourage fish and chips?

Does the idea appeal to you?

Anything that's well flavoured and curry, in particular, I love curry.

Aktar's attempting to hit the brief by marrying the best

of British with Asian spices,

flavours some of our World War II soldiers

would have experienced for the first time overseas.

Initially, I think the judges didn't actually get

what I was trying to say with the other dish.

As soon as it is plated up, you'll understand it straightaway

and I'm sure the judges will appreciate it too.

How about yourselves? Yeah, mine's a complete whole new dish.

What did you do at the regionals?

Fish and chips, Aktar. Ooh!

Oh, really? I didn't know that!

THEY ALL LAUGH

So where did you go wrong with fish and chips? What did they not like?

The big comment of the judges was really that they didn't think

fish and chips was enough for the banquet,

and wasn't a big enough celebration, really. Aye.

My concern is James, he did the fish and chips

and they told him they didn't like it!

I wish I'd had a chat with James before I came!

Aktar starts his plate with mushy peas,

adds spiced tempura battered haddock...

..unconventional smoked haddock and potato chips

and peppercorn pickled onion.

But time is ticking away.

Aktar, come on, man, you are late.

Behind schedule, he adds his salt and vinegar quail's eggs

and tartare butter sauce in jugs...

..before delivering his dish late to the pass,

covered in reproduction 1940s newspaper.

Cool, thank you very much.

Well done. Happy? Well done, mate.

Yeah, as happy as I can be.

Can't really see it.

It's the banquet or nothing - I feel extremely indebted to everyone

who sacrificed so much and the hardships that people endured

throughout the World War, so I'd love to say thank you to them.

We're Frying Tonight. Something in the envelope.

"We have the fish, we have the signs in the window

"and we're frying tonight.

"Veterans of World War II, your bravery and sacrifice have earned

"the respect of this great nation

"and this is our culinary tribute to you."

This is just like old times.

We're in for a real good surprise tonight, I think.

I love the presentation, you know,

making the veterans think about how it was.

Which I think the veterans will enjoy. Yes.

The nostalgic part of it, you know.

Ken, does this remind you of the fish and chips of wartime years?

That sign to me was very much a traditional aspect of World War II.

Technically very good. The fish is lovely and moist. Yes.

The haddock in the chip is lovely.

To be honest, I don't think that the smoked haddock chips work.

What I think is conspicuously missing from this dish

is any sense of spicy excitement, that I thought he must deliver.

This is just pretty boring.

Overall it is quite a nice, balanced plate of food. Yes, it is, yes.

Not mushy peas, though, are they? Not proper mushy peas.

I don't even think it's good, actually, the peas are not mushy. No!

I didn't think it needed the butter sauce, to be honest.

Maybe lacking a little bit of seasoning.

I would have preferred it a little bit spicier.

But I am pleased with the presentation. It is very pretty.

Yes, yes.

Based on the technicality of it,

it's probably a seven for me.

The whole dish is a case of the bland leading the bland.

I think Aktar's gone AWOL.

I gave him a six based on the techniques and the cooking

that he used, but I'm just not sure that it hit the brief.

Next up is Northern Ireland's Chris McGowan,

protege of Great British Menu veteran Richard Corrigan,

a first-timer who made the chef's shortlist yesterday.

His Dover sole with long-necked clams and horseradish, inspired by

the famous Winston Churchill speech, We Are Still Captain Of Our Souls,

was criticised for not telling a story on a plate,

something he needs to address today if he wants to better

the eighth place he received overall for his starter.

Getting a bit of a knock from the judges yesterday,

it's how I react to that.

The most important thing is getting to St Paul's Cathedral

and that's what it's about for me.

I need to make sure that I nail my dish really.

Last time we liked his dish, but it was a very restaurant dish,

wasn't it? I didn't think it had a huge connection to D-Day.

I think he needs to work on his presentation,

He's got to create that link between D-Day and the dish.

How do you like Dover sole? Very fond of Dover sole.

It's a very delicate flavour, love it.

So what did you get in the regions for this?

Marcus gave me an eight and he said it was the dish of the day. Yeah.

But, listen, that was regions, now it's nationals

so everybody that's here could have all have had very strong fish dishes.

I'm hoping. Yes, they could. But then I hoped yesterday

and I crashed and burned big style!

To improve his chances, Chris is serving his dish

on new seaside themed trays with Normandy beach placemats.

These maps are amazing, the detail on them is absolutely fantastic.

Five beachheads here, two of them are American - Utah and Omaha.

And we have here the British/Canadian beaches,

Gold and Juno and Sword.

So, all five beaches are shown on the table mat. Excellent idea.

Chris starts his plate with spinach and sea vegetable puree,

followed by clam croquette,

then butter poached Dover sole

and unusual long-necked clams.

