Episode 3 The Big Allotment Challenge

There are over 350,000 working allotments in Britain

and the waiting list for one is huge.

Everyone wants to grow their own.

We have brought nine pairs

of the most talented allotmenteers in the country together

in a competition to find Britain's best growers.

They've each been given an empty allotment

and challenged to grow the finest fruit, flowers and vegetables

ready for the show bench.

Last week, they faced the experts for the second time.

Shirley and Victoria won Best In Show for their runner beans...

..Jo and Avril came up trumps with their roses...

..Kate and Eleanor caught Jonathan's eye with their summer wreath,

and Rupert and Dimi took Best In Show for their sauce and relish,

but, sadly, Edd and Harshani left the allotment for good.

This week, the experts have set three more challenges.

It's time to pull up the carrots...

That one looks like a witch's nose.

..pick the gladioli...

I've got to be honest, lads.

-There's only one place for this.

-Mm-hm.

-In the bin.

-Yeah.

..and make a chutney.

-Better safe than sorry.

-Oh, with me judging, yes.

Who will dig their way to victory

and be named the winners of The Big Allotment Challenge?

Now, we have seven teams remaining

and this week, it's all about their carrots, gladioli and chutneys,

that are to be scrutinised by our team of experts

as they decide who is Best In Show.

-I think our competitive spirit's coming out more now.

-More now.

Especially after winning the Best In Show last week.

I think as the weeks go past, it's getting more and more competitive.

I think the impression I have

is that everybody thinks that they're going to win.

We are competitive.

We're also gardeners,

and that camaraderie is important to us as well.

We're going to make the most of every single moment

and we will fight to the last.

We don't quit.

We haven't won a Best In Show yet. We've come very close.

We've been robbed.

Welcome, gardeners.

Now, as you know, each week, you face three challenges.

Grow is first up, and our expert, of course, is Jim Buttress.

He would like you to present three perfect carrots.

All right, off you go.

To impress Jim with their growing skills,

gardeners must present three carrots of uniform size and quality.

The carrots must only have a single root,

as double roots are a sign of bad soil preparation.

Finally, Jim wants them free from pests and disease.

In order to create a perfect carrot,

the preparatory work is all-important,

because once you've got it in the ground,

if you haven't prepared right,

you're going to end up with a disaster.

The gardeners have been planning how to grow a prize-winning carrot

from their first day at the allotment.

There are dozens of varieties to choose from, and once selected,

the next big decision is how to grow them.

They won't be able to tell if their show carrots have been successful

until they're lifted on show day.

I haven't put the carrots in the ground yet.

I think the ground's still a little bit cold.

So, the theory is just to cover the ground up,

get the ground nice and toasty,

so when we put the carrots in, they'll just grow through quicker.

Hopefully they'll, you know, grow quicker than everybody else's.

The key to a prize-winning straight carrot is good soil preparation.

If the gardeners don't prepare the soil properly, the root can fork.

This happens when the root hits a stone or organic matter

and forms a double root to grow past the obstacle.

I've got some waste pipe. I've cut them half a metre long.

I've filled them with sand.

It's material to give the carrots an easy passage

and to get the maximum length.

Planting in sand helps to eliminate forking,

as the fine texture doesn't impede straight root growth.

I've then driven a spike down

and filled them with sieved potting compost

and, carefully in the top of that, plant three or four carrot seeds.

And that is how we're going to get our prize-winning carrots.

Best friends Gary and Pete

are using a dustbin that's been filled with sharp sand.

They're putting tubes of soil in the sand for the carrots to grow in.

-Is it going to work?

-Is this going to work?

That's enough room!

-No?

-And how much reading up on this have you done?

OK.

We're growing them in pots instead of in drainpipes in the ground,

although we notice that it's one of the more technical bits...

-Popular.

-..of gardening that's going on here.

There's some people doing it in bins,

some people doing it in drainpipes, and we're doing it in our pots.

When the carrot seedlings are large enough to handle,

the gardeners must thin them out.

By removing some, it makes more space

for the remaining carrots to grow.

And what was the trick?

To just gently hold that one in place like that?

-Here he comes.

-Carrots are he's, then, are they?

Yeah, course they are.

-Ho! 'Ello!

-That's bigger than we normally grow at home.

They're lovely and straight, aren't they?

That's too close, anyway, so...

Oh, my God, I've just picked a prize one.

Look at that.

Look.

Thinning out looks harmless,

but if you bruise the leaves of the remaining carrots,

it can encourage the crop's nemesis, the carrot fly.

This common pest loves to eat carrots

and can smell a crop from over a mile away.

The carrot flies are going to be around persistently, I think.

-Oh, are they?

-Yeah.

-As long as there's carrots.

-Yes!

Jo is hoping companion planting will act as a deterrent.

Either side, we've got onions.

And that disguises the smell of the carrot

so, hopefully, the carrot fly will smell the onions

instead of the carrots.

It's time for the allotmenteers

to check on the progress of their carrots.

So, we'll just... we'll just wheel it on back?

That'll be the easiest way, won't it?

-Ah, look at those.

-They look great.

-So, shall I pull one up, and...

-No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

We need every one for the challenge.

-Don't do that.

-Sure? Sure?

-No, no, no, don't do that.

We won't know if they're any good.

It's too late to do anything about it.

We need maximum amount of carrots,

so we've got good ones to choose from.

Let's not go... do something rash this early.

