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00:01Take three restaurants...
00:05..with years of professional experience...
00:08It's taken away. Chef, chef!
00:10..ask each to cook their finest three courses...
00:13Perfection.
00:14You know, I tasted it and I wanted to do that.
00:17..and get them to score in secret...
00:22..today!
00:24..bushy beards...
00:25Can I have a feel?
00:27Soft and lush.
00:29No, struggling.
00:30No, it wasn't struggling.
00:31You didn't touch it right.
00:32..and wrestling restauranteurs...
00:33Finish it!
00:35I can't have genuinely thought that he was going to be here.
00:38You have to be a little bit arrogant.
00:40..as they battle to bag a £1,000 prize.
00:45You smell delicious.
00:55Today's professional competition comes from Oxfordshire,
00:58the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland
01:00and home to the original Mad Hatter's Tea Party.
01:03I'll take that.
01:05And no stranger to a bonkers bonnet is our first host.
01:09Pub owner Baz and his South African head chef, Anthony,
01:13from the White Hart.
01:14Our ethos here is roasted, smoked, pickled and cured.
01:19We'll go to the hedgerows, forage.
01:21We'll get our venison from the woods,
01:23which are less than a mile from here.
01:25All of which gets cooked up on Anthony's favourite bitter kit.
01:30The sardo outdoor al fresco,
01:33it will be put in front of the guests in such a way
01:36that we share and we chat.
01:39Yeah.
01:40Aside from the food, it's Baz's history with headwear
01:43that always gets people talking.
01:44I'm the man with the hat.
01:46Yeah.
01:47I've never seen him without a hat on.
01:48I don't even know if his wife has.
01:50To most people, including myself,
01:52I was completely unaware that he actually had hair.
01:56Great!
01:56So who's doing what today?
01:58Go make yourself useful and light the fire, boy scout.
02:01Yes, chef.
02:03I don't let Baz in the kitchen.
02:04That's all.
02:05He has his domain.
02:06I have mine.
02:07We both know our place is in the business
02:08and it works just fine for me.
02:10Baz dispatched.
02:12Anthony can crack on with the starter.
02:15South Coast octopus with pickled cucumber
02:17and a yuzu ponzu dressing.
02:20The vegan alternative is compressed watermelon tataki.
02:24Fancy?
02:26That sounds ace.
02:27Sounds really good.
02:28Yeah.
02:29I love yuzu ponzu.
02:30Yeah. Great.
02:30Great flavours.
02:31Sounds really good.
02:32Great ingredients.
02:33Yeah.
02:33Meet Chef Patrick and his vegan fiancee,
02:36front of house manager Sally, from The Hand and Shears.
02:41People, they rave about a warm welcome,
02:43how well they're looked after and then the food.
02:46Lovely. Thank you.
02:48We are proud to be a pub.
02:49We do burgers.
02:50We do sausage and mash.
02:52We will 12 hour confit and onion.
02:54We make all our gravies from bone.
02:56We don't buy in powders.
02:58You know, it's all good, honest, fresh food.
03:01And what's it like working with your other half?
03:03Where's my coffee?
03:04It's just coming, love.
03:06Challenging.
03:06It is, yeah.
03:07It is.
03:08Well, it is difficult and challenging and it's all the rest.
03:11But when all things go wrong, you've got that support.
03:14It's very worth it.
03:15It's very rewarding.
03:16Back at the White Heart, Anthony starts by organising his octopus.
03:20We're doing this course because it just eats really well.
03:24It's tried and tested.
03:25We've had fantastic reviews about it.
03:26So first we're going to take the head off.
03:29And then we put our octopus into the pan.
03:32Along with shallots, mixed herbs and spices.
03:35Then it all gets a simmer.
03:37Octopus can be yummy.
03:39It can be, but it can be overcooked.
03:40Mmm.
03:42Our final professional duo are head chef Nathan and his partner Chef Kerry, owners of Whistlers.
03:49Our ethos is to cook really good seasonal classic cooking.
03:54It's all about balance of flavour, acidity and sweetness.
03:58And you put it all together, it becomes incredible.
04:00Yeah.
04:01I agree with that.
04:02Well done.
04:03Congratulations.
04:04Good job.
04:05That's how we greet each other every morning.
04:07With a handshake, a nose touch and a little kiss.
04:10Nathan, can you pass me my knife please?
04:13Are you taking your time on this one?
04:14It sounds blunt.
04:16Just leave me alone.
04:18I'm not joking.
04:19I pretend that I'm the boss of Kerry.
04:21Sometimes she lets me tell her what to do.
04:25Don't you?
04:27Yeah, well I hate it actually.
04:30He always asks the staff, who do you think is the boss?
04:34They say Kerry.
04:35Because I'm the lovable team leader and not responsible enough to be the boss.
04:41Exactly.
04:42Back with Anthony, who's seeing to his seafood.
04:45Check if it's nice and tender.
04:48And how do you do that?
04:49You'll know he's tender enough if a couple of his legs will come off.
04:53That's it.
04:55Yeah, it's looking good.
04:56We are cooked.
04:58Straight into the fridge now.
05:00They'll serve the watermelon tataki for vegan Sally.
05:04On to the main, and for the meat-eaters, Anthony's firing up the grill to serve...
05:10...the salmon with a damson nougat jou and pickled blackberries, monkfish with a tomatillo salsa, and mulberry glazed smoked duck
05:18breast.
05:19Is that a lot of food?
05:21That's a lot of cooking and a lot of smoky meat.
05:25As a South African, it sounds like a South African braai, so yeah, I'm quite intrigued and I think it
05:31should be good.
05:32These are our asado main courses.
05:34Everything here will be going over the embers, and we will be doing it at probably ten minutes before serving.
05:40So for now, it's on to the tomatillo salsa.
05:43I'm not quite sure what tomatillo is.
05:45Tomatillo?
05:46Yeah.
