Amandine Chaignot Yes Chef

Four of the best chefs in Britain are on the hunt for their perfect partner.

Three amateur home cooks are here to prove they have what it takes to be

paired with the best in the business,

for the cooking experience of a lifetime.

-I'm not really sure it's time to be relaxing today!

-No.

Each day, a different chef will choose their perfect

partner from three talented home cooks.

This food is very posh.

It's very posh food.

Then, all four pairs will go head-to-head in our Friday final,

cooking for culinary royalty, Pierre Koffmann.

What impresses me with food is the end result.

The taste is the most important.

The professional chefs' reputations are on the line.

This is my idea of perfection.

And the amateur home cooks have a lot to live up to.

This is Yes Chef.

Hello and welcome to Yes Chef.

Let's see who's cooking in the kitchen today.

First up, it's Maryam from Iran.

She's a full-time mum living just outside Chester.

I'm relaxed and I can't wait to see their look when they try my dish.

Next, it's Peter Miles.

He's the managing director of a technology company in Lancashire.

I like to cook really homely food - steaks, stews etc.

But when I'm trying to impress friends,

I get them round for a tasting menu.

And finally, it's Craig Edmund from South Wales.

He's director of a software company.

People would describe my cooking as varied.

I rarely cook the same dish twice.

Creativity and innovation are my strong points.

My weakness is my cleanliness.

My wife is always having to clean up after me.

Our cooks are ready to go.

So let's meet today's chef.

Today's chef is Amandine Chaignot.

Amandine is the executive chef at the Rosewood in London.

She defines her modern French cooking style as fresh, honest, intricate.

What defines me is simplicity.

The most important thing is to have the freshest,

best ingredients to work with.

Having worked with the likes of Alan Ducasse

and Jean-Francois Piege, to name a few,

Amandine knows exactly what she's looking for in today's home-cooks.

Well, in my kitchen there is no space for messy chefs,

people who lose their temper.

As chefs, I think that we are all really competitive, so, yeah,

of course I'm going to win.

Welcome everyone to Yes Chef.

Now, Amandine, you're going to be picking one of our home cooks to be

your partner in this week's Friday final.

What are you going to be looking for?

Well, obviously as someone who is really into food,

a great sense of organisation, a great sense of seasoning.

-And, of course, someone who is really having fun.

-Perfect.

So cooks, you've got 45 minutes to create your best dish for Amandine.

Now she will be watching your every move in the kitchen to see how you

cope, and at the end, obviously, it's the all-important taste test.

So, Amandine, any last tips for our cooks?

-Have fun.

-Brilliant.

OK, well, let's get on with it.

Right cooks, you've got 45 minutes.

Good luck, because your time starts now.

So, our cooks are off.

They're going all out to win over Amandine with their signature dish.

Today, Craig has chosen lamb with an Indian crust

served with saag aloo and mango chutney.

And although he has cooked this dish before...

I've cooked this dish about twice.

Both were really, really good. It took me about 40 minutes.

So I'm feeling quite comfortable, so far.

This is the first time his food has been judged by a professional chef.

I'm really interested in seeing what she makes of it, really.

Yeah.

Over at the green station, Mariam has opted for a traditional Iranian

chicken dish served with saffron rice and barberry jam.

I chopped the onion, mixed it with black pepper.

And I'm going to start cooking it for 20 minutes.

This dish is a firm family favourite,

and Mariam's cooked it so many times she's unfazed by the competition.

I've cooked this dish over 100 times,

so this is not going to be the last time and everyone loves this.

So I'm quite confident about what I'm cooking today.

On the red team, Peter's chosen to make a fillet of beef on a bed of

garlic spinach, topped with a potato galette served with parsnip

puree and a red wine and port jus.

I'm a real meat eater and a good steak's really lovely.

My big question is the gravy,

whether I'm going to get that reduced down or not, in time.

But fingers crossed, everything else is looking OK.

-Hi, Peter.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-How are we?

-I'm good, I'm good, thank you.

Just making a gravy, here.

What have you got the mushroom for?

They're just going to add some depth to the gravy.

Do you cook a lot at home or...?

