All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E16.London.and.South.East.Starter.and.Fish.1080p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RNG

The creme de la creme of
the UK's chefs...

Oh-la-la.

..are headed to the Great British
Menu kitchen.

Hot stuff coming through!

They're competing to cook a course
at our magnificent banquet,

one of the most prestigious prizes
in a chef's career...

Rock and roll.

..to honour and celebrate Britain

and Northern Ireland's triumphs
in the world

of animation and illustration.

Stop, motion, action!

Wow. Inspired by the 65th birthday
of the nation's favourite bear,

Paddington, we're raising a glass
to the full range of illustrated

and animated delights.

Isn't that amazing?

From cartoon series to computer
games and comics...

..but reputations are at stake...

I wave the white flag.

..as some of the most eminent
Michelin-starred

veteran chefs of the competition...

I'm not giving out points
for confidence, right?

..those dependable old hands...

Snakes. That will be the snakes.

..and bright young guns...

One each. Oh, you're too kind.

..will be returning to cast
judgment.

I'm scoring you a 10.

I would give you an 11 if I could.

The chefs will need to come up with
dishes which tell a story

and capture the imagination.

That's amazing!

Just as the likes of Mr Bean,
Rupert Bear, Pingu

and Fireman Sam delight
their audience...

Backup career.

..the chefs must thrill the exacting
panel of judges...

It's absolutely buzzing with
flavour, isn't it?

..who are searching for perfection
on a plate.

Tom, so nice to see you!

What?!

Of course they are.

It's Great British Menu.

Game on, people.

Today, four exciting chefs
want to illustrate why

they should be at the banquet
representing

London and the South East.

What am I doing wrong?

I hate you.

This week, the most up-and-coming
chefs from London and the South East

will be drawing inspirations
from their region.

There'll be culinary reimaginings
celebrating illustrator

EH Shepard, the lovable Gruffalo,
and Beatrix Potter.

First up, it's exciting newcomer
Ferdinand Montoya, known as Budgie,

who wants to show off his heritage,
as well as his skills.

It's really important for me
to execute these dishes. You know,

it's a representation of me and my
soul, and of my heart

being in London. So, yeah, it means
the world.

Also competing for the first time
is Brian Danclair, who is keen

to celebrate his roots.

Good to see you as well.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm going to be bringing my nouvelle
Caribbean style. It's between

fine dining and regional
Caribbean food,

so I'll be bringing that full-force.

Another newcomer is Avi Shashidhara,
who wants to showcase his style

of Indian-inspired cooking.

Brian, nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you. Budgie.

Hi, Budgie. I'm Avi. Nice to
meet you.

My flavours are bold -

lots of textures, lots of colours,
just like being in India.

So, I think I do have a good chance.

Last in is super-creative
returning chef from 2021,

Robbie Lorraine, who's determined to
go all the way this time round.

Welcome back, mate. Thanks.
Good to be back.

I've 100% got what it takes
to get a dish to the banquet,

based off my experiences
and the learnings I took away

from the last time I was here.

Hello, chefs. Hello. Hello, Andi.

How area you doing? Very good.
Robbie!

Yes. I love it when chefs
come back to me.

How are you, darling? I feel blessed
to be back

and getting another shot at it.

Avi, I'm very thrilled to meet you.

Are you ready for the battle?
Yes, absolutely.

Brian, how are you? I'm so glad to
meet you. My honour.

Mine too, sir. Welcome to the Great
British Menu kitchen.

Budgie, are you ready to fight
these three? Cannot wait.

Oh! Yeah, yeah. Did you hear that?

I know. Best foot forward,
gentlemen,

and I'll be back here soon.

All right? Yeah, amazing.
All right. Cheers, Andi.

Good luck, guys. Good luck,
everyone. Good run, Robbie.

Good luck, Brian. Good luck, Budgie.

Good luck, mate.

First up, it's the canapes.

They won't be scored, but they'll
be ranked

and will be used to decide
a tie-break.

Quietly confident Avi is preparing
crab and adding spices

for his take on an Indian classic -
Mangalore buns.

It's usually a teatime snack.

Yeah. They serve it with, like, some
really hot, spicy chutneys. Yeah.

So, I've just taken that concept
and used spicy crab instead.

You're doing shellfish as well?
I'm doing scallop.

I've taken inspiration from
the classic French dessert.

Mille-feuille, yeah. But I thought
I'd turn it on its head and serve it

at the beginning of the meal.

Inventive chef Robbie slices

and marinates scallops, which will
be served with apple gel

and lovage emulsion.

But who is the mystery veteran
the chefs need to impress?

Gentlemen.

Hi, Andi. So, I've got some names
for you. Yep.

Tom Aikens. Oh-ho!

Yes. There's an element of
fear there. Scared?

Nervous maybe.
I am not scared.

I'm not like Budgie.

Oh, excuse me!

Oi! That's some shade.

Fighting words already.

What about if I said Angela
Hartnett? She's quite an idol

of mine, so... What do we think
about Tommy Banks? I'd love to see
Tommy walk through the doors.

I think he'd completely understand
my style. I mean, I love Tommy's

ethos of cooking.

Could be any one of our veterans.

And we'll see who comes
through the doors.

Keen to show his heritage,
Budgie's Filipino dish involves

caramelising onions to make
a yeasted puree.

Smells a bit funky,

but it definitely tastes
better than it smells.

Meanwhile, Brian is making a ginger
and lime aioli...

Rock and roll!

..to go with his Caribbean-spiced
cod fritters.

You guys all right, everybody's
cool? Yeah. Getting there.

Our London and South East chefs will
be trying to wow

a three-time winner of
the competition,

known for his innovative style
of cooking

and holder of two Michelin stars.

I'm ready to go.

How about everybody else? Budgie,
how long, love? I'm ready to go.

Lovely, gorgeous.

And we are ready.

Your veteran is joining us now.

It's Tommy Banks.

Hello, chefs. Hello. Hi, Tommy.
All right? Yeah.

What have we got?

We've got a scallop mille-feuille,
sliced truffle,

a little bit of apple, and a lovage
emulsion on the top.

Hey! There you go.

Hiya, Chef. We've got a ox heart
tartare, yeasted onion puree,

leek emulsion.

Codfish fritters with a ginger
and lime aioli.

A little bit of gold leaf on it to
make it look, you know... Gold?

OK. So, Tommy, I've got Mangalore
buns with crab sukka.

Interesting. This brief has so
much scope.

You've got very different
cooking styles,

so it's going to be fascinating to
see what takes you all have on it.

Just remember, just cook precisely
and just put your best foot forward.

Take care. Thank you, chefs. Cheers.

Well, I would like you to rank
them for me, please,

in order of your least favourite
to your most favourite.