Other people have grown them in drainpipes and things like that,

and that's going to give them a very long,

possibly quite thin carrot.

-But, you know, I don't nec...

-It gives you a long carrot.

-I wish we'd done some in drainpipes.

-Do you?

-Everybody else has done some in drainpipes.

-Well...

But these pots do... We should get a good carrot.

Where other gardeners are aiming for length

with long, tapered varieties,

Kate and Eleanor have chosen a stump-rooted variety

which grows into a smaller, fatter carrot.

I don't know about the carrots.

-I look at other people's carrots and I think...

-I know.

-..fab.

-They all look so fantastically healthy!

-I know.

-I don't think we've got time to plant any more.

-Yeah.

The whole of the country

is experiencing one of the hottest summers on record,

so it's crucial the carrots are watered regularly.

You need to water the base,

because you want the roots to reach for the base, for the water.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

It's important to cover the root top of the carrot

as soon as it appears, or it'll turn green.

Any of the other ones you can see the actual tops

-sort of out in the sun...

-Yeah, this one here.

-..cos they do go a little green.

-This one needs it.

OK?

One week to go, and still no sign of carrot fly on the allotment.

We've been really, really meticulous

at not disturbing anything around the carrots at all,

because the carrot root fly can...

-Well, they can smell it from France, I'm sure they can.

-Exactly.

Everybody's talking about the carrot fly as being the menace,

because they can devastate the whole crop.

-You cannot see them.

-Mm.

But they... Whoo! They come!

They zoom in and feast on your carrots.

-Mind that pansy.

-Ah, mind the nettles, more like!

-Do we think we've got the best carrots?

-I think yes.

I really want to pull one up, just to have a look.

-Why don't you? Pull one of these up.

-Shall we?

-Yeah.

Oh, my God!

We should have left that one. That's a prize-winner.

It seems that Carrot Wars has broken out on our allotments.

I think people look at our carrots and think,

"Poor dears, they haven't even got them in drainpipes."

We've just shoved them in the ground as usual.

The proof will be in the pudding.

Indeed. And the carrots will be fab, I'm sure.

We haven't heard anyone else talk about their carrots yet,

so we're hoping that means that we're...

Either they're ashamed, or...what does that mean?

No, I just think if people had good carrots,

-they'd be talking about them.

-Mm.

After 17 weeks of cosseting their carrots, finally

it's show day and time for our gardeners to uproot their treasures.

They're not bad-looking carrots, are they?

No, that is a decent one, I'd say.

-You're really pinning your hopes on these, aren't you?

-A little bit.

Oh, come on, then, let's see one go.

I really don't know what to do with this.

It's coming out too easy.

-Ah!

-Ah!

That's disappointing. That first one is disappointing.

-Yep.

-Oh, dear.

Oh.

-No.

-Oh!

-Nearly matches.

-That's not good.

You see, the thing with the carrot is they want a well-drained soil.

What you needed was all sand.

-But they're not exactly exhibition carrots.

-No.

-That's OK, but it's still not good.

-Not straight enough, is it?

That one looks like a witch's nose.

-Ah-h.

-Oh-h! There's a lovely root there, but...

-Ta-da!

-Wowser!

-Ha-hey!

We're getting competitive, boys!

-At least we've got lots of carrots.

-Oh, we have.

With the carrots pulled,

it's time to select the best three for the show bench.

This one goes from really dumpy to... It doesn't taper, does it?

Right, where's the ruler?

The allotmenteers must present three carrots of uniform size and colour.

12 to there. 12 and 9.

-21.

-21 inches. Never had any complaints about 21 inches!

With long, straight roots, no evidence of forking,

and free from damage,

with the foliage trimmed to approximately 75mm.

Do you think he's going to have a ruler when he's judging?

Phwoo! I wouldn't put it past Jim.

Gardeners, it's time for judging!

The carrots will be judged by Grow expert Jim,

who will not be tasting them,

but will be looking closely at their appearance,

as it's the best indicator of how well they've been grown.

Joining him at the show bench is floral expert Jonathan Moseley

-and preserves expert Thane Prince.

-Well, well, well.

Hi, ladies.

I have to say that they're not exactly uniform.

See, there's a long tail there,

a long tail there,

but this one, either a bit missing or not.

-It's a good start, but we've still got another six to see.

-OK.

These are very perfectly shaped carrots.

Nice feel to them.

There's a slight blemish in there, but nothing too much.

That is a very nice carrot. I like it.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

-The particular variety is Tendersnax?

-Yeah.

-That's right.

That's supposed to be resistant to the fly.

Sometimes with those varieties that are resistant,

it's cos they don't like the smell of it.

Lovely long root on it. You've kept that good.

Unfortunately, this one bends round like that.

-Yeah, yeah.

-This one starts to curve.

Well, there was an awful lot

of rooting around in that dustbin, wasn't there?

-And these three didn't come from the dustbin.

-No.

-We did grow back-ups in the allotment itself.

-Yeah.

-You see, the trouble is, lads, talk about marking...

-Yeah.

..you can see lots of scars on it and everything.

Um...

Unfortunately, it's the best we could do!

We want a show carrot. We've got a show carrot.

The problem is, lads,

where it finished at the end of the pipe,

it then went into the open ground.

See the way it struggled and it's starting to yellow up.

But nevertheless, you've produced an exhibition carrot,

no question of it!

You're still in the running, lads.

