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00:01This week, outstanding chefs from the central and east of England
00:05I'm now wrecking it.
00:07Why did I do this to myself?
00:08Are in search of success at Great British Menu.
00:14This year, using movies as their inspiration.
00:18The UK's finest chefs are competing over six courses with the ultimate accolade.
00:24Cooking at a star-studded banquet at Liverpool's St George's Hall.
00:30They'll need blockbuster dishes to impress their mentors,
00:34veterans of the competition, both trusted old hands and new faces
00:39who will eliminate the lowest-scoring chefs each day
00:43until the final two face our exacting cast of judges.
00:48It's interesting.
00:49Just perfect.
00:50That's delicious, yeah.
00:51Who will add their name to the glittering list?
00:54One of Great British Menu winners.
00:57I'm just a girl standing in front of George, asking to lock my food.
01:14This week, the top chefs from central and the east of England
01:17are competing to win a place at finals.
01:19With dishes inspired by their region's talents,
01:23I'm hoping for a box office smash hit.
01:26Arriving first is James Sherwin from Shropshire,
01:29head chef at a farm-led restaurant that holds a green Michelin star.
01:34I came into this as a self-taught chef,
01:37so I've got a definite chip on my shoulder about that,
01:40so I just want to prove to myself that, actually, I'm all right at this.
01:43Joining him is private chef Nikita Patachi from Derby.
01:48Hiya.
01:49Hello, how are you?
01:49Hi. I'm James.
01:50Nikita, nice to meet you, too.
01:52I've worked really hard on the dishes, so I just need to execute them.
01:55How are you feeling?
01:56Nervous.
01:56Yes, definitely.
01:57And hopefully that will be enough to get me to the judges' chambers.
02:01Next, Louisa Ellis, also a private chef.
02:05I really, really, really want to get to the banquet this year.
02:08Hi, guys.
02:09Hiya.
02:09Hello.
02:10She's returning to the competition after reaching judges' chambers in 2024,
02:15losing out to the banquet fish course winner, Adam Smith.
02:18It's good to be back.
02:19I think there's more pressure this time.
02:21I don't know why.
02:22So many chefs have come through this competition in the central region,
02:24have done really well.
02:26Hopefully I can try and follow in their footsteps.
02:30Originally from South Africa,
02:31but now is an award-winning Birmingham restaurant.
02:35Hi, guys.
02:35Oh, hello.
02:36Hey, how are you?
02:36Ash Valenzuela Higa is ready for the task ahead.
02:40Nice to meet you.
02:40This is a challenge for me to prove to myself that I'm a good cook.
02:44You're outnumbered today, mate.
02:45Yeah, it's very scary, actually.
02:48Obviously the main goal at the end of it is to go all the way through.
02:54Hello, chefs, how are you?
02:55Good.
02:56Good, Nervous.
02:57Louisa, nice to see you.
02:59Nice to see you, too.
02:59How are you feeling, chef?
03:00Glad to be back.
03:01Nikita.
03:02Ready for battle?
03:03Yeah.
03:04Because it is a battle.
03:05Yeah.
03:05How about you, Ash?
03:05Ready for the competition?
03:07I hope so.
03:08Done everything I can.
03:09It's just down to what happens today, I guess.
03:11James, how are you, sir?
03:13Terrified.
03:13Are you?
03:14Yeah, a little bit.
03:15I'm excited.
03:16A little bit.
03:17Use those nerves as fuel.
03:19As always, we start with the canapé.
03:23Canapé rankings will be used to settle
03:25if there's a tie-break later by our judge,
03:28a previous winner yet to arrive.
03:31James deep-fries nori seaweed.
03:33It will be topped with sardines,
03:35Szechuan mayonnaise and a rose vinegar gel.
03:39That's the last one.
03:39I shouldn't need any more unless something goes horribly wrong.
03:43Nikita's chicken nibba parfait will sit in a delicate pastry tartlet.
03:48This is chicken skin, so I'm just taking the fat off
03:50so that I can get it nice and crispy in the oven.
03:54Both Ash and Louisa have opted for a tartare.
03:57Ash mixes soy, black vinegar and fava bean miso for her venison tartare.
04:04Venison's a lean meat.
04:05It picks up the flavours really easily.
04:07And Louisa fries croustard pastry cases for a beef tartare.
04:11First one's always a bit not very good, like a pancake, you know?
04:15They're coming out okay now.
04:17Ah, so what we like, industrious chefs.
04:20I've come to talk to you about your veteran.
04:23There are definitely a few that I've earmarked
04:24that make me think, oh my God.
04:26Simon Rogan, Spencer Metzger.
04:29Spencer Metzger because he seems scary as hell.
04:31Tom Shepard, Paul Ainsworth.
04:33Who scares you the most?
04:34Maybe Spencer.
04:35I've seen his cooking and it's very, very precise and that scares me.
04:39Ash, Spencer Metzger, Simon Rogan.
04:42100% Spencer Metzger.
04:43He scares the f*** away.
04:46Their veteran has won two Michelin stars
04:49at his restaurant Row on Five.
04:52Last little fiddly bits, get it on there.
04:54I've got shaky hands.
04:56Great British menu champion of champions in 2022.
05:07It's Spencer Metzger.
05:09Four chefs who were all definitely wanting to see you walk through the door.
05:13Absolutely.
05:14Oh, nice to make me feel welcome.
05:16Please.
05:17So this is a beef tartare cross-starred
05:19with smoked emulsion, porcini and shiitake mushrooms.
05:23I've got crispy nori with sardine, rose, wasabi and szechuan.
05:28This is a venison tartare, sikadir tartare
05:31with toasted rapeseed, black vinegar, aged soy and cheese on leaf.
05:36Finally for you, chef.
05:36This is a chicken liver parfait tartare with chap masala, green apple and chicken skin.
05:42What are you expecting for, hoping for, praying for, from these lovely chefs?
05:47This year's brief for me, celebrating British movies and movie makers is the ultimate chance
05:52to really showcase your creativity, your cookery, your precision.
05:56And hopefully we have some fantastic plates of food.
05:58Wish you all the best of luck.
05:59Thank you.
05:59I look forward to seeing what you've got.
06:01Thank you.
06:04I had an intuition that I might be Spencer.
06:06Obviously my nightmares have come true.
06:08Spencer, what do you think about these chefs after having one bite of their delicious food?
06:12The standard was actually pretty high.
06:14There was three out of the four I thought were, you know, really, really good.
06:17Take me through it. What are your rankings?
06:18So in fourth place would be James.
06:20I mean, the texture of it was a little bit soft.
06:22I didn't really think that it kind of came together as a one-biter.
06:25It looks really pretty.
06:27Yeah, it's beautiful.
06:28You can taste our nicer fishers.
06:29In third place would be Ash.
06:31The tartare, it was quite large for a canapé and it just didn't really excite me.
06:35It's a hard one to do in one.
06:37That's really nice.
06:37No, that's beautiful.
06:38It's lovely.
06:39In second place would be Louisa with the crustade.
06:41Great texture, nice size, good seasoning, a little bit of smokiness in there.
06:45I really enjoyed that.
06:46Mmm.
06:48It's great.
06:48That smells really nice.
06:49Texturally, really good.
06:50Thank you.
06:51Oh, delicious.
06:51And so first...
06:53So in first place is Nikita.
06:54There was a lovely little bit of spice to it.
06:56Really great texture.
06:58It's beautiful.
06:58I like the texture of the apple on it.
07:00Banging.
