Finals Main Great British Menu

It's finals week on Great British Menu...

Really quite nervous because I would love to get on that shortlist.

-..and the pressure is on for nine of the country's top chefs...

-Argh!

..as they strive to create their finest hour on a plate

for the chance to cook for our World War II veterans

at a banquet commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-Day

at London's St Paul's Cathedral,

an iconic bastion of British wartime resilience.

Yesterday, Tom Sellers

and Colin McGurran both made it into the fish course top three...

-Beautiful piece of work.

-Thank you very much.

Colin, we thought your dish told a really thoughtful story.

..and Emily Watkins impressed for the second day running.

Delicious aromas coming from this! My goodness!

Today, it's the turn of the main course,

and time is running out for the five chefs yet to make the shortlist.

My beef is really tough.

BLEEPING

I think it's unforgivable.

World War II code breaker Baroness Trumpington joins the judges

to help pick the winners.

It's a big thrill for me

because I watch this programme every time it comes on.

Sometimes, I'll argue fiercely with all three of you!

-Yesterday's heroes are feeling the strain...

-Are you under pressure?

Normally, when you're quiet, it means you...

BLEEPING

..and the chefs' scores have dramatic consequences.

No!

I think it's fantastic. Beautifully executed.

-It's between a nine and a ten for me.

-Give me a hug.

Definitely, definitely, definitely my dish of the day.

Doesn't sound like a winner to me.

I must tell you that your marks

have made a difference to the leaderboard.

Has my mascara run?

Three chefs already in with a chance of cooking at the D-Day banquet

are Adam Simmonds, Tom Sellers and Emily Watkins.

So, we're halfway through. Twice for you in the top three.

-I'm obviously thrilled by that and obviously I'd love to get another one.

-Yeah.

They're joined by former champions Aktar Islam

and Colin McGurran, who got mixed reviews yesterday.

-I finally got my foot in the door.

-Letting the side down, aren't I?

Do need to make it onto the top three,

but as a returning champion I think there's a lot of pressure.

Also yet to make his mark is newcomer David Kelman...

-Groundhog Day again, isn't it?

-Groundhog Day it is, isn't it?

..who's narrowly missed out twice.

Two strongest dishes coming up in the next two days,

so fingers crossed, eh?

Next is James Durrant,

who's already secured a place on the banquet shortlist...

Today's the day for me. Main course is a strong dish.

..along with Chris McGowan and Jacqueline O'Donnell,

who've so far failed to score highly with the judges.

Halfway through, there's still time.

-Hopefully, I'll get to that top three, if I can.

-Good luck.

-Good luck, mate.

-Good luck.

Tomorrow, judges Prue Leith, Matthew Fort

and Oliver Peyton will decide on the final menu for the D-Day banquet,

and any chefs not on the shortlist won't be in with a chance.

Emily amazes me.

Every time she gets through, which she has twice already,

she's got this look of complete surprise on her face.

I'm interested to see how she's going to do today.

My heart goes out to David, you know.

-Twice the best man but never quite the bridegroom!

-And Chris!

He's not got anywhere yet.

His fellow chefs like his food, but I don't know.

He just doesn't seem to have read the brief!

Well, maybe today's the day.

Helping them with the main courses is 91-year-old banquet

guest of honour Jean Barker, also known as Baroness Trumpington,

a code breaker during World War II

and outspoken member of the House of Lords.

Baroness Trumpington, how wonderful to see you! Come.

How very, very kind of you to join us today.

It's a big thrill for me

because I watch this programme every time it comes on.

Sometimes, I'll argue fiercely with all three of you!

-Well, that bodes well for today(!)

-So, Jean, where were you in the War?

I was at a place called Bletchley Park, translating.

I actually worked on the German signals which came through in code.

It was an extraordinary part of the war effort, Bletchley.

I mean, you know, so much stemmed from it.

The U-boat code was the secret of our beginning of a victory.

Can I show you some very old photographs?

We would love to see them.

Now, that, for instance, my best suit for a night shift at Bletchley.

I mean, normally, I can't tell you how scruffy we all were.

-How old were you when you went to Bletchley?

-Er...

20, but I was a linguist because I spoke French and German,

and anybody can speak Italian.

THEY LAUGH

First into the kitchen

are Northern Ireland's Chris McGowan,

Scotland's Jacqueline O'Donnell

and Emily Watkins from the Southwest, who's first to cook.

Emily, obviously, myself and Jac, we've put

all of our efforts into trying to get into the top three, you know.

You've been twice now.

Yeah, obviously, I'm, like, thrilled with the starter and the fish,

-but this is my weakest course in the regionals.

-Oh, really?

And I made a few tweaks to it,

but I'm really anxious about whether they enjoy it.

Emily's serving rabbit and braised snails for her main course

in a Dig For Victory allotment-inspired garden,

ingredients that would have been readily available during the War.

Be amazing to get another course on the board.

I mean, obviously, it would be amazing

to be up there all four times!

I just need to concentrate now.

Jean, Emily Watkins,

whose first dish we are about to eat, is an immensely talented

young chef, and she's already got two dishes onto the shortlist board.

-Have you ever eaten rabbit and snails together?

-No, never.

-Do you like rabbit?

-Not really.

Maybe cos one had a lot of it during the War.

-Hi, Emily.

-Hi, guys.

-How's it going, love?

-Not too bad.

We need some tips cos you seem to be consistently in the top three.

That's really putting the pressure on me now, isn't it? Um...

It's just about keeping your head down, isn't it, and pushing on?

-How long have you got?

-Exactly 17 minutes.

-I love your precision.

-17...

-If it was us, we would have been 25.

-See, there you go.

That's her 17-minute timer!

-How's she doing?

-Really focused.

She's a bit like the Terminator, isn't she? "I'll be back!"