Yeah, I do. I find it a good way of relaxing.

I travel around the country a lot so when I get home...

-I'm not really sure it's going to be relaxing today.

-No, no, OK.

Try and relax, try and enjoy it.

-I will.

-But your wife's a vegetarian, isn't she?

She is, I've been practising and practising.

And you can only eat so much fillet steaks,

-so the dogs have been very happy.

-Oh, I bet they are.

-Lucky dogs! Lucky dogs!

-Absolutely.

-OK, well good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-And we'll see you shortly.

-Super.

See you later.

-Hi, Maryam.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-I'm good, I'm very well, thank you.

-Good.

-Chicken using the pressure cooker.

The next thing is my rice.

OK, so tell us about the dish.

Is it a...?

It's a traditional Iranian dish, we call it Zereshk Polow.

So this food is very posh.

So, everyone...

In Iran, it is very posh food.

So I brought these nuts from Iran. This is zereshk.

They actually come from Iran?

-Let's have a look.

-Can I try?

-Yes, of course you can try.

This is very fresh, it's just a slice of...

-Lovely.

-So I'm going to make a little jam with this barberry

and then put this one on top.

PRESSURE COOKER WHISTLES

It's all going off on here!

I'll let you carry on and concentrate.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Hi, Craig.

-Hi.

How's it going?

It's good, I've got my potatoes cooking now.

Can we have a look?

-Yep.

-This is going to be a saag aloo,

we've got some spinach wilting in here.

-Lovely.

-And then we've got a nice piece of lamb rump.

An Indian crust, so...

We've got lots of lovely spices and herbs.

-Smells so good.

-There's poppadom in the crust as well.

-OK.

-Instead of breadcrumbs.

-Brilliant.

-Great.

-Well, good luck.

-Thank you.

-We'll let you carry on.

Can't wait to eat.

So, as the cooks get stuck in,

Peter's slightly worried he's not going to finish in time.

I've got a lot to do, still.

Hopefully, we should be OK.

Peter, he seems to be super organised.

Really steady, really calm.

There we go, that's better. Fantastic.

His dish, do you think it's quite simple or...?

It seems to be simple but I think that he's going to add a bit of a

twist at the end of it. I think.

Yeah. Hopefully.

I put a little bit too much pepper, but with the mixture of lime and

saffron, it's fine.

Maryam is making a traditional Iranian dish.

I wonder if she's going to twist it a bit to make it more modern,

maybe to add a bit of her style to a real traditional recipe.

I don't know a lot about Iranian food, so I'm really curious about it.

Oh, good.

So far, it's all going to plan.

I'm feeling pretty good. Feeling pretty good.

-Craig.

-There's a lot of prep around and a lot of flavour.

I think it's got the right mixture of complexity but also being

something that can get done within 45 minutes.

I'm not really into lamb, so...

Shh, don't tell him.

But I'm sure with all the spices on it, it can be really interesting.

OK.

I think you've got some good contestants out there.

Definitely. I can't wait.

-How's it going over there, Peter?

-It's all right.

Sure you've got enough time to cook that?

I'm not sure about it at the moment.

-It's a big piece of fillet.

-It is a big bit of fillet. I better get on.

Cooks, you've had half an hour, you've got 15 minutes left.

15 minutes to go, guys.

It's warm.

-You OK?

-Yeah.

That's got to go in for four minutes and I've going to turn it halfway

-through so it cooks evenly in the oven.

-Good.

Peter's racing against the clock.

But Maryam's concerned she's overseasoned her chicken dish.

It's too much pepper.

-Too much pepper, did you say?

-Too much pepper's gone in.

-You put too much in?

-Yeah.

-Oh, no, why?

-I don't know.

-You don't know!

And Peter's not sure he'll have enough time to reduce his sauce.

Are you not happy with it?

No. I think it's just a little bit too...

-You need it reducing a little bit more?

-Yeah, I do. Unfortunate.

Time's running out fast for the cooks and Amandine's interested in

seeing how Craig's getting on with his lamb.

Just going to have a look for your recipe.