Brian's dish was my least favourite.

I just thought it was too big.

It just didn't have a lot
of flavour.

I love the spice and the ginger
and all those fresh flavours.

Third, I would put Budgie.

I quite liked the flavour,
but it just wasn't

that refined.

It's got bags of flavour.
It's really good.

I'd probably put Robbie in
second place.

Although it wasn't delicate

in its presentation and size, it was
quite delicate in its flavour.

Lovely textures, nice different
layers.

Avi's was the complete opposite.
It was packed full of flavour.

I think I'd put Avi in front
at this point.

This has amazing flavour.

Four very different chefs.
I'm excited to see what happens.

Now for the first scored
course - the starter.

And this year they must be
sustainable vegan dishes.

The things I'm looking for with
the starter is they've got

to hit the brief.
They've got to be on time.

Obviously, it's got to be delicious,
but everything on that plate needs

to be there for a reason.

How are you feeling, guys,
about doing a vegan dish today?

I cook more vegan food nowadays
because my daughter turned vegan.

She's always my guinea pig
for any new dishes I've got,

so I'm quite comfortable with it.

You? Well, you know, I grew
up in a vegetarian family, so...

So, yeah, it's a big part
of my upbringing.

I love vegan food myself.

I mean, I try to have it at least
once a week.

I try and challenge my team to come
up with a few plant-based dishes

all the time. Just so that,
you know, we try and make

our food accessible.

It's so important nowadays. Yeah.

Brian's dish is inspired by a kids'
classic created in the South East -

the Clangers and their soup dragon
character.

My dish is called Clangaloo.

And what's the "loo"?

The callaloo... Oh, right.

..of Trinidad and Tobago.
And Antigua and a few other places,

thank you very much.

Is this green soup, then?

So, it's the dragon's green soup.

Yeah. Right. Is it too simple for
Great British Menu?

I don't think so. I think you've
probably never even seen something

like this on Great British Menu.

So, that is the reason why I decided
to bring it.

You've not got a lot to hide behind.
Effectively, it's a bowl of soup.

This is what I felt would do
the most damage to the rest

of the guys.

Damage to the rest of the guys!
That is fighting talk.

Do you hear that, Robbie? Yes.

You're going to get some damage
coming your way.
Looking forward to it.

Robbie only cooked half his menu
last year, so he's keen

to put that right.

What are your learnings from last
year that you're going to bring
to this year's competition?

Not to try to do too much
on my starter. Probably overshot

the mark last time. So, my dish is
called Fancy a Little Smackerel?

Winnie-the-Pooh would quite often
say to his best mate Piglet,

"Do you fancy a little smackerel?"
And what he meant by that was,

"Do you fancy having a bite to eat?"
So, what's in this smackerel, then?

So, the main component of the dish
is a hay-baked carrot.

Then I'm going to glaze it.

The other components are a spiced
carrot samosa.

And then I'm going to serve
a carrot lollipop.

And if I have time at the end,
I'm going to do a carrot cornetto.

I'm just going to stop
you for a second.

What did you say to us
at the beginning of this?

I'm trying not to do too much.
So, time dependent.

Does the dish need a cornetto
on it? Possibly not.

If you think it doesn't, leave
it off and concentrate on making

the rest of it great.
Good luck. Cheers.

Budgie's starter,
Rabbit's Garden Harvest,

is also inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh
and the drawings of

EH Shepard, who was born in London.

The dish itself is inspired
by a Filipino dish called kare-kare.

What's kare-kare? It's essentially
a stew with peanut sauce.

So, instead of doing a peanut sauce,
I'm doing pumpkin seed puree.

That sounds amazing.

So, roasted... Oh, what a wonderful
smell! Roasted and then blitzed.

Yum. Celeriac is going to be salt
baked, and then you're going

to have the beetroot, which is going
to be pickled,

and then the beautiful carrots
are going to be prepared

very simply, just blanched.

We're going to make an edible soil
to sort of mimic that garden.

Is this all going to come together?

It's not going to be like almost
crudites?

Yeah. Hopefully it doesn't come
across as a crudite.

Is that your main worry? A little
bit. Now that he's said it, yes.

Avi is also drawing from his culture
with a dish inspired

by The Gruffalo's favourite food.

So, the title of the dish
is Scrambled Snake by the Lake.

It's a very traditional
street food dish. OK.

It's called papdi chaat.
Papdi is like a cracker,

seasoned with carom seeds.

I've got some beetroots in there.
I've got some pumpkin.

It has two different chutneys.

I've also got the garnish, which is
the snake. Those chickpeas,

they kind of powder when you
crush them.

So, we'll make it into a little
flour, bit of water in there.

Roll it to a dough,

so it comes out really crispy
when it's fried.

You're going to have to pick up your
scrambled snake and crush it

on top of your dish.

Oh, I like that. Right, OK. I like
the sound of that.

Good luck, chefs. We can't wait to
see what you do. Thank you.

Thank you all so much. Thank you.
Thank you.

So, Brian's dish? Yeah.

Clangaloo. Ultimately, it's going to
be a bowl of soup.

And for the starter at the Great
British Menu banquet, it's got

to be like, "Bam, in your face!"

And, yeah, he's going to have
to apply a lot of technique

to that bag of ingredients
to get it there.

Robbie's dish, Fancy a Little
Smackerel.

I think he's got a lovely
box of ingredients. He does.

You know, I'm excited about
his samosa.

The samosa sounds the most
exciting part. Yeah.

Budgie's dish, Rabbit's Garden
Harvest.

He has got a lot happening
on that work station.

Pumpkin seed butter... Oh, gorgeous!
It smelt like toasty.

I think that's going to be very
interesting.

I think it's going to be packed full
of flavour. Avi's dish. Yeah.

Scrambled Snake by the Lake.

I have to say, I'm quite excited
about this dish.

I like the idea of the snakes.

Yeah. I think this brief
should be about fun.

You know, there should be lots of
witty takes on the brief,

and I think he's really done that.

Brian prepares coconut for his
cou-cou, a cornmeal porridge

to accompany his soup.

This dish is second nature to me.

I grew up eating this.
I grew up cooking this.

This is the damage-causing dish.

For his soup, he boils a scotch
bonnet, one of the hotter chillies,

in veg stock.

Ginger, onions, garlic.

He adds pumpkin, bell peppers,
okra and coconut milk.

Beautiful.

And finally, spinach.

Come on, baby. Mm-mm.

For his cou-cou, he whisks cornmeal
into a vegetable and coconut base,

and then cools.

Have you got something I can try?
Certainly, yeah.

This is the callaloo. Callaloo.

Clangaloo. Clangaloo.

Has a bit of spice to it.

You cook this a bit longer, then you
blend it? I blend it now. Yeah.

OK.

