great British Menu - Season 20 Episode 26 -
The Finals: Fish Course
The Finals: Fish Course
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00:00Oh, hi Tom. Hey Ed. Do you know what all these people have in common?
00:04They're chefs. They are and brilliant chefs at that. They all went to the same tailor.
00:09But is there anything fishy about these photos? That's right Tom, they all won the fish course.
00:15I was gonna say that. Don't see your photo here. Didn't win it, I won the main course mate.
00:19Main course is easy to win as we know. Yes, I did it twice.
00:22Some of Britain's most exciting chefs have made it to the UK finals and are pushing themselves
00:31to the limit. I feel like you need a hug. I think she does need a hug. They're competing
00:37for the chance to cook a course at our extra special 20th anniversary banquet. Everyone's
00:44just super focused, super dialed in. It's pretty awesome to watch to be honest with you.
00:49With the starter course decided. Sally. I'm not going to take my foot off the gas. There's still
00:56three more to play for. Today it's the fish course. Yes, do you want to give me a hand?
01:01Cooking the fish course at the banquet is...
01:04Today the finalists battle to cook the banquet fish course at Blenheim Palace,
01:21who will go down in history and join our pantheon of great chefs.
01:25How are you feeling about your start yesterday? Relief that the first one is...
01:33In the bag, yeah. Sally kind of stood out from the pack yesterday, as I'm sure she'll continue
01:38to do this week. She's an exceptional chef, but she's surrounded by exceptional chefs in
01:43that kitchen. The fate of their dishes lies with Tom Kerridge, who holds a total of three Michelin
01:49stars, champion of champions winner Lorna McNee and comedian and budding Picasso, Ed Gamble.
01:56Well done, Sally. I love how you did that. It's very artistic. Yeah, I'm an artistic guy.
02:01Just like the chefs on fish day. Who's got the rise on fish today? Yeah, I'm going to be pushing
02:06for it, that's for sure. Jack and Callum are quite strong and steady. Very much considering myself
02:14towards the bottom of the pack. Amber, now a school chef and food educator, wants to prove
02:19she can still cut it in fine dining. There's five Michelin stars in that kitchen, and I'm
02:23fine dining. There's five Michelin stars in that kitchen, so I just have to do the best that I can.
02:28One of those stars belongs to Jack from Cumbria, who came close yesterday. Now I've seen one name
02:33on there. I'd love to get my fish dish on the board today. Yesterday, they all really did up
02:38their game, and fish is always one of the most difficult courses to get right. John had that
02:43really nice Dover sole, which was beautiful. Callum had a nice dish as well, I remember.
02:47Hopefully everyone's upped their game again. And there's a bit of a wild card situation.
02:52To spice things up, we're giving the chef who received the highest score from our judges in
02:56the heats another chance to cook. I'd like you to come back and cook that fish again.
03:03Are you as nervous about the wild card coming in? Yeah, it'll be interesting to see. Obviously
03:07they're in here because they've done well with their fish course, so it's extra competition.
03:11It's just another exceptional dish to try and get past. To know that there's a dish coming back
03:16that scored really highly, you know, that's going to put a hell of a lot of pressure on these chefs.
03:20Shall we go and see who it is, then? Let's do it. Let's do it.
03:27It was pretty brutal to come in last place. I don't want to be bottom of the pack again.
03:33I really want to get a dish to the banquet. It's my ultimate goal. It's
03:36what I want to do, what I came here for. To be the guy covered in fish tattoos and
03:41run a fish restaurant, it would be amazing to be the name on the fish course.
03:44Good morning, chefs. Morning. Who fancies winning the fish course for the 20th anniversary banquet?
03:51Jean? Stevie? Yeah, I'd probably take it. Yeah, that'd be great. So, chefs, you will have noticed
03:57that we've asked one chef to step out for this one because they have stronger courses later in
04:03the week. Taking their place will be my wild card. This chef has the heart and the soul to
04:10will be my wild card. This chef has the highest score for fish than any of you here.
04:19Daniel from Wales has made way for Callum's north-eastern Yorkshire rival. Hello, chef. Ahmed.
04:27Welcome back. Thank you. Are you excited to do your dish again? Yeah, I'm glad I get another
04:31opportunity, honestly. It's amazing. So, the pressure's on for all of you today to bring
04:34something that's really spectacular, visually great, tastes fantastic. We're not asking for
04:38much, I don't think, so good luck to you all. And I don't want to give any spoilers for tomorrow,
04:44but Tom's putting himself in as the wild card. OK, first to cook today will be Amber, Sally,
04:52Mark and Jack, so off you go. And the rest of you will cook second. Good luck, chefs.
05:02I'm back and I can't wait to get cracking and get my dish to the banquet.
05:07I think having Ahmed in the kitchen is definitely going to add another level of pressure. On the day
05:11his fish course was better than mine, I guess I just need to beat him again. So, the wild card,
05:16that's adding a bit of extra fun into the competition, hey? Fun for who, though? There's
05:21pressure on us, but I think there's pressure on them as well. Definitely, yeah. You know,
05:24they're coming in as a high scorer and they're expected to do well. Obviously, it's a wonderful
05:28bottom pile. Sally is starting her seaweed bacon beurre blanc and a leek fondue, a new element to
05:36her dish. Meanwhile, Mark is making a brine of white wine, sugar and salt for his haddock.
05:44I'm not sure I've got a big enough stick blender for this. Amber is also using haddock.
05:50It's a beautiful fish and it's a shame to limit it to only fish and chip shops.
05:55Jack's dish, hero's trout. First job, get the fish skin portioned and then check for bones,
06:02as I didn't do last time. I need someone to just tell me it's going to be OK.
06:06It's going to be OK, chef. Thank you so much. Helping the judges score the dishes is a comedian,
06:13lover of fish cookery and someone with a popular history podcast, Evil Genius,
06:18where he likes to question who the goodies and baddies of the past really are. It's Russell Kane.
06:25Welcome, Russell. Lovely. Morning, nice to meet you. Morning, chief. How are you? You good?
06:29You get to eat loads of fish today. I love fish. Well, you're in for a treat because there's eight
06:33fish dishes coming your way. We're celebrating Great Britains with this banquet. You talk a bit
06:38about history on your podcast, right? We take icons from history, could be Gandhi, we've even
06:44done Amy Winehouse, Richard Pryor. I have three guests who think they know the greatness of Gandhi
06:49and then I release three uncomfortable, disturbing facts about these people and then at the end they
06:54have to vote evil or genius. We live in a world of cancel or keep, so it's sort of making fun of
07:00that, but it is historically interesting as well. But I'm an absolute bore in a pub quiz because I
07:05know everything, I have to pretend to be thinking about questions. Well, we'll test you as we go
07:09through on some of these inspirations for the fish dishes. Please do. So, Russell Kane's the guest
07:17judge. Hopefully they're not brawling in the judging chamber. Two comedians. It's pretty
07:23nerve-wracking knowing there's only three places left at the banquet. I've just got to go out there
07:27and cook my best and hope it's enough. Can I borrow that scale for 30 seconds? Of course you can, chef.
07:31All yours. I've just got to shake the nerves off from yesterday and focus on doing the best I
07:37absolutely can. It's very nice working next to Amber. Well, I won't say it to her face because
07:41she'll just shout at me like a teacher. Is that what you're saying? Nothing. That's the fish done.
07:46It's crackers. It's Sally's turn to serve first today. She's tackling tiara crackers for her dish,
07:58fit for a princess, and riding high after winning the starter course yesterday.
08:03Congratulations, Sally. Thank you so much. It's very exciting for you. Third time I've been here.
08:08Yeah. I've got a lot to prove. Your fish course, you've got a six and two eights, which makes it
08:12your lowest scoring course. Yeah. But I'm sure that doesn't mean you're going to be holding back.
