All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E09.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX.[eng]

It's the battle for Wales
and our two highest-scoring chefs,

Georgia and Mark, are competing
for a place in the national finals.

With celebrations of Welsh hits,
Fireman Sam and SuperTed,

can the chefs win over the judges
with their animated dishes?

Andi. Andi, down here! It's me,
Ed Gamble.

I hope they get the portion
sizes right.

Everything seems very big today.

Four amazing Welsh chefs
have unleashed fire and ice

as they fought for a place
in the final two.

Hot stuff coming through.

Can't control my excitement.

Cooking for the judges is our
youngest competitor, 23-year-old

Georgia Summer in, head chef at
Michelin-starred Home.

I'd love to win and get
through to the finals.

It's just reaching distance now.

And North Wales' Mark Threadgill,

from the award-winning Portmeirion
Hotel.

Bit nervous. Lot to do.

I just want to get going now
and get cooking.

Today's winner goes through
to the finals and the chance

of getting to our banquet.

My eyes are watering.

So tough.

Inspired by British animation and
illustration, their food takes us

from the seaside to the Middle Ages
and into the midst of a fire,

as they try to impress our judges.

Going through to cook at the
finals is...

This judging clay, I'm excited to
cook for the four new palates,

hopefully I'll impress them.

I really want this a lot.

I think I just need to concentrate
on all my flavours and the cooking.

Just to nail everything down,
to beat Mark.

Good morning, chefs. Good morning.
Good morning.

How are we feeling? Good.

Nervous.

It's judging day.
You've got a lot to do.

You're going to cook your entire
menu again.

The slate is completely clean.

We're back to zero.

So today is a big day.

It's quite hectic and it moves
along at pace. Yeah.

Feeling good? BOTH: Feeling good.

Louder! Feeling good?
Yeah. Feeling good.

I wish you loads of luck.

Thanks, Andi.

Come on. It's North Wales
versus South,

as they begin to cook their six
courses.

So it's a busy morning,

this morning, I'm just getting my
brine water ready for the fish

to drop down. I'm going to get my
tomato sauce on the go.

A lot to do.

Georgia roasts her tomatoes
to intensify their flavour...

...as Mark is looking to improve
his unusual sourdough parfait

for dessert after it scored
badly in the heats.

I've got the parfait going straight
away and I need to

get my cucumber pearls clone,
prep the fish.

He combines the cream with a
sourdough paste, then mixes it

into the meringue and pulls
it out to set, whilst Georgia

has readied a smoked butter
emulsion.

So these are just my Pembrokeshire
new potatoes for my fish course.

Mark's doing his nervous
dance as head judge

Tom Kerridge arrives. With eight
restaurants, three Michelin stars

and having twice cooked
at our banquet, he knows

what it takes to win.

Both of those chefs have competed
in Great British Menu before.

They haven't quite got
to this stage.

So the nerves of this is still new.

But, listen, they're Welsh. They're
representing Welsh produce.

There's fire, there's heart,
there's soul, there's energy.

He'll be joined by Nisha Katona
and comedian Ed Gamble.

Nisha is a renowned restaurateur
with 16 Mowgli street food eateries

and even more in the pipeline...

This year's theme means
the way the dish looks

becomes particularly important.

But always I'm looking for
that incredible flavour.

WOO!

...whilst Ed loves his food and
co-presents the Off Menu podcast.

Ever since the theme was announced,
I'm just thinking we could end up

with a banquet meal that is cow pie,
something themed on

Fungus the Bogeyman, and something
else themed on Winnie-the-Pooh.

It's not going to sound delightful
on a menu, but I'm sure the food

will be delicious.

With two of Wales' best chefs
cooking, it should be,

as Mark roasts cob nuts for his
starter,

and Georgia marinates turnip in oil

before chopping basil.

This is a new element that I'm
adding to my starter.

It's a basil oil - just for a bit
of colour and some flavour

to the dish.

Erm...

Mark is straining a buttermilk
dashi for his fish,

as Georgia starts a veloute for
hers, giving me time to brief Tom.

Hello. Morning. How are you?

I'm all right.
Thanks, mate. How are you?

Look at this. Mint tea. I'm grand.
Thank you, my dear.

How's this week been?

I would say one of the chefs
did very well in the first half

and the other chef did very well
in the second half.

Hopefully, they've taken on

what the veterans have given them
as feedback.

Very interesting connections
to the brief.

Lots of really good, strong
Welsh storytelling.

As a brief,
it sounds fantastic.

So much about food can connect
you to childhood memories

and if the brief is coming in as
well with similar,

I can imagine there's lots of
nostalgic, heartfelt, warm dishes

that are connected to memories
of great times. Yeah.

But above all else,
amazing-tasting food.

Good food. Can't wait!

So how are you feeling about cooking
for the judges?

Yeah, I'm excited to cook for them
all, but also really nervous.

Yeah.

Both chefs are making changes
to their canapes

after veteran Lorna's feedback.

For her Parmesan and red pepper
quiche,

Georgia has rolled
her pastry thinner,

whilst Mark is making his canapes
smaller, as he bakes tuiles

for a crab Caesar salad.

HeY: Ell-IVS, how are we?

Very well. Torn, so nice to see you.

LAUGHTER

What?!

He has got a point, though.
All right.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

We can't unsee that now, can we?
No.

It's Welsh week, though.

It's not Wensleydale week.

Very, very true. And the Welsh have
history of winning this competition.

Nathan last year, absolutely
outstanding starter.

So, see what happens.

Great animation from Wales as well.

Fireman Sam. Yes. SuperTed.

These are the big hitters, aren't
they, in the cartoon world?

Oh, nice and busy. That's what I
like to see.

How are we getting on?

Yeah, all good. Good.

Yeah? Your canapes
will be going out soon.

The guest judge is on the way,
and you are absolutely

going to need to make
a very good first impression.

Georgia adds Parmesan custard
to her canape tarts before baking.

Because Tom has a shellfish allergy,

Mark can't serve him the crab.

For Tom, I'm doing a salmon Caesar
salad with Parmesan tuile.

He begins to build his canapes
with Caesar-dressed lettuce

going on top of the crab or salmon.

So there'll be a guest judge
that we need to cook for as well.

Yes. We have no idea who it is.

Could be anyone. Who knows?