Brian seems pretty chilled out,
but his soup is pretty fiery.

The green soup in the Clangers
is served by a dragon,

and I feel like I'm breathing
fire now.

Brian runs two Caribbean restaurants
in the heart of Brixton.

My food is wholesome, fresh,
but also dynamic with taste.

I like to trend set, so I like to
push the boundaries

of Caribbean food.

Bring the tamarind, Elton.
Yes, Chef.

The favourite thing of being a chef,
for me, is the excitement.

Being able to create, it excites me.

I'm immensely proud to represent
London, South East,

and in particular Brixton,
because I feel

that I have the support of all
the Caribbean people behind me

with this one. I'll do my best to
come out on top, you dig?

Service!

Back in the kitchen, Robbie is
prepping the centrepiece

of his dish.

So, this is the hay-baked carrot.

I've made a hay saltdough,
and now I'm wrapping the carrots

in it, and I'm going to bake them
for 45 minutes.

He gets to work on his
samosa filling -

chopping shallots, ginger
and chilli.

How's everything going for you?
Yeah, not bad.

Got my filling for my samosa.
I've got my dip for my lollipop.

I've got my glaze for my carrot.

And my puree is coming along nicely.

Any cornettos?

No. Parked that. Not one cornetto?

Uh, no. Parked that.

I'm glad he's finally made
his mind up.

Seems like he's focusing
on the important things

that are going to go on the dish.

Budgie is starting his kare-kare
sauce.

I'm trying to introduce sort of
Filipino flavours with

sort of seasonal British
ingredients.

So, yeah, hopefully that
impresses him.

He caramelises onion, garlic
and ginger,

and adds miso and kombu.

What am I doing wrong?

I hate you.

He blitzes dehydrated rye bread,
puffed wild rice and pumpkin seeds

for his edible soil,

and the pumpkin seed butter is
mixed with the base

of his kare-kare sauce.

This has got the toasted pumpkin
seeds. Toasted pumpkin seed butter,

toasted rice, miso and kombu
as well.

Hopefully a bit of richness
in there as well.

You going to be on time?
Yeah, definitely.

I'll see you on the pass.
Thank you, Chef.

Wow. That is full of flavour.

Like, so much depth.

That toasted pumpkin seed
is incredible.

I don't know what the rest of
the ingredients are going to be like
to stand up to that.

As a stand-alone element, though,
the kare-kare is phenomenal.

Avi's Gruffalo-inspired starter,
Scrambled Snake by the Lake,

is based on Indian street food.

About to make the tamarind chutney.

He's mixed tamarind and jaggery,
unrefined Indian sugar.

So, I'm trying to break them down
with my hands cos that's

the best way to do it.

He adds ginger, cumin and chilli.

Next, I'm going to make the mint
chutney.

Mint, green mango and more chillies.

Have you got anything I can try
at this point? Absolutely.

I think you should try the tamarind
chutney.

It's still cooling off a little bit.
It's going to be cold

when I serve it. It's quite tangy.

And then this is the mint?
That's the mint chutney.

It's a bit more fiery,
just to give you a heads up.

So, it's a combination of sweet
and sour, hot and fresh.

The tamarind one is sort of sweet
and quite well-balanced,

and the mint one's got a real kick,

so it'll be interesting to see

how all those things come
together on one plate.

After working in various
Michelin-starred kitchens, Avi

opened his own restaurant
in Central London in 2020.

Successfully launching Pahli Hill
is the proudest moment for me,

just having created a menu
which defines my style of cooking.

The food is very home-style
Indian food.

We use the best seasonal
ingredients.

Because my food is super colourful,
full of flavour,

it's like being in India.
You know, it's an experience.

I mean, my ethos comes from growing
up in India. I follow

recipes which were passed
on from my grandmother.

How long on those Mangalore buns?
Two minutes, Avi.

I'm really proud of what I do
with my food and representing my

community here in London.

Service.

Let's see what happens.

First up, Brian blends his
green soup.

He cuts musical notes, a nod to
the whistling Clangers,

from slices of raw pumpkin.

All right, I'm ready to roll.

He shapes cou-cou and blanches
the pumpkin.

OK. I'm going to start plating,
guys.

OK, Brian, you've got four minutes.

I'm ready now. Let's roll.

Soup is served in bowls, which
he hopes looks

like the Clangers' planet.

Nice bowls.

What are these? Cou-cou.
Cou-cou?

Yes, that's what we call it.
And what's that one?

My musical notes. They look
very delicate.

..and it's served to the
unmistakable sound of the Clangers.

Here we go.

So, this is a dish called Clangaloo,

and the inspiration comes
from the Clangers,

the soup dragon with the green soup.

What do you guys think?

I mean, it's a very simple dish
as it really represents

Brian, I think, because he says he's
a very... I'm not simple!

You said you love wholesome, soulful
food and that's what it is.

Do you think, overall, the whole
flavour sort of comes together

and you've got enough depth?

All the flavours are just there, you
know, waiting to go on the palate.

For me, I think it could do
with a bit more seasoning.

Do you think the spicing is right?

I think the spicing is on point.

You don't need it to be blasting
your head off.

Oh! That's hot.

It's got a bit of a kick to it.
Sweating a little bit.

You've got onion and okra in the
dumpling, are you happy with that?

Yeah, I'm pleased with that as well.

I'm used to cou-cou and I've never
had it with raw onion and pepper

through it and I think that's
a bit harsh.

The dumplings are nice and soft,
bring a little bit of contrast

to it, which is great. Do you think

it really shows that anyone would
look at that and say,

"That's a Clangaloo soup."

I think it represents that
wholeheartedly.

You know, he's representing
the Caribbean and I think

all the flavours are there.

So, is there anything, if you had
your time again, that you'd change?

Um, I'd work on my presentation.

What would you score yourself
out of ten? Eight.

How would you score this dish?

A six. I like the flavour profiles
in there, but it's just not quite

hitting the mark. Budgie? A five.
Just the refinement isn't there.

Yeah, I think I'll go for a six as
well. Could have just lifted

the dish up with a few other
elements.

How was that, Brian?

It was OK. Good? Yeah.

Tommy has a serious poker face,
so I don't know.

Yeah. Didn't give anything away?

He didn't give anything away, no.

Robbie is plating next and tops up
lollipop moulds with carrot puree.

He fills his samosas and glazes
his hay-baked carrots.

So, in here, we've got some
shiitake, a little bit of cinnamon,

star anise, just to glaze it,
and carrot juice.

Amazing. Last minute, then.
Thank you.

Can someone just re-drop them
samosas, please?

Carrot puree is added and time
is up.

Are you going to be a little late,
Robbie? A couple of minutes?

Give me two minutes, please.

OK. You're due now, so... Oui.
Big push. Yeah.