This is just about to go into the oven, it's pan-fried,

it's got its Indian spiced crust.

Smells lovely.

MUSIC PLAYS

Just two minutes left, two minutes to go!

Maryam's first to plate up, and not far behind her is Craig.

But Peter looks like he'll be leaving it right down to the wire.

MUSIC PLAYS

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four, three, two, one.

That's it! Time's up!

Stop cooking!

Oh, that was so close.

Right, it's time to taste.

First into the tasting room is Craig.

He's serving lamb with an Indian crust,

served with saag aloo and a mango chutney.

-How was the challenge for you?

-It was very good, very good.

I really enjoyed it.

-Can't wait to try it.

-Yes, let's taste.

-Did you try it yourself?

-I did.

Yes, you could've put a bit more salt in the lamb.

-Yeah.

-There's a real spice to your mango chutney.

-Really lovely.

-Yeah?

-Happy?

-Love that.

-Good.

And the cooking's perfect.

-The lamb is cooked perfectly?

-Yeah.

-Happy days, thank you very much.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Wow.

-Wow.

I thought it went really well. I was really pleased with the feedback.

-Did you enjoy that?

-Very much, actually, yeah.

The chutney is just fantastic.

Cooking is perfect.

I would have just have added a bit of salt on the lamb.

-One last bit.

-Finish it.

You had potato balancing everything and that was really interesting.

I hope I've done enough to impress them so far.

I think I have.

Next up is Maryam with her traditional Iranian chicken dish,

served with saffron rice and a barberry jam.

-Here you go.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-It looks lovely.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

MUSIC PLAYS

-It's really good.

-Yeah?

I really like it, I really liked the balance of the sweetness of the jam

that you've made, and the pepper, makes everything really well.

The chicken is maybe just a bit dry,

because you plated so early that actually,

-it give it the time release all the juice.

-OK.

But apart from this, it's really lovely.

-Well done!

-Thank you.

-Are you happy?

-Yes, I am, thank you.

-Good.

-Thank you very much.

I think it went well.

But they weren't happy with my chicken.

That's lovely.

How was that dish for you?

It was really good, though I think that the saffron is a bit overwhelming.

I think that she didn't really manage her time really well.

I've done this dish so many times before,

so I know from that, I need to put the chicken the last thing on the dish.

And finally, it's Peter's dish of the day.

Fillet of beef on a bed of garlic spinach, topped with a potato

galette with parsnip puree and a red wine and port jus.

There we go.

Did you enjoy the challenge?

-I did, I did, but time ran away, I'm afraid.

-OK.

Great.

MUSIC PLAYS

What do you think?

Yeah, it's just a bit of a pity that the jus is not reduced enough.

But I really like the spinach, it's perfect for me.

I really like the puree.

-Just ran out of time.

-Time did run away.

-It did.

-But are you pleased?

I'm very pleased with what I did. It was just time, that was all.

-So, thank you.

-Thank you so much.

-OK.

Wow.

It's massively different, cooking here than practising at home,

-how much time you actually let drift.

-I love it.

I think that he's been a bit challenged to manage his time,

to get the perfect gravy reduced and the crispy potato.

I'm most disappointed about my jus, because at home,

I practised that so many times, it was really good.

And this one was a failure, let's be honest.

Simple things are the most complicated.

To get the perfect cooking, the perfect seasoning,

the perfect gravy.

Is anybody standing out at the moment?

I think that I'm starting to make my mind, yes.

OK. Well, hold that thought because we've still got your skills test to go.

-Let's do it.

-Let's go.

-How did you all find the first challenge?

-Yeah, it was good.

Hard work. Hard work.

Hard work, well it's probably going to get a little bit harder

now, because Amandine has set you a test to see who's got the skills

she is looking for. So, Amandine, what are we doing?

We're going to prep a squab.

So it's a squab, it's a pigeon. Right.

It's not that complicated.

I just want to see how you behave with the knife.

Basically, when you are able to butcher it probably,

-you can do exactly the same with a hen, with a woodcock.

-Any bird?

Chicken, anything. So it's a really good skill to have.

-Basics.

-Yeah, OK. Well, let's get on with it.