08:16No, definitely not. I've made quite a lot of changes. I think the feedback was that it wasn't
08:20like celebratory enough, so I've added a few more regal elements, some music, a candelabra.
08:25So yeah, let's see. What are the regal elements? The music and the candelabra.
08:31Our first fish course today comes from Sally from the central and east of England,
08:35and it's confit of pan-fried chalk stream trout, leek fondue, pickled silver skin onions,
08:40lava bread cracker and seaweed bacon beurre blanc, sea herbs and caviar. And it's a tribute
08:46to Norfolk-born Diana, Princess of Wales. The chef is using mainly Welsh ingredients to tie
08:52into her title. And we've got pickled cockles rather than... I have silver skin onions just
08:56because of the shellfish allergy. My biggest worry is the time today. There's not much of it.
09:09Already, her tiara seaweed crackers haven't gone to plan. It's not good.
09:16She makes some more and picks her cockles. She's pickling them this time rather than serving crispy.
09:23The cockles were a little bit soft, I think. They weren't really crispy enough. Obviously,
09:27from Essex, I have strong opinions about cockles. They're normally out of a pot while my dad shouts
09:31at me. That's how I... She fries bacon for a new crispy element. Come on now. It's annoying.
09:44OK, now we're ready. And she's finally happy with her tiara crackers. Giant pot of gold.
09:54How's it going, chef? Yes. Do you want to give me a hand? Yes, absolutely. I'm going to get you
09:57to put the leeks on. Yep. You can put the bacon and the caviar on the fish. Is that all right?
10:01See, the leek fondue is a new element. How have you made it? So it's just some leeks that I've
10:05sweated down with quite a lot of butter, some black pepper and some salt. Sally, that's five
10:08minutes, OK, chef? Bacon lardons are added, followed by the trout. Bigger? Yeah, bigger.
10:15Princess Diana. A selection of sea herbs, then pickled cockles.
10:21Put the crown on that one and then we're ready to go. OK.
10:24Ready? Yeah. Service, please. Yes. Thank you so much. First one of the day.
10:37Right. Oh, my goodness, me.
10:42Wow. I wasn't ready for the posh serving.
10:47The chefs who aren't cooking until later will also try this morning's dishes.
10:51Dig in. Oh, wow, amazing. You know when food's too pretty to eat?
11:03That tastes absolutely delicious. I like the texture of the trout. Fish is lovely.
11:09Show us your best trout pout.
11:12The actual fish cookery itself is still confit and cooked beautifully.
11:15I love the bacon. I know it's such a basic thing to say, but pop bacon on it.
11:20Pop bacon on it. It's delicious, isn't it? Those leeks are really nice, aren't they? Yeah.
11:25That fondue really brings the whole dish together.
11:27It's really rich. Adds, like, a really, like, luxurious element to the dish.
11:31When the cockles pass, they're pickled. I recognise that taste from the beach.
11:35They're so acidic and so pickled that it sort of takes away from some of that richness for me.
11:40I think you'd see it at the banquet. Definitely. If I was Sally, I'd be very happy with that.
11:44It's a great dish, but tenuous link to Princess Diana. If she was a fish,
11:48she'd be a chalk-stringed trout. English, subtle, beautiful and perfectly prepared.
11:59Russell's podcast is known for giving an airing to controversial,
12:03contested theories on well-known historical figures.
12:07I think the most interesting episode of all would have to be Albert Einstein,
12:11who, if you say the word genius, he's almost become a metonym, a figure for genius with his
12:16tongue out. He would sit back like any one of us, go, I've got an idea for a TV programme.
12:20Do you want to flesh it out? Not really. He was the equivalent of that. What about if
12:25the universe is relative? Can you prove it? No. And so his wife, Mareva Malic, did the maths
12:30and published under his name with no credit for her whatsoever. Albert Einstein was just
12:35blagging it. Then he left her and married his own cousin and abandoned his children.
12:40When they were at college, which is how they met, she was a mathematician, but of course didn't get
12:44a degree, because only men were allowed degrees back then. I'm quite scared for some of the
12:48inspirations coming up. What are we going to find out? Don't tell me the inventor of the
12:53defibrillator did it to kill people. So I've got my mayonnaise on the go, fennel puree on the go,
13:01pickle warming up and my sauce on the go, so lots of things just warming up and getting hot.
13:08Right, I'm going to make tuiles. A bit of fennel pollen in, a bit of leek ash,
13:12a bit of nastagian powder. Like Sally, Mark's fish dish includes a cracker and cockles.
13:19He's got a sixth from Ed and sevenths from Lona and Tom in the heats. Ed mentioned the fish was
13:25a bit bland, which was mean. Before I've wrapped it in nori, I've dusted it in a set powder.
13:32Up next is Mark from Scotland. A day by the sea. Haddock wrapped in nori, poached in a rich salt
13:38haddock broth inside a vacuum flask. Are both smokies and haddock trim brandad, tempura cockles,
13:45seaweed oat cake with leek jam, light fish broth with a fig leaf oil. Highlighting Scottish
13:50inventions in the 19th century and one of those great inventors, James Dewar and his thermos flask.
13:56I mean the thermos flask. I don't know if you... Don't ruin the thermos flask.
14:02I always have, including today, an emergency thermos of coffee with me. Without it,
14:07I would be less emotionally stable.
14:11Adding a bit more garlic and ginger to my finishing broth, just to give it a bit more pep
14:16and lemongrass. He seals the nori wrapped haddock and cooks cockles in white wine.
14:23What was the judges feedback and how are you addressing it? So a couple of technical issues.
14:27Tempura batter wasn't crispy enough, right, so I've changed the recipe slightly and the only
14:31other element is I'm losing the annoying edible postcard. That took you ages as well. It is
14:39such a trauma. So we're still having the cracker with the leek top jam because it was good,
14:44but we've just got a postcard that I'm hoping no one will try and eat.
14:52Just need to get this broth the right temperature. This dish is risky as Mark poaches the fish
14:58inside the thermos. It could all go wrong. Danger never takes a day off. It's a real gimmick on the
15:04fish cookery and if the fish cookery is rubbish, then the dish is rubbish. Some great chefs here.
15:08I don't want to look like a ****. Did I say that? Fish is going in. Oh, you put the fish in there?
15:15That's so cool. That's so cool. Should I start frying? Yeah, let's go, please.
15:21Those are new fishing rods, right? Yes. The brandade, a fish and potato emulsion,
15:26is covered in herb snow made from parsley, chervil and chives. Brandade? Brandade, yeah.
15:33A granddad's brother. You have two minutes, chef. Then I might be okay. A leek top jam,
15:39crispy cockles, sea herbs and seaweed crackers are plated. Fishing rods, we just need to attach to
15:45the bags. And the fishing rods hook each catch of poached haddock. You're two minutes over, Mark.
15:51Happy?
15:57Sorry, miss, please. Do you want to grab the door, Mark?
16:02I feel like you need a hug. I think she does need a hug.
16:06Oh, it's actually in the thermos. Thank you very much.
16:12Wow.
16:17You can't really tell how the fish is cooked until they take it out of the flask. Stress is my friend.
16:25Would you take it to the cooking of the fish?
16:27Poaching it in the thermos, it's a real celebration of actually the thermos flask,
16:31what the brief is about. The Scots invent a lot of stuff. We're clever people. TVs in thermos flasks.
16:36Deep-fried kebab meat. I knew! I was waiting for a deep-fried moment! I'd been waiting for it!
16:41I've enjoyed this way more than the first time.
16:44It's a lovely day. It's a lovely day. It's a lovely day.
16:47We're clever people. TV's and thermos flasks.