Well, you've certainly got the biggest ones here.

Shirley and Victoria are the current holders of Grow.

You won week one, you've won week two.

-Are you going to win week three?

-We'll have to see.

-Yeah?

But no pressure, ladies, is there?

Oh, dear. Oh.

-Yeah, it fell off.

-The tail's fallen off.

-Oh, it's tail-less!

-Yeah.

Nice carrot. Nice and clean.

I'd like to have seen them a little bit more even in shape.

This particular variety is Trevor.

There is some marking on it,

but the worst marking, unfortunately, is at the top,

and that's because Trevor pushed his head out the ground.

-If Trevor had been covered up, it wouldn't have gone green.

-Yeah.

It's now time for Jim to award Best In Show.

My Best In Show is the nearest thing you'll get.

Perfectly shaped carrot.

And that is why,

Kate and Eleanor, you have won Best In Show.

Well, astonished is the word that springs to mind

because we certainly didn't expect to do well with carrots.

Amazing! Well done, you!

I feel really pleased for Kate and Eleanor.

They had some lovely stump-rooted carrots there.

But theirs were nice and smooth

and ours were a little bit rooty around the edges.

Yeah, I mean, they were blemish-free.

-Rather like Kate and Eleanor themselves.

-Yeah!

In the second challenge,

the gardeners will be judged on their specimen gladioli

by Jim and on their flower arrangement by Jonathan.

Now we are on to the Make challenge.

This tests your ability to grow the perfect flower

and then to make a beautiful floral display

with the flowers that you've grown.

The perfect flower we want you to present today for Jim to judge

is a gladiolus spike.

What you don't know is what Jonathan's challenge is today,

and it is to make the perfect table arrangement.

I'd like the design to be symmetrical

and have a clearly defined focal area,

which is suitable for a rectangular dining table seating six people.

You have 45 minutes to complete Make and the clock will start

once you've gathered all the flowers that you require.

All ready, all understood? Good! Off you go!

What I'll be looking for is a very erect spike

and it needs to have a third, a third and a third.

So, a third IN flower, a third coming into flower,

and then the next third to flower after the other two.

They'll have probably grown hundreds of gladioli,

but they've got to find one that fits the bill.

Originally from South Africa,

gladioli come in every shape, size and colour

and they are the traditional flower for a 40th wedding anniversary.

In their first week at the allotment,

the gardeners are planting out their gladioli corms.

Like bulbs, corms are an underground part of a plant

that store food for future growth.

We've got lots of different gladiolis.

They're all different colours, some grow taller, some grow shorter.

They're nice for tall table decorations, but...

I don't mind them in the garden, but there are flowers that I prefer,

so if I'm honest, they probably wouldn't be flowers I would choose.

When planting corms straight in the ground,

the allotmenteers need to dig a hole approximately 10 to 15cm deep

and place them inside, with the growing tip facing upwards.

We've put a lot of gladiolis in the middle, anyway,

so it doesn't matter, we don't need them all in the middle.

It takes approximately 100 days for a gladiolus to flower,

so to ensure a continual harvest of spikes for show day,

the gardeners plant successionally.

This involves several smaller plantings at timed intervals,

giving them the chance to have a perfect gladiolus on the show bench.

Avril is planting out her gladioli

which she started off inside, in pots.

I've waited for the roots to establish themselves

and, as you can see, I didn't disturb too much of it

by knocking it out the pot.

Plenty of good, green growth on the top and, hopefully, winning flowers.

Mother and daughter Shirley and Victoria

have planted their gladioli corms straight into the ground.

Oh, wow!

Yeah, that's good, isn't it?

-We've planted them very deep, Victoria.

-Yeah.

It's difficult, cos you don't... When...

We've never grown them before,

so it's just, like, are they going to come up or not?

-Wow!

-Oh, there's one there as well.

-Oh, wow! They're all coming up at the same time.

-Yeah.

Follow the instructions and it... it's magic!

As summer hits the allotment,

it's important that the gardeners water regularly.

Today is yet another scorching day.

The plants love the heat and they needed some warmth,

but as long as you keep it watered, you can sort of keep pace.

Water, water, water!

This is a slow process. Can't we use the other one?

With show day getting closer,

best friends Kate and Eleanor check up on their gladioli.

Quite soon to the challenge, and it's a bit worrying.

Oh, look, this one has definitely got a gladioli in there,

and so has this one.

And I reckon that one has as well, so that's three.

So, we've only got three weeks. Come on, let's feed them quick.

-OK.

-Yum-yum!

Lots of other people have got gladioli out already.

Yeah, but then they might have a problem,

cos they only do once, don't they?

-Yes.

-Come up.

-Well, that's true.

Come up, flower, and then you chop 'em off and that's it for next year.

Two weeks left and the gladioli are coming into bloom.

The final hurdle for those who are growing tall varieties of gladioli

is to keep them looking as pristine as possible until show day.

I'm staking these in

to try and keep them actually from bashing into each other, mainly.

It's quite windy today, so if we can stake them all

and keep them all in exactly the right position,

then, hopefully, they won't damage the flowers on each other.

Do we need staking? I would stake that one, Victoria.

Stake it.

Ah, Victoria, look at this.

VICTORIA LAUGHS

-Is this taller than me?

-Yeah, a little bit.

That one's coming up even taller. This is definitely taller than me.

This is almost as tall as you.

-Wow!

