Episode 6 Instant Restaurant

Two amateur cooks are converting their homes into instant restaurants.

-Never try and open a restaurant in the world's smallest flat!

-Voila!

They've each been given just one day

and a budget of up to £200...

It came out in one piece, which is the most important thing.

..to impress 20 strangers who will be coming to dinner.

Hello! All right?

At the end of the evening, they'll decide how much, or how little, to pay.

I'm dead impressed!

It was obvious they hadn't realised how long it was going to take to prepare.

Oh, I haven't put the pears in!

-Fish slice.

-Fish slice.

Can they do enough to impress their diners and make any money?

Hello and welcome to Instant Restaurant.

Two amateur cooks are opening restaurants in their own homes

hoping that their diners will pay enough money

for them to make a profit,

so have today's cooks got what it takes to succeed?

Today we're off to Salford in Manchester for battle of the neighbours.

These might look like traditional terraced houses,

but behind these Coronation Street exteriors lie totally transformed cosmopolitan interiors.

And tonight, two of these houses will be transformed once more, this time into instant restaurants.

The first of today's cooks is graphic designer, Becky Sharpy.

Just like her house, she's traditional, with a twist

and that is also the concept for her restaurant...

I love 1940s style old-fashioned ingredients but done in a modern, nice way.

Cheap ingredients make brilliant recipes.

Just around the corner lives account manager, Jason Hope, who has high hopes for his restaurant.

The food we've gone with is very much gourmet-led. A combination of flavours

and ingredients that maybe people wouldn't use ordinarily every day

purely because of the time involved in putting those together.

Becky and Jason are both confident cooks,

but this challenge is about more than just food.

Get out of my kitchen!

They also have to transform their homes into inviting restaurants and when they open their doors,

the atmosphere they create could have a big influence on how much money they take.

Becky is being aided and abetted by her sister Minnie.

Oh, my God, I'm so stressed right now. Where's the bowl?

As well as cool, unflappable boyfriend, Phil.

It's chaos, absolute chaos.

Let's hope they all simmer down before the guests arrive.

Round the corner, Jason is going for a luxurious but funky feel to his restaurant.

He'll be doing the food and his two glamorous assistants,

wife Carmen and step-daughter Cassie, will be serving it up...

provided they can cope with the pressure.

THEY LAUGH

Both cooks have been given an allowance of up to £200.

Becky needed £149 for her night, so to make a profit,

her guests will have to pay nearly £15 a head.

Jason asked for a tiny bit more -

£159, so his guests will each have to pay

nearly 16 quid a head for him to break even.

Could be a close call.

So, today's a first.

Two neighbouring restaurants vying for supremacy with

traditional dishes going head to head with glamorous haute cuisine.

20 hungry guests are about to descend on the street.

Hello! Welcome, welcome.

-Come in.

-And by the end of the evening

it will be entirely up to them how much they pay

for their experience. So if either Becky or Jason

want to make a profit, they'll have to shine in Salford tonight.

Over at Becky's, she seems to have made a very good first impression.

It's done out really nicely, yeah.

I like the menu and what they've done with the tablecloth. It's a lovely little house.

While at Jason's, the guests are being relentlessly charmed

by Carmen, Cassie and the contents of their bureau.

My plan is just to get them plastered, basically.

So, two neighbours, two very different restaurants.

Arty-glam versus retro chic and both have got off to

a flying start with first impressions,

so now it's all about the menus.

Time for starters.

Becky is offering her diners a choice of

hot stilton and vodka fondue served with home-baked bread and pears,

or home-made ravioli stuffed with butternut squash and goat's cheese,

all drizzled with sage butter.

The stilton fondue I've never made before, but I really love the stilton from the local market

and thought I'd give it a go, and the ravioli I make all the time.

I really love it, so it always goes down well.

Ravioli, I like the idea of that, I like pasta.

The fondue, I'm not too sure.

It's a bit like eating pizza at 2,000 degrees and burning the bridge of your mouth.

This morning dawned bright and clear, and Becky was already out

in what used to be called the backyard, harvesting nature's bounty.

We're doing sage butter with the ravioli.