16:49Deep-fried kebab meat. I knew!
16:51I was waiting for a deep-fried comment. I was waiting for it.
16:54I'm enjoying this way more than the first time.
16:57I think the little improvements he's made have really, really helped.
17:00That broth is richer, there's way more flavour to it. Yeah.
17:03What do you think of that broth? It's nice and light.
17:06You want more straight away without anything lingering,
17:08it's just so fresh.
17:10What is the mash stuff in the middle? That's the brandad.
17:12That is absolutely outrageously delicious.
17:15I love the little oat cakes as well on the side.
17:18They're delicious, crispy, crunchy, great flavour.
17:21This works better than the postcard did from last time.
17:24I've had cockles every way you can imagine,
17:25but I've never had them like that.
17:27You're not normally so into the props.
17:28I'm not very good at fishing.
17:30I'm just trying to work out if I'd be any better if I took this.
17:32It does make you look even taller.
17:39Last to serve this morning, Jack is working on his garnishes.
17:43Fermented green tomatoes to make almost like a burger relish.
17:48But up next is Amber, who scored six, seven and five
17:52and is looking to improve.
17:55They wanted more of the story of corn malt.
17:57They really want you to punch that message home, right?
18:00So there was a daikon on there.
18:02I've changed the daikon for a turnip, much more of a cornish flavour.
18:06Lovely. And then they wanted more
18:07burnoisette flavour in the dish as a whole.
18:09Rather than drizzling that round the outside,
18:12I'm going to put that in the sauce
18:13so that it's more of an emulsified flavour throughout the whole dish.
18:17She spiralises turnip for the new salad
18:19and mixes fennel herb oil into the mayonnaise.
18:23But all is not well.
18:25It started to split on me, so I'm going to do it better this time.
18:29C'est la vie. You live and you learn.
18:31She's also keeping an eye on her creamy peri sauce.
18:35I've added the burnoisette to the sauce, which is a new addition.
18:38Yeah, it tastes good. Hopefully it all comes together.
18:41The next dish is from Amber from the southwest,
18:44and it's tatty muirhead.
18:45Brown butter confit haddock, white fennel and sea beet puree,
18:49turnip and seaweed salad, West Country peri sauce,
18:52buckwheat cracker, brandade.
18:54And this dish is inspired by David Tatty Muirhead,
18:57who was awarded an MBE for his tireless work
18:59in supporting Cornish fishermen and marine conservation.
19:03I'm feeling nervous overall.
19:06I'm just going to get my timings right now.
19:08She's not happy with the temperature of the water bath.
19:12How long have I got?
19:13Ten minutes.
19:14I might get it in.
19:15This one's on 54.
19:16I'll get it in there.
19:17Yeah.
19:18Just don't want to risk it.
19:19And now I'm going to put the lid back on and hope and pray.
19:23Six minutes to the pass, Amber.
19:26So me and Mark do that and you can put that on.
19:28The crackers are topped with fennel mayonnaise and haddock brandade.
19:32And then just herbs on top, yeah?
19:34Herbs on top, yes, please.
19:35Fennel and sea beet puree is first.
19:38I'm just going to pull the fish out now.
19:40You've got three minutes, Amber.
19:42Whee, thank you.
19:44The haddock next.
19:46Happy with the fish?
19:47It's beautiful, mate.
19:48It's great, yeah.
19:49Last two minutes, Amber.
19:51Whee.
19:51And the turnip and seaweed salad.
19:54Lovely.
19:59Great.
20:00Thank you so much.
20:00Service, please, guys.
20:05And no one will ever...
20:11It's served to a traditional Cornish sea shanty.
20:15Until the Lord calls me to sit at his hand.
20:23What I like about David Tatty is you had just a bloke with a fish.
20:25I know.
20:26I love that.
20:27The cooking of the fish is perfect, so nothing to worry about there.
20:30And yeah, the sauce is really rich.
20:32Fish is cooked really nicely.
20:33I feel like it flakes away quite nice.
20:35You know, that kind of confit there.
20:37Don't really get a lot of brown butter from the fish poaching,
20:39but a lot from the sauce.
20:41That sauce is just a little creamy for me, just a little.
20:44I agree.
20:45I actually think the sauce is very, very good,
20:47but it might be the wrong sauce for the dish.
20:50Do you think the sauce is a bit sweet?
20:51Yeah, it's a very sweet sauce, actually, isn't it?
20:53Who needs a tub of ice cream when you've got a brown butter bourbon to get on?
20:57I mean, it might be very well made, but it's just so heavy on the dairy.
21:01There's about a kilo's worth of caramelised milk solids in that sauce.
21:05Why, I like it.
21:07The turnipy salad that sits on the top
21:09doesn't necessarily sit within a deep, rich, buttery sauce.
21:13I don't mind that salad on top.
21:14I don't think that the change of vegetables
21:16made much of a difference to what it brings to the dish.
21:19Yeah, I'm not enjoying this as much as I did last time, to be honest with you.
21:22I think there's lots of components in this dish that are really, really good.
21:25I just don't think they all sit together in the same plate.
21:32Jack's working on his chicken stock and white wine sauce barragoune.
21:37It's light but luxurious, which is what I'm looking for, so it's pretty tasty.
21:41You scored quite well here, you scored two eights and a seven.
21:43Nice, good, generous score, that's what we like.
21:46Yeah, the feedback was they thought the plate that I plated up on was too restrictive,
21:51so I've changed it to a really big bowl.
21:55With a big bowl, obviously, I had to increase the amount of sauce,
21:57so I've tripled the amount of sauce that's going to be there.
21:59More generosity, big bowls...
22:02Yeah, big scores.
22:04Big scores. Did you hear that? Big scores, please.
22:08Jack up next, representing the North West.
22:11Taught by nature is the theme.
22:14It's a chalk stream trout confit in juniper oil.
22:18The sauce I'm going to pronounce as barragoune and hope for the best.
22:22Perfect.
22:23Marigold oil.
22:24I don't know how they get the oil out of the gloves, but that is impressive.
22:29The next word sounds like something I would need an ointment for, nasturtiums.
22:33What's nasturtiums?
22:34Nasturtium is a flower.
22:35Butterfly tulis?
22:37Tweels.
22:38We've given you a difficult one here, Russell.
22:39I sound like Joey Essex.
22:43Jack's preparing a fennel salad.
22:46Trout's quite a delicate flavour, so if I make anything too strong,
22:50it's going to overpower everything and that's not what I'm looking for.
22:54It's inspired by, ah, North West, I get it now, all the flowers.
22:58William Wordsworth, of course, famously with his daffodils,
23:01but here it's his poem, The Table's Turned.
23:04Come forth into the light of things, like nature being a teacher.
23:08William Wordsworth was an oasis, wasn't he?
23:10He was, he was.
23:11The dish is an evocation of the beauty of nature, how lovely.
23:15His butterfly tweels are ready.
23:19Float like a butterfly?
23:20Get more points.
23:23What's in the oil?
23:23Juniper, fennel, coriander, so the main flavours in the dish.
23:26I don't trust water baths.
23:28No.
23:29It's just slowly cooking it in the oven.
23:30It's close, a lot closer than I thought.
23:33He glazes the fennel in olive oil, white wine and vermouth.
23:36Join us to do some work, mate.
23:41If we can strain this into a pan,
23:43if you want to get the bowls out and put them in the middle,
23:45and then we'll start plating up.
23:46Fermented tomato relish is first onto the new dishes.
23:51About that much.
23:51No problem.
23:52You have 10 minutes, Jack.
23:54Yes.
23:55The fennel vermouth salad.
23:56Just layer it up.
23:57And if one person wants to follow and put three butterflies in.
24:00Just nestled in.
24:01Yeah.