Samosas are ready whenever you want
them. Thank you.

If you could just bring up a samosa
and just put it there for me.

Pickled beetroot and pumpkin finish
it off, with a samosa on the side.

Robbie, what's that?
This is a carrot lollipop.

So, I've made a carrot and cardamom
puree, I've frozen it,

and then I've dipped it in
cocoa butter.

That looks very cool.

Can someone just grab one of
those, please? Yeah, no worries.

Well done, Robbie. Thank you.

So, this is Fancy a Little
Smackerel.

And I've used loads of carrots
from Rabbit's garden.

Let's go try it.

Hay-baked carrot. Why did you choose
to bake it in hay, then?

I was trying to bring a smokiness
to it.

I think it's there, but it's very,
very subtle.

Really well cooked, really
well seasoned as well.

Are you happy with the texture
of the samosa? Yes, very happy.

I think it's got a great crunch.

It's nice and soft in the middle.

In terms of the samosa,
it's fantastic.

Added a texture, well-seasoned.

So, are you happy with how
the lollipop turned out?

Yeah. It looks good.

Let's talk about the famous
lollipop.

I really like it. It's got a bit of
sweetness on the outside.

I'm a bit on the fence on it,
to be honest. Yeah.

I don't know if it's needed
on the plate itself.

What would you score
this out of ten?

I think it's a pretty strong eight.
Where are you losing two marks from?

I think there could be a little bit
more acidity.

I would have infused more hay
into the main carrot.

I'd give that an eight. An eight
as well.

It'd be an eight.
It hits the brief really well.

Rob. Good?

Yeah. Hey, Robbie. How was it?
Yeah, it was all right. You know,

he don't give nothing away.
A stunning dish, man. Thank you.

Next up is Budgie, and the celeriac
is freed from its salty crust.

All right, Budgie, you've got four
minutes. Yeah.

The kare-kare sauce is plated first.

What's that, Budgie? This is
the edible soil.

Just to give it a bit of texture,
you know? I like the look of that.

Two minutes now, Budgie. Yeah.

Like the two previous chefs, Budgie
is struggling with time.

Do you think you're going to be
a little over, Budgie?

Maybe by about a minute. Yeah.

Make sure you get it as you want
it. Yeah.

Heritage carrots and the celeriac
are next.

So, you're due at the pass now,
Budgie. I'm going to need about

a minute and a half.

Beetroot follows.

What are you doing with
the beetroot?

So, the beetroots have just been
sweet pickled.

Looks lovely, Budgie. Thanks, man.

So, Budgie, what's the name
and inspiration?

So, this is Rabbit's Garden Harvest,

inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh
and Rabbit's garden.

Do you see this time thing here?
People kept telling me about it.

Let's go try it, Budgie. Come on.

Are you happy with how it
looks? Yeah. Happy.

Are you happy with the flavour
of the kare-kare? Yeah.

I've got the depth of flavour
that I wanted in there.

I'm going to start with
the kare-kare.

It's very rich, it's very creamy,
which is great for a vegan dish.

The carrot. I wanted them to be
quite neutral.

I really wanted the carrot
to come out.

Unfortunately, the carrots I feel
are not seasoned enough.

Same with the celeriac.

The rye bread soil,
happy with how that's turned out?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I like the texture.

It's nice seasoning.

The soil part, for me, is a bit...

It's hard to chew. Yeah.

A bit gritty. A bit gritty. Yeah.

What would you score it? I'd give
myself a seven.

A few little silly errors, I think.

I'd give it a six because I think
that dish needs

a little bit more work.

Yes, same. Six for me.
It just weren't quite right.

I'll give Budgie a six as well,
to be honest. Yeah.

Last up to the pass, Avi shapes
his papdi cracker dough

and fries.

Going to wait for the crackers to
come out and then get the snakes in.

The snake mix goes into a wooden
press, and it's fried.

Crumbled crackers are first
into the bowls.

What are you putting on the plate
now? I've got some soy yoghurt.

Mint and tamarind chutney is next.

Tamarind chutney.
It's looking good, man. Yeah.

Beautiful pink beetroot
is going on.

They've just been boiled
and seasoned with a little

bit of salt.
Three minutes left, Avi. Yep.

Fresh tomato and pomegranate
seeds crown the dish.

There's so much colour.

I think I'm happy with that. I'll
place that there.

It's nestled into a woodland scene,
with the snakes served alongside.

Wow. Two minutes early. Scrambled
Snake by the Lake.

And the inspiration comes
from The Gruffalo.

What do you think, guys? Has he got
you worried? Yeah.

It's really vibrant. It smells good.

Are we going to go? Yep.
Good luck, Chef.

Thank you.

It's very snaky. It is very snaky.

I would pick that up and crush
it on the dish.

There you go. That's great.

So, are you happy with how your
snakes came out, then? Yeah.

Really happy with them.
Love the texture.

It's a lot happening, isn't it?
Yeah. Everything's being activated.

There's a party in my mouth
right now. Robbie? Love it.

It's incredible. This is the kind of
notes that I'm looking for in any

dish. I want full flavour.

On the overall presentation,

do you think you've achieved what
you wanted to?

Yeah, I think I like it
because it's just a nice

little setting, I think.

Do you think this is hitting
the brief? Once you take

it off the wood, probably not so
much, but... Do you care?

No, not at all. No. Didn't think
you do. Not at all.

Is there anything you'd have
changed? I don't think I would have

changed anything with the dish.
I quite like it as it is.

It's a brilliant dish.
You could talk about it for days.

I'd give it a nine. Robbie?

I'd give it an eight.
Yeah, strong eight, maybe a nine.

So, if you wouldn't have changed
anything, what would you score

this dish if you were doing my job?
I'd definitely give it a nine

if I was you. There's always scope
for improvement with any dish.

Hey, guys. You all right?
How's it going?

Thank you. Yeah, I'm good. Thank
you. I thought it was delicious.

There was layers and layers of
flavour in there.

The colours were popping. Textures
and flavours were all there.

Well done. Thank you.

An interesting course always,
and an interesting moment

in the competition. Particularly
interesting this year

because we've gone vegan.

Some of the chefs responded
really well to it and almost

naturally cook in that way.

And a couple of the other chefs
probably found it quite challenging.

Let's see what happens next.
I'm looking forward to your scoring.

Chefs, certainly some nerves were
evident from some of you,

and definitely one or two of you
were somewhat underprepared.

Right. Brian, let's start with
you... All right.

..and your dish, Clangaloo.

I think the great thing about your
dish was that this is food

that you have a real emotional
connection to

and it shows your heritage.

I think your presentation
missed it a little bit.

I don't think it was obvious
that this was a Clanger dish.

