Episode 5 Instant Restaurant

-Two amateur cooks are converting their homes into restaurants.

-Haven't gone far wrong...so far.

Smells really good.

Smells REALLY good.

They've been given just one day and a budget of up to £200.

-Do come in.

-20 strangers will be judging the results.

Well, it was a little strange when we seen his... He was a vicar.

-Yeah.

-And we had a bin bag of alcohol.

And it'll be entirely up to them to decide how much or how little they pay.

-She didn't take any risks, I don't think.

-I haven't been a restaurant as nice as that.

So, can the cooks deliver the goods, and will either of them make a profit?

Hello, and welcome to Instant Restaurant,

the show where two amateur cooks

set themselves the daunting challenge

of turning their homes into a restaurant for one night only.

The diners then decide how much they want to pay.

So, will either of our cooks make any money?

First up, 49-year-old civil servant Judith Burrows from Macclesfield.

The theme, uh, is...Mediterranean,

although it became more French as the, er, menu developed.

Well, I suppose bits of France are on the Med.

To prepare, Judith has been testing recipes on husband David

until he was quite literally fed up.

My husband is the best fed man in Macclesfield at the moment, I think.

I've done half the menu for him,

for the last...three or four weeks. And then I said to him,

"And what would you pay for it in a restaurant?". He just said he would. He didn't say how much.

He actually keeps saying, "Don't go on at me, really.".

Or words along those lines!

Oh, dear. Let's hope he's not coming tonight.

Her rival is 39-year-old university chaplain Ian Delinger.

He has high hopes for his Warrington restaurant.

AMERICAN ACCENT: My restaurant is the Upper Room,

and it's themed on a spiritual dining experience.

The concept is to, um, try to experience

how dining and sharing and being together can be a spiritual experience,

rather than just eating food and paying for it and leaving.

As you can tell by his accent, Ian's not from round these parts,

And is basing tonight's dinner on the cuisine of home,

with a tasting menu to be shared by his diners.

Tonight I'm cooking a Mexican meal. and being a Californian, erm,

that's the food I miss the most.

But it's not just the food that has to impress.

Each cook must also transform part of their home into an enticing dining room for the evening.

Judith is going for an opulent atmosphere.

Friends Hazel and Lee are on evening duty...

Looks lovely. Yes, I really like it.

-Yes, it's fabulous.

-..and Tracy's on the morning chopping shift.

Really, really good. It's not a hugely elaborate set up,

but I think it just looks right as it is.

I think Judith's idea of fine dining will work.

I think people will be impressed when they walk into the dining room

-and see the menu. They'll know they're in for a good night.

-Ooh, let's hope so.

In complete contrast, Ian is hoping to create an evening no-one will forget,

with one long table design to recreate the Last Supper.

Let's hope he doesn't mean that literally.

In the Upper Room, where Jesus had the Last Supper, he used bread and wine

to symbolise and indicate and offer his body and his blood to the world.

And if you're thinking this is all a bit heavy for what's supposed to be a fun evening,

Ian's devised an ice breaker to get things going.

They will get to choose their own glass. That's the part of the experience of coming to my house,

cos I have a large glassware collection.

This represents about 50% of it.

And with this Instant Restaurant, you get two priests for the price of one,

as Ian's recruited fellow cleric Adam, affectionately known as Tubby.

We've known each other since theological college.

I think our friendship can weather anything that these 12 hours can put our way.

I thought to myself, "This sounds like a typical Ian thing to do and get involved in,"

erm...and I could tell he was very excited about it,

and... Because he got more and more excited until today,

where his excitement knows no bounds.

-Isn't that true, Ian?

-My excitement knows no bounds!

Is there an echo in here?

-Let's hope their diners find the evening as stimulating.

-Yeah!

Each cook has been given an allowance of up to £200. Ian's needed

just £81 for his ecclesiastical eatery,

which means, in order to break even,

he needs £8.10 from every member of his congregation.

For her fine dining,

Judith asked for a third more, £124,

so she needs over £12 a head to be in profit.

I'm sure there's something I haven't anticipated, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

So, we've got a biblical Last Supper, Mexican style...

taking on fine dining French Mediterranean experience.

-Does the butter need to go on the table?

-Are people here?