24:02If you want to follow with some herbs,
24:03let me do three of each herb as well, please.
24:05And nasturtium leaves, apple marigold and dill flowers.
24:14Is that fennel pollen?
24:15Yeah, just to make sure that the anise flavour comes through.
24:20Lovely.
24:22Are they new?
24:23They are.
24:24They're gorgeous, aren't they?
24:25Service, please.
24:26I'm going to grab the torch, Jack.
24:27Yeah.
24:32Happy?
24:33Yeah, I can join these guys in being relieved now.
24:35Yes!
24:45Thank you very much.
24:46I suppose it's from the North West.
24:47It had to have gravy with it, didn't it?
24:54Yeah.
24:58The sear on the trout is beautiful,
25:00but if you think to our first trout dish, to this one,
25:02this one, I think, is cooked better.
25:04Definitely done the fish justice, which is nice.
25:07It's absolutely delicious.
25:08Each of the elements separately are top-notch.
25:11Well, they're surprising, aren't they?
25:12The little butterfly thing.
25:13You guys tried the butterfly?
25:15Not a lot of flavour, but lovely texture on it.
25:17I love the kind of like tomato, chutney, salad-y bit.
25:20Can I call it a salad?
25:22Yeah.
25:22Garnish?
25:22Yeah, it's a salad.
25:23Don't want to offend you.
25:25Beautiful pops of acidity.
25:26It's fresh, it's zingy, it's bright, it's, yeah, delicious.
25:29The fennel is slightly overwhelming for me.
25:32I think I'm just not really a fan of aniseed flavours.
25:36I'm not a massive fan of fennel either,
25:37but I actually quite enjoy the freshness it brings to the plate.
25:40The sauce is so fresh, it's so vibrant,
25:43and it looks like it's going to be super rich, doesn't it?
25:45It's almost a palate cleanser, a savoury sorbet of a fish dish.
25:49Obviously, we've had two trout dishes this morning.
25:51Which one do you prefer?
25:53I quite like this one to be fair.
25:55This is light, it's powerful, it's peppery, it's fresh.
25:59I'm a fan of this, I like it a lot.
26:10Hey, guys.
26:11You all right?
26:11Yeah.
26:12How are you?
26:12Excited, guys?
26:13Yeah, really.
26:14Ready to get cooking now.
26:15Yeah, 100%.
26:16How did you guys find your cook?
26:17They're running.
26:19Hello, judges.
26:20Hi, Andy.
26:21How are we getting on?
26:22Good.
26:22You having a nice time, Russell?
26:23I was having the best day.
26:24I'm just being pampered and fed lovely food.
26:26The fish cookery has been lovely today.
26:28Yeah, there's been some great techniques of cooking the fish,
26:30and everything cooked really well.
26:32There's been a couple of dishes that I think have been very, very strong.
26:35They do come out in finals,
26:36where we can just try and make it as hard as possible.
26:38Everyone did a great job to win us.
26:39I think it was four really tasty plates of food.
26:42Hopefully, the judges felt the same.
26:43Hopefully.
26:44Yeah.
26:44Yeah.
26:45Talk to me a little bit about evil genius.
26:47We spoil the people you love, or even worse,
26:50make cases for the people you dislike.
26:52Oh, don't do that to me.
26:53We are becoming...
26:54Well, he's done that, so he's cancelled forever.
26:56He must be evil.
26:57What I'm worried about is,
26:58you have no idea what might become ultra offensive in 100 years.
27:02If we were to get in a time machine,
27:04and take our acts back 30 years,
27:05we'd probably both be arrested for the language we're using,
27:08or the subject we're discussing.
27:09It shows you how hard Russell works as a comic,
27:12that he's got a time machine,
27:13and he's going back to do a gig.
27:15Exactly.
27:15Oh, shit.
27:20The next four chefs to cook include my wild card, Ahmed,
27:24who, with an 8, 9 and an 8,
27:26received the highest score from our judges
27:29for his fish course in the heats.
27:33How do you feel being back in the kitchen, mate?
27:35All right?
27:35Good to be back.
27:35Yeah, yeah.
27:36I mean, I've only got a beer for one day,
27:37as you boys have got a beer for the week.
27:39Lucky you, yeah.
27:40Got a bit of energy we're all tired from yesterday.
27:42We're expecting another spanner in the works, to be fair.
27:44Yeah.
27:45That's cool.
27:45You're doing a bit of monkfish,
27:46so we'll be keeping an eye on it,
27:47like looking forward to seeing it.
27:49Maybe steal some ideas off you.
27:53Callum is making a chip shop curry sauce
27:55a new element to his dish.
27:58Judges were a massive fan of my vanilla sauce last time,
28:01which is fair enough.
28:02So yeah, I'm just going for a little bit more
28:03of that kind of classic chip shop flavour, really.
28:05Just going to get a curry powder in there now.
28:08Jean is using a barbecue to cook his soul.
28:12There we go.
28:12Yeah, you happy with that there?
28:13Yeah, yeah, it's good.
28:14Don't want to go in your way.
28:15No, no, no, you're fine.
28:15Is that OK for you?
28:16Yeah, man, that's good.
28:17Cooking the fish, I think getting that perfect over the coals,
28:19just in time for the pass.
28:21It's always a bit tricky,
28:21so hopefully get the timing right on that.
28:23I think everything needs to be 100%,
28:24so it's just fine tuning everything.
28:26He gets cracking with his French white wine,
28:29Vanjean's sauce,
28:30sweating down carrots and garlic.
28:34Also starting his sauce is Ahmed.
28:36In the heats, he changed it to include Caribbean ingredients
28:39with lots of chilli.
28:42It needs a lot of time to infuse
28:43and get all that flavour out,
28:45the scotch bonnets.
28:46As soon as we get that on,
28:47we can crack on with the fish.
28:48He brines his monkfish in salt, sugar and citrus.
28:52Right, let's get on with this induction, chef.
28:53Yeah, work away, chef, yeah, no worries.
28:56Stevie is changing quite a few elements to his dish.
28:59Grills stuffed with an Nduja farce,
29:01a paste made of fish trim
29:03rather than the usual spicy sausage.
29:07Job number one is sweat down the mix for the farce
29:11and then it's about getting into the fish a little bit,
29:14getting it final prepped.
29:16Yeah, hopefully it'll go down well.
29:18The guest judge today is Russell Kane.
29:20He'll be having a few laughs at us, probably.
29:21Yeah, I'm a fan of his work,
29:23so it'll be good for him to try our food, really.
29:25Yeah, absolutely, yeah, definitely.
29:26Well, comedy's necessary when it's as successful as this,
29:28so it's good to have a professional in the building to help us.
29:30So, on Evil Genius,
29:32who have been the figures that you've looked at
29:34that you've found the most interesting?
29:35The ones that provoke the most reaction
29:36where I literally can't go online for a week
29:38are any that men aged 50 to 70 are fans of.
29:42So, if you do David Bowie or John Lennon,
29:44you need to go into hiding.
29:45Yeah.
29:46Oh, you've got more talent in these little fingers.
29:49So, you can see why it's so interesting.
29:50People get offended by facts, which blows my mind,
29:54but that is the world we live in now.
29:57Absolutely determined to do well today.
29:59It's my wheelhouse.
30:00It's what I'm about,
30:00so if I can just keep the nerves steady
30:02and keep the focus strong,
30:04everything's going to go well.
30:05Stevie is still using a classic butchery style
30:09and French trimming the brill,
30:10but this time, he's cooking it just before serving.
30:15The brill's going to be cooked sort of a la minute in the pan
30:18as opposed to being water bathed,
30:19which obviously comes with risks.
30:21Jean is making a herb emulsion
30:23with a base of egg yolk and Dijon mustard.