The guest judge they have to impress
has spent much of his career

surrounded by animation, presenting
children's shows on 54C

before going on to Blue Peter -
it's Gethin Jones.

Hello! Hi, hiya. How are you? Very
well.

So lovely to meet you. You too.

Nice to see you. Please take a seat.

This is such a treat.
Are you hungry?

Oh, yeah.
I'm ready to see what's on offer.

Are you proud to be representing
Wales in the guest judge pantheon?

Absolutely. In the eating contest?

In the eating chamber, representing
Wales!

Are you quite a foodie? Yes.

I've been lucky enough to travel
quite a bit and taste a lot

of different cultures in terms
of food.

But I think there is that sort of,
I don't know,

I'll take a leek and potato soup
any day of the week, you know.

Well, I don't know if we've got
one of those coming. What?!

Are you excited about the theme,
animation and illustration?

Yeah, that's reminding me
of my childhood as well.

Like, and it's funny now
because a lot of the characters

have been translated.

You've got SuperTed, but in Welsh
that would just be SuperTed.

Oh, really? It's just quicker.
You just say it fast.

Yeah. Because I guess he was quite
a fast Ted, right?

That's a very good point.

What about Fireman Sam? Well, that'd
be Sam Tan. Sam Tan? Yeah. Right.

And we had Sali Mali. You probably
don't know Will Cwac Cwac.

No. No, you're just making them
up now, aren't you?

Canapes are nearly ready to serve,
as Georgia finishes her tart

with a baked Parmesan crumb,
con fit red peppers and a herb salad.

Are you happy with your canape?

Yeah, I think so.

It shows me as a chef.

Slightly simple, but packs
a punch of flavour.

Mark's going for his own punch
with Parmesan, which he grates

over his Caesar salads,
followed by crunchy Parma ham.

And I notice you've gone
a little bit smaller.

Yeah, I've gone lower.
More bite size. Yeah.

This one's Tom's.

First, the judges are tasting
Mark's Caesar salad with crab,

or salmon for Tom.

All in one? Yeah.

Are we honestly going all in one?
Yeah.

It's just a mouthful of
Caesar salad, which is lovely.

It's refreshing. Yeah, really tasty,
but it's quite cold. Mm-hm.

I thought it was great.

The Caesar dressing was big and
powerful, but for me the winning

bit was the lovely tuile
on the bottom, the crispiness.

What I can't understand
is how they do it with the texture,

the crispy, it's soft and it is
cold, but you can still taste

the Parmesan. As a single mouthful,

it was a bit big. You said "in one".

I thought, "They're trying to
stitch me up here..." LAUGHTER

...but you went for it and I did too.

And I was quiet for a while.

But that's what you want
at a party, right?

Everyone to shut up for the first
five minutes.

Next is Georgia's
Parmesan and red pepper quiche.

In one?

Love that. Mm. it just kind
of melts in the mouth.

The pastry just disappeared
straight away,

but this just...
Oh, it's fantastic.

There was a warmth
because of that pastry.

So you're getting
not just a textural blend,

but also the temperature.

Yes! Very pleasant.

If I'm going to serve that a party,
I would have a minute to kind of go,

"That was amazing." Yeah. I'd be
following the person around.

I'd be following the tray around.
Yeah. Go on, then, hold it up,

which plate you think you would go
for again? The quiche.

Which is your favourite?

Unanimous. Yeah.

Just making a smoked foam.

In the kitchen, Mark is whisking up
soy milk and smoked water

for his starter.

Happy with that.

Next, he marinates carrots
in a fermented grain called koji,

which he hopes will bring
out their flavour.

The dish will be served under
little lights and, in readiness,

the chamber has been dimmed.

So the first starter is called,

It's a Fire! Call Sam!

Ancl it's a braised carrot with puy
lentils, cob nuts and smoked foam.

Ancl it's inspired by the Welsh hit
animation Fireman Sam, originally

broadcast on 54C in Wales.

Ancl the dish of course is vegan,
so all the starters have got

to be vegan.

Actually, my first-ever
TV show was on 54C. Cool.

But before that, you were brought up
on Sam Tan and Will Cwac Cwac,

and animations because it was
actually a really good way to learn

Welsh. Who's this Will Cwac Cwac
guy you keep bringing up?

He was a duck. I'd say he was
a duck.

In the week
veteran judge Lorna scored

this an eight. She said
that although the carrot crisps

looked like fire, they'd gone soggy.

The crisps don't quite work.

I just put it out more for the
flame look.

But I think the carrot is bright
enough for the flame so I'm

getting rid of the carrot crisps.

The crisps absorbed the foam, didn't they? Yeah. And
they stopped being... They did look good, though.

Yeah, I know. What's
the main thing with this?

Is it balance?

It's the balance of the smoke,
the vinegar, the acidity.

It's a beautiful plate.

I reckon you can get another
couple out of them

because it's really tasty. Hope so.

Mark adds smoked vinegar
to puy lentils

he's cooked with shiitake
mushrooms and black truffle.

And to add more flavour,
he's braising his koji carrots

in carrot juice.

A braised carrot. You can do
wonderful things with carrots.

Carrots are amazing, complex, deep
flavours, fantastic sugar content,

super exciting vegetable.

You have four minutes, my love.
What?

Carrot puree goes onto both the
plate and the tops of the braised

carrots, as Georgia helps by
continuing to whisk the foam.

Looks really fragrant,
like last time.

He adds pickled carrots and carrot
tops, then spoons curried lentils

into the bowl, followed by spring
onion oil.

The first of the two Fireman
Sam dishes.

I wonder which one they'll prefer.

He scatters the cob nuts
he roasted earlier.

Last minute, Mark.

Thank you. Yeah.

And he adds the foam.

Do you want to hold the cloche and
I'll use the smoker? Yeah.

Yeah, that's fine.

I got it.

OK. Happy-

OK.

# When he hears that
fire bell chime

# Fireman Sam is there on time... #

That looks brilliant.

Diolch.

Are you going to wear that?

Yeah.
Are we going hats on? 100%.

Gosh, that's incredible.

Oh, my goodness. That does smell
like fire. Doesn't it?

That's brilliant. Mm-hm.

Mmm.

It's so delicious.

How do you make a carrot

so tasty and exciting?

I don't understand. It's brilliant.