Each restaurant will be judged by ten hungry strangers with empty stomachs,

and, by the end of the evening, hopefully empty purses and wallets as well.

But if Ian or Judith fail to impress,

they could be the ones out of pocket.

-Over at Judith's...

-Good evening, welcome to Diva Strada.

-Diva Strada? That's not very French.

The door's just, uh, gone, so that means there must be guests arriving.

Well, that's the general idea.

And after taking coats and seating the guests, Judith's staff serve the diners wine with bread,

which is what you'd expect at the other restaurant.

Judith's restaurant has got off to a great start. I hope her food goes down as well.

Looks really nice. I think, we might be in for a good evening.

My favourite colour is red. Everything I do, I try and...

I buy red. We have red-themed evenings.

This is just absolutely perfect, from my point of view.

Feel free to sit anywhere.

Meanwhile, as Ian's guests arrive, they include a group celebrating a 50th birthday.

So, it looks like his quiet dining experience has already gone out of the window.

-Boobs together!

-Brilliant, lovely!

-So, what does the birthday girl want from the evening?

-A lovely meal.

Yeah, and lots to drink! SHE LAUGHS

But will the venue provide the sort of spirits they had in mind?

See the chef himself introduced himself.

Surprised to find out that he's actually a priest.

-Have you got any shot glasses? Have you got any small glasses?

-No, I don't have any shot glasses at all.

Something tells me these girls won't be denied,

and sure enough they found some shot glasses, and some wine glasses.

All they need to do now is fill them with something.

It's very interesting that they brought spirits with them.

And so, it will be a spiritual dining experience. Depending on how you define the word "spirit".

One, two, three...!

-LAUGHTER

-Oh, I don't think there's any doubt how this lot define it.

Lovely.

LAUGHTER AND CHATTER

-It's time to give them some food, I think.

-Yep, the sooner the better, I'd say.

LAUGHTER

She is the birthday girl, after all!

-Oh, I have a feeling Ian's faith is going to be really tested with this lot tonight.

-Can I phone a friend?

-You've got a friend here.

-I do have a friend.

-Might need three or four more...

-Well...

-..to keep this crowd under control.

LAUGHTER

Well, the diners may have only just arrived at Ian's,

but they're already in full party mood.

Maybe they should send some of that tequila to Judith's.

They could do with a bit of livening up there.

But the night is still young, so, let's see how the starters go down.

At Judith's, the orders are in, and everyone's eagerly anticipating their starters.

No, she's obviously made an effort to do... To make it work. So, it bodes well.

Quite excited about the food as well. The menu sounds good.

Does it? Let's have a look, then.

Judith's offering the choice of twice-baked cheese souffle with a tomato and cream sauce...

or marinated duck salad with spiced pears and beetroot.

Souffle's always a favourite.

Er, it's nice and cheesy, and very light.

The duck breast is an experiment.

Erm, nice combination of flavours with the spiced pear and beetroot,

and an Oriental-inspired dressing.

They both look really lovely. I'd order either of them on a menu,

and I hope they turn out really well. Sometimes souffles, you know, are intimidating.

But Judith's not intimidated.

She's got her menu planned down to the last detail, starting off with her duck salad.

The duck has been, er, marinating overnight, in, erm...hoi sin sauce.

The next step - a quick flash in a hot pan before finishing off in the oven.

Smells like the Chinese, doesn't it?

Chinese? I thought this was supposed to be a French-Mediterranean menu.

You'll be using curry spice for the pears next.

Will the vinegar be nice and simple?

Blueberry or raspberry, what do you think?

Well, I were trying to get a, sort of, sweet, pickly sort of taste, really.

The pears give the sweet bit, and I'm adding the pickly bit now.

Judith's also serving her duck with beetroot

that's been baked in the oven and allowed to cool.

Probably not the most Mediterranean of combinations, but the diner's don't seem to care,

as seven of them have ordered it, with just three opting for the cheese souffle,

which having already baked once, gets a second blast in the oven,

covered in a tomato cream sauce.

Back in the dining room there's an ever so polite hubbub of anticipation.

Not quite the same as the other restaurant, is it?

And bang on time, here come the starters.

..and the souffles.

Wonder what it's been marinated in.

Ginger?