07:00But I'm looking forward to seeing what she cooks.
07:06Okay, guys, let's do it.
07:07Good luck, everyone.
07:07Good luck.
07:09Everyone's got a really great pedigree about them all working brilliant places.
07:13There can't be any mistakes because everyone is so talented.
07:17There's more pressure this time round.
07:19But I need to completely get rid of that, and I will, and do the starter with a completely different
07:23mindset.
07:24I'm 100% confident in my abilities to make it through, but this kitchen, it changes things.
07:32Now for the first scored course, the starter, which must be vegan and linked to their choice
07:38is a film or cinematic hero from the central England region.
07:44Hey, chef.
07:44Hello.
07:45How's the terror?
07:46It's okay.
07:47We're good now.
07:47We're calm now.
07:48I'm very intrigued to find out what you're going to be cooking.
07:50The title is Enola's Secret Code, and it's based on the Enola Holmes film that was filmed in Shropshire with
07:57Millie Bobby Brown.
07:59Perfect.
07:59I'm going to do a fermented tomato tartare.
08:02It's going to have a sunflower seed and poppy seed tuile on top, a little tomato paste, lots of flowers,
08:07and then a broth made from kelp and elderberries.
08:09The tomatoes themselves, what have you done to those ones there?
08:12So they've just been lacto-fermented, 2% salt, and then they'll go into the dehydrator for a little bit
08:16just to dry out a little bit before I serve it to you.
08:19And are they a specific kind of tomato that you're using for the dish, or...?
08:22No.
08:22No?
08:23No, I'm sorry.
08:24And what are you worried about with this dish?
08:26The presentation being neat enough to tell the story.
08:30So is the link to the brief just in the presentation, really?
08:32The flowers in the dish will link to the presentation, which will then link to the film.
08:42Are you scared of you?
08:43Come on, don't be silly.
08:45A little bit, a little bit.
08:46Let's talk about your food.
08:47It's called Ploughing the Field.
08:49It's inspired by War Horse.
08:50Jeremy Irvine, the lead, is from Cambridgeshire.
08:53He trains the horse to plough the field, to grow turnips and root vegetables.
08:58Please tell us what you're cooking.
09:00Sort of a sweet Jerusalem archoic puree topped with pickled turnip, roasted Jerusalem archoic
09:04covered in a potato foam, and then I'm serving it with a laminated onion brioche.
09:08So as many root vegetables as I could.
09:10So you're making brioche, obviously, with no butter.
09:13Yes, it's a vegan brioche.
09:15What are you worried about?
09:16The bread, because I have to laminate it first and then prove it.
09:18Just work.
09:22Okay.
09:26Hey, chef, how are you getting on?
09:28Very well, thank you.
09:29Talk to us about your dish, please.
09:31So the inspiration is the great screenplay writer Stephen Knight, who's a born and bred Brummie,
09:36and the dish is called Elevation.
09:38He takes the Birmingham cityscape, which can be quite plain and drab and really elevates
09:43it to something that could be really elegant, really modern, really creative.
09:47So that's the inspiration for using squash, taking something that's really humble and trying
09:52to elevate it.
09:52I'm going to quickly roast them in the oven, finish them on the barbecue.
09:56And what's the texture going to be like?
09:57It's going to be quite tricky to find that balance between cooked through, but still has
10:00a little bit of texture.
10:01I have a value van sauce, apricots are there to a second, it's slightly.
10:05So on the dish itself, it's just the squash, the sauce.
10:08I'm also making a little crispy crumb with some British grains.
10:11I'm looking forward to seeing what you put together.
10:13Thank you.
10:20The title is Dawn of the Shroom, and it's inspired by Bella Ramsey, who is from Nottingham, and
10:27she plays Molly in Chicken Run, Dawn of the Nugget.
10:30I just thought it would be really nice to sort of do a take on Bella's nugget, and I'm going
10:34to do that with head of the word mushrooms.
10:35They are going to be brined, glazed, and barbecued, and tempered, and that's going
10:41with an aerated sweet corn and truffle foam, a fermented chilli emulsion, sweet corn, chiso,
10:47and a tiny bit of jalapeno in a salsa.
10:49So the mushroom itself is obviously the star of the show.
10:51Yeah.
10:52It stays crisp once you've cooked it.
10:53Stays crisp.
10:54Is there anything you want to tell these chefs?
10:56It's your week.
10:57You've got one opportunity here.
10:59It's your chance to shine.
11:00We'll see you on the pass.
11:01Thank you so much, all of you.
11:02Good luck.
11:02Thank you.
11:04Let's go, baby.
11:07I'm just going to pick the rest of these mushrooms down into little nuggets.
11:11I've got my mushroom brine.
11:13That's got some seaweed in it, dried mushrooms, soy sauce, shiokoji.
11:18Louisa's dish, Dawn of the Shroom.
11:20She's got lots of things going on with it, from sweet corn to truffle to chilli.
11:24What gives you most cause for concern?
11:25You know, the star of the show is the batter.
11:28The batter has to be crispy, and the mushroom inside has got to be delicious.
11:31If she can deliver that on the plate, she could do very well.
11:35James makes a start on his tuile.
11:39I have mixed my poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, my sugar, flour, melted butter, orange juice
11:44and glucose.
11:45And then we're going to let that sit for 15 minutes and just rest.
11:49James's dish in Lola's secret code.
11:51I'm not quite sure where he's going with this one.
11:53It's a tomato tartare with a crisp on top with some flowers.
11:56This is the opening dish at the banquet.
11:58Theoretically, you could do a tomato tartare and have some other garnishes and it could
12:02be delicious, right?
12:02It could be fantastic.
12:04The proof's in the pudding.
12:05I need to get the bread in and chilled so I can laminate it, prove it and then bake it
12:12pretty
12:13quickly.
12:14Nikita's dish, ploughing the fields, lots of root vegetables.
12:16I think the link to the brief's really strong, you know, ploughing the fields, she's got Jerusalem
12:19artichokes, she's got turnips.
12:21So the main thing is this bread.
12:22It's going to take a long time to make sure it's cooled, it's rested, it's laminated,
12:25it's proved, so there's a lot that could go wrong.
12:30Just peeling up my squash just so they can cook a little quicker.
12:35Ash's dish, Elevation.
12:36I really love her connection to the breed.
12:39She's actually thought about it.
12:41The sauce sounds delicious, you know, vadovan works really well with squash.
12:45I think this dish is really going to live or die by the balance of flavours and the texture
12:49of the sauce.
12:54Fermented tomatoes for James' tartare are set aside as he works on another tomato element.
13:00So I've got tomato water, I'm mixing it with some sugar and I'm going to cook that down
13:04into a glaze.
13:06And infuses kelp to make a broth.
13:09I want the dish to be really powerful in terms of sweet, sour, umami, like a punch in the
13:14face almost.
13:17Based in Whitchurch in Shropshire, former nurse James has been cooking professionally
13:22for 12 years.
13:23Head chef at a farm-led restaurant which champions feel to fork cuisine.
13:30I had a bit of a midlife crisis, became a chef.
13:33I used to be a pediatric nurse beforehand.
13:35I decided, you know, it was time and I wanted to be a chef so became a chef.
13:40I haven't had any formal training, very much gone from cooking at home to working in restaurants
13:46and just learning from the people I've worked with.
13:48Just walking in that first day was like, right, we're here, we're open now and that was massive.
13:54Have I got what it takes to get to the banquet?
13:56Hopefully.
13:57You know, I want everyone to get 10s, but I mean who gets an 11?