The carrot has such a deep flavour.

Those cob nuts had such
an amazing texture. Yeah.

And I think there's some little
pickled carrots in there as well.

Mm. They're just that little bit
of sharpness that it needs.

It feels really meaty.

I mean, it's a vegan dish, but...
Oh, yeah, I forgot.

...the lentils feel
like lovely texture you get

from stews and casseroles.

Ancl I think it's not even
that the puy lentils

are kind of emulating meat.

They're stand alone, fantastic,
deep, deep flavours.

It's balanced, it's good.

But I want a bit more of that carrot
flavour, just a bit more punch

and then that soya foam, the sauce.

Can you taste that enough?

So good. I think Sam Tan would be
proud of that... Yeah. Yeah.

Do you think Fireman Sam wants
to get home from work and eat

a smoky-tasting dish?

Probably not. Right?

Next time I see him,
I'll ask him that.

We're staying in Sam's hometown,
Pontypandy, for Georgia's starter

as she mixes basil pesto
into diced root vegetables,

then adds her roasted tomato sauce
to make a rag...

I'm a bit nervous because,
obviously,

this is my lowest-scoring dish.

It's called Sam's Lunch
and is a vegan lasagne

with turnip pasta, cherry tomatoes
and celeriac puree.

So this is inspired by the Italian
character, Bella Lasagne. Oh, Bella.

Bella, who makes Fireman Sam's
lunch every clay.

Oh! Grazie, grazie, you have saved
me in my hour of need.

Veteran Dawn has scored
this dish a six.

Her main criticism
was that it was too simple.

So Georgia's added some new
elements.

So I've got a basil oil just
for a little bit of colour

and extra flavour to bring
to the dish.

I'm also doing a vegan Parmesan
creme.

Is that nutritional yeast?

Yes, it is, so actually...

It has actually got a cheesy smell
about it.

It does, doesn't it? Yeah.

For her new crumb, she blitzes

the yeast with cashew nuts
and garlic powder.

You have five minutes
to the pass, Georgia.

Yeah.

She starts to build the lasagne
with turnip then celeriac puree.

I'm going to layer it more like
lasagne this time so that there's

lots of layers.

OK.

Georgia continues with the vegetable
ragu and a second

layer of everything.

What have you clone differently
to the turnip?

It's done a lot thinner.

I can see that. They were
a little bit thick last time. OK.

You have two minutes to the pass,
Georgia.

OK.

OK? Yeah. Should be.

Just get some of these tomatoes
that I stewed in sherry vinegar,

just for a bit of acidity.

With the layers finally done,
she sprinkles over the new cashew

and yeast crumb and then drizzles
with the new basil oil.

She's made one final change
by serving it in a lunchbox.

Wow, Georgia,

this looks like a completely
different proposition. Yeah.

It looks great. Service, please.

Be very gentle.

I didn't even notice your hats.

You look splendid.

FIREMAN SAM THEME PLAYS

# Less than seven seconds flat... #
LAUGHTER

They look over the moon to be
wearing those helmets.

I'm glad it was them wearing
the hats this time than me.

Oh, very pretty.

It's very Bella Lasagne. Mm.

It's a good lasagne.

You know, it's tangy. I'm go...
The pesto is strong.

Is it absolutely blowing me away?

Not really.

I'm quite impressed by the bechamel
element of it.

Being vegan is quite...

They've managed to recreate
that quite well.

It's very comforting. Yeah.

And I can see why Sam would eat
this for his lunch.

It's clever. The layering of the
turnip is really clever.

I like the turnip bits.

I find the tomato sauce
just a bit overpowering.

That's exactly it.

The overpowering element is
the tomato sauce, isn't it? Yeah.

I quite like, though, very much
the cashew yeast crumb.

You know, you get that kind
of cheesy acidity from the yeast.

Yeah. if I got this in a restaurant

and someone said I'm having a vegan
lasagne, I'd be really impressed.

It's really delicious. Yeah. But
perhaps not necessarily for...

...for a banquet.

And just like that,
we're at the fish course.

Next up, it's SuperTed.

For his fish, Mark is making little
pearls

by tipping frozen cucumber balls
into a gel of blitzed oysters,

their juice and agar-agar.

His dish is called Help SuperTed!
They're Stealing Our Pearls!

It's plaice, poached oyster,
cucumber and oyster pearls,

white radish kimchi, cucumber puree,

oyster leaf oil
and buttermilk dashi.

And it's inspired by SuperTed, first
broadcast in Welsh 40 years ago,

and specifically the episode

when he rescues the pearls
from the oysters.

Can you swim, Spotty?

I'm not sure.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Oh, well, no bones broken.
Blub-blurp-blub.

Buttermilk dashi.
Am I asking an obvious question?

Dashi's like a broth.
It should be slightly sour.

Not sour, but slightly almost
yogurt-y, so it's that acidity.

That makes sense then, if you've
got the kimchi. Yes. OK.

He's foaming up his buttermilk
dashi right now, as well

as whipping brown butter,

known as beurre noisette.

You scored very well.
What did you score on this?

Eight. Another eight.

Excellent score.

What was the feedback you got
back from Laura?

She said she'd like a bit
more of the sauce, a bit

more of the kimchi. And dial back
the cucumber a bit. That's it. Yeah.

I'm just going to put the same
cucumber but extra kimchi. OK.

What are you doing for Tom, because
he can't have oysters, can he?

No. So I'm doing mackerel.

I'm not 100% but I might torch it
slightly.

Yeah. I'll just put in rapeseed,
though.

Why no beurre noisette for him?

Erm, I was going to pan-fry the
beurre noisette.

I'm just...

I don't know, I'm just... I don't
know.

OK.

To go with Tom's mackerel,

Mark prepares apple that he will
pickle to bring acidity to the dish.

Mark's dish is looking lovely.

My concern is that he has
to make changes for Tom

and he's removing the beurre
noisette.

I think that is an essential part
of the construction of this dish

and one of the flavour profiles
that made it so successful.

He's not sure whether he's going
to leave it in or not.

I'm hoping he's going to err on
the side of yes.

As Mark continues by mixing cucumber
into his fermented kimchi,

I've got a treat for him.

Both chefs have SuperTed dishes
on their menus, and Georgia

has already met its creator.