-"I've got 17 minutes!"

-"I've got 17 minutes!

"I will beat you at the banquet!"

Emily has pared back her dish since the regionals, when she lost points

after having too much to do, and combined the rabbit leg,

loin, offal and mousseline into one simple roulade or ballotine.

But there's a problem.

-How you doing?

-Disaster!

BLEEPING

Is that crepinette on there?

I've done it at home. Never had it burst open before.

-It only bursts in the finals, you know that?

-Of course.

Well, to be fair, if it tastes good, I think

-you're still going to get the points.

-It's the finals, Colin.

-Everything's important.

-I'm just trying to make you feel better!

Oh, well, I appreciate it.

Big disaster in there. Emily's roulade's just exploded, bless her.

-I'm sure she'll be mortified.

-The pan was a bit too hot.

It's just a silly, rookie mistake.

But I've done it, so I've got one more which

I was keeping for the chefs but I'm going to do that up now instead.

Time is now against her, and as well as cooking her second ballotine

-Emily still has to bring together the rest of her dish.

-You OK, Emily?

Yeah, just about.

This was supposed to be the idiot-proof way of doing it.

-Oh, really?

-Allegedly.

Emily starts her board with vegetable purees under

the watchful eyes of her rivals.

A chef in our region put food on a wooden board.

It just went stone-cold.

She tops with edible black pudding soil, hay-baked baby turnips,

carrots and potatoes.

With the clock ticking,

she adds blanched cabbage and slices of her replacement rabbit ballotine.

-Is she stressed?

-She's a seasoned pro, isn't she?

Last on are jugs of rabbit sauce and snails braised in garlic and butter.

Thank you. OK. There we go.

OK.

-She got away with that.

-Yeah, she did.

I'm still quite happy with the rabbit.

Obviously, there was just less of it to use but, you know,

that's what happens if you put 15 elements onto a plate!

-Oh, it smells wonderful!

-Love it!

-I love the presentation, even on the plate.

-Even on the plate, superb.

I like the heart in the middle.

For me, I don't see the problem with that ballotine.

It split open, for sure, but it could have been a lot worse.

Rescued it, I think.

I like the carrot puree underneath the black pudding. It's lovely.

-Really nice.

-Very clever.

I think every dish that's come up of Emily's,

the technical element of it has been...

-It's absolutely bang on, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I've always found, actually,

-that wild rabbit has more flavour than domestic rabbit.

-Yeah.

This rabbit has not seen a lot of fields and wood!

She's done the best she could with the rabbit.

It's not, to me, an outstanding dish by any stretch of the imagination.

I think the dish is a nice piece of cookery, but overall,

as a dish, I think it could have been more balanced.

-I think it looks prettier than it tastes.

-Yeah.

Yes, I think that's correct.

Emily's dish, on the whole, was very good.

The cabbage, for my liking, wasn't cooked as it should be,

so, for that, I'm scoring her dish a seven.

I think this is terribly Home Counties rustic and it'll get

a perfectly decent score, but it won't get a high score.

-I'm going to give this a ten.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-I love it.

-I think it's so nice.

-I think I'll give it a six.

I liked it a bit more. I'm going to give it a seven.

It hasn't got enough flavour. It's not special enough.

For me, the cooking was great, the seasoning was fantastic,

but I just can't see that dish on the banquet.

Are you going to give us a hint about where you might be in scoring in this one, Jean?

Why should I?

THEY LAUGH

Quite right!

Next up is newcomer Jacqueline O'Donnell who, like fellow

first-timer Chris, is yet to secure a place on the banquet shortlist.

So, Jac, this is our opportunity now to try

-and get into the top three.

-That's what we've got to do, Chris.

We've got to dust ourselves off, get back up fighting

and push to get to that banquet in St Paul's.

I've had a couple of blows this week.

It's a tough kitchen to work in.

There's nine fantastic chefs, but I'm so honoured to be here,

so I'm giving it my best.

She's hoping to reverse her fortune with a simple soldier's

Homecoming Platter of cured

and roast suckling pig with creamed cabbage, roast potatoes

and new black pudding and pork crackling apples -

the first of three suckling pig dishes on the menu today.

-What are you guys both cooking?

-I'm doing suckling pig.

-Yeah, I'm doing suckling pig as well.

-Ah! Interesting.

I've got the shoulders and legs cured, and then I'm going to

do the rack just as pork, so that you get both on the board.

I like that. That's a lovely idea.

So hoping that that's enough to edge me closer to that top three.

-Come on, Jac. Positive energy, yeah?

-Come on!

Jac has had mixed fortunes so far in the competition,

but her cooking itself has been lovely.

The flavour, it really had a sort of real warmth to it,

particularly on this pork dish.

I think it's the sort of whizz-bang bit that's missing.

Yes, her food is, we might say, sort of enormously warm,

but the fact is, we didn't feel, in its earlier version,

it was grand enough to make it all the way to the banquet.

And the banquet is the key to this.

I'd love to be at the banquet to honour the veterans, you know?

I feel as though this is... You've got to go guns blazing.

We need to go right to the end.

Jacqueline starts her mess tins with new black pudding baked apples,

adds mini pans of creamed cabbage, pots of pork and cider sauce

and roast potatoes...

..before turning her attention to the suckling pig centrepiece

of roast pork cutlets, leg and shoulder.

-Two at a time?

-Yeah, that's good.

That looks amazing. You're like me. I get the shakes!

-Smells nice.

-Relieved it's over? Anyway, it looked amazing.

-And breathe.

-I can't wait to try it.

I think every course is stressful, but the main course was just...

You feel as though there's so much pressure and so little time.

I would love my name on the shortlist but the competition is really,

really tough.

Mm!

-Looks amazing. The colour is fantastic.

-There we go.