It was extremely nice. But I was struggling to see where the Mediterranean influence was.

You're not the only one.

There was a hoi sin sauce, which I struggled to link with a Mediterranean-style menu.

But who cares where it came from? What did it taste like?

'The beetroot was far too hard. I couldn't actually cut it.'

The pear was supposed to be spiced. And I didn't actually taste anything.

It was just a bit soggy if anything.

I wasn't particularly impressed with that unfortunately.

'I tend to like my meat a bit pink.'

And a little bit... Probably a bit more moist than that particular piece of duck.

The beetroot I enjoyed.

But it was very hard.

I like my vegetables incredibly hard.

So, I was OK. But there were others weren't so keen on it.

OK, so the duck isn't exactly flying off the plates.

But what about that souffle?

I think it's lovely. Very nice.

'I had the cheese souffle. Which was really, really nice.'

I loved it. I like cheese anyway. And it was gorgeous. It was really...

Couldn't have asked for anything nicer.

She's not kidding. I think there used to be a pattern on that plate.

And as they get cleared away by Judith's helpers, how's things over at Ian's?

LOUD HUBBUB

Pretty spirited by the sounds of things.

The fridge is well stocked!

Ian's hoping to quieten his noisy crowd using the medium of food.

He's cooking a Mexican tasting menu with no less than ten different dishes. Three of which are starters.

First up are tostadas, tortillas topped with sizzling chicken, onions, peppers and grated cheese,

served with guacamole.

Then there's roast pepper quesadillas,

two crispy corn tortillas filled with peppers, squash and melted cheese.

And finally there's pork tamales,

pork meat, more cheese and onions all rolled in corn husks.

That should soak up the tequila.

I want people in Britain to experience good Mexican home cooking.

And the tasting menu gives an opportunity for people to share,

which is an important part of the evening.

It sounds really tasty.

And he must be very confident not to offer a choice to his diners.

Confident, maybe.

Though as Ian's three starters all need assembling at the last minute,

it's more about how confident sous-chef Tubby's feeling.

Yeah, I'm frying off the tostada mix,

which is onion, peppers, chicken.

And that's going to be layered up with these tortillas over here.

Ian's coated some crispy tortillas with refried beans and home-made chilli sauce,

ready to be topped with Tubby's chicken and pepper filling.

If you finish these with a bit

-of all of the other things that go on top.

-Yeah.

So, with the tostadas done, Ian leaves Tubby to cook the other two starters,

while he officially greets the diners with a few welcoming words.

I say a few.

Tonight is about breaking bread together.

There is a bit of a biblical theme but it's not overly religious here.

It's just try to attempt to have a spiritual experience.

More than just dining.

But sharing together. And you already have.

You've been very generous at sharing your tequila.

Not sure this is going down quite as smoothly as that did, though.

And I was helping out at a Hurricane Katrina disaster relief centre,

back in 2005... I mean, Mississippi...

it's the hottest, most humid place I've ever been in my life...

..was one of those dining experiences,

that had a spiritual nature to it. You know, it wasn't...

Is that the starters?

..they're not necessarily mind-blowingly religious.

But you know there's something different about them.

I think I hear someone's tummy rumbling.

But I need to hurry up, cos Tubby's in there, slaving away.

Tubby, who is a priest himself. So, he'll come out and give his sermon. His is 20 minutes.

LAUGHTER

I will begin this evening with the words

Jesus gave to his disciples before the last supper in the Upper Room.

And that is, I have eagerly desired to eat this meal with you.

Thank you. >

So, what did everyone make of that, then?

It was very nice to come out. But it was a bit lengthy and a bit...

A bit too...in your face with the religion, kind of thing.

But it seems Ian's words have struck a chord with some of his guests.

So, when he just explained about the sharing, and being with people.

You know, it being a dining experience that's different.

And I think it's really actually quite nice.

Seeing the young reverend performing the way he does.

And obviously giving us a few words of wisdom along the way.

Helps me, certainly.

Maybe he's seen the light. Or maybe he just saw the starters.

But it seemed to be well-received. And received in the spirit in which it was intended.

So, I think now that that's over with, it's really...

will the food live up to expectations?

Let's hope so.

For his quesadillas, Ian is topping a crispy tortilla with grated cheese and roasted veg.