14:04I am just going to spread my twill.
14:07It looks nice and thin.
14:09I could do with it being a bit cooler, but never mind.
14:13Ash works on a vaduvan sauce, a curry base with blended aromatics, turmeric, cumin and mustard seeds.
14:22I need to get that on right now.
14:24I don't want it to be spicy.
14:26I do want a little bit of heat though.
14:29It's a third of the time gone already now.
14:32Nikita cooks down a caramel, then adds Jerusalem artichokes to make her puree.
14:38I'm going back to my bread.
14:41And laminates brioche dough by rolling and folding in cold sheets of vegan butter to achieve multiple layers.
14:48I'm going to do one double fold and one single fold.
14:51I cannot remember how many layers that equates to.
14:55I have got enough time, I've practiced it.
14:57So it's possible, it's just challenging.
15:01But what's the point if it's not challenging?
15:04Then I'm going to put the onions and then another fold.
15:10Ash is on to the next stage of her aromatic spiced vaduvan sauce.
15:16I actually kind of want the milk to split.
15:18Once the soy milk splits, when you whizz it back together, it thickens it slightly naturally,
15:22without me having to add too much thickening ageing, which I want to avoid because you can often have like
15:27a gummy texture.
15:29And toasts, camelina seeds, brown linseeds and quinoa for a crumble.
15:35This is a plant-based dish, so normally I would use honey for something like this, but maple syrup's a
15:40really good alternative.
15:42Ash, how's it going?
15:43My sauce base is done.
15:45And what have we got going on here?
15:46So this is my crump on each piece of squash.
15:49There'll be a little bit of that, just to add that crunchy element to it.
15:52Good luck.
15:52Thank you, Chef.
15:55I've just tried Ash's British grains.
15:57They're quite sweet, they're quite claggy, so I'm unsure how much texture that's actually going to bring to the dish.
16:02So I've got some garlic going in this glaze, some ginger, some Hen of the Wood mushroom powder.
16:09Louisa's mushroom glaze will coat the Hen of the Woods nuggets.
16:14I love my Chinese cleaver.
16:17Yeah.
16:18For added crunch, Nikita fries sourdough bread with thyme.
16:24And James reduces elderberry for a second broth.
16:28It's a bit of a different dish, so hopefully it'll translate, I guess.
16:32I really like this dish.
16:34I'd give me a high score for this.
16:36How's it going, James?
16:37We're good so far.
16:38Yeah? What have we got here?
16:38So this is a tomato glaze.
16:40That's quite a sweet component, so it's going to glaze the tomato, which is underneath the twill.
16:44On the sweet side, a little bit of umami, tomato flavour coming through to enhance the other tomatoes.
16:50So James's tomato glaze, I'm not quite sure what's the thing to be honest, it didn't really have much flavour.
16:56I'm just really struggling to understand what's happening with this dish.
17:01Still working on her sauce, Ash uses apricots to sweeten it.
17:05I'm just going to start with a couple of pieces.
17:08Not sure how sweet they are.
17:18Birmingham-based restaurant owner Ash moved from South Africa in 2020.
17:22She blends modern and classic styles and is winner of the prestigious Michelin Rising Star Award.
17:29I knew I had a natural talent for cooking quite early on.
17:33I sat my parents down for a very serious meeting when I was nine years old and told them that
17:37I was going to be a chef.
17:38I've never done a single chef doing anything else.
17:41My style has been referred to as chaotic in the past.
17:47I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.
17:49I love to champion Birmingham.
17:52South Africa is a melting pot of cultures and so is Birmingham, so landing up here is perfect.
17:59Getting to the banquet, that's the goal, that's what I want to do.
18:02Make it all the way.
18:11Louisa adds oat cream and truffle oil to her sweet corn puree, which she aerates.
18:18She starts her second mushroom element.
18:20Pickled shmiji.
18:23Shmiji.
18:25Shmiji.
18:26Before mixing tempura batter of rice flour, baking soda and vegan lager.
18:33Chef, how's it going?
18:34Going good, I think.
18:35What are you worried about?
18:36I'm trying to pack as much flavour into this dish as possible, but obviously sweet corn is quite sweet, so
18:40that's why I've used truffle with that puree.
18:41How much of this goes on the plate?
18:42Not a lot.
18:44Louisa's aerated sweet corn was really nice.
18:46There's quite a lot of truffle oil in there, and I'll be interested to see how much that's actually on
18:49the plate.
18:52Nikita's brioche dough is shaped before a final proof.
18:56Because I'm an idiot, I'm going to plait it like a horse's mane, just to make it a little bit
19:01harder.
19:02I did a few shapes and showed my family, and they were like, I was like, which one do you
19:06prefer?
19:06Obviously, they chose the hardest one.
19:09It is proving now. There's nothing more I can do. It's just sort of hoping and praying.
19:14I've got my fingers crossed for you. Thank you.
19:19Ash's trio of squash are ready.
19:22Super happy. It's really nice and tender. It's not falling apart, which is exactly what I want.
19:27Louisa charred sweet corn to garnish her dish.
19:30This is dangerous stuff, guys.
19:33And barbecues her mushrooms, coating in the mushroom glaze.
19:37You in a good place?
19:39Yeah, mate. I think so.
19:41Are you first up?
19:42Yep.
19:43James's kelp and elderberry broths are bottled.
19:48Could you grab your pallet knife from the back, please?
19:50Yeah, I've got one here, James.
19:51Oh, perfect. Thank you.
19:53Mate, look at that one.
19:54Poppy and sunflower seed tuiles are topped with tomato paste.
19:58All these flowers need to go on, so you can't see the tuile underneath at all.
20:03Apple and cherry blossom, marigold flowers and wood sorrel are added.
20:08How's it going, James?
20:09It's just the hard bit, isn't it?
20:10Time goes quick.
20:11The tomato tartare is next.
20:14Two minutes to the pass, James.
20:16Might even be four seconds early.
20:17Easy tiger, easy.
20:19James, what's that you just put in?
20:21That was a little bit of smoked oil.
20:23One minute to go, James.
20:24Thank you very much.
20:25All nestled in a bed of flowers.
20:28Did you make this flower arrangement?
20:30Yes, I...
20:31No, I did not.
20:32Served with a book of coded messages, a reference to the dish's filmic inspiration, Enola Holmes.
20:40What do you think, guys?
20:41Looks amazing.
20:42Looks beautiful.
20:42Really, really pretty.
20:43Right, shall we go and taste it?
20:44Yeah.
20:45Let's go.
20:45Thank you.
20:46Thank you.
20:47Good luck, chef.
20:48Thank you.
20:59So the tomato itself, I mean, it's not really like a tartare.
21:02No, it's not traditional tartare, it's just it's fermented because it's a vegan dish and, you know, flavour forward and
21:07all that kind of thing.
21:08The fermented tomato, that was seasoned well.
21:11The crisp on top, is that how you wanted it?
21:13Texture-wise, it's a little bit thicker than I wanted.
21:15I love the crispiness of the cracker.
21:17The slight sweetness of the cracker was good.
21:20The kelp broth and also the elderberry broth, do you think that one overpowers the other?
21:24I think the elderberry is the more prominent, but the kelp there is just to round everything out, more so
21:30than it being a seaweed flavour.
21:31For me, the seasoning was maybe a tiny bit high, I think, from the kombu.
21:35Is this a dish you could see opening the banquet?
21:38Yeah, you can.
21:39I don't feel like it's a complete dish.
