Final One Yes Chef

This week, four top chefs selected their perfect partners

from some exceptional home cooks.

Today, those four teams compete, but only one team can win.

We are under way.

For the home cooks, it's a chance to prove themselves

to their mentors.

The pudding is not set.

For the professionals, their reputations are on the line.

His veal's raw. He's got to put it in the oven.

As they will ultimately be judged

by triple-Michelin-starred chef Pierre Koffmann.

I know all the chefs are top chefs

and they want to impress me with their protege.

Four chefs, four home cooks, but only one team can win.

No more shouting.

These two are very well-behaved.

This is Yes Chef!

Hello and welcome to Yes Chef.

It's the Friday final, and we've got four fantastic teams

ready to do battle, so let's meet them.

On Monday, Nigel Howarth chose sales manager Matt Asbury

as his team-mate.

So we're here to win it, he's a very talented lad.

You know, if I let him down,

then I might not get a free meal in his restaurant, so...

-LAUGHING:

-You might not get one anyway!

Amandine Chaignot teamed up with managing director Peter Miles

on Tuesday.

Really exciting to cook for Pierre.

He's a legend, so I don't know what to expect,

but I am super excited as well.

On Wednesday, Paul Ainsworth chose finance director Paul Ohman

as his team-mate.

I've got tonnes of confidence in Paul.

I was really impressed with the dishes he cooked for me.

-We'll smash it, big man.

-We will.

-We'll smash it.

And yesterday, Jun Tanaka chose primary school teacher Elaine Yates

to be his partner for today's final.

The most important thing is that we produce delicious food.

-Are we here to win?

-Of course we are!

There's your answer.

Our teams are ready to go, so all we need now is our Yes Chef judge.

It's the magnificent Pierre Koffmann.

Pierre Koffmann has been at the heart of high-end cuisine

for an incredible 50 years.

His proteges, who include Gordon Ramsay,

Marco Pierre White and Tom Kitchin

have amassed more than 20 Michelin stars between them.

To be a top chef, first you've to be passionate.

You've got to be prepared to work very hard,

and you've got to cook what you enjoy to eat.

He's one of only a handful of chefs in the UK

to have been awarded three Michelin stars,

an accolade he upheld for over a ground-breaking 15 years.

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

He's going faster than you.

With such a wealth of respect and experience,

Pierre's expertise is second to none.

One turbot, one cod, one steak.

Welcome, Pierre. Now, what will you be looking for today?

Today I'm looking for a bit of imagination,

a bit of presentation, but above all I want a lot of a lot of taste,

-you know? And I love sauces.

-LAUGHTER

Remember that - he loves sauce.

Right, let's get on with it. So this is Round One.

Now, our home cooks will recreate

one of their professional chef's signature dishes.

Earlier on they had a masterclass in how to cook it to perfection,

so here's how they got on.

The home cooks have one hour to complete their masterclass

and learn how to recreate the exact same dish.

-Let's do it.

-OK.

Each chef has chosen a recipe for their home cooks

in an attempt to showcase their skills and win the round.

I'm not nervous. That's probably not a good thing, but...

On the red team, home cook Matt will attempt to make

Nigel Howarth's pork cheeks with a liquorice sauce

served with an oatmeal, smoked bacon and kale cake.

So you just twist it and roll it. Right? Until you're about that fat.

The most crucial part of this dish

is to make sure that everything gets cooking as soon as possible.

Get that pork in quick in your oven. OK? That's absolutely paramount.

On the yellow team,

Peter is making Amandine's dish of

a filleted Dover sole with a Parmesan crust,

served with a razor clam and butter sauce

and a side of spring vegetables.

-You just follow...

-Close to the bone.

-Yeah. Just follow the bones.

-You've ever done this?

-No.

On the green team, home cook Paul will be recreating

Paul Ainsworth's dish of smoked haddock soup

with caviar Chantilly garnished with croutons.

Really simple, full of flavour.

I think, if we get this right, Pierre will love it. All right?

With the dish being simple,

cook Paul will need to focus on taste and flavour.

I can't stress enough -

keep the side of your pan nice and clean like that,

because what happens is, they'll dry on, they'll burn,

and they'll fall back into your soup base, OK?

Finally, on the blue team, Jun's partner, Elaine,

will be attempting venison cooked in a spiced-infused salt crust,

served with venison jus, cavolo nero with a hazelnut pesto.

-Insert it into the meat.

-OK.

What you're looking for is pink, which is around 55 degrees.

I'm looking forward to having a go of it.

-Nail it, big man.

-It's a lovely dish.

-I know you can do that.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Not that you need it!

-Thank you.

-Really good.

-Yeah?

-I'm glad I had no breakfast now!

Ooh, it looks like it's going to be competitive.