An impressive plate of food.

It looks beautiful.

Finally he garnishes with sea vegetables

and more clams in horseradish butter...

..before treating his rivals

and the judges to the speech that inspired the dish.

Well done, Chris.

That looked really good. That was really good.

CHURCHILL: 'We are the masters of our fate...

'that the task which has been set us is not above our strength.

'As long as we have faith in our cause

'and an unconquerable willpower,

'salvation will not be denied us.'

The smell is so fresh and it looks so fresh. I think it's wonderful.

I don't know, I'm not... I mean the words and what I was expecting

and what I'm getting...

They're not matching up in my head at the moment.

Ken, what do you think?

I've just poked my fork in the fish and I like to see the fish

is not overdone, it's so easy to overcook fish.

My first impression is I think, "Is it overcooked?"

But actually I don't think it is.

Once you actually put it into your mouth, it's not, it's really soft.

For me, it would be 10 out of 10 for presentation alone

because it is just spot-on.

With the best will in the world, the dish itself does not deliver

either as a visual piece of theatre or as a narrative.

I really love that clam croquette there,

it's really clever with the clam skirts.

I think the clam cake has got a ton of shell in it

and I had to spit some of mine out.

It's disappointing flavours.

To tell you the truth, I don't think the clams were necessary.

The little croquette is nice, that's perfect -

sits alongside the fish and is very appropriate.

I think the judges will like it, it's a nice piece of fish -

nicely coated and the croquette's nice.

This is really not an adequate dish

and it's certainly not good enough for the banquet.

I think Chris's dish was really impressive.

I love the presentation and the flavours so I'm giving it an eight.

I am not marking this one up.

Probably around an eight but I'm little bit undecided at the moment.

The dish does not reflect the spirit

of Churchill's classic speech.

Things will only get better.

The third chef is James Durrant, representing the North West.

He trained under Great British Menu champion Jason Atherton.

He's buoyed by his top three spot for his starter.

I'm riding on a high after yesterday.

I'm really happy to get into the top three.

I am a bit nervous about my fish course, it's a brand-new dish.

It's quite simple.

But there's no hiding when it's simple

and I think every element has got to be perfect.

In the regional heats his Ultimate Fish And Chips failed

to live up to its title so he's come up with a brand-new dish...

..a sharing platter of seafood and shellfish.

Ken, James Durrant - his fish dish did not meet with our approval.

First of all, I think he's a good chef, he's young,

he's very talented and I think he demonstrated that obviously yesterday

and it's always good when they change

so we're going to get a bit of a surprise.

I'm looking in particular for something that reflects

wartime conditions so we're due to have something

in tins, which, to me, is right on target.

Basically I'm recreating a 1940s fishmongers, you know.

Fish wasn't rationed, there was always big queues outside them.

It was basically whatever was caught or smoked or tinned,

what was available really.

Yeah, giving them something to do, you know.

I'm going to make the judges get up and help themselves to it

and a bit of theatre there for the banquet. Yeah, lovely.

James's menu has been inspired by the experiences of his wife's

grandfather who took part in the D-Day landings.

I spent a long time talking to my wife's nan, whose husband

was one of the brave soldiers that survived to tell the tale

and to be able to go back and tell her, actually, "I've done it,

"I'm through to the banquet," would be a really special moment

and it will mean a lot.

But he's not the only chef with an added incentive to reach this year's banquet.

My grandad was on the ships as a stoker.

He was fuelling the coals, the coal burners, really,

which I never knew, so it was good.

If I hadn't done the competition, I don't think I would have ever found out. Yes.

I think it just makes you realise what these guys did for us and

the lengths they went to,

which I think makes this year all the more special.

With his 1940s style fishmonger's display ready,

James starts his sharing platter with

cured tinned salmon with creme fraiche.

Next, flaked Arbroath Smokies with quail eggs

and pickled cockles and mussels.

Then dressed crab.

That looks very good.

And finally, pilchards with tomatoes and black olives,

with a serving of crusty white bread on the side to share.

OK, you've got it? It's heavy.

You all right with it? Yeah. Drop that!

Well done, mate!

APPLAUSE

I think the judges will be happy I've changed it.

I'm hoping they see the brief in it a lot more.

I spent a lot of time really reconsidering it

and really thinking about it.

Wow. Oh!

I'd like to be in the eight or the nines but who knows?

I said that about my last fish!

And I got a five, so I don't know.

Do I take it this is self-service?

Right, OK, one of each, I would guess, don't you?

So, I applaud James's ingenuity,

but this is the most labour-intensive dish

I think I've ever had to deal with.

I really love the presentation, I think it's great for a banquet

because you just get a lot of drama going, you know, a lot of talk,

and I think it will lighten the mood.