Then another tortilla is put on top and left on the heat until the cheese melts.

So, all ten of you have to share the two of those. They're the same.

So, you've got to figure out how to do it. Cos it's a bit difficult.

And there's more. Ian's third starter is pork tamales.

Pork meat has been wrapped in corn husks and steamed for an hour.

It's pork. But it does taste like tuna, do you agree?

< I quite like it.

By the way, guys, you're not supposed to eat those husk wrappers.

Oops! Too late.

-Leaves a taste in your mouth, doesn't it? >

-Don't like that!

< Just try it.

< Just try it! It's fine!

< It won't poison you!

Well, they certainly sound like they're enjoying themselves.

But is that down to the tequila or the food?

Well, I mean the first couple of starters we had, I thoroughly enjoyed.

The final one of the three, I must say, I wondered what it was to start with.

It wasn't something that I would usually eat. And I found it a little bit strange.

And not that good a flavour, to be honest with you.

< ..Cornish pasty!

That was the one that was wrapped in the corn husk, wasn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-It was a bit, a bit like a dumpling type of sort of... The corn was, wasn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-But it wasn't very hot either, really.

-It was edible.

And the plates weren't warm.

But we said we would warm them with our hearts.

But there is one convert amongst Ian's flock.

Very unusual.

But very nice. I'd love the recipe, to be honest.

The Mexican food I've had in restaurants hasn't been a patch on what Ian's cooked, to be honest.

Two out of three isn't bad for Ian's starters.

But what about the whole shared dining experience?

Can you all take one and pass it down?

It's this whole sort of concept of him actually sharing the food,

again was a bit of a surprise. But I think once we all got used to it, it was actually quite nice.

I think Ian's guests are going to have a ball tonight, whatever happens.

They actually quite enjoyed sharing their starters.

And despite Ian's sermon, his spiritual message was warmly received too.

Over at Judith's, neither the food nor the atmosphere has been particularly Mediterranean.

It's all a bit quiet, polite and restrained.

I wonder what would happen if Ian's party girls turned up there?

Anyway, on we go.

For her fine-dining main course, Judith's wheeling out the classics.

Her diners have the option of either salmon with green peppercorn sauce served with new potatoes,

or pork tenderloin with sage and orange sauce, served with Dauphinoise potatoes,

and side orders of carrots and green beans.

The pork is tried and tested.

Everybody loves it.

I think the salmon is a really good contrast.

They both look very nice.

Classic with a bit of a twist.

Well, not that much of a twist.

And true to form, with the help of Tracy,

Judith started the preparations for her main courses five hours before her restaurant opened for business.

First up, the side dishes. I wonder if this one will be Mediterranean or French or maybe Chinese?

I'm now going to tackle the Dauphinoise potatoes.

Ah, Dauphinoise. Now that's definitely French, with its rich cream and cheese.

I actually only use milk. And I use a little tiny bit of cream or creme fraiche on the top.

Which I find works a lot better, than just putting them in the oven with cream and cheese,

and goodness knows what. It's just too filling.

You get the taste this way but it doesn't over-face you.

Hang on, cream and cheese are the whole point of Dauphinoise!

I'm not sure how I'd feel about getting a low-fat, low-dairy version.

Maybe that's the Chinese influence.

Go on, Judith. Just put a sprinkle of cheese in.

I won't tell.

Come the evening and all those preparations seem to be paying off,

apart from the carrots. Which have mysteriously disappeared.

How can you lose carrots?

Eventually they turn up... in the microwave.

I think she's found them in the microwave.

Have you found them? Oh, that was exciting, wasn't it?

So, with all the veg present and correct, the mains head out to the diners.

Now, hang on, the carrots have escaped again.

Ah, no, they haven't. They've been given a special plate of their own.

But they're not going down without a fight.

I like them crunchy, but not that crunchy.

The vegetables... Unfortunately the carrots were raw.

The green beans were overcooked.

So, I think they got that the wrong way round.

Well, at least the food's hot...isn't it?

-Not very warm.

-Is it not?

-No.

The main course, it was nice. Just, it wasn't very warm.

Once you got past the top layer of the potato and underneath it,

the potato were almost cold.

And all the cheese and the sauce had congealed a little bit.

