0:00:02 > 0:00:04Across the country, lots of us are working out what to cook tonight
0:00:04 > 0:00:07from the ingredients in our cupboards.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10To inspire you, we're throwing away the cookbooks
0:00:10 > 0:00:12and going back to basics.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17We're pitting three resourceful and creative home cooks
0:00:17 > 0:00:20against one another to see what they can come up with.
0:00:20 > 0:00:27Whoever does it best will be our cook of the day.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Ready to show they can think on their feet are today's three cooks.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Janet, a grandmother from Essex who proudly photographs
0:00:43 > 0:00:45all of her culinary creations.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49I wake up just wanting to bake and cook, basically.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53I love teaching my grandchildren to cook as well. I just love it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Robbie, a film-maker from London who hates to waste food.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I just like to cook with what's left in the kitchen,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00leftovers in the fridge,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02make it into something new and exciting.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I'm just going to put some mayonnaise on it and some Tabasco.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06It generally tastes all right.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08And Dianne from Bolsterstone near Sheffield
0:01:08 > 0:01:11who works at a local drop-in centre for the elderly.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13I have to make their soup,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17two types of soup, one vegetarian, one not.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19And nowt fancy!
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Their first test will be to cook from a box of ingredients
0:01:22 > 0:01:24put together by today's guest -
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Lord Sugar's right-hand woman, the formidable Margaret Mountford.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- Margaret, welcome.- Hello, thank you. - Now, I'm looking forward to this.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35So am I.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I know you're a bit of a foodie, but are you any good in the kitchen?
0:01:38 > 0:01:40- No!- No! You like to eat, then? - I like to eat.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43But I am not the one who's going to be in the kitchen, am I?
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- I'm really looking forward to it.- I'm intrigued to know what's in the box.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48I haven't got a clue, to be honest, like our home cooks.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50So... We've got two types of meat. What's that in there?
0:01:50 > 0:01:53That's minced lamb. We've got some minced lamb
0:01:53 > 0:01:54and we've got a chicken breast.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- OK, a few figs and a cooking apple. - Cooking apple.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00So what inspired you to choose these ingredients?
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Well, I have got a combination here of things that
0:02:03 > 0:02:04I liked from my childhood
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and things that I like from my, well, adult life, I suppose.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And when I was growing up, it was all home-grown.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The carrots would have been proper dirty carrots out of a field.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Well, I'm hoping for great things out of this
0:02:14 > 0:02:16cos it is an interesting box of ingredients.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Shall we find out what they'll do with it? It'll be fun.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21- I'll see you in a bit.- Thank you.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It's going to be interesting, this one.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Margaret will be watching our home cooks sweat it out,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29from the comfort of the guest room.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31OK, ladies and gentleman,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33welcome to The Box.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Well, you're all here for one reason and one reason only,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37because you're enthusiastic home cooks.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40So I'm expecting great things.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44We want one plate of food in 50 minutes. Good luck. Open the box.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46Oh!
0:02:49 > 0:02:55In my box I put some chicken breasts, some minced lamb, peas,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58carrots, courgettes, aubergine.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I come from Ireland. Choice of starch? It has to be potatoes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08I put a loss of herbs. I have put cooking apples, PX sherry, figs,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and shortcrust pastry.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Janet, the sherry's for cooking!
0:03:18 > 0:03:21As well as Margaret's ingredients, I have given them a store cupboard
0:03:21 > 0:03:24of the sort of things many of us tend to have at home.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Some of the UK's most popular ingredients are inside this box.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32There are so many different options that you can use with these.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34We all cook chicken at home and the tendency is
0:03:34 > 0:03:36that we stick by the same routine over and over again.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39With chicken you can impart so many different flavours in there.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Me, personally, when you've got garlic in the back like that
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and some butter and nice herbs, you can do a wonderful chicken kiev,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49that famous 1970s dish which is so simple to do.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Stuff the chicken with a garlic butter,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53coat it in some crumbs and then just pan-fry it.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56It tastes fantastic.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Our home cooks need to impress Margaret,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01because she'll be choosing the winning dish from round one.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I suppose people who know me from The Apprentice see me as rather
0:04:04 > 0:04:10a hard judge. I am not really like that in reality.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12But on the other hand I don't like dried out,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14overcooked food either, so we'll see!
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- Janet, how are you?- Hi, James. I'm fine, thank you.- Good.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- What are you making?- I think I might do a Spanish chicken.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- It's one of my favourite dishes. - Why is it Spanish?