Sharing food as well which is a very nice idea.

The salmon is absolutely delicious.

I really like it cooked like this.

I think it's slightly under-seasoned for me

but I think overall it's a very good plate of food.

Tastes like my childhood.

Anything pickled in wartime was very welcome

because the wartime food was not very interesting

so I like the idea of the pickles.

I think the dressed crab is very nice.

Beautiful salmon, very well cooked.

I think pilchards slightly lose it for me.

For me, the star of the show is the pilchard. Yeah.

Actually, this is a chef who had a lot of fun putting this together.

It is all about presentation.

If there was just a tablespoon of each of those dishes on a plate,

we would be saying this is really boring.

This is such fun!

Why shouldn't fun be part of the D-Day banquet?

For me, this dish is a seven.

I think it's at least an eight for me, if not nine,

I thought it was great.

I think Matthew would love something like that.

I'm almost as enthusiastic about this dish as I suspect

the chef was himself, so I'm actually going to mark it up.

This is not a bad dish and it deserves a good score.

I gave it an 8/9, chef. I thought it was a fine dish.

I thought you had covered all the elements, mate. Thank you. Bang on.

The second group of chefs into the kitchen are London

and the South East's Adam Simmonds, Wales's David Kelman

and Scotland's Jacqueline O'Donnell.

Good luck. Good luck.

Good luck. Good luck. Good luck.

I think the banquet dish is still yet to come today.

We've got six more to come and we just have to do better.

So, Adam, you came in the top three and Jacq, you came ninth.

So... You came, what, fourth?

So, how are you feeling about this course then, Jacq?

I think the judges and the veteran will love this one.

My gran was my inspiration on the menu and

what made me decide what food I was going to use.

She was actually lucky to have, as she said,

a bowl of sugar on the table.

Here's my... That's my granny there and my mum and my sister

and my gran there and me.

Which one's you? The one that's in pink again?

What? The one in pink? Oh my goodness!

THEY LAUGH

Former Army Cadet David is up next

and hoping to do his military family proud with his...

..of sea bass, deep-fried mussels

and brown shrimp chowder,

all caught up in a fiddly potato net.

I've tweaked the dish, just concentrating on the flavours

and making sure what I put on the plate is precise, clean,

and taste really well.

Yesterday got me to fourth, hopefully today will get me into the top three.

He was almost in our top three yesterday

so this is a chef who is determined to do well

so we hope you are going to enjoy this.

Last time we had the most delicious fish but it was rather

restauranty, I mean, it didn't have a huge wow factor to look at.

I think if he can transform the Deadly Catch

into the Catch Of The Day,

then I think we could all be happily surprised.

Determined to improve on yesterday's fourth-place,

David has come up with a change to his dish's presentation.

Bringing in toys?

When I spoke to the judges before they said it wanted

more of a story behind what I was doing

so what it is is that the trawler men risked their lives

to go out and get fish in.

And a lot of the trawlers then were put into service for

coastal patrols, so it's about saying thank you to those guys,

you know, the unsung heroes really of the war. Yes.

David starts his plate with a bed of samphire,

mangetout and lobster oil.

Next deep-fried mussels in breadcrumbs.

He pan fries his sea bass, which he adds.

Topped with his fiddly potato fishing net.

Finally he pours over brandy cream to finish his brown shrimp chowder

and places on his new trawler-inspired presentation board.

Very nice.

That looked awesome.

It means a lot to me, this brief.

It's a big thing with our family, the military,

and to do this for them, to get this for the military would be great.

Blimey.

A trawler.

Isn't that lovely?

Everything about the presentation, I think, is perfect.

Trawlers, of course, were intended for catching fish

but, during the war years, many of them were converted into minesweepers

and, of course, the crews went with them.

I saw the presentation with the little boat on the side...

Is that enough in this competition at this stage? I'm not so sure.

So good!

Always brings a little joy to my heart to see a cream and butter sauce.

Delicious, isn't it? Mmm, that is scrummy.

I've just tasted the fish there, it's so...

It's cooked to perfection, just the right amount, not overdone.

The fish is perfectly cooked. The fish is nice, yeah.

The chowder?

I like it, to me it helps season everything else, you know.

It's a simple and sophisticated piece of cooking.

Do you like it?

There's nothing not to like.

It's beautiful cooking, you know, he's on message with the brief.

You know, this is good cooking and well done to him.

That's got too much breadcrumbs round it. It's quite bready, isn't it?

And the sauce is very creamy.

I must say I think the mussels are a little overcooked.

This is just right for the occasion.

I can imagine them asking for second helpings.

It really is, it's delicious.

This could be a banquet contender because it is just so well done.

I think on the food we've seen already so far,

I'm going to give this six.

I think six is a fair reflection of the dish.