Got some nice flavours on there.

-The pork's really tasty as well, the suckling pig.

-It's good pork, yeah.

-Fantastic.

-Great flavour, yeah.

-The skin is so good, isn't it?

For me, I think that cured pork is slightly salty for me.

The chop itself is fine. The brining on the rest of the pork is terrible.

Overbrined. It's too salty. The ham is too salty.

The apple and black pudding and crackling's a really clever idea.

-Actually, the apple and black pudding is delicious.

-Yes.

I think that's the best thing but the brined part is oversalted

and the potatoes are undersalted and the best thing is the apple

and black pudding. It seems not the way it should be!

For me, the cabbage is a little bit fatty.

I think it's a pity that more was not made of the skin, which is

-the most delicious part, I think.

-I think it's a lot better than before.

She had a good dish here.

There were lots of good flavours in it and I think she's trying too hard.

It's rather sad because so much effort has gone into making

this dish and it hasn't quite come off, I don't think.

Six.

The impact it had, when it walked past us, was brilliant,

but for me, the cure was too much.

She's lost the balance of the dish, for me,

and I don't think it's a high score.

I'm going to give it a six cos I can't really see it on the banquet.

I think I'm going to give it a seven.

I think it's good cooking and I think the, you know, loin's nice.

I can't mark this very highly either.

I'm unhappy with her seasoning, and also,

I don't think this is a proper banquet dish.

-It's a Sunday lunch.

-Absolutely.

Chris McGowan's suckling pig is up next.

A protege of three-time Great British Menu winner

Richard Corrigan, Chris, like Jac, has also so far failed

to secure a place on the shortlist, despite high scores from his peers.

For the starter, I was in the top three for the chefs,

and that didn't make it into the judges' chamber.

And yesterday, I felt like I delivered a good dish,

so now, I don't know where I'm at.

I don't know if I'm hitting the brief or not.

His suckling pig dish is inspired by a wartime initiative that

encouraged communities to breed pigs

and make use of nearly every part of the animal.

His "waste not, want not" approach scored well in the regionals,

despite failing to tell a story on the plate,

something Chris is looking to address today.

He's an immensely talented fellow,

and he's been remarkably unsuccessful so far.

But it is always very good cooking,

-but it's rather restaurant cooking, I'd say.

-It just lacks...

This is about the D-Day banquet.

We want the panache of restaurant cooking combined with

-the historical narrative of wartime Britain.

-Very difficult.

-Very difficult.

-I mean, my memories of going out are so...

Waiters whispering in your ear, "I have steak for you!

"Don't tell anybody!" And you knew darn well it was a poor old horse!

-How you doing, Chris?

-Yeah, OK, you know?

Bit of a tough one yesterday, wasn't it?

Listen, today's the day of firsts.

-I'm first up in the first group.

-But you're last in the first group!

Listen, listen, listen. Have a word with yourself, yeah?

Go into a dark room and have a word with yourself, then come back, OK?

Is that what you did yesterday, was it?

I'm hoping I'm not down that road today.

I'm hoping I've done everything I can, you know?

Chris is serving his dish in mess tins with bottles of cider sauce

-on the side.

-Looks amazing. I love the bottles.

-Yeah.

-I didn't have those first time around.

-No?

I've changed my presentation.

He starts with sprout hearts, baby turnips and onions

followed by roasted carrots and chargrilled spring onions.

-Pork crackling goes into bags...

-That is awesome!

..then it's bone marrow covered in crispy onion, caramelised

pork shoulder, black pudding, onion puree and mini roast pork cutlets.

It's all placed in specially made boxes with personalised

ration books.

This is for Baroness, so it's very important that she gets that.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-Off you go, ladies.

-Well done.

-Gee whizz!

-That was amazing.

-Thanks, ladies.

-Great, great!

Give me a hug. Give me a hug.

It was well-executed. It was a good dish.

I hope it does well but I don't know. I really don't know.

-So this is an actual copy of a real ration book?

-Yeah.

-Each of them have got their own ration book.

-Lovely idea. Mm-hm.

-Wow!

-I've got my very own ration book.

I think what he's done is slipped 50s in each one, I think.

Oliver got 100.

-Cos I think he's the hardest to please.

-I've got a ration book, too.

Quite funny.

I think it's absolutely delicious!

It's still nice and porky.

I can't believe this dish is coming from the same chef

-because it is amazing!

-It's much better, isn't it?

That black pudding is out of the top drawer.

That is the nobility of black pudding.

The suckling pig's very nice. The little loin's lovely.

I think the only thing that didn't do it for me was the bone marrow.

-I think that was a bit too rich.

-How do we feel about the marrow?

-I thought it was a waste of time.

-I would lose the marrow.

It's actually really good.

I was a little bit nervous about it, to be honest. It's delicious.

I thought the puree - was it onion and apple? It had a slight acidic...

I thought that was lovely.

Usually, you would just get quite a heavy gravy.

That appley sauce, with a bit of acidity,

it lifts the whole dish and it makes it so special.

-I think it's wonderful.

-Do you know what?

-I'm not finding any faults in here at all.

-No.

I scored Chris a six.

There was some good cooking on there, but overall,

it was a very rich dish.

I do still worry about that great big bit of bone.

Yeah, well, we'll chuck out that, I think.

Otherwise, I think it is perfect.

I'm not sure on the bone marrow with it, really,

but cooking's fantastic on it.

Yeah, the bone marrow doesn't work for me.

-I'm going to give that a five.

-I love the bone marrow.

-I can't fault this dish. I'm going to give it a ten.

-I really loved it.

By far and away his best dish.

Definitely a banquet contender for me. The crackling is fantastic.

Actually, they're absolutely delicious.

I think they're rather ingenious cos you can take them away afterwards.

-I am going to!