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Well, I just call it Spanish chicken. I could call it Essex
0:04:29 > 0:04:32chicken. But it doesn't go down too well, does it? Essex chicken?
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Spanish sounds a bit more... like, a la carte.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37So, what's in the Spanish chicken?
0:04:37 > 0:04:43Well, you've got carrots, aubergine, potatoes and tomato puree
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- when I can find it.- Are you going to use this sherry, as well?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- Are you going to put that in?- You don't normally, but I will today.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50OK. You don't do that normally.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56MARGARET: Looks quite dangerous, the way Janet's chopping.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- Can I give you a bit of a word of advice with that?- Of course you can.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01A bigger knife?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04A bigger knife is better because when you're chopping anything,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- you use less pressure using a bigger knife.- Right, OK.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- That means if it slips, you don't cut yourself.- Right, OK.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13In there, we've got just a little bit of oil.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Are you going to put some salt and pepper in there?- I've just...
0:05:15 > 0:05:16- I just did. Did you not see?- No.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- I can see you're going to be trouble, aren't you?- Definitely.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Right, OK.- Well, I'm from Essex, aren't I? - JAMES CHUCKLES
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Janet hasn't browned the chicken.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I'm not sure she's going to brown anything,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34because you wouldn't normally do all that at the same time.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I don't know what part of Spain this dish comes from,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39but you could so easily glam up a chicken breast
0:05:39 > 0:05:41and actually do a Spanish-style chicken breast
0:05:41 > 0:05:43if you just take the sherry and put a little bit of paprika in it,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46particularly smoked paprika if you can get it,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48add the chicken to it and just pan-fry it
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and serve that with a squeeze of lemon, it tastes fantastic.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I hope all this was washed before they were given it.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Have you got any idea what you're going to create?
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- I'm going to go for ravioli. - What about my potatoes?
0:06:08 > 0:06:12- You're going to make ravioli?- Well, this is pasta, right? Is that right?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Yeah.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Robbie seems to think the pastry is actually pasta.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Have you tried that to see if that really is pasta?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- Is it pasta or is it something else? - I don't know!
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Maybe you should try that first...
0:06:24 > 0:06:27What's it? Maybe it's polenta or something.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31That's well sniffed, that pastry.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Yeah, that pasta. I think it's pasta.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34He's convinced it's pasta.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Meanwhile, Dianne's opted for the lamb instead of the chicken
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and is going to make Indian spiced fritters with a pea puree
0:06:52 > 0:06:56and fondant potatoes.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I'm going to do something with the mince
0:06:58 > 0:07:00in that, that I think is pastry.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Right. Pastry or pasta?
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- I don't think it's pasta.- It pastry, is it?- I don't know. It could be.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Oh, God. I'm making pasta!
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- Now, you celebrated your 60th birthday recently.- I did.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- I cycled Land's End to John O'Groats.- Who did you do that with?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- With my partner.- Is this on one of those tandem bikes?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- One on the front end...- No, no, no. I don't do tandems.- Oh, no?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- Why's that?- Too much loss of control. No, I couldn't do tandem.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- And how long did that take? - It took us 21 days.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34It takes very little time to get through England.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Seven days and we were through England.- Right.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39But Scotland's massive. It took us much longer to do Scotland.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41So are these roast potatoes, then, that you're going to do?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- These are kind of fondant potatoes. - Fondant potatoes.- Yes.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47So the best advice with this is you get a little bit of stock in there,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49half of the potato, and then get it roasting in the oven.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I'll get that in, then.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Dianne's got a real fusion of different dishes going on here.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58We've got a little bit of Indian,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01a little bit of authentic British and then we've gone to France
0:08:01 > 0:08:03with the fondant potatoes or the fancy roast potatoes
0:08:03 > 0:08:05called a pommes fondants.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08It's potatoes that are pan-fried in butter to give it a lovely colour
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and then you add stock to the pan and roast the whole lot.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15The idea is the potatoes soak up that stock like a sponge
0:08:15 > 0:08:17and they just taste divine.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Almost as good as my mother's roast potatoes.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- OK, guys. Halfway through. - CLATTERING
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Halfway already and some of them a lot further on than others.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Robbie is determined to make pasta out of the pastry dough.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Maybe a word of advice before you fully start it.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- Right, get a little pan of water on.- Yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Just cut a little bit and put it in the pan and see what happens.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47If it is shortcrust pastry, what do you think is going to happen?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- I don't know. Maybe it'll just go... - The fat's going to go...
