Episode 7 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.

I think it would 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!

..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.

-Yeah.

-You're excited.

-Definitely.

Hallelujah!

Tom, Theo and Michel are searching for someone who they think is a worthy apprentice.

-Happy, chef Shona?

-I think so.

They each have a week to select and train up their strongest candidates...

Two things on the go at the same time. Or even three things on the go. Multi-task, come on!

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

This week, it's Theo Randall's search.

Yesterday, he returned to his old catering college,

Brooklands in Weybridge, to meet some of their strongest students.

This is what I want to do. I've got a lot of passion.

Theo chose to take all three students forward.

It looks delicious.

18-year-old Alice, 20-year-old Monica

and 18-year-old David.

Oh, my God!

Today, Theo is back to meet the final four students

that Brooklands believe have the potential to be his protege.

At the end, he must lose two from the running.

The kind of person I need to find

is someone who really is very, very keen,

who really wants to learn and let me teach them.

If you can find people that have the same feeling as you do about food,

that's the sort of magic you want.

To get a sense of the students' enthusiasm and skill level,

Theo has brought in the ingredients from his classic Italian antipasti sharing platter.

It's easy to think, "It's only a vegetable, it's not important." It is so important.

That's why I'm doing this test.

The whole preparation will be interesting to see what they know.

The first student is 17-year-old Sally.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-What's your name?

-Sally.

-Hi, Sally, I'm Theo. Do you want to come in?

Now, I cook Italian food.

-Yeah.

-And I love all things Italian.

-One of the most important parts of an Italian meal is the antipasti, the course before the pasta.

-Yeah.

I want you to prepare for me a dish using artichokes and Swiss chard.

-And then all these other ingredients, you can do what you want with them.

-OK.

-So, go for it.

You've got a nice selection of knives. Wow!

Got more knives than I've got.

All my family are like, "Oh, my God, you're such a good cook!" And it makes me happy.

I'm actually really easy to teach cos I get on with so many people. I'm one of those happy-go-lucky people.

How come you're at catering college? What's your passion?

I just really like cooking stuff, really. I'm not bad at subjects.

I just find this one more creative and you can express yourself more.

-Have you prepped artichokes before?

-No.

-Oh, really? OK.

I'm guessing this is how you do it. I know you take the fluffy bit out in the middle.

You're doing quite a good job.

-What's your favourite thing to cook?

-I like random stuff that people wouldn't normally put together.

Like kind of just experimental?

-Have you ever tried curry and biscuits?

-Curry and biscuits?

-Yeah!

-And does it taste good?

-Cos it's sweet, then you've got the spicy stuff.

-It would certainly get your palate working.

-Honestly, try it. It is quite good.

-I'm intrigued.

Don't forget this fella.

-Do you wrap something up in these?

-You could do, yeah.

-Like a little parcel?

-Yeah.

-I've just had a brainwave!

-Have you done something like this at college?

-No, but I like stuffed cabbage leaves.

-What do you put in your stuffed cabbage leaves?

-Anything that's in the cupboard. Random stuff.

-Biscuits?

-No, I wouldn't put a biscuit in it.

There you go. OK, I'm done.

-That's really good. Are you pleased with that?

-Yeah, I think so.

You've presented it nicely. It's colourful and it looks very fresh.

I haven't tasted it yet.

You're still standing. It's all good.

You've got that seasoning of the anchovy, capers and mozzarella, and with the chard, it works quite well.

-You are experimental, but your experiment has almost paid off.

-Ooh!

-I'm impressed.

-Yay!

She's quite a character. Whether she's got the cooking skills, I don't know.

I feel quite good.

I didn't know what I was doing and I still made a plate of food,

so, I'm happy, yeah.

17-year-old Hayley from Staines is in her second year of college.

Hello.

-Hello.

-I'm Theo.

-Nice to meet you.

-What's your name?

-Hayley.

Hi, Hayley. Come in.

-Nice and relaxed?

-Yeah, "ish".

So, what experience do you have?

Not a lot. I've done a bit in a hotel.

-OK.

-Cooking-wise, I haven't much experience at all.

-Have you cooked artichokes before?

-No.

-Have you prepared or eaten an artichoke?

-No.

-This doesn't stand me in good stead.

-You'll be all right. And Swiss chard?

-No.

-You've tasted spinach?

-Yes.

-Think of it like spinach. Imagine the flavour of spinach. It's quite earthy.