-Scoff them at home!

The second group of chefs are two returning champions -

Central region's Aktar Islam and the Northeast's Colin McGurran...

There we go, main course. Good luck.

..along with newcomer David Kelman from Wales.

So you two have been here before. Is the pressure a lot more this year?

I think the big pressure is getting one of your courses onto

the leaderboard. It's a win in itself, really.

I mean, you come with so much expectation of yourself

because you've been there already, but every year is different.

To check on how things are going in the kitchen,

today's guest judge, Baroness Trumpington, pays the chefs a visit.

-Hello.

-Hello. Nice to meet you.

-Very nice to meet you too.

What was your job in the War exactly?

I worked in a place called Bletchley Park.

In the bit I worked in, it broke the U-boat code.

If we hadn't broken it,

-we'd have been starved to death in this country.

-It's amazing.

And when Churchill came, he said,

"To look at you, you wouldn't think you were anything,

"but you're the geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled."

And I have to tell you, the food was disgusting!

-Well, I hope it's better today.

-It sure is so far.

It's absolutely delicious.

-When you're at home, do you cook like that?

-No.

-Does your wife cook?

-I'm single.

-Ah! Well, then you're anybody's cook!

-Exactly.

-Thank you very much for the pleasure you give.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye-bye.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Good luck. Good luck.

Former starter course champion Colin McGurran is up first.

Yesterday, he made the top three, but today he's going out on a limb

with his main course, which he's reinvented with suckling pig.

-Colin, you've got a completely new dish.

-Completely new dish.

-Bit of a risk?

-They didn't rate it greatly the first time,

so I think it would have been a bigger risk not changing it,

if that makes sense.

Colin's original dish was a tale of two parts - an ox cheek

and vegetable pie with beef fillet.

This time, he's changed the meat to pork, serving the loin

and shoulder with black pudding crackling,

but kept the title and the pastry in tribute to his grandfather,

who was a stoker on the ships on D-Day and a huge pie fan.

This course means a personal touch for me.

It's a paying homage to my grandad, who loved making pies.

I think the personal thing is really important to him because his grandad

was in the Navy and he was in the Channel during the D-Day landings.

And so, Colin has now made this pie, which he

-calls his Grandad's Posh Pie.

-Oh, how lovely.

I think he's changed his dish cos we didn't

-particularly like it very much, did we?

-It was in two parts before?

How can you have a pie in two parts?

Let us hope he has ironed out that confusion!

Jean, are you partial to a pie, indeed, a suckling pig pie, at that?

I'm always game to try anything new,

-but I'm not sure how you get crispy skin in a pie.

-Mm.

I think he's going

to be at a disadvantage already with you today, Jean.

Argh!

With plate-up fast approaching,

last-minute doubts are setting in for Colin.

I'm going blind, in a way, if that makes sense. It's never been judged.

That didn't work out too well for me yesterday with the fish course.

-It's always a risk, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I always think about the brief.

When you talk about your personal side to it, there's a cathedral full

-of people and they're going to go, "Oh, I get it!"

-I understand that.

So you start a connection between you and the other people,

to sell that brief to them, which is difficult.

Colin starts his board with pots of hay topped with pork crackling

and black pudding puree.

Next, potato puree, garnished with shavings of truffle and oil,

then puff pastry cases filled with creamed cabbage...

..rolled pork belly, sticky pork shoulder, smoked loin and carrots.

Finally, in tribute to his late grandad,

Colin finishes his presentation with copies of his Navy service record.

-It's beautiful, actually. Looks really nice.

-Woo! Last push.

-Well done, bud. Well done.

-Thanks a lot.

-Well done.

I was very happy with the dish.

I think everything that was on there was really, you know,

-really well cooked.

-Very good. Nice.

-I'm just hoping to get good scores.

Anything in the top three with the judges is great.

-Oh!

-Posh Pie is now Posh Tart!

-It is a posh tart!

This is his grandad's Navy record.

"Through all the worst years, very, very brave."

I think it's wonderful that he should be commemorated in this way.

-Very, very good mashed potato.

-Oh, so delicious!

Obviously, it's a very personal story.

Yeah, but would everyone get it? I'm not sure if they will.

-I guess, when you read that, that might add clarity to it.

-Yeah.

I'm not mad about the crackling and this little pot of...stuff.

For me, the crackling on this dish wasn't crispy.

You know, it's quite chewy.

A really almost astounding piece of cooking

-and I want to know why I don't love it more.

-I'll tell you why.

-Mm?

Because it's not a pie. The pie he was making before wasn't working.

He couldn't let go of the idea

and the relationship with his grandfather.

And it's disoriented, I think, towards the dish.

If you put Grandad's Posh Tart on the menu,

it might be open to misinterpretation!

And the resulting dish is too far divorced from the original story.

I gave Colin a six because, though I really enjoyed

the suckling pig on the dish, I didn't enjoy the rest of the dish.

I admire this dish. I do not love it. So it's above halfway.

-I'm going to be bold and I'm going to give it an eight.

-Yeah?

I think, for me, a couple of little things there are down.

-I think I'd be happy with a seven on that.

-It doesn't gel.

I think it's just misguided. But I think it's still good cooking

and I'm going to give it a good score.

-Well done, Col.

-Thank you very much.

-You all right, Chef?

-I gave you a seven, mate.

-Thanks a lot. Cheers.

-I gave you an eight.

Thank you very much.

He gave me an eight!

All right. OK. Sorry(!)

Ex-army cadet David Kelman is next

and hoping for something other than fourth place today,

having failed to get his name on the banquet shortlist so far,

despite scoring highly with the judges.

I think it's my best dish, so as long as the other chefs can see

how good it is, then, yeah, I should be in the top three today.