We're going to take some sage leaves and then cook them in butter until they're really crispy, and they're so

lovely, it's really nice. So we need quite a few to make a sage butter.

Herbs can be expensive, especially when you're cooking for ten people.

I can save quite a lot of money by using my own home-grown things.

That's exactly the sort of sage advice that could mean the difference between profit and loss.

Having sorted out the butter, all she needs is some ravioli to drizzle it on.

I'm just rolling out this pasta here and then I've made a butternut squash

and onion filling and crumbled some goat's cheese on top,

and then seal it all up and serve it with a sage butter,

which will be really nice. So we're just going to have to hurry

because we're under a bit of time pressure...

and... Ooh, cut some rings out.

Just in case everyone orders this starter,

Becky lovingly hand-crafts 30 ravioli,

but she'd better get a move-on because there's only 45 minutes left before the guests are due to arrive.

This pasta is just taking forever. I've got quite a bit more to make.

Actually, I think this will be it, once we've done this, and there'll

be enough once I've done this bit. Phil, do you want to start clearing?

Because of the open-plan kitchen, the table is being used as a worktop,

but with the guests about to sit down at it, it needs to be cleaned and laid pretty sharpish.

Look at that! No-one would ever know.

And with the guests safely seated and the orders in, it seems Becky was wise to make so much ravioli,

because eight out of ten diners have now asked for it.

I've burst a couple of ravioli because the heat in here has made them stick to the plates.

I'm going to have to quickly run out a couple more upstairs.

Hopefully, they'll be chatting and drinking for a couple more minutes.

It's quite a quick starter, takes about five minutes to cook,

so hopefully I'll spend about five minutes running it out.

With her diners unaware of the small pasta disaster,

Becky pops upstairs and sets up a temporary pasta-making station

to discreetly rescue the situation.

Having run up some new ravioli,

Becky now whips up the last of her two starters.

Yeah, this is stilton fondue, which is mainly stilton and then

we've got a bit of mascarpone, which just gives it that kind of creaminess

and kind of makes it a bit more fluid-like and then a shot of vodka.

Cor! It's very stilton-y. A bit more mascarpone.

Or possibly less vodka?

But whatever the solution, it's time for those starters to

put in an appearance,

with the sage butter-dripped ravioli leading the charge.

-Ravioli?

-Yes, please.

-I'll get you some more wine in one minute.

-That's fine.

Closely followed by the punchy stilton and vodka fondue,

but will either of them be to the diners' tastes?

It was really nice. I've never had stilton that way before.

It was just... I mean, I do like stilton, but with the pears

and the little pieces of bread that they did it with,

it was the walnut bread, it was just really, really nice.

Very professionally done, it was something that I'd really expect

if I went to a really nice restaurant.

I've had the butternut squash and goat's cheese ravioli

and it was absolutely beautiful, couldn't fault it at all.

It was really, really nice and, to be honest with you,

the standard of the food was exceptional.

It was really, really good, yeah. I'm dead impressed.

It looks like everyone is, judging by all those empty plates,

so Becky has got off to a flying start.

Neighbour Jason has got a lot to beat.

For his starter choices,

Jason is making tiger prawns served with oven-roasted tomatoes,

or more tomatoes, this time in a risotto,

served with spicy Italian sausage and gorgonzola.

The starters I'm serving this evening

are designed to provide a gourmet experience

with a blend of flavours that they ordinarily wouldn't put together for themselves.

They both look really nice and I could probably eat them about ten times over.

They're very posh and I think I've got a bit of competition.

You may indeed, but with both starters cooked to order,

Jason's challenge is getting everything ready at the same time,

especially when his helpers don't really live up to their billing.

Cassie, that's right, isn't it, darling?

Six risotto, two without gorgonzola...

Yeah, risotto, no gorgonzola... Yeah, yeah, two and then one.

One, two, three, four prawns.

-Four prawns.

-Four prawns.

-Four risotto.

-Six risottos.

Yeah, but four with gorgonzola, two without.

No pressure, darling!

Well, apart from the fact that risotto takes half an hour to cook.

Fortunately, Carmen has a scheme to keep the diners occupied.

My plan is just to get them plastered, basically.