Home cooks, you have one hour to recreate

your professional chef's signature dish.

Chefs, you will be watching their every move from our green room.

And remember, you each have a lifeline.

If you see your partner struggling,

you can run in and save the day, but for two minutes only.

Other than that, cooks, you're on your own.

Are we ready to go? Yes? Well, let's get started.

Chefs, if you'd like to leave the kitchen, please.

Out you go.

CHEFS GIVE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Come on! Jun, out you get!

Here we go! Here we go!

Good luck, because your time starts now.

Our cooks are off.

This is their chance to impress their top chefs.

-I want to zoom in, like...

-Yeah.

The chefs will be keeping a close eye backstage on their every move,

checking they are following their instructions correctly.

A little bit nervous, but...

yeah, just doing Nigel's pork cheeks dish,

so I'm just trying to get these caramelised off,

and hopefully it'll all cook down nicely.

Nigel, did you want those pigs' cheeks black, did you?

Getting everything on quickly was Nigel's main concern.

No, they're all right - I just need him to cut his veg!

-THEY LAUGH

-Get on with it!

Over at the green station,

Paul is chopping his leeks and feeling confident

with the challenge ahead.

Come on, Paul.

I'm on Team Paul,

which is probably the most competitive team in the room, so...

Yes, we're in it to win it.

Elaine has already made a good start

on frying off the diced venison for the sauce.

Quietly confident, I think.

Jun's been a fantastic teacher - I just don't want to let him down.

Peter's doing a lot of moving about.

There's not much action happening, is there?

No, no, he's just taking his marks.

Bit nervous about running out of time, as always.

But I'm feeling in control at the moment, which is great.

In the early stages of the challenge,

Peter is struggling to fillet his fish,

whilst Matt needs to get a move on

so the pig's cheeks are cooked in time.

If you don't get them in, they're not going to be cooked, mate.

Nigel, do you think you should use your lifeline?

Well...not yet, but...

Cos I hate my pig's cheeks salty, I don't like them salty.

Backstage, Amandine and Nigel are worried their partners

haven't had the best start and could potentially ruin their dishes.

Maybe I should jump in.

-I'm going to have to go.

-Are you going as well?!

I'm going to have to go.

Before anything goes majorly wrong, Nigel and Amandine decide to use

their two-minute lifeline only five minutes in.

-You have two minutes.

-OK?

-Yes, I'm good, thank you.

-I'm good.

-You just need to get that frying and then pop these in there.

-Yeah.

Peter's sole fillets aren't up to Amandine's standards.

Being the most important part of the dish,

she decides to use her two minutes to fillet his fish for him.

Are they not big enough?

-They seem really small...

-Oh, OK.

-..and, obviously, this one is not.

You're a little bit behind, but you're OK.

But you've got your chicken stock heating up there now.

Just need to reduce that back, so don't put that chicken stock in

-until that's reduced right back.

-Yeah.

Once that's done - lid on, in your oven, yeah?

-210...

-Right, Nigel, time's up - out you get.

So, on 230...

Get out of here. SHEREE CHUCKLES

You pulled... You pulled that early, big man!

You pulled that early!

-Amandine time is up, I'm afraid, you have to leave the kitchen.

-No!

-You just...

-Yeah, I'll be fine.

-I have to escort you out, lovely lady.

-OK. Thank you.

SHEREE CHUCKLES

Why did you go in so early? What were you worried about?

Cos I reckon that is the most complicated thing for him...

-Oh, OK.

-..to fillet the sole and after this...

-Get your sauce in.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just the beginning.

Butter's in the pan - we are under way.

How are we getting on?

Better than I was a few minutes ago,

sort of straightened myself out now and got a bit of direction.

You seem to be quite in control today.

You should have seen me a few minutes ago!

-Good luck.

-Thank you, thank you.

-Hi, Paul.

-Hello.

-Hello, Paul. How are you doing?

-OK, I think.

-How are the nerves?

Until that moment...

LAUGHTER DROWNS OUT SPEECH

-Good job we came along!

-We won't disturb you more.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Hi, Peter.

-Hi.

-How are we?

-I'm doing well.

-Yeah?

-Yes, good, thank you.

-Still smiling?

-I am, still smiling. At the moment.

You have got a nice smile on your face, you look nice and confident.

-Keep it like that.

-Yeah, I'll do my best!

-Good luck.

-Hi, Elaine.

-Hello.

-Hi there. Hello, hi.

-How are you getting on?

-OK. I'm just slowly following the steps.

You seem very much in control.

-Yeah, well, there's no point panicking, is there?

-No.

-Do you feel in control?

-Yeah, I do, actually.

-Good.

-I'm sure it'll be fantastic.

-And he hasn't been in yet...

-Not yet!

-..so you're obviously going well. Doing well.