05:47Tomatoes.
05:48Tomatillo salsa.
05:49I think they're baby little tomatoes.
05:50OK.
05:51They're not.
05:51People mistake them often, a lot of the time, anything to do with the tomato.
05:55They're actually from the Gooseberry family.
05:56Anthony adds his fancy fruit along with black pepper and coriander to the blender.
06:02Good heat, good smoke.
06:04Lovely.
06:04The salsa will be paired with the monkfish this evening.
06:10What are you doing up there, Baz?
06:11I'm picking blackberries.
06:14People talk about a locally sourced out or a ten-mile radius.
06:17This is about a hundred-yard menu radius.
06:21Yeah, I think you might need a few more than that.
06:23It's taken you a while, hasn't it?
06:24It takes a long time to pick food.
06:26There's your damsons.
06:28Yeah, blackberries.
06:29They're all right.
06:29Glad the birds left some.
06:31And there's the mulberries.
06:33It started to rain when I was there.
06:36That's why he's not allowed in the kitchen.
06:37Take this out.
06:38Can't get the stuff, eh?
06:40For the pickled blackberries, Anthony combines sugar and white wine vinegar.
06:45Bring it to a boil with some cardamom.
06:47Nice and fragrant.
06:49There you go.
06:50That's how you pickle blackberries.
06:51And they'll be paired with the venison later.
06:53For Sally, the vegan main is smoked aubergine with black truffle polenta.
06:59It sounds delicious.
07:00Yeah, aubergine's one of my favourite vegetables.
07:02So, Baz's morning task is lighting the barbecue.
07:07He did a fantastic job of lighting it.
07:09Go, Baz!
07:10Just didn't maintain it.
07:11Oh.
07:12Best buying a couple more logs on, eh?
07:14Chef, everything going OK down here?
07:16Nice of you to join us.
07:17Sally's aubergines are grilled and will be hung and smoked later.
07:23Finally, it's dessert.
07:24Damson parfait with a white chocolate and tonka bean ganache.
07:28And a vegan option of dark chocolate delice.
07:32We were talking about using damsons as well, weren't we?
07:35So, they're in season.
07:36Sounds nice.
07:37Mm-hm.
07:38I mean, that sounds pretty good.
07:39Does that sound pretty delicious?
07:41Yeah.
07:41I really love this dessert because, well, it eats well.
07:45It's everything that's paired with it.
07:46It just ends up in the mouth and it's fantastic.
07:50To make the ganache, tonka beans and oat milk are blended, then combined with a white chocolate
07:55sauce and finished with a sprinkling of nutmeg.
07:58See this ganache?
08:00It's going to win me the cash.
08:02Yes, yes, very good.
08:03The ganache will be served with a damson parfait, so it's just the vegan pud left to perfect.
08:09This is very rich.
08:11Let's hope they like chocolate.
08:12That would certainly help.
08:14The delice is left to set for later.
08:16Looking at the menu, we've definitely got some competition.
08:19This is a really good second-placed menu.
08:23Obviously, the winning menu is our menu.
08:25I think we have pulled out quite a few stops.
08:29I think it's going to be a great night.
08:30Yep.
08:31And we're going to enjoy it, you and I.
08:33Maybe.
08:34Maybe.
08:36First to the party are Sally and her partner Patrick from the Hand and Shears.
08:41Welcome to the White Heart.
08:43Thank you very much.
08:43I'm Baz.
08:44Sally.
08:45Can we do this?
08:45Yeah, of course.
08:46Welcome, Sally.
08:47Thanks for having us.
08:49Pleasure.
08:49Hi, Baz.
08:50Patrick.
08:50Good to meet you.
08:51So, where are you guys from?
08:53I'm originally from South Africa.
08:55Oh.
08:56But, here you are.
08:57We've got a South African team into it.
08:59Hey!
08:59I thought so.
09:01Last in a whistler's duo, Kerry and Nathan.
09:05Hi.
09:06Hello.
09:06Welcome.
09:08Hi, I'm Baz.
09:09I'm Nathan.
09:10What's your name?
09:11Hi, I'm Anthony.
09:12Nice to meet you.
09:12Anthony, hi.
09:13Nice to meet you.
09:14Kiwi?
09:15No.
09:17Australian.
09:18Australian?
09:19I'm Australian.
09:19I'm Australian.
09:20Here we go.
09:21Blackberry, lemon thyme and gin fizz.
09:25Cheers, guys.
09:26Say cheers to that.
09:27Cheers.
09:27Oh, sorry, I couldn't wait.
09:29Cheers.
09:30Cheers.
09:30Cheers.
09:31Coming up, grooving guests.
09:34I always enjoy having an opportunity to dance.
09:37And meaty moans.
09:39I like to hang it so it's got that kind of more gamey flavour.
09:43I was disappointed.
09:44I don't think it needs to be hung for a very long period of time.
09:53It's the first night of our pros competition in Oxfordshire.
09:57Cheers.
09:58Cheers.
09:59Where owner Baz and head chef Anthony of the White Hart are hoping their fancy grilled grub will grab them
10:06a grand.
10:07I think it's going to be a great night because you've got three from the best nations.
10:12Three people from Oxfordshire.
10:15You wish.
10:17Yeah, nice try, Baz.
10:18On with the starter.
10:20And Anthony delicately tweezes grapefruit onto his grilled octopus, then drizzles with oil.
10:26Finishing touches.
10:28Some microherbs.
10:29Naturally.
10:30And here it is, grilled octopus with grapefruit and yuzu ponzu dressing.
10:36And for vegan Sally, there's compressed watermelon tataki.
10:41Thank you very much.
10:42There they are.
10:44Watermelon.
10:46Please enjoy.
10:47Thank you very much.
10:48It will do.
10:51This is really delicious.
10:54I'm pleased.
10:54The balanced acidity is really, really good.
10:57Yeah, this is lovely and tender.