Actually, they seem like a friendly crowd, they'll just get on with it.

They seem to be really up for the experience of doing something a bit different. So, yeah, it's all good.

True to her word, Carmen keeps an endless flow of the "bring your own" drinks coming from the kitchen,

although that's about the only thing that is.

I've just told them that it might be ten minutes and they all said, "Fine, no problem."

-Everyone's drinking and talking.

-They're all fine.

-Yeah.

It all seems to be going very well at the moment.

It does, actually, yeah! I'm really pleased!

Fingers crossed it stays this way.

Sadly, it's not likely to, seeing as the sausages for the risotto have only just gone in the oven.

Carmen, over to you to keep them all entertained.

THEY LAUGH

Back in the kitchen, Jason's risotto is coming along slowly and steadily,

but mostly slowly.

We're OK at the moment.

Nothing's going wrong, yet.

They've been topping up our glasses nicely, but we have been waiting for quite a while now for starters.

I think they've finally rumbled Carmen's plan.

Come on, get those starters out!

We've got four portions in here.

We're just going to, literally, do them for three minutes a side.

I can feel Jason's profits shrinking with every minute that ticks by

and it seems even Carmen is losing the crowd.

We have been waiting about an hour now for the food,

so I'm not impressed with that.

Come on, Jason, they must be ready now?

OK, we're fine, we're just giving them a turn now, so it will be about another

four minutes or so, maybe five just to get a nice bit of colour in them.

-The risotto's done, we're just basically keeping it warm now.

-What?

If it's done, get it out there!

Oh, I forgot about the bangers! I think Jason nearly did as well.

It's difficult in a domestic kitchen because you just don't have

the same space available to you that you do in a commercial kitchen.

Try taking some of the food out, then!

Hopefully, we're not doing too badly.

OK, it's time to start plating.

Aah, finally!

Ladies, prawns are to go.

Thank you, Chef.

An HOUR after the orders came in,

the first of Jason's starters make it out into the restaurant.

Wow. Thank you.

-And one here has got...

-Thank you.

-Pass that on to you.

-Oh, sorry!

Don't lean on the diners,

they're weak from hunger!

Pass that down to Mark. There we go. Bon appetit.

The presentation is great, yeah.

Lovely. You can smell the garlic,

there's certainly plenty of garlic in there, yeah.

Go on, dig in! You must be starving!

I wouldn't wait till the rest come out. We might be there all night!

People who have got the prawns are waiting for everyone to get all the starters.

I just feel like saying, "Just eat them, eat them!"

-Tell them to start because I'm literally about a minute...

-OK.

Finally, Jason plates up the risotto. Or should that be bowls-up?

Then he carefully adds the sausage, slice by slice.

A few drops of olive oil...

-One second, don't get anywhere yet.

-OK.

Wait for it!

-A few torn basil leaves...

-OK, good to go? Yes, Chef!

Yes, indeedy! Or at least the first two are.

Two risotto without gorgonzola, so that's Vic and Jude.

-Thank you.

-Lovely, thank you.

Very nice!

It looks lovely!

So, in just four risottos' time, everyone can finally eat.

The food looks nice, very nice.

It smells great.

But no-one will help themselves and it seems in the kitchen,

no-one can help Jason.

Why don't you let me rip these while you chop cheese? You're not that much of a control freak.

-No, that's fine.

-I can rip leaves, look, look!

-No, no.

-I'm ripping, I'm ripping, I'm ripping leaves!

-Please don't.

-All right, OK. OK, but I just want to help!

-Go.

-Yep.

OK.

-Fab, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Thank God for that!

The last of the starters make it to the table and our polite and patient diners finally get to eat.

But, was it worth the wait?

Do you like it?

-It's all right, yeah.

-It's a bit cold, though.

It wasn't bad.

The presentation could have been a little bit better I think.

I was expecting something more than what I got.

It was very difficult to get the risotto out of the bowl.

It would have been better on a plate, so... But apart from that,

I think it was a good effort.

I had the tiger prawns.

I thought they were really nice. Bit cold though.

We were waiting for everyone to get theirs before we started to eat.

An hour's wait for the starters?!