Well, cooking was never going to be my career path to choose,

but I had work experience

and I just fell in love with it.

I knew in my heart that it was the one thing I wanted to do.

-What are you thinking you're going to do?

-OK...

I think you've got someone who is maybe a little bit timid or anxious or nervous.

If you can get that away, you can find out

what's really inside that person and sometimes you can find magic.

What would you do with the leaves?

-I'm not 100% sure. Would you cook the leaves?

-Just pull it.

That's it. Now do that to the rest of the artichoke.

-You want to find that lovely, tender bit in the middle.

-These are going softer as you pull them off.

Having a mentor is important, especially when you're learning.

So, how are you going to cook that?

-I'd probably just put that in water.

-You've got some boiling water there.

Let's get a bit of speed. I need to see how good you are under pressure.

Remember, you've got your artichoke. There's nothing on the artichoke.

-If you had a lovely mixed leaf salad, what would you have with it?

-Salt and pepper and herbs.

-And...?

-What else do you put on a salad?

-Dressing.

-That's it.

-Sorry.

-It's OK. Don't worry.

The most important thing is you're thinking about what you're cooking. I'm trying to coax it out of you.

That'll sit on top of there.

OK?

I did give you some ideas, but the good thing was you actually responded to them.

You know, what you've produced, it's OK.

You came in here not really knowing any of the ingredients.

It's harder coming into something you don't know.

Yeah, but I've got to test you. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do this afternoon.

There was something there, but I held her hand all the way through.

I had to give so much effort into sort of pushing her into going in the right direction.

A couple of the ingredients I'd never cooked with before,

but the guidance and tips that he gives are definitely beneficial and I got an end result on the plate,

so, yeah, I'm happy with how it went.

Chris is also 17 and has been studying catering for a year.

-Hello. What's your name?

-I'm Chris.

-Hi, Chris.

-Come in.

-Cheers.

So, what are you thinking?

I'm thinking I'm a bit out of my depth. I don't cook Italian food much.

I prefer traditional English food, a rack of lamb, that kind of thing.

'I've trained an awful lot of people in my time and I've got to use all that experience.'

I need to give them confidence. It's difficult. I've got novices here.

You're not brimming with confidence.

These are ingredients I'm not wholly familiar with.

If you feel intimidated or anxious, it won't work.

Just relax. The most important thing is to trust your instinct when you cook.

'I prefer mass catering, rather than little bits and pieces here and there.'

I prefer to go, "OK, you've got 600 people to feed. Here you go."

I enjoy the pressure of working for lots of numbers at once.

-Are you putting the peppers in with the skin on?

-Yeah.

-Why are you leaving the charring on?

-That's where the flavour is.

-OK.

-You recommend taking the skin off?

I would. It's not really edible because it's charred.

Are you actually interested in learning about Italian food?

It's not necessarily something I'm looking for a career in, but I'm definitely interested in learning it.

-The more you know, the better.

-Yeah.

-It doesn't look great.

-No.

You've got this very tough artichoke which you boiled and put on a plate.

There's no skill there. You made a paste, but if I hadn't stopped you, you'd have put all the charring in.

-That would have been a bit of a disaster. You seemed a little bit nervous.

-Just a little.

-I think you've just had a bit of a nightmare.

-Yeah.

-I won't taste this. I'll judge you this afternoon.

-And if you make the same mistakes, then adios.

-Fair enough.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you. Much appreciated.

That was a disaster.

I just felt he didn't have any interest in Italian food.

There's a lot of negatives there, but he's got this afternoon.

Awful. I don't think it could have gone worse.

I saw what was on the table. I thought, "I don't know what I'm doing." My brain went into shutdown.

I blindly threw together a plate of not much, if I'm honest.

HE SIGHS

Last one to go.

18-year-old Nathan is the oldest of today's students

and works part-time catering for a motor-racing team.

-Hello. I'm Theo.

-Hi.

-What's your name?

-Nathan.

Nathan. Come this way, Nathan.

-If I said to you "antipasti", can you visualise what it would look like?

-Kind of, yeah.

-Good.

Before I was a chef, I was a footballer.

I got injured and I couldn't play no more.

I thought I was good and I could have made it big-time.

What is it about catering college? What brought you here to Brooklands?

I just picked something that was easy.

OK. So you think cooking's easy?

No, no. At the beginning, I thought it'd be easy because I could eat it.

-Yeah.