Thank you, thank you very much.

-I think you need to maybe be looking at going in, Jun...

-Nah!

I've been here last year - I'm just helping you out.

-Oh, really?!

-THEY LAUGH

Pierre is keeping a close eye on who's got the culinary skills

to be a winning team.

Backstage, the chefs show their appreciation to the cooks

about how hard this challenge really is.

-Think about what they're doing - it's pretty good, isn't it?

-It is.

You can tell by, kind of, the way they work...

Look - look how tidy Elaine is.

-LAUGHING:

-And look at Matt.

He's doing all right, Matt - you leave him alone.

Tidy cook Elaine is at the crucial stage

as she starts to sear the venison

before she bakes it in a spiced-infused salt crust pastry.

-You're nice and tidy and organised.

-Yes.

-Very impressive.

-Thank you.

That's it, we're cooking! We are cooking!

Over at the green station, Paul's made a start on his croutons,

but chef Paul is worried they may be overcooked.

-Those croutons look kind of dark, don't they?

-They do.

-But that's just the camera.

-I can't see...

-That's the camera.

-Is it the camera?

-Yeah, I think so.

-THEY LAUGH

-Are they not charcoal ones?

-What's that, the croutons? Yeah(!)

Matt is about to roll his cake to put in the fridge,

but his work station is still a mess.

Right, come on, Matt.

Clean down, crack on.

Let's start with Matt and Nigel.

-They're doing pig's cheeks with a kale pudding.

-Yeah.

He's done very good, the young boy is in control.

I think Nigel was a bit too early, plenty of time in front of him.

I'm feeling pretty nervous. I think I'm behind at the minute.

It's not cooking out as quickly as I'd like it to.

Let's move on to Paul and Paul.

Big Paul has got experience, so he gave him quite an easy recipe.

-Oh, you think it's easy?

-Yeah.

-What are they making?

A soup, a vichyssoise soup.

I don't think where he can be wrong there.

-He's got some good knife skills, hasn't he, Paul?

-Yeah.

It's the most pressure I've been on

because you don't normally cook against the clock, like,

under these circumstances, surrounded by cameras

but...but it's fun.

Now let's move on to Amandine and Peter.

They are doing Dover sole with razor clams and vegetables.

There, I'm very scared about it.

-Why?

-Because Peter is always smiling.

-And she came in very early on as well.

-Yeah.

-I just cross my fingers for him, you know?

-OK!

Amandine, how are we doing? Are we all calm and cool?

I wonder if he folded the film the right way...

No, I saw him - he didn't.

Thank you! Thank you for your support!

It looks a nice, simple dish, yours, anyway.

Jun and Elaine.

I'm quite confident with Elaine, she seemed fantastic.

-She's so cool.

-She is.

-She does her job.

And Jun hasn't been in yet to help.

He told me to remember to put in a hole at the top

because I'll need that to... when I put the skewer in to test.

The sauce is going to boil over.

Oh!

-Ooh, la la!

-Has it boiled over?!

-It has, yeah.

It's fine, when I did it, I boiled it over as well. It's fine.

Just 20 minutes to go.

20 minutes to go, cooks.

Yeah, I think I'm on track. I think I've gone through the worst part.

So everything is on. I think I'll get there.

Just, er...refer to my notes again.

Over at the red station,

Matt's having a few difficulties with his kale pudding.

The pudding is not set, unfortunately.

So I'm going to try and do my best to retrieve it.

I would say I'm halfway now, just got to get the fish in to cook,

which should be the last minute, take about five minutes.

Meanwhile, Elaine seems happy with her venison, but is Jun?

I think that's OK.

I'm going to go in. She's pulled the venison out.

I just want to check that it's cooked perfectly

and she's resting it.

-You need to go in.

-Jun, go in.

-Go in, Jun.

-Go in.

Go on, my son.

Two minutes, Jun.

As Jun runs, Paul can't help himself with a crafty manoeuvre.

Blitz the soup, Paul!

Try that.

-Mm, nice.

-Thank you.

-A little bit more oil in here.

-Thank you.

-And just blend that.

-Thank you.

Yeah.

-I'm going in. Too early...

-Paul's going in!

-..but I'm going in.

-Paul's going in!

Two minutes, Paul.

I haven't used much of the lemon. There's no...

-No lemon in there?

-No, no, no.

Everything is perfect.

-OK. Stop. Good. All right?

-Yeah, yeah.

-This to do...

-Yeah, yeah, that's it, that's it.

A couple of spoons of this...

-Make the cream.

-Make the cream.

-Make that cream, yeah?

Right, Jun, time is up, you have to leave the kitchen, please.

-You can gently warm this.

-And then add that.

Yeah, and then add your...

-Go, go!

-Come on, go, go, go!

I want him to come back!