I think the musical notes
could have been more seasoned

or maybe pickled and just generally
have more flavour.

I think the dumplings, or cou-cou,
the onion in them was raw,

and I didn't think that texture
or flavour really worked.

Overall, I think the dish was maybe
a little bit too simple.

This is Great British Menu and I
think you need to push yourself

a bit more. OK.

Robbie. Chef.

Your dish, Fancy a Little Smackerel,

I thought the presentation
was excellent

and it was a real celebration
of carrots.

The number of elements on the dish
was impressive.

The samosa, for me, was a real
triumph.

I thought that was delicious.

However, the main element of your
dish was the hay-baked carrot

and I found that a little
disappointing.

The lollipop, however,
that didn't work for me.

Maybe go for more of like
a frozen element or a granita,

or something like that. Or maybe
a cornetto. Who knows? Sure.

Budgie. Chef. For your dish
Rabbit's Garden Harvest,

it looked refined and you could see
that you put a lot of effort

into it in the way you dressed it.

The kare-kare, great depth
of flavour.

I think that pumpkin seed butter -
brilliant. Full of umami

and seasoning. Really tasty.

It's the way that you cooked
the vegetables

that I didn't really enjoy.

I thought they were a little
too bland.

Your edible soil,

I think the flavour was great,
but it got stuck in your teeth

and no-one likes that.

With some simple tweaks, you could
score a lot higher

with this dish. Thank you.

Avi. Yeah.

For your dish, Scrambled Snake
by the Lake,

I think the idea of crumbling
the snakes over the dish was great.

They both looked and tasted great.

The papdi chaat fried pastry
at the bottom,

I think that was brilliant because
it added a real richness

and that's what you're really
looking for in a vegan dish.

You chutneys were balanced
and fragrant.

If I'm going to be critical, I think
I'd like to just address the balance

of the dish a little bit
and have some more of the fresh

elements. Maybe a little bit more
of the tomato, maybe

more of the yoghurt.

But all in all, I think that's
a great first effort

in the Great British Menu kitchen.
Well done. Thank you.

And so to the scores.

Brian...

..I'm giving you...

..a four.

Brian, I don't think this was
your finest moment.

I suggest you draw a line under it,

focus on your fish dish and let's
see what you can do next.

OK. That's cool.

Robbie...

..I'm scoring you...

..a six.

Robbie, this dish does have lots
of potential.

If you listen to Tommy's
suggestions,

you could definitely score much
higher with this dish.

Budgie...

..I'm scoring you...

..a five.

Budgie, I also really enjoyed the
taste of that beautiful

and delicious pumpkin seed butter.

But it felt unfinished.

Yeah. Avi...

..I'm scoring you...

..an eight.

Avi, that was explosively
delightful.

Really excellent start,
well done. Thank you.

But it's the fish next, so I think
you've all got to up your game

and good luck. Thank you.
Thank you.

Well done. Well done, mate.

And good luck for the next one.

All right, let's do it.
Onto fish, guys. Yep. Let's go.

Cool. Good luck.

Starters is done. There's nothing
I can do to change that score.

Push on. Hopefully, Tommy
will like my fish dish.

I think the scores are justified.

I definitely have to step up a bit.

My starter went really well.

You just feel like you can't now
drop your standards down.

You have to keep impressing Tommy.

Tommy's feedback was great.

Good to see we're kind of on
the same page.

I just wish I executed it,
and he didn't have to tell me.

Good luck, everyone. Good luck.
Let's go. Good luck, mate.

Avi is preparing sea bass.

He's currently sitting pretty
at the top of the leaderboard,

but he shouldn't feel too
comfortable, as complacency

can trip you up in this competition.

I'm feeling more pressure because
I'm on top now, so I've got

to keep the bar up.

He makes a marinade for the fish

with mango, coriander and chillies.

That's not good.

His dish is inspired by the animated
series of Mr Bean and a chippy tea

he had with his teddy bear.

It's called Fish, Chips and Beans.

What fish are you cooking and how
are you treating it?

So, I'm cooking a sea bass.

I do like marinating my fish
with salt and lemon juice,

so it really takes on the saltiness
and the lemon juice.

And so what's the chips aspect?

I'm just doing some Jerusalem
artichokes,

cut into shoestrings, fried.
So, they're going to be crispy

and I'm going to spray it with
a coconut vinegar.

But also there's some potatoes
as well, along with the Jerusalem

artichoke. Like the sound of this,
Tommy? I really do.

I mean, fish and chips, what's not
to like?

I wish you lots of luck, Avi.
Thank you. Thank you.

Avi's dish - Fish, Chips and Beans.
I don't think this is going to

be lacking in flavour.

The textures on this dish
will be what interests me the most.

Brian is at the other end of
the scoreboard with half

the points that Avi has.

The chefs know that one of them
will be leaving after this course,

so he needs to pull something
out of the bag now.

I let myself down with the starter,
but the fish,

we'll come back rowing. I'm still
giving it my all

in this competition. I'm not
a quitter.

With a mountain to climb,

he portions his halibut and adds
lime juice and chilli to diced

cucumber to make a relish.

Let's talk about your fish
course, Brian.

The title of it is called
Pingu Goes Fishing.

The dish consists of pan-seared
halibut, spiced tamarind sauce...

Yum. ..potato croquettes
and a cucumber relish.

Ooh. Do you like the sound of
this dish?

It's going to be all about
your sauces and how that balances

together, isn't it? I'm quite
confident with this one.

I hope it goes really well for you,
my love. I appreciate that.

Thank you. All right. Thank you so
much. Take care.

What I worry about from the starter,
is this going to be too simple?

I've asked him to push himself,
like he really needs a good score

in this round. And it sounds like
another quite simple dish.

So, the flavours are going
to have to be really on point.

After the disappointment of leaving
the competition early last year,

Robbie has to put the mediocre
starter score behind him

and stay positive.

There's a lot to do for my fish
dish, but, yeah, I feel super

confident in it.

He starts by making pasta for
a raviolo,

adding cuttlefish ink.

He portions wild sea bass,
keeping the offcuts

for his filling, and brines
the fillets in seaweed.

So, my dish is called Fishmeal.

It's inspired by Captain Pugwash.

Hey! I used to love it when I was
a kid.

The episode is inspired
by Captain Pugwash

gets eaten by a giant fish.

He meets another pirate
inside the fish and they battle

it out for the treasure.

So, I'm doing a sea bass dish,
which is going to be served

as a treasure. Lovely.

I'm going to serve it with an apple
dashi, a cuttlefish ravioli,

and I've brought some fermented
fennel, which I've been fermenting

for a while. Like the sound of this,
Tommy?

Yeah, I do. There's no dairy
in the dish at all?

No, this is a clean, fresh dish.