David's main course is inspired by his gran

and features an unusual chicken and banana ballotine

with quail egg onion bhaji

and spiced potatoes, a deeply personal dish that

saw his emotions get the better of him in the regionals.

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

I was coming on here, she passed away.

Oh, David!

You all right?

Oh, come on, sweetheart. Hey?

What brought the chicken, the banana...

-Yes, how does this fit into the brief?

-How does it work out?

Well, that's my gran. She used to work in a munitions factory in Wales

-during the war. She made munitions for D-day.

-Yeah?

One of her favourite ingredients was banana.

I wanted to do something different to the norm.

What did you get from the veteran chef on this?

I got a nine.

A nine from Angela? That is a really good score.

David. He has a special place in our affections

because he so nearly got into the top three on the first two days.

So, this is a great opportunity for him.

What do you think about chicken and banana?

I wouldn't mind it, but banana is a very invasive taste, I think.

My immediate thought was I don't want to eat that.

It was absolutely delicious. Let's hope that he doesn't mess it up.

David starts his ammunition-inspired presentation

with pots of crispy chicken skin dotted with black onion seeds.

He quenelles cucumber and mint raita onto his plates,

adding spiced potato,

carrots,

and carrot puree.

Next, chicken, banana and coriander ballotine,

spicy quail egg bhajis,

and finally, chicken jus.

I can't forget my gran.

-It looks beautiful.

-Be careful.

Well done, man. It looks really, really good.

Yes, very good.

I was happier.

I think it's better than the regionals.

Cleaner, more precise.

I'm hoping I'll get in the top three today.

That's Granny from the munitions factory.

By Jove, they worked hard, those people.

"In 1939, the Government required munitions works in Flintshire...

"..to manufacture munitions for the war effort.

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

"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."

Bananas, great.

-It works, doesn't it?

-I know!

I can't believe how well it's worked.

The chicken is wonderfully succulent.

It's got a tremendous amount of flavour.

The sweetness of the banana really works well,

and then you've got the spiciness from the bhaji.

For me, the onion bhaji was really strong in spice.

It's overpowered the whole dish.

Bhaji. Now, you're the expert on this.

The only problem with the bhaji is it gets quite claggy.

That's my only negative about it.

The gravy is like a liquid flavour. It's just amazing.

I love this.

The quality of the cooking is great, the bananas, the grandmother, I've never had anything like it.

I gave David a seven. There was too much spice in the onion bhaji.

-A banquet dish? I really do think it is.

-Yes.

I can't see the veterans in the banquet overly enjoying that.

-Unfortunately, I'll give it a five.

-I am giving David a six.

I'm not sure if anyone else would get that story.

I think the people will think it's delicious food,

but I don't see them attributing it to the past at all.

-You don't think the story on the card will help?

-If they read it, yes.

But they'll have eaten it before they've read it.

-It is personal.

-Yes, and it's very difficult to get that across.

But it is very, very good.

Yes, it's a strong nine for me.

I think this is a contender, but not necessarily a shoo-in.

-A good nine for me, mate.

-Thank you very much.

-Very tasty indeed.

Cooking next is former fish course champion Aktar Islam,

who, like David, has failed to get his starter or fish course

on the banquet shortlist.

At the moment I'm disappointed with myself.

I'm a returning champion and I've not made into the top three,

which is somewhat of a concern.

As the days go by, the banquet seems to get further and further away.

Aktar is hoping to redeem himself today with his take

on a World War II soldier's dream Sunday lunch,

with spiced ox cheek cottage pie,

prime beef sirloin,

spiced vegetables, and naan Yorkshire puddings.

A complex dish with a lot going on.

He's a wonderful cook,

and he has done amazingly badly in the last two courses,

and we can't understand why.

I think this is a potential banquet dish,

if he fixes the things that needed fixing.

It's called a "dream ration box",

and I think that encapsulates where his problem lies.

It's a dream - "I can do anything I like".

Actually, he needs to discipline this dish a bit.

If you were having a dream ration box, what would you put in it?

I think I'd have a piece of very, very good steak.

Well, you'll get some of that

-because there is a bit of steak in this.

-Good.

Would you grab my main course box, please? That green one there.

Despite the judges' comments, he's not changing his dish,

and has a lot of different elements to prepare.

"You happy few, you band of brothers, eat heartily and dream of home."

It looks good, doesn't it?

Aktar has struggled with timings throughout the competition.

He starts his dream ration box with spiced vegetables,

which he places in his Dig For Victory garden.

You will not be surprised to hear that Aktar is late.

He'd be late for his own funeral!

I don't think it's funny, this continual thing of being late.

I think it has a negative impact on everybody.

It's really dangerous for the banquet.

With time now against him, he adds naan Yorkshire puddings

and jugs of gravy,

before turning his attention to his ox cheek cottage pies.

Aktar, I'm back. You're late again, Chef. How long?

Three minutes.

-Three minutes from now?

-Yes.

-I'm counting down.

Against the stopwatch, the spiced baby gem goes into pots.

-Can I make a suggestion?

-Yes.

If he's not here within the next minute, we cancel it.

We're saved eating one dish.

One minute.

Finally, in danger of missing his deadline...

It's good quality beef, so I don't want to mess around with it.

..he gets his beef sirloin into place.

Careful, careful.

25 seconds.

Ah!

That onion was so hot.

I'm having an awful time cutting this meat.

The beef is really tough.

BLEEP That's a shame.

I love the sauce, I like the spiciness of it.

-The cottage pie itself is much better than the one before.

-Lovely.

I think the only sour note here is the meat itself.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one.

It's very, very tough, I think.

The spiciness is really lightly balanced. The beef is fantastic.

-Delicious.

-I don't think he's improved it as a dish.

I think the cottage pie is better. The sauce is lovely.

The lentils and cabbage are great.