10:59It was really a very good dish.
11:02It was lovely.
11:03But is it worthy of a thumbs up?
11:05Oh, yeah.
11:06Totally, yeah.
11:07Yeah.
11:08Let's see them then, Nathan.
11:09I'm not going to do that.
11:10No.
11:11Yeah.
11:12Just pretend, just pretend those are his thumbs.
11:15They're his thumbs.
11:18How does that sound?
11:19Absolutely beautiful.
11:20Definitely raised the bar, for sure.
11:22You know, I tasted it and I wanted to do that.
11:24Yeah.
11:25Oh, yeah.
11:25You know what?
11:27Grub going great guns, the gang get personal.
11:30Being with your partner is hard work.
11:32I find it very easily, personally.
11:34Really?
11:35Well, you might.
11:36I don't.
11:37Yeah.
11:38Nathan comes from a big family.
11:40He's one of nine.
11:41Yeah.
11:42So you're used to the chaos?
11:43Yes.
11:43And this is true, right?
11:44You actually don't like to be on your own.
11:46Oh, yeah.
11:46100%.
11:47Whereas, I like to have time on my own.
11:49Yeah.
11:50So I find it really difficult to be constantly with somebody.
11:55I'm not like a puppy.
11:56I don't, like, kind of...
11:57Oh, no, no.
11:57..call at her legs.
11:59But I do shout upstairs constantly if she's not in the room.
12:02Or bang on the...
12:03Yeah.
12:04Come on!
12:05Foley!
12:06Kerry and Nathan, absolute scream already.
12:08I mean, we're just going to laugh, aren't we?
12:10I mean, they've put their relationship on the table.
12:13Does your hat have any meaning or special significance?
12:17Um, I'm known as the man with the hat.
12:20Oh, wow.
12:20And, er, I have a hat for every season.
12:22I've got quite a few hats here tonight.
12:24So I thought we all might like to try a hat on.
12:27Yeah.
12:27And Robin Hood.
12:28That's my Robin Hood outfit.
12:30Yeah, there you go.
12:30Very merry.
12:32That does actually look great.
12:35Are we going to get nits from his hat?
12:38I did wonder that, I must say.
12:41Yeah.
12:42Yay!
12:42Yes!
12:43That looks good.
12:44That was a rancher if I've ever seen.
12:46Yeah, that was a really good look.
12:47Especially with this as well.
12:49It does look really, really good.
12:50Sorry, can I have a peel?
12:51Go on, go on.
12:52I have to get you in.
12:53I can see that's a well-tended beard.
12:55I thought it was quite long and soft and lush.
12:59No, it was straggly.
13:00No, it wasn't straggly.
13:01You didn't touch it right?
13:02No, I did.
13:03I, like, grabbed it like this and I went like that.
13:06It was nice.
13:07Oh.
13:07Cheers, guys!
13:09The feedback from the first course was, er, it's blown me away.
13:13Hats off to you, sirs.
13:15Now for the mains.
13:16Anthony pops the monkfish, duck breast and venison
13:19onto his fancy asado barbecue.
13:23Yeah, you might want to get some oil on that.
13:25Just a suggestion.
13:27Various cuts cooked, they're chopped and put onto sharing plates.
13:32That monkey is absolutely perfection.
13:36I really hope you're talking about the monkfish.
13:38Here's the main.
13:40Venison with pickled blackberries,
13:42monkfish with tomatillo salsa
13:44and mulberry smoked duck breast.
13:47And for Sally, the smoked aubergine with truffle polenta.
13:51Which is the monkfish.
13:53It's from here.
13:54The venison.
13:55OK, let's get started.
13:56Who's going to be the bravest to tuck in first?
14:01It's lovely.
14:02That's delicious.
14:03The duck is incredibly tasty
14:05and the mulberry jam is just so flavoursome and I love it.
14:10The monkfish is tender.
14:12It tasted great.
14:14This, er, tomat...
14:16Tomatillo.
14:17Tomatillo.
14:18It's new on me and I think it's brilliant.
14:19I'm finding it quite difficult to fault anything
14:22because it's really good.
14:24Every element of it worked really, really well together.
14:26It's beautiful.
14:27Smoky, creamy, sharp.
14:30Yeah, everything.
14:31It was a really, really good dish.
14:32I couldn't be happier.
14:33I'm over the moon.
14:34Chuffed to bits.
14:36With the venison, do you hang it at all?
14:39Yes, this venison, this specific one, has hung for a week.
14:43Because I use a lot of game, I like to hang it,
14:45so it's got that kind of more gamey flavour.
14:48You are right, the flavour is not as strong,
14:50but the texture is beautiful and it has that softness to it.
14:53It's cooked beautifully, just that could be a bit kind of like punchier.
14:58Let's clear the plates and let's move on.
15:00I was disappointed with the feedback on the venison.
15:02It's so fresh, it's fed off the forest floor.
15:05I don't think it needs to be hung for a very long period of time.
15:09Onwards and upwards with dessert.
15:11Anthony plates his parfait with the white chocolate ganache
15:15and finishes it off with a quick torching.
15:18Very happy with the end results.
15:20Let's just hope the guests think the same.
15:22Pud is an orchard damson parfait
15:24with white chocolate and tonka bean ganache.
15:27And for Sally, a vegan chocolate delice.
15:31Oh, that looks lovely. Thank you.
15:34I hope you like chocolates.
15:36Usually, vegans tend to get the short end of the stick,
15:39so we've gone out for...
15:44This is the first time the balance of the flavour
15:47hasn't been necessarily on point for me.
15:50Mm-hm.
15:52Only because the white chocolate is quite sickly.
15:54If I produced this in my kitchen, I would be proud.
15:56But as a critique, that's too sweet. Everything else works.
16:00Yes.
16:00We've done it to the best of our abilities tonight.
16:02We can only take that criticism and make it better next time.
16:05That's it.
16:06And how about that vegan option?