-How was it?

-Yeah, good.

Venison's cooked nicely, and then the sauce -

not sure it's going to be reduced in time.

Right, Paul, sorry, time is up, you have to leave now, please.

Yeah, seasoning and lemon, fine salt and lemon. Caviar cream.

Thank you.

That's it now.

With everyone's lifeline used,

the cooks are left completely on their own to finish off their dish.

-Was it nice to see Jun?

-Very nice to see Jun, yeah!

Soup in the pan!

Paul's overstepping the mark,

naughtily shouting to the kitchen from the back room.

-No more shouting!

-No?

-These two are very well behaved.

-I know.

Whilst Peter's getting on with his sauce,

Amandine's picked up a few of Paul's bad habits.

The sole in the oven!

Start thinking about plating up

cos you've only got three minutes left.

He's only plating up!

-We're knocking them bandy, Nige!

-I tell you, get in there.

Whilst Elaine starts to plate up,

Paul and Nigel can't resist a little team banter with Jun.

It does look slightly overcooked, but I reckon that's bang on.

That looks perfect, Jun(!)

Yeah, I think she has cooked it well.

I've heard Pierre loves well done venison(!)

He just has to pour the soup in, doesn't he?

One minute left, one minute to go.

Soup in the jug!

Perfect!

Soup in the jug!

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

Stop cooking, you've done all you can.

Oh, that was so stressful!

It's time to taste.

-Did he get there?

-I just had a cardiac!

First into the tasting room is Jun and his team-mate, Elaine.

She's recreated Jun's dish of

venison cooked in a spiced-infused salt crust,

served on a bed of cavolo nero, with a hazelnut pesto.

This is Jun's version,

but will Elaine's meet her mentor's high standards?

-How was that?

-Very enjoyable.

-You looked like you were having a nice time.

-Yeah...

-It was a pleasure to see you work, you know?

-Thank you.

You were very cool. Very clear and very cool.

-Yeah.

-Fantastic.

Let's taste.

It's full of flavour. It's a nice, nice dish.

I enjoy it lots.

-Thank you very much.

-I'm still eating!

-That's a good sign.

-Thank you.

-Very good.

It's the type of dish you want to see in the restaurant, you know,

you enjoy to eat.

Maybe the meat is just slightly more cooked -

that's the only critique I can make on that beautiful dish, yes.

-Thank you.

-You've done very well.

-I couldn't have done any better.

-Aw! It's a lovely dish.

The sauce is absolutely brilliant, the garnish is very good.

It's the type of dish you can find in a two-star restaurant, you know?

-Wow.

-Yeah, pretty perfect.

The flavours are there,

and it's just as good as if I'd cooked it myself.

Thank you very much.

Next up, it's Amandine and her team-mate, Peter.

He's attempted to recreate Amandine's fillet of Dover sole

with a Parmesan crust, served with a razor clam and butter sauce

and a side of spring vegetables.

This is Amandine's version,

but will her team-mate Peter's impress Pierre?

-You've got the loveliest smile.

-Oh, thank you.

-Still smiling!

My mum will be pleased!

THEY LAUGH

-Did you enjoy it?

-Oh, it was fantastic, fantastic.

A real work-out, I'm sweating!

You were a bit scared at one stage, no?

The thing is, you know, from the back, we cannot see the faces.

-He's always smiling - it's OK.

-Yeah, always smiling.

Yeah. Now we'll taste it.

-I'm going to put a bit more sauce on it.

-Yes, of course.

-Go first.

-Thank you.

It's a good dish.

Maybe the crust could be a bit more crunchy, because it's Parmesan.

The fish is nicely cooked, the sauce is very good.

-No, you've done very well.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done!

-Thank you. Thank you.

She gave him a lot of work to do.

By the end, he turned up to near perfection.

It was fantastic, you know?

Oh, his smile got even wider, didn't it?

Well done, Peter, well done, Peter.

I think you've done really well.

It was a bit challenging, it was not a super simple recipe, so...

Oh, thank you.

Time for Paul Ainsworth's team-mate, Paul, to face the judges.

He's attempted to recreate his dish of smoked haddock soup

with a caviar Chantilly garnished with croutons.

This is Paul Ainsworth's version,

but how will Paul score with Pierre?

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Here we go.

-Paul, were you happy with Paul?

-I was very happy with Paul.

I thought he executed everything right.

Things were going on, I was screaming at the camera,

but actually, when I went in, he was in control.

OK, well, let's taste.

Oh, my gosh.

I like it. It's a very good dish, you know? Seasoning is good.

Maybe it was an easy dish for Paul, no?

Cos it seemed to be the easiest dish of the four people, contestants.

Presentation is very, very good.

-Well done.

-You've done very well, Paul.

-Thank you.