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Because pasta hasn't got any fat in it.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Falling apart. Doughy.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- So I should make some pasta dough. - Do you know how to make it?
0:08:59 > 0:09:03There's not a lot of time left for Robbie to make pasta now.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07He's wasted all of that time. A bit like The Apprentice in a way, this,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09quite scary.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12It really is simple to do your own pasta.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16The trick is, really, you want 00 flour, which is
0:09:16 > 0:09:19often called tipo flour. It's just a finer grain of flour.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22The more egg yolks you add, the richer the pasta becomes.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25A touch of olive oil, a little bit of salt and a bit of water.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27That should combine it all together.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Now, the thing about pasta, when you're making it like this,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- you need to let it rest for a little bit.- Right. Then knead.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Consistency and texture more than anything else.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38So just do a little bit...
0:09:38 > 0:09:40You've now made your own pasta dough.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- ROBBIE LAUGHS - Well, I've made it!
0:09:44 > 0:09:48With 15 minutes to go, the heat's on for Dianne and Robbie.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53But Janet's well ahead of the game and is as cool as a cucumber!
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Janet's serving hers out already!
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It's going to be a bit cold by the time I get in to try it, I think.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01You don't want your meal to be ready too late,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05but you don't want it to be ready too early either, do you?
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Back at Robbie's pasta station, it's all hands on deck.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Janet's not only served the dish, but she's tidied up as well!
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I've done all the washing up now. All done.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Is that a martini Janet's got?
0:10:23 > 0:10:26A bit of a premature celebration, possibly.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30So what have you got in the sauce?
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Lime, rosemary, a bit of thyme, onion.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- OK.- I'm a bit worried about tasting what Robbie's made
0:10:36 > 0:10:38if he hasn't cooked it properly.
0:10:42 > 0:10:4345 seconds left.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Hurry up! We've got our guest waiting.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- If Robbie's rescued something, it's a miracle.- Time's up!
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Stop cooking.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Well done, guys. An interesting selection of dishes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And you're probably wondering who's put those ingredients together.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Well, the wait is over. It's going to be a tough one today,
0:11:14 > 0:11:19because this lady is a lawyer, a businesswoman, a TV presenter,
0:11:19 > 0:11:24and was once a certain adviser to Lord Sugar.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- Oh, my goodness.- Margaret Mountford.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Hello, everybody.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- ALL:- Hello!
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- The pressure's on now, Janet, isn't it?- Er...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- piece of cake!- Were you impressed by everybody?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I was amazed at the range of things that they cooked.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46The whole key to this is what it tastes like,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49because you get to decide which dish you'd prefer.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51So should we start off with Janet here?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54This is my Essex chicken.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Chicken breast and carrots, potatoes,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00onions, peas, herbs, spices.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- So not the courgettes or the aubergines in that?- Oh, yeah,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- courgettes and aubergines. - Right, everything!- Yes, everything.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- This is a sort of...- Everything. - Everything's gone in.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- There isn't much spice in there.- Mm-hm.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18It's got an unusual combination of sort of crunchy potato
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- and overcooked peas.- The chicken's nicely cooked. It's not...
0:12:21 > 0:12:24It's sort of poached at the right consistency.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26And you got it done in time -
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- even earlier, I think. - Yeah, and time to spare.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Good effort. Well done.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39So we got there.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- We got there in the end. - So what is it?
0:12:41 > 0:12:45It is a lamb ravioli on a bed of courgette and mint and pea,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48with a kind of light lamb ragout.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- How long did you cook the lamb for?- Er...
0:12:52 > 0:12:54ten minutes?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56That a promise, is it?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I think you'll be surprised, Margaret.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01First of all, the lamb is perfectly seasoned.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03- Mm, it is. It's nice.- Perfectly seasoned.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- The use of rosemary in there, which you've got in there as well... - Beautiful with lamb.- It's great.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10But I feel that the sauce really doesn't do anything for me.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- Right.- I would much prefer, like, a tomato sauce with it, really.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- But certainly, seasoning-wise... - That filling is really good.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- I think you got the filling absolutely spot-on.- And I quite like
0:13:19 > 0:13:22this contrast, with the peas and the mint underneath.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24100% for effort. Well done.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30- Dianne.- James.- Meet Margaret.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Margaret.- Hello. How'd you do? - Nice to meet you.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- Big sigh of relief there, I think...- Yes.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37..for the finished dish. But what have we got?