16:08So good.
16:09Like, so rich and then so fresh.
16:13Yeah.
16:13Oh, sorry, can I just...
16:14You have to, you have to.
16:16You have to, I'm sorry.
16:17I want to get in the right restaurant.
16:18All right, leave some for Sally, you lot!
16:20See, that freshness...
16:21It's so beautiful.
16:22..was exactly what that needed.
16:23It's so beautiful.
16:23Just perfect.
16:24I think my dessert was the best on the table.
16:27I think if your dessert had gone to everybody...
16:30It did.
16:31Yeah.
16:31It would have been full marks all the way around.
16:33Yeah.
16:34Dessert hopefully digested.
16:36There's one last surprise left in store.
16:46It was nice to have some live music.
16:49I always enjoy having an opportunity to dance.
16:53Oh, yes.
16:55Smooth moves, fellas.
16:57Great company.
16:58Great feedback.
17:00Great music.
17:03They've had a really good time.
17:04We've had a good time.
17:05Yeah, absolutely.
17:06What more could we ask for?
17:08Maybe some scores out of 20, please.
17:12We've had a phenomenal evening tonight.
17:14The food's been amazing.
17:16But my dessert was slightly too sweet,
17:18so tonight we're going to give Baz and Anthony...
17:2017.
17:21The dessert, the white chocolate, was just a little bit sweet
17:24and sickly for us.
17:27But the evening overall was really, really good.
17:29So we're going to give Ant and Baz...
17:3217.
17:3317.
17:35Which gives the white heart a whopping 34 out of 40 to start the week.
17:46It's the second day of our competition and the turn of Patrick and Sally
17:50are ready to try and cut the mustard at the hand and shears.
17:53We believe that we have a great chance to win.
17:56We absolutely believe that.
17:58There's been a high standard set by Anthony and Baz,
18:03so there's definitely going to be pressure on them to perform at not just the same standard,
18:08but hopefully better.
18:10With Patrick being a philosopher, I reckon that we're going to be getting a solid bit of red meat.
18:18I'm up for that.
18:20Well, it's seafood to start, actually.
18:23Rope-grown mussels with a creamy white wine sauce,
18:26comfy garlic, lobster oil and focaccia.
18:29That is a solid, solid starter.
18:32One of my favourite things...
18:33One of our favourite things to eat.
18:34One of our favourite things to eat, yeah.
18:36I'm not a massive fan of mussels.
18:38I don't think I ever choose them on a menu
18:39and I try not to put them on my own menu.
18:42These are our rope-grown English mussels.
18:45The reason they are so good is because they hang from floating rafts,
18:50which means they're not sitting there gathering up sand.
18:52The mussels are left to soak and will be cooked tonight.
18:56On to the homemade focaccia,
18:57which has been entrusted to front of house Sally today.
19:01To warm water, she adds dried yeast, salt and bread flour.
19:07Christ almighty, Sal.
19:08You've got more on your apron and on the floor than you've got in the bowl.
19:11Sorry, love.
19:12Time to get her hands as dirty as her apron.
19:16Not when you pick up now.
19:18I should push forward and turn.
19:21He just can't help himself, can he?
19:23You make it look so easy.
19:25Dough kneaded.
19:26It's lifted into a tin and covered with olive oil and rosemary.
19:30I think the guests are really going to love this.
19:32It'll be served with the mussels and a white wine sauce later.
19:37On with the main.
19:38Rump of lamb with sweetbreads, potato fondant and salsa verde.
19:43I mean, it's not making me think, wow.
19:46He's got to cook it really well.
19:48Sweetbreads, incredible.
19:50I could eat a whole main course of sweetbreads.
19:52Blimey.
19:53Patrick starts by scoring the lamb.
19:55We're doing Church Hamburger lamb,
19:57which comes from the field just next door to the pub.
19:59It's so local.
20:01You know, we've walked our dogs past that actual lamb.
20:03It's great.
20:04Unless you're the lamb, presumably.
20:06Next, the sweetbreads, a.k.a.
20:08They are the glands from the lamb.
20:11Erm, and I think they're incredibly tasty.
20:14Mmm, lovely lamb glands.
20:17After a quick poach, they're coated in flour and set aside to be cooked tonight.
20:23Dessert time.
20:24Dark chocolate fondant with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream.
20:29I mean, that's as classic as you can get it, isn't it?
20:32A nice chocolate fondant is always delicious.
20:35From a fondant, I want to have a runny centre.
20:37If it's not runny, that's a, yeah, that's a deal breaker.
20:42Lots of butter, lots of chocolate, lots of sugar.
20:44What's not to like?
20:45Indeed.
20:47Patrick gets started by mixing together eggs and sugar.
20:52Aye, aye, prepare for take-off.
20:55Dark chocolate and butter are melted and poured into the eggy mix.
20:58In goes the flour before the whole lot is piped into moulds.
21:03Chocolate fondant.
21:04They'll be baked tonight, so it's on to the honeycomb.
21:07Sugar is simmered in water.
21:08A childhood love, isn't it?
21:11Suck the chocolate off, leave the honeycomb.
21:13Let's hope you're not doing that tonight.
21:15Bicarbonate of soda is whisked in before it's set aside to cool.
21:19It'll be served with the fondants and vanilla ice cream tonight.
21:24Let's go get scrubbed up.
21:25Let's go.
21:27I reckon it's going to be very, quite smart.
21:30Erm, I suspect there's going to be a lot of attention to detail.
21:35I think this menu could win if the evening's really, really good
21:38and the atmosphere and everything around the menu's as good as last night's.
21:43First through the doors are Baz and Antony.
21:46Yeah, I think I've been here four years ago.
21:49Hello.
21:50Hello, guys.
21:51Hello, hello.
21:52Fancy seeing you.
21:53How are you doing?
21:55How are you?
21:55Good to see you.
21:57I've been to this pub many, many years ago.