Oh, cold potatoes too. But did anyone spot they were low-fat?

I expect cream and cheese in my potatoes, when they're described as Dauphinoise.

And there was nothing. They were quite dry and very plain.

And there was just a little bit of grated cheese grilled on the top of them.

'It was just fairly ordinary.'

You know, vegetables were OK.

Potatoes were OK. But it was nothing special, to be honest.

She didn't take any risks, I don't think.

Did she? She must have cooked it a million times.

When we go to a restaurant, we try things that you don't make at home..

You go for something different.

..and that was very much a meal that I would have on a Sunday at home.

Blimey! They're not holding back, are they?

It's just as well Judith can't hear all those comments.

She's just pleased to see so many empty plates.

Wow, look at that, hey?

There were no scraping at all.

-Brilliant.

-No scraping needed.

Brilliant.

Oh, not as brilliant as it seems, I'm afraid, Judith.

Over at Ian's, I think his diners will be a little easier to please.

They seem in good spirits so far.

So, hopefully Ian's mains will keep it that way.

He's offering three more Mexican dishes to share.

First there's pork loin in beer.

Bet that one goes down well.

Then there's fish Veracruz

with tomatoes, coriander and lime juice. Then enchiladas,

soft tortillas stuffed with cheese and chicken, with a chilli sauce.

I've made the fish Veracruz a couple of times.

I make the enchiladas

whenever I'm missing Mexican food and missing home.

But the pork I've never made before.

But I want a bit of a challenge

and I just really hope that the diners like it.

It looks really interesting.

I'd wonder how much chilli was in it,

because it can spoil people's palates if there's too much.

Not if they're marinated in tequila, they can't.

And, by the looks of it, nothing could spoil this lot's evening.

< Water, water!

No, it's fine!

HUBBUB AND LAUGHTER

Ian kicked off his mains

by making his very own authentic sauce for his enchiladas.

I make enchiladas here very sparingly,

because I import the chillies and treat them like gold.

Can't say they look all that precious.

And this is going to be a classic enchilada red chilli sauce, made from New Mexican chillies.

A lot of people take the seeds out before they do it,

because that's the hot part.

I don't worry about that.

Wow, hot stuff. Can I say that in front of a vicar?

In general, the smaller the chilli, the hotter it is.

So, if you use the small chillies...

If you use these chillies that are dried, it would knock your head of, it would be so hot.

So, you need a milder chilli.

This is a chipotle chilli,

which is a smoked chilli. So it has a smoky flavour.

So, it's big chillies all the way, then.

First they're crushed in with some chopped onions and garlic,

before ground Mexican spices and water are added and left to simmer.

Smells really good.

-Smells really good.

-I can almost smell them from here.

Sesame seeds on top of the pork.

Ian's second main course dish, loin of pork, has been marinated in a beer and chilli sauce,

and cooked to form a sticky coating.

A quick sprinkle of sesame seeds and it's ready to go.

But there's one more job for Ian to do,

though he doesn't realise it yet.

Are you going to carve for us, Chef?

-< No, you guys...

-Chef, come on, carve.

< This is your experience and...

Who thinks the chef should carve for us?

< YES!

Ian, you must carve.

-You pass the sides around and I'll get a fork.

-OK.

Are there going to be ten slices here?

Just like the starters, everyone will be sharing Ian's three main course dishes.

I'll hold it for you and you hold it for the next person.

I don't trust her.

I'm all for communal dining but this is more like communal waiting.

The pork is soon followed by the enchiladas, soft tortillas stuffed with cheese and chicken,

and baked with that home-made spicy sauce.

Right. So, these aren't perfect-looking. But they taste absolutely fantastic.

And there's five each. So, you can split them however you'd like.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Tubby is plating up the third and final main course -

fish Veracruz, a simple dish of white fish cooked with limes

and served with a sauce of tomatoes, onions and peppers.

So, it's a very exotic fish tonight.

-Begins with H.

-Haddock!

-Yes.

Oh! That looks really nice, with all the coriander...

As the party continues in the kitchen, Ian is making plans to serve up more wise words.

And has some very carefully prepared talking points at the ready.

Most of them are histories or information about the food that they're eating.

Cos some of these dishes they may never have had.

Or some of the ingredients they may never have tasted or heard of before.