21:42Even though it is obviously a six-course menu and it is a starter, you still want...
21:45Yeah, but you still want weed.
21:46I still want to be.
21:47Of course.
21:48So if you had to score this dish, what would you give it?
21:50I think because the twirl wasn't perfect, I'd go with fate.
21:55I think I'm going to give it a six.
21:57Same, six.
21:58Yeah, I think I agree, six.
22:06Horrible!
22:06How was the first time in there?
22:08That was absolutely horrible in there with him.
22:10There's nothing away?
22:11Nothing at all.
22:13How are you guys feeling? You all ready?
22:14I'm now breaking it.
22:17Let's go.
22:18Laminated bread, laminated bread.
22:24I'm so glad you're happy about it.
22:27First, Jerusalem artichoke caramel puree.
22:31Nice.
22:32Roasted artichokes.
22:35Pickled turnips.
22:36Shaking so much.
22:38Nikita, five minutes till you do on the pass, please.
22:41Next, sourdough bread croutons.
22:44So it'll be a nice bit of crunch.
22:45And a potato foam.
22:47That is a scary blowtorch.
22:50My blumber used mine the other day.
22:53Served with a plaited brioche bun.
22:56Oh, I'm shaking.
22:57Steady.
22:59And presented with a letter and sketches from the film War Horse.
23:04Two minutes early.
23:05Well done.
23:06Looks lovely.
23:07Looks gorgeous.
23:08Can't wait to try on the bread.
23:09Shall we go?
23:10Good luck, girl.
23:11Good luck, Sarah.
23:12Thank you.
23:24Talk to me about the layers in here.
23:25Do you think there's the correct amount of each element?
23:27I think there's not too much of a puree.
23:30I like the croutons in every bite almost to get some crunch.
23:34It's very clever to put the sourdough croutons in there.
23:36That's very much needed.
23:37I think you've got some good contrasting flavours.
23:40I think if you get the wrong spoon, it can all mould together and be a bit same-same.
23:45And the sweetness of the artichoke, do you think that's the right balance?
23:48There is a sweetness there, but it's balanced by the acidity and the saltiness.
23:52It's everything I like.
23:54It's sweet.
23:54It's sour.
23:55And the bread is brilliant, isn't it?
23:57And let's talk about the bread.
23:58I am happy with it.
23:59I think I could have maybe proved it a tiny bit longer just to get a bit more puff.
24:04Laminated really nice.
24:05Nice and light.
24:06Nailed it.
24:07So, Nikita, if you had to score this dish, what would you give it?
24:10I'd really like an eight for this.
24:12I'm going to give that an eight.
24:13Yeah, I'm also going to give it an eight.
24:15Okay.
24:15Eight for me too.
24:17Bread?
24:17Nice.
24:22Next up is Ash's Birmingham writer Stephen Knight-inspired squash dish.
24:28Could we do anything?
24:29No, guys.
24:30Just hold my hand.
24:32Yeah, okay.
24:32Give me a cuddle.
24:33Yeah.
24:34Served on plates glazed with discarded materials from Ash's restaurant.
24:39Ash, you're due to the past in seven minutes.
24:41I'm going to be a little early.
24:43First, a trio of squash.
24:46Curry, Crown Prince and Delica.
24:49Then the Vadovan sauce.
24:51Has it got a kick to it?
24:53You know what?
24:53It's got a little kick at the end, but nothing crazy.
24:56Seeded crumble mix.
24:58Obviously needs a bit of crunch to the dish.
25:01Slivers of pickled shallots.
25:04Fried curry leaves.
25:06I love curry leaves.
25:08Finished with wild sorrel.
25:11Let's go.
25:11Yeah?
25:13Alrighty.
25:14The dish is served with a movie script.
25:18Fantastic.
25:19The colours look beautiful.
25:20Shall we go and taste it?
25:20Yes, please.
25:21Thank you very much.
25:22By the time we come back, I hope you know your lines.
25:24I will learn it.
25:25I will learn it.
25:36So we've got three different types of squash here.
25:38Do you think that you can tell the difference between the three?
25:40Absolutely.
25:41I think having the different squash is a good idea.
25:43In terms of the texture of the squash, you're happy with the cooking?
25:45I wanted a tender, not mush.
25:48It's very hard to cook squash where it's sort of like overdone or it's really under.
25:53It's not very pleasant.
25:54It's just in between.
25:54I think it's perfectly cooked.
25:56And the sauce itself, are you happy with the flavour in there, the spiciness?
25:59As a sauce, the Valdivan itself, it's not a hugely spicy sauce, more aromatic and fragrant.
26:05I'd never tried Valdivan sauce before and that was stunning.
26:08The texture that's on there, we've got the British grains.
26:10It's just there to add a little crunch in between bites.
26:13I like the texture of the crumb.
26:15It's got a nice little warmth to it.
26:17So Ash, if you had to score this dish, what would you give it?
26:19I want to say an eight, but I'll say seven.
26:22Why not an eight?
26:23Other than I'm just trying to be humble.
26:24I'm going to go with an eight.
26:26I agree an eight.
26:27I think an eight as well.
26:34Ooh.
26:35Look at that.
26:36Well, that makes it go funny.
26:37It's pretty hard to like know whether to go early or not, isn't it?
26:41Louisa's chicken run inspired mushroom nuggets are fried in tempura batter at the last minute.
26:48The storyline, save the chicken from being made into chicken nuggets.
26:52Make mushroom nuggets instead.
26:54Exactly.
26:54Louisa, you're due on the pass in 12 minutes.
26:56Yeah, chef.
26:57I'm going to be early.
26:58I'm going to be up in about five.
26:59Is that OK?
26:59Fantastic.
27:00That's brilliant.
27:01Sweet corn and shimeji mushroom salsa.
27:05Aerated sweet corn and truffle puree.
27:08There's quite a lot of corn in the film.
27:11Fermented chilli emulsion.
27:13Shaky hands.
27:15And charred corn.
27:17What have you got there?
27:18Pickled shimeji mushrooms.
27:20Nice.
27:20The dish is garnished with nasturtium flowers.
27:24OK.
27:32Ooh.
27:33There's little napkins that my mum made.
27:35Thank you, Louisa's mum.
27:37Breathe now?
27:38Yes.
27:38Right, should we go and taste it?
27:39OK.
27:40Good luck, chef.
27:41Thank you.
27:53So the nuggets themselves, is the flavour imparted enough?
27:56Yeah, I think so.
27:57And the batter itself, is it crisp enough?
28:00Crispy on the outside.
28:01Golden.
28:01That's exactly how a nugget should be.
28:04I thought the nagis were delicious.
28:06Love a nagi, I do.
28:08There's quite a lot going on there.
28:09Do you think that the balance of all those flavours works well with the mushroom?
28:12I don't think there's anything that I've used in there that I would say that doesn't work with this dish.
28:16I really, really, really hate sweet corn.
28:19Oh, do you?
28:19Yeah.
28:19So I was kind of dreading this, but yeah, really delicious.
28:22For me, on my palate, there's maybe a bit too much acidity lingering.
28:25I ate all of it, though.
28:28So the big question, if you were in my shoes, what would you score it?
28:31I'm going to say an eight.
28:33So what would you do differently?
28:34I don't know what I'd do differently, I really like it.
28:37I'm going to say seven, but only because I don't like sweet corn.
28:40It's an eight for me.
28:41How about you, Nikita?
28:42I'm going to say eight as well.
28:48Hey, guys.
28:50Hey.
28:50How's it going?
28:51Yeah, good.