21:59Have you?
22:01Well, welcome.
22:02Good to see you.
22:02What was the food like when you used to come here?
22:05I can't remember.
22:06I really can't.
22:06I've got a horrible feeling I was meeting somebody I shouldn't have been meeting.
22:11Fast!
22:13Finally, it's Kerry and Nathan.
22:15Hi!
22:16How are you?
22:17Hi, mate.
22:18How are you doing?
22:19Nice to see you.
22:21And these are our house brambles.
22:23Oh, lovely.
22:24Did you spend much time together today?
22:26Yeah.
22:26Did you get any alone time?
22:28No.
22:28No.
22:29Why would you want to do that?
22:30No.
22:31Even when I tried to go for a nana nap, he decides he wants to have a nana nap at
22:34the same time.
22:36What's a nana nap?
22:38Just a little snooze for two minutes.
22:40If anybody should be having nana naps, it should definitely be him.
22:43Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-nap.
22:47Coming up, delayed dishes.
22:49I've forgotten the sweetbreads.
22:51We do make mistakes.
22:52It's how you deal with it and how you rectify it, yeah.
22:54And droning diners.
22:57I actually really love a tomato juice right now.
23:00Mmm.
23:08It's day two of our pros competition in Oxfordshire.
23:12Cheers, guys!
23:14And the turn of Sally and Patrick from the hand and shears to try and prove themselves a cut above
23:19the rest.
23:20Lots of giggles, lots of laughing.
23:22Good food?
23:22As long as I knock out good food, I don't really mind.
23:25Of course you will.
23:25You always do.
23:26I don't really mind.
23:27Patrick chucks his mussels into a frying pan and dollops on his sauce.
23:32I do love it when he flambés.
23:34Very exciting.
23:35Oh, isn't it just?
23:36On goes a drizzle of lobster oil.
23:38I mean, look at the colour on those, eh?
23:41They are pretty.
23:42OK, guys.
23:43Service.
23:43Let's take it away.
23:44Chef, chef!
23:46And there you have it.
23:47Mussels with a creamy white wine sauce, lobster oil and focaccia.
23:53Wow!
23:54Oh, my gosh!
23:54Oh, my gosh!
23:56I'm looking forward to this.
23:57Thank you so much.
23:59It's not something I eat very often.
24:01You can see with a fork.
24:02OK.
24:02It's finger food.
24:03Put your finger...
24:04Yeah.
24:04Can I stick my tongue in there?
24:07Has the answer to that ever been no, Kerry?
24:10No.
24:11It's always a yes.
24:12Good.
24:13Good.
24:16I'm not a mussel fan at all.
24:18The lobster oil makes all the difference.
24:21It's delicious.
24:22Yeah.
24:23I loved it, but somehow it just wasn't quite up there with some other mussel dishes that I've had.
24:31The focaccia, absolutely amazing.
24:34I just wanted more sauce.
24:35I'm really, really chuffed at how well they were received.
24:39There were lots of clean plates and great feedback.
24:42Great!
24:42On with the main.
24:44Patrick sears his lamb rump.
24:46I think that's looking quite good.
24:48A quick slice.
24:50Service.
24:50Let's go.
24:51Perfect.
24:52And here it is.
24:54Rump of lamb with potato fondant, salsa verde and hang on, wasn't this dish meant to come with sweetbreads?
25:01Good, darling.
25:02Oh.
25:03Looks great, doesn't it?
25:04Thank you very much.
25:05Bon appetit, guys.
25:07Yummy.
25:07Wow.
25:08I've forgotten the sweetbreads.
25:10Oh, no!
25:10I'll just go and get those on the plate.
25:12I did say.
25:14How long's this going to take, then?
25:17Probably about another three minutes or so.
25:19This is what we do every single day, and we do make mistakes.
25:21It's how you deal with it and how you rectify it.
25:24Here you go, guys.
25:24Oh, wow.
25:26Yeah, thank you.
25:27He just dealt with it so brilliantly.
25:30Hopefully, after all that, it was worth the wait.
25:34Buzz.
25:35Buzz!
25:37Buzz!
25:38That...
25:40Does it rock your world?
25:41It absolutely makes my life honestly.
25:44They are cooked to perfection.
25:45They are beautifully, beautifully done.
25:47Oh, phew!
25:48I love sweetbreads, and done well, they're excellent, and they were excellent.
25:53To be honest with you, my lamb is slightly chewy.
25:58OK.
25:58And that does happen with rumps.
26:00My lamb is as tender as you're going to get it.
26:03Good.
26:03It's absolutely cracking.
26:05Glad you're enjoying it.
26:06I think Nathan's comment is fair, because when you have a rump, you have a thicker end and
26:11you have a thinner end, I presume he just got one down at the lower end.
26:16A few months ago, I went to a lecture on the subject of gastrophysics.
26:23So, it's the science of the things that happen that affect our taste.
26:30The biggest selling drink on aeroplanes is tomato juice.
26:35They have worked out that the decibels of an aeroplane creates a sensation in your head.
26:41Are you taking all this in, Kerry?
26:43I don't think I was listening.
26:44What he was saying was quite interesting.
26:48I'm sure it was.
26:49But the way that he says it isn't necessarily that interesting.
26:51It gives you an urge to want to have the Eumani flavour of a large Bloody Mary.
26:58So, if we've got a load of tomato juice that we need to shift...
27:01How many...
27:01How many...
27:02How many customers are here?
27:08I just really love a tomato juice right now.
27:15Mmm...
27:19Mmm...
27:19Well, if you're ever struggling with what you're doing at the moment,
27:21you can always go on to selling tomato juice to aeroplanes.
27:24LAUGHTER
27:26No, I just drink it.
27:27LAUGHTER
27:28With vodka in it.
27:30Go get you some dessert.
27:31As a whole, I'm happy with the dish, and I hope they work.
27:35Just one course left to go, and after a quick bake, the fondants are ready.
