Original subtitles

It's the battle for Scotland. And our two highest-scoring chefs, Adam and Mark,

are competing for a place in the national finals.

They'll have to impress not only the judges, but also our guest judge,

an award-winning comic book artist.

Andi! Andi! Big problem!

Dennis has gone rogue in the kitchen! Oh!

This week, four of Scotland's finest chefs battled it out.

Ooh la la. Now only two remain.

Well, this is Great British Menu.

Ancl if I'm not going to push myself now...

Michelin-starred Adam Handling,

zero-waste champion and owner of

three restaurants, including Frog in London's West End.

Judging clay... It's the third time I've been here in my career.

How much do I want to win? That's... A lot.

Your celeriads burning. Made you look!

And newcomer green Michelin-starred Mark McCabe

from The Ethicurean restaurant in Somerset.

Adam's incredibly stiff competition.

I've certainly got my work cut out for me.

He, too, is driven by sustainability.

But that's not all that he and Adam share.

Are you happy with the temperature of you canape, Adam? Yeah.

Shame. ADAM LAUGHS

Their desire to win is palpable.

Today, I'm going to give it absolutely everything.

I'm going to make that man over there as nervous as I can.

With dishes inspired by animation and illustration...

Oh. That was hard

...from Dennis the Menace, Brave, to Wind In The Willows,

they're going for broke...

Smells good. It does.

So full of flavour. That is lush.

...to wow our judges and come out on top today.

The winner of the Scotland heat is...

I'm raring to go.

I had no idea what to expect as a newcomer in the competition.

I'm very nervous.

I've tasted the finals before, and I want it again.

I'll be giving this competition everything I have.

Good morning, chefs. Morning. Morning.

How are you doing?

Not too bad, thank you. Are you ready for this? Absolutely. I am.

Battle royale. A brand-new day.

It's judging day. Four new palates.

The slate is wiped completely clean.

It's a very good idea to get the larger jobs that you've got

to achieve, going.

And it looks like you're already doing that, because there are pots

flying around already. I cannot wait for these judges to taste your food,

because you're going to blow their socks off, all right?

See you in a minute. Thank you. Thanks, Andi.

Lots to do this morning.

Really want to make sure my fish is nicely brined.

I've got to get some sauces on, nice and reduced.

I've got to get that brioche dough working so that it's lovely

and proved and fluffy. Loads to do.

Just need to get focused.

With the brioche for his main course in hand,

Mark starts preparing a caramelised turnip puree for his fish course.

Having a main course consisting of 19 elements,

Adam has a lot on his plate.

First jobs I need to do is get my custard on for my starter,

so that can set.

I then need to get my chicken clone,

because that takes a long time to do.

All my sauces, my little pea panna cotta for my canape.

It was too cold the last time, so I need to get ahead of the game.

Scrutinising the chef's dishes today is our head judge, Tom Kerridge.

He has three Michelin stars and is the only chef in 20 years

to have twice cooked the main course at a Great British Menu banquet.

Scottish produce, Scottish chefs, there's passion, there's flavour,

there's that kind of drive for perfection.

Flavours are going to be fantastic.

I'm so excited. I've been looking forward to today all week.

In the kitchen, Mark is preparing strawberry tuille

butterfly wings for his dessert.

They were a disaster yesterday, and he couldn't serve them.

So he needs to make sure he doesn't repeat the mistake today.

While Adam is preparing the tuiles for his starter by mixing flour,

sugar, egg substitute and tomato skin powder with water,

to make a paste.

They are "tuilly" delicate. Oh!

Do you think that's going to get old at any point this week? Nope.

Next, he blends haggis with chicken

to make a mousse for his main course...

...as Mark makes a tuile paste for his starter using a base

of fermented rice called koji.

Can I open this? Of course you can.

I'll be watching you, because I want to make sure you close it.

Just put them straight in on top of yours. Probably.

I know your game by now, mate.

As the chefs crack on, I'm going to give Tom an insight

into the week's events.

Hello, sir. Morning, mate. How are you, darling?

Very well. We've had a good week.

Great. These two chefs scored very, very well.

We've had eights, we've had nines. And there was even a big fat ten.

No way! From Tom Aikens. Wow.

I can't wait for that.

I'm looking at some of the titles as well, and they sound amazing.

A Badger's Sett. A Lump Of Coal Nothing.

A Lump Of Cold Nothing. Amazing.

Can we get started? Are you ready? Yeah, 100%.

Helping Tom judge the chefs' menus today

are Ed Gamble and Nisha Katona.

With 16 Indian street food restaurants and counting,

Nisha's a titan of the UK hospitality industry.

Scotland's always excelled when it comes to fantastic

ingredients and delicious dishes.

But what I want is that real visual impact that hits the brief

of animation and illustration.

Whilst Ed presents a popular food podcast with fellow comedian

James Acaster.

A huge history of animation and illustration from Scotland.

There's obviously the Be a no, the Dandy, things like that.

And also someone drew a very detailed genitalia

on my poster at the Edinburgh Fringe one year.

Veteran judge Tom Aikens gave Mark's fish course a nine,

his highest score of the week.

But in a bid to get a big fat ten, he's heeding his advice.

I'm just caramelising my turnips.

Tom mentioned that it could have been a little bit further

down the caramelisation road, so having that sort of deep

caramelisation in the puree is just going to add a nice depth.

Adam, on the other hand, is only making slight adjustments.

I'm only making real tweaks to my dishes, not major changes.

So I feeL..I feel comfortable.

Morning. Good morning. How are we?

Very well, thank you, Tom. How are you?

Super-excited and looking forward to Scotland.

So I've been chatting to Andi, and she said that this week these two

chefs that are cooking today have been very, very close.

This is what this show is about, though, isn't it?