And then a question, do they have a story that they want to share with everyone about that?

But you know they're doing a lot of talking. So, like I said... you don't want to interrupt that.

Not sure you could interrupt this lot.

Perhaps in...the sharing that they're doing right now,

is to interject something a bit deeper than the superficial, you know,

"I went shopping", or "I went to Ibiza on holiday",

and all that kind of stuff, so...

So, how does Tubby feel it's going?

I think, depending on how you look at the theme, I think it's going OK.

If people are having a good time and sharing,

and enjoying themselves.

Well, that's good.

At this stage I'd give it probably seven out of ten, I think.

You clearly haven't poked your head out of the kitchen in a while, Tubby. This lot are having a ball.

But atmosphere aside, how's the food?

The pork marinated in beer was absolutely delicious.

Absolutely delicious. Couldn't fault it at all. Lovely.

The pork that we had in beer, which was always a favourite for me, was delicious.

The pork main course was beautiful. Loved it.

Yeah.

And the fish?

I myself and Karen are both fish-eaters.

So, we've tried a hell of a lot of varieties.

And the way he cooked it in the tomato was absolutely scrumptious.

Oh, that's lovely.

The fish again I thought was very, very well done.

I mean, Zoe, yourself, you've never been a big fish person.

It took me forever to get you into prawns. Never mind anything else.

But I mean the fish was...

Tasted very nice. And was seasoned well.

'Yeah, it was lovely.'

I certainly haven't been to a restaurant that has been as nice as that.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

So, the food's a winner. But Ian's feeling a little disappointed that

he's not been able to squeeze a couple of those talking-points in.

It's not going according to concept.

We got the food bit right. We got the atmosphere right.

We just didn't get the spiritual experience right.

And you know, two out of three ain't bad.

You know, I think Ian's wrong. The evening may not have gone to plan.

But his diners are definitely feeling something.

You kind of feel like a sense of community here.

I think that's what he was trying to portray.

And I think it's something that, in essence really, we are sort of lacking.

It's very nice and we feel like we've known each other for many years.

So, very nice. Brought us all together.

It's not a new concept about having to share food.

And it's actually what we do, or used to do, at home.

Erm... "Stop by the Upper Room any time."

There you go.

'It's been really nice'

communicating with people as well, with strangers.

And then just getting to know one another.

I reckon Ian should get the collection plate out now,

and cash in on the feel-good factor at his Instant Restaurant.

It might not be quite the evening he'd expected.

But no-one's complaining and his diners are obviously happy.

Which is more than can be said unfortunately for Judith's rather underwhelmed diners.

"Ordinary"... "Nothing special"... Oh, dear.

Let's just hope she can pull it back with her dessert course.

She's ditching the Mediterranean theme altogether,

and hopefully the Chinese influence as well, and is offering a choice of two French classics...

Alsatian fruit tart with blueberries,

or a chocolate croissant pudding.

My husband's addicted to the Alsatian fruit tart.

And everybody else is addicted to chocolate. So, good choice.

They're a little bit lacking in adventure.

But definitely playing it safe.

But that means there's a bit of competition

on the chocolate category.

Let's see, shall we?

Judith's chocolate croissant pudding is layered halves of croissant in dark chocolate sauce,

made with rum and cinnamon, and left to marinade overnight.

It's better if it soaks for 48 hours.

But I did it yesterday afternoon.

So, it's been soaking for just over 24 hours.

Her chocolate pud will be cooked to order.

And if it doesn't sweeten the deal with her diners, she's confident her Alsatian tart will.

The recipe that I started with was actually a plum tart

and it was made...

The custard which I'm making at the moment was made with whipping cream.

But somehow it tastes nicer with half-fat creme fraiche.

A low-fat pudding?

That's not very French.

I've tried it on my helpers.

I've tried it on my husband.

And that's as far as it's gone.

So, really it'll be all down to the diners to tell me tonight.

Four hours later and all is about to be revealed, as the desserts are making their way to the diners.

Let's hope these go down better than Judith's main courses.

You like your toast being lightly done, or well done?

I'm a lightly done person but they've done it well done.

That's not sounding good.

That's a shame, that...

Well, you can always swap.

There's a deal going on here.

Thank you.