Now it's Mark's turn.

Hey, guys, how are you? OK. Good,
thanks.

This is Mike Young, the creator
of SuperTed. Oh, wow.

We wrote, I think, a couple
of hundred SuperTed books of one

sort and another, and then 54C came
along and they wanted something

that would travel the world.

Ancl they commissioned SuperTed.

But how is this dish going,
more importantly?

So it's the episode
The Pearl Fishers.

He's made little cucumber
oyster pearls.

Oh, wow. Mark,

would you like to make an extra
plate for our special guest? OK.

Yeah? OK. Oh, my God. Fantastic.

That will be a pleasure.
Thank you so much.

I think we should leave you guys
to crack on with your work

because they've got an awful
lot to do. Bye. Thanks, guys.

Just going to put the plaice in,

just want to make sure
the temperature's right.

He tops his plaice with beurre
noisette,

then cooks in the oven.

Mark, you have five minutes
to the pass. Oui.

What's that going on in there?
Mackerel for Tom.

So I've decided to use the beurre
noisette to get the same flavour.

Mark starts plating with his kimchi
cucumber puree, a few apple balls

for Tom, and some crispy nori
seaweed and then drizzles

on oyster leaf oil.

RINGING
That's me.

With the plaice done and resting,

he poaches the oysters in dashi
stock...

just wash my hands cos of Tom.

Two minutes to the pass, Mark,
please. Oui.

...before adding
the mackerel to Tom's plate.

What have you got going on there?

So these are the pickled pearls
for Tom.

The plaice is also plated.

That's it, and take the oysters out.

You happy with them?

I am. They're nice and soft.

The cucumber pearls are stuck on
with more puree, and he foams

up the buttermilk dashi sauce, again
taking Lorna's advice and adding

a little more to each dish.

It looks beautiful. Thank you.

Ah, they look great.

So this one's Tom's.

Thank you.

All right? Yeah. Thank you.

There we go.

SuperTed there.

Underwater SuperTed? Yeah.

Not even holding his breath.

Wow. Wow. Look at that.

So just clig in? Yeah.

Literally melts in your mouth.

Yeah.

SuperTed will be very, very
pleased.

This is absolutely gorgeous.

Oh! Absolutely beautiful.

Clean, crisp, refreshing
taste of the sea.

That kimchi is great.

The dashi is beautiful.

My mackerel is super tasty.

I love the level of detail with
the cucumber and oyster pearls

just sat on top. It's so clever.

And just like the ocean, you don't really
know what's underneath it. Know what I mean?

The broth is showing the sea,
and then you dig in and it's like

there's a whole new world
underneath.

You're right, it's actually quite
breathtaking on the first mouthful.

I think I'm less keen. But it's...

It's that sea, you're overwhelmed by
the flavour of the ocean.

I'm overwhelmed by the flavour
of cucumber, to be honest.

The pearls are amazing. I don't...
The pearls are amazing!

The piece of plaice was really good.

And when you taste the foam
separately, it's really...

It's beautiful. Powerful, isn't it?
Beautiful.

But when I had it with the cucumber,
I didn't really get that.

No, Ed. You're wrong, you're
wrong, Ed.

It is super tasty.

It's well rounded. It's delicious.

But it does feel a bit like I'm
in a really nice restaurant,

not at a banquet.

For her fish,

Georgia is crushing the potatoes
before shaping them.

This is to test my art skills.

Her dish, called The Important
Message, is a take on fish and chips

with halibut, batter scraps
and a curry mussel veloute.

Inspired by British stop motion
The Adventures Of Portland Bill

and an episode
where miscommunication in semaphore

results in a cracking
fish and chip supper.

Lorna gave this a seven and said
that the crust potatoes

didn't represent chips enough.

She just said it was a bit safe.

So I've tried to change up
the plating. Yeah.

So I'm going to try and make it
more into a chip shape

and crisp up each side to
represent...yeah.

Because they were only crispy
underneath. Anything else

you're changing? She said

the girolles weren't needed
on the plate, so I've removed those.

I'm also serving it
in a chip wrapper paper.

Ah! So they've got to unwrap it,

like... Open it up like fish and
chips. Yeah.

She begins crisping up her crushed
potato chips in oil and butter and

has sent some Portland Bill
instructions to the chamber.

"Please use the traditional
semaphore decoding thingamajig to

"find out what the name of your fish
course is."

Left hand down.

Right hand down.

Right. So I would say that's that
one.

Right? N. N. N?

Left hand
across low, right hand up.

Well, I would go with an I. OK.

Right hand low, right hand out.

What is it. H?

So we think it might start
with N-I-H. Hold on.

Left hand down or across?

Tom, I hate to say it, but I feel
like the issue might be with you.

Thank goodness they're better
at food than decoding.

As Georgia continues to crisp up
her chips in the buttery pan

and deep-fries her batter scraps...

They're coming.

...she also cooks her brined halibut
in foaming butter.

It looks like you've changed
the presentation a little bit there.

Yes. just try and bring a bit
of fun to the dish.

So not using the other props now?
Yes.

So they'll be on the table
for the judges. Ah, OK.

I'm sure they'll be having a go
at it now. Hah.

Look, give me the decoder. This
should be...

I believe you.

I just don't think we're having
a dish called Nee-wb-ya...

Left hand down, right hand down.
HE MOUTHS

Ancl, yeah, I would say
that's left hand down.

Good. Yeah. I know. Or is that out,
though?

I'm confused on every level.

Yeah.

Georgia, you have two minutes
to the pass,

my love, OK? Yes.

Her crushed potatoes are
still frying.

Coming along SWIMMINGLY.

Ah! Swimmingly. See what I did?

But finally, she's ready to begin
plating with chips and fish.

All in? Half.

And Mark pours out the curry sauce.

You have one minute. Yeah.

Just popping the batter scraps on.
Yeah. It'll be seconds.

Her new presentation has the plate
sitting in life rings

and wrapped in paper, chippie style.

This one is Tom's.

Errn, I'm happy for you to go.

Service, please.

Oh, no. There you go. Ready? There
you go.

Ready and chips. Ready.

So, first word's ready.

Left hand across low, right hand
down. Low...

You've got right hand up. That's...

You got left hand across right hand.
Have we got different instructions?

We've got different instructions.