It's that nail-biting, when they're both excellent

and you can't discern them. Nisha, if you're biting your nails,

you're not eating enough of the food.

THEY LAUGH

All right, my lovelies.

I'm back to let you know that the judges are assembling,

and the guest judge is on their way.

So get your canape started.

Yes, keep an eye on that weird, double-time vortex clock.

OK, so make them the best you possibly can.

Thanks very much, Andi. Here we go, boys.

The guest judge today is a Glasgow-born,

award-winning comic book illustrator

who has drawn Batman, the X-Men and Superman,

Vincent Deighan, better known by pen name Frank Quitely.

Frank. Hey. Hello. Hello.

Welcome. Thank you. Thank you very much for joining us.

Take a seat. Delighted. Thank you.

Frank, I've got to point out now that Ed is very, very excited

that you're here.

Oh, well, I'm very excited, too, but for different reasons.

THEY LAUGH Not because of Ed.

That's not to say that we're not excited, but Ed is a big

comic book fan. I love comic books.

So our theme this year, Frank, is animation and illustration.

What do you think of that as the theme for the banquet this year?

It's a great theme. Obviously!

What is it about the comics that attracted

you in the first place?

I loved drawing, when I was a child, and also I was a kind

of lazy reader.

So the comic strip kind of worked, because you could get

through the story and work it out without really doing much reading.

Not a great advert...for comics. THEY LAUGH

Yeah, but a wonderful one for art.

Adam is building pea and caviar tarts.

You're happy with the temperature of your canape, Adam?

Yep. That's a shame.

Whilst trying not to let his rival get under his skin.

I can't concentrate like that.

I heard that. Did you hear that?

For his canape, Mark is adding diced arctic char belly

and tomato to his croustade cases,

and a sprinkle of dehydrated fish scales.

So, Frank, what is it that you're looking for in the food today?

I'm looking for flavours, but I'm also hoping to see

how the dishes tie in with the briefs.

Have you come hungry as well, Frank? Yes, I have.

I have eating nothing for clays. Great.

So, food, comic books, all tied into the brief.

We should be in for an amazing clay.

Yeah, I'm living my 14-year-old dream today.

Not quite, actually.

Unless Pammy's coming.

THEY LAUGH

How you looking, Adam? I'm looking good.

Two minutes to go. Yep.

Adam adds compressed peas to his tarts...

...while Mark garnishes his cultured cream croustades with shiso leaves.

Mark, how are you doing? Yeah, I'm good.

My flowers have wilted as quickly as I have.

Adam's tarts are crowned with a dome of caviar and a garnish

of alyssum flowers.

Are you ready to plate? I am - plating right now.

Service, please. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

First up, Adam's tart.

TOM: They both look exquisite.

It's got quite a bit of flavour. It's really, really lovely.

I lost the caviar a bit in it. I didn't get a lot of caviar.

I mean, it looked like a lot of caviar, but there wasn't.

We should have licked it off the top, shouldn't we?

Or eaten it first. But I didn't want to lose the pea.

NISHA: I know. Exactly right. There's a beautiful, savoury sweetness to that pea.

Ancl the crispy tart was delicious.

You're right. The caviar, kind of...

That saltiness kind of got lost just a little bit.

But it was... I mean, it was beautiful.

Next, it's Mark's croustade.

Nice to have cultured cream for a change, isn't it?

As opposed to this barbaric, uncultured cream we've been having.

That is lush!

Smoky. Acidity.

That cream is beautiful. The tomato is lovely.

Oh, that's delicious.

NISH: That was so good.

So we've got to choose one.

We've got to decide which one we like the most.

You pick up the plate that it came from.

Wow. Whoa.

We've all gone for that one. That was quite a close call for me.

The balance just edged it.

I think it's just because it was awkward for us to both pick this up.

A strong start for Mark.

Can he keep it up for his starter?

In the week, his handmade tuile moulds let him down.

Absolutely fine with the tuiles this time.

Not using the dog bone moulds has really helped. It mixes

a bit better now.

So, Frank, how long have you been drawing comic book cartoons?

Er, professionally, for more than 30 years.

Have you got some of that stuff here? I have some here, yes.

There's a couple of graphic novels and a selection of various different

pieces of artwork. Wow, look at this.

God, they're so beautiful, Frank. Wowsers!

TOM: Here you are. Let me see. What was your big break, Frank?

I started working for an underground comic in Glasgow,

and then from that, I started working on the judge Dredd sort

of stuff, then into superheroes.

Ancl just, over the years, there hasn't been a single big break.

It's just been a slow build.

The main element of Mark's dish

is mushroom porridge, made with oats,

spelt and mushroom stock.

He adds fermented pearl barley, along with mushroom

garam and truffles.

How you looking, Adam? I'm looking good.

You do look good. How's the food, though?

You're getting funnier the more the week goes on.

He portions wild mushrooms and dices king oyster mushrooms,

which he fries in garlic and thyme.

The first starter is called Behind Bars, and it's a savoury

mushroom and koji porridge with beer-pickled chanterelles,

barbecue maitake, mixed wild mushrooms and koji tuille.

Ancl it's inspired by the Beano's Dennis the Menace, and an episode

when he ends up behind bars.

Published by DC Thomson in Dundee.

Hey, I'm a big fan of DC Thomson, so here's hoping it sticks

to the brief.

Veteran Tom Aikens gave Mark's starter an eight.

He had a couple of suggestions to help his porridge score higher.

So you're taking on, wisely, the advice from Tom.

You're going to up the seasoning and you're going to push

that creaminess with a little more oats running through it.

Exactly. And also, salt gives you a touch more luxury to the whole thing.

Exactly. Be a no or the Dandy?

It's kind of like a rivalry, wouldn't it...? Which would you read?

