Episode 4 The Chef's Protege

Getting to the top of any profession takes not only skill

and determination but a few breaks along the way.

Show me what a good cook you are.

Tom Kitchin, Theo Randall and Michel Roux Junior have all been

helped in their careers by someone who believed in them.

Think it will be very difficult for any chef to achieve greatness

without a mentor.

Put it through one more time.

Now they want to give someone else that same chance...

Out, out, out, out, out, out!

..by going back to catering college to find a young student

they can each take under their wing as their own protege.

It's such a gruelling industry.

If you want to get to the top, you need to work with the best.

-Look at you. You're excited! Huh? You're excited!

-Definitely excited.

Hallelujah!

Tom, Theo and Michel are searching for someone who

they think is a worthy apprentice.

-Happy, Chef Shonagh?

-Think so!

They each have a week to select

and train up their strongest candidates...

-Mm!

-Two things on the go at the same time.

Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!

Or even three things on the go! Multitask. Come on!

..before they compete against each other to see who has the best

protege.

This week, it's Tom's search.

Over the last few days, he has returned to his old catering

college in Perth and shortlisted four of their best students.

I am so happy!

Today, Michel and Theo are heading to meet Tom in Scotland to

get a sense of their competition for the first time.

Tom's style is heavily influenced by the game that Scotland is famed for.

So he's pinning his hopes on this unique produce to

impress his guests.

Melville Castle used to be a hunting lodge for Mary Queen of Scots.

This is where we're going to be cooking today.

Guys, Ronnie Gregor is one of the most important people

I have in my business, OK?

What he doesn't know about game isn't worth knowing.

Wood pigeon.

And mallard duck.

For me, this is the holy grail of produce, the game season,

something that Scotland is renowned for. This is me, 110%!

When I touch this, my heart's pounding with excitement,

-my eyes light up.

-Where I grew up, we have a gamekeeper as well.

And have you cooked much game before?

I've not cooked it before but I've had it been cooked for me at home.

-Mum does all the time, so yeah.

-OK.

And Jordan, you ever seen something like this before?

Yeah, usually get a few of my friends shooting their own grouse.

-OK.

-I get given them as well as pheasant and just pluck them myself.

So you're all pretty clued up on the clay game there.

So it should be OK today. We should be fine.

We're going to do something special with it, guys, right? Yeah?

Let's get this down to the kitchen,

and we'd better start preparing soon, yeah?

If a chef doesn't get excited about game in my restaurant,

then there's no point to be there.

Go, go! Go work in a pizzeria!

Guys, it's really important that I tell you who we're cooking for today.

One of our guests is possibly the most iconic Italian

chef in the United Kingdom. His name is Theo Randall.

The other guest is no other than Michel Roux Junior, OK?

Very exciting, guys. I really want you to embrace that.

Let's keep going there.

Tom is encouraging his students to come up with their own

ideas for a dish that utilises the local game and produce.

Well, of course, it's a massive day for the students,

but for me personally, because today, Michel and Theo are going to really

see what my students, my potential protege, what level they're at.

This is a competition.

Never cooked for anyone like this, ever.

Dream to, but never have.

Just to know that I'm cooking for someone that I daily look up to,

it's just amazing.

-Oh, here we go!

-It's quite impressive, isn't it?

-Very nice.

They are big, big names in the industry, but I'm just trying to

keep it out of my mind, just focus on trying to do the best I can.

Butterflies, stomach's turning a bit and just nervous overall.

You know, you just want to get it right. It's like make or break.

Mm!

-I think Tom's trying to impress us.

-I think he is, isn't he?

Gentlemen.

-Hello!

-Welcome!

-How are you? Good to see you.

-How are you?

-Nice to see you. Michel, how are you?

-Very well.

-Very well. Welcome.

-Melville Castle, welcome to Scotland.

-You smell of grouse!

THEY LAUGH

-I didn't want to say that, but yeah.

-Goodness me! Yeah. Good.

Well, you should have seen their wee faces.

We just told them who was here. Unbelievable! Bless!

So we're down to four now.

It's been really fascinating

because not only are you looking for the most talented chef,

but you're wanting to pass on your knowledge and your passion.

So the personality is really important. Big test for them today.

Massive test. I'd better get downstairs and see what's happening!

THEY LAUGH

-He looked fairly confident.

-I think he's got some good cooks there.