It's already looking like it's going to be a long evening at Jason's.

He's really got to pick up the pace

or his diners are going to be there all night, but neighbour Becky

has got off to a flying start with her home-grown fare

and her diners are dead impressed, but can she keep it up?

Becky is offering two main course choices at her Instant Restaurant.

First, a traditional smoked fish pie topped with creamy saffron mash and served with green vegetables.

And her second choice is rabbit stew with prunes, cooked slowly with onions and carrots.

This hearty casserole features great big chunks of braised bunny.

These are both old-fashioned recipes that are inexpensive to make,

but they're really tasty and I'm on a bit of a "bring back rabbit" mission.

Yeah, I like the sound of both of those.

-They're both safe dishes, but probably more bistro than restaurant.

-Ooooh, Jason!

Becky begins her rabbit stew by prepping the sauce.

There is... How many do we need? Nine onions per person.

They're the small onions, like shallots than onions.

It's a little bit excessive, but it works.

You can't really taste onion, which is ironic considering we're putting, what, 50.

50 onions in one dish and you think they won't taste it!

I would if someone fed me 50 onions and, with such industrial-sized portions

and only domestic-sized pans, Becky has to cook her rabbit in two batches.

I'm just trying to make sure that there's equal amounts

of rabbit pieces and prunes in each one, so I'm just doing that.

I think there's more carrot in this one.

Each one...

because you don't want to cut the kidneys too much, so we just...

Ooooh, that's a lot of booze!

This dish will have quite a kick!

OK, so we're putting the lids on.

That's everything in there, bouquet garnet, rabbit,

all veg, bottle of wine, some prunes, lid on, give it a couple of hours and then it's a fingers-crossed meal.

Just fingers-crossed that it comes out really nice.

If they've never had rabbit, that's fine. They won't know what it tastes like.

If the diners don't fancy casserole a la Watership Down,

there's always the smoked fish pie, probably a few less onions in these.

So, with the starters cleared away, how is that rabbit stew doing?

The rabbit is all done, beautiful kind of falling off the bone rabbit.

After my worry before, it's OK. Fish pies are out. They're just cooling a little bit to touch.

-Are these definitely cooked all the way through? Have you checked?

-Yeah.

Becky is serving the rabbit with posh fondant potatoes, slow-cooked in butter.

All delicious? Yes. Healthy?

Not really. First up is the fish.

-Fish pie?

-Yes, please.

Closely followed -

Jason take note - by the rabbit stew.

There might be the odd bone, but they're quite big, they're not little bones.

-I've tried to pick some of them out.

-Thank you very much.

So they'll definitely be bones to pick with the rabbit, but what about the dish in general?

A bit disappointed with the main, because I was quite looking forward

to having the rabbit, but no flavour apart from onions.

It might as well have been onion soup,

that's what it tasted like. So, sorry!

The rabbit was absolutely lovely, it fell off the bone,

it was cooked really, really well and it had vegetables with it.

The only small complaint I have is the potatoes weren't cooked quite enough.

They were slightly hard and slightly cold.

-And how about that smoky fish pie?

-They've got yellow fish in this.

Do you remember yellow fish?

If I'm being really critical I'd say they could have put another, a different variation of fish

in as well, because you've got the smokiness from the smoked haddock and it was really tasty,

but maybe slightly overpowering, maybe it should have had a bit of

balance with some salmon, some prawns in there, it would have made it

a better balanced meal, but I'm being ultra-picky there, it was tasty.

So, mixed reviews on mains but quite a lot of empty plates, and as her helpers clear them away,

Becky takes the opportunity for a little industrial espionage.

I'm just going to go down and have a look at Jason and see

how they're doing, maybe see his panicked face,

cos you can see straight into his kitchen. We can have a little look,

if he's doing really badly.

And then, we can let that rest.

Right.

He's got salmon on the side and he's looking at his watch every three seconds,

or one second actually, so he must be a bit harangued. We've finished mains

and they haven't even got their mains out. They've been here since half six.

So, while Becky's diners take a breather after polishing off

their mains, Jason's haven't even started theirs yet!

Let's hope they'll be well worth the wait.

His first choice is salmon with a new potato crust, vanilla pomme puree and asparagus.