-OK.

So, first thing...

..going to burn it a bit.

This is just to make sure that there is no little feather remaining.

Oh, hello.

If there's feathers on there, is that a massive problem?

It's not really nice to eat.

But this way, you can make sure that there is no feathers remaining.

Secondly, what I'm going to ask you is to take the legs out

and take the fillet.

It's really simple. OK?

So, for the leg, use your finger to pick the meat from the bone.

Can you feel it with a knife, where the bone is?

-You can feel it with the knife and you can feel it with your finger as well.

-OK.

Are you cutting the bone out or do you cut around it?

There's no strength at all.

-OK.

-You're just pulling the legs out.

-And then cut round them?

-That's it.

-OK.

-So you see there's nothing left on the bone.

-No.

No meat.

And then secondly, the fillets.

-So right down the centre?

-Yeah.

-Along the bone?

-Exactly.

-OK.

-There's a small bone, here.

And once again, you just follow the bones.

So you want as much meat off the bone as possible.

Yeah, there shouldn't be any meat on the bone left after.

In your restaurant, how many people would have do prepare this?

Or how many would you do?

Actually, at the Rosewood, we can do up to 500.

So you imagine you have 500 to do.

-Wow.

-You need to be really efficient at this.

-So then the breast is off.

-The breast is off, everything is off.

There's nothing remaining on the bone, OK?

And here, you still have the little fillet attached.

OK? And then you can just trim it a bit.

Have any of you done this before?

-No.

-No.

I've done similar things.

-Have you?

-Yeah, so partridge.

-OK.

-I wish I had, now.

So here you have the bones on one side, the legs and the fillets.

-Easy!

-Yeah.

-OK?

How do you feel, guys?

Well, I will try my best but I don't think...

You'll be fine, come on. Be confident.

Don't try to put strength on the knife, there is no use.

-As you see, it's just following the bones.

-Yep.

-OK.

-How long are you going to give our cooks?

We're going to be nice, we're going to give them ten minutes.

Ten minutes. Confident, guys?

-Give it a go.

-Let's do this.

OK, if you'd like to make your way back to your stations,

-we'll begin.

-OK.

The cooks are off to a fiery start.

They'll have to work skilfully and methodically so not to damage the

delicate meat.

I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and see how we get on.

Knife skills are all important in the kitchen,

to be able to work quickly, efficiently, and with a level of

artistic flair.

I've used game quite a bit,

so I do often end up with a small bird that needs to be trimmed.

So, fingers crossed.

Whilst Craig might be used to handling game birds,

Maryam is unfamiliar with the process.

-Turn it upside down.

-This way?

The kitchen's in silence as the cooks tackle this intricate challenge.

A slip of the knife could cost them in points as well as fingers.

There could've been worse challenges.

MUSIC PLAYS

The Friday final brings many challenges,

so Amandine's looking for a cook who isn't squeamish and can take all

aspects of cookery in their stride.

This is the first time I've actually done this,

so it's quite interesting for me.

I don't feel too bad about it, actually.

Two minutes left, two minutes to go.

The cooks will need to present a neat display of breasts and legs

with a clean carcass as any waste of the tender meat will count

against them.

Going well. I've never done it before so I'm trying my best.

So I don't know. I can see a little bit of meat left on the bone,

but I'm trying my best.

Good.

It's a lot easier that I was thinking.

So, I think when I'm going home, I will practise a lot, this one.

Pretty good, I think there's a tiny bit of meat left, still on the bone,

but pretty close.

I'm pretty happy.

At the moment, I'm quite comfortable with my knife skills.

I'm very cautious, obviously, for safety.

I don't do a lot of poultry, this type of stuff,

but I'm feeling OK about it today, actually.

I think I left a little bit of meat on the bones.

So I'm not sure what I've done or how I've done it.

I'm happy with that, yeah. This challenge could've been a lot worse.

So I'll take that.

Right, that's it, time's up, step away from your squabs.

Let's see how you've got on.

It's the moment of truth.

One of our home cooks will be leaving the competition after this round.

And Amandine will now judge the squabs to firm up her decision.