THEY LAUGH

-Shall we go down and sabotage the kitchen?

-Well, we might have to!

THEY LAUGH

Downstairs in the kitchen, the students have started their dishes.

Jordan has chosen to use the rabbit.

Jamie is using the mallard.

Harriet is making a dessert using the local fruits.

And Shaun wants to use the pigeon but can't decide what to do with it.

If you go with your ideas, Tom's going to be able to guide you

and tell you what's going to go best or not.

You've got leeks, you've got your beetroot. Yeah? Get those cooking!

Get those cooking! You need to get those cooking.

I think Shaun is just struggling with his repertoire.

His repertoire is not enough to deal with these kind of ingredients.

I've helped him, I've nurtured him, but the ideas have to come from him.

What I've decided is it's going to be like a wood pigeon salad.

I need to just show that I do have ideas in my head.

I need to show him that I can season and cook food properly.

What I'm really looking for today is for someone to rise to the challenge.

You really give me something special that, you know,

I can then help mentor that dish and take it to the next level as well.

Jordan is using the rabbit to make a mousse filling for some ravioli.

I want to see that. Work it, work, work it!

We don't use machines to make pasta.

-We use what God gave us, our hands, OK?

-Best utensils in the world.

Best utensils in the world. Exactly, young man!

I'm doing a pasta dish

and I've got someone who has done pasta their whole life.

No pressure(!)

It's a long way to come on an empty stomach.

THEY LAUGH

Jamie's planned his mallard dish,

but he needs some pointers on the correct preparation of the bird.

-You plucked many birds, Jamie?

-I've done a few, chef, yes.

Many, many cold winter's mornings I've spent plucking birds.

Thank you. So first, you're using your two fingers here, your pincers.

It's like a crab claw.

This is what the exciting thing about being a chef is.

-Do you get it, Jamie?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Do you get it?

This is what it's all about. Right, come on. Let's go there.

-We need to crack on there.

-I've not done mallard before.

I've done quite a bit with pheasants before.

I think getting us involved in ingredients is brilliant,

being able to use something so fresh.

-I'm just trying to get this finer stuff off.

-OK.

-You're doing well there. You're doing well. It's great work.

-Cheers, chef.

Bit nervous about the main course of the day, so a lot of pressure.

Got to get it right.

So Harriet, today, she's going to do a traditional crumble.

How delighted was I that she said she was going to use the elderberries?

Something unusual, something to impress the guys.

Look at your hands! Look! Isn't that amazing? That's wild!

You know, it's growing wild at this time of year.

We need to get them cooking and get that amazing syrup

that you're going to get from the elderberries. That colour is so bang!

You know? It's really amazing.

Yeah, definitely starting to understand that

it's from nature to plate.

I mean, the game that was brought in this morning,

the fruit that I'm using today is fresh.

Nothing's been sitting around, we're not waiting for stuff.

What I have said to her is I don't want a crumble that you

get at home on a Sunday with your mummy and your granny, OK?

Today, I want a crumble that's going to go wow!

I can't wait to see what these young students have come up with

and see what we're up against. We're not competitive. No.

Chefs are not competitive!

THEO LAUGHS

Got to be kidding!

Shaun's cooked some beetroot,

but he's unsure how to blend it in with his pigeon salad.

You take your beetroot, put it in the blender.

IMITATES BLENDER

-Needs to be smoother, doesn't it?

-It's for your salad?

-Yeah.

Have you got more bite to it cos it's quite smooth?

-Quite good if you would, like...

-Right, cheers.

Have you got mustard in it, Shaun? No?

The flavour's really nice but it just needs a bit of bite to it.

Meanwhile, Jordan is racing ahead.

-I don't want that pasta rolled before I've tasted that mousse.

-OK.

-OK?

-Yes, Chef.

-Chef?

Chef? Think about what we're doing here, huh?

We're going to roll the pasta for Michel Roux and Theo Randall, OK?

I don't even know what you've put in there, and you're firing ahead.

-I love the enthusiasm, but use me. I'm here to help you. OK?

-Yes, Chef.

I can tell you right now, it's got no cream in it.

-You know how to do a tester when you do a mousse?

-No, Chef.

You take a little spoon of the mousse,

-you poach it and then we taste it.

-OK.

-OK?

-Yes, Chef.

Yeah, just a bit anxious... as to how it's going to come out.