30:26He slowly adds a chervil and parsley oil.
30:30I suppose it's probably not my strongest dish,
30:32but it's definitely quite punchy.
30:34I think the flavours are amazing.
30:35Yeah, I'm excited for this dish.
30:37Not his strongest according to him,
30:39but he was only second to Ahmed in terms of scoring.
30:42We're just doing the pickled okra and chilli.
30:44I want to keep them both a bit chunky
30:45just to add a bit of texture to it.
30:47We'll keep the seeds in there
30:48just to add a touch of hit as well.
30:51You've got scotch bonnet, you've got pickled chillies.
30:53It's just balancing that right,
30:55making sure one is not overpowering the other.
30:57And if I get that right,
30:58I think I'll get a decent score again.
31:01Spinach is added to the callaloo sauce.
31:03He mixes preserved lemon juice with yoghurt
31:06to offset the heat.
31:09I think top three would be amazing,
31:11but I'd like to get number one.
31:13Callum's a bit surprised, to be honest,
31:15which is beautiful to see.
31:17I can't wait to see his food again.
31:19So our next dish is from Callum
31:21from the north-eastern Yorkshire,
31:22and it's called The First Endeavour.
31:24And it's monkfish with a warm tartar sauce,
31:26smoked confit potatoes, curry sauce,
31:29tempura monkfish cheeks and finger limes.
31:32Celebrating the north-east nautical history,
31:35including Captain Kirk's...
31:40Is Callum's fish dish boldy going
31:42where no dish has gone before?
31:46Getting to the banquet is everyone's dream.
31:47It's like, it's why we're all here.
31:49It'd mean everything to me to get to that banquet.
31:51Celebrating the north-east nautical history,
31:53including Captain Cook's first ship, The Endeavour.
31:55The chef's grandparents volunteered at The Endeavour Museum
31:58and he spent many summers with them on board.
32:02In the heats, he scored sevens from Ed and Lorna
32:05and a six from Tom.
32:07He'll need better today to beat the other chefs,
32:09including his fellow Yorkshireman, Ahmed.
32:14What do you think about my wildcard situation?
32:16Massive surprise.
32:17I'm a little bit upset you didn't tell me it's going to be.
32:20Oh, well done.
32:21Well done, chef.
32:22I know how it is.
32:23That's fine.
32:24I know how it is now.
32:24Yeah, yeah.
32:25That's cool.
32:25Thought you were friends.
32:26I thought we were friends, yeah.
32:27It's over, Callum.
32:29So talk to me about your dish.
32:30So I made a little change the last time.
32:32I think all the judges agreed
32:33that they didn't really like the vanilla sauce.
32:34Right.
32:34I don't know why I didn't think of it first time
32:36because every time I go fish and chips,
32:37I have a curry sauce with mine.
32:38So I'm making like a caramelised celeriac puree
32:41that's basically going to be a curry sauce
32:42that I'm going to serve on the side.
32:44Yum.
32:44I just love flavour.
32:46It's a fault in my own cooking.
32:47I put too much in.
32:48Like the painter, when the painting's finished,
32:50continues to put little bits of colour in.
32:53So as soon as I hear the word curry or spice or chilli,
32:55I get excited.
32:56I've just got my potatoes.
32:58I've just diced.
32:58They're just going to go into some smoked butter
33:00and get very gently confit.
33:01I'm just going to finish the tartar sauce that I'm making.
33:04So I'm just going to bring some cream
33:05and some fish stock to the boil now.
33:08He adds the smoked potatoes to the tartar sauce,
33:11along with gherkins, capers and dill,
33:15and blends his curry sauce.
33:18Very good, chef.
33:19Curry sauce, isn't it?
33:20Got to be.
33:22It's pretty tasty.
33:23I'm annoyed I just didn't do it in regionals, honestly.
33:25That guy wouldn't be here.
33:27He cooks his monkfish loins.
33:32Ahmed, we'll go one minute, boss.
33:33You start getting them monkfish cheeks down, please.
33:35Just let us know when they're all down
33:36and I'll come over and do them scallops.
33:38While Ahmed tempuras the fish,
33:40Callum serves his new curry sauce.
33:43Chef, you have seven minutes.
33:45Thank you, Andy. Yeah, that's perfect.
33:46You just stand and watch that sauce.
33:47I just want it gently warmed through.
33:48I don't want it to boil.
33:49I would love to do that.
33:50That's wicked. Thank you very much.
33:51Cogways, coiner of cogway, I'll figure it out myself.
33:55Scallops are next.
33:58Very well organised.
34:00Try and show us.
34:01Try and, chef.
34:01Is this like a tartar sauce?
34:02Yeah, you make like a mayonnaise,
34:04then knock it back with fish stock and cream.
34:07How are they looking, mate?
34:08Yeah.
34:09Oh, yeah, beautiful, yeah.
34:09You can put three on toms, please.
34:12Yeah.
34:14Sauce smells amazing, Cal.
34:16Thank you very much for your help, lads.
34:17Dill oil splits the tartar sauce
34:19and is followed by the monkfish loin with finger lime garnish.
34:27All right, chef.
34:28Serious, please, guys.
34:31Oh, yeah.
34:33Well done, chef.
34:34That was a big bite, dog.
34:41Hello.
34:46We've not spoken much about the smell of the food as it arrives.
34:49This has been the most exciting odour.
34:51Proper smells of fish and chips, doesn't it?
35:01It's a real classic fish and chip style dish,
35:04but actually it's incredibly refined and beautiful.
35:07It's an embarrassment of sauces you've got going on here.
35:10Really well cooked fish.
35:11That's fantastic.
35:13Cooked really well.
35:14Yeah, it's beautiful.
35:14Lovely caramelisation around the edge.
35:16I love the playful nature of it.
35:18Like it's, you know, like curry sauce.
35:20Makes me do a little curry sauce dance.
35:22You can't get better than curry sauce and chips, can you?
35:25I love the curry sauce.
35:27My problem, I think, is the warm tartar sauce.
35:29It just feels like there's an awful lot of it on the plate.
35:31This doesn't happen very often,
35:33but I think I'm going to completely disagree with you.
35:35The tartar sauce is one of my favourite things about this dish.
35:38I think it's absolutely delicious.
35:40I really don't like that curry sauce.
35:41There's not enough curry flavour to it.
35:43It's quite sweet.
35:45Yeah, I agree with Ed.
35:46I don't see the need for having a second sauce.
35:48The scallop.
35:50My gosh.
35:50The scallops are delicious.
35:52I'm almost having an emotional reaction to them.
35:54They are out of this world.
35:55Scallop's delicious and sweet
35:57and got that lovely tempura batter on it.
35:58They're pretty stunning.
36:00I think it's a bit sad to deep-fry scallop.
36:02Yeah.
36:02Slightly struggling with the connection to the brief
36:04in terms of the food.
36:05It feels like the chef wanted to cook this.
36:07I've never had food that is both comfort food
36:10and posh fine dining food at the same time.
36:12That is it.
36:17Coconut milk and cream go into Ahmed's sauce
36:20and the brined monkfish is coated in jerk seasoning.
36:24A bit of brown sugar in there, fenugreek,
36:26some pimento, smoked paprika, some turmeric.
36:29Sweet, spicy, smoky.
36:31Of course, using the monkfish
36:32just because it could take all that flavour.
36:34Stevie has a no-waste policy,
36:36so he's using the offcuts for his farce to stuff the brill.
36:42So, shallots, fennel, a bit of garlic,
36:45a wee bit of orange zest as well.
36:47This is the heckin' do you.
36:48So, our version of fish charcuterie.
36:50Really cool.
36:52Really good way to preserve fish
36:54as opposed to just smoking it or salting it.