-Ah.

Show day is imminent, and a disaster has hit Gary and Pete's allotment.

Gary, come here a minute.

They ain't looking too clever, are they?

-No, they look dead!

-Yeah.

Their flowers have developed a fungal disease called rust

and attracted a bug called thrips.

That's probably...

No, that's knackered as well. They're all knackered.

-Ours don't even warrant the name gladioli.

-No, they don't.

-We just call 'em "guh".

-Rust on a stick.

-Rust on a green stick.

-Yeah.

Gladiolus rust is a fungal disease

identified by small orange and yellow pustules

which form on the leaves.

Airborne spores can spread the unwelcome disease from leaf to leaf

and the fungus is encouraged by warm, humid weather.

We've got a very bad case of rust.

It's decimated them, really, which is a big disappointment.

We're in a bit of trouble with that.

I'm just trying to protect the three or four heads I have

so that we do have an entry.

Not looking brilliant.

-Did you just see that one?

-Oh, was that a thrip?

-Yeah.

-Cheeky little beggars!

-I just saw one on that one there.

The warm temperatures have also encouraged thrips.

These tiny, sap-sucking insects attack the leaves and petals

and leave behind bleached silver patches and can stunt new growth.

I think there's quite a lot of rust.

-There seems to be some thrips going around, so I think that...

-Mm.

..Pete and Gary are really going to struggle

to have anything at all, as are Ed and Alex.

It's judgment day for the gladioli.

It is a pity about these blemishes.

We'll just have to pretend it's part of the flower's natural...

Yeah, but we can trim it a bit.

Yeah. Well, we... Yeah, we can do that.

-Maybe...

-He's a little bit bent, but he's got some flowers.

-Is he supposed to be that two-tone purple?

-No.

Even the ones that are just literally coming out look diseased.

We're just salvaging what we can out of these ones for now.

-It is a worry, definitely.

-Yeah.

There are two experts to impress in the Make challenge.

Jim will be looking for a perfect specimen flower,

and Jonathan wants them to use their gladioli in a table design.

Choose the right bits!

Here's Jonathan's guide on how to make a perfect table arrangement.

Firstly, tape a soaked block of floral foam into a tray.

Shave off the corners to create a greater surface area

to work the stems of the flowers into.

Begin by creating the outline to the design with long line foliage.

Add the flowers.

Remember, long flowers like gladioli

can be cut down into smaller, more manageable units.

Build up towards the centre of the design

to create a focal area by repeating the key flowers.

Armed with a cornucopia of gladioli and other supporting flowers,

it's time for the gardeners to tackle the Make challenge.

If you're all ready, your 45 minutes starts now.

This week's challenge is a tough one

because a table design

is quite difficult, particularly

a symmetrical table design

using gladioli.

It's a really big ask.

The gardeners begin their floral arrangement

by soaking their foam and securing it in a tray.

-No, wait. Let it soak.

-Wait, wait, wait, wait.

-I'm just going to...

-It says let it soak on its own.

It will go down automatically.

How hard is gladioli to use in a table decoration like this?

It can be quite a challenging flower, really,

because it's a big, bold thing that sticks up.

Got to make things work for you,

and that's what I'm testing our gardeners on this week,

to see if they can rise to that challenge

and make a difficult flower perform.

Comes trouble.

It is true that last week, you said they were potentially good florists!

Absolutely! I'm hoping that potential

might have been nurtured a little bit more this week.

-We're going flouncy.

-Flouncy?

-We're going to use herbs in it.

Because it's going to be on a dinner table,

we thought we'd complement the food

that we're going to be serving with herbs.

Nice. Well, that's certainly flouncy.

We need one at each end.

The next step is to create the outline

and basic shape using foliage.

-Do you need more room?

-No, no, no, no, that's fine.

They're just not a nice flower, really.

For this sort of thing, I wouldn't have used a gladioli.

No, me neither.

They are lovely, you know. That's just right, isn't it?

-They are.

-That's really good.

Shall we put them at the ends, or shall we put them down the middle?

Down the middle, cos they're quite little.

-OK.

-So, shall we say six?

Yeah, six, cos I could only... I picked everything there was, so...

Using flowers, the allotmenteers start to build up

towards the centre of the design to create a focal point.

-Slight variation in height?

-Well, maybe a tad lower, yeah.

Start there.

-Do you think that's coming out too far?

-Mm... I don't know.

It's whether Jonathan thinks it's coming out too far, isn't it, really?

Don't want it too wide, do we?

-It's just going to actually develop as we go, I think.

-Yeah.

Try not to panic and hoping for the best.

-Stick the flowers in and... Yeah.

-That's our whole plan.

20 minutes left, everybody. 20 minutes.

-20 minutes to not make a disaster of it.

-Well, it IS a disaster.

I hope we'll get everything done in time.

We're just going to have to kind of work a bit faster, I guess.

How difficult is it to interpret Jonathan's brief?

I think we'd be lying if we didn't say it's difficult,

this challenge, for us, but we're trying our best.

As soon as you're at home, though...

-I'd never be allowed to put a flower arrangement on the table!

-Why not?

Mrs Alex and Mrs Ed will be expecting you to be doing this now.

-She might!

-They might!

Cos we really don't know what we're...

We're just completely going at it

just by more idiocy than judgment, really.

-Where's the time gone?

-Mm.

-I don't believe that!

-Big leaves, small leaves?