-Yeah.

-Good comments, eh?

-Yeah, yeah. Well, he liked the taste, which is...

Yeah, yeah, that's the most important thing, absolutely.

I thought that was delicious.

It was a beautiful soup. It was a quite visual dish.

A few little mistakes.

-the croutons were slightly overcooked.

-Yeah.

Maybe a bit easy, but that was his choice, and he did very well.

That is delicious.

That is absolutely delicious.

Finally, it's Nigel and Matt.

Matt's recreated Nigel's pork cheeks with a liquorice sauce,

served with an oatmeal, smoked bacon and kale cake.

This is Nigel's version,

but will Matt's be good enough to beat the other teams?

-Did you enjoy that, Matt?

-I'm not sure "enjoy" is the right word...

But, yeah, I got something on a plate, so hopefully it's OK.

You look like you've been working hard.

You've got a bit of flour on you, yeah.

-OK, we'll taste it.

-Yes.

You need another ten minutes to cook the meat.

There is a little taste of burn on the cake.

Slightly disappointed because you are doing so well

when you are cooking. You are cool, you know?

Cool guys. You are doing very, very well.

Just ten more minutes and it would have been perfect.

-It's very slightly under, isn't it?

-Yeah, he's right.

-Yeah.

I thought he was going to do well, but maybe because Nigel chose a dish

which takes more time to cook...

For me, for my taste, it's the least interesting dish

-out of the four, yes.

-Yeah.

The flavours are good.

-Anyway, this afternoon...

-Yes.

Well done, everyone, you survived Round One.

Pierre has scored each dish a mark out of ten, so here it goes...

In fourth place, with five points...

is Nigel and Matt.

In third place, with seven points, it's Paul and Paul.

In second place, with eight points, is Amandine and Peter.

So Jun and Elaine are currently the leaders,

with nine points, but it's all still to play for.

So the scores from Round One are in

and with only five points,

Nigel and Matt are going to have to

up their game in the second round.

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

Now, we've asked Pierre to choose two

of his favourite ingredients from which our teams

will create two dishes especially for him.

They'll get to choose all the other ingredients from our larder.

So, Pierre, what have you chosen?

So my first ingredient is crab

and number the two is veal.

OK. Right, teams, discuss your menus because your time starts now.

Good luck!

Each team has only two minutes

to discuss their menu with their partners

and gather their extra ingredients from the larder

before the home cooks are sent backstage to watch on.

You know how to do that potato fondant for the main course?

-Yes.

-Take the fondant...

-We're going to make a herb crust.

-Mm-hm.

Pierre has given them three types of crab -

soft-shell, King crab and brown and white crab meat.

And he expects all of them to be used.

This - you could use it as a bisque.

They also have three different cuts of veal -

a loin, a chop and a T-bone.

Right, home cooks, time to leave the kitchen, out you go.

Guys, you've got ten minutes and your time starts now.

The professional chefs will be left on their own for only ten minutes

to do as much as they can before the home cooks

come back in and take over.

Backstage, the cooks are in awe,

watching their chefs charge ahead with all the prep.

It's also leaving them slightly terrified,

as none of them can remember what they're supposed to do.

-Do you guys know what...?

-I don't even know what I'm cooking.

Nigel's planning on making tempura soft-shell crab

and roasted veal with mushrooms in a citrus sauce.

Being bottom of the leaderboard,

the red team need to pull out all the stops.

-You're confident your boy is going to do it?

-He knows, he knows.

-OK, perfect.

-Good.

We only had... It didn't even seem like five minutes

to try and discuss what the plan was.

It's going to be hard to put something together, I'm sure.

-Hi, Paul.

-Hey, how are you?

-Good. What's on your menu?

OK, so were going to do a...

-Basically, crab cocktail.

-Oh.

So pink grapefruit, tomatoes, rocket, some samphire,

some asparagus and then we're going to use the King crab

and make a mayonnaise with the brown meat and then the white crab.

-Right.

-And the main course - roast veal chop, potato fondant, OK?

And then just right at the end, make a little sauce.

I think I've got some idea of what's in Paul's head.

Are you going to use the soft-shell?

And the soft-shell... I'm not sure yet but we will use it!

-Good luck.

-I think we'll be all right.

You've got to be confident, haven't you?

Over at the yellow station,

Amandine's making a fish soup with the crab

and roasted veal with sauteed mushrooms with bacon and Parmesan.

My heart is racing and I'm really feeling quite nervous at the moment.

I'm not really quite sure how it's going to pan out

but I'm going to do my best.

-Hi, Jun.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-What's on your menu?

-Hi.

-So, we're going to make a quick crab bisque,

if it comes up to the boil, and then I've got a veal sauce on there.

I've used the veal loin.