I was a Be a no kid. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

Mainly because of Dennis the Menace.

I think he's a hero to all children.

All badly behaved children. Yeah, exactly.

Although I sort of saw myself as a hybrid between Dennis the Menace

and Walter the Softy. You know, I wasn't on one side or the other.

That's a good balance. You know, I like running around in the park,

but I like to smell nice as well.

THEY LAUGH

Mark starts building his dish with his mushroom and koji porridge.

You have five minutes to the pass, Mark.

Thank you. He adds his fried king oyster and barbecued

maitake mushrooms.

Oh, look at those colours.

This emulsion here.

Just do like a good dollop.

Mushroom garam puree is piped onto the koji tuiles.

Yeah, that's fine. And then, there's chopped

toasted pumpkin seeds just behind you.

Truffle sits on top of the porridge, a sprinkle of pickled

chanterelle, followed by micro herbs.

Last minute, Mark. One minute to go.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Ancl then it's just the glaze.

We are good to go.

Are you happy? Yeah, very happy, yeah. Service, please.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Absolutely love this. NISHA: Fantastic.

Great. I love the attention to detail here.

Look at this. Prison tray as well.

Yeah. It smells good.

It does.

I'm just toying...

I'm having to think through whether I think the balance

of that sour and the real umami of the mushrooms is right.

But that's a very subjective thing. I love it. Yeah?

I really love it. I know there is acidity in there, but I think that's

balanced out by that sweetness in there.

That tuile was just a proper little punch of flavour.

It's porridge. So it's prisony, you know?

Ancl Scottish. And Scottish. Exactly.

It's absolutely delicious.

The presentation is really good - with the brief.

I think Nish is right on that point of the acidity.

It's not just like little bursts of acidity you get.

It's actually this constant kind of underlying whir of sour that comes

from the fermentation, which I think is fantastic

if it was a slightly smaller portion.

It's absolutely beautiful.

But for a starter, I could do with a smaller portion, as well.

A few tweaks to this and it's a great, almost perfect, dish.

Mm.

I said it was too much and I keep eating.

I know. I know. I've had to push it away.

Adam's up next...

Oh, you bugger!

...with his dish, The Mice That Saved The Lion,

inspired by an animation of one of Aesop's Fables, voiced

by Billy Connolly.

It's a red pepper custard,

basil sorbet, tomato skin tuille,

Tomberry tomatoes in tomato ponzu, toasted hazelnuts.

It's just me, but savoury custard and savoury sorbet...

Yeah. I'm...

The hairs on the back of my neck are going up, and not in a nice way.

Adam starts building his dish by piping red pepper puree

onto his set custard.

Like Mark, he received an eight from Tom Aikens.

The feedback from Tom was he wanted the custard set a bit firmer,

and he needed a little more seasoning on those tiny

little Tomberries.

This is what I forgot the last time - to season my tomatoes.

Not this time.

Tomato on tomato, on the red pepper.

I'm kind of curious to how that's going to work.

I'm not quite sure what it's got to do with the mice and the lion.

NISHA: Yeah. It sounds very Italian.

European. Well, the mice were Italian...in the fable.

Great. And the lion was from Provence.

Yes, exactly. Yeah.

OK. The mouse came along and said, "I help-a you, lion."

Having broken his intricately designed tuiles whilst plating,

earlier in the week, Adam is down on his knees, hoping things

will run smoother this time around.

Super-intricate. You know, all the little clots,

all the little flowers.

Do you think you might need an extra minute or two, Adam?

What time is it?

You've got two minutes left.

Two minutes. OK, Mark?

Yeah, Chef? Can you help me, please, now? Mm-hm.

The spirit of cooperation that has permeated this competition

this week is in full effect once more. I love it.

One minute, Adam. One minute.

So what changes have you made to this, Adam?

I've just let it be a little colder. Recipe's still the same.

I've added a little bit more spice mixture.

Gorgeous.

He sprinkles a fiery Japanese spice mix called togarashi, to enhance

the red pepper flavour, before carefully adding his

shiso flower top tuiles.

They look really beautiful. Stunning.

Can you grab my little mice down, please? Hmm. Love to.

Finally, basil sorbet, which Adam is serving much colder

than he did earlier in the week.

Was it on the side before? Yeah. It's smaller. A lot lighter.

Service, please.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I mean, I love the way it looks, straight away. Yeah.

NISHA: Tell me what the string is.

How is that part of the...?

TOM: It's hatched.

NISHA: Oh, it's a trap.

Has it trapped you? It did! Intellectually.

TOM: Straight away, the smell that comes from that.

It's fresh, it's clean, it's vibrant. It's amazing.

Flavours are amazing, and love the hazelnuts.

The custard itself is a bit, texturally, a bit grainy.

The graininess is coming from the top. Right. So it's double-layered.

The custard itself that's at the bottom is actually very smooth and lovely.

It's really delicious.

It's not as tomatoey as I was expecting - from the description.

In a good way.

Ancl the sorbet, it is very cold, but it's delicious.

The basil is exceptional.

It's one of the best basil sorbets I've had.

So full of flavour. But it's VERY cold.

I'm... I'm not a fan of the sorbet.

I'm not quite sure how it's tied into the brief, but it tastes good.

The tuile and the sorbet, I think, are outstanding.

The dish itself was fabulous, fine dining dish that was incidentally

on a prop that links it to brief.

Hopefully, the dishes are as good as they were, if not better,

and everyone's having a great time in there.

Someone should be having a great time, right?

I'm having a great time. Are you not having a great time?

I'm having a lovely time. Wonderful. We're all having a good time.

Tequila!

THEY LAUGH

No tequila just yet,

we're only on the fish course, and Mark is first to serve.