I tell you what, though. This is like the Rock of Gibraltar. Feel that.

It's rubber, Chef. OK? So how do we get rid of that rubber effect?

-Some more cream?

-More cream.

-Everything is in your shoes now.

-OK, Chef.

'Cooking round Tom, you do pick up quite a lot of stuff.'

I really couldn't imagine cooking with him all the time.

It should be a dream. It would be.

As well as using the mallard crown,

Tom wants Jamie to confit the legs for his main course.

There isn't a dish that symbolises French food than confit de canard.

-You see the skin there?

-Yup.

-That has to be crispy.

Confit de canard without a crispy skin?

Michel Roux ain't going to be happy!

While the three boys are learning new techniques for their dishes,

Harriet, who has been very strong so far, is quietly confident.

-Would Granny Baker crumble off separately?

-Definitely not.

-Excellent! Good. What's your thinking with that?

-It's going to be crispy.

I'm not going to have the rest of it being really soggy on top.

It's not going to sink in and be gooey.

It's going to have some crunch to it.

-And oats as well?

-Yeah.

-Very Scottish! I like that.

-Right. What's it going to be like?

-That's the question.

-Jamie, are the duck legs cooking?

-Can you feel that duck? That's too hot.

-That's too hot, Chef? What does confit mean?

-To slowly cook, Chef.

-Slowly cooked. What's that?

-It's getting deep-fried.

I never said boil it ferociously!

It's not a fried chicken burger! OK?

-This is a mallard leg.

-Yup.

Guys, I want you to understand, I'm here to help a little bit,

but I'm not here to do it for you today.

This dish is yours, OK?

Of course, there's four of you left now.

After today, though, there'll only be three.

These guys are from college,

but now they're cooking for Theo Randall and Michel Roux.

My heart is pounding, you know? Any chef in the country would be nervous.

18-year-old Shaun will be first to serve the chefs.

Once you've cooked that, you need to rest it for three or four minutes.

-It needs to be pink.

-Yes, Chef.

-Not raw. Remember who you're cooking for.

-Yes, Chef.

-This is, quite simply, the biggest cooking day of your life.

We want to see a little bit of Tom in the plate.

It's about individual characters, yes,

but we want to see something of Tom. The identity has to be there.

What's the matter, Shaun?

-All my leeks just keep falling apart, Chef.

-Huh?

My leeks just keep falling apart.

-Yeah.

-What you thinking?

-I'm thinking that they're undercooked.

-They're undercooked, Chef.

-Yes.

-OK?

You cannot serve raw pigeon to Michel and Theo.

-Do you understand me? I will not let you do that, OK?

-Yes, Chef.

This has to be right this time. There is no second chance with this.

-Better?

-Yes, Chef.

To the lift.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-Hey.

-No-one said it'd be easy, OK?

-Yes, Chef.

OK. Get cleaned up.

-Were you happy with it?

-Could have been better.

I'm not sure if it's good enough.

-Thank you.

-Mm!

Shaun's starter is a roast pigeon salad with pickled carrots

and turnips, braised leeks,

bacon crisp and beetroot cubes and dressing.

-Pigeon's nicely cooked.

-It's actually very tender. Well rested.

What do you think of the pickles?

For me, they're a little bit too crunchy.

I think they should be a bit more cooked. I like the leek.

-It's a pretty good flavour.

-I'm with you on the leek. I love it.

And it really goes well with the pigeon breast.

-I must say, I enjoyed that.

-Mm.

-Shaun.

-Yes?

-Have you ever met Theo and Michel?

-No, I haven't, no.

They're waiting for you.

That got your bellies sinking, didn't it?

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

-How old are you, Shaun?

-I'm 18.

-How long have you been cooking?

I've been cooking since I was 14, helping my mum.

She had a catering business so I was helping her with that.

But working in a proper restaurant, I started a couple of years ago.

-Do you think Tom is a good teacher?

-Yeah, I do. I like Tom as a teacher.

He takes your views onboard but he kind of pushes you

in the right direction and shows his philosophy of cooking.

So you think you're good enough to be Tom's protege?

I hope my food here today shows it, and just past experience

on other days hopefully shows that I can be his protege.

-Well, that was great. Really good effort. Thank you, Shaun.

-Thank you.

Coming up here and seeing the clean plates was just an amazing feeling.