I'm going to roast it off. I've made a herb crust to go on the top,

serve that with some chanterelles, some glazed carrots...

I'm really nervous. I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing yet, so...

We didn't get that much time to communicate properly,

so I'm really stressed.

The home cooks are starting to feel the pressure as the chefs accelerate

to get as much done as they can.

One more minute until the cooks are back in the kitchen.

One minute to go.

Paul is prepping his mushrooms and Nigel is cracking on

with his crab sauce, as the cooks prepare to come back in.

Home cooks, back in the kitchen!

-Oh!

-OK.

-Come on, guys!

Quick, quick! You now have three minutes together.

The chefs give their partners strict instructions

on what needs to be done,

the cooks doing their best to make sense

and remember the much-needed guidance.

You've got to get the veal on, cook it to medium...

Juice it down, this one, add a little bit of butter...

Teams, you've got one minute left together.

Just one minute until the chefs leave the kitchen.

There's not long to convey all the steps necessary

to complete the dishes to Michelin-starred standards,

so time is of the essence.

One of these, through there and deep fry it, OK?

Right, that's it, time is up.

Chefs, please leave the kitchen.

Out you go. Come on, guys.

Paul, Nigel, Jun! Come on, get out!

-I thought you meant going that way.

-No, you're going that way.

Cheers, mate.

-That was a bit intense!

-That's intense!

-Yeah!

Right, cooks, you've got 40 minutes. 40 minutes on your own.

-Amandine, this is Peter down here, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-He's a lot on his bench.

-Oh, come on!

-He's a lot on his bench.

-Come on!

This is the scary bit.

The home cooks are now completely on their own

as they try to get their head around what they're expected to create.

Nigel's main worry is laid-back Matt

getting the veal into the pan on time.

Right, come on, Matty.

Get your veal on.

-Hi, Matt.

-Hi.

-How are we getting on?

OK, I think Nigel's left me in a pretty good position.

Just going to finish this sauce, make sure it's reduced well enough,

-tastes OK.

-Do you know which cut of the veal you're going to use?

-I'm going to use the T-bone and then carve it off.

-Yeah, perfect.

I think he gets into that sort of scenario

where he feels he's so much time because he's so laid back.

So I'm just trying to go, "Come on, Matt, get it in!"

Like in his heat,

Paul's playing to his strengths by making mayonnaise

and a fondant potato.

You're quite good at these, aren't you?

-I've been practising those, yeah.

-Yeah, you have.

-Put some oil at the same time.

-Oh, yes. Sorry, yes.

Quite hard doing two things at the same time.

Talk and pour at the same time, yeah!

That ten minutes - you kind of feel like you walk away from it

and you don't quite know that you're both on the same wavelength.

But, on the camera,

he seems to be pushing on, doing really, really well.

-Hi, Peter.

-Hi.

-Hello, Peter.

-How's it going?

-How are we getting on?

-We're going well, yep.

-Yeah?

-Going well.

Just pan-frying the veal at the moment, ready to go in the oven.

I'm quite confident with Peter, actually,

because during the first day, on the selection,

he's done an amazing fillet of beef, perfectly cooked.

So I reckon the veal will be super easy for him.

-Hi, Elaine.

-Oh, hi.

-How are you?

OK, thank you. I'm just about to put the herb crust onto the veal

-and get that into the oven.

-OK.

And then I'm making the veal jus.

She seems in control because as soon as I left,

and I saw the first thing she did was to clean down.

That is exactly what I would do,

because you get your mind in the right kind of frame.

Are you feeling confident and in control?

-I'm feeling in control...

-Good.

..but I'm just going to do the best I can, that's all you can do.

That's perfect, that's all you want.

Love the food, and love the ingredients

-and hope it all will taste nice.

-Good.

-I'm sure it will.

-Good luck.

-It will.

-Thank you.

Over at the red station,

Matt's started to season and fry off the veal,

but Nigel's worried it's not going to be cooked in time.

His veal was raw. He's got to put it in the oven.

Finishing in last place in the first round wasn't good at all,

so it just made me even more determined

to try and pull it back in this round.

We're bottom of league, mate! You're going to have to get it on.

Thankfully, Pierre is around to give Matt a helping hand.

-It will have to go back in the oven after...

-Yeah?

It's not cooked enough.

Much to Nigel's relief, Matt's taken Pierre's advice.

-He's put it in oven.

-Oh, yes has done?

-Yeah.

Thank God for that.

Cooks, you have five minutes until your chefs come back in the kitchen.

Five minutes left on your own.

Couldn't come soon enough.

-You looking forward to Paul coming back in?!

-Oh, I've never...

-Never wanted to see him so much.

-As mad as that seems, yes!

This final challenge really puts the home cooks

through their paces, as they're expected to be individually creative

and follow chef's instructions, all to a time limit.