Did you enjoy the challenge?

-Yes.

-I did.

-Interesting.

-Well, you've all done really well.

-Thanks.

-But obviously, you're going to inspect closely.

So let's start. Do you want to start with this one?

Yes.

OK. So on this one...

..this side is OK but on this one, we have a lot of flesh left over.

But you have the small fillet, so not too bad.

Thank you.

Peter?

So, on this one,

-the little fillet disappeared.

-OK.

It's still on the bone.

There's a piece left here as well.

-Is that the first time for you?

-Yep, first time.

Maryam, so... Bone is not too bad.

A little bit of flesh here left over.

There's a lot of marks of knife on the meat.

-That's not really neat.

-Yeah.

Obviously, it was the first one for you as well.

Yeah, it was the first time.

Good. Thank you.

Right, guys, thank you so much.

If you'd like to go back to the waiting room, we'll see you shortly,

but very well done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Amandine can only choose two home cooks to go through to the final round.

They all did a pretty good job.

Yep. A couple of them, it was their first time, so...

-Yeah. Not too bad for a first one.

-OK.

I think I did all right, actually. I felt comfortable with a knife,

and once you understand where you've put the cut, I think it was OK.

I should've been a surgeon.

I've never done it before, this one was my first experience,

so I tried my best.

And I don't know what's going to happen, so I'm a bit nervous.

I thought it went OK.

I somehow ended up with a little piece of the fillet attached

to one of the legs, but I think I did OK.

So have you got an idea of who you might be sending home?

I think I've made my mind up.

Oh, OK. All right.

Well, let's go break the news.

Firstly, I'd like to say well done to all three of you.

You've been absolutely brilliant.

Unfortunately, one of you does have to leave the competition now

and Amandine has made her mind up. So Amandine, it's over to you.

I'm really sorry, I had to make a decision.

But I base my decision on first, the way that you've been organised

with your recipe, and the skills challenge.

So...

Maryam, I'm sorry but you'll have to go.

-That's OK.

-Aw, well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

I'm sad. Yeah, I'm sad I'm leaving.

Did you enjoy yourself?

Yes, I really enjoyed it, it was a different experience.

I really enjoyed the feeling of coming to be part of the show.

-You've had a good time?

-Yes, I did have a good time.

-Give us a hug.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-And congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Both through to the next round!

-Thank you.

So, just two home cooks remain, software director, Craig...

I don't think there was much to choose between us in the butchery,

so I'm just really glad that I was one of the two to get through.

..and managing director Peter.

I wasn't expecting to go through.

I'm really determined to go on now and see if I can get through to the

final on Friday.

It's now time for our third and final round.

Now, our home cooks have been given all the ingredients to one of

Amandine's signature dishes.

They'll have one hour to identify all the ingredients and to create a

dish of their own.

So for you at home, here's what Amandine has chosen.

Amandine has chosen langoustine,

Mousseon mushrooms, spring onions, peas,

broad beans, coriander,

lemon and egg, ginger and carrot and wonton sheets.

Easy enough with Amandine's French flair,

but what will our home cooks make?

Right, cooks, you've got one hour.

Reveal your ingredients because your time starts now.

Good luck.

Peter and Craig are thrown by Amandine's ingredients,

which they think contain a mixture of Oriental and Italian flavours.

Pasta.

What do you reckon, Pete?

I'm just trying to work out, if these have been pre-rolled or not.

But...

I'm a bit confused, because I've got a bit of Oriental here,

and then I've got a bit of I don't know what, here. I can't decide.

I think I know what all the ingredients are.

It seems a bit of an unusual combination.

Ever-confident Craig is first to jump in and make a start.

MUSIC PLAYS

Hi, Craig. Made a start?

I've made a start, I'm still not 100% certain what I'm making,

but I thought I'd get the mushrooms frying.

-Have you identified...?

-Yeah, it's fresh pasta. OK.

So I'm going to turn that into matchsticks like a linguine.

-OK. Well good luck.

-So, langoustine carbonara.

-Could be interesting, actually.

-Very interesting.

-Yeah.