It might have either been the croissant a little bit overdone,

or the chocolate a little bit too bitter.

But it tasted a little bit too bitter, the chocolate.

But the tart was really, really very nice.

I'd just like to say I'll vote for the Alsatian tart.

It's not too sweet. I think the berries are extremely nice.

And they're not too tart like they can be sometimes.

Very good. It looks nice.

Looks like a snow storm.

And in one last attempt to wow the diners, Judith decides to put in a personal appearance.

And slips into a suitably chic little black number for the occasion.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Hi, I've been your chef this evening.

Hi. I hope you've enjoyed your meal.

In another 50 years I might do the same thing again.

Thanks ever so much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Ah, well that earned her a round of applause,

which ought to be good news.

Ian meanwhile is aiming to keep the faith with his theme

by offering up Mexican-inspired desserts to round off his evening.

His diners will be sharing a tequila lime tart and a chilli chocolate cake.

Neither of the desserts are classic Mexican desserts

but they use four Mexican staple ingredients.

Chocolate, chilli, lime and tequila.

And of course chocolate wins every time.

And no-one can resist a little bit of booze.

Well, they're a really good contrast.

I personally would have the lime.

And he's a very naughty vicar, having all that tequila.

I think it's a bit late to worry about how much tequila's in the food,

considering how much is already in the diners.

Continuing the theme, the tart is actually inspired by another boozy classic.

The tart we're making is a...

Is a homage to Margaritas.

So, we've got a bit of tequila in the filling as well.

Just to add a little bit of... authentic Mexican flavours.

As well as the tequila, Tubby's tart filling is made up of condensed milk, lime juice, eggs and sugar,

all of which is poured into a base of crushed biscuits before being baked.

How long for, Tubby?

The tarts will go into the oven for... How long?

30 minutes. Something like that.

I haven't read the recipe. Well, I have.

But I haven't reviewed it.

Bad sous-chef!

Bad sous-chefs, tarts and vicars.

What kind of a restaurant is this?

Dessert number two is a Mexican chocolate cake with a bit of chilli for extra zing.

We'll see if it gives it too much of a kick or not.

It'll...

The companions will be the ones who are the judge

of whether or not it's too much chilli.

Chocolate and chilli? Not exactly ending the evening with a whimper, is he?

The cake is put aside to be baked later.

Though, as it turned out, it also ended up doubling as an impromptu birthday cake for Terry.

< Whoo!

A chilli Mexican cake personally delivered by singing vicars.

I think she'll definitely remember this birthday.

THEY SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Not exactly a choir of angels but it's the thought that counts.

And it looks like Ian's shared dining experience is having the desired effect.

'It may not be in the way that I thought it was going to be.'

But they're having a great night.

And that's good. And I found out that six ladies, who are here together, have invited the other four -

who don't know each other -

out on the town tonight. So, I think that's a success.

That they invited each other out straightaway is absolutely brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant. And I'm chuffed about that.

# For she's a jolly good fellow For she's a jolly good fellow

# And so say all of us.... #

And according to Tubby, the tequila lime tart turns out to be less a cocktail-based dessert,

and more a symbol of the human condition.

The amount of icing sugar on there, compared to the amount of lime,

really is a metaphor for this spiritual evening really.

It's about life.

The icing sugar represents how life gives us a lot but also...

it also takes away a lot too. And hence the lack of lime zest there.

Ah, but what does the absence of lime symbolise?

The real reason of course is, I've run out of limes.

Oh, I think I prefer the first version, Tubby.

Let's try the margarita tart.

But are those desserts divine or disastrous?

Got a very unusual taste to it.

It's so nice because it's very light.

GENERAL CHATTER

This for me is the highlight.

This margarita is gorgeous.

< Really, really fab.

Well, everyone's making the right noises and faces.

But the last word has to go to the birthday girl.

Absolutely gorgeous.

-Quite lemony, isn't it? >

-Very light. >

That is gorgeous.

Praise the Lord... and Ian and Tubby.

That's got to deserve an extra few quid in the collection box, surely.

In the meantime, a quick bev for the Rev is in order.

And a well-deserved one too.

So, the dishes have all been served and consumed.

And now it's time for the diners to decide how much they think their evenings are worth.