It's barbecued arctic char, ribboned and caramelised white turnips,

smoked whey foam, rock samphire gel, Exmoor caviar,

and sea vegetables.

And it's inspired by Orkney animator Selina Wagner's animated film

Spindrift, set on a desolate Orkney beach.

It's another appearance for char on the menu.

I wonder if that's the same chef trying to use every bit

of the ingredient.

I think both of these chefs have got an eye on sustainability.

So I would reckon that that smoked char starter is now making another

appearance as the fish course.

How's your fish doing, buddy?

Yeah, all coming together, I think.

Perfect opportunity to say swimmingly.

Sorry. I've let you down.

Adam and I both have very strong views on zero waste.

It's great to be cooking with someone who holds such things

to his heart as closely as I do.

How are you doing, darling? I'm OK, thank you.

You got a nine for this beautiful dish, Spindrift.

What was your one piece of feedback from Tom?

The turnip puree could be slightly more caramelised.

That's what I've clone. Is that what you've done? Yeah.

Having deboned his fillets, Mark barbecues the arctic char

skin-side-down, to get it nice and crisp.

Mark's wonderful dish, Spindrift, full of powerful, bleak romance

and absolute precision in terms of the food.

Let's hope he gets it spot-on.

Mark dots pickled rock samphire gel onto his ribboned turnip.

Then adds caramelised turnip puree.

Smells nice and smoky around this neck of the woods.

Just under four minutes, Mark.

Lovely. Thank you.

Having rested his arctic char in cultured butter, it's now ready

to be portioned.

You have two minutes to the pass, Mark.

Thank you.

Adam lends a hand, adding the sea vegetable garnish.

His smoky whey sauce is blitzed to a foam and plated.

These are the last things going on, yes, Mark? Yeah.

Yeah. It's your dish.

The dish is finished with caviar.

Are you proud of my garnish? It's beautiful.

OK. Service, please.

WAVES RI PPLE

The turnip ribbon is just delicious.

There's a little note here that says spindrift is the spray blown

from the crest of waves by the wind.

Ancl you're really getting that.

Ancl there's just the right amount of pickling - sweet, acidic, lifts

the whole dish. And the fish skin as well.

The fact that that's been done separately, so it's crispy

and charred and you get that smoky taste to it.

What I'm really interested in, the caramelised turnip puree.

It's already got a peppery kind of flavour to it.

Ancl it sucks that fish into a different realm,

because it's sat on it.

I've not had something like that before.

The fish is beautifully cooked as well, by the way.

It makes you want to wrap up in a big coat.

I love the way that it's drawing those kind of sensations for me,

like the feeling that you're walking across a gale-blown beach front

with the waves crashing up, maybe,

and it just captures all of that feeling.

For me, this is the first dish where the food itself has actually

met the brief. Mm. Whereas, everything previously

has just been in the presentation.

Adam's barbecuing salmon belly skin-side down for his fish course.

A risky business, as the skin may stick to the grill.

His dish is called A Princess Should Not Have Weapons.

It's inspired by the animation Brave, which is set

in the Highlands of Scotland.

Getting there. That - doing the do up there.

I'm getting there. Now, you got a nine for this dish.

Yeah. You and Mark neck-and-neck all the way at this point.

Yeah. We were. Are you making any changes?

I'm not. No. Cooking the fish the same way.

I want it really black, the skin, so it gets that real smokiness.

Ancl then it is a little fiery bad boy today,

so I'm letting it rest and hopefully the skin relaxes, so I can

pop it off. OK. Anything you're worried about on here?

Most of all, this not sticking. Right.

It's probably my only worry.

Barbecued salmon belly.

Amazing. Beautiful fat content in salmon anyway. Lovely and fatty.

Salmon belly. Yeah. I love it.

I love to see a salmon with a belly.

Adam garnishes cured salmon tail, using his crispy salmon skin.

He adds fermented garlic stems, garlic capers and chive oil.

But it's the moment of truth for his salmon belly.

Has it stuck to the grill?

HE GASPS

LAUGHTER

I'm happy. I thought it would stick. And it's cooked

really, really nicely.

He seasons with fennel pollen and fermented garlic caper juice.

Just get this really hot, and then away we gan.

How does it work with the things like Superman?

Is it difficult to try and get your own personality

into something whilst also sticking with what they demand

from a Superman illustrator? With something like Superman,

you have to make it recognisably Superman.

But everybody has their own mark.

It's like your handwriting, the way you draw.

You can try... If you wanted to,

you can try and draw like someone else, but it keeps going back

to your own signature look.

Yeah. So, there is an element of Desperate Dan

to my Superman. He does have...

He's got the chin. He's got the chin and the barrel chest. Yeah.

Adam's cured salmon tail is first to be plated,

and the caramelised whey is added to the sauce.

A spoonful of smoked celeriac puree is topped

with dried chickweed leaves.

Next, he portions his barbecued salmon belly

as the Brave princesses arrive.

ANDI LAUGHS

The full kit and caboodle!

Good wig. What are you dusting it with? Dashi.

Right, mate, can you hold this for me, please?

He adds a garnish of blueberries, lingonberries

and pickled elderberries,

and finishes with leaf-shaped potato crisps.

Last minute, Adam.

Yep. Wonderful. Thank you so much.

I am good to go.

Thank you very much. Service, please.

Just like that. Thank you.

BAGPIPES

It makes me proud seeing kilts.

NISHA LAUGHS They look great!

Thanks very much.

Ooh!

The smell coming off it is absolutely delicious.

Those berries that are punching through. The texture...

Crunchy, chewy, acidity, sweetness.

And the smokiness of that sauce is so well-balanced.

It does feel very Scottish, doesn't it?

It's got a very Scottish feel to it.

We eat this at least once a week.

LAUGHTER

That celeriac puree is fabulous, isn't it?