Craig's fresh pasta is, of course, a wonton wrapper,

more commonly found in Chinese cooking.

-Hi, Peter.

-Hi.

-How's it doing?

-Good.

I'm going to cook the langoustines with coriander, some ginger,

some spring onion and a bit of lemon juice.

I'm going to serve that with an open ravioli of mushrooms

-with a butter sauce.

-OK.

I've noticed that you're trying everything.

So this is pasta?

Yeah. I'm going to go for it.

OK, brilliant.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Great.

Both our cooks are off on an Italian odyssey.

Craig making linguine and Peter, a ravioli.

Slightly unsure, they sound each other out to check they're on the

-right track.

-Have you gone for the ravioli then, Peter?

Not saying.

LAUGHTER

Italian food is always about letting the ingredients speak for themselves.

But this Italian food will probably speak with a Chinese accent.

So, let's talk about Craig and what he's planning to do.

Do you think he can achieve carbonara?

I think it could work.

-Really?

-Even with a bit of ginger and coriander,

it could be a bit of a twist to the proper Italian one.

-Yeah.

-It could be nice.

And what about with the wonton wrappers?

Would that work, though?

He has to be clever in the way he's going to cook it.

-I think he thinks he is adamant that it is just fresh pasta.

-Yeah.

I think I would've preferred to have made a little lasagne.

Peter also thinks he has pasta.

So he's going to do like an open ravioli.

I'm really looking forward to see what he's going to do as a sauce,

actually. Both of them.

-It's missing a liquid.

-It is missing a liquid, yeah.

Whilst Peter is pondering his sauce, Craig has stormed ahead,

knocking together a dish that features only a few of Amandine's ingredients.

It looks like you're almost done, right?

-I'm almost done, yeah.

-Wow, that was quick.

Have you not used all the ingredients, have you?

Well, I've used a decent selection.

-You've not used the peas?

-I haven't used the peas, yeah, no.

Did you really use beans and peas...?

I didn't use the beans or the peas, no.

I think that's good.

But, of course, these are the complete ingredients that make one

of Amandine's signature dishes.

Craig is nearly finished and he has 35 minutes to go.

I think it's far too much in advance.

Everything is going to stick together.

I decided not to use the peas and the beans just because I think,

flavour wise, not mushrooms and peas together.

Whilst Craig's nearly finished his dish in record time,

Peter's concerned that, as in round one, he may struggle to finish it all.

After this morning's running out of time,

I'm hoping I'm actually going to be OK.

Which is why I am trying to keep it simple.

But most importantly to me is to get it on the plate on time.

Over on the yellow station, a delighted Craig has finished his

dish, with half an hour to kick back and relax.

-You're finished!

-I'm finished.

You've got half an hour to go!

I know. I think the ingredients will speak for themselves.

I think that's a good expression of langoustine.

-OK.

-OK.

-That was easy!

-That was quick.

Quick.

But quick doesn't necessarily mean good.

-You finished already?

-Yeah, yeah.

I don't want to overcomplicate it.

-That was quick.

-Yeah.

-I'd better get a move on.

Peter speeds up his game, leaving Craig to assess his handiwork.

This is my idea of perfection.

Peter's really pushing the boat out...

..trying to incorporate all of Amandine's ingredients.

Whilst Craig has time to reflect...

I'm concerned that my dish is a little bit simple.

..and reflect...

..and reflect.

Intrigued by Peter's busy workload,

Craig's desperate to know what he's up to.

-What are you doing there?

-Making a...

Just cooking up... Get some flavour out of the fish.

-OK.

-The heads, the...

-What are you going to do with the langoustine?

What are you going to do with the egg?

Cooks, you've got 15 minutes to go.

Well, Peter, you've got 15 minutes to go.

-Thank you.

-We can just stand here and watch.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Relax.

-I'm enjoying this.

-Good.

Peter has decided to roast his langoustine,

making a stock with the shells and heads,

to create a sauce for his open ravioli.

How are you doing on time, Peter?

Another ten minutes, if I've got it, we'll be done.

Craig spends the final ten minutes of the competition convincing

himself that his dish is up to scratch.