But then the menu says this is
all based on a miscommunication

in semaphore where they
end up having

a cracking fish and chips supper.

I see. That's what it is.

Somebody somewhere is having a laugh
at our expense.

Well, it better be worth it.

Thank you very much.
Thank you ever so much.

Beautiful. Wow.

Thank you.

I'm very excited about this.

Look at the colour of that sauce.

The halibut is a beautiful
piece of fish.

But is anyone else finding that
that sauce is way too salty?

Is it the sauce or is it
the potatoes?

It's both. Is it?

And 'R's such a shame. I'm gutted.

Exactly.

Maybe I've got a higher tolerance,
but, to me, that's what getting

a fish and chip hit is all about.
Getting that big whack of salt.

I'm almost disappointed
that the curry isn't as curry

as the sauce you might get
in a fish and chip shop.

I think it's got a nice bit of curry
to it, but the seasoning

is just off, in my view.

You've finished your plate.

Finished my plate. I thought
the curry sauce was exceptional

and we've erred on that.

The seasoning for that, for me,
is spot-on. Yep.

The fish and the little batter
scraps on the top - lovely.

Where I jump on and agree
with Nisha -

the potato is over seasoned.

It's quite fatty where it's cooked.

It's taken on that greasy flavour.

The potato is actually a real
let-down of what could be a very

simple, clean and superstar dish.

But I have eaten it all,
so it can't be that bad.

Theme wise, I'm quite interested.

So far, it feels like we haven't
quite captured the imagination

involved in animation
or illustration yet.

There's not a heck of a lot
of imagination

when it comes to presentation. Yeah.

You know, the props have been doing
all the talking. Yeah.

Can I watch Tom do this again?

Honestly, it drove me nuts, that.

It was like a school exam.

Tom didn't do well at school.

He mainly got into batter scraps.

TOM LAUGHS

You're halfway already.

Yeah. How does it feel?

Relieved. Yeah.

Big, deep breath.
You've got the big ones next.

Your mains. It's not time to take
your foot off the gas just yet.

Yeah. Yeah? I'll see you back
in a little bit. No worries. OK.

As they begin to prepare
the main courses,

the judges are working out
their scores and I'm heading

over to try to get a sense of which
chef might be inching ahead.

Well, hey. Hello! Hello.

How's it been going in here, people?

Very good. Yeah, we've had some
lovely, lovely dishes.

There's been some very good, strong

cookery, amazing flavours, some

punchy things coming through.

For me, there hasn't been anything
super, super outstanding just yet.

I've had a few completely
fabulous dishes here.

I've got some high scores.

There have been some astonishing
demonstrations of skill,

I think, with ingredients.
Andi, there's been a lot going on.

Like we've had a lasagne
that was burned down in Bella's cafe

and then we've been to rescue some
pearls, thanks to SuperTed.

You know, it's like... Exhausted?
I forgot where I was for a second.

It's a tough job. Whoo!

Now you know how brave these people
really are.

In the kitchen,

the main courses are now under way.
Mark scores duck skin and puts

butternut squash in to roast.

Georgia is preparing pigeon
and browns the wings for a jus...

...as well as sweating down shallots
and beetroot.

I'm just making the beetroot puree,

just with a little bit less sugar.

As Spencer said, it was a little bit
on the sweet side.

She stuffs the pigeon crowns
with tarragon, thyme and rosemary

for her dish called |vor's
Delivery.

Roasted pigeon, black pudding puree,

beetroot and pigeon jus,

it's inspired by the Welsh cut-out
animation Ivor the Engine.

OK. On this bit of paper it says,
"The inspiration for my dish

"was the episode Mr Brangwyn's
Pigeons. Ivor the Engine,

"when he sings, could charm
the very birds off the trees,

"or at least the pigeons off
Miss Price's roof."

I thought I was listening to
Story time on CBeebies there.

You do have a very soothing voice,
Tom.

Thanks, mate.

The crowns go on to roast. Spencer
scored this a seven, and she's taken

on board his comments.

So Spencer said to lose the ragout,

cos it was a bit sloppy
on the plate.

So I've gotten rid of that element
altogether.

I've also gotten rid of the mushroom
in there. They said it was a bit

too earthy and to maybe look at
replacing it with something

fruity and a bit sweeter. Ah, yeah.

So I made a raspberry vinaigrette...
Oh. ..which I'll cook through the

beetroot and then dress to finish.

Oh, really interesting.

Yeah. Bit of acidity,
bit of sweetness.

Yeah. Because the pigeon
is quite rich, isn't it?

It is. It's quite rich. Yeah.

You'd like to score higher?

Yes, I'd like to score higher. What
do you want, the big one?

Errn, a nine. A nine.

Go on, say ten. I mean a ten but...

We know you want a ten.
You can hope for a ten.

Georgia stirs her black pudding
puree and in a hot pan dresses

roasted beetroots
in her new raspberry vinaigrette.

My eyes, they're watering
from the vinegar.

Then she carves the breasts
off her pigeon crowns.

Is that just the right pink?

Yeah. I'm just going to glaze them

back up in the pan with a bit more
sauce.

So, Gethin, you've been in a lot
of children's programmes.

Do you think that animation,
illustration has helped with things

like children's literacy? I think we
all know the power of TV.

You know, it's a medium that's
really important as you're growing up.

In fact, actually, my eldest nephew
has autism, and we found

that he would be quoting
a lot of children's shows

as a way to communicate.

It's actually really helped him.

You know, like when it's visual, we
probably all prefer it, don't we?

In a visual... When you're learning
in a visual sense. Makes it

unforgettable, which is what
we're hoping

from some of this food, really.

Two minutes, Georgia. Yeah.

Think you're going to be on time?

I'm going to start plating now.

First on is the black pudding puree,

followed by the beetroot puree.

What have you changed with that
black pudding puree? So I've just

made it a little bit thinner. Yeah.

Just added some of the pigeon sauce.

Oh, nice.

Next, it's the roasted beetroot,

finished in the new raspberry
vinaigrette.

You're due on the pass now. OK.

I'll need two minutes.

The pigeon goes in bowls and
she's serving an extra breast each

this time to make the dish
more generous.

Two each, nice.

As the smoke goes into the
cloches...

Is that OK?

Yeah.

...the pickled beetroots are placed
and thejus poured into jugs.