Then it's all about packing
it full of flavour, I suppose. Yeah.

This dish is intriguing.

Apple dashi. I don't think I've ever
had an apple dashi.

Hopefully it's got them lovely sort
of savoury notes that you'd expect

from a dashi and the fruit doesn't
make it too sweet,

but I don't think it will.

Apple and fish is a very classic
combination.

Formerly head chef of Boys Hall in
Ashford, Robbie is now chef patron

of Only Food and Courses
in central London.

My style of cooking is best
described as modern British,

with a touch of nostalgia and a real
playfulness to every dish

that I create.

All of my dishes are driven
just by my imagination

and my creativity.

Last year was a great experience.

I really enjoyed it.

I had to have another crack at it.

This year, as a minimum,

I'd like to get to the judges'
chamber to represent London

and South East, and ultimately
get a dish to the banquet.

It's the be all and end all.

Back in the kitchen, Budgie
is preparing trout.

He's only one point off the bottom
of the leaderboard, so is at risk

of leaving the competition, too.

Going in the oven.

There is nowhere to hide on
this dish

because it's very simple,
but it's packed full of flavour.

To make a gel, he mixes sugar with
the juice from a calamansi,

a Filipino citrus fruit.

There's a lot of acidity
and sourness in this dish,

so if I get any of that
balance wrong,

then it can kind of ruin the dish.

Budgie's dish is inspired by Beatrix
Potter, who was born

in London, and her tale of
Mr Jeremy Fisher.

He's gone fishing for minnows
and doesn't unfortunately catch any.

During that time he was fishing,

he gets eaten by a trout and spat
back out again.

So, he's gone fishing again
and this time he's got the trout.

Excellent. What form is this going
to take on the plate, my love?

So, we're going to confit some trout
and then have a clear broth.

It's inspired by a Filipino dish
called sinigang. Sinigang.

Which is basically a soured soup.

And traditionally, in
the Philippines,

they use whatever's available.

Being in the UK, we're using
rhubarb. Nice. We use tomatoes,

a few other aromats in there
as well.

I'm from Yorkshire, so rhubarb
runs through my veins. Oui.

So, I'm happy with this.

Are you half man, half rhubarb?
Exactly that.

I like the idea of the sourness
and the sour broth, because trout

is actually really an oily
fatty fish.

And I think those sort of flavours
work really well.

Showcasing Indian cooking
techniques, Avi spreads

green chutney marinade onto
a banana leaf,

then wraps the sea bass.

It's going to be cooked in the oven.

He mixes coconut milk with salt
and kokum juice

from an Indian fruit,
for a solkadhi,

a drink to accompany his
fish course.

So, tell us about this solkadhi,
then. It's not something

I've had before. So, solkadhi
is made with kokum berries.

Yeah. And they press the juice
and they ferment it to vinegar,

but they also add quite
a lot of salt to it.

Is this something that's served
with fish traditionally?

Very often, yes. In fish restaurants
in India, you would always get

like a solkadhi. Mm. Thank very
much. Good luck. Thank you.

Avi's solkadhi is really salty.

Even a spoonful, I thought
was over-seasoned,

so I am a bit worried about that.

Caribbean chef Brian is combining
mashed potato, butter and cumin

for his croquettes.

Brilliant.

He dices scotch bonnet chilli
and adds to tamarind paste,

along with cumin and garlic
for his chutney.

Mm-mm. What have we got, then?

You've got the tamarind sauce that
I'm going to use for the fish.

I'm interested in the croquettes.
Are you going to pan fry them?

Going up to gently fry them
a little bit,

so they just have a nice colour on
the bottom.

Again, Brian's dish does
seem quite simple.

This is obviously his style,
but I tried his tamarind sauce.

Absolutely delicious.

So, I just hope everything else is
on point and it's elevated enough

to get him that good score.

For his dashi,

creative returner Robbie removes
kombu that has been reduced

with apple juice, and adds
bonito flakes,

which are dried fermented fish.

Why did I put myself through
this again?

He blends sea bass offcuts

with double cream and passes
for his raviolo filling.

Apple dashi? Yes, this is my apple
dashi,

just infusing with bonito flakes.

I'm going to pass it through muslin.
Check the seasoning.

Make sure I'm happy with it,

that the apple is running through,
and it's got the depth

of flavour I need.

OK. The dashi is going to be
all-important in this dish.

I've just tried it. It's not full of
flavour at the moment.

But he said it had a little bit more
time to infuse,

so hopefully that does the trick.

Quiet in here. Everyone all right?
Yeah. Oui.

I'm concentrating, Chef.

He fills the pasta and shapes,
while Budgie is juicing tomatoes,

rhubarb and shallots for his
sinigang,

a sour Filipino soup.

He heats with ginger, garlic
and lemongrass

before cooling, then passes.

Is this sinigang?
Yeah, just the broth.

It's clarified. I need to pass
it again and then reheat it.

Well, best of luck to you.

Thank you, Chef.

Budgie's sinigang is great.

I've never tried one before,
but it's really fresh,

really acidic, really vibrant.

I think it could be the perfect foil
for an oily fish like trout.

Born in the Philippines and raised
in Australia,

Budgie came to the UK in his
mid-twenties and started cooking.

After working in some top kitchens,

he's now chef patron of Sarap
in Central London.

The ethos around Sarap is a Filipino
soul with a London heart,

and I think that kind of sums us up
really well.

Fire the sea bass. Oui, Chef.
Three minutes.

There's, for me, a desire to
represent and shed a light

on Filipino cuisine.

I just put my own spin and style
onto it.

I think what will make me stand out
from the other chefs is the touches

of my heritage in the dishes.

So, I think it might give
the judges something

that they've never seen before.

I'm definitely in it to win it,
as they say.

We'll let the judges decide.

Service.

Up first and hoping for another
big score,

Avi deep-fries shoestring artichoke
and potato fries,

and plates a mung bean and fennel
salad to go with his fish and chips.

You've got five minutes, Avi. Yep.

Are you happy with the cook
on the fish? Yeah, I really am.

You can't go too wrong with
the steaming of a fish, you know?

It smells incredible. Thank you.

The shoestring fries go
on top of the fish parcel...

Oh, that's Mr Bean's teddy.
Yeah.

Three minutes now, Avi. Yep.

..and the solkadhi is served
in chai glasses.

OK.

The name of the dish is Fish,
Chips and Beans.

The inspiration is from the animated
series of Mr Bean.

So, I've got a little hat
for you to wear.

Oh, thank you very much.
And a red tie as well.

Oh, wow. So, you're going to be
Mr Bean having your tea

with little Teddy here.

Marvellous. Thank you.

Well, thank you ever so much.
I'll take that.

All right. Thank you.

Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

Are you happy with how every element
came out, then, do you think?