I thought I was under pressure earlier,

this is pressure times three.

It's a lot to remember.

I'm hugely frustrated at the moment, massively.

Sitting on that sofa, watching the camera is torture.

I've got to get in there that last two minutes,

and hopefully we can bring it all together.

When Paul comes in, I hope he's happy.

At the moment, I think I've covered what we discussed,

but I'm about to find out.

Yeah, I hope when Nigel comes back in he's happy with how I've got on

-and what I've done.

-He's a great lad, he's a great cook,

he's just so laid back.

That sense of urgency needs to come,

otherwise we'll be at the end and not get there.

Nigel may be worried that Matt might not finish in time,

but that's not the case for Jun.

I kind of wish I gave Elaine more to do.

Because, actually, she's just waiting at the moment.

I've cooked veal escalopes

but I've never cooked a big, thick, veal chop.

So... But I have done, yeah, thin escalopes of veal.

The fact that we had to use all four different kinds of crab

made it more challenging, but Elaine's great.

So I'm pretty confident.

I think everything's about ready,

so I'm going to get into, kind of, plate up.

-Where's your meat?

-I've just put it back in because

it's still a little bit under.

As Jun has done lot of the prep for Elaine,

she's decided to improvise and add a little something extra.

So the asparagus... I just decided to do some asparagus as well

but if Jun doesn't think it's a good idea, then it won't go on the plate.

-Matt, he's already plated ours.

-Has he?

-Yeah.

-Where?

-Where?

If you look on the right-hand side there, he's plated everything.

Just one minute until you're back in the room, chefs!

Not long now!

-How's it going, Peter?

-I'm in control, in control.

-In control?

-Yeah.

-Remember to have a nice crust on top.

Paul calmly puts the finishing touches to his crab cocktail,

whilst Elaine concentrates on the veal sauce.

Over at the red station,

Matt's also trying his best to perfect his sauce.

-Here we go.

-Chefs, get back in the kitchen!

In you come. You've got two minutes together.

OK. So, let's get... Is that seasoned?

This is the seasoned one.

OK. You need to pass that, get a sieve and another pan, quick.

I added an extra asparagus,

-but I don't know if you wanted that or not.

-So...

The teams try desperately to plate up everything

in order to finish on time.

Yeah, little bit of stock, little bit of stock.

Where's that vinaigrette I asked you to make?

Yeah, the vinaigrette - here.

On the blue team, Jun frantically tries to finish off the sauce

for the crab tagliatelle.

Not around, keep them tight in. Keep them tight in, OK?

One minute left, guys!

One minute to get the food on the plate.

Over on the red team, Matt's lost his concentration.

You've gone into a trance!

Where's your mayonnaise? Where's your mayonnaise?

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

That's it! Stop cooking! Step away from your plates!

-Thank you.

-You're amazing.

Ah!

It's time to taste. CHEERING

-Well done. Well done.

-OK, thank you.

-Well done, good on you.

Well, you did good, honestly. Whatever happens, you did good.

First into the tasting room is Jun and Elaine.

They've made a crab tagliatelle to start.

To follow, they've made pan roasted veal with a herb crust,

served with glazed carrots and asparagus.

-How was that?

-Very exciting.

-It's hard work!

-It was hard.

-Ten minutes goes so quickly, I can't believe it.

-And were you pleased with Elaine?

-Yeah, always.

Honestly, the first thing she did was clean down.

Honestly! This is a woman, or a chef after my own heart!

THEY LAUGH

Such a good pairing.

Well, well done. Let's have a taste.

-Thank you.

-Start with this.

-We start with the pasta.

The crab is beautiful. It's a nice dish.

I think you could have a bit better on the presentation,

but the taste is good.

-So...

-OK.

-..very well done.

Should be nice and pink.

It's very tender and melting in the mouth.

It's perfectly cooked.

Asparagus are beautiful.

-Brilliant, well done, both of you.

-Thank you very much.

I could never have cooked this before I came on the show,

so I've learnt so much.

I think it's a good result. The presentation is very ordinary.

-Yeah.

-But the sauce is good.

On the veal, a bit too much mustard.

Of course I hope I can win,

but it's been a very tight, close competition

and there's you know, a very high standard of competitors.

Next to be judged is Amandine and Peter.

To start, they've made a creamy seafood bisque

with the three different crabs with a salad garnish.

For mains, they've made roasted veal,

served with sauteed mushrooms, bacon and Parmesan,

finished with a veal jus.

-How was that?

-Nerve-racking.

-Good!

-No, you are still smiling, so it's OK.

-Yes!

We start with the crab.

It looks lovely.

-Thank you.

-It's a very feminine dish.

Thank you!

It's good. I think the vegetables are a bit crunchy, no?