-I just wanted to eat and eat and eat.

-You enjoy cooking?

-I love it, yeah.

-Do you?

Me, personally, I feel one of the luckiest guys around.

At the age of 18, what we could get from this is pretty big.

-What sort of food do you like?

-Because I've just started, I like to learn anything.

So, whatever I get taught, I learn.

-Are we making our own dressing to go with it?

-That would be really nice.

I'm going to taste this and hopefully really enjoy it.

-Hopefully.

-That's up to you.

There you go.

-Lovely. So, that's your antipasti?

-Yeah.

You certainly don't lack confidence, which is a good thing.

-I think I need to try your food.

-Good luck.

A bit of the tomato...

Your combination of flavours all work quite well. You've produced a very nice plate of food.

-Cheers.

-See you later on.

-See you later.

Thank goodness he turned up.

What made me happy about Nathan was not so much what he cooked, just his attitude and his spirit.

He's got that thing you look for in a chef.

It was amazing. My heart was beating pretty fast.

If I go along further, I can see I can learn quite a lot of stuff from him.

Having a mentor means more than just being taught basic cookery skills.

Whoever Theo chooses as his protege will have to share his love

for the rustic Italian food that is at the heart of his style.

Using ingredients bought in daily from markets in Italy, simplicity is key.

At the end of the day, Theo can only take two students through.

Before he makes a decision, he wants Chris, Sally, Hayley and Nathan

to recreate his pasta dish of squash-filled tortellini in a sage butter sauce.

-Have any of you actually made fresh pasta before?

-Yeah.

-What did you make?

-Just plain pasta. And turned it into tagliatelle.

That's nice. We're trying to make it as elasticated as possible so we can roll it very, very thin.

Look at that. Yeah? Feel it.

It's becoming quite...silky.

It's got a much smoother texture.

Leaving the pasta to prove, Theo moves on to the filling.

You've got butter, garlic, oregano. It's a really lovely smell.

We're just going to add our boiled squash.

Ricotta.

I'm going to add some parmesan. And that will sort of thicken it up slightly.

Have a taste of that.

-It's really nice.

-So let's start thinking about the pasta.

So tortellini is basically the shape of a belly button.

Get our cutter.

We're going to put a little bit of filling in the middle.

-Is that water so it sticks?

-Yes, exactly that.

Make sure it's sealed. Make sure there's no air coming out.

If there's any air hole there, it will come out and it'll explode.

-I can see what you mean by the belly button.

-Yeah!

-Is it true if you throw pasta against a wall

-it sticks?

-That's the oldest and the worst way of cooking pasta...ever!

If it sticks to the wall, it's overcooked.

Theo wants the students to serve the tortellini with a warm sage butter.

I'm making sure all that butter gets absorbed into the pasta to give it a lovely flavour. Really nice.

You're licking your lips, Hayley. That's a good sign.

Look at it now.

-So you have it belly button side up?

-It's kind of nice if you do.

A little bit of parmesan on top.

And that is my tortelloni with squash.

-Can you do that?

-How long have we got?

-Can I have your leftovers?

No, you can't.

I think it's going to be quite tight

to make it in the time limit, so I'm working as fast as I can

and hoping to get it all done.

Use your muscles.

Show who's boss.

OK, so that should be OK now. Get some clingfilm and wrap it up.

Quick, quick, quick. Don't run. Just urgency.

I'm quite confident. On a scale of 1-10, I'm probably about 7.

That's quite good. I think. Yeah.

Watch those fingers. Let me show you. When you cut, always have your hand like that.

Always have the knife like that. One day you might not pay attention and you'll have your finger off.

-What do you think was wrong this morning?

-Just blind panic!

-Really? You came in and thought, "Oh, my God! What's going on here?"

-It wasn't a great performance.

-You're going to do better now?

-I should hope so.

-OK, good.

Everything's going good, according to plan. I'm just doing the sauce.

The filling, sorry. Then roll out the pasta and start filling.

I'm cruising!

-OK, Hayley, how's it going?

-I'm just peeling.

They're almost cooking their filling. They're much quicker.

'Hayley's a funny one.'

She's very slow. She's slightly timid,

but...she's quite careful.

I'd much rather have someone who is careful than someone who is very quick, but very slapdash.

I can smell burning garlic. Who's burnt their garlic?

-Eh?

-I think it was me.

If the students have listened to Theo, they will know that their pasta dough must be rolled

until it has an ultra-thin, elastic texture.