About that size that you're giving me, yeah.

I'm just going to put them there.

We have dinner parties quite often, and we have the allotment gang over,

and everybody has to bring something that they've grown off the allotment

so, you know, say, Avril would bring the starter

and somebody else the dessert, but it all has to be home-grown.

So, it would be good if everyone brought flowers as well

and then we could make the arrangement with the...

So, you could take this idea home and develop it?

-Absolutely, yeah.

-Oh, I think we will be, yes.

The gardeners have just five minutes left.

Look, I've got a massive gap there of...

-A bit of foliage, maybe.

-That's what we need.

We'll lose major league points for that.

-This one, actually, can come out.

-I've put one here already.

-This one can come out.

-Really? OK.

-Because that's not part of it, OK?

One minute left!

SHE SPLUTTERS

Ah! Good God.

There is plenty more space.

Yeah, I know, but we don't have time.

Don't say no time! Here, this one goes here, symmetrical.

We can put the purple... the blue flowers there.

-I thought you did.

-The other side? Yeah, we did.

-Yeah.

-They're here!

No, this side.

Five, we need five. Quick, quick, quick.

Time is up!

Would you please put your gladiolus spike

and your lovely table arrangements on the workbench

ready for Jim and Jonathan to judge.

Had we had a different flower,

we might have planned differently, but it's not bad.

To win Best In Show, Jim is looking for an erect, well-balanced spike,

with unblemished blooms and foliage.

The blooms need to be spaced gradually,

narrowing from base to top,

one third of the stem full flower,

one third with buds in colour,

and one third in green bud.

Jonathan is looking for a table arrangement

that is symmetrical in shape,

with a defined central focal point and a creative use of gladioli.

The first thing we're looking for is a very good, upright spike.

We've got that.

But the one thing that slightly worries me

is this speckling on the flower, cos this Purple Flora

is one of the deepest purple you're going to get,

and that, to me,

is not characteristic of that particular variety.

-But nevertheless, it's a good start.

-Thank you.

I can get my hands under there.

Whenever we're doing a table arrangement, we want it to flow.

We want it to embrace that table.

It wants to enhance the table and link into the table.

So, you needed more foliage in there to help cover and conceal that foam,

and we needed something else to soften these harsh arms.

Yeah, it's a decent, straight spike,

but when we're looking at the plant overall,

we want a third, a third and a third,

and at my biggest stretch,

-it doesn't quite meet the criteria that we're looking for.

-Yeah.

-I'm pleased to say this is a better example this week.

-Whoo!

-Yeah!

-You've pulled elements from the past two weeks together.

And, unlike Kate and Eleanor's, you've got lots of foliage in here.

Sadly, we could have done with a bit more flower.

-Interesting colour, Green Star.

-Yeah.

A lime green. Very straight, very upright.

Liked to have seen a little bit more leaf in there.

But certainly got a lot of promise.

It's a bit solid. It's really, really heavy.

With a block of foam like this, you could have cut it down.

And don't fall into the trap of the same flowers each week.

There's other options out there, use them,

because that'll make you do different things with them.

I'm going to struggle to find anything good

to say about this gladi, there's no... You've got to be honest.

I think one of the problems for you, lads,

-is you had a really bad attack of thrip.

-Yeah.

There's no question of it.

Look at the silvering on the leaf there.

And this is a classic that happens to them.

The flowers are not coming out, they're dying before they come out.

-I've got to be honest, you ain't going to win this!

-No.

What I would say is a wow, but not wow in a good way.

It looks like it's about to take off with propellers.

Nice dahlias. Nice rudbeckias.

Not much else going for it, I'm afraid.

It's just not happening there.

Large, big florets, which are very attractive.

It's got...just about a third, a third and a third.

But I like the shape of the flower,

I like the fact there's still some and some a bit more,

but just a little bit of kink in it.

-I wanted it to look like a boat.

-A boat?

Yes, it's a dinner party for a going away party.

-HE LAUGHS

-Oh, no.

You see, now you know that,

you can see it in a completely different light!

-I can. Yeah, it's a whole new analogy over it.

-Yeah!

But we're not building a boat out of floral material.

THEY LAUGH

That's another competition, OK?

You want a third, a third and a third.

-I've got two-thirds of it.

-Two-thirds and a third.

I'm missing the other third.

Now, it's a great shame

-because, last week, you came out queen of the roses!

-Yes.

-We wanted to give somebody else a chance this week.

-Yeah, that's it.

This lime green gladioli is quite dominant on its own.

You've got away with it because you've chosen some large leaves.

It's actually toning down the height of the gladioli.

But, again, you've used foliage colour to enhance flower colour.

That's good technique there.

That's the best example I've seen of that in the competition.

-Good use of foliage.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I think what's happened is that you've had some thrip in there,

but you've also got rust as well.

I've got to be honest, lads.

-There's only one place for this.

-Mm-hm.

-In the bin.

-Yeah.

Sorry, lads.

There's no harmony between all this mass of flowers

and then this very linear, harsh, almost angry line.

It gives it a bit of anger.

The rest of it, you've got this wonderful, sinuous,

sort of curling line of the amaranthus

which, I'm not saying it's great use of that material,

but it's clever use of that material,

and it's a challenging thing to use in a design, this.

-But I'm impressed.

-Thanks.

Jim must now decide whose gladiolus is worthy of Best In Show.

I have to say this has not been one of your best challenges.