He'll also be cooking venison with sweet potato mash and a burgundy sauce with shallots.

And, astoundingly, just like his starters, both dishes are being cooked to order.

What could possibly go wrong?

Apart from the things that already have.

The main dishes are all about continuing the gourmet experience and the theme of the evening.

Clearly, venison is the more expensive of our dishes,

however, we're hoping it's going to provide a flavour sensation.

These are luxurious classics, but it's a bit risky because you've got

to cook both at the last second but if anyone can do it, Jason can.

Aah, that's nice!

Let's see if she's right.

I need the potato to stay warm whilst I rinse the ricer.

Well, why don't I do that while you're doing something else?

I can do that, I can rice.

But we've only got one ricing machine.

But it's going to take ages.

-Why can't I just do this while you're doing that?

-Yeah, that's fine.

-OK. Cassie, has everyone got a drink, everyone's fine?

-Everybody's got a drink, everybody's fine.

Everyone except Jason.

Carmen, get him a drink!

Rejecting all offers of help he ploughs on with the mains, topping

off his salmon with slices of new potatoes, raw new potatoes that is!

-So I'm going to cook the fish on the tray.

-OK.

I'm looking forward to it. It has to be pink, it must be pink. Looking forward to it.

Let's hope it's on time.

It's slowing down a little bit.

Three diners have chosen salmon and seven have gone for venison.

Let's also hope it's cooked, because with limited hob and pan space,

Jason has to improvise and sear his salmon on a baking tray.

Are they going in the oven now?

-In a minute.

-Great.

They're a bit burnt there.

Too much heat on this side, I think.

Don't worry, Jason. The diners are so hungry they probably won't mind the burnt bits!

-It's ten to nine.

-Ten to nine...

-So hopefully we'll be serving at...

-About 15 minutes.

-..five past nine.

-No, no.

-15 minutes?

-It's going to be more like ten past.

OK, so nine to five past nine, hopefully we'll be serving.

Also, the most important thing is that the food is going to be really nice and I think people are prepared

to wait an extra 10-15 minutes to get perfect food, and they seem like really nice people, they seem to be

enjoying themselves so, you know, hey, just keep pouring the drink down them, that's what I say!

We know, you've been saying it all night!

I hope the wine doesn't run out before everyone's patience does.

We are still waiting for our mains and we haven't met the host.

We've met the two ladies but not the actual man who's cooking, which it would have been nice to meet him

because I thought you met your host before you actually ate, but we haven't met him.

It would just be nice to say, "Hi," even if he popped his head around

the corner and said "Hi." Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-"The food will be here soon," that will be good.

-Good, but likely?

I'll give it another couple of minutes before I flip them and then as soon as we flip them,

we'll get the salmon in, because the salmon will take as long as the venison will take.

I might give it a couple of minutes cos I want to take the venison off and rest it for a minute,

so I'll just delay putting the salmon in by a minute or two.

Oh, no, not another delay!

I don't think the starving hordes can take much more.

-It's nine...

-9:15.

9:15, so...

three hours...

-It was 8pm when we were waiting for our starters.

-Was it 8pm?

-Is there anything we can be doing?

-No, not at the moment.

-Are you sure? Stirring?

-Yep.

Jason lets the venison relax, while he gets out the three orders

of salmon with new potato and charcoal topping.

Remind me, three of the...

Three salmon, seven venison.

-OK.

-Five, three and ten.

But as Jason finally prepares to send out the salmon, Carmen flags up a small quality control issue.

Wouldn't it have been better to substitute that middle one for that one?

No, they're going.

-OK, fine, it's just that that's burnt.

-OK, fine, OK.

I know what you're like about being a perfectionist, but at the end of the day...

-Mum.

-No, no, no, because if it goes out...

-Fish slice, come on.

-Fish slice.

-Fish slice.

If it goes out and it's not right, then, you know, and somebody says they don't like it because

the potatoes are burnt, I'd send that back in a restaurant.

-You're right, you're right.

-So, I'm right.

I would send it back.

-OK, whatever.

-Yeah! He shoots, he scores!

I'll get those out and then whilst you're gone, I'll be plating the venison.