Service, please.

Thank you very much.

Oh. Thank you.

Wow.

I love that smell.

Ooh.

Time, she does fly, does she not?
Yeah!

Are you happy with what you put up?

Yeah.

ED: Oh, yeah. Look at that.

Oh! The beetr00t's fantastic,
I think.

The beetroot is fantastic.
The black pudding...

The beetroot puree...
Yeah. ..it's amazing.

No? I'm not a big fan.
I've got to be honest.

The pigeon's skin's not right.

It's all a bit fatty.

I really liked that pigeon, Tom, and
I really liked it with the smoke,

particularly. That smoke has
really permeated through.

But it was a bit disjointed
in its presentation.

You're having to move the meat onto
your plate and things like that.

The thing that I feel quite
disappointed with the most, I think

is the sauce. The pigeon jus

is actually a little bit
wishy-washy. It is, it's weak.

When I smelt it, you get
a big whack of tarragon in there

and then when it's actually on
the plate and with everything else,

that just doesn't come
through at all, does it?

When you get invited to sit
here and eat, you expect it

to be absolutely world class,
you know, takes your breath away.

But I don't know. I just feel like
it's...

I felt like I've had this before,
maybe. The dish tastes fine.

It's a fine dish.

It's not magic, though. For me,
I'd say that pigeon was memorable.

But you're right.
It's not banquet worthy.

Mark is making
The King's Last Feast,

inspired by the
Welsh Mabinogion tales.

It's barbecued duck,
elderberry jus,

duck hearts, a red cabbage puree
and butternut squash.

He had problems before with some
duck skin crisps, so he's replacing

them with a new squash element.

So I've made pickled discs,
so it's just going to give it

that extra acidity and crunch
instead of duck skin.

He only scored six in the heats,

so he wants to take the dish up a
notch this time as he starts flaming

his duck to get the skin
really crispy.

The duck was a little over,
wasn't it?

Yeah. So I changed the duck,

it's not the dry-aged any more,
so it should be juicier.

Less time in the barbecue. Right.

The cabbage puree went wrong for me.

It was a bit wet, wasn't it,
on the plate? Yeah.

I've just clone it right this time.

Right?! It's always good a
call. Yeah.

Don't muck it up. And then what
else?

I'm going to cook the hearts a bit
further.

So not as rare for everyone.
Because they were really raw. Rare.

Yeah, basically.
Essentially. Yeah.

The timings, I thought, you know,
it's like phew. So tough.

Yeah.

The duck goes into the oven and
he purees squash that he's roasted

rather than pan-fried -

a change to bring more flavour.

That is my great Uncle Jeff.

What is going on here?

This is The King's Last Feast.

Not for the faint-hearted.

It doesn't say that. I'm just adding
to the drama.

Inspired by the tales of
Mabinogion,

this is Bendigeidfran, a giant
in King of Britain.

He gets hurt in battle.

He tells his men to chop
his head off.

So they chop his head off.

But he stays alive.
His head stays alive.

So hence The King's Last Feast.

He's always feasting with his men.

At the beginning of this story,

I thought it was true.

At what point did it twig, Tom?

The bit where he got his men to cut
his head off and he stayed alive.

For me, it was when, at the
beginning, you said he was a giant.

LAUGHTER

I missed that bit!

Mark's duck is now finishing
on the barbecue before being glazed

with honey, sherry vinegar,
fennel and cumin.

When I did my main course, the duck
was a bit dry, so hopefully

I've got it perfect. I won't know
till I cut into it.

While it rests, he adds elderberries
to his jus

and pan-fries duck hearts in butter.

How are you looking, Mark?

Yeah, OK. I'll sort of carve
the duck now.

The cluck's a lot better. Yeah.

He reassembles the slices onto
the crown and glazes again.

What's that that you're putting on?

So extra spice, just bring
that flavour through. Yeah.

You have four minutes, Mark.

Oui.

The hearts are skewered
and sprinkled with a barley,

sunflower and pumpkin seed crumb.

How are those hearts? Cooked.

Cooked.

On the plate goes the butternut
puree with the squash fondant,

followed by the new pickled squash,

then the red cabbage puree

and the duck hearts.

You've got two minutes, Mark.

Yep.

The jus is spooned out and the duck
placed on a bed of rosemary, hay

and thyme, which are smoked to give
a medieval banquet aroma.

Oh, that looks fabulous. Yeah.

Here we are. So the cluck's facing
this way, to the judges.

Service.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Lovely.

Thanks. It smells lovely.

The way it's presented looks great.
It's beautiful. Nisha.

Do you want me to help? Lovely.
There you go. A little piece there.

Brilliant. Thank you.

OK, young man.

Diolch, Bendigeidfran.

Thank you very much. There you go.
It's good colour, isn't it?

Tell you what, it's awful what
became of Will Cwac Cwac, isn't it?

LAUGHTER

Aw!

That red cabbage puree...

...is outstanding. Isn't it?

So velvety and so many flavours
going on in there.

So smooth. Mm. The same with the
butternut squash puree.

Ancl I know they're just purees, but
what skill.

But I love that we get a really nice
bit of butternut squash as well.

So you get the different textures.
Mm. The sauce is fantastic.

That acidity, the fruitiness.

Each little elderberry

is like a little fun burst
of surprise sharpness.

I love it.

Oh, the duck heart with the crumb on
it. Mm.

What a great ingredient.

The only criticism is that there's
not enough of it.

You're right. You almost want more
meat, because I'm going to be

finished my meat before I get to
enjoy all the bits around it.

It's a bit bitty.

It's not very big.

I think it could probably do
with a little longer resting.

I think it's been roasted well,
but carved a little early.

I love the way that the chef's done
the theme, but I'd love to see some

example of the illustration,
and I think that would help

contextualise the folklore
a little bit more.

The big head is actually
quite disconcerting.

Onto pre dessert and Georgia is
creating parfait strawberries

for Be Careful What You Wish For,

inspired by Welsh animation short
Drwgan, about a girl that gets

squashed by strawberry lolly.

And once again, she's taking
Spencer's comments

and making improvements.

So I'm just dipping my strawberry
into a strawberry compound.

Just to bolster the flavour.

Mark is making Little Lost Bear
inspired by Rupert the Bear,

but he's having a few problems
with his cardamom espuma.