36:57I'm going to add the stock to the sauce.
37:00Fish stock and chicken stock.
37:02He also adds double cream for richness.
37:06Next up, we have Jean, representing London in the south-east,
37:10who has done an ode to Elizabeth,
37:12which is barbecues au veronique,
37:14potatoes on poppiette, vermouth, tarragon butter,
37:17Vingewanne sauce and herb emulsion.
37:20Celebrating British cookery, writer Elizabeth David,
37:23who influenced the revitalisation of home cookery
37:25in Britain in the mid-20th century.
37:28It's a beautiful dish.
37:29You got three eights.
37:30I did, yeah.
37:31From the judges.
37:31So, what was the feedback you got?
37:33The baby marrows themselves were maybe just a bit bland,
37:35so I'm going to spice that up a little bit more.
37:38And loads more fresh herbs and stuff.
37:40Yes, so you peeled your grapes.
37:41Yes.
37:42Did Tom not say what about taking the seeds out?
37:44I had a musket grape, which is traditionally used on the dish.
37:46I've got rid of that because nobody enjoyed the seeds.
37:48So, we've gone back classic and we're going to go...
37:50To just the green.
37:51Green and red, but both seedless,
37:52and I'll just make sure they've been peeled and de-seeded.
37:54But peeled and de-seeded.
37:56Yes.
37:56All right, Tom!
37:57Peeled and de-seeded.
37:59Is that all right, sir?
38:01Jean gets on with his potatoes en papillote,
38:04meaning cooked in paper,
38:05drizzles with olive oil and adds salt and a tarragon vermouth butter.
38:11Who's using the top one then?
38:12I don't need the top one.
38:16He cooks his sole over birch branches
38:20and bastes with koji butter, dashi and soy sauce.
38:23The cooking of the fish on the fire, the smoke, the barbecue,
38:26it's all going to be top-notch.
38:28That also goes for the garnish that Jean's changed slightly.
38:32I've just added some large yellow courgettes into the mix.
38:35Jouge it up a little bit.
38:37Come on, boil!
38:39I need to blanch these.
38:40You want me to blanch them?
38:41Yeah, if you just blanch them.
38:42There's some ice over here.
38:44Still firm, but flimsy.
38:45Just checking you out for that.
38:46Touch more, just a touch there.
38:48You've got five minutes, Jean.
38:49Oui.
38:50The courgette garnish is first.
38:52I'm going to eat your dots, mate.
38:53You show me one and I'll do three.
38:55Herb emulsion.
38:57Next, chef.
38:58Grapes.
38:59Three grapes.
38:59One, two...
39:01Followed by sorrel and chervil.
39:03I'm going to go finish my sauce, if that's OK, guys?
39:05Yeah.
39:05I might have brought my tweezers with me this week.
39:08You are due at the parcel.
39:10OK, 30 seconds.
39:11Can you grab the two trays of the on papillote, please?
39:14That goes onto there.
39:15Anything else, chief?
39:16Yeah, just going to bring my sauce.
39:19That's it.
39:20Done.
39:22OK.
39:26God, it looks amazing.
39:27So you're going in with the song?
39:29Oui.
39:30And then you're going to bring us some back?
39:31Hopefully.
39:33Hopefully?
39:33We need to try this dish, right?
39:42Hi, chef.
39:42Hey, chef.
39:43How are we doing?
39:43Yeah, we're good.
39:44Just around here.
39:45Yeah.
39:51Wow.
39:53So I'm going to carve it up for you guys.
39:54The whole idea is that we really want to kind of get everybody involved in the banquet.
39:57So we're trying, maybe hoping that the veterans around the tables and stuff can come in,
40:01get involved and kind of really create a nice experience for everyone.
40:03Thank you very much.
40:04Thank you, chef.
40:05I nearly applauded there, but...
40:16I told myself I wasn't going to eat a whole dish because I was already feeling too full,
40:21and I cannot stop eating it.
40:24It's hard not to take the theatre of it into account as well.
40:26The cloche and seeing it carved fresh, it does make a difference.
40:29That sauce is just so good.
40:31I love it.
40:33I could eat banjon sauce all day, every day.
40:36I could just pour that on mashed potato and be happy for the rest of my life.
40:39Oh, yeah.
40:40I love that banjon, the way that that cuts through.
40:41It's such a wonderful, deep, sticky and delicious flavour.
40:46The butteriness of it is beautiful.
40:47The grapes that come through it are amazing.
40:50That veg coming through just kind of brings you back down to earth again,
40:53like, in a good way.
40:54It just freshens the whole dish up.
40:55Lovely.
40:56I just can't get over the sauces in the potato.
40:58It's just amazing.
40:59They're seasoned better than they were last time.
41:01Yeah.
41:01And I absolutely adore the flavour of the fish.
41:04I love that you barbecue that fish.
41:06Very classic cooking, but absolutely nailed it, yeah.
41:09Classics are the classics for a reason.
41:10Yeah.
41:11There's nowhere to hide, really, with this dish,
41:12but he's done a fantastic job of it all.
41:14Yeah, knocked it out of the park.
41:16It's a beautiful, amazing 10 out of 10 dish for a table of four,
41:21but for 80 people at a banquet, it is a nightmare.
41:27I think there's a little bit there you can still drink if you want, Sally.
41:34Stevie is making a new garum butter sauce.
41:38New sauce, new me.
41:40Yeah, it's looking roasty.
41:41He's roasted shallots and fennel for a puree.
41:45He caramelises and adds honey, chardonnay vinegar and pernod,
41:50and the brill is stuffed with the hake and douya.
41:53Meat glue, it's flavourless and it's effective.
41:55Swamp frog fish.
41:57Better not let me down today.
42:02Ahmed.
42:04Hello, Fandi.
42:04Welcome back.
42:06My wild card.
42:07Yeah.
42:07How did you feel about coming back in this situation?
42:10I was very excited.
42:11I'd lie if I say I wasn't nervous, but I think more excited than anything else, really.
42:16And how have the other chefs been?
42:17Thrilled to see you?
42:18To my face, yeah.
42:21The next dish is Ahmed, who's our wild card from the northeast,
42:24and it's original Invincible.
42:26It's spiced monkfish, callaloo sauce, preserved lemon yoghurt,
42:29scotch bonnet emulsion, glazed cauliflower and crispy plantain,
42:33pickled okra and chilli,
42:34and it's inspired by Arthur Wharton,
42:36the first black professional footballer in the 1880s.
42:39He also held the 100-meter sprint record in 1886
42:42and played cricket for northeast teams.
42:47This fish dish is really important to me.
42:48It highlights diversity.
42:49It showcases that anybody from any background can go on and do amazing things.
42:53Ahmed is making a scotch bonnet emulsion.
42:56Scotch bonnet oil there, Dijon, some yolks, rice wine vinegar,
43:00and we're just slowly emulsifying it with the oil.
43:03It's got my favourite chilli in it, the scotch bonnet.
43:05Treat it with respect.
43:06It's the only chilli that you can still, when you add it with heat,
43:09taste the flavour.
43:10Every other hot chilli bird's eye, it's like, where's the flavour?
43:13The scotch bonnet's got that really rich, round flavour.
43:15I love it.
43:18Smart enough to know not to taste that without honey.
43:23Definitely wake you up, that.
43:25He deep fries plantain crisps, a new element to offer more texture,
43:30and heats the scotch bonnet emulsion.
43:32We want a kick, but we don't want to blow anybody's socks off.
43:34He passes the emulsion and roasts his water-bathed monkfish.
43:39Fish looks nice.
43:41Yeah, beautiful.
43:42Buttery.
43:42You got the jerk spices on there?
43:44Yeah, yeah.
43:46He plates in football-shaped bowls to honour his inspiration.