But the one I've gone for

has got the least faults in the actual spike.

So, it's your day, ladies,

because for the second time, you have won Best In Show.

-Whoa!

-Amazing. Wow!

Well, right, Jonathan,

who is going to get your Best In Show for the table arrangement?

It's been a tough one this week.

I think the gladioli have challenged you in many ways,

certainly with this table design.

But this week, I'm really impressed

to see good use of foliage, creativity

so, Jo and Avril,

your table arrangement is Best In Show.

-Well done.

-Yeah!

Congratulations, everybody,

that's the Grow and Make challenges successfully completed.

Now you have to go and prepare yourselves

for the third and final challenge - Eat.

-We've had a very lucky day.

-We have.

-And we're really pleased.

Definitely very pleased indeed.

Well, amazingly, we've just won another Best In Show.

When you've put all them hours in, blood, sweat and tears

and, you know, it has been really difficult at times,

you know, then it's nice to get that,

-because it's worth all the effort that you've put into it.

-Yeah.

Just one challenge remains for the gardeners.

It's their last chance to shine

before the experts send one team home at the end of the day.

We are creative

and we do present things well,

we've just made a few mistakes, and we'll show with our food products

that our presentation skills are up there with everybody's.

If we mess up our cook,

then there is a distinct possibility

that we shall be asked to leave the competition this week.

I don't give up till the fat lady sings, and I'm not singing yet.

So, when I'm singing later, then you know I'm going home!

Welcome, gardeners, to the Eat challenge.

Now, this is your chance to show off your culinary skills

as we task you to create some flavoursome preserves

using the vast array of produce that you have in your allotments.

Now, as usual, Thane is here as our preserves expert,

and this week, she wants you to make a jar of chutney

and a bottle of cordial.

All clear? Good. Get picking!

In the Eat challenge, the gardeners must pick and use the fruit,

vegetables and herbs they've grown on their allotments.

Strawberries. I've got one big one here.

Ooh, that's beautiful!

What I want to see in this challenge

is people going to their allotments and choosing a very wide selection

of their lovely produce.

Oh! Oh, gosh!

And by now, the gardeners should know what I expect.

Very few allowances this week. They need to get it right.

Right, I need two white onions.

-Are you using white or red?

-White, cos it's nice.

He's a nice one.

Which chilli do you fancy for this recipe?

-Got lots of these little Krakatoa.

-Mm.

-Punchy!

Aw, it's really punchy!

Now they've picked their fresh ingredients,

the allotmenteers head into the greenhouse

to start on the chutney and the cordial.

You now have one hour and 45 minutes.

Time to get started.

We've got to do the aubergine first,

cos it is the one thing that takes the most amount of time.

-Yeah, I'll do it.

-Right.

Chutney is a type of relish

that usually includes spices, vegetables and sometimes fruit.

We are going to start with the chutney.

Is that all of the tomatoes we need?

Yeah. And then I need 100g of courgette.

In a chutney, what I'm looking for is something that's attractive,

that tempts you to eat it, nice, even chunks of vegetable.

Make it equal. Equal.

I don't want it to be too sweet.

I don't want the chutney to be too sharp.

I want balance

and I want it to be representative of the ingredients it's made from.

Kate and Eleanor are hoping to add to their haul of Best In Shows

with their aubergine chutney.

-I see you're salting your aubergine.

-Yes.

I've just picked this one and I looked at all these seeds

and I thought, "It may be a little bit young."

-It might be a little bit bitter, so I thought I'd give it...

-OK.

-I'm not giving it long.

-No.

-Better safe than sorry.

-Oh, with me judging, yes, very.

-Absolutely right.

-Exactly.

Gary and Pete are making a beetroot and rhubarb chutney.

Using up the rhubarb...

-Nice flavours.

-..before it goes out of season.

Perfect. Absolutely. I like that. And beetroot.

And that... And that, also, that'll keep for ages as well.

You can eat that through the winter.

It is a little bit spicy, but not heat spiced. It's more...

-There's star anise in there and, yeah, some pepper.

-Some chilli?

A little bit of chilli. Has to be a little bit.

You need a lot of salt.

Rupert and Dimi are also making aubergine chutney,

but they hope the salt will do more than just enhance the flavour.

-I noticed you salt your aubergines.

-Yes.

-To try and remove the liquid from them.

-There is quite a lot

and you can see the water gathering at the bottom already.

We didn't want that to go into the chutney itself.

And we're doing quite a spicy one, so have a smell of that.

-Wow! What have you got in there?

-Isn't that wonderful?

So, we've got some fenugreek, we've got some yellow mustard seeds,

we've got some cumin and we've got some coriander seeds as well.

When making chutney,

sugar and vinegar are instrumental in preserving the produce.

The key is to make sure the sugar completely dissolves.

-What you do is you put some of it in...

-Yeah.

..and then I'll taste it and I'll let you know what I think.

How about that as a compromise?

I'm a bit conscious that the carrots will be quite crunchy

and I have taken on board what you said last week

about the relish being very sweet.

-Do you not need the sugar, though, to make the chutney set?

-You do.

Well, you need the sugar as part of the preserving.

-You need to get it...

-The balance just right.

-The balance.

It's all about balance, and you have to trust your judgment on that.

The mixture must simmer slowly

to allow the chutney to become rich and thick.

We've a way to go, of course, with the red tomato chutney.