So, more than an hour after the starter saw the light of day,

the main courses start emerging from the kitchen.

But this time, no-one stands on ceremony,

they just grab their cutlery and get stuck in, in more ways than one.

What's the sauce like?

I can't taste the vanilla in it.

Back in the kitchen, Jason is losing his cool, as well as his utensils.

-What is it that you're looking for?

-The big spoon I took off you before.

The dessert spoon.

-Jay, don't do that, you'll burn yourself.

-I just had it in my hand.

You might have just had it in your hand, but you've not got it now, but a spoon's a spoon.

What would you know? A chef wouldn't really worry about that too much.

So just get a spoon and just put it out. Come on, move!

Right. My suggestion is, ladies, that the larger pieces

go to the gentlemen, the smaller steaks go to the ladies, OK?

Aah! An old-fashioned northern man.

But, in the dining room, the man with the salmon has found something else to complain about.

I was expecting it to be cooked and I don't think it is.

It's quite crunchy. So, I don't really fancy it.

I'm going to leave that, but the salmon is amazing, really nice.

Well, that's the main thing and at long last, the venison appears.

-Thank you.

-Bon appetit, enjoy.

Was it worth the wait?

-Oooh!

-Oh, dear!

-She doesn't look too impressed!

-What did you order yours as?

Well done.

No sooner do the dishes leave the kitchen then they begin coming back again.

Can I have mine a bit more well done, please?

-I'm sorry about that.

-It's all right. Thank you.

Sorry, it's cold. Thank you.

Sorry, guys, do you need it more cooked?

Sorry.

-OK, right.

-I think it was one of the girls that wanted it well done.

I think she ended up getting a particularly rare one.

Frying pan, please. Quickly.

Just give it a quick swill-out.

I asked for the Venetian, it was supposed to be medium to well-done

-and I actually... Was that too loud?

-LAUGHTER

Venison! Venetian!

I asked for the venison...

SHE LAUGHS

Shut up!

I've asked for the venison medium to well done and it came in medium rare,

so I just asked for it to be taken back to be cooked properly.

That was wrong, weren't it!

One of the diners... Typical of any restaurant is that

sometimes the meat's not quite cooked for them, so that's fine.

We'll just give it another minute or two.

OK, right. Take the plate.

Be careful, the plate's sizzling. I put it back in the oven

while he was cooking your meat, so it might be hot.

Actually, it hasn't, but if it had, it might have been much quicker.

-No, no, no.

-Sorry.

So finally, everyone gets their main course cooked how they like it,

but an hour and twenty minutes after the starters.

The sweet potato was excellent, it was really nice, lots of butter in it

and was nice and smooth, lots of flavour.

I had the venison and I have to say it was fantastic.

It was fantastically cooked, it was medium to exactly how I ordered it.

All in all, it was an excellent main course.

But behind closed doors, the verdicts are not so forgiving.

It was obvious that they hadn't realised how long it was going to take to prepare

the meals because I think both times we were waiting for about 40 minutes.

-Yeah.

-And so the general conversation around the table was, you know, "Where's the food?"

You're prepared to wait for a long time for your food if

it's come out and it's top quality, but like I say, it was a bit cold.

It was just, by that point, I'd got so hungry that I didn't really want to send it back, so...

Oh, dear! I just want to get in there and help poor Jason speed up,

but he wants to do everything on his own.

At least his diners are really enjoying the food when it finally arrives at the table.

Meanwhile, Becky's rabbit stew and fish pie is getting mixed reactions,

so, there's everything to play for as we head into desserts.

Becky is creating new versions of two well-loved classics.

There's either a rich treacle tart with pears served with clotted cream

or a timeless favourite, homemade bakewell tart served with a shot of cherry milkshake on the side.

I love making pastry. My mum taught me how to make pastry and I spent summers in France eating pastry,

but these are two great classic British puds but with a modern twist.

There's a milkshake shot with one and pear and ginger with the other, treacle tart.

I'm aware she really likes her pastry-baking.

Two tarts is no choice. However, I really do like the idea of the shot of milkshake, very gourmet.

The pastry queen made her bakewell tart early in the day.