It's not bowling me over.

I liked it the first time and I like it even more now.

I'm certainly going to give it a high score.

Fellow newcomer Jacqueline O'Donnell is next.

Her starter saw her at the bottom, in ninth place yesterday.

I want to raise my game. I don't want to be first out of the chamber today.

I want to do Scotland proud with a very great Scottish dish.

She's fighting back with a fish course inspired by local legend,

based on a story she's heard about the black-market trading

of herring for whisky and hay bales during the war,

with herring in oatmeal, herring tartare and a wee dram of whisky.

When we ate this fish dish before, I gave it a 10.

I thought it was wonderful, just delicious.

It was almost impossible to believe that the lady who produced

yesterday's dish actually produced this particular dish as well

because it was so elegant, it was just delight from beginning to end.

Well, how do you feel about herrings?

I'm a herring addict, yes, I could eat it any day of the week.

But Jacqueline isn't the only one serving herring today.

Returning contender Adam is also cooking Silver Darlings

and won a place in the top three for his starter.

Mine represents Silver Darlings as "ration for Britain"

because that's what they were known as. Yes.

Do you feel any more pressure,

the fact that you are doing the same dish as Adam? Of course it has!

Adam's dish yesterday was amazing and then I'm sure he's putting just

as much effort into today's but it has put me under a wee bit of worry.

Her take on Silver Darlings is very different from mine.

I'm not threatened by Jacq's dish, I believe my one is better.

Jacqueline starts by topping her cucumber jelly

and herring tartare with slices of pickled cucumber.

On goes herring fried in oatmeal

and her dish is delivered to the pass disguised in a hay bale.

With the "then and now" facing the judge, please.

OK. Nice and steady, girls.

Wibbly wobbly jelly going on in there.

Watch that box. No drinking the whisky!

Oh!

That's supposed to be a hay bale? It looks like a hay bale, doesn't it?

I would love to get my fish dish onto the shortlist.

I feel the herring industry

in the war was something that everybody in Britain was proud of

for the fishermen and I hope it is enough to not leave me last today.

Surprise!

THEY ALL LAUGH

Something surreptitious going on here.

"A wee nip lifts the spirit and sharpens the wit. WC."

Must be Winston Churchill.

I think this is sabotage, isn't it?

Just before our fish course - give us a shot of whisky and see how we go!

I think it looks great, I think it's really delicate looking

and I want to eat into it. It's a good-looking thing.

I think it looks inviting.

Do you want the rest? I do. Don't tempt me.

I think that Jacq has been wonderfully intelligent here.

I don't think she's changed a single detail.

It's an interesting mixture of hot and cold.

The top is warm and the bottom is jelly, chilled.

It's clever.

The jelly is nice and fresh. I think the oats add a different texture.

It's very good.

I think it's under-seasoned. I don't think it's as good as before.

I think the problem with a dish like this, it demands absolute

precision in every single element for it to be really effective.

For me, the herring on top is lacking a bit of seasoning.

It's virtually completely unseasoned.

I think it's a wonderful thing.

You don't want other things on it, you don't want lemon juice on it,

you just want to taste the fish and that's what I taste.

Don't you think it's rather dominated by the cucumber jelly,

that does that fish a disservice.

Do you know, that is the fiercest thing you have said all day?

So he must be right! No, what's got into him?

I don't think it's a banquet dish.

I think it's going to be between five and six for me.

I'm going to go with, I think, a five.

Jacq's dish was very clean.

I gave it an eight.

I believe mine will get a higher score.

I would be depressed

if I thought this was the best we were going to get today.

Last in this group is Michelin-starred Adam Simmonds.

Like Jacqueline, Adam is also cooking Silver Darlings,

or herring which he's pickling and serving with herring pate,

new potatoes, technical horseradish snow,

charcoal mayonnaise

and cucumber jelly.

Yesterday was the first one, you get off to a flying start.

So there is more pressure today, for sure.

We start again, it's a level playing field,

so I'll attack it like I did yesterday.

I really loved his fish dish.

I gave it a 10 and I think it's going to be very interesting

to compare the two herring dishes here.

It'll be interesting everyone's view of the seasoning compared to the other one.

He also did the most wonderful little picture of airships

over Green Park and Big Ben, it was lovely.

I only gave it an eight and we really need a ten,

nine or ten up there, so he's got to improve the dish I think

if he wants to get it through to the banquet.

To see how things are going in the kitchen,

war veteran Ken pays a visit to the chefs.

How are you? Very well, thank you.

You too, thank you. Nice to meet you.

What an experience today? It is, yes. Yes.

So, are you looking forward to the banquet?

Yes, I think that the way things are going so far, it should be good.

An historic event really, and it's coming at the right time

because 2014 is the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Yes, it is.