27:40Pud is a dark chocolate fondant with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream.
27:46Oh!
27:47Oh, goody.
27:48Oh!
27:49Perfect.
27:50Oh, it smells incredible.
27:52Oh, yum.
27:52I hope you enjoy it.
27:57It's light and soft and warm and gooey in the centre.
28:01A little bit crispy on the outer edges, which is delicious.
28:06Because I saw this beautiful dish, my taste sensations were already heightened.
28:11And therefore, everything at that point was just lovely.
28:14It's proven that if you get the sound of a really good crunch in your head,
28:23it exacerbates the sensation in your mouth.
28:26You're full of fun facts tonight, aren't you, fella?
28:29Home time!
28:30I think missing the sweetbreads is going to, you know, bring us down considerably.
28:37Um...
28:38Strong 15?
28:40Um...
28:41Yeah, I would hope to be sort of that sort of region, something like that.
28:45Yeah, I would like to...
28:46Let's find out.
28:46Scores, please.
28:47The lamb wasn't quite as good as I'd have liked.
28:50So, we're going to score them.
28:5217.
28:5217.
28:53We're going to give Patrick and Sally a 15.
28:57So, the Hand and Shears can't quite put their finger on first place
29:01with a score of 32.
29:10It's the final day, and Kerry and Nathan's turn to host at their restaurant, Whistler's.
29:15I think that the competition is really high,
29:18and I think we do still have a chance of winning,
29:20but we'll just have to wait and see.
29:22Kerry and Nathan are the ones going to be under pressure tonight,
29:24so I generally don't know what tonight is going to be like.
29:29I think they're going to really try and push the boat off.
29:31Well, hopefully you'll think their dessert is ship-shape.
29:35Black Forest Gatto.
29:37I think as long as it's done more traditionally,
29:40rather than being a deconstructed dessert...
29:43Yeah.
29:44Yeah.
29:44Looks like a good dessert.
29:45I think it's going to be a lot more fussy than the way it reads on the menu.
29:52First time I gave it to Kerry, she's absolutely not stopped talking about it.
29:56It means it's a winner.
29:58Nathan starts by making a fancy chocolate casing.
30:01Oh.
30:02Oh, nearly.
30:03Ah, that's the ticket.
30:05He pipes in a chocolate cream and adds a cherry gel.
30:08You're now going to take my cherry, and it's a hot cherry, so watch your hands.
30:12Yes.
30:12Next, a layer of chocolate sponge and more creamy chocolate goes on top.
30:17A nice big canal on the top of that,
30:19and it is going to be the Black Forest Gatto of dreams.
30:22Mmm.
30:22For Sally, there's a vegan cherry fool.
30:26There's lots of different flavours in there, and that'll be nice and fresh, I hope.
30:30Yeah, sounds really good.
30:31It's something I've never done before.
30:33I'm going to whip it up together and hope for the best.
30:35Nathan mixes up cherries, vegan yoghurt and vegan cream.
30:39Quite delicious.
30:40It is, isn't it?
30:41Yeah.
30:42Shall we all be vegan?
30:43No.
30:44Once chilled, it'll be served with a cherry sorbet.
30:48On to the main, and the week's second appearance of venison.
30:52This time in the form of a loin and petivier, both served with a pickled blackberry jus.
30:57I always will go for venison on a menu.
31:00Just hoping it's going to be as gamey as he recommends.
31:03I would presume his venison is going to be well-aged.
31:07Kerry, my dear.
31:12Oh, my God.
31:14That's a big old boy.
31:16How much was it, dear?
31:18It was very dear.
31:22Oh, that's tickled her, all right.
31:25After a jointing jaunt, the deer loin will be used for the venison steaks,
31:29and the shoulder for the petivier filling, which Nathan dices,
31:33then chucks in a pan with some veg and herbs.
31:36I hope people appreciate how much skill has gone into the preparation of it.
31:44That's your way of paying me a compliment.
31:45Yes, darling.
31:47On to the pastry, which Kerry delicately fills.
31:50Straight in the middle.
31:51Bang.
31:51Don't do it that hard next time.
31:53Sorry.
31:55Wow, look at that.
31:57Don't drop it.
31:59That's it.
32:01That is perfect.
32:02She is a great learner.
32:03I'm a great teacher.
32:04Is he, Kerry?
32:05Yes.
32:07The higher she goes, the bigger the line.
32:11Sally will be getting butternut squash steak with a spinach pie.
32:16Finally, it's the starter, Orkney scallop,
32:19with Nduja agnolotti, apple crisp, shallots and a smoked roe taramasalata.
32:26They look like they're trying to balance flavours here.
32:29You've got acidity from the apple, you've got depth for the shallots.
32:33Sounds good.
32:33There's a lot going on, but wow.
32:36That's a lot.
32:37There's a lot of components to that starter.
32:39Orkney scallops, arguably the best scallops you can buy.
32:43The moment that we want to serve them, we're going to cook them then
32:46and they're going to be outstanding.
32:47And the rose are also being put to good use by smoking, then blending
32:53with spices into a taramasalata.
32:57Onto the agnolotti, which is a type of filled pasta.
33:00Is that your lotte?
33:04And Nduja and shallot puree are placed onto the pasta,
33:07which then gets shaped into little billowy parcels.
33:10You've got a perfect sealed agnolotti.
33:14To be boiled later.
33:16Sally's getting roasted beetroot and chilli ravioli.
33:20I'm really good at everything, aren't I?
33:21I'm absolutely delighted for you.
33:24I have done really well working with you today.
33:27Yeah. I mean, I'm impressed.
33:28Congratulations. Thank you.
33:30No stage. Thank you very much.
33:32If Kerry's hosting, I think she'll put on, yeah,
33:36a really good, fun night, definitely.
33:38I think we're going to be going to a upscale-type bistro.
33:42So it could be very quirky.