Ohhh!

Once he's got the gun sorted,
he pipes fennel namelaka

followed by orange ice cream
into a glass.

Are you going to be on time, Mark? I
am. Are you going to be on time?

Yeah. just going to dip the last
strawberry and then pop

the leaves on. Yeah.

After dipping her parfaits
in a cocoa butter shell, she serves

them in a strawberry punnet.

Mark finishes his dish with a layer
of cardamom espuma,

puffed wild rice and orange zest
before adding some Rupert trimmings.

Yummy-scrummy.

HaPPv? Happy-

Service, please. Service.

Oh, that's sweet.

Thank you.

First, it's Mark's Little Lost Bear.

The fennel namelaka, which is

like a kind ofjapanese ganache,
is lovely.

I don't know whether it's just a
personal taste, but I think

sometimes cardamom can be a bit
overwhelming. Didn't get a huge

amount of orange in the ice cream
either. I actually think it's

really quite well balanced.

I did get the orange, I did get
the fennel. The cardamom - maybe

a little bit punchy, but I think
that's really nice.

I think I ate it wrong.

How'd you do that?

I had a look at the top to
see what was going on.

And so we've got all these
overpowering flavours.

But then, when I had it all
together, it was really nice.

I wish I'd eaten and then... Yeah.
That's a good point.

I needed a manual.
LAUGHTER

I know!

Next, it's Georgia's Be Careful What
You Wish For.

My goodness. That's clever, isn't
it?

Ancl so simple, don't you think?

It's just a strawberry parfait
and it's very strawberry.

The acidity levels on that
are lovely.

My only criticism is, it's
a bit icy.

Is that...can you...is that...?
It should be served

at the right temperature? It can be
set like an ice cream, so it

should be smooth and creamy. Mm.

The shell is so thin and delicate
as well, but it all

held together great. Right then, I
thought they were both really nice.

Which one would you have again?
Which one would you go for? Oh.

Hold it up.

Really?

Yeah. To Rupert.

Dessert!

Georgia is hoping to score
high marks as she pours in

a new ingredient to some
macerated cherries.

I'm just going to add half
a tablespoon of Kirsch

to my cherries. Spencer said

it'll help to enhance the flavour
on them.

So this is Nuts in Space.

It's on butter ice cream,

macerated cherries, cherry puree,

aerated chocolate and an almond
tuile.

Ancl it's a dish inspired
by Welsh superhero SuperTed.

Ancl the episode is the one where
he recovers the nuts from space.

PARROT SQ UAWKS

Nuts.

There's no need to be rude,
SuperTed. No, Spotty! Brazil nuts.

They get them from Earth.

But someone has been intercepting
the rockets that bring them.

Oh. Oh, they must be starving.

Georgia scored an eight
in the heats,

but she's having problems this time
with her aerated chocolate,

as the bubbles aren't expanding
enough in the vacuum machine.

I need to redo it.

She's determined to get it right
as she gets a second batch in...

...before draining her cherries.

Hey, Georgia.

Hi. How are you doing, darling?

Errn, OK. Except I'm having a bit
of a technical issue

with my aerated chocolate.

Just seems to be a bit warm,
so it's collapsing in slightly.

That one's holding better
than the first one.

So I'm going to try and take it
out. So it doesn't have that height?

Yes. Not as high as what I'd like.

Deep breath. Don't let the chocolate
get to you, darling.

You'll be fine. Yeah. Thanks, Andi.
All right.

For a SuperTed in space feel,
she's spraying vanilla espuma

into liquid nitrogen to make cosmic
dust, and using the same technique

to make cherry space rocks.

SuperTed spent a long time
rescuing foods.

He was a kindly soul, wasn't he?
Yeah.

It's almost as if he knew that the
Great British Menu was coming up.

Ha!

SuperTed crew. SuperTed crew,

you have three minutes to the pass.

Edible glitter is sprayed
into the bowels.

Then she starts plating
with cherry puree -

another suggestion from Spencer,
who wanted more of it in the dish.

Tuile crumbs follow, with a scoop
of almond ice cream.

Are you happy with the ice cream?
Yeah.

Oh, no!

Holy Moley. Do you want another
plate?

Can you just grab the aerated
chocolate?

Where is it? In here?
It's in the blast chiller.

You're all right. You've still got a
couple of minutes.

Yeah, you just need SuperTed energy.

She redoes the final plate with the
second serving of cherry puree,

then adds the macerated cherries
with Kirsch.

Do you want to try a new cherry?
Yeah, please.

Delicious, isn't it? Oh, yeah. They
are better.

She's got just enough aerated
chocolate from her second attempt

to go on the plates.

Can I have a time check, please?

One minute to go, Georgia. Yeah.

The tuiles are balanced on top,
and the dish is served on trays

decorated to look like outer space.

The frozen vanilla and cherry
is served on the side

after they melted in the dish
last time.

Since you've taken that snow
out of the bowl, Georgia,

this is suddenly more elegant
in the bowl.

And you've still got your snow.
Wonderful. Service, please.

Let's do it, people.

GETHIN LAUGHS
That's great. Sweet.

The SuperTed capes. Well clone. Thank
you.

Oh. Oh, wow. All right!

Oh. Softer than we thought.

There are elements of this dish
that are absolutely delicious.

The almond butter ice cream
at the bottom is gorgeous.

Stunning. And then whatever was in
that dish, the vanilla...

It was the espuma. I thought it was
popcorn!

When you first look at it,
that is... That is brilliant.

I thought, texturally, it was great.
The flavours of that were fantastic.

Just when it started to get
too sweet, that aerated chocolate

was actually quite bitter

and really just took the edge
off the sweetness.

For me, this is the dish
of the clay so far.

A great bit of cooking.
Loved it.

This was not my highlight
of the clay.

I think it's quite sweet.
The ice cream was amazing.

Elements were fantastic.
But I didn't love the presentation.

I still don't think we've found
the connection to the theme

that it needs to be
to be at the banquet - yet - today.

But as a dish, absolutely fantastic.

Don't care. SuperTed. In space.

Looking for nuts to feed some
parrots.

That's what that dish says to me.
You understood that, didn't you?

You told me you loved it.
I second that, Chef.

I'll be your Spot.

Now it's Mark's last chance to
score well.