Absolutely delicious.

This is very, very, very good cooking.

Again, I feel very much outdoors in Scotland.

My only criticism is I want more fish.

Yeah, that salmon wasn't fat enough.

Didn't have enough belly to go round.

It is transportive, like the last fish dish, but I would argue

this feels way more banquety.

I actually preferred the first dish.

I just think, you know, this is salmon belly and I think

it's just the ingredients. It's great.

But there's something about that arctic char, that barbecue

flavour, the smoke, all of that.

There was something that was rounder and wilder and more desolate.

They're both great bits of fish cookery and I think

really reflective of Scottish produce.

However, this one makes me feel just a little bit warmer.

I'm really torn between which I prefer. Mm.

It's not clear for me.

Both were transportive.

Both were smoky and rich and beautifully cooked.

So, it's...

Yeah, it's a tough call.

And just like that, gentlemen, we're at the halfway mark.

See how fast it goes.

That means it's time for a big, deep breath.

It's main courses. Let's do it. Let's go.

Whilst it seems to me as though these friendly rivals are

neck and neck, I'm off to test the temperature

in the judges' chamber.

Hello. Well, howdy, folks.

Hello. All right? All right, mate. Yeah, I am.

Look, it's smiling! Aw.

Honestly, what a morning. Great food.

Lots of things that have been amazing.

Excellent. Nisha, are you feeling the love?

It's incredible because the level that they're cooking at is so high

that we are now splitting emotional hairs

and it's become very subjective.

It's a kind of superhuman effort, something you're familiar with.

Did you like how I did that? Very good.

Thank you very much. Are you picking up on

the stories in the narrative? Absolutely. Yes.

The last two dishes, in particular.

I've been going over my notes

and it's really tight.

Are you eating everything, Ed? Yeah.

Ancl I really came in being like, "This is the week.

"I've got to just rein it in a bit."

Ancl I've just... We got to the fish dishes and I was just like,

"No, I'm drinking the sauce out of the little pan."

I mean, it's been a really good morning.

With their mains under way, the chefs are taking any opportunity

to catch each other out.

WHISPERS: I'm just going to give that a minute.

Your celeriads burning.

Made you look.

That's the closest I've come to saying the one word

I don't want my mum to hear on TV.

Adam's serving first.

He glazes the chicken and haggis with chicken sauce, and decants

gherkin, ketchup and aubergine chutney.

He moves on to the tart cases for his braised beef cheek tarts.

I want this dish to be absolutely perfect.

So, I'm not 100% happy with all of the tart cases.

So, I'm going to make a few more, just so that they are

the cleanest tarts ever.

Like this little bad boy.

His dish is called Ratty's Picnic.

It's inspired by the picnic Ratty

makes for Mole in Wind In The Willows, which was written

by Edinburgh-born Kenneth Grahame.

It's a Balmoral chicken with truffles, tongue and cheek sauce,

beef cheek tarts, broccoli stalk salad with broccoli cress,

roasted beef fat broccoli and blue cheese,

beer-battered gherkins,

spicy aubergine puree, and gherkin ketchup,

served with ginger beer.

I'm looking forward to it.

I need another oven.

Adam will be serving 19 different elements in his picnic,

so he's up against it.

Hello, my love. How are you? Marvellous.

How are you feeling? Yeah, a little bit worried, a little stressed on

this one, I have to admit.

Well, you got a ten for this dish.

And also a ten from Tom Aikens.

Not an easy thing to do. Not many people can say they've had that.

So, I'm assuming that there are no changes?

Zero. Zero. Apart from more condiments.

Exuberance of plenty.

For sure. Your main issue is time right now.

Yeah. OK. OK. Well, I'm going to let you get on with it

because you need to crack on.

What are you most proud of? What have you enjoyed the most?

All-Star Superman was a kind of special project because it

struck a chord with so many people.

It's just... It's a very moving, emotional story.

And people come up at comic conventions to get it signed,

you know, and that's kind of special.

So, do you go to these comic conventions and have your own little

kiosk and they all come up and have things signed by you?

Yeah. Yeah.

It's a glimpse into how important your work is and how far-reaching

and how impactful.

I was so uncomfortable with the attention that I stopped

going to conventions altogether, and I hadn't been to a convention

for like ten years or something.

And I get invited to Toronto, and my wife's got family

there and she said, "Come on, let's just go."

So, we went to Toronto and she was waiting to see her cousins,

and she had half an hour to kill.

So, she just sat at the table while I was signing and people

were coming up and people brought me presents, and they were telling me

that, you know, like, I'd inspired them to start drawing, you know,

and she kept nudging me and saying, "What do you not like about this?"

And I thought, "That's a point." You know, I should really try

and get into this.

With the pastry cases for his beef cheek tarts in to bake,

Adam is prepping the salad for his picnic.

He blends broccoli stems with chilli and garlic oil,

along with deep-fried chicken croutons.

It's two minutes to the pass, Adam.

Yep, yep. Yep? Yep, yep.

Oh, ye bugger. They're hot.

First into the lunch boxes are his beer-battered gherkins,

followed by roasted blue cheese broccoli,

while his rival Mark helps out by garnishing the beef cheek tarts

with truffle.

Straight into this little square box for me, mate.

Do you have a little sprinkling of rock salt on them?

No. I will do. And you've got the truffle all right?

Which is in that little bottle there. Yeah.

You're due on the pass now, Adam.

I think I'll will be max one minute.

His picnic baskets are completed with gherkin ketchup, his tongue

and cheek mustard sauce, as well as ginger beer

made from his grandma's recipe.

And on the plates, a rocher of spinach and broccoli puree,

along with his cooked and pulled Balmoral-style chicken.

Oh, that was hard.

Thank you so much.

That was hard.

Yeah, it looked it.