0:13:37 > 0:13:42- We've kind of got Delhi meets Barnsley via France. - LAUGHTER
0:13:42 > 0:13:47- What have you done?- So I've used the lamb in a pasty with mint.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52This is a fritter rosti with carrot and coriander and courgette.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56These are fondant potatoes and a mint and pea sauce.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Well, dive into that one, tell us what you think.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05There's quite a lot of pastry for the amount of filling.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Could have been a bit spicier.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- Salt is definitely what this entire dish needs.- Mm.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12But I think, on the whole, to do three things
0:14:12 > 0:14:15like what you've done, and a sauce to go with it,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17- I think a great effort. - Yeah, fantastic effort.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19And all done and nicely presented.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Well, Margaret, three very, very different dishes
0:14:26 > 0:14:28from all around the globe, really.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29That makes it very hard to decide,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31actually, cos they are all so different.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34It's easier to compare three versions of the same thing, isn't it?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36The power is in your hands. You've got to pick
0:14:36 > 0:14:38one which is your favourite.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Of all the things that I've tasted, the thing I liked the best...
0:14:54 > 0:14:56..was the filling in the ravioli.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58APPLAUSE
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- Robbie, well done.- Thank you, James.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06But remember, for the rest of you, it's only just begun.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Because in the next round,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I get to pick the three boxes of ingredients.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The second round gets a little bit more interesting.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20We've got three boxes - we've got a posh box,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23fish box, and a global box,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27each containing three different types of ingredients.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29But what Margaret has done, Robbie, is give you
0:15:29 > 0:15:32the power to choose what everybody else is cooking
0:15:32 > 0:15:35as well as yourself.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Which one would you like Janet to cook with?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Bear in mind what she cooked the last time - you could be nice,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46you could stitch these two lovely ladies up.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I'm going with fish. I'm making a tactical decision.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04- Janet, you've got the fish box. Are you feeling happy?- No. - HE LAUGHS
0:16:04 > 0:16:06OK. And Dianne - eagerly waiting to find out
0:16:06 > 0:16:09what she's going to be cooking with.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- The global.- Global. Thank you.- Are you happy with that? The global box?
0:16:18 > 0:16:22You have no idea which country of origin it could be.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25That leaves you, Robbie, with the posh box,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27but it also leaves you with 50 minutes
0:16:27 > 0:16:30to create a dish to impress me.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Off you go.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39I've got high hopes that these three cooks can all think on their feet.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42What style of cooking are you impressed by?
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Do you like French style, do you like Indian style, what...?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47I like Indian style. I don't think the French can cook at all.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- I don't like that.- Really?- Yeah.- OK.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50And I don't like all those sauces.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53So I think when we come to some of these things,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56what you think's wonderful I'll think's horrid.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The main ingredient in my fish box is the sea bass.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06I've also included lemon grass,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08coconut milk, rice noodles,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10samphire, fennel,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12pak choi, and some chilli.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- What are you trying to do? - Fillet the fish.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Where's its head gone?
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I've chucked it in the bin. I don't want to cook its head.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27See, that - that's a good bit of the fish.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Makes amazing sort of stock.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- What are we trying to do? Fillet it?- Fillet it, yes.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- Well, it's much easier if you keep the head on, the tail on, to start off with.- Right.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39But when you fillet it, you always start from the top end. Sharp knife.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- Yep.- Hand flat, and then you put the knife in and start at one end...
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Right, OK.- Like this.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- Work your way down the backbone. - Ah, yeah.- Carefully, carefully.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Now that knife, listen...
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- Is on the bone, yeah?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56So you want to keep it as close to the bone as possible,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and then gradually you just ease it off the bone like that.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01And use the top bit, don't you?
0:18:01 > 0:18:03And then you've got this beautiful fillet.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04And then what you can do is
0:18:04 > 0:18:05just trim this off.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- That's it. Lovely. Thank you, Chef. - You need another one.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11- Can you do that as well? - Can I do what?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- SHE GIGGLES - Can you do that one as well?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Now, my best advice with filleting fish
0:18:19 > 0:18:22is start with something like a mackerel, cos it's inexpensive,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26the bones are nice and soft, and it's easy to take the fillets off.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It's actually quite difficult with sea bass to actually fillet it,
0:18:29 > 0:18:30and it takes time and takes practice.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33But once you master it, it's actually pretty simple.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Inside the posh box, I've got a lot of people's favourite ingredients.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I've got a cooked lobster, some saffron, asparagus,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45avocado, watercress, risotto rice,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Parmesan cheese, and tarragon.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Now, I put these ingredients together
0:18:49 > 0:18:51with a particular dish in mind.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And one dish I love is a risotto,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56but the curveball in this is the use of saffron.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58I wouldn't put it with the lobster,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01because saffron is very, very strong.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03You've got to use it really sparingly.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08I chose the posh box - I didn't expect lobster.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I've never cooked with lobster before.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12- We've got the tail, that's all right.- Got the tail.- Nicest bit.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- And sort of...- Bits.- Sort of a chewed up a bit of claw.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19So I'll just do a risotto with a kind of lobster veloute.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21If I've got time, I'll do a quick arancini.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Arancini, of course, you allow the risotto to cool down,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- then ball it up and then fry it. - Yeah.- What have you put in there,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- in the risotto?- There's some saffron in there.- Some?- Yeah.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33- There looks to be quite a lot.- Very yellow. How much saffron did you get?