That's good. That's good pasta. That's very good pasta.

'I think the thing about Sally is'

she's got talent, but she doesn't really know it.

I've got a hole in it! No!

There's something there. And she's proving it again.

-How's it going, Chris?

-The pasta keeps tearing.

Because you're putting a huge blob through. It's not going to work. Put the thing back in.

And start rolling it through.

OK, go faster.

That's more like it.

Chef, why has it ripped now?

If you break the pasta and it's still nice and wet, just fold it over... Use your hands. Be strong.

-What position do you play in football?

-Front.

-Striker?

-Yeah, forward. That's why I'm a bit of a girl.

-Central defence, you'd be tougher.

OK.

That's it.

-That bit comes up.

-Yeah. And those two twist together.

-Squeeze tight.

-Squeeze.

-Brilliant. Tortellini. That's it.

-Yay! My first tortellini.

OK, Nathan, you've done them the wrong way round.

When that cooks, it'll hit the water and all the filling will come out.

-When you serve it, you'll have a pool of water and a sort of... It'll be horrible.

-OK, no worries.

Don't overcook your pasta. They look like they've been in there for a while.

Nothing worse than overcooked pasta.

-A few odd shapes.

-Yeah.

OK, plates on the pass, please.

I think it could have gone better!

Italian just isn't my strong point.

'This morning didn't go as well as I hoped it would.'

But after that pasta dish, I feel a bit more confident in myself, so...

'It's a little bit nerve-racking.'

I don't want the embarrassment of going out. I know I can do good.

'I don't think it went amazing.'

I'm not going to lie. I feel I could have done better.

OK, Chris...

The pasta's quite soft,

but nice flavour of sage.

I can taste the squash. The big mistake is you cooked your garlic too much. You've that nutty taste.

-Overcooked garlic.

-Yeah.

-It was an OK effort.

The thing is it doesn't really look like a tortellini. It's odd shapes. There wasn't enough care taken.

Maybe you're not as passionate as you could be.

I'd like to say I have lots of experience, but I don't. Italian cuisine I've never touched upon.

Nathan...

Mm. You've got a nice amount of filling. Juicy.

I can really taste the squash. The sage butter is not as strong as it could be.

But the actual pasta itself is nice, chewy, tasty.

-That's a good effort. I think you've had a good day.

-Thank you, chef.

'I hope there's a little bit of connection between us two. I hope that he likes me.'

Words can't describe how much I want to go through.

Loads.

Hayley...

It looks very nice, I must say. Yours are sitting up beautifully.

The filling's got a nice flavour. A nice amount of salt. The squash tastes good.

The sage butter is excellent and your pasta has got a nice chewiness and a bite to it.

-For fresh pasta, that's very good.

-Thank you.

'I believe in my cooking.'

After this morning, maybe not so much, but I brought it back a bit. And I hope I've done enough.

OK, Sally...

They haven't broken. They're a quite delicate size. You made more than anyone else.

-Parmesan is the prominent flavour.

-Yeah.

They're quite thin. They're not juicy, where you put them in your mouth and they explode with squash.

But beautifully cooked pasta.

'I'd love to go through. It would be amazing.'

It's scraping the surface. There's so many things you can do.

Ultimately, Theo is only looking for one protege.

He must now decide which two to lose.

Nathan was the one that stood out for me today. He was the one that had a lot of drive. He's ambitious.

I think I can do something quite good with Nathan. Chris has to go.

He didn't perform this morning. I think he lost confidence this afternoon. It wasn't great.

Now I've got Hayley. Hayley's got a long way to go and an awful lot to learn.

And I've got Sally.

One of my big concerns about Sally is is she really going to understand my style?

I'm just really struggling with which one to take through.

Theo must now let the students know who is still in the competition and who is going home.

OK, guys. Sorry.

It wasn't your day, but don't let this put you off. Carry on with cooking. It's a great career.

Disappointed, but I accepted what was coming. You just bite the bullet, deal with it.

It could have gone worse, but it could have gone better.

Anyone would have liked to go further, but it's just the way it is.

I'm really happy for Nathan and Hayley, though.

Tomorrow night, Theo's search for his protege continues

when he brings his top five students together for the first time.

They're not used to having someone like me running a kitchen.

Guys! To be my protege, I do not expect this kind of treatment. You're just too relaxed.

Theo, he's getting a bit more serious. We could all muck up or do really good.

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