Yeah, it on purpose.

-Yeah?

-A bit of texture.

-OK.

-Yeah.

The crab is perfect, and the Parmesan.

The sauce is very good. You've done very well, Peter.

-Thank you.

-I'm in charge of the sauce today.

-Oh, yeah!

-OK.

The veal is brilliant.

-Done very well.

-Well done.

-Carry on smiling!

-Yay!

Thank you very much.

Very relieved, very happy, and a great teacher, so thank you.

Oh, thanks.

-I think we're going to finish it.

-Yeah.

You cannot criticise, because everything was so well done.

Beautiful plates and the starter was amazing, you know?

I'm really proud of you. You've done well.

Time for Paul and Paul to be judged.

They've made a deep-fried soft-shell crab cocktail to start.

For the main course, they've made roast veal chop

served with mushrooms, fondant potato, cavalo nero

and finished with a mushroom sauce.

-There you go.

-Did you enjoy it?

-Yeah, I did.

-Fantastic.

-Yeah?

-Really enjoyed it.

-You did enjoy when I was coming at your back?

-Er...!

But nobody enjoys that. Even me!

-OK. We'll taste it.

-Yes.

My fingers!

It's nice. It's not bad at all.

You could have done better with the presentation.

The crab is nice. It's not my favourite dish in a way,

but it's not bad at all.

Let's move on to this one.

I heard somewhere that you are the king of the potato fondant.

Oh, I've done a couple.

You did well with the meat.

It's properly cooked, it's nice, still pink inside.

The jus there is very good.

-Well done.

-Nice. Well done.

-Well done, both of you.

-Paul's had a great time.

I think is cooked some amazing dishes

over the time he's been on Yes Chef.

It's not bad, you know, but it's nothing exciting about it.

The salad is... Comme ci, comme sa.

The meat is good without being...fantastic.

You know how to make a good fondant, though, I'll tell you.

This is stunning.

Finally into the tasting room, it's Nigel and Matt.

To start, they've made a soft-shell crab in chilli tempura batter.

For the main, they've made pan roasted veal

with mushrooms in a citrus sauce.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-How was that?

-Tough.

-Really tough.

-You can feel very, very pleased,

because this morning you are completely done.

And that is a beautiful plate. You can be proud of it.

So we'll taste it.

When we don't talk,

in fact it's a good sign, because we enjoy the food.

All of these are very well done.

-The seasoning is very, very good.

-Well done, Matt.

You done very well on that dish, Matt.

-Thank you.

-Very, very well.

We remembered you like sauces on this.

I think that's perfect.

The veal is nicely cooked. Still pink inside.

It's a bit on the acidic taste, you know, with the grapefruit.

-Yeah.

-But the rest is very nice.

-Thank you.

-You've done very well.

This morning was tough, but, you know,

I think we've come out of it with our heads held high, really.

I'm so pleased for Matt, because this morning he was...

The poor guy was shaking.

-And this afternoon, he's come with a beautiful dish.

-Yeah.

What do you think?

There's just a little bit of acidity there.

-Yeah.

-Maybe a bit of sugar.

-Yeah, a bit of sweetener.

All four teams have been judged.

Pierre must now give each starter and main a mark out of ten,

with a total of 20 points up for grabs.

These points will be added to the scores from challenge one,

giving a total score out of a possible 30.

It was really enjoyable.

Although there was times when it was a bit nerve-racking.

But I had such a great teacher.

Even if we don't win, I wouldn't be unhappy.

Overall, super happy with him.

When I hear Paul, you know, saying these things, I just feel great.

You know, I think everybody's done well,

but Matt has done particularly well for me today. He's done great.

Well, it's time now for the moment of truth,

and to declare this week's Yes Chef champions.

So here are the scores out of a possible 30.

In fourth place, with 19 points, it's Paul and Paul.

In third place, with 21 points, it's Nigel and Matt.

In second place, with 23 points...

..it's Jun and Elaine.

So this week's champions are Amandine and Peter with 26 points!

-Well done!

-Congratulations!

I don't think I ever thought I'd win.

I've had a fantastic time, which was the main thing.

But this is just amazing.

Peter, here's a little something for you.

Next time you're in the kitchen and you're cooking away...

-Oh, wow!

-..you've got your own Yes Chef whites.

-Thank you very much.

-Congratulations. Well done.

I can't stop smiling.

Congratulations to all our teams this week.

They've been absolutely fantastic.

Join us next time for more fun in the Yes Chef kitchen.

-Bye!

-See you!

-Next week on Yes Chef...

..four more top chefs will be on the hunt for their perfect partners.

I hate eggs.

For the home cooks,

it's the chance to work alongside the best in the business.

See, this one's where I've squeezed it too hard.

But who will be chosen, and who will be Yes Chef champions?