33:44First to turn up are Sally and Patrick.
33:47Hey!
33:48Hi, guys.
33:49Hi.
33:51Good to see you.
33:52How are you?
33:53This is a sidecar.
33:57Oh, wow.
33:57Oh, yes.
33:58Oh, hello. Hi.
33:59That's my kind of cop car.
34:01That will definitely give you a cheers for that one.
34:03Cheers.
34:04Next in and giving it the full Mary Poppins of Baz and Anthony.
34:08You two look amazing.
34:10How are you?
34:10Good, baby.
34:11Yeah, really good.
34:12I do like your t-shirt, Baz. Anything to say about that?
34:15Grumpy old git.
34:17Obviously, only one word applies.
34:18Grumpy.
34:19Git.
34:20Cheers.
34:20Cheers.
34:21Cheers.
34:23Coming up, ballet blunders.
34:25Fourth, fifth.
34:26Sixth?
34:27No.
34:27Sixth?
34:27There's no six in ballet.
34:29No.
34:29I've done ballet.
34:30Yeah, but you were four.
34:31Who taught you?
34:33And who'll be left holding the hall?
34:43It's our final night in Oxfordshire.
34:46Cheers.
34:47Cheers.
34:47Well done, everyone.
34:48Where couple Kerry and Nathan of Whistlers are hoping their menu will hit the high notes and win them the
34:54£1,000.
34:56You smell delicious.
35:00OK.
35:03Nathan sears his scallops, simmers the agnolotti, then finally all the elements get plated up.
35:10How is the crispy apple, Carol?
35:11Yeah, it's good, darling.
35:12It's nice and crispy.
35:13Leave some for your guests.
35:15I think it might be ready.
35:18The starter is scallop with undugia agnolotti, Granny Smith apple and smoked roe taramasalata.
35:24And for the vegan starter, beetroot and chilli ravioli with smoked beetroot taramasalata.
35:36OK, guys, enjoy.
35:37I don't want to cut into it.
35:39It's exceptionally pretty.
35:40As are you.
35:42Shall we have a kiss now or later?
35:43Yeah, no, save it till later.
35:48The balance of flavours and the acidity in your little pickle, it is spot on.
35:55If you ate each item, I could say, oh, you know, the agnolotti is maybe a bit spicy or this
36:00or that.
36:00But the second you put it together, amazing, isn't it?
36:04The crunch of the dehydrated apple as well, it's just adding another texture.
36:07Yeah.
36:08Every single component was incredible.
36:11Did the dish need all of that on it?
36:13Not at all.
36:14I would have been thrilled by having just the one scallop.
36:17Smokiness.
36:18Wow.
36:21Gorgeous.
36:21The smoked beetroot just blew me away.
36:24The dish was fantastic.
36:25It looked great, it tasted great, the texture was great.
36:29Great!
36:29But I think the chilli was too strong for this one.
36:32Nathan, Kerry, curious to know how you guys met one another.
36:36OK, so he came over to Australia to his brother's 50th.
36:41Yeah.
36:42And we happened to be at the same local pub in town.
36:46And we chatted for an hour in the pub.
36:48In that first hour of meeting each other, we kind of worked out our whole life plan together.
36:54The next night, we randomly saw each other again, we did the same thing.
36:58And then the next day, he flew back to England.
37:00Three weeks later, I flew over to England.
37:02Aw.
37:03And we were basically both having a midlife crisis at the same time.
37:07OK.
37:07And we decided to do it together.
37:09That is true.
37:10How do you feel?
37:11Do you think that was the right choice?
37:13We're still deciding.
37:16When we first, I think, got a glimpse of the real Kerry and the real Nathan, it was actually a
37:22really lovely story.
37:23I'll raise a glass for the first course.
37:25Cheers, guys.
37:25Well done.
37:26Excellent.
37:26We know that they can cook good food, so when they give us feedback, it's really, really valuable.
37:32Yeah.
37:32That's more valuable than anything.
37:34Let's hope the feedback is as fantastic for the week's second helping of venison.
37:38I'm hoping this venison is going to taste venison-y, because if I made a comment on Anthony's venison, this
37:45has been hanging for about 10, 12 days, so it should have that more intense game flavour.
37:51Once seared, the loins are sliced.
37:54Cooked pretty much perfectly for me.
37:56Nice and pink.
37:57Shame the vegan's going to miss out.
37:59Not sure that's how she'd see it.
38:01Anyway, it's done.
38:02Venison loin with a venison petivier and a pickled blackberry jus.
38:07Sally's vegan version is a butternut squash steak and a mushroom and spinach petivier.
38:13Here we go, Bez.
38:14Wow.
38:17Thank you very much.
38:21So, in your opinion, this is obviously an aged, gamey venison.
38:27Yeah.
38:28Have you hung that, or is it where you've got it?
38:30So, our butcher hangs our meat for us.
38:32Obviously, the longer you hold it for, ideally, the more mature the meat becomes.
38:36I don't see it any more gamier than the venison I served.
38:40It's tender, but it's not as tender as I would have liked from loin.
38:44The petivier, fantastic.
38:45Got more love for the petivier than I have the actual venison itself.
38:50Did you?
38:50I think it's a great dish.
38:51It really, really works.
38:52There's definitely a bite to the venison that I wasn't expecting.
38:56But just my...
38:57She's just a tiny, tiny bit more acidic than...
39:00Yeah, that's a fair comment.
39:01Just a little acidic.
39:02That's all.
39:03The different elements hadn't been executed as well as I'd expected when I read the menu.
39:08Time for a little guessing game.
39:10One of these things is true about both of us.
39:13One of us was a Mormon.
39:15Yeah.
39:15And one of us went to the Royal Ballet School.
39:18Oh, I saw you dance yesterday.
39:20You went to ballet for sure.
39:22No, no, no.
39:23No way.
39:24Nathan's posture.
39:25His shoulders are down.