Yeah, I think so. I like how
the crisps have turned out.

I think it's another one of his
bold dishes.

Like explosive. Just kind of -
wow.

On the actual cooking of the fish,
are you happy with that?

I'm happy with that. Perfectly
cooked, still juicy in the middle.

The cooking of the fish skin,
obviously, the banana leaf helped

to keep it moist.

Coming from the Caribbean,
I like to see my fish.

And this was a bit too messy for me.

So, talk to me about the solkadhi,
then, the level

of seasoning in there.

I haven't added any extra salt.

I do know it's a touch on the salty
side, but that's how it's served.

Woo!

That got me by surprise.

Kind of sour and salty.

It's too salty for me. Ow!
I quite like it.

If you were going to score
this dish, then, what would

you give yourself? I think I'm
really happy with all the elements

except the salad
being a little bit bitter.

So, I would score myself at least an
eight.

The two marks off just for
the salad? Yeah.

I'm going to go a seven on it.

Strong seven.

I think the flavours are all there.

I think it's a little bit
unbalanced.

Yeah. Seven from me. Brian?

I would give it a seven.

We don't need this drink with it.

I like it.

How was it? Yeah, it was good.
Thank you.

How did you like it?

Yeah, it was good. Yeah.

The drink was a bit of a shock
to the system. OK, cool.

Up next and needing a big score to
stay and cook his whole menu,

Brian shallow-fries his potato
croquettes.

Brilliant.

Adding shaved garlic...

..he sears his halibut fillets...

Two minutes, guys.

..and starts plating...

What's that you're putting on there?
This is the tamarind sauce.

..followed by the halibut...

Croquettes going on.

Come on, baby, do your stuff.

..and a drizzle of coriander oil.

That's it.

This dish is called Pingu
Goes Fishing.

You see Pingu right here.
He's actually done some

fishing for us already. OK.

All right. Do you want to choose
one? Right. Let's go.

Good luck, Brian. Thank you.

Are you happy with how the fish
is cooked?

Yeah, the fish is cooked just right.

The seasoning on the fish?
And the seasoning is fine as well.

I think the fish is cooked well.

Could have done with a little bit of
caramelisation on the top,

but it's cooked well. I'd prefer
a crispier skin,

but it was definitely cooked.

Has it got the right level
of acidity,

the tamarind sauce, do you think?
Yeah, it does.

I think the tamarind is great.

It's a well-made tamarind sauce.
Yeah.

The potato croquettes - you didn't
deep fry them, then?

Just pan-fried them. That's what
I did in this case.

Why did you decide to do that?

I wanted to be more in control
of it and not get it too brown

all around. I wanted more character.

I didn't want it to be crispy. No.

The potato, I don't get it because
it's just like a mashed potato

with no seasoning. The garlic in
the potato just kills everything.

How would you score the dish?

I'd give it an eight or something
like that. Yeah.

What would you look to improve
on it, then, to get to a ten?

It needs a little more crunch to it.

I think I'd give it a five, cos he
has cooked his halibut

really well, but the rest of it
wasn't seasoned enough.

It's a five from me.

As I say, the garlic just overpowers
everything.

Yeah. A five from me.
Cooking on the fish is good.

Everything else just kind of gets
a bit lost and under-seasoned.

You're happy with it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tamarind sauce is really nice.

The garlic was a bit strong for me.
Garlic was a bit strong?

A little bit overpowering for me.

Apart from that, it's all right.

Robbie is next to serve.

He makes apple pearls by squeezing
warm apple juice, mixed

with thickening agent, into
cold oil.

And if you just put another layer of
these little pearls, just on that,

that'd be fantastic.

Are you planning to cook the fish in
the pan completely, or are you going

to put it in the oven for a bit? All
the way through in a pan. OK, cool.

I've got more than enough time.
He says.

The minutes are ticking down fast!

All right, Chef. You've got
three minutes. Oui!

He blanches the raviolo,

and fermented fennel is first
to be plated.

It's quite punchy. I've been
fermenting it for a few months now.

Dashi is decanted.

All right, Robbie, time's up.
How long are you going to be?

Oui. One minute, Chef. Yeah.

The wild sea bass is plated,
followed by the cuttlefish raviolo

and a seaweed cracker.

Very nice. I like it. Just grab one
of them,

please, guys. I'm ready.

It's served to the sounds
of Captain Pugwash.

Oh, hello.

All right, Robbie.

Fishmeal is inspired
by Captain Pugwash.

Oh, cheeky. Oh, wow!
That does look great.

Looks great. I have to give him
a high five for this one.

Cheers, bro.

Right. Let's get stuck in, then.

Are you happy with how
everything went? Yeah, I am.

I think my timings are good.

Um, I guess I'll see when we
taste it.

Good piece of wild sea bass. Are you
happy with the cooking on it?

Yeah. I probably would've left it in
the pan for a minute less.

And the skin. Are you happy
with the skin?

Yeah, it's crispy.

Has he cooked that fish well?

I think he's cooked it perfectly.

The skin is really crispy,
still very moist in the middle.

He's a winner with this.

Pretty simple dashi.

Are you happy that it's got
the depth of flavour that it needs?

I think it does what I wanted
it to do,

and that brings a real umami
running throughout the dish.

The apple dashi. Very, very intense.

There's a little bit of smokiness
in there as well.

You happy with the pasta?
Yeah, I'm happy with it.

I took it down as far as I could
on the pasta machine.

Looks a bit thick from here.

For me, I think it's a little bit
thick, but also the pasta

could have been cooked
slightly more.

If you were going to score this,
what would you give it?

Probably seven, cos it just needs
a few tweaks.

I'll give him a big nine.
Yeah, a big fan of this dish.

A nine. I think I'd give that dish
an eight.

Although the presentation
is excellent,

a couple of elements didn't work on
the dish.

How are we doing, lads?
Stunning dish, mate. Thank you.

Thank you. That was delicious.
Thank you.

Good, good, good, good.

Last to plate and in need of points,
Budgie fries courgettes in butter

and thyme, and confits his trout.

What temp is the oil?

So, I put it in about 73 and it
should drop to about...

Yeah, about... About that much.

He sits his courgette on beads
of calamansi gel.

Mate, if you could do three
and three? Yep.

OK. Budgie, three minutes.
Yeah.

So, what are you dusting on top?

So, this is a crumb made from
the skin.

He plates the trout along with
finger lime.

Looks great, man. I like
the colours.

This dish is really sort
of me on a plate.

Finger limes are Australian.

Sinigang is Filipino.
And the produce is British.

It's served in picnic baskets...

Oh, Budgie. Yes.

Oh!

..along with a flask
essential to any fishing trip.

I love a little flask.

Jeremy Fisher's Gone Fishing
Again.