So, what was it like, then, on the beaches?

From June 6th, when the battle started on D-day,

through until the 20th August, when the Germans went on the run,

it was really non-stop, day and night.

Little lulls occasionally but really never gives up.

At the 20th of August, of course, the front moved very quickly

through Belgium into Holland and it all stuck there right through

the winter of 1944, into 1945

and then in May 1945 it was all over.

So, how is the judge's chamber? Very good.

I think you have got things under control here.

I am looking forward to it. Very, very nice to meet you. Thank you.

Take care. Thank you very much. Thank you. Nice to meet you.

First on Adam's blitz inspired serving plates

is cucumber jelly wrapped herring pate

and pickled baby cucumber.

He pipes on charcoal mayonnaise...

..before blowtorching his herring fillets.

All finished off with a sprinkling of horseradish snow.

Aktar, don't you take it, it'll be late!

THEY ALL LAUGH

There you go, you might catch up.

Well done, man.

Thank you, thank you.

It's difficult for me to call today,

whether I'll be on the judges' shortlist.

I thought this would probably be my strongest dish

but we'll have to wait and see.

Spectacular!

Isn't it?

I love how this looks, I just think this goes down in front of you

and you go, "Wow!" This is a lovely looking thing.

Wow, you know, presentation, again,

10 out of 10, absolutely beautiful. Lovely.

There's a lot more flavours,

bringing the flavours of the fish out

and that's what I like, that's what I expect.

The range of flavours are remarkable.

The only disappointing item for me is actually the herring,

which is, dare I say it, under-seasoned!

More bones than my dish.

I think so.

I hardly found any in yours but there's a lot of bones there

and I just got a really big one now. I'm a little disappointed.

It's rather bland, the fish itself, it doesn't have an exciting flavour.

I can't really taste too much pickle there. Very light, yes.

The acidity on yours was much better, I thought.

If this dish is called Silver Darlings, then presumably

the herring must be the heart of the dish.

If the heart of the dish is unsound, then the dish must be unsound.

I thought the flavours were fantastic but,

it's the fish that's the problem.

Imagine this coming into the crypt at St Paul's, it would look amazing.

The presentation of his board was fantastic

but I think that's where it stops in regards to where the banquet is.

Yes.

I don't like it as much as I did before

but I still think it's a contender.

If I was to be fair with this, I would give it a seven.

I'm going to go just one below that and say six.

I was quite underwhelmed with it, which is why I gave it a six.

I see this as a banquet dish

if the chef was to give more attention to the fish.

The final group of chefs are Tom Sellers, also from London

and the South East, along with Colin McGurran and Emily Watkins.

Thank you. Well done. All the best, all the best.

So the veteran today is Ken.

A really, really amazing guy.

In the regionals he gave me a ten for this dish.

When I got my fish score, Prue said to me,

if she could have given me 12, she would have given me 12 out of 10.

That is quite some comment, isn't it? Yes! You didn't tell me that!

I'm hoping there are some tens yet. I want to see a ten at the banquet.

Has anyone given a ten yet?

I haven't today, no. Have you given a ten? No!

So we're still waiting for the perfect dish.

The South West's Emily is up first.

It is her second time in the competition after nerves

got the better of her last year.

She started the week strongly with a top three finish

and is hoping to repeat that today.

I would love to see one of my dishes go through to the banquet,

it would be such a great way of saying thank you to all the veterans

and my grandparents who were all involved in World War II.

You've already made the shortlist for your first course.

Looking to do the same for this one?

Makes you pretty intent on wanting to, doesn't it?

Emily's cooking grilled scallops,

smoked cockle broth, seaweeds and morels,

a complex dish that went down particular well

with the guest judge in the heats.

The veteran, Ken Sturdy, gave Emily a ten in her regionals.

Keeping it all quite close. Yes.

Listen, she did the same yesterday, didn't she?

She went straight under the radar.

That's obviously her game plan. Yes.

Fight Them On The Beaches is the title of this dish -

a less combative dish I must say I think I've yet to come across

but it was full of the most beautifully individual flavours,

which I think were very cleverly linked together.

Ken, I hope she hasn't changed that dish too much

because I scored it very highly.

I think she knows she has a winner and she's going to stick with it.

She had a shortlisted dish yesterday

and she's got a very good chance of having another one today.

Under pressure to deliver, Emily's rivals are just as eager

to see if she's on to another winner.

The mess tins are kind of the main service, the plates if you like. Yes.

And then in the little satchel on the side,

I'm doing a cockle broth.

And I see here you have got seaweed tobacco.

Yes, it' got dried nori, it's all these ingredients

could actually genuinely be found on a beach in Normandy.

Is that used for seasoning or...

Yes, exactly. It is quite strong so I wouldn't go overly mad on it.