28:52How was that?
28:52Yeah, good, I think.
28:54Nerve-wracking, isn't it?
28:55It really is.
28:56Very much.
28:56So where are we after starting, Spencer?
28:59How are you feeling?
28:59I feel like it's been a good round.
29:01I feel like there's been some promising dishes.
29:03You can have all of the links to the brief and the stories and the props,
29:07but in the actual flavour of the cookery, that is where the most important part lies.
29:13And three of them, you could see, had really put a lot of work into it.
29:16One, not so much.
29:17Should we go get some scores, guys?
29:19Yeah.
29:19Let's do it.
29:20Let's do it.
29:32So, chefs, a very good standard to kick off the competition.
29:37Good skills, but some errors.
29:39James, for your dish, Enola's secret code.
29:45I like the presentation and where you took it, but honestly, I just wanted more.
29:50The fermented tomato had no depth of flavour.
29:53There's hundreds of varieties of tomatoes out there.
29:56A chef of your calibre, I would have expected you to select a perfect tomato for this dish.
30:01The tomato glaze itself, I didn't think had much flavour.
30:06The sunflower and poppy seed twill was a great idea, however, it was just far too thick.
30:13Overall, I found this dish quite unrefined.
30:18Nikita, for your dish, ploughing the fields.
30:22The laminated onion brioche was a bold move and really brave.
30:26The flavour of it was great.
30:28It could have been improved a little bit more and there was a touch dry and flaky on the outside.
30:34The caramelised Jerusalem artichoke puree was delicious.
30:37Perhaps it was a little bit sweet.
30:40Overall, this was a tasty plate of food.
30:43However, I found it a little bit safe.
30:46Great.
30:47Ash, for your dish, Elevation.
30:51The presentation of this dish was wonderful.
30:54I loved that you had used waste products from your kitchen in the pottery glaze.
30:58I loved that you chose three varieties of squash.
31:01The flavour and texture of them was perfect.
31:04But they all kind of merged into one.
31:07The British grain crumble, I liked.
31:10I did find it a little bit sandy.
31:12For me, I would have used some larger seeds.
31:15The vadovan sauce had a velvety texture and it was perfectly spiced.
31:21Splitting the soy milk and using that to thicken the sauce is a technique I've never seen before.
31:25So, well done you for bringing something new to this kitchen.
31:30Louisa, for your dish, Dawn of the Shroom.
31:35The Hen of the Wood nuggets were crispy.
31:37They were delicious.
31:40I loved the fermented chilli emulsion.
31:42It added a great spice to it and a nice piquant to the dish.
31:46This is a really playful dish.
31:48I would personally consider serving individual pots of all of the same sauces that you had in one.
31:53Just to make it a bit more interactive and playful.
31:57So, to the scores.
31:59James.
32:02I'm scoring you.
32:05A4.
32:08Nikita.
32:10I'm scoring you.
32:14A7.
32:17Ash.
32:19I'm scoring you.
32:23A7.
32:35Next up, it's fish.
32:38And unfortunately, one of you will be going home.
32:41The fish course for me is one of the most important dishes on that menu.
32:44Be confident and enjoy it.
32:46Good luck, chefs.
32:47Thank you.
32:47Thank you.
32:48Thank you.
32:49Oh, my God, mate.
32:52How are you feeling?
32:53Do you have a great hug?
32:55Yeah.
32:55It's tough, isn't it?
33:01Pretty deflated.
33:03I mean, it was brutal, wasn't it?
33:04But next course, I guess.
33:06A 10's always what I'm aiming for, starting with a 7, and I only want to improve from there.
33:10Three of us are on a level playing field, so it's really, really all about the fish course.
33:15Fish course is a big deal.
33:18We don't know what's going to happen.
33:20With one of the chefs leaving the competition after this, they need to impress Spencer with precise fish cookery.
33:27Not easy.
33:30Returner Louisa scored an 8 in her fish course last time.
33:33Her first job, filleting her rainbow trout.
33:37Oh, my God, this is so much bigger than the one I practice with.
33:40Nikita's fish head-inspired curry sauce starts with a base of shallots, galangal and lemongrass.
33:47The starter was okay. I'm hoping to score more on the fish course.
33:51James works on a burnt cauliflower puree.
33:54I'm just going to add a little miso to that to give her a little, um, a little satin.
33:59Ash has also opted for a cauliflower puree, which will be seasoned with black garlic.
34:04It's one of, like, only a few components, so I really want to make sure it's perfect.
34:08She's level pegging in first place with Nikita and Louisa, so there's no room for any mistakes.
34:16So, inspiration behind my dish is the Electric Cinema in Birmingham, which is no longer, unfortunately.
34:22And the dish is called Silver Screen Solstice.
34:24They started with silent film, so my dish is completely black and white.
34:28I'm doing monkfish on the bone.
34:30It's going on the barbecue, and I'm going to be glazing it with a fish sauce caramel the whole time.
34:34A buttermilk beurblanc sedulator with a bit of lime and yuzu, and then a tiny bit of heat from some
34:40green chilli.
34:40Okay, yeah.
34:41Collier flour and black garlic puree.
34:43Nice whack of caviar to finish.
34:45What are we worried about in this dish?
34:46There's not really any way to tie behind on my fish course.
34:49I've basically got four elements.
34:51Sitting three points behind the others, James will have to impress with this course to stay in the competition.
34:59Bit of a nubbly first course for you, that one, wasn't it?
35:02Yeah, it wasn't my best showing, but we'll get better with this.
35:04Yeah.
35:05Tell us about your fish dish.
35:06So, my fish dish is called Grimsby Docks to Stokes A Court.
35:09It is based on the film Atonement.
35:12Oh, okay.
35:12So, some of that was filmed at Stokes A Court, not far from where I am.
35:16So, I was going to do scallops.
35:18They've been affected by the weather, so I'm doing monkfish now.
35:20Bad weather?
35:21Yeah, I think the boats are struggling to get out.
35:23Did you practice it both?
35:24I didn't.
35:25You didn't?
35:25No, I have cooked a lot of monkfish, though.
35:27How are you cooking the monkfish?
35:28On the bone, but in the oven.
35:29Pan roast it a little bit right at the end.
35:31I'm going to serve it with a creme fraiche and dashi sauce, pickled cauliflower, and a burnt cauliflower puree with
35:38some miso through and stuff like that.
35:39Oh, so very similar flavours to ash, right?
35:41Yeah, I didn't realise until I saw her carving around cauliflower as well.
35:45Yeah, didn't realise at all.
35:47What's the biggest worry on here, then?
35:49I think cooking the fish properly.
35:50And if you can pull that off and, you know, everything's balanced and well cooked, why can't you get a
35:54ten?
35:54We'll see.
35:56Nikita's halibut dish will sit on a bed of fried baby aubergines and okra.
36:01It's called Draft of Living Death and it's inspired by...
36:05Sorry, Draft of Living Death.
36:07It's inspired by Jim Broadbent, who plays Professor Salkorn in Harry Potter and he's a potions master.
36:14So I'm doing halibut, which I'll roast in the pan and serving that with a Malaysian style fish head curry
36:20sauce and serve with a fried chilli and cucumber and mangoes.
36:25Ooh!
36:26So a lot of flavours in here. What are we worried about?
36:29Um, just developing this amount of flavour in such a short space of time.
36:32Yeah.
36:33It's hot in here now.
36:35Woof!
36:35Louisa makes a cure for her trout.
36:38Got some fennel in there, some salt, peppercorns.