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Well, I put in a good sprinkle.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Well, there was enough saffron in that box for about 20 portions.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39I'm going for a saffron-heavy dish.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Looking at what everybody else got, and what you passed over,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- do you think you made the right decision?- Yeah.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Maybe. We'll have to wait and see.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The great thing about lobster is you can use the entire thing,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and let's face it, it is actually quite a luxurious and posh product.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It's quite expensive. Don't throw away the shells,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00because you can create a lovely oil with it by adding some chilli
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and vegetable oil and roasting the entire lot in the oven
0:20:03 > 0:20:05with a touch of tomato puree and some fennel,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and use to flavour dressings. But also,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09you can create some great stocks with it
0:20:09 > 0:20:11by just throwing it all into a pan,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13boiling it all up, and you get the most amazing flavour.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16And you can freeze that until you want it again.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Dianne's got the global box. I've gone for a Chinese influence.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25You've got pork medallions, dried shrimp, spring onions,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27cabbage, rice, hoisin sauce,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30some chilli and Chinese five spice.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33I've put these ingredients together to really test them,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36because it's all in the preparation, is Chinese food.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38You've got to get as much stuff prepared
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and cooking at the last minute, so it keeps it lovely and fresh.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46It looks like Dianne's taken on my challenge,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50and she's busy preparing tempura pork, sizzling pork,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53stir-fried chilli cabbage and rice.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59These are frightening me a bit.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02What do you mean, they're frightening you?
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Well, I don't know where to put them.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- The dried shrimps?- Yeah.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07You can use them in so many different ways.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09It improves the flavour of sauces, bits and pieces...
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I'm going to leave it to you, really. Entirely what you want to do with it.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- Are you going to use all the pork, or...?- No, I don't think so. Would you use...?
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I don't know, you're cooking for me.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Looking forward to this one.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21This would be my favourite box to cook with.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- So try not to mess it up!- Thank you.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Guys, we're halfway through. Halfway.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42- What have you got in the pan now? - I've got some chillies,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46samphire and...I can't pronounce it. Pa-choo!
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- No fennel yet.- No fennel?- No.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- Do you like fennel? - Love fennel.- Yeah.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52You either do two things with it. Slow-cooking,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55where you cook it whole, so it's great with meat and stuff like that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- Yeah.- But with fish, what's particularly good with this
0:21:59 > 0:22:01is a raw salad. Want you to taste this.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Wow, that's aniseed.- Mm.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Mmmm. Oh, that takes me back to my childhood. Aniseedy.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- It's nice, though, isn't it? - Mm.- Cos if you do that
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- with some of these lovely little fennel tops, you see...- Yeah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Makes a great little salad.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I don't quite know how the vegetables and these noodles
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and everything are going to go together, but we'll see.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- I don't think Janet knows yet. - No, I don't.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- Don't you go putting that fish in that pan!- Why?
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- Cos you've got 20 minutes left.- Oh.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- I thought you said it takes... - Two minutes, it takes to cook.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Right, two minutes, not twenty. Right.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Dianne also needs to be careful.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Her sizzling pork and shrimp is looking pretty good,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52but the tempura pork may be ready too early.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54I think it needs dusting and then throwing into the batter
0:22:54 > 0:22:57and then in the fryer, not just sat in it
0:22:57 > 0:22:59like it's been for the last 30 minutes.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10OK, five minutes left, guys. Five minutes.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Robbie, you've got to hurry up.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21- Pressure's on now, isn't it? - Certainly is.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22They all look a bit tense.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27OK, that's it. Time's up.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Stop cooking.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30I'm hungry.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Janet was given the fish box.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Her pan-fried sea bass is served
0:23:40 > 0:23:43with stir-fried pak choi, chilli and samphire,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and a raw fennel salad with rice noodles.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48How did you find it?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Well, the rice noodles are a little bit...soggy.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55There's something a bit...