With time against her, Emily starts by pouring cockle broth

into reproduction World War II flasks.

She'll be very disappointed if she,

at this stage, she get things wrong because of the pressure.

Let us hope not. Or maybe hope so! Maybe!

Next, she places sea aster into mess tins...

..followed by fish stock braised morels...

..and scallops,

all garnished with caramelised sea lettuce and taken to the pass.

I'm afraid they're a bit heavy, girls.

Thank you.

I feel like I have forgotten something.

The fish course was a bit of a blur,

it was a bit of a race against time to get things done.

I was definitely trying to make every element perfect

so that's what we do as chefs, we try and get everything spot-on.

Oo-er, this seems to have grown a bit.

Delicious aromas coming from this. My goodness!

She's changed the presentation completely,

to upsize to this scale and build up the beach effect.

I really like that.

The brief, she's hit the brief for sure within the presentation. Yes.

This broth is delightful. Mm.

You really definitely need to use, for me, the seaweed tobacco.

Without that it doesn't work because the seasoning,

it needs that seasoning. Yes.

That scallop is almost a meal in itself.

A pretty small meal!

The scallop was cooked lovely. The scallop was lovely.

The cockles are nice and sweet, salty.

But after that, I'm not sure where the dish is going.

I love these little cockles,

and then you pour the hot stock on them and it sort of heats them up.

So many lovely flavours.

I mean this is really beautiful.

Happy as Larry with this.

We are looking for things that relate to Normandy

and World War II

and that is right bang on, I think.

Overall it's a strong plate of food again. Yeah.

But I think... I think almost maybe it does lack a little flavour.

I think for anybody who served in Normandy or served on the coast

anywhere in Europe,

this little scenario that we're looking at here

would be very mindful of an experience, yes.

For me, I'd score this a five up to a seven.

Nothing I can say to fault it. For me it's a nine.

I'm going to mirror that. It has been, so far, the dish of the day.

I really love this dish. It's got it!

Well, she's called this dish, We'll Fight Them On The Beaches,

but I have that wonderful growing suspicion that peace is breaking out all over!

Penultimate chef and newcomer to the competition,

Tom Sellers, is up next. He made the chefs' top three yesterday

but the judges' scores dragged him down to fifth overall.

You have to cook from the heart, I have always said that.

Let the cooking do the talking. I'm confident in my food,

I always have been. And hopefully that will show today.

And hopefully it will show with the judges.

Tom is cooking turbot with a Normandy cider,

cream and fish bone sauce, and apple balls in lovage oil.

Tom Sellers, you know, I gave this dish a 10

because I thought it was the most beautiful,

classic, delicious cooking.

And he is a very, very ambitious chef, Tom.

He's definitely the hot young guy around town at the moment.

You've talked about the food, how admirable the dishes, the balance of flavours.

Not a single word about the presentation.

And that was its great weakness. If he needs to get it up there

into the nines and tens, he's got to pay attention to that.

Yesterday you stole the march on him. We were just talking about how that might have dented his confidence,

or maybe it might make him think, do you know what I mean?

In a nice way - just being honest, you know what I mean?

I don't think anything dents his confidence, does it?

LAUGHTER

If you want me to check any seasoning, just let me know.

I can't help it sometimes. I'm sorry!

Tom's tweaked his dish in a bid to impress, altering the title

and its presentation by concealing a French Resistance map under his glass plate.

I changed the presentation, actually, from the judges. How was it before?

It was just all about actually flavours from Normandy.

But this time I've actually brought in the French Resistance as well.

Tom starts with burnt apple puree, followed by buttered samphire.

On goes steamed turbot.

Finally, he drizzles over his roast fish bone sauce with Normandy cider.

Yeah.

Very good, Tom. Beautiful. A beautiful piece of work.

Thank you very much. That looks really nice, Tom. Thank you very much.

I don't think you can be too overconfident in this competition,

just to ultimately think you're going to make the shortlist.

The judges may see it differently. I made the top three for the chefs yesterday,

but didn't make the cut with the judges. So, you know, we'll have to wait and see.

This is one of those dishes you just want to keep looking at,

cos it is so good looking. It feels a shame to have to break into it!

Some really interesting flavours on there.

I think the burnt apple puree, was something I really enjoyed.

The fish is cooked well. It's a good dish.

God, it's good. That's really good.

And the celeriac is just lovely.

I really like it. The seasoning is great, the cooking is perfect. You know, another lovely dish.

The first mouthful of this tickles the taste buds.

There's something so distinctive about it.

The burnt apple, lovage, they are wonderful ingredients

that are original and brilliant.

I think it's a very elegant dish. I think it is fit for a banquet.

It's an amazing fish.

I'm still not quite certain that I understand the connection

between this dish and D-Day. It's a very, very nice dish. Very accomplished.