So, our cook's fortunes are entirely in their diners' hands.

If I do it again, I'll let you know.

Cheers. Bye-bye.

Judith spent £124 on her fine dining.

So, she'll need more than £12 from each of her guests to make a profit.

Cheers, everyone. Thanks very much.

Well done, really hard work.

-Thank you.

-Well done, us.

Overall, the food was well-presented, tasty.

The ambience was very nice. The staff was very nice.

The food was nice.

But not much more than you could have cooked at home yourself.

I think it went as planned, really.

Amazingly. I think we did what we set out to do.

But what about the slight geography confusion with the menu?

Yeah. If I went to a restaurant that I thought was Mediterranean which turned out to be French.

I don't know whether I'd be that disappointed.

It would depend on how good the food was.

Doesn't a bit of France go on the Mediterranean?

That's what I said, Judith. Though I'm not sure where China fits in.

So, how are Ian and Tubby feeling?

Despite things not going quite to plan and having lots of washing up to do.

As they got used to the concept and got used to the idea of two priests serving them Mexican food,

I think towards the end of the evening, I reckon they were being really positive.

-Good night.

-Thank you ever so much.

It was a lovely experience. Lovely food.

Ian spent £81 on his Mexican feast.

So, he'll need to take just over £8 from each of his diners

to break even.

Good night!

So, what did they make of it all?

Ian himself was fantastic.

Didn't like him preaching a little bit too much.

I thought he could have cut that down a little bit.

-Absolutely fantastic experience, wasn't it?

-Yeah, really good meal.

Never had anything like this before so, really enjoyed it.

-Thought the host was fantastic. I'd love to do it again some time.

-Yup.

It's the whole idea of sharing food amongst people who we don't know,

actually was a really, really good idea. And I thought that was brilliant.

We all...engaged with one another.

Which I think was...really fantastic.

And something like tonight just makes it clear that just how different people are.

And that the most different of people can actually have fun

and serious conversations with each other over nice food

and can have a good night together.

They went home...ten friends.

And they want to come back.

That's pretty good as well. They want to come back next week.

They've already told me they're going to show up at seven.

Guys, you both survived.

It had to be a completely exhausting experience.

It certainly felt that way looking at you both at points.

-Is that true?

-Yes, it was.

In a masochistic sort of way I enjoyed it. But it was really tiring.

Judith, what was the best for you?

I think when the first plates came back and they'd eaten it.

I felt a bit more confident then.

I think if somebody had sent something back,

that would have really unnerved me.

And how did it feel when you went out to meet the guests?

It was really good actually. I mean, they clapped and were really nice.

And afterwards some people came and wanted to speak to me

which was really nice as well.

But it's weird. I was so tired I could have done anything, I think, at that point.

-You just didn't care?

-No.

SHE LAUGHS

OK, Ian. You were the complete opposite.

You spent a lot of time with your diners.

Well, the concept about a spiritual dining experience,

I wanted to be a part of that. And guide it along.

So, how did you feel when that first rather colourful explosion of characters came into your home?

Was there a part of you that thought, "What am I going to do with this lot?"

There was a large part of me that was like that.

-Yeah.

-But I thought I have made dinner for all sorts of people.

I've entertained lots of different people in lots of different moods and states of mind.

And I'm just going to roll with it.

So, that's what we did.

OK, I'm sure you'd both like to know if you made any profit at all.

OK, Judith. You spent £124.

Your diners donated £135.

Which means you made a profit of £11. So, how'd you feel about that?

I thought they would have paid a bit more.

I think sometimes people are just a bit stingy.

Well, you might be right.

I don't it's necessarily anything you did. So, there's your cash.

Oh, thank you.

And, Ian, you spent £81.

-Your diners donated £213.

-Wow!

So, you made a profit of £132.

-So, that's yours.

-Wow, thank you. I'm very surprised.

-Yeah.

-I'd no idea...

I mean, of course conversations happened about it. I had absolutely no idea.

Anywhere from, they were going to pay a fiver to who knows what.

So, I'm quite surprised. Thank you.

Well, I think you were both real stars.

Two fabulous cooks, two brilliant evenings.

And thank you for watching.

And I'll see you next time on Instant Restaurant.

Subtitling by Red Bee Media

Email [email protected]