-Well, the time, Alex, is...?

-An hour and five left, yeah.

-This is simmering down quite nicely.

-Yeah.

Alex and Ed now turn their attention to their blackcurrant cordial.

This is starting to get syrupy!

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah.

-It's nice, isn't it?

Making a home-made cordial involves fruit, water and sugar,

boiled down until it forms a syrupy puree

which Thane will dilute in water to taste on the show bench.

Sally and Michelle are making rhubarb and ginger cordial

with an added twist.

We do have a little trick up our sleeve.

-Yes, we do. A little...extra...

-Do you?

-Yes.

-Have you?

-A little extra zing. These are called electric daisies.

If you need to electrify your cordial,

you just literally shave off a few petals

and they give you an effect like licking a battery.

A zing. Just a little extra zing.

That is safe, is it? It's not hallucinogenic or...?

-We wouldn't kill you.

-No.

We've got to get a Best In Show one way or another.

You've got to get a Best In Show.

-So you don't overpower...

-OK, so are we ready?

-This is the delicate bit.

-This is a bit delicate.

Rupert and Dimi are taking a risk

and creating an unusual beetroot and rosemary cordial.

That's it, yeah?

Shirley and Victoria are also hoping to surprise Thane

with their own spin on a rhubarb cordial.

-I still think that's a bit too strong.

-Too strong?

-Mm!

-What's that in there?

We've got strawberries, some rhubarb, some ginger,

a little bit of star anise.

We wanted to try and be a little more adventurous, like you said.

Excellent. Excellent.

So, we thought we'd try adding some spices

that we don't usually kind of use.

I think rhubarb and ginger work very well.

I think rhubarb and strawberries are a match made in heaven.

Rhubarb, strawberry and ginger I've had,

but I've never had it with star anise,

so I'm really looking forward to this.

-It's beautiful. Look at that.

-Lovely colour.

Now that the cordials are bottled, it's time to check on the chutneys.

-What do you think of the flavour?

-Mm, lovely.

A common method is to carry out the spoon test.

See, and none of the fluid seeps back into the channel.

-Yeah.

-So, that means that's done.

-That is perfect! Well done!

Five minutes left!

Put the lid on, stick the thing on, call it a day.

-That's it, we're done.

-Well done, that's what I say!

That's it. There we go, Jo.

Gardeners, your time is up!

Phew!

To be awarded Best In Show,

the chutney should have a bright and even colour throughout.

The consistency should be thick and uniform,

with no skin or hard spices.

The cordial should be bright, with a rich aroma

that is representative of the ingredients used.

The consistency should not be too thick or clotted,

without any lumps, skin or seeds.

First up are Alex and Ed,

who've made a red tomato chutney and a blackcurrant cordial.

So, red tomato chutney.

It's looking good.

A little bit of loose vinegar, but nothing to worry about, I think.

Yes, it's...

possibly a little sharp.

You might have been a little bolder with the cumin.

Now, you've made a very simple blackcurrant cordial.

-Nice-looking. Very nice colour.

-Oh!

There's a very good taste of blackcurrant.

Did you use any lemon juice or anything

-just to ping up the flavour?

-No.

I think that might have been an idea.

Next to be judged is Shirley and Victoria,

who've made a tomato chutney and a rhubarb and strawberry cordial.

So, we've got a harvest chutney here,

which I'm really pleased to see, cos I like it

when people use a lot of different things from their patch.

You've definitely taken on board what I said last week

about increasing the amount of spice.

You've got a good mix of vegetables in here

and the spicing is very much better.

You might have been able to be just a little bit bolder still,

but a better effort, definitely.

Now, this cordial is very eye-catching

and you've put a special spice in here too, haven't you?

Yes, star anise.

The star anise enhances the flavour of the strawberry, is that right?

-Yes.

-Good. OK.

Mm! Now, you can taste the star anise,

but it makes it much more refreshing, interestingly enough.

You've really done well here.

Jo and Avril have made a curried carrot chutney

and redcurrant and blackcurrant cordial.

So, you've made a carrot chutney,

and it's got this lovely, lovely touch of red in from the chilli.

This is nice. The chop isn't perfect.

-We've got a little bit there and a much bigger bit there.

-Mm-hm.

The balance is good, the spicing is getting better,

you're improving on that,

but I think, yes, I think I would quite like that.

-Nice!

-Now, then. And your cordial is curranty.

-Mm.

-A nice syrupy consistency.

Now, that's really good. Really well flavoured.

You've got the sugar and the fruit flavours in perfect harmony here,

and that's quite difficult.

Gary and Pete are presenting a beetroot and rhubarb chutney

and a rhubarb and redcurrant cordial.

"Bloody Beets." Beetroot and rhubarb.

-Mm-hm.

-Yes.

-Right. Excellent.

So, that's really a lovely looking bowl of chutney.

Oh, what was that? Something lumpy you didn't like.

-Ah, it's ginger.

-The ginger.

You've got leaves of ginger in there.

I might have preferred it if you'd diced it or grated it.

Next to be judged are Kate and Eleanor.

They have created an aubergine chutney

and a strawberry and rhubarb cordial.

Now, Kate and Eleanor, an aubergine chutney.

This is a very fine chop here.

This is almost exactly what I would have expected of you two.

It's a traditional chutney. It's not pushing any boundaries.

I might have liked it to be a little more exciting.

And your cordial.

It's going to be strawberry.