Yeah, even looking at the ingredients that are left,

I don't think any of them will improve the dish.

OK, I'm nearly finished now.

Just bringing the sauce together, pasta's nearly done,

I'm going to plate up and we'll be ready to serve.

Yeah, I'm surprised I've finished on time.

I'm probably a bit nervous from this morning.

'So, both cooks have finished at opposite ends of the timescale.

'But what will Amandine think of their end results?

'Will it be a case of the hare and the tortoise?'

Well, they've both beaten the clock and finished early,

so it's time to taste!

First to be judged is Craig,

who's made languoustine carbonara with mushrooms and spring onions.

Did you enjoy the challenge?

I did, yeah. It was pretty awesome.

And you identified all the ingredients OK?

-Yeah.

-The pasta...

..is actually...

Wonton sheet.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Oh.

It's going to have the same family, anyway.

So tell us what you've made.

A langoustine carbonara.

Good! All right, well, let's taste.

I think, in a way, it works well, to be fair.

-Tasty.

-Yeah, it's really tasty.

-Thank you.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, all right, well, thank you very much.

-Thanks very much.

If you'd like to go back to the waiting room for the last time...

-Thank you.

-..we'll see you shortly.

-Thanks very much, guys.

-Thank you, Craig.

I think, flavour-wise, I think mine was spot-on.

It was a tasty dish.

Yeah, it was. But, I mean, with langoustine, onions and mushroom,

you can't be wrong anyway, so...

Wow, the egg.

Mmm, it's really good.

For me, langoustine is an expensive product,

and you don't want to waste it.

-He said it didn't need the head for the sauce.

-It didn't need,

-but he should have done it.

-But he should have done.

-Yeah.

There are a lot of interesting flavours on there,

but if she uses them all, I'm sure it's going to be amazing.

Last into the tasting room is Peter.

He's roasted the langoustines,

serving of them with an open ravioli of mushrooms, peas, beans,

and a langoustine sauce.

-Did you enjoy that?

-I did, it was great.

So, you identified all the ingredients, do you think?

I did, yeah, I did, yes. Yeah.

What about the pasta?

OK, I...

All right, well, let's taste.

Let's try it.

It's really good.

I really like the heat of the ginger and the acidity of the lemon.

It brings a bit of freshness to it.

Good job.

-Thank you.

-Fantastic!

-Lovely.

-And it's not overcooked.

-Well, well done, Peter. Thank you so much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

If you'd like to go back to the waiting room for the last time...

-Lovely.

-..we'll see you shortly.

-Here we go.

-Mmm.

I've actually really surprised myself, yeah.

After this morning's effort, I'm really, really pleased again.

I really liked the fact that he used the heads, so no wastage.

Mmm.

That sauce is really interesting.

At the end of it the ginger, and the lemon that he put at the very end,

brings a lot of freshness to the plate,

so it's definitely a good one.

I was really, really pleased with the comments. Very, very proud.

So, you've seen them in all three challenges.

Have you got an idea of who you might pick for the Friday final?

-Don't know yet.

-Oh, you still don't know.

-Still hesitating.

-Well, that's fine.

I mean, you don't have to decide yet, because we get to now see

-what you make with those ingredients.

-OK, let's go.

So, guys, this is the best bit, cos you get to sit back and relax now,

while Amandine shows us what she does with those ingredients.

-What are you making?

-So we're going to prep some langoustine ravioli,

with some beans and broad beans.

Perfect. OK, take it away.

OK, so, we'll use the head for...

..the sauce.

You were pleased to see Peter use the heads?

Yes, for me, it's really important when you're using such

an expensive product like that to use every part of it.

Do you like cooking with seafood?

I love cooking with seafood.

Seafood, vegetables, fish.

I'm not really a meaty person.

Fiddly!

I know, they are tough!

So, here you have the little...

..bits to get rid of.

Well, how long have you been at the Rosewood now?

Yeah, it's been two years now.

Wow. Has that gone quick?

Time flies by. Yeah, really.

OK, instead of adding the butter at the end of it,

like what you've done actually, to thicken the sauce,

we're going to put it in since the beginning.