He pours an elderflower
and honey mix into moulds to make

pate de fruits bees.

I've changed it.

I've put more honey and I've put
some mead in it as well.

He scrapes the tuile mix
into silicone moulds and gets them

in to parbake so that he can cut
them into shape whilst soft.

So, final dish of the day.

It's Honey Sandwich, My Favourite.
Local honey and sourdough parfait,

honey tuile, honey pate de fruit,
raspberry sorbet,

raspberry cremeux, crispy
raspberries.

And it's inspired by Ben & Holly's
Little Kingdom, in the episode

where the king discovers
that bees make honey.

Oh!

Now, sir, you got a six
for this one.

Yeah, I know. You want more?
Yeah.

Spencer had some good suggestions
for you, didn't he?

Are you taking any of them on board?
With the parfait, lowering down the

sourdough flavour... Right.
..by upping the honey.

Your tuiles are looking lovely.
Yeah.

They didn't taste much of honey
either.

I'm going to put a layer of honey
on the parfait to stick these on.

So that'll bring up the honey
flavour. Yeah. Good idea.

The tuiles get a second bake as he
de-moulds his pate de fruit bees

and dips in black sugar,
which he's turned into powder

after Spencer said it was gritty
last time.

Are you happy with everything?
Yeah.

The sourdough parfait he made
earlier on is now set,

and he uses his tuiles
to cut out perfect triangles.

Looks a lot smoother, the parfait.
Yeah, I've passed it.

Put a bit more milk.
Can I try a bit?

You can try one of the small stuff.
It's still a bit frozen, but...

Yeah. It tastes really nice.

He brushes on a new honey layer to
increase the flavour.

I don't want to put too much, because
the honey's coming through now. Yeah.

So, hopefully I'll get
the temperature right,

before it goes out.

In the heats, it was still frozen
when served.

So he needs to hold his nerve
and not go too early.

Wow.

You're looking very organised.
You have five minutes, Chef.

Just want to get the right
temperature on the parfait.

He puts his raspberry cremeux
into the bowls.

Then, as soon as the parfait's up
to temperature, he quickly adds

a quenelle of raspberry sorbet,
crispy raspberries

and just a few edible flowers,

after he put on too many
in the heats.

Stop!

SHE CHUCKLES

Service.

Here we go.

Oh, gosh, that's pretty.
It's a sandwich.

It looks beautiful.
It's really pretty.

It looks amazing, doesn't it? Yeah.

Mm! jelly's fantastic.

They sort of feel like two separate
desserts to me.

I'm not seeing the link
between the two.

One balances the other. The parfait,
the sourdough and the honey.

It's quite sweet. And then the
acidity of the raspberry comes

in and cuts through. Yeah, but I'm
going back between...

Hard work, is it? I just want that
decision made for me on the plate,

rather than... I'm not...
I feel like a DJ of my own dessert.

It's absolutely right, though, Tom.

It just feels there's this real
disconnect in the dish.

You know you're somewhere cool
and posh if you don't really know

how to eat it.

I spend most of my time looking
around, going, "What are you doing?"

My criticism would be that the
cremeux and the raspberry sorbet,

texturally, they're the same.
But one was warming and creamy.

The other was crisp and tart.

Yeah, I mean, the flavour of them
is lovely, but they've just kind of

morphed into one thing, haven't
they?

I'm not a fan of an edible flower,
but I have to say, in this instance,

it makes perfect sense. Bzzzzz!

Yes, indeed. Bees, isn't it?

Banquet worthy - what are we
thinking?

No, this isn't going to get to the
banquet

But, yes, I would eat it. Yeah.

As the chefs have a nervous wait,
the judges tot up their scores.

Who will represent Wales
in the finals and get a chance

to cook a course at the ultimate
occasion, our banquet?

Welcome, chefs. How are you both
doing?

Tired. Well, it was quite a high
mountain to climb, and you both

managed it admirably well.

Well clone getting to the end
of the week.

The food - absolutely outstanding.
For me, it peaked at the desserts.

Ancl on that note, who cooked
Nuts in Space?

Me. So that dish, for me, that was
my favourite dish of the clay.

The almond butter ice cream,
I just thought,

was absolutely sensational.

Thank you. And who cooked the
SuperTed fish dish?

That's me. I mean, you had me at
poached oyster, and then that dashi

that you made was like diving
into an ocean of flavour.

It was absolutely fabulous.
Thank you.

As we didn't know who cooked
which dish, we've given our

scores to Andi.

She's added them up.

The winner for Wales...

...and going through to cook
at the finals...

...is...

...Mark. Thank you. Congratulations,
Mark.

Nice one. Congratulations.
Well clone.

It must be worth returning
and getting to this point.

Going home is not
a nice thing, but coming back

stronger is better. Did you cook The
King's Last Feast, Mark?

Yeah. That was fantastic. That was
one of my favourite dishes of the day.

It was really delicious.

The elderberries were just
incredible.

And, Georgia, you've really clone
Wales proud today.

The pigeon, which I thought
was delicious, just showed a chef

that swings from strength
to strength. Yeah.

For what you've clone, for such
a young age,

you've achieved so, so much.
Thank you.

As a Welshman sat here tasting
this amazing food, it just flies

the flag for Wales.
Llongyfarchiadau. Diolch yn fawr.

Have you enjoyed yourself?
Oh, my goodness. What a pleasure.

It's been really fascinating.

Learnt so much about food,
and it was just delicious.

So, congratulations to you, Mark.

I'm really, really made up for you.
And well done, Georgia.

Thank you. Well clone, chefs. Well
clone. Brilliant.

Yes! Really happy. Chuffed.

I've loved being back
in the Great British Menu kitchen.

It definitely
throws you some curve balls,

and I'm a bit tired now.
Yeah, to represent Wales

is a dream come true.

I can't wait to get back
in there and cook again.

So, Mark. Mark - great food.

Like, you know, I think, overall,

his dishes were just a bit
stronger.

He was just edging ahead, edging
ahead right throughout the day,

wasn't he? Apart from dessert.

Actually, that dessert.
It was a very solid clay today.

To get a dish to the banquet,

he needs to step up another level.
More detail,

and just keep evolving.
Be bold, be confident.

Who knows? Best of luck
for the finals. Thank you.

Cheers. Cheers.