Just as well, perhaps, because it meant the diners weren't put off by the sight of it.

Nice and springy.

But after a quick short back and sides...

This is our home-made cherry jam, and then just like a kind of almond

cake kind of thing in the middle and then just pastry.

It worked out really well too, so I'm pleased.

The treacle tart is made last-minute so it can be served piping hot straight from the oven.

I hope the curse of the cook to order doesn't strike here!

It looks disgusting, smells amazing.

This treacle tart is like

egg and syrup, basically.

We're just going to pour that in here.

Ooops, slop it over the edge just a little bit,

yeah, like this, and it looks a bit weird.

Isn't it supposed to be pear and treacle, Becky?

Ow, it's hot! With oven gloves. Put it in the oven with oven gloves.

Becky, you've forgotten something.

It's a little bit weird-looking. Oooh, I haven't put the pears in!

Pears!

So what you do is put the pears in and then you put the treacle around it.

Watch, watch, watch out. It's slipping, slipping, slipping.

Oh! We have a falling...

If you half-close your eyes,

it's like a dessert version of Stonehenge.

Then we cross our fingers and hope that it's done in time for everybody.

If not, we drink the vodka.

After what looks like slightly too long in the oven, the pear tart is ready to serve.

Plating up the treacle tart and the cherry bakewell tart desserts.

And with a shot of cherry milkshake, so is the bakewell.

Is that a bakewell over here?

-Yes, please.

-There you go, with a shot of cherry milkshake.

-Bakewell.

-Thank you very much.

-I don't like the milkshake, though.

-Taste mine.

I've got the bakewell tart.

It's really nice. To be honest with you, it's a refreshing change

to have it with a milkshake and it's really, really nice.

It's nicer than having it with cream or ice cream.

It's lovely, it really is nice.

For dessert I had the cherry bakewell, which I thought was fantastic.

It was really nice. I felt guilty leaving half of it. It wasn't because I didn't enjoy it,

it was just that I was absolutely stuffed and I thought the flavours

were great and I really liked the little twist with the milkshake, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had the pear tart.

It was the sweetest thing I've had in a very long time.

It was enjoyable, but a tad overdone.

So, mostly thumbs-up for the tarts.

Oh, what can Jason do to match that?

For his desserts, Jason is making a chocolate pavlova

with cream and vodka infused raspberries,

and individual chocolate lava cake served hot with cream.

And, you've guessed it, he's making the cakes to order.

I don't know if I can bear to watch any more!

The lava cake is all about a bowl of surprise and with the pavlova, I've only ever made it once before

and then it took two attempts, so I'm hoping today it will be a bit more successful.

They both sound really lovely, but they are dinner party classics.

Maybe he's playing it a little bit safe.

Well, if he is, it would be a first.

He began the pavlova just after lunch, but made the error of adding

the sugar before the egg whites were stiff peaks. We've all done it.

I'm just a little worried that this is actually...

not working.

I'm not entirely convinced at this stage that it's...

thickening properly and it's just not turning to...

I think we're going to have to start again with the meringue base, so...

the moment of truth...

it's just too runny, unfortunately.

It should be... It's just too liquefied.

Take two, used up all the eggs, though he still needs some for his second dessert.

We've sent out supplies for more eggs simply because we've got

the chocolate lava cakes to make yet and just in case for whatever reason

it doesn't work this time, then we might need some, but I'm sure we'll be fine.

Now we can actually start to add the sugar, so I'm happy

the consistency of the eggs this time is a lot better.

So here goes.

-Voila!

-Success, second time around.

And, after adding chocolate,

spreading it on a baking sheet...

..and going into a low oven until cooked,

all it needed was whipped cream and vodka infused raspberries to complete the first dessert.

Looking good so far, but the lava cakes could still make or break the night.

Eggs and sugar are beaten together, melted dark chocolate is added along

with flour and cocoa, and each cake is cooked to order in a ramekin.

It's been a long, bumpy night for Jason, but can he win back some

points with his desserts, starting with the pavlova?

It's absolutely delicious, I can certainly recommend it.

It's good.

Finally, the chocolate lava cakes leave the kitchen and although it's

-nearly closing time, no-one looks like leaving.