It's inspired by the tales
of Mr Jeremy Fisher

by Beatrix Potter.

Isn't it pretty? Yes. I'm sort of
gazing at it lovingly already.

Right. Let's go and eat this, then.

Good luck, Budgie. Cheers.
Looks amazing. Thanks, guys.

OK. So, the trout?

Are you happy with how you finished
this?

Yeah, I think that's...

That's how I wanted it,
that confit texture.

Are you happy with the seasoning of
the trout? That does what you want

it to? Yeah, definitely. It brings
a little bit

of umami and it's got a nice
seasoning as well.

I love trout a bit pink in the
middle and that's perfectly cooked.

The oiliness and the richness

of the trout works perfectly
with the broth.

So, this is a first for me -
sinigang. Are you happy with

how this worked out?
Yeah, definitely.

I'm happy with the sourness.

It's quite balanced. A little bit of
sweetness in there as well.

Do you think the rhubarb comes
through and you're happy with that?

Sinigang is about sourness
and that was brought by the rhubarb.

I'm so intrigued by this.

So, it's a sour rhubarb broth.

Woo!

It's certainly sour.

The initial hit was a bit
like, "Oh, hello."

But then as it gets to the back
of your tongue, then it starts

to kind of balance itself out.

The courgettes themselves,

are you happy with how they've come
out? Yeah.

I didn't want them to be overcooked
or mushy.

For me, the courgette was slightly
undercooked.

Slightly under. Yeah.

So, if you were going to score this,
how would you score it?

I would probably score it an eight.

Why are you dropping two points?

Maybe the portion size might
be a little bit on the small side.

And then... Yeah, just cos
I'm humble, innit.

I think I'd give him an eight.
I love all the elements.

For me, the only thing that wasn't
perfectly cooked was the courgettes.

Yeah, it's an eight from me.
I'll give him an eight as well.

How'd it go, Budgie? Yeah, good.

I mean, I was happy with it.
Yeah, the broth was amazing, man.

Thank you. You should be proud of
that. It was delicious.

I loved the fish. It was perfectly
cooked for me.

Yeah. I enjoyed it tremendously.
Cheers, guys.

We had some high hopes
for this course.

Some of the guys who struggled
with the starter have done better

in the fish, and maybe the guys that
did well in the starter

have struggled a little bit with
the fish.

It's kind of flipped on itself
a bit. There's a lot to consider

because there's been some highs
and some lows,

and it has really flip-flopped quite
a lot. Mm.

As things stand, Brian is on
four points,

Budgie, five,

Robbie, six,

and Avi, eight.

Hello, chefs.

So, the bar was definitely raised in
this course, and one

of you delivered a dish
that was a revelation.

I'm going to start with you, Avi,
for your dish,

Fish, Chips and Beans.

I thought the presentation was
really fun.

I thought the fruit with the fish,
when you've marinated it,

all them flavours came through.

It was really spiced,
and it was really fragrant,

so that was fantastic.

I thought the fish was a little
touch overcooked, though.

The salad was fresh and tasty.

The solkadhi, I really liked
the idea of it,

but I thought that was maybe

a little bit too salty.
For a banquet,

I think a lot of people might find
that just a bit too highly seasoned.

Brian, for your dish,

Pingu Goes Fishing,

I love Pingu, but I think if you
didn't have that little

figurine there, I'm not
sure the link to the brief

would have been totally obvious.

I thought your fish was cooked
really nicely.

I do think, though, you'd cooked
it in the pan, I'd like to see some

caramelisation on the outside of
that fish.

It would have brought more flavour.
Maybe a little bit more salt on it

would have been good.

The potato croquette,

I just don't understand why
you didn't deep fry the croquette.

You said yourself the dish needs
a bit more texture,

a bit more crisp, and I think that
would have achieved it. OK.

The coriander oil, it didn't
have much flavour.

And I found the garlic a little bit
overpowering, to be honest.

But the cucumber salad was
refreshing. But I don't think

it was quite enough to save
this dish. OK.

Budgie, for your dish,
Jeremy Fisher's Gone Fishing Again,

I thought the presentation
was fabulous.

It was really fun.
It was on brief.

I thought the fish was cooked
perfectly.

The confit trout was just
perfectly pink.

Rhubarb sinigang - wow.

That's a first for me, and I hope
not the last.

I absolutely loved it.

I loved that you used Yorkshire
rhubarb in it as well

and I'll probably steal
that idea, to be honest.

I think the courgettes you could
have refined a little bit,

but, all in all, that was a really
accomplished piece of cooking.

So, well done. Thank you.

Robbie, for your dish,
Fishmeal,

I thought the presentation,
the music, it was a lot of fun.

You brined in the fish
with lots of aromats.

That worked really well.

The fish skin was beautifully crisp.

It was a little bit overcooked,
though, as you said. Yep.

I thought the dashi was light,

but it was packed with umami
flavour.

I think it worked really well.

I thought the texture of the pasta
was fine, but the ravioli itself

didn't bring a lot to the plate.

It maybe doesn't even need to
be there.

And so to the scores.

Avi...

..I'm going to give you...

..a six. Avi, this dish could
definitely do with a few tweaks

here and there, but there's
a brightness to your cooking

that I really, really enjoy.

Budgie...

..I'm going to give you...

..eight.

This is the dish
that was revelatory to me.

The sinigang was stunning.
Beautiful cooking.

I mean, really, we've been fighting
about it.

Robbie...

..I'm scoring you...

..a seven.

The heart of this dish,
really, is very good.

Give yourself a bit more time
and a bit more space, and let

that dish really breathe
because it's lovely.

And finally, Brian,
I'm scoring you...

..a four.

That means, Brian, unfortunately,
that you will be leaving us.

We have loved having you with us.
Thank you. Thank you.

It's lovely having you in
the kitchen. You're such a joy.

Commiserations, Brian.
Thank you so much for coming.

Thank you. Thank you, guys.
Well done. Commiserations.

I really appreciate it. Thank you.
Commiserations. That's good.

I know it's really tight,
but all to play for.

So, yeah. Bring on tomorrow.

Really happy with an eight.

Really excited about it.

Yeah. With a few tweaks,
could be a ten.

I know I'm in the lead at 14,
it's so close.

So, everyone's fighting
for the top spot.

I think the right decisions have
been made today.

If I can turn back the clock,
I'd definitely come prepared.

I can't wait for tomorrow. It's main
course and dessert.

There's only one point
between all three chefs.

It's a great competition.

Next time... Urgh!

..there's tension in the kitchen as
things don't quite go to plan...

Is that on? Just cold.

..as our remaining three chefs
battle it out

over mains and desserts.

Just posing a little problem. Yep.

But which two will make
it through to face the judges?