Shall we have a look in this basket?

Yes, let's have a look. There you go. Some nice tarts there.

We've got some lunchboxes.

Granny's ginger beer.

Wow...

I think that beef cheek tart with that really flaky pastry

and the truffle - absolutely gorgeous.

I'm struggling a little bit more with these beer-battered gherkins.

There's a heck of a lot of oil in there.

I agree with you about the gherkins.

They are delicious, but they are quite oily.

I actually love the broccoli and blue cheese,

and the tart is brilliant.

The Balmoral chicken is lovely.

And I particularly like the salad.

The salad is really good.

Ancl this, I love this sauce.

I think you might say it's a bit heavy on the salt, Nisha.

I think it's a little bit heavy on the salt. But it's delicious.

But I do enjoy it. And especially the aubergine chutney

as well, is fantastic.

The chutney is beautiful.

The gherkin ketchup is fantastic.

The sauce is outstanding.

My only disappointment is the actual chicken, the piece itself.

Every little bit is about the same size.

A bit more of that, a little bit less of that,

bit of a tweak of that.

And it could be completely on song, in balance.

Just right now, it just feels a little bit too many bits,

not enough focus.

It's very good. Very, very good.

Mark's main course is up next, part of which is a fondant celeriac

that he's caramelising in butter, white wine and lamb stock.

He's also baking brioche rolls, stuffed with a lamb

and Scottish pale ale stew.

So, this is Badger's Sett. Rack of hogget, smoked yoghurt, black

garlic puree, buttered sauerkraut, fondant celeriac,

pickled elderberry sauce, lamb-fat candle,

with a stew-stuffed brioche.

Ancl it's inspired by Edinburgh-born Kenneth Grahame

and the character of Mr Badger

in the fantastic Wind In The Willows.

We've got a Wind In The Willows off. We have. We have.

Hey, Mark. Hi.

Now, there was a lot to love about this dish, but there were some

errors, and that brought your points down.

So, now, tell me, what tripped you up?

It was the cooking of the hogget, really.

Didn't have my timings quite right.

You weren't able to get that fat rendered?

Exactly. Yeah, I want to get that fat nice and rendered,

and then make sure it's just nicely cooked inside.

Wonderful.

From his racks of hogget, which is an older lamb

but younger than mutton,

Mark trims off excess fat, which will be used to make

his lamb-fat candles.

He pan-fries to render the fat down further...

...and then roasts to finish.

So, when you cooked that lamb, when you sealed it, were you happy

with the render on it this time? Yeah.

Yeah, it looks a lot better.

I love hogget. I love the flavour that you get from it,

like lamb on steroids.

It's a bit punchier, bigger flavours.

I would definitely order this on a menu. Mm.

Imagine having the meat sweats and then someone

brings you a stew-stuffed brioche.

With which to mop your brow!

Yesterday, Mark's lamb-fat candles were criticised for being too tall

and too unstable.

He's making them smaller, but they're still causing problems.

How? Come on!

There's a tiny little hole at the bottom of the candle holder,

where the wick goes through.

If it's not taped-up properly, then you end up leaking out

before you can get it set.

So, that's what's happened with these.

So, just going to reset and go again.

That inspiration, though, it definitely feels very outdoorsy.

Very, very Scotland. Very, very, very countryside.

Ancl between these two chefs, I mean, you can see why the influences

are quite heavy in what they cook and how they're doing it.

Mark begins building his dish by piping smoked yoghurt

and black garlic puree.

Pieces of fondant celeriac are added.

Buttered sauerkraut is next onto the plate.

That's three minutes, Mark. Thank you very much.

As Mark's hogget rests, he glazes his brioche with a milk,

egg and sugar mix.

And positions his remade lamb-fat candles on their candle holders,

then garnishes with salt and rosemary.

You are due at the pass, Mark.

He pours his pickled elderberry sauce into serving cauldrons...

...and portions his hogget.

How's your hogget?

Looks nice. Thanks. Yeah? Yeah.

Service, please.

The lights are dimmed in the judging chamber to create

the vibe of dinner at Badger's home.

I think the candle that's melted, there's salt and rosemary

in the base.

Ancl so I think we're meant to clip the brioche into the salted lamb.

It's a lovely idea. That is a great idea. Yeah.

That hogget is so good.

It's so pink and tender, and so massively full of flavour.

I love hogget.

For me, that's perfectly cooked.

You know, my criticism is that I would just want more of pretty

much most of it.

I love this elderberry sauce as well.

The elderberry sauce is delicious.

Yeah. I loved, loved the buttered sauerkraut.

I think my only real criticism of the hogget is that I didn't feel

the fat was rendered down quite enough on the outside.

Everything about it is great.

It fulfils the brief and it looks beautiful.

I think people would be wowed by it, wouldn't they?

Yeah, I think there is that wow factor to it.

It does feel great.

It does take you to the countryside.

There's a kind of theatre to it.

It gets my vote.

All right, my lovelies,

you have four minutes for your pre-desserts.

Adam will be serving lemon panna cotta,

lemon sorbet, jasmine-pickled apple,

and a wine foam.

It's called Lump Of Cold Nothing, and is inspired

by The Star In The Forest, by Glasgow-based author

and illustrator Helen Kellock.

To impress Tom with this dish,

I've just got to make sure it's exactly how I gave it to Tom Aikens.

Two Toms. I want both of them happy.

Mark's pre-dessert is called Take My Hand and it's a lemon verbena

mousse, rye biscuit, damson jam and candied hazelnuts.

It's inspired by an illustration called Be Kind, by the late Scottish

singer-songwriter Scott Hutchison.

Since serving this dish yesterday, Mark has decided

to make some changes.

On reflection, I thought maybe my pre-dessert was a bit

too big, a bit rich, so I've changed it slightly.