The lentils and the veg have a lovely touch of spice to it.

It's not the best piece of beef I've ever had, that's for sure.

I think it's unforgivable not to have a fabulous piece of meat.

Certainly doesn't sound like a winner to me. I'll leave it at that.

-I think you're being a model of self-restraint.

-Yes, I am.

Really high expectations from Aktar's dish,

but unfortunately I think there were more negatives than positives,

so I gave it a six.

-Are you going to give this a big mark?

-No.

The beef being overcooked is really disappointing.

I'm going to give it a six.

I love the vegetables. They're cooked really well.

I'm giving it an eight because I really like the food.

Fantastic, delicious, beautifully executed. A great take on it.

It's between a nine and a ten for me.

I gave him a ten. I genuinely thought his dish was delicious.

-I gave him seven last time.

-Going to boost him up?

No. The beef was better last time.

Along the electric wire the message came,

things are not much better, they are much the same.

Spirits are high in the final group,

who each have dishes on the banquet shortlist already.

Suck it and see.

-You absolute

-BLEEP.

They feel confident about their main courses,

which all scored highly in the regionals.

James got five tens.

Does that faze you in any way?

No, obviously the pressure is on for James.

I think we all know that this is the one for him.

All that does is add pressure.

I know Tom got a ten, and I think he is confident with his dish,

so I think it's going to be a tough day.

The Northwest's James Durrant is being joined in the kitchen

by the two London and Southeast chefs,

Tom Sellers and Adam Simmonds.

Good luck.

It's the distraction!

I can't keep going with this.

So, we all got a dish in the top three this week, yes?

So, who's going to be in the top three today?

James, you fancy yourself for this one?

I'd like to say so.

If the judges have the same opinion this week, then hopefully.

Do you not fancy your chances, Tom?

I fancy myself, of course,

but from the way James has been going on all week...

I thought it was him that was banging on about it!

-I'm surprised you heard me over you.

-Oh, really?

First to cook is Adam Simmonds,

who gained a place on the banquet shortlist for his starter course,

but fell from grace yesterday with his fish.

I need to perform to a high standard today

to get my main course into the top three.

Adam's dish, the Bulldog, is inspired by Winston Churchill,

and comprises venison loin, smoked venison sausages,

salt-baked beetroot and potato puree,

garnished with truffle and frozen blackberries.

Adam and his Bulldog dish.

Oh, I loved it. That venison.

He's a bit of a technical wizard,

but he always focuses on the nature of the ingredients he's using.

I love Adam's cooking. It is very clear cooking. I like the dish.

I still think it needs something else to drive it into the winning zone.

Do you like venison?

Yes, I do. It has got to be jolly well cooked.

Although representing the same region,

Adam and Tom are not pulling any punches.

-Can you get that off my

-BLEEP

-bench?

Come on, Adam. Do you really need that space? You absolute BLEEP.

BLEEP

-You can have that there.

-BLEEP

Adam is working on the frozen blackberry element of his dish

with liquid nitrogen.

-Honestly, you look like a

-BLEEP.

I think you're just attention seeking.

Dr Frankenstein.

My dish is based on Winston Churchill.

I've made a few tweaks to mine,

as far as presentation and what's on the plate.

That's not all Adam has changed.

'Ey-up!

He starts his plates, decorated with Winston Churchill quotes,

with salt-baked beetroot.

Adam adds truffle potato puree,

smoked venison sausages,

baby onions,

walnuts and mushrooms.

Next is venison loin.

Blackberry vinegar,

and a garnish of frozen blackberries.

Then, venison sauce on the side,

along with a serving of one of Churchill's famous speeches.

Well done, mate.

"We prove ourselves once more able to defend our island home..."

-How do you feel? Good?

-Yes, good.

I'm more comfortable with it as a complete dish now.

I have seen the changes.

Do you think they're better?

-It looks good.

-Thank you.

Oh, that's the nicest thing you've done all day.

'We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans,

'we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength

'in the air.'

-Presentation was good, wasn't it?

-It was beautiful.

-Yep, the speech from Churchill. Very patriotic.

-And individual.

-'We shall never surrender.'

-Looks quite like the old boy.

-Lovely flavour.

-Nice, lightly smoked.

The venison is absolutely perfect, it's deliciously tender.

-Absolutely beautiful.

-Frightfully good.

The venison is absolutely amazing. Truffle.

At the moment, I'm really enjoying every mouthful.

The venison is just a bit too hung, you know? A strong flavour for me.

-It's very gamey.

-I really like the gaminess of that venison.

-So do I.

I think that's the show stopper for me on the plate.

The truffle is lovely.

I love the sausage, which gives you a bit of punch of earthiness.

So I have no complaints about the quality of the cooking.

It's not something amazingly different or spectacular to look at.

I think it totally hits the brief, really,

because they were very native wartime ingredients here as well.

In the end, it is a conservative dish.

In fact, the most conservative dish I think Adam has ever cooked for us.

That is suitable for Churchill,

but that does not necessarily mean that it is suitable for the banquet.

The changes he's made have improved it, so I would score this an eight.

I agree. The venison is too strong for me, but I think an eight

is a fair score for that plate.

I'm docking it one because, if one of the things

we want is razzmatazz, this has not got it.

It's definitely a nine if not a ten for me.

I think it's absolutely delicious.

I think it's a really tasty plate of food.

I'm going to give it a strong nine.

-Jean, will you be marking it up?

-Yes, I will.

I've eaten practically the whole thing.

I thought it was absolute heaven, actually.

Newcomer Tom Sellers is up next.

He's impressed his fellow chefs with both courses so far,

but only made the banquet shortlist yesterday with his fish course.

I truly believe there is another top three spot there for me.

This one for me as well, if it's executed properly,

it's definitely fit for a banquet.