We have a little map of Normandy to help us. Oh, fantastic!

Obviously, as you eat, the map underneath gets a bit more clearer.

Ken, look at the map of the French Resistance... Yes?

Can you explain it to us?

A lot of the plans that we made for D-Day were made

in collaboration with the French Resistance.

They were an active part of victory in World War II.

Do you see a direct and clear connection

between the French Resistance

and this food you've just eaten? To tell you the truth, I don't! Thank you!

LAUGHTER

Is it a contender? Not for me. Oh, come on! Absolutely not.

I'm going to go straight in there and say nine.

I'm saying at least a nine.

You have to have a dish of this calibre as a contender. You just do.

I think for me it's extremely interesting new flavours on there,

and because of that I'll give it a nine.

I have just a bit of resistance to the French Resistance!

Last to cook is former starter course champion, Colin McGurran,

who failed to live up to expectations yesterday, finishing seventh.

He has a lot to prove with his fish course today.

My grandad was actually on the boat.

So I really feel a strong passion to make sure that I do

all of my cooking justice, to make sure I get to the banquet this year.

Colin is cooking an unusually presented dish of shellfish mousse

with squid ink pasta and barbecue langoustine skewers on an edible beach.

I just think this was Colin's best dish. I love the interactivity.

I love the little bit of barbecuing going on. It was fun.

I really love the way you saw two different scenes on the beach -

the war scene and the peace scene. And they were beautifully done.

It's even better to eat than it is to listen about.

I am all agog to see what's coming! Good!

So, all our dishes essentially are inspired by the beaches of Normandy.

We've all gone down the same route, it seems. It looks that way, yeah.

I just think, had we not have been so successful in 1944,

maybe we weren't going to be as lucky as what we are.

So when I was doing the research, I found out that people

were enjoying the beaches, like you should do.

You know, you should be having a picnic on there.

You should be having a barbecue or flying a kite, something like that.

So, for me, it resonated with that.

I want to honour that by doing a barbecue on a beach, basically. Lovely.

Colin's unique presentation sees him present each diner with their own mini charcoal barbecue.

He starts by removing the squid ink pasta filled with shellfish mousse

from its mould, before placing on his brick.

He sprinkles langoustine powder...

and adds shrimps.

It's garnished with nasturtium flowers,

and finally, his langoustines, half cooked on a specially-adapted indoor barbecue.

Hear that sizzle?

And then with each course here, guys, we're just going to give them

what it should all mean to all of us.

There you go. Beautiful, mate. That is amazing.

There we go. That's incredible. Thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

I think I executed everything as should be.

After seeing the other chefs' food and the cooking,

I am quite confident that there's a chance

that I'm going to be in the judges' top three.

My!

Look at this. Yes.

"When you go home, tell them of us

"and say for your tomorrow we give our today.

"Denoting our freedom to enjoy the beaches as we please

"and cook with ease."

Those lines now are quite classic lines.

I think a number of war memorials have those engraved on them.

It is a very, very moving phrase.

What do you think, Ken?

I'm looking at this, you know, and just thinking it's...

I think it's a landing craft! Yes, it's the same shape.

It's very interesting, difference of perspective.

For those veterans,

I can quite understand they'll see the landing craft

and that's what they'll see above all else.

But we, who never experienced that,

we'll see the benefits of your actions of 70 years ago.

JACQUELINE: It looks absolutely amazing.

Really great presentation.

First of all, I just love the barbecue. I think it's genius.

And, you know, you cannot go wrong

with a barbecue langoustine, can you?

That's just going to hit you between the eyes in terms of taste.

For me, the star of the show is the langoustine on the barbecue.

This part, for me, is very good.

I mean, I love the squid ink pasta.

It must have taken forever to wind it all round so perfectly.

And that langoustine is going to be, I think,

the best mouthful of the day.

Every time I dip my fork in here, something good comes out.

Good.

I think it's definitely a banquet dish.

I love his story

of the fact that those men fought so hard for us

to give us back our beaches and give us our freedom.

I think that's a great way of celebrating it.

It's a really wonderful thing.

I think it's delightful and I'm definitely marking it up high.

Nine for me.

It's definitely an eight or a nine for me.

Well, I think it's been beautifully conceived.

And it's definitely going to be a high mark.

To mark it down would just be being pernickety.

In terms of everything which I've seen today,

I think this dish is a ten.

I'm looking at something pretty high.

Dish of the day? Dish of the day.

Excellent, yes.

Well, from a very poor start, I think we have had an amazing day.

Just sitting down in cold blood and thinking,

"What the heck should I do to represent D-Day?"

takes a bit of thinking.

And they all hit the nail some way.