Going to do it almost like a little ice cream sandwich,

mousse on both sides. That means there's a bit more jam spread

throughout the whole thing.

A bit more biscuits, so it changes the ratio. It should be much nicer.

One minute to the pass for your pre-desserts.

Are you ready? Yeah.

I'll put my frozen stuff on and we're good to go.

And we're done.

I like the new version. Are you happy with it?

I think so. It eats better.

Gorgeous. Let's get it sent.

Did you make one for me?

I did, actually. Oh, cheers, mate.

Service, please.

Thank you.

First is Adam's Lump Of Cold Nothing.

Mm.

Quite punches you with acidity, don't it? Mm. It really does.

You get that sweetness and you get like almost eye-watering sharpness

that comes through. Now, I'm making a face like I don't like it,

I love it. My panna cotta looks a little grainy, though.

Gosh, I think the panna cotta is delicious. But you're right.

It's those variations in temperature, variations

in texture, all those different flavours. A bit on the large side

for a pre-dessert maybe? Possibly a bit on the large side.

That's the only criticism.

I was going to say this is so refreshing and cleansing

after the rich mains that we've just eaten.

Next is Mark's Take My Hand.

I like the lemon flavour, but it kind of gets lost

after we've eaten that one. The big, punchy, refreshingness of it.

This one is good, but nowhere near as clean,

as refreshing, as punchy.

I do like that rye biscuit, though. It's almost sort of shortbready

in consistency. That could have been bolder with the flavour

of the lemon verbena.

It's such a distinctive flavour and I love it.

Ancl I'm not getting enough of that perfume.

It's really lovely, but it doesn't have that palate cleansing...

I do find myself wanting to go back to this one now. Yeah.

Which one do we like the best?

Fairly unanimous. Yep.

My custards, my jellies, sitting over there,

everything is time-sensitive.

It needs to be clone now.

Wish me luck.

It's the dessert course, and the chefs' last chance to score

high and reach the final.

Adam is serving first.

So, it's the first dessert proper now. It's called Food Fight.

It's a long pepper-set custard, a brown butter cake,

a strawberry jelly, strawberry gel,

crisps and rocks, dressed strawberries,

coffee syrup, meadowsweet cream.

Ancl it's a dish inspired by the Be a no Annual and a story

in it called Food Fight.

I love the Be a no and I love strawberries.

Sounds great. You're on to a winner here.

It set all right. It's set!

So, this is my jelly that I want to look like them

little packet cubes. So, I'm going to cut it in cubes.

Ancl it's set perfectly, much better than yesterday.

Yesterday, Adam scored eight for this dish.

So, what was Tom's feedback for you?

Set the jelly a little more.

Which, 100% - I misread my calculations.

I quite liked it soft, but there you go!

And tone down the pepper.

Are you doing that? I am.

I hope you get the big one for this, cos I think this dish deserves it.

I really, really love it.

Wish you all the luck in the world.

Thank you. And I'll take that. Thank you very much.

What's this long-pepper business? It's a pippali, I think.

I beg your pardon? I think it's a long pepper,

and they used to use it to bring heat to food in India.

Exactly. It's exactly that! Hundreds of years ago.

It's exactly that. It's a flavour process.

Great ingredient. Strawberries and pepper together are magical.

They work so, so well.

Adam starts building his Food Fight dessert with strawberry

and black verjus gels.

He blasts an egg and strawberry mix with liquid nitrogen

to make strawberry rocks.

Next onto his comic book plate is the set custard

and brown butter cake.

To be fair, it's a food fight, so if I make a mess, it doesn't matter.

He adds his grenadine and verjus strawberry jelly, followed

by the meadowsweet cream...

...a drizzle of bitter coffee syrup...

...compressed strawberries are next onto the plate.

Three minutes, Adam. Wonderful.

Strawberry tuiles are added...

...as well as a garnish of cornflowers.

Ancl I'm ready to go now, as well, cos I've got the pop rocks.

Get your pop rocks on. Sorry, Andi. Ready.

Thank you very much. Service, please.

They look like they've got your T-shirts on, Ed. Look at you!

Thank you so much.

Whoa!

Wow. It looks amazing.

It looks fab. It's so fun.

It's exactly what you'd imagine a dish in the Be a no to be like.

This is an absolute home run. It's great, isn't it?

Oh, my God. I love this.

Every little element of that, the flavour comes through.

It's absolutely brilliant.

Just that little bit of pepper that runs through all of it.

I think it's a great, great dish.

It's just so joyfully chaotic, isn't it?

It's exactly what the Be a no is. It's absolutely spot-on brief.

Yeah. It's a complete feast for the eyes.

And then when you taste it, it's not chaotic at all.

It's really balanced.

Everything about it feels like it should just be over-sugary,

over-synthetic, like, flavour-enhanced,

but actually the use of the pepper and the use of the meadowsweet ties

it into the reality of real and true ingredients.

Not just like over-the-top pastry skills.

It just balances it all together.

I think it really is a magical little piece of cookery, that.

If this was in a food fight, I'd just run in with my mouth open.

So, not much to fight about with Adam's final dish.

Mark only scored five for his dessert yesterday,

and the pressure is on to improve.

However, once again, the tuile butterfly wings have tripped him up.

I'm going to call time on the strawberry wings.

I mean, they're a nice flavour, but they are mainly decorative.

So, if they don't look sharp,

there's not a huge point in having them.

OK. So, our last dessert is One Emotion At A Time.

Strawberry sorbet, smoked strawberry, almond cake,

woodruff custard, caramelised yoghurt

and sugar butterflies.

And it's inspired by Scottish-born JM Barrie's Peter Pan

and the character Tinker Bell.

Well, you'll get... More strawberries. More strawberries.