Tom's homage to the homing pigeon combines pigeon heart,

breast and confit leg with mashed potato,

baked potato consomme, carrots, turnips and a coded message.

Veteran Richard Corrigan gave it a ten,

and it was Tom's highest scoring dish in the judges' chamber.

He's the sort of new young star in London.

Incredibly ambitious, and he will definitely want to do

-something amazing for the main course, don't you think?

-I think so.

I really liked his pigeon dish. How do you feel about pigeon?

Well, against, you see.

LAUGHTER

Don't sit on the fence, Jean(!)

-Tell us what you really think!

-I don't like pigeon.

So, I'm doing pigeon, because obviously the soldiers used to use

pigeons to send coded messages over to the troops.

I thought it was a nice take and something that obviously

the veterans can really connect with.

When you were at Bletchley, there were pigeons there, weren't there?

-Yes.

-So, if you saw a pigeon flying over you, you wouldn't have known

-if it was a carrier...

-You wouldn't have taken your gun.

You really would not.

Are you under pressure? Because you're not talking.

-Normally when you're quiet it means...

-BLEEP

-They call me the postman. You know why?

-Because you deliver on time?

Yes. Pat ain't got BLEEP on me.

Have you got your black-and-white cap?

Tom starts his plates with mashed potato,

followed by charred cabbage, and pigeon hearts.

He adds carrots, turnips, baby leeks.

OK, pigeon breast, let's go.

And fried ceps.

Next, the pigeon breasts.

Topped with parsley and bacon.

He finishes with a pigeon leg holding a reproduction

-World War II coded message.

-Nice and hot.

-And pigeon consomme.

That's it, guys, thank you.

My aim is to get in the top three with this dish.

It would be disappointing if I didn't, I think.

Oh, I don't remember this.

-How pretty.

-There is a little message inside!

-Is it a real homing pigeon...

-Yeah, it's a little code, look.

We took actual codes,

-got them decoded, and wrote them on the actual manuscript.

-Wow.

-This is cool.

-"Jerry's right battery, central headquarters."

-I assume these are genuine messages.

-Isn't that fascinating?

That leg wrapped up in potato is absolutely delicious.

So slow-cooked and tender.

I like it. I like it a lot.

Fantastic mash. And that's praise, coming from an Irish boy.

Seriously, that's as good a mash as I've tasted.

I feel the broth has impaired the dish a little bit for me.

It's not as fresh as it was.

The potato's gone a bit soggy underneath where the consomme is.

I don't think setting very buttery mash in a broth like that is right.

-You get a lot of butter floating off the potatoes, don't you?

-Yeah.

Stock is the key to this,

and that has lost its lustrous beauty from last time.

A fantastic dish, very on brief.

To me, it's rather a sort of ordinary kind of stew.

-I could take it or leave it.

-I take that as a wild endorsement!

A mild endorsement.

I give Tom an eight. I loved the mashed potato,

but it just made the consomme a little bit murky.

Well, this is still very good cooking, isn't it?

-I just don't like it any more, I'm sorry.

-Legs beautifully confited.

-I'll score that a nine.

-I'm going to score that a nine, too.

I'll be giving it a high mark.

I think there is a problem with the stock, easily rectified.

I'm finding it hard to find a fault in that. I think that's a ten.

I agree.

-Very nice, Chef.

-Thank you very much.

A really special bit of cooking, that. You've unnerved me.

LAUGHTER

Thank you very much.

Last up is the Northwest's James Durrant,

a newcomer to the competition who trained under two-time

banquet winner Jason Atherton.

His wife's grandad fought on D-Day itself,

a personal connection that has inspired his menu.

But, having made the shortlist for his starter course,

he missed out yesterday.

A little bit of a kick back yesterday, but strongest

yet to come, so I've got to really concentrate today to make sure I can

keep it as good as it was last time and impress the judges just as much.

James's main course is a tribute to the community spirit

shown in the Blitz.

A sharing dish of veal cheek stew with sweetbreads,

loin and a modern take on beans on toast.

I'm quite excited about James's dish, he's a very interesting chef.

This was really an amazing dish,

because we gave it big numbers, didn't we?

And if anybody had said to me

I was going to give a ten to what is basically a veal stew with

sweetbreads, I would have thought, no chance. But it was wonderful.

Jean, veal. Does it give the meal veal appeal for you?

It certainly does!

Never far away from veal if I can help it.

Well, you are in for a treat.

-Last dish of the day and it could be the best.

-How wonderful.

-James?

-Yes.

-Your main course is almost legendary.

I've heard everyone who's experienced it has given it a ten.

It is the one where they say you might as well just give up now.

I hope I can live up to all your expectations today, boys,

I really do.

No pressure, mate.

BLEEP

I'm feeling a lot of pressure, now that everybody has decided

to make it a legendary dish.

There's a lot of good food gone out today, so fingers crossed.

For me, last year, I got a full house all the way

for my dessert, and then on the final

I cracked under pressure and I let myself down.

So you should understand, and not really be here bothering me.

Yeah, you're right!

With the full attention of his rivals,

James starts his sharing platters with green beans and mushrooms.

We're watching! Where is this ten coming from? We want to see it.

Followed by veal sweetbreads and haricot beans.

Slight changes to the presentation.

I am lowering the lights and leading the dish in with lanterns

to try to simulate that Blitz spirit.

But the flavours, hopefully, will be the same.

He ladles veal cheek stew and vegetables into side bowls.

Sliced veal loin is next, topped with breadcrumbs fried in butter.

And, finally, veal sauce is drizzled over the top.

Well done, mate, it looks beautiful, beautiful.

Oh!

Loved the lantern, the candle lit in the dark, it just gives you shivers.

Yeah, it's nice, I can see that banquet with all the lights down,

serving the wonderful food.