39:26Kerry is back.
39:26She's poised like a proper ballerina.
39:29So, I'm going Kerry for the ballerina and Nathan for the Mormon.
39:32I strongly disagree.
39:34So, I was the Mormon.
39:36Yes!
39:37And Nathan was the ballerina!
39:38Get in there!
39:39Get in there!
39:40He was like freakin' twinkle toes!
39:42Can you show us your pas de bourrée?
39:44You can't make this up cos I wouldn't know.
39:46That's first.
39:47No, it's not.
39:48No, it's not!
39:49Yes, it is.
39:50That's first.
39:51That's second.
39:52That's third.
39:53Fourth.
39:53Fifth.
39:54Sixth.
39:55There's no sixth in ballet.
39:57I've done ballet.
39:58Yeah, but you were four.
39:59Who taught you?
40:01Nathan, yes, on the first night...
40:03You spotted it, didn't you?
40:04Yeah, absolutely.
40:05He could dance, you know?
40:07I was pretty pleased with the way the main course went up,
40:10but they actually gave some very good, positive, constructive criticism.
40:15Let's just pirouette on with Pud then, shall we?
40:18Cream is dolloped onto the Black Forest Ghetto.
40:21This is a winning dish without all the other food.
40:24This is incredible.
40:25All right, all right.
40:27Dessert is Black Forest Ghetto, and for Sally,
40:30there's a vegan cherry ful.
40:33There's a vegan ful.
40:36Ooh.
40:37Enjoy.
40:38All right, thank you very much.
40:43I think the flavours and everything has just hit it.
40:46Bang on.
40:47It's just phenomenal.
40:49Phenomenal.
40:50Phenomenal.
40:50Four syllables.
40:51That's quite good.
40:52I always think that when the words have a lot of syllables,
40:56it's particularly good.
40:57I was in heaven.
40:59It was bloody fantastic.
41:01It's lovely, but just from the compote,
41:05you just need to grab a little bit of the other flavours in with it.
41:08The execution with the dessert wasn't something I enjoyed.
41:13I just couldn't finish.
41:14Look, I gave it a go, and it was a risk, which I rarely take risks,
41:20and that was like, yeah, it doesn't work.
41:23The other day when we were talking, your name came up,
41:26and we started talking about the shape of your body.
41:30Sorry, where's this going?
41:32And I think I probably mentioned that you're probably a strong man.
41:37Nathan said, I bet he's not really.
41:39Oh, bloody sake him.
41:40There's clearly only one way to settle this.
41:42Get those guns out for an arm wrestle.
41:45There are two rules.
41:47You need to wrestle with the left arm
41:49while stroking each other's beers with the right arm.
41:53What?
41:53Not at the same time.
41:55Give it a go, give it a go.
41:57I am a proper bloke.
41:59Yeah?
41:59I cannot do two things at once.
42:02Stroke and then stop and then arm wrestle.
42:04Is that fair?
42:05Three, two, one.
42:08Go.
42:09Come on.
42:10Come on.
42:11Ah!
42:12Patrick doesn't even look like he's trying.
42:15You didn't need him.
42:15Imagine.
42:17He's a proper man.
42:19LAUGHTER
42:22Finish him!
42:24Yeah.
42:25Oh.
42:26I bow to your peers and your strength.
42:28Well done.
42:30Nathan can't have genuinely thought that he was going to be new.
42:33Look, I think...
42:33He didn't think that.
42:34I think to be a good chef, which he quite clearly is,
42:38you have to be a little bit arrogant.
42:41Look, I have actually got a muscle.
42:43Oh, there's?
42:43Yeah, that's not...
42:44That's bad, eh?
42:45That's quite good, actually, yeah.
42:46Actually.
42:47And that's my bad arm.
42:48Do I really kiss him?
42:49No.
42:50Cheers, everyone.
42:52To the last course of the last day.
42:55If we were going to score ourselves...
42:56No, I'd say 17.
42:59I always do what I'm told.
43:0118.
43:03Whistlers need to score 35 or more
43:05to knock the white heart off top spot.
43:09Tonight, Nathan and Kerry, we feel,
43:12would have had a much higher score
43:13if it wasn't for the vegan dishes,
43:15but, sadly, they had let them down.
43:17So, tonight, we're going to give them a...
43:1915.
43:2015.
43:20The food has been very, very good,
43:23but sometimes things were a little bit too complicated.
43:27So, for that reason, we're going to give Kerry and Nathan...
43:31Hold your horses!
43:33Yeah!
43:34Let's find out together!
43:36Woo-hoo!
43:37Woo-hoo!
43:48Woo-hoo!
43:53In...
43:56Second place...
43:59Is...
44:01Hand and Shield!
44:03Woo-hoo!
44:03So, that means in first place is White Heart!
44:06Woo-hoo!
44:06That's kind of lovely, Mike!
44:09The White Heart scored Kerry and Nathan 14,
44:12giving them a total of 29.
44:15Oh!
44:15I think all our competitors were amazing,
44:18and I think everybody had a lot to offer,
44:21and the food was phenomenal all the way through.
44:23Hey, the hat!
44:23I'll set him out of here!
44:24Hey!
44:27I'm out of here!
44:29This whole experience has helped me
44:31to appreciate Nathan more.
44:33It really emphasised to me how good he really is.
44:37That's enough, darling.
44:40Oh!
44:44Just having the shared experience with Patrick and Sammy,
44:48Nathan and Kerry,
44:50is actually worth a little bit more than that.
44:54But it does help.
44:56Oh, I'm the kind of guy who is always on the road
45:05Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home
45:10Yeah!
45:12Yeah!
45:17You had a romance, did you break it by chance?
45:21Oh, for me
45:24If it's so...
45:25I mean, he's not the best...
45:25Oh!
45:26I've got nothing...
45:26No, no!
45:26No, no!
45:26If you go to my house,
45:26There's always been my house...
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