43:50Yeah, what you got going on there, Ahmed?
43:52So this is the scotch bonnet emulsion.
43:53Happy with everything?
43:54Yeah, I think last time, I think I was a bit shy with the spices.
43:57Ahmed, you have six minutes to the pass, chef.
43:59Perfect.
44:00So what's that one going on now?
44:01So this is just yoghurt,
44:02and we've got some preserved lemon running through there.
44:04How's everything going, Ahmed?
44:06Yeah, looking good.
44:07Roasted cauliflower florets.
44:10You two want to go around with these?
44:11Followed by the pickled okra and chilli.
44:14Smell the heat coming off these, by the way.
44:20Soon as I carve this, I'm going up.
44:22How's that croissant?
44:22I'm really happy with it, chef.
44:24Yes, fantastic news.
44:26What's that, chef?
44:27Callaloo.
44:28So it's got a bit of a kick to it, just a little bit.
44:30Looks great, mate.
44:32Oh, that's cool.
44:32That's really good.
44:38You happy?
44:39Yeah, please.
44:39Service, guys.
44:40Just careful with that.
44:50Omelette.
44:51No, don't.
44:53Wow.
44:57Thank you very much.
44:58Bad news about your tortoise.
45:02I do love the presentation.
45:11I love how tactile it feels.
45:14That's spicier than a Jilly Cooper novel, that.
45:16It's definitely hotter than last time.
45:17I'm delighted with that, though.
45:19I love chilli.
45:19That, for me, is the perfect heat level,
45:21but I couldn't serve that to Yvonne and Bruno, my in-laws, for example.
45:24This is top end of acceptable.
45:26If you're not a Mr. Prove-It, stood in a curry house,
45:29trying to order the hottest thing ever.
45:31Oh, that's got a kick.
45:32I like the heat, but that's too hot for some people.
45:34As a general wimp in all areas of life, it's a bit much for me.
45:39As Russell said, it would split people
45:40because you put a tiny little bit of heat in something,
45:42and they can't take it.
45:44You find heat quite challenging, don't you, Callum?
45:46I think it's, like, at my threshold, to be honest with you.
45:50I like that you didn't hold back.
45:51You gave it everything.
45:52Really punchy.
45:53Well done, Ahmed.
45:54Yeah, he came in and really rocked the boat.
45:55Spiced up our lives.
45:57That's better than that one, isn't it?
45:59I think, as a wild card, he's come back
46:00and he's done an exceptional job.
46:02It's a beautiful dish.
46:04I just think we might have a heat level here
46:06that is just possibly just a touch too much for the banquet.
46:10But I don't know, maybe we could force these Great Britons
46:13to be brave.
46:23Time is not your friend in here, so I've got to keep my eyes on it.
46:27OK, so next up, we have Stevie, representing Northern Ireland,
46:29with his de-fib-brill-ator.
46:32Obviously already winning, because it's a cheap pun on fish there.
46:35Ten out of ten.
46:36No, it's a French-trimmed rack of brill
46:39stuffed with hake and duya farce, caramelised fennel puree,
46:44tempura skirt meat, fennel pickle gel and garum butter sauce.
46:49And it's inspired by the Belfast-born Dr Frank Pantrich,
46:54the inventor of the portable de-fib-brill-ator.
46:57I mean, that is specific, isn't it?
46:58Very.
46:59And actually, in the build-up to coming on Great British Menu,
47:02we had an incident in the restaurant
47:04and I had to sort of resuscitate somebody.
47:06With a de-fib-brill-ator?
47:07No, we bought one straight after the show.
47:09Oh, my goodness!
47:10Yeah, it was a bit of a workout,
47:11but it just showed the necessity of having things like that on hand.
47:15And for that to be, you know,
47:16an invention that comes from Northern Ireland is amazing.
47:18It's a brilliant thing.
47:19So it's a great connection to the brief.
47:225, 6, 7 you got for this dish.
47:235, 6, 7, yeah.
47:25And what was the feedback for you from the judges?
47:27Far too much fennel.
47:28Sort of need to watch the spice levels on the andouille
47:31and then just kind of maybe just bring the dish more together.
47:34The tempura skirt meat's new,
47:36the fennel pickle gel is new and the garum butter sauce.
47:40Remember last time we had that big, massive, chunky bit of fennel
47:43with the orange glaze?
47:44It wasn't very nice.
47:46Stevie is prepping tempura brill skirt.
47:50That's there.
47:53How did you clean the bones, man?
47:54Just blanch it in a wee bit of water and then sort of peel them off.
47:58Yeah, yeah.
47:59Really nice technique.
48:00It looks amazing.
48:01He passes his garum butter sauce.
48:03If you just want to get the tempura out now,
48:05I'm going to be exactly on time.
48:09This is so delicate.
48:10These have broke so many times of me, like.
48:12Chef, you have seven minutes.
48:15Seven minutes.
48:16Fennel puree is piped on first.
48:18So if you want to do that along them.
48:20Four blobs of gel.
48:21Do you want me to duck?
48:22Yes, please, yeah.
48:22What is it, fennel?
48:23Fennel seed pickle gel, if you could follow with flowers.
48:27The tempura skirt is next.
48:32Do you want me to go around and split it with the dill oil?
48:33Yes, please, Chef.
48:39And over here.
48:40Yep.
48:40Bring them up here.
48:42Beautiful.
48:43All right, last dish of the day.
48:45Service, please.
48:49It's served to the sound of a beating heart.
48:53I feel like I'm about to go on stage.
48:57It's a more menacing air seeing you this time.
49:01Yes, hello, lovelies.
49:03I admire the amount of work that's gone into making this piece of fish look that amazing.
49:11As a bit of fish butchery, the skillset there is outstanding.
49:15All right, there's a surprise inside.
49:18Yeah, that's the Nduja farce.
49:21The Nduja, super clever,
49:23and I think it's going to be the best dish I've ever had in my lifetime.
49:27It's a special piece of fish.
49:29Oh, farce.
49:31The nduja, super clever.
49:33And the fact that you've made it all from the fish,
49:35wish I'd thought of something like that.
49:39I don't know, there's something about the nduja mix
49:41through the middle that I'm just not a fan of.
49:44The actual tempura, when I first put it in my mouth,
49:47delicious, I thought it was a really good idea
49:49to do that to the skirt meat,
49:51but then that sweetness hits you
49:52and it completely takes away from all the goodies done there.
49:56There's a kind of like a sweet fennel gel on it
49:59that all of a sudden, it tastes like a fishy donut, mm.
50:02I like that little joey head on there,
50:04just brings a nice little touch to the dish
50:06and the crispiness on that was, yeah.
50:07That gel's nice, isn't it?
50:09I finished mine, loved it.
50:10Nice.
50:11It's got a new addition of the sauce on there as well,
50:13although flavour-wise, it's all right.
50:15I don't think it's been executed in the best manner
50:17that it could be.
50:18But looks great and it has impact.
50:21Done an excellent job again, chefs.
50:23I'm going to go and see the judges now.
50:24See you in a minute, guys.
50:25Thanks, chef.
50:29BEEPING
50:35So, judges, have you had a good afternoon?
50:38Every single piece of fish we've had, actually,
50:40has been perfectly cooked.
50:41All round, great improvements
50:44and a couple of very, very good dishes.
50:46Yeah, there's been some amazing dishes,
50:48which has caused quite a lot of debate so far.
50:51There's been some debate about how they will be realised
50:54at the banquet, but I've decided I'm just going to score it
50:56on what I would lick the plate of.
50:58If I think of a banquet, I think of a massive bit of fish
51:01going down in front of Henry VIII
51:03and someone carving it off and serving it.
51:05It's not a feast, it's not a dinner, it's a banquet.