Just to get feedback from any world top chef is good,

but to hear it from those two themselves is just...

it's unbelievable!

-Confident guy.

-He's passionate.

-Yeah.

-His mother cooks, which is a good sign.

-Mm.

-Always a good sign.

-This is a massive moment in your career, Jordan.

-Yup.

The challenge for Jordan's dish is that the rabbit mousse filling

has to be cooked through without the pasta falling apart around it.

Got to make sure I get the pasta right and I don't serve raw mousse.

You don't take it with a tong!

-What's going to happen?

-It's going to break.

It's going to break, Chef! Theo Randall, huh? Italian master!

-Is that OK, Chef?

-I'm not here to tell you if it's OK.

If you're happy with it, then send it.

If you're not happy, don't send it.

-Are you happy?

-Yes.

-OK. To the lift, let's go.

Mm, wow!

Jordan's rabbit mousse ravioli is resting on a bed of carrots,

turnips and chanterelle mushrooms, topped with rack of rabbit

and served with a braised rabbit liquor.

You happy with that?

-Yeah?

-All right, aye.

It's quite a bit of skill level in the pasta. And it hasn't burst.

-The seasoning...I thought was pretty good.

-I like the rabbit.

I like the filling of the ravioli.

I thought it was a really lovely taste. Lots of flavour.

I think whoever cooked this has got really good taste buds.

It's sharp and clear... defined cooking.

-Hello.

-Have a seat.

-What's your name?

-Jordan.

-Jordan.

-Nice to meet yous.

-Good to see you. You look incredibly young!

-Yeah, I've just turned 18.

-Just turned 18?

-Your dish was very nice. We enjoyed it.

-Thank you.

-Is this dish your creation?

-Yeah.

Is it something that you've done before?

I've never made that dish before, no.

It's my first time actually working with rabbit.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Well done!

So where do you see yourself in ten years' time?

Hopefully working in a Michelin-star restaurant as a sous chef

-or maybe have my own place one day.

-So you're ambitious?

-Yeah, very!

-Well, I'm impressed. You've done well.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Scary! Very scary! Still kind of shaking.

Probably give up everything just to be his protege.

Be the best thing ever.

I'm going to get a bit anxious here.

I mean, they've got two bright young kids, you know?

And really wanting to succeed.

You don't give very much away!

Today was important that I guided you to a certain stage,

but then after that, it was yours.

I've held your hands, but sometimes, I need to let you go.

I wanted to see what you could do today.

-Jamie? Main course next. Yes, Chef. In the zone, big man, huh?

-Yup.

A bit nervous, after seeing the first couple of guys

putting their dishes up, you know?

Biggest people I've ever cooked for in my life. The pressure's on.

Cheers, Chef.

Don't think I can serve the duck legs.

-You don't think you're going to serve them?

-Don't think so, Chef.

-Why's that?

-Just dried it out slightly.

Just don't know if they're good enough.

So you're going to serve the duck legs or not, Jamie?

-Not too sure, Chef.

-Five minutes, big man.

OK, Jamie. Tatin's on. Legs - what we going to do?

-Serve them or not?

-I'm going to serve them, Chef.

Gone.

Relieved to get it out, but just sort of nervous

to see what they think about it as well.

For his main course,

Jamie has served the mallard crown with a confit of the legs

accompanied by an endive tart tatin

and a plum and rowanberry sauce.

Lovely, lovely aromas coming through.

-Yeah, very nice.

-And I think the presentation is very Tom, actually.

Yeah.

Good sauce. I do like that. Very good balance of flavours as well.

It's the sweetness. And the rowanberries.

I mean, they're delicious.

Well, I think it's heavily influenced by Tom.

It's got everything, hasn't it? I enjoyed that.

Really. I can't find much fault with that.

-Hello.

-Hi, guys.

-Have a seat. What's your name?

-Jamie.

-Jamie?

-Yup.

-And how old are you, Jamie?

-17.

I just can't get over the fact that you're 17

and you managed to cook mallard to this standard!

Your dish was delicious. I mean, it really was beautifully cooked.

-Thank you.

-What are your ambitions?

I'm not really sure at the minute, you know?

I'm just sort of finding... finding my feet.

Would you like to have your own restaurant?

I think maybe eventually, but you see a lot of people,

like, doing it quite young and that.

I'd like to eventually have a head chef's role first

-and then maybe, like, learn that way.