I'd love to know what they really thought of my dish

but I guess I've got to wait to find out, haven't I?

Well, I've dished out a lot of nines but only one ten.

I wonder if it's the same as my ten, Prue.

I think there's a very interesting extra little element

we should discuss here, no?

How the chefs have marked each other! Yes.

Before the final results are revealed,

it's time to find out which chefs,

according to the chefs' scores alone... Thank you.

..would be in the top three.

The top three chefs according to our scores are,

in no particular order,

James...

ALL: James?!

Next... Colin.

Mm-hm. Fair enough. I think we're happy to agree with them there.

And me.

Oh, what a surprise(!) We liked Tom.

You didn't like Tom.

Are you sure it says me? I promise, it says me!

And no Emily.

'Oh, God, I must have messed it up somewhere'

and clearly they haven't enjoyed it for whatever reason.

You know, it's massive in this room but in the other room,

you know, it's a whole fresh start.

Let's get a look at our scores as well and see how they stack up.

And then see if the chefs affect our judgment.

The chefs' scores have been added to the judges'

to create each dish's final total

and determine where each chef is placed

in today's overall results.

Chefs, how's it been in there?

Exhausting.

Well, like yesterday, only the top three dishes

have a chance of being cooked at the final banquet.

And I'm sure that you are anxious to find out which those three are.

Starting in reverse order.

In ninth place, it's...

..Chris.

Chris, I'm very sorry.

Your fellow chefs really loved your dish

but we didn't feel it really told the story of wartime Britain

that we were looking for.

OK, thank you.

Thank you.

And so in eighth place...

..Aktar.

Aktar, you completely revamped your dish

but I'm afraid even the revamped version

didn't pass muster as far as we were concerned.

But thank you.

I agree with you wholly, sir. Thank you very much.

And in seventh place...

..it's...

..Jacq. Now, I can't tell you... This almost breaks my heart.

Prue and I love your dish but I'm afraid your fellow chefs

weren't quite as keen on it as we were.

But thank you. Thank you.

And so in sixth place is...

..Adam.

Hero yesterday, not quite so much today, Adam.

And to our surprise, your fellow chefs agree with us on that.

But thank you. Thank you very much.

So fifth place.

It's...

..James.

Now, your fellow chefs thought very, very highly of this dish,

as indeed we did.

But we just didn't think it was suitable for the banquet.

Just not quite the sort of gastronomic highs

we were looking for.

Thank you. Thank you.

Gents, ladies.

That's a surprise to me.

So, there are four of you left.

But only three of you can go on to be on the banquet shortlist.

And in fourth place...

..just...just missing out...

..David.

So... Oh, David!

Colin, Tom, Emily, absolute congratulations to you.

Emily... Thank you so much!

On the board for the second time. Did you expect that? No, not at all.

I love that dish

and I'm really pleased that you enjoyed it as well today.

Yours was delicious

and spot on the brief.

Thank you very, very much.

And Tom, how do you feel?

Yeah, it's great to be...

Yesterday didn't quite go my way

so to be in the top three today is a great feeling.

You know, I'm very happy.

Tom, your dish was really beautiful

and it was an excellent bit of cooking.

Thank you very much.

Colin, we thought your dish told a really thoughtful story

in a really imaginative way.

So congratulations. Thank you.

Today has been quite an experience for me

because it really was a revelation.

I was really becoming aware of what we might call 21st-century cookery.

And it was a pleasure.

Again, congratulations, all of you, on what you have accomplished.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

David, David, David, another near miss.

My two weakest dishes are my starter and my fish course.

Well, we loved your dish.

Yeah... I think you'd better take this up with your fellow chefs

because they were... I think I'm not very popular, so...

Anyway, congratulations to Emily and Tom and to Colin.

You're all in with a chance

of cooking your fish course at the D-Day banquet.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

EMILY: To have the first two courses get through to the shortlist

is just an incredible feeling.

It's given me a great second wind.

I feel I could run around, now!

COLIN: I'm over the moon. I've got my dish on the board now.

I've got a great chance, now, of being in the banquet.

Well, thank heavens for that.

I've never known it quite so dense.

I think all that tension kicked off with Chris being in the ninth spot.

So they were all going, "Whoops!"

I didn't expect to come ninth with that dish.

So, yeah, I'm a bit miffed by that, really.

Well done, guys. Congratulations. Thank you. Cheers. Good dish.

To be in the top three is great. It's an honour and hopefully...

Could it be at the banquet? Maybe.

Tomorrow it's the main course.

Time is running out for the five chefs

yet to make the banquet shortlist.

The beef is really tough. BLEEP!

I think it's unforgivable.

And the chefs' scores have dramatic consequences.

What?! No!

Give me a hug. Definitely... definitely my dish of the day.

It doesn't sound like a winner to me.