51:08We are creating a Great British Menu banquet
51:10and we are doing it to celebrate 20 years
51:13of Great British Menu and Great Britains.
51:15And there's a lot of people that will be coming to that banquet.
51:17So we do have to think not just about us.
51:20So you're talking logistics?
51:22Yeah, logistics and also flavour profiles.
51:25Me and Russell are just two greedy people
51:27who want the nicest thing. Two greedy, funny people?
51:29That's all right, you're allowed to be greedy, funny people.
51:32Right, shall we go find out? Let's go. Let's go.
51:38I think it'd be a huge honour to get a dish at the banquet
51:40and I think what I produce could possibly do that.
51:43I'm apprehensive going into the judges' chamber.
51:47Really don't want to come last again.
51:49I wouldn't have changed anything that I did today.
51:51It was everything I could have wanted on the plate.
51:54I think the top three would be
51:56Jean, Stevie and hopefully myself.
52:00I cooked what I wanted to cook, so, yeah, feeling good.
52:04The strongest dishes today were probably Jean and Jack.
52:07A lot happier today than I was yesterday, so, yeah, fingers crossed.
52:11Judging chamber is a scary place, so I'm feeling a little bit nervous.
52:15I'd prefer being stood in the kitchen, it's a lot easier.
52:17It's always a little bit nerve-wracking going in there.
52:20I would be pretty flabbergasted if this was the dish
52:22that got to the banquet today.
52:24My top three would be Jean, Amber and Jack.
52:35Hello, chefs. How are you getting on?
52:37Very good.
52:38The respect shown for each single piece of fish that came through
52:41was wonderful.
52:42Ahmed, what was it like walking back in there today?
52:44Yeah, it was tough to begin.
52:45It was awesome being in the kitchen today,
52:46obviously having Ahmed, my mate, back with me.
52:48I thought he was my mate, but...
52:50It is time to reveal the results.
52:54So, in eighth place today, it's...
52:59..Stevie.
53:00Fish butchery, the skill set there was absolutely amazing,
53:04but there were seven great dishes in front of it.
53:06Thank you. Cheers.
53:07Well done, Stevie.
53:13And in seventh place, we have...
53:17..Amber.
53:19Your fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicious,
53:22but the competition was so tough today.
53:24Thank you, guys.
53:25Amber, thank you so much. We'll see you back in the kitchen.
53:29Chef. Hello.
53:31Well done, mate. Yeah, that's tough, isn't it?
53:34And in sixth place is...
53:37..Sally.
53:39Sally, much improved from the heats.
53:42Incredible sauce.
53:43It was just a very, very competitive field today.
53:45Thank you. Thank you, Sally.
53:47We'll see you back in the kitchen. Thank you.
53:48I'm not even going to bother telling you that there's two more places,
53:51cos you know, and you're already on there anyway.
53:53Hello. Hi, Sally. Hello.
53:55Didn't expect to see you next.
53:57That's all right.
53:58I've no idea what order this is going to be,
54:01so this is slightly exciting.
54:03So, in fifth place...
54:06..is Callum.
54:08I absolutely loved it.
54:10The scallop, I don't know how you did it,
54:12there was a slight sweetness in the tempura.
54:14It was so delicious. Thank you very much.
54:16See you in the kitchen in a sec. Cheers.
54:17Callum, I'm here.
54:20Hi, mate. How are you doing?
54:22Yes, I wasn't super happy with where I came today.
54:25Fifth position, it's not bad,
54:26but the second half of my menu is just way stronger.
54:28And in fourth place...
54:31..it's...
54:32..Mark.
54:34You smashed it today.
54:36The broth was so deep and rich, it was incredible,
54:38and I think from a storytelling perspective,
54:40I think we all agreed you completely nailed it.
54:43Thank you very much. Mark, thank you very much.
54:46All right, sir.
54:47Hi, aye. We doing all right?
54:49It's been a hell of a day. Yeah, it's been good.
54:51I fully expected to be, hopefully, mid-table.
54:55So, in third place, it is...
55:00..Jack.
55:02I gave your dish a nine. I thought it was fantastic.
55:05The fish was cooked beautifully, the sauce was light, fresh,
55:08but, you know, full-bodied.
55:09Very well done. Thank you.
55:11Thank you so much. You smashed it, mate.
55:12Well done. It was really beautiful. It was so good.
55:15Here he is. Hello.
55:17You all right, Jack? Yeah, all good. Well done.
55:20I was really hard today, so... Yeah.
55:22..chuffed.
55:23Yeah, it's heartbreaking that, you know, I finished third,
55:25but to just be high up in a calibre that high,
55:29yeah, that's sensational.
55:31They're such different dishes, Jean and Ahmed, though, aren't they?
55:34Like, so different.
55:35Yeah, the flavours that Ahmed had were just beautiful.
55:37It was a really, really stunning dish.
55:40So, that brings us to the two of you.
55:42Jean, Ahmed, and your dishes,
55:45An Ode To Elizabeth and Original Invincible.
55:51They were both incredible dishes,
55:53and it does come down to points, and there were only two points in it.
55:58As you both know, there can, of course, only be one winner.
56:03And I can tell you now that cooking the fish course at the banquet
56:09to celebrate 20 years of Great British Menu
56:13and historical figures from the past is...
56:26..Jean.
56:29Congratulations.
56:32Well done, mate. Well done, sir.
56:34Well done, Chef. How does it feel?
56:35Yeah, relieved.
56:39Well done, thank you.
56:40Well, it was a great dish.
56:41I mean, the thing that I loved about it the most was its classic root,
56:45but its reflection on Elizabeth David,
56:47but also then your modern take and twist on it.
56:50It was a great piece of cooking, wonderful flavours, well done.
56:53Amazing, thank you very much.
56:54Commiserations, Ahmed, great dish.
56:56The spice level was right up my street, so very well done.
56:59Nice, thank you.
57:00Thank you so much for coming, Russell.
57:02Loved it.
57:03Yeah, I know, it's so great to have your enthusiasm.
57:06Chefs, congratulations to both of you.
57:08Why don't you both go back to the kitchen and get that champagne ready?
57:11I'll be there in a minute.
57:12Well done, Chefs. Well done, well done.
57:13Woo!
57:19Wow.
57:20Amazing, eventually.
57:22Excited to be at the banquet now.
57:23Got to look back at the show and how it's come
57:25and all the chefs who've gone there now.
57:27I get to represent London South East for the first course.
57:30I'm buzzing, I'm really, really excited.
57:35Here we go, then.
57:37There we go.
57:38Who is it? Who is it?
57:39Who got it?
57:41Not me.
57:42Hey!
57:43Well done.
57:44Well done, mate.
57:46Well done, mate.
57:47I'm over the moon, but at the same time, I'm a bit disappointed.
57:49But I thought his dish was banging.
57:52I definitely won too, so let's see if I can get another one there.
57:55Cheers, guys. Cheers.
57:56Cheers.
57:57Tomorrow, the pressure is on.
57:59As three Michelin stars, Claire Smith judges the main course.
58:03Who will rise to this somewhat daunting challenge?
58:08Oh, you've probably won already.
58:10Congratulations on how you're doing.
58:12Very well, thank you.
58:13Feeling good?
58:14Yes.
58:15Name up.
58:16It is.
58:17Yes.
58:18Ahmed, well done.
58:20Stormed back into the kitchen, into second place.
58:23Cheers, everybody.
58:24Cheers.
58:25Congratulations.
58:26Tomorrow, the chefs are on fire.
58:30They produce one stellar dish after another...
58:33I think we're in trouble today if people keep bringing it like this.
58:36..in one of the highest scoring main course finals ever
58:40in the history of Great British Menu.
58:42So, that brings us to the two of you.