-Quite a thick cordial.

-Mm-hm!

I'm not sure I can taste strawberries or rhubarb,

but what I can taste is the essence of summer.

Next, it's Rupert and Dimi, with their aubergine chutney

and a beetroot and rosemary cordial.

We're going to start with your chutney.

It is a little dry.

I like a little bit of juice or sauciness in there.

For me, it's just too salty.

Dry-salting of the aubergine does take out the liquid,

but it puts in a lot of salt.

CREAKING

-It's a nice sound too, isn't it?

-Isn't it?

-Mm.

This smells very much of beetroot.

I know it's a beetroot cordial, so that shouldn't be surprising.

That's remarkably nicely flavoured. You've pulled it off.

You've taken something unusual

and you've created a very different cordial.

Finally, it's Sally and Michelle

with their yellow courgette chutney and rhubarb and ginger cordial.

Now, we've got a courgette chutney, yellow courgette chutney.

Right, let's see.

I find this quite sweet, but...

Yeah, when I tasted it, I felt it was a bit sweet.

I mean, I wasn't sure how you could balance that.

You could add some citrus, some lemon juice,

a little bit more vinegar.

-Yeah.

-And that will sharpen it up.

"Rhubarb and ginger cordial. Dilute to taste."

I think you've made a good cordial.

-Yay!

-I really do.

(Yes!)

I think it works very well.

-I'm going to try a petal or two.

-Oh-h!

Right. Cheers, guys.

-Good luck.

-Yeah.

Don't really let them settle on your tongue.

-A little pop.

-Yes, a little pop.

I think you have to be congratulated

for coming up with something that's delicious,

but also has a different sort of edge.

-That's us. Just a bit of fun, you know.

-Mm!

Thane has tasted all the chutneys and cordials.

Now she must decide who will be awarded Best In Show.

Well, it's been really, really difficult this week,

because you've all done such good work

and I really commend you for having really raised your game.

But today's Best In Show

goes to Jo and Avril for their outstanding cordial.

-Wow!

-Well done.

-Well done, girls.

Now, of course, Thane, and Jonathan and Jim,

have to go and make a very difficult decision.

They have to decide who is leaving.

Would you all like to go back to your allotments while they decide?

Here's to us for a fabulous week three.

-Yeah.

-Two Best In Shows. Chin-chin!

-Chin-chin, yeah!

It'll be champagne later!

We let ourselves down with the flower arranging

and we need to sharpen that aspect of our game up.

But we're really proud of the two things we've done well in.

-Yep.

-Really, really proud.

We're all on the same bus, we're just getting off at different stops,

-and if our bus passes are up...

-Ah!

-..that's it, they're up.

We have had a pretty bad week this week, so... But...

I don't know. We'll have to wait and see.

And this is the point where it really starts to get hard,

so I'm glad that this is not my decision, it's up to you discuss.

Jonathan, where do you think we're going and who's in danger?

-Alex and Ed.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Because?

Well, Make challenge this week, it was disastrous.

Dead gladioli protruding out.

Just no style, no panache to it.

Having said that, Jonathan, those carrots, you know,

you've got to hand it to them - they were a serious entry.

Yeah. Both of them are good, talented gardeners.

I think they just need to hone their skills a little bit more.

-I'm still very worried about Sally and Michelle.

-Really?

Well, we talked about them last week, didn't we?

And we thought that if we gave them another week,

they had the potential to up their game and make that next leap forward.

But they haven't yet won a Best In Show.

They're the only team who haven't done it.

That's worrying at this stage.

I can't argue with it. They have not come up to scratch.

They are glamorous gardeners, but does that make them good gardeners?

The other two I really think have not come up to scratch

are Gary and Pete.

Those carrots yesterday...

-Yes, it all went wrong, didn't it?

-Horribly wrong. Horribly.

-I mean, they turn it on for you, there's no doubt about it.

-They do.

They're talented cooks, those boys.

Certainly this week, that table arrangement,

I know it had got all the amaranthus trailing everywhere,

but they'd curled the leaves, they'd manipulated foliage.

They'd employed skills none of our other gardeners had used,

so there is potential, I think.

This is a tough decision

and I'm going to have to leave you three to have a proper conflab

and make that final decision.

Gardeners, this is the difficult moment.

The judges have found it very tough to make their decision.

But the couple who are going home

and leaving the allotment tonight is...

..Sally and Michelle.

Thank you for being such marvellous gardeners.

Thank you for having us.

Give us a cuddle.

We're actually really all right.

-We've been psyching ourselves up.

-Hello! Hello!

Sal's crying, cos she's a little delicate thing.

Don't cry, cos you'll make me cry.

We are good growers, we can grow.

I don't think we've failed in any way at all.

I think we should be really proud of ourselves.

To come to a little square of dirt and achieve all that,

it speaks for itself, I think.

And to learn the amazing amounts that we've learnt...

We've got so much to take away from this.

I think it's a massive achievement, yeah.

Next time, the allotmenteers will be bringing their aubergines...

Come and have a look at our amazing aubergine.

It has to be the world's most obscene aubergine.

-..their sunflowers...

-I don't think those are any good.

-They're just too tall.

-They're too tall and too common.

That's what people are used to seeing, isn't it?

..and their pickles to the show bench.

It's too vinegary, too salty.

Without meaning any offence, it really is quite horrid.

Who will triumph on The Big Allotment Challenge?