36:41And roast celeriac, which will be added to apple for a puree.
36:45OK.
36:46It's called Troutfit, like an outfit.
36:49Yeah.
36:49It's inspired by costume designer Alexandra Byrne and she won an Oscar for Elizabeth The Golden Age.
36:58Ah!
36:58I'm doing a dish which sort of like gives the Elizabethan theme, like ruffles.
37:03I'm going to make my own apple and lemon pearls.
37:05I'm going to cure the trout, wash that off and then I'm going to do confit.
37:09I've got a celeriac and apple puree.
37:11I'm making a fennel sauce.
37:13That's been made with a Stratford-upon-Avon sparkling wine because that's where she grew up.
37:18What are you worried about?
37:19I'm worried about the cooking of my trout. I want to get that right.
37:21And the pearls as well. I need to make sure that they actually pop in your mouth.
37:24Yeah.
37:25With Nikita's fish head curry sauce on the go, she fillets the halibut.
37:30Not ideal to be filleting a fish with this level of the shakes.
37:35Louisa packs the zesty cure round the trout.
37:39Shallots for my sauce. Some fennel.
37:44Just trimming off any silver skin.
37:47And while Ash's monkfish is barbecued, James has opted to roast his.
37:52Ah!
37:55Just got the probe in it and it will cook it until it's cooked beautifully.
37:58Spencer, getting a fish course at the Great British Menu Banquet, it's not an easy feat, is it? You've done
38:02it.
38:03It's all about the precision, about your execution, about your seasoning and about being able to be restrained a little
38:08bit to make sure that the fish is the star of the show.
38:10It's getting a bit more black garlic in.
38:13Ash starts a black garlic oil, a nod to the film noir inspired dish.
38:18I'm gonna use the black garlic from here in the cauliflower.
38:22We've gone very different vibes with that cauliflower, Ash.
38:26Yeah? Yours is like brown butter vibes.
38:29Mine's roasted to **** vibes, yeah.
38:31It's sweating nicely, I don't want any color.
38:33Now that I've said that, it's gonna get some color.
38:37Whoo! Right, go ahead.
38:38Louisa adds some fizz to her fennel sauce.
38:42Oh, lemon.
38:43This is my apple and lemon pearl mix.
38:50Based in Nottingham, Chef Louisa has left Michelin-style kitchens behind and built her own private dining company, offering a
38:58bespoke, fine dining experience.
39:01When I was at school, I just absolutely loved the times where we would do sort of cooking lessons and
39:08stuff and it just seemed like silly for it to not be a career.
39:11And I realized I could do something that I just loved doing, so it's a win-win.
39:18Last time I did Great British Menu, I made it all the way to the judges' chamber, which was amazing.
39:24Ultimately, I should be less stressed this time around, but I actually feel like I have more to prove.
39:30I've got this goal in my head. I want to get to the banquet. It would make my career.
39:38Louisa, how's everything going for you?
39:39Happy so far. Sauce is not finished yet.
39:43So what have you got in here? What's in the base?
39:45So shallots, baby fennel, sparkling wine, tiny bit of garlic, cream and lemon.
39:49I'm going to need to taste it properly and adjust it.
39:51Great.
39:53One of my concerns was the sauce, how much flavour should get into it, how overpowering it might be in
39:57fennel, but so far it's balanced really well.
40:04I don't know. I honestly don't know at this point.
40:08James checks the seasoning on a creme fraiche and kelp sauce.
40:11Not yet. Get in there.
40:13And finishes off his cauliflower puree.
40:16Get it to a place where it's acceptable to give to human beings.
40:19He uses black food dye to give it a rich, dark finish.
40:24You're doing black garlic as well?
40:26No, burnt cauliflower puree, but with some black dye.
40:29OK, OK, OK.
40:31Nikita prepares cucumber, mango and shallots.
40:35It's green mango. It's really delicious.
40:37And adds fermented chilli sambal paste.
40:40I think I just need to execute this dish exactly how I want it to be.
40:45There's nothing else I can do.
40:46And hopefully he'll like it.
40:49Then gets going on a stuffing mix for her fried chillies.
40:53Coconut, some potato, lots of herbs.
40:55There's a lot going on on this dish.
40:57I'm just trying to get everything organised and together.
41:03Darby-born Nikita is classically trained.
41:06After winning MasterChef The Professionals in 2022,
41:09she set up a fine dining supper club from her family home.
41:15It was actually never on the cards for me, becoming a chef.
41:18I was very academic, studying sciences and maths at A-level.
41:22I said I would do a year. I deferred university.
41:25My food style, it's very flavour-focused.
41:28I'm not willing to compromise on that.
41:31I spent a long time in Southeast Asia
41:33and I love to bring in those flavours.
41:37If I somehow managed to get to the banquet,
41:40it would be incredible.
41:41I'm not letting myself think about that yet.
41:46Ash checks her monkfish.
41:48Now I can start glazing it with that fish sauce caramel
41:51and I just keep basting it, keep turning it as if there's a big roast.
41:54Turns up the heat on a buttermilk burr block
41:57with green bird's eye chillies.
41:59I just need to lick the tip to see how spicy it is.
42:05Ash, how's everything going?
42:07Going well, chef, thank you. Everything's ticking over.
42:09What's this one here?
42:10So I've just finished my cauliflower and black garlic puree.
42:13So the cauliflower's been sweated, no colour, lots of butter.
42:17Striking colour, isn't it?
42:18Very striking, yeah.
42:19Wow.
42:20Ash's cauliflower puree was really delicious, silky smooth,
42:23nice and buttery, well-seasoned.
42:24I think the whole dish looks fantastic.
42:26The monkfish is cooking away beautifully.
42:27I'm really looking forward to seeing it.
42:30Oh.
42:31Louisa drops apple and lemon pearls into a setting agent.
42:35Next, portion trout is placed in a fennel and lemon confit to poach.
42:41Five minute timer.
42:41James is roasting monkfish.
42:43He relies on a thermometer to tell him when it's perfectly cooked.
42:47The thermometer in there was saying it was at temp.
42:49My thermometer was saying it wasn't.
42:50That's got to be more accurate than my thermometer.
42:53Sure.
42:53Yeah.
42:53He adds black food colouring to creme fraiche and kelp sauce.
42:59I literally can't taste anything now.
43:01It's fallen apart.
43:02It's fallen apart.
43:03Yeah.
43:04Nikita strains the fish head curry inspired sauce.
43:07Sweetness is good.
43:09Green chillies are de-seeded.
43:11Can't touch my eyes after doing this job.
43:13And filled with the coconut potato and herb stuffing.
43:18Nikita.
43:19Yeah.
43:19How is everything?
43:20It's under control.
43:21Yeah?
43:21The sauce is getting there.
43:22And this sauce here is the...
43:24It's a Malaysian fish head curry sauce.
43:26Right.
43:26I just need to do the final seasoning on it.
43:28Last minute, I need to fry the chillies and cook the fish,
43:30but I can't do that until we're ready to go.
43:32Until we're ready to go.
43:33Nikita's sauce was delicious, but she's got a lot to do at the end,
43:36so I'm just hoping she can bring everything together at the right time.
43:40Nikita fries aubergine and okra.
43:42They look like little stars.
43:44Oh, they're very cute.
43:46Ash's monkfish is rested.
43:48I'm going to take it off the bone.
43:49I'll just have a piece and then see what it's like.
43:52Louisa makes mooly ruffles.
43:55And James pickles cauliflower.
43:58It's got acidity because it's there.