Scottish strawberries.

The base of Mark's dessert will be an almond sponge cake.

He's flavouring his set custard with woodruff

from his restaurant's garden.

What is woodruff custard?

Woodruff is a kind of foraged herb that will be infused

into the custard.

Again, something kind of savoury being used in a dessert

and a custard, like the long pepper or the meadowsweet.

You know, they're quite similar cooks, aren't they?

Are we sure it's not just one chef putting a disguise on?

So, you're doing something different with that sponge?

Yeah, I wasn't happy with it at all.

Different recipe, much lighter.

I'm just brushing it with the woodruff honey as well, to try

and get a bit more of that woodruff flavour through it.

Mark sprays his almond cake with green food spray,

pipes on his woodruff custard...

...followed by caramelised yoghurt crumb.

He adds his smoked strawberry compote.

You have four minutes, Chef.

Thank you very much.

How's that sugar work? It's not any easier today than it was yesterday.

Than it was!

You have three minutes, Chef. Thank you.

Adam gets into the spirit of things...

I'm helping, I've got to look the part.

...and decorates the dish with edible flowers.

You're due on the pass, Mark.

Thank you.

BELL TINKLES

Mark adds his strawberry sorbet and finishes with the sugar domes.

Service, please.

Thank you so much. Ooh!

"Not a whisper, not a peep, for in this lantern

"our fairy sleeps.

"All you need to do is believe and ring the bell,

"if it's Tink you seek."

That's the sign that we can eat. Yes. As the bell rings.

Yeah.

There's very little in the way to celebrate a strawberry in it.

It's quite a thick, heavy sponge.

It's like a dense Scotch pancake, ironically, isn't it?

But, yeah, it's just... It's a bit heavy-handed.

The woodruff is the crowning thing for me.

The cream, the custard, is very nice, but, yeah,

that spun sugar almost feels like something you have to get through

to get to the dessert. Mm.

I think the presentation is really good.

Urn, I actually liked the sponge.

I think it's delicious.

I agree. Absolutely delicious.

But I think if we're comparing it to the whole clay, it's a bit

of a flat end, maybe.

We're having to think this one through a little bit.

The other one came in and we all smiled, and we smiled our way right

the way through the dessert. It's just different, isn't it?

With their menus complete, it's a nervous wait for Adam and Mark

to find out who will represent Scotland in the finals.

Chefs, welcome to the judges' chamber.

How are you both feeling?

Pretty exhausted.

I never like this feeling.

Us judges, here today, we've had such brilliant dishes.

You know, consistent cooking, beautiful flavours, wonderful

technique. And on that, I want to know who cooked Food Fight?

That was me. What a dish.

I was blown away by it. The balance of the flavours.

It was childlike and silly, but then amazing, grown-up

adult cookery. It was fantastic, Chef.

It was an incredible dish. I scored it ten out of ten.

Oh, wow. Thank you.

And so, who cooked Spindrift?

That was me. Mark, I gave this a ten as well.

I mean, these are crazy words, but it was delicious and desolate.

It was really beautiful.

And what a skill you have that you can immerse and transport us

to the beauty of a wild Scottish coastline with your food.

You have such a gift. Thank you.

I think you can probably tell by the enthusiasm we've had a great day in here today!

But we didn't know who cooked which dish.

So, we kind of put our marks together and scored them,

and we've given them to Andi to add up.

ANDI: The winner of the Scotland heat,

and going through to cook at the finals...

...is...

...Adam.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations. Thank you. Oh, my God.

Every single time. It does not get easier

in this room at all. No.

Congratulations, Chief.

I mean, it was fantastic cooking.

Dish after dish, consistently all the way through - amazing.

But, Mark, honestly, it's been so, so close.

But, Adam, congratulations.

Did you cook Ratty's Picnic?

Yeah. I absolutely loved it.

I mean, even just the words on the page, the fried pickles

and the beef fat broccoli with blue cheese.

I nearly licked the menu. You really, really smashed that.

Oh, awesome. Thank you.

And, Mark, if I can say from all of us, you know, this is the first

time you came into this competition, and you really blew us away.

You came away with a clutch of tens.

Well, it's your first time competing,

but what a foundation you've got. We would love to see you back.

I'd love to come back. Thank you.

I've got to say that

it was a real hon our for me to be invited here.

And you two have really done Scotland proud.

Thank you. Amazing. Thank you so much.

And it's been wonderful having you here today.

I hope you've had a great time as our guest judge. I had

a brilliant time. Thank you.

And I really hope that you'll come to the banquet.

I will. Thank you.

Adam, congratulations. Mark, commiserations,

but also congratulations, because you've been incredible.

Thank you very much. Well clone.

Aw. Hug it up.

Thanks, guys. Thank you very much. Well done, Chefs. Well clone, Chefs.

Oh, man, that was hard, wasn't it?

Oh! It does not get easier in that room.

I completely wish Adam the best of luck in the finals.

I hope he does incredibly well.

Most of me really wants him to get to the banquet.

There's a tiny bit of that brotherly, argumentative and spite

that hopes he doesn't, but it's a very small part of me.

I need to do it. I need to do it.

I need to represent Scotland and make it proud.

So, two very accomplished chefs, an epic battle.

It was so consistent as well, like dish after dish after dish

all the way through. Really good cooking.

We didn't hit any real bum notes, kind of right until the end.

Adam's cooking relentlessly today was very good.

Very good, very good, very good.

Outstanding. I mean, it was. Yeah.

I cannot wait to see Adam in finals week

cooking some brilliant food. Absolutely.

It was great cooking with you.

I loved your food.

Thank you. That little lamb roll,

I'm going to steal it.

Here's to Scotland. Here's to Scotland.

Let's get a dish to the banquet. Absolutely.