-It melts in your mouth.

It's delicious, isn't it?

I've got the chocolate dessert and it's absolutely fantastic.

Everybody loves a really chocolaty dessert!

Even the fussiest diners are won over.

We're having the chocolate lava cake and it's absolutely beautiful.

So, at last Jason's produced a triumphant dish,

but is it too little, too late?

And at Becky's, will that onion-y rabbit

have put paid to her chance of a profit?

So, the dishes have all been served and consumed, and now it's decision time.

The diners have to decide how much they think their evening is worth,

so our cooks' fortunes are entirely in their diners' hands.

Becky spent £149 on her menu of traditional dishes

with a chic twist, so to break even, the guests must leave an average

of nearly £15, but what do they think of their meal?

I really enjoyed it, but I was just a bit disappointed with the wait for the food.

I think they need to brush up a bit on their cookery skills, but lovely people, tried really hard,

but maybe need to concentrate a little bit on the basics.

I really enjoyed it, had the rabbit even though the kids will find out and tell me off.

Everything was lovely and, yeah, I've had a great time.

-Oh!

-Do you want some wine?

-Can I have the whole bottle?

Jason spent £159 on his high class cuisine,

so to break even, his guests must leave £16 each,

but will those delays between courses

make the diners reluctant to open their wallets?

I thought the company, the hosting was very good.

The meal was flavoursome, but a little bit cool for the main and the starter.

The dessert was absolutely beautiful.

The starter wasn't to my liking and the meat I had to send back,

but overall a very good night. I really enjoyed it.

All the people were really nice.

I would do it again. I'd have to really think about how

I was going to do it all, because it was very hard work, very hard.

Becky, Jason, I was totally exhausted after watching you both.

What a night!

Now, Jason, you were very particular about how you cook and your presentation.

-Tell me why you wouldn't take any help?

-It's difficult.

When you know how you want to plate things, how you want things to look, you feel that you should just get on

and not ask for any help, really, but I think by the end of it, I was just like my head was going

to explode, because there was just so much to remember, so...

I did wonder whether anybody was actually going to get fed!

THEY LAUGH

-You're very particular.

-Yes.

-You only do things your way.

-Afraid so.

I wanted to jump into that television and help you chop, steam.

-I think Carmen did at one point as well!

-Yes!

Now, let's pause on Carmen a bit.

-The most patient woman in the whole world.

-Absolutely.

When you watch it back, you're not going to believe it.

-She asked you about a thousand times whether you could do with any help.

-I know.

Tell me why you kept saying no?

It's difficult. When...

I think by the end of it I was just glad it was over.

What was your favourite part of the night?

I think actually doing the desserts because they were relatively easy

to do but more importantly it was the end of the night.

Oh, it's that end of the night moment.

I did go, "Oh, my God, I can relax a bit and I can go and get a drink.

"I can actually have something to eat now!"

-And Becky, my hat off to you that you pulled it all off in that very small space.

-Tiny space, yes.

And you were obviously completely different from Jason in that you

prepared a lot of stuff before, and that really paid off for you.

Yeah. I think that was the key.

That was what I was doing when I was planning the menu, because my mother always drills into me, "Don't do

"two hot things, make something in advance," so I thought if I make everything in advance and I

-just have to maybe do the vegetables, it would work out, and hopefully it did.

-Would you do it again?

I'd like to do it again. I think I would do a set menu and I would be a bit more organised.

I'd make everything in advance, but I'd definitely do it again.

-It would be good fun!

-So I suppose you'd both like to know whether you made any profit at all?

-It would be nice.

-OK.

Right, Jason, you spent £159.

Your diners donated...

£162, which means you made a profit of £3.

-And you shall have it, Jason! There you go.

-Thank you.

And...Becky. Do you want to know?

No, I think I've done disastrously!

-OK. You spent £149...

-Right.

And...your diners donated £197!

-No way!

-Yeah, which means you've got a profit of 48 quid. Here you go!

Jason, we will have a drink with this!

Listen, I think you were both great, two fabulous cooks,

so thank you very much,

and thank you and I'll see you next time on Instant Restaurant.

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