44:02Ash, you've got four minutes until you're due on the parsley.
44:05Lovely, mate.
44:06Something for you to do, but come support me.
44:10First, black garlic cauliflower puree.
44:13This is the buttermilk bea blanc.
44:15The contrast is beautiful.
44:17Barbecued monkfish glazed with a fish caramel sauce.
44:20Super happy with the cook.
44:22And it's just a little bit of caviar.
44:24A little bit extra for me there.
44:25Yes, of course.
44:26Should have put caviar on my dish.
44:27And finished with black garlic oil.
44:32Set on film cans, dressed with the Electric Cinema logo, the inspiration for her dish.
44:38Oh, chef.
44:40Good?
44:40Yes.
44:41What do you think, guys?
44:42It's amazing.
44:43It looks beautiful.
44:43I love the contrast.
44:44I look forward to trying it.
44:46I'll take the bottom for you.
44:47Good luck.
44:47Thank you, guys.
44:48Good luck, chef.
44:49Thank you.
44:49Thank you.
45:01How was everything with the cook?
45:03I'm really happy with the monkfish.
45:04It's exactly what I wanted it.
45:06Maybe a tiny bit over, like a hair over.
45:09James, the monkfish is really tasty.
45:11It's making me panic a wee bit.
45:13And then let's talk about the sauce.
45:14In there, you've got a little bit of green chilli and lime.
45:17Yes.
45:17Do you think the flavours of them come through well?
45:19Yeah, the green chilli is meant to be, like, really subtle.
45:22I love the sauce.
45:23The sauce is so good.
45:24Not too much spice.
45:25The yuzu's brilliant.
45:26The chilli's just there in my mouth.
45:27I love the sort of acidity that you get from the puree.
45:30And if you had to cook this dish again, what would you change?
45:33I'm really happy with it.
45:34I don't think I would change anything.
45:35And if you had to score this dish, what would you score it?
45:37Yeah, I'd give myself a nine.
45:38Why not a ten?
45:39I just don't want to give myself a ten.
45:41I think it's an eight.
45:43I think that's a nine.
45:44I think it's an eight.
45:45The only reason I'm knocking down for it is maybe there could have been something else,
45:49because it's sauce, puree, and fish, and that's very minimalist.
45:55I'm not good.
45:56How's everyone doing?
45:57Who's next?
45:58I'm next.
45:58I'm available, obviously.
46:04Louisa, you've got four minutes until you're due on the pass.
46:06Are you okay with that?
46:06I'll just double check my trout.
46:08I don't know.
46:09Are you happy with the cook on your fish, Louisa?
46:11It's a little bit under, I would say.
46:13I'm just going to pop it back in for two more minutes.
46:15Please, can I have an extra five minutes?
46:17Yep, that's not a problem.
46:17Anything after that, we have to start deducting points.
46:20First up, celeriac and apple puree.
46:23Oh, why did I do this to myself?
46:27Confit trout, borage, cress, and fennel fronds.
46:32Mooley radish ruffles.
46:34Louisa, you've got one minute left of your time.
46:35I'm going to leave the pearls off, because I'm not going to have time to do it.
46:38Everything else is there, though, yeah?
46:39Everything else is there.
46:41Fennel sauce, with a side of cucumber and trout roe.
46:46Okay, it's ready, ready, ready, ready.
46:47Come on, bring it up.
46:49Smile.
46:51Okay.
46:54Breathe.
46:55It was so...
46:57I gave myself way too much to do.
46:59Mm-hmm.
46:59What plate do you want to take, you pick?
47:01Let's take this one.
47:01That one?
47:02Good luck, chef.
47:03Looks beautiful.
47:04Thank you.
47:15So, let's start with the trout.
47:17Yeah, I was doubting myself in there, but I think the cooking's really good on the trout.
47:20That's exactly how I like to eat my trout, like, just falling apart.
47:24Let's talk about the sauce next.
47:26Has it got the depth of flavour you were going for?
47:28I worried that it might be a bit too powerful, but then, with the trout, I think it almost brings
47:32that together.
47:33The sauce is delicious.
47:34And I think it looks stunning.
47:36It fits in with the breeze and the way it's, like, really delicate.
47:39So, the moony represent the ruffles.
47:41It adds crunch, but I do think that it needs more seasoning.
47:44My favourite part...
47:45Moony, yeah.
47:46Yeah, the moony, I think that's absolutely delicious.
47:48And if you had to cook this dish again, what would you do differently?
47:51I left the apple pearls off, so, yeah, timings.
47:55I don't think she needed to...
47:56No, not at all.
47:56If you had to score this dish, what would you give yourself?
47:59I think I'd give myself a seven, and I would just try to make sure everything's seasoned properly individually on
48:04the plate.
48:05I'm going to go with an eight.
48:06I think an eight.
48:07I think an eight.
48:08I think a touch more seasoning on the trout.
48:10Yeah, that's it, really.
48:17Here we go.
48:18Here we go.
48:19Do you need anything to do?
48:20Not at the moment.
48:21Ash is on my fish.
48:22I'm cooking the fish.
48:23You're cooking the fish.
48:25James gets Ash to help by reheating the monkfish he has already roasted as he plates the rest of the
48:31dish.
48:32Roasted black cauliflower puree.
48:36Pickled cauliflower.
48:37Ash tends to the monkfish by basting it in butter.
48:41If it's good to go, let's go.
48:43You happy with the cook on that?
48:45Yeah, that's really nice, mate.
48:48This is where it gets slightly trickier.
48:50Turnip ribbons coloured with cauliflower top oil.
48:53James, you've got three minutes left.
48:55Perfect, I'll be up in one and a half.
48:57Kelp and creme fraiche sauce.
49:00And sorrel.
49:01Ready for you, chef.
49:01Thank you.
49:06You happy, chef?
49:07I don't know.
49:08Yeah, yeah, no, no, no.
49:09It's good, it's good.
49:10It's good.
49:11It's awesome.
49:12No, no, I like it.
49:13The monkfish is nice.
49:15Turnip's good.
49:15You're sending it?
49:16Let's do it.
49:17Good luck.
49:18Good luck, James.
49:19Thank you very much.
49:31We've had some issues with presentation.
49:32I think we can agree.
49:34Let's start with the fish.
49:35How do you feel that's come out?
49:37Touch over, I think.
49:39It's not quite right, is it?
49:40It's gone too far.
49:41When you try and reheat it, that's when it gets a bit pappy.
49:44He asked me to do it, so I did it, but I wouldn't do that personally.
49:47And the sauce, do you think it's got the body and the depth of flavour that you wanted in there?
49:51I think it's got the depth of flavour I wanted.
49:53It could have been slightly thicker.
49:55The sauce, it just was lacking.
49:56The black looks a bit odd.
49:58I think it's a mix of the viscosity and then obviously the food there.
50:02And this here is the turnip itself.
50:03What do you think of the flavour of that?
50:05Maybe it's not as spicy as I wanted.
50:07It looked really vibrant.
50:09When I ate it, it just tasted like just bland turnip.
50:12So if you had to score this dish and you're in my shoes, what would you give it?
50:15Slightly overcooked fish, a little bit of seasoning.
50:19Six.
50:20I'm going to say a six.
50:23Five.
50:24I'd say a four.
50:25And I think he would probably be disappointed with his own dish.
50:36How are you feeling?
50:36How are you all doing?
50:37Hey! You OK?
50:38Yeah. Oh, good.
50:39Who's next? You're next.
50:42Woo!