Chopped in small pieces, to get the best of it.

Did you originally train as a doctor?

Ha-ha!

Not really as a doctor, actually, A pharmacist.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Yeah.

When I quit the university, I worked in a pizzeria as a waitress.

-Wow.

-And, believe it or not, but I really loved it.

-And that's how you got into cooking?

-Yeah, definitely.

So the idea is to have the carrots...

Really carrot broth, as a soup, so quite thinly.

I'm going to just keep this for the very end,

cos it's always a bit fresh.

With the langoustines, apart from the little bit

you took out the tail, can you use absolutely everything?

-In the head and everything?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

How do you come up with your dishes?

Do you work with the other chefs, or do you experiment at home?

There's really no rules.

Sometimes you have a really clear idea in your mind.

Sometimes it's a thing that you need to work on longer.

Obviously, I try to have the team involved.

-It can be a mix of really different things.

-Yeah.

So the egg was actually just a glue.

You weren't far off, Peter, with your ravioli.

-No.

-No.

And you know what I really like,

when you're putting langoustine like that in the ravioli,

is that you have all the juice from the langoustine

which is going to remain in the ravioli itself.

Why would you use wonton wrappers instead of pasta,

or homemade pasta?

It's really simple. You don't get a messy bench,

because you have flour everywhere.

So, with the broad bean, what you forgot is actually

to take the skin off.

What I really like is that all the garnishes,

they almost have the same shape inside and size,

so it's really nice.

The ginger...

Why do you put it in...? Why don't you put it in at the beginning?

What I really like is the freshness of it.

-Oh, OK.

-And if you cook it, you're going to lose it.

Mmm.

So, I reckon that it's enough.

When you have such a beautiful langoustine like that,

be careful not to overcook it.

We have a garnish.

Really fresh.

Lovely colours.

Add a bit of the raw spring onion.

A bit of ginger.

And a bit of lemon.

That looks amazing.

That's it.

Well done.

-Right, this is the best, best, best bit.

-Happy days.

-You get to taste.

-Go on, then.

-Mmm.

-What do you think?

Yeah, you've got a lot, got the ginger.

Smashed it.

-Absolutely smashed it.

-Mmm.

-Mmm.

Well, it is time now to declare your winner,

and who you're going to pick as your partner in the Friday final.

But before you do, let's have a quick recap of what

our cooks made earlier.

In the first round, the flavours in Craig's lamb were a huge success.

In the second, his well trimmed squab won him through.

And his langoustine carbonara was a simple classic, but full of flavour.

I think flavour wise, I think mine was spot-on.

I hope I've done enough.

Peter left it down to the wire in round one.

He had success with preparing the squab in the second.

And in the final round, his langoustine ravioli was a triumph.

But what will be the outcome?

It's really difficult to say whether I've done enough to win this,

but I really do hope so, cos I would love to be back on Friday.

Firstly, a massive well done to both of you.

You've been brilliant today, and I hope you've enjoyed yourselves.

Sadly, only one of you can go through to the Friday final

as Amandine's partner, and she has made her mind up,

so it's over to you.

Unfortunately, I have to make a choice.

I made my choice on two things.

Wastage and time management.

So, I'm going to take Peter with me.

Oh!

Aww.

Over the moon.

Absolutely fantastic, really pleased.

-Well done, Peter.

-Thank you.

-What a lovely reaction.

-Very well done.

-Thank you.

It's been an amazing day.

I mean, when I came all I wanted to do was to learn something new,

and I've done that, so I'm really happy.

But on the other hand, disappointed.

Any tips for Peter for Friday?

Relax, enjoy, have fun.

I mean, basically, just be yourself.

-Brilliant. Well done.

-Zut alors!

I think that Pete is definitely a team player.

He listens.

I think it should be fun.

Yeah.

Tomorrow on Yes Chef...

three more home-cooks go all out to impress top chef Paul Ainsworth.

-And I want to win.

-Yeah, yeah, I know.

Yeah, I want to win again.

It's a chance for them to work alongside the best in the business.

But only one can become their partner in the Friday final.