-Yeah, that's very smart.

-Well, you did a great job. Well done. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Just sort of numb. Trying to take it all in.

To get praise like that just sort of gives you a bit of a boost, you know?

Maybe there are some very good chefs in Scotland!

Well, we've had three of them.

Want to find out what the fourth one's like!

-Harriet? The time of destiny is approaching.

-Yes, Chef.

Let's see you deliver it.

Presentation here is vital. This is the pastry.

-You've had time to think about it.

-Definitely.

-I want to see that.

I told you, I don't see Granny's crumble!

Bye-bye, crumble!

Harriet has served her pear and rhubarb crumble

with a quenelle of Chantilly cream,

creme anglaise and an elderberry sauce.

I like the crumble topping.

I thought it was good, it was crunchy, had lots of flavour.

I thought the creme anglaise or custard was really nice.

-In fact, there wasn't enough of it.

-Yeah, yeah.

The elderberry didn't have a great taste of elderberry.

It just tasted quite, sort of, more sugary.

-But everything is very, very sharp.

-Too sharp.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-So how has it been today?

-Stressful.

-But surely...you want to be a chef so you must enjoy pressure.

-I do, yes.

I think it was the waiting cos I'm sort of left at the end,

-sort of like, "OK, let's go, let's go!"

-The only thing,

the apple seems slightly... quite tart.

Because the rhubarb is quite sweet,

so I was trying to balance out a bit but obviously, I got that bit wrong.

But the crumble you made was delicious.

I mean, it was really so crisp and sweet. It was very nice.

-Thank you, Harriet. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Thanks.

We're learning so much more each day that we're here.

So I definitely want to go on and learn more

and progress in the competition.

I think Tom has done really well.

I think he is genuinely a very good teacher.

I can't wait to meet my students

because I want to get my hands on them and I want to teach them

as fast as I can because this is a very high level.

The standard that's been set,

we've really got to work pretty hard and pretty quick.

I think there's two standout dishes today.

I think Jordan, he really put an awful lot of soul and effort in.

And in a way, a lot of understanding of good food,

it's an incredible effort by a young student.

And Jamie, you know, he doesn't wait for me. He's got his own opinions.

But somehow, he manages to keep bringing off these dishes.

Shaun, he's a bit lost today.

But when you actually put him on the spot - "Use your imagination,

"give me a dish," he's struggling a bit.

With Harriet, from day one, she really has done fantastically well.

But I was hoping she was going to really raise the bar today

with her dessert. I used the words "Granny's crumble".

I'm sorry, but it wasn't far off Granny's crumble.

Ultimately, Tom is only looking for one protege.

He must now decide which of the students to keep

and which one to send home.

-It's scary stuff.

-What?

-Scary stuff.

-Oh, it is.

A difficult decision...

but this is not just about the strongest plate of food.

For me, it's really important that I take everything

into consideration from today and the days gone prior to today.

Shaun, can I have a word, please?

Shaun, big man... I'm really sorry, big man,

but today, I feel that as much as I loved your dish,

as much as I loved how you come along in this competition,

I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go.

It's no problem at all, Chef.

-I have to emphasise how far you have come as a chef.

-OK.

Keep it up, Shaun.

-You can become a fantastic cook.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Good luck, guys. All the best.

-All the best to you, mate.

-Well done.

-Take care.

-Catch you later. Cheers.

-Well done, Shaun.

I mean, I would have loved to have gone on.

I just wasn't strong enough today.

Wish I could have learned more, but it just happened.

Overall, I'm happy with how I've done, how far I got.

It's phenomenal. Down to three.

I don't quite know what I'm doing, but hopefully,

I'll keep doing it and keep impressing.

It makes you feel that you can achieve something

if you really set your heart on it.

Hopefully, Tom will make me his protege.

Jamie.

Thought your duck today was absolutely brilliant.

Cheers, Chef. Thank you.

It was by far the dish of the day. It was fantastic.

-It really meant everything to me. Well done.

-Thanks very much, Chef.

I can't really believe what I've done...

Especially to get dish of the day,

gives you a lot of confidence going into tomorrow, you know?

Well done.

TOM: I'm really proud of the guys in there.

The three that are left, over the days we've been together,

they have done an amazing job.

They've really embraced what we've done.

But not only that, this is the next generation of Scottish chefs!

And if I can be part of that, I'm absolutely delighted.