That could be fantastic at St Paul's.

Thinking about how extraordinary London was, because one was used to

walking around with black streets, and on V Night the place went mad.

And it was so wonderful to see those lights again.

-It must've been amazing.

-It was.

-This is at least as good as before.

-This is delicious!

-Isn't it lovely?

There is absolutely not a discordant note anywhere.

I find the meat in there quite acidic, but bland at the same time.

-I can't work it out.

-For me, I like the acidity in the sauce.

I love the way the veal has been cooked. Beautiful.

My only thing would be that the haricot is a bit underdone for me.

That is the only thing I can think of.

Something that is essentially simple, relatively few ingredients

and relatively straightforward cooking techniques -

when each of them is done absolutely perfectly,

it produces the sort of orchestral effect of just pure pleasure.

His point is the Blitz spirit,

people helping their neighbours, being together.

This is certainly a community dish.

I think it has created a community around this table!

And harmony has broken out!

I'm going to score it nine.

It's a very rich dish, but it is absolutely delicious.

-Do you think his fellow chefs will see the virtues of this dish?

-No.

They're going to mark it down for being too old-fashioned.

I think it's nearly perfect, I'm going to give it a nine.

I love this, I think it's a great sharing dish for two people.

I'd probably give it a nine.

This is definitely, definitely, definitely my dish of the day.

It's almost clean!

I certainly think we've got a great shortlist.

-There were some tremendous dishes there today.

-A few duds.

And a few surprises, actually.

Surprised people didn't get things right.

I'll be really honest, I think falling within the top three

for just one course is not enough in this competition.

However, top three again, you know, it's a big ask.

I thought my dish went really well. Not enough to get in the top three.

-I know that.

-Under the circumstances today, it was a good dish.

I hope it does well, but I don't know. I really don't know.

I think the funniest thing today is going to be seeing

if the chefs agreed with us.

It will be interesting to see

whether their marks have any effect on us.

The chefs have taken their judging very seriously,

knowing their combined scores could influence who makes it onto

-the main course shortlist.

-Thank you.

The question is, do they agree with the judges?

The top three chefs according to your scores

are, in no particular order, Tom.

Well, blow me down.

James.

-Yes!

-And Adam.

-Well! What can you say about that?

-I understand that. Absolutely.

Well done, guys.

Well, it didn't help yesterday, so fingers crossed the judges agree!

They do not seem to have embraced

the spirit of the Blitz where we all pull together!

LAUGHTER

-So, hello, chefs.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-What sort of day?

-Tough day.

-Some serious cooking.

-Tough, serious cooking.

I must tell you that your marks have made a difference

to the leaderboard today.

Shall I just go now then, please?

LAUGHTER

So.

I know you want to know the results,

so we are going to get straight on with it.

In ninth place...

..it's...

..Jack. I am sorry, Jack, again.

You did improve the dish, but not quite enough.

OK. Thank you.

In eighth place, we have...

..Aktar.

Aktar, it was a dream. Not quite a good enough dream. I'm sorry.

Thank you.

-You here to keep me company?

-Yes, it's just you and me.

Well done today.

In seventh place...

-..Emily.

-Thank you.

Emily, it was a lovely idea, but not quite enough flavour.

Thank you very much.

I couldn't believe that.

-I gave you a ten, I thought your dish was great.

-I gave you a ten.

Did you?

In sixth place it's...

..Colin.

We didn't think that open pie really worked.

-No problem, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

In fifth place...

..is...

..Tom.

The chefs thought your dish was absolutely delicious.

We loved it too. But it was just too tight and you missed it.

-Thank you.

-Sorry.

Don't look, but you're not going to believe

who's just walked through the door.

Huh? No! No way!

I'm disappointed, genuinely. I really love that...

I think cos I love the dish.

Right, chefs, we have four of you left.

So, who will be on the main course shortlist?

Well...

All of you.

Wow.

The chef scores did affect the leaderboard.

They brought all four of you onto the list.

-So, you have each other to thank.

-Thanks, guys. Zero to hero!

-Chris, Chris, at last. You've been trying all week.

-Yeah, amazing.

I was dreading coming in here this evening, to be honest.

Chris, I know you had a first two difficult dishes,

but that dish was amazing, really well done.

It's a great feeling, thank you very much.

David, I think I was almost as relieved as you are!

That was a beautifully imagined personal tribute,

-beautifully executed and beautifully cooked.

-Thank you very much.

It means a lot to me. Thank you.

And James, we absolutely loved your veal. The chefs loved it too.

So top marks from both.

-Adam, that venison was absolutely exquisite, well done.

-Thank you.

Obviously, I took on board your comments from before,

so I hope that made the difference, you know?

I absolutely loved that venison and I thought it was most delicious,

as I did with all your other dishes.

I could kill you all for increasing my waistline!

Third time lucky. For me, I feel very privileged, actually.

-Very privileged.

-Cheers.

I'm really, really happy I've got two dishes up there so far.

-I'd really like to get on that banquet now.

-Well done.

-Poor Dave!

-Again!

-Three times in a row, my God.

I was absolutely gobsmacked when they said we were all going to go through.

Top four.

-Hey, well done, that's great.

-I see the party has started!

Yeah, disappointed, but I've always said that if you deserve

to be there, you'll be there, so obviously it wasn't enough today.

I'd like to toast your success.

I'd rather not be this upset.

'The guys are great. They cooked their hearts out too.'

I've got tomorrow to give everything,

it's a completely new dish.

Has my mascara run?

Tomorrow, it's the dessert course, and it's the last chance

for Jacqueline and Aktar to make the all-important shortlist...

I've been feeling the pressure all week. Right now, it's up there.

..before the judges decide on the banquet menu.

This is it, the final hurdle.

And so, to the results.