50:44The stuffed, battered green chillies are fried.
50:47I don't want any colour on the tempura.
50:51No colour.
50:51Just like light, light, light, golden, nice and crisp.
50:55Halibut fillets are fried with butter and curry leaves.
50:58Fried okra goes in cauldrons, a link to the Harry Potter-themed dish
51:03inspired by Lincolnshire-born Jim Broadbent.
51:07Limeleaf oil set in place.
51:09You've changed rolls now, have you?
51:10I have.
51:11It's nice to be on the other side of it.
51:13Would you pop some of these aubergine just into the bottom of the cauldron?
51:17Chef, you've got seven minutes until you're due on the pass.
51:18Boy, I am going to be early.
51:20Do you want anything on?
51:21Is there any seasoning?
51:22No, that it should be seasoned.
51:25Bottles of fish head inspired curry sauce, stuffed chillies, cucumber and green mango sambal.
51:32And a garnish of micro purple shiso.
51:40Chefax.
51:41Finished with dry ice and a book of potions and spells, including her recipe from Harry Potter.
51:47Lovely.
51:48Let's pack up the picnic.
51:50That's better.
51:51Thank you.
51:53Alright, there you go.
52:03Potions.
52:04Potions.
52:04Potions.
52:05This is liquid luck.
52:06Does that give you extra points?
52:07I hope so.
52:10So we'll start with the cooking of the halibut.
52:11How's that for you?
52:12I'm happy with the cooking of the halibut.
52:14It's just breaking apart.
52:15Fish is cooked perfectly.
52:17And at the bottom we've got our...
52:19Fish head curry.
52:20Do you think that there's enough spice in there?
52:21Or too much spice?
52:22I think the spice level is nice.
52:24Sauce is delicious.
52:26Okra, which I'd never tried before.
52:27It was interesting.
52:28It got a really nice bitterness to it.
52:30Let's try the chilli.
52:31It does say, enjoy at your own peril.
52:34Oh, it's not too hot.
52:35Okay, cool.
52:36How's the heat level for you?
52:37Heat level's fine.
52:38I mean, I didn't eat all of the chilli, but I feel like if I did eat all of it,
52:41maybe that would've been a bit too much.
52:43The dish itself, do you think it's balanced overall?
52:45I am happy with the balance of the dish, yes.
52:48All the garnishes make sense.
52:50I can't fault it.
52:51I can't fault it.
52:52If you had to score the dish, what would you give it?
52:54I'm gonna give myself an eight.
52:56I'm gonna score it an eight.
52:58Ten.
52:59I think it's a ten.
53:00It's perfect for me, to be honest.
53:07Hey.
53:07How you doing?
53:08Hi.
53:09You okay?
53:09How was that?
53:10I was happy with the dish.
53:11Yeah, you smashed it.
53:12Oh, honestly.
53:13It was delicious.
53:13Banging, mate.
53:15There was some beautiful work from passionate chefs.
53:18Yeah, I mean, they're very different styles of cookery today.
53:21Some more minimal, some a lot more going on.
53:23But it just shows their characters as chefs and kind of their style.
53:26There was one dish for me that was absolutely fantastic,
53:30that really shocked me, to be honest.
53:32And one of them's got to go home, unfortunately.
53:34Unfortunately, one of them does.
53:35Okay, guys, shall we go get our...?
53:37Yeah, let's go get the score.
53:38Let's go, do it.
53:46James is on four points.
53:48Tied in the lead are Louisa, Ash and Nikita,
53:51all on seven points.
53:54We were hoping for some excellent fish cookery.
53:58And we got some excellent fish cookery.
54:01Ash, for your dish, silver screen solstice.
54:06The presentation was striking.
54:09It was minimal, but brave, and it worked.
54:12The monkfish was well cooked.
54:15The fish caramel was delicious,
54:16and cooking it on the barbecue showed the real skill as you as a chef.
54:22The buttermilk beur blanc, I could have honestly licked the bowl clean.
54:26The only thing that I would question in this dish
54:28is a little pop of freshness, as it's super rich.
54:33Louisa, for your dish, trout fit.
54:37The link to the brief and costume design was imaginative.
54:41But I think with a few tweaks, you could make it better.
54:44The trout was well cooked, it just needed more seasoning.
54:49The sauce was tasty.
54:51You left off the apple and lemon pearls.
54:54I don't think you needed them.
54:56The moony itself was okay,
54:58but if you were to compress it in a light pickle,
55:01it would really brighten the dish.
55:05James, for your dish, Grimsby Dock's Stokesay Court.
55:10The monkfish was slightly overcooked.
55:12You did cook it on the bone, however, which was great to see.
55:16The sauce should have brought everything together.
55:18However, the viscosity of the sauce
55:20wasn't quite there to bring everything together.
55:22The ribbons of turnip had nice texture,
55:25but didn't bring much flavour to the dish.
55:27It could have been a great dish, James.
55:30With changes, you could easily improve it.
55:34Nikita, for your dish, draft of living death.
55:39The presentation and link to brief were excellent.
55:44The halibut was absolutely perfect.
55:48I honestly don't think I've eaten a piece of fish
55:50that well cooked in a very long time.
55:53The fish head curry sauce, it was honestly delicious.
55:57The sambal was spicy, and I liked it.
56:00The chilli was tasty, and I loved it.
56:04The balance of this dish was perfect.
56:06I believe this would appeal to everyone at a banquet.
56:10Honestly, what a pleasure.
56:12It's inspiring to see a chef cook a dish like this.
56:18So, to the scores.
56:21Nikita.
56:24I'm giving you...
56:27A ten.
56:28Wow, well done.
56:30Well done, mate.
56:30This is my first ever ten that I've given on Great British Menu,
56:33and a dish like that deserves it every single day of the week.
56:37Well done.
56:37Deserve it.
56:38Thank you.
56:40Ash.
56:40I'm scoring you.
56:45An eight.
56:48James.
56:50I'm scoring you.
56:53A five.
56:57Louisa.
56:59I'm scoring you.
57:03A seven.
57:07So, unfortunately, James, with the lowest points, that means that you'll be leaving us.
57:11I know in this kitchen the pressure can affect people in many different ways.
57:16You are not alone, sir.
57:17Yeah.
57:17Trust me.
57:18There are many chefs that have stood in this place who've had equally challenging days in this kitchen.
57:23Yeah.
57:23I'm sorry to see you go, James.
57:25James, commiserations.
57:27Nikita, congratulations.
57:29Listen, the main course tomorrow, massive, massive, massive day.
57:33Think about what you're doing.
57:34Learn from your mistakes today so you can apply them tomorrow, and just cook your hearts out.
57:38Thanks, chefs.
57:38Well done, guys.
57:39Thank you.
57:39Well done.
57:41Well done.
57:42That's good.
57:43Oh, it was good.
57:44Aw.
57:44It was good.
57:47Rough day.
57:48Brutal.
57:49I think I'm going in my head a little bit.
57:51Yeah.
57:51Just bad day.
57:54I'm so unbelievably happy.
57:57Spencer's first ten, which is insane.
58:00Obviously, Nikita and Louisa are super talented, so I'm just going to have to cook my heart out.
58:05I have to make sure that I come back with more energy, keep fighting, and not give up.
58:11I'm really excited for main course now, because I want to keep getting those tens.
58:16It's addictive.
58:20God, I don't think I've ever shaken this much in my whole damn life.
58:24Oh.
58:25Ah!
58:27Okay.
58:56Yeah.
58:59ocapor has peaked out myìš©y.
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