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It's a bit warm, isn't it, really?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I don't mean the temperature of the food, I mean the spiciness.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02You've got some severe... How much chilli have you got in there?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Two, James. Two little chillies.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- You know the smaller they are, the fierier they are?- Mm.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Yeah.- Yeah?- I know that now, don't I? - THEY LAUGH
0:24:10 > 0:24:12And these are noodles?
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Think they may have been in a bit long.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Where have they gone?
0:24:16 > 0:24:21- They've sort of evaporated into... - I've never, in 30 years of catering,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24have I ever seen somebody take noodles and turn them into rice.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26How long did you cook them for?!
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Too long.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30It's quite an unusual taste, isn't it, really?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32And texture more than anything else.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35To me, that fish is absolutely perfectly cooked.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Thank you, Chef. Somebody must have been telling you
0:24:38 > 0:24:41not to put it in the pan till the last minute. It's just the fact
0:24:41 > 0:24:43that you burn your mouth on the rest of the ingredients.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Those vegetables are lethal, aren't they?
0:24:46 > 0:24:50It's quite hot, but a good effort on the fish. Thank you, Chef.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Right, well done. And an interesting thing with the noodles.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Next up, it's Robbie, who chose my posh box to cook from.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06I've done a lobster and saffron arancini, and some lobster risotto.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- So you managed to get the arancini done in time?- I did.- OK.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12- Right, shall we have a try of this?- OK.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17It's very hard for me to judge, cos I hate saffron.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20OK, so I have to try and think, ooh, if it hadn't got saffron...
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I'm not that keen on lobster, and if I never ate asparagus again,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27it wouldn't worry me. I like the way the asparagus is hardly cooked.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29I like that, it's nice and crunchy.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33And I like the outside crunchy bits on the arancini.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Right, I absolutely love risotto.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38You've got to get the texture right first of all.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Too many people make it too dry - that's too dry.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42If we could switch the lights off in this studio,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44that would glow in the dark.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I would've personally liked to have seen
0:25:47 > 0:25:51- the other nine quid's worth of lobster onto the plate.- Yep.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53On the whole, I think it's a very balanced dish,
0:25:53 > 0:25:58- but to me, the risotto - the base of it - lets itself down.- OK.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Finally, it's Dianne, who was given the Chinese global box.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Well, there's two-way cabbage
0:26:08 > 0:26:09and two-way pork.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14This is mostly Chinese cabbage with chilli and spring onion.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18- And just steamed rice?- And just steamed rice with a hint of cumin.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Right, dive in.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Interesting. You've done exactly what you should do, really,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34in terms of preparing everything in advance,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and leave everything till the last minute. And it's paid off.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41The pork is a little bit dry, but I love the shrimps in there.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44The real high point of this dish is this cabbage,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46cos this is just absolutely perfect.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Exactly how you want it. Little bit of bite to it as well.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51It's very easy to cook cabbage for too long, isn't it?
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Especially that kind of cabbage, yeah.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56On the whole, you should be very pleased with it.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- It's a very nice plate of food. Well done.- Thank you. Thank you.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02And I reckon on the basis of that,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- I've got some thinking to do. - Certainly have.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11OK, firstly, I'm going to say well done,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14because that was an interesting selection of ingredients
0:27:14 > 0:27:15that I put in front of you there.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29The dish that I would like to eat,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32and certainly go back for more of...
0:27:34 > 0:27:36- ..would be Dianne.- Oh!
0:27:37 > 0:27:41- Congratulations, you're our cook of the day. Well done.- Thank you. - APPLAUSE
0:27:41 > 0:27:42Is that for my jewellery?
0:27:42 > 0:27:44- SHE LAUGHS - You can have it for your jewellery if you want!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- Very well done.- Thank you, Margaret. Thank you very much.- Really good.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- I thought it was a great effort. - Yes, absolutely delighted.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52I think once you get focused into it,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and I think it was the last-minute thing that was a little bit scary.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Great job.- Thank you, James. Thank you.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Come on over here. And you, Janet.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- Congratulate each other.- Thanks, Robbie. Thanks for my box.- You're an absolute star, well done.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Well, there you go. That's all we've got time for today,
0:28:06 > 0:28:07but join us next time on The Box,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09where we've got three more enthusiastic home cooks,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12just like this one, loads of boxes of ingredients,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and some great celebrity guests. I'll see you soon.