Original subtitles

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

...are heading to the Great British Menu kitchen.

Hot stuff coming through.

They're competing to cook a course and a magnificent banquet -

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

Rock and roll.

This year, the banquet is celebrating Britain's triumphs

in the world of illustration and animation.

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.

CHEERING

Isn't that amazing?!

From cartoon series to computer games and comics.

LAUGHTER

But reputations are at stake...

I wave the white flag. ..as some of the most eminent Michelin-starred

veteran chefs of the competition...

No, I'm not giving out points for confidence, right?

...those dependable old hands...

Snakes. Snakes. ..and bright young guns...

One each. Oh, you're too kind.

...will be returning to cast judgment.

I'm scoring you a ten. 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.

It'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.

TOM LAUGHS

What?!

Of course they are. It's Great British Menu.

Game on, people.

This time, the chefs are from Northern Ireland - a nation

with a vibrant food scene.

You're four minutes away from telling me why

this is the best thing I've ever ate in my life.

This week, the top chefs from Northern Ireland will be drawing

on inspiration from their nation.

There will be culinary reimaginings of Northern Ireland folklore

and computer games to get our teeth sunk into.

First into the kitchen is Matt Jordan, from Belfast.

I think I do have what it takes to beat the other chefs, but ultimately

it will come down to the clay.

Everybody wants to get a dish to the banquet.

Next to arrive is London-born Kerry Roper, who's been working

in Northern Ireland for 12 years.

Hello. How are you? Good. How are you? I'm good.

I'm as well prepared as I possibly can be.

I'm excited about my menu. I just can't wait to get started.

Fellow newcomer john Hollywood is from County Armagh.

Mr Hollywood. MATT LAUGHS

How are you? All good.

I definitely feel like I've got banquet-worthy dishes.

Hello. Hey, how are you, Kerry? I'm good.

I'm going to show a lot of style, a lot of flair.

Let's go. Game on.

And finally, it's returning chef Gemma Austin from Belfast - who,

despite getting full marks for her dessert last year,

didn't quite make it to the banquet.

How are yous? How's it going? You all right? How are you? Nice to meet you.

I would love to see one of my dishes get to the banquet.

I've never got through yet. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Hello, chefs. ALL: Hello. How are you doing?

Very good. You're back! I'm back. You came back to me!

How wonderful. Matt, how are you, my love?

I'm great. Nervous.john? Yeah, absolutely buzzing.

Can't wait to get stuck in here. Kerry? I'm OK. I'm a bit nervous.

Nerves are good, right, Gemma? They are good.

As ever, we are going to start with a canape -

small, elegant, one bite.

I suggest you get cracking. All right? Let's go. Cheers.

Matt wastes no time cutting feuilles de brick pastry for his

tartlet case, and whipping up the cheese and onion filling.

So far, so good. All going according to plans.

Hopefully it keeps going this way.

Snapping at his heels is returner Gemma, also using cheese and onion

as the main ingredients for her gougeres canape.

Gougeres are in the oven, so we're not going to know if they're right

until they come out.

Meanwhile, Kerry rolls her beef fat biscuit, which she'll serve

with beef ta rta re.

I'm using my time while my crackers are in the oven just to put

a little bit of tarragon and chive through my tartare.

Whilst john is slicing his salt-baked beetroot...

Really happy with this, like. ..which he's serving

on a sourdough cracker.

It was just very hard to work with, so I'm just going to get more

banged out, just to cover my back.

The canapes aren't themed and won't be scored, but will be used

in the event of a tie-break.

Right now, the chefs are blissfully unaware which veteran

they need to impress.

How about Tommy Banks?

Would love to show him what I've got, anyway. Tom Aikens...

Oh, look at that. That's a good response. Fear. Fear.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen? Still fear, but, yeah.

How about if I said Aktar Islam?

That would be a bit unnerving. Unnerving? Yeah.

Yeah. Unnerving. How about you, Kerry? All terrifying.

But, yeah. Everything's terrifying. ls... Every name's terrifying.

Well, any of these people could be walking through the door.

And the thing to do, really - is it not, Gemma? -

is focus on your food and hope for the best.

LAUGHTER

The veteran this week won the fish course on Great British Menu

in 2011...

Ladies and gentlemen, that is time. To the pass, please.

...and is chef owner of the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant

in the UK outside of London.

It's Aktar Islam.

Oh!

How's it been? Good? Good. So what have you got for me here?

We've got a cheese and onion tartlet.

What have you got for us here?

So I have made you a Northern Irish Tayto cheese and onion gougere.

And? That is a Tayto cheese and onion crisp. In one? In one.

Other crisp, as well, yeah?

What have we got here?

Beef tartare, mussel emulsion, coal oil and egg yolk.

Finally. Yes.

What you have here is a lovely salt-baked beetroot with

a peated and bone marrow sourdough cracker.

Impressive. SHE LAUGHS

That's how you want to eat it, man. That's what I'm like, too.

This year's brief is all about celebrating the success of British animation and illustration.

So, for me, animation and illustration

is all about entertainment,

it's all about fun and, ultimately, tells a story, right?

I want cooking that's technically brilliant and worthy of the banquet.

When I seen Aktar walk through the doors, it wouldn't

have been my first choice. Made me very nervous.

Aktar is a perfectionist. I don't think there's going to be anywhere to hide.

Let's rank them in order of preference.

Let's go from your least favourite to your favourite.

Least favourite was John's beetroot.

I wanted something that you put it in your mouth

and it's an explosion of flavour. And that wasn't.

Definitely packs a punch.

Then we had Kerry's beef tartare.

I just thought the ratios were wrong. It was the wrong pastry.

Like a flame-grilled burger sort of flavour.

Barbecue, almost. That's so cool.

Gemma's gougere... Really enjoyed that.

I just thought it was a bit too big.

Nice creaminess coming through. I love it.

So, my favourite was Matt's cheese and onion tart because it was cheese

and onion on a lovely tart case.

Delish. Really stunning.

Come on, Northern Ireland, we're ready.

It's straight on to the first scored dish, the starter.

And this year, the chefs must create a sustainable vegan dish.

I really hope these chefs put me in a position where I've got

absolutely no choice but to bang out those tens.

Gemma's starter is based on the 2020 animated film Wolf walkers,

written, directed and produced by Tomm Moore from Northern Ireland.

My dish is called Howls of the Forest.

The whole idea of the animation is that it's based on the forest.

I'm guessing a lot of mushroom involved? Absolutely.

I'm going to do a tartlet... OK. ..inside that.

I'm going to have a hazelnut praline.

I'm going to make a mushroom and Bramley apple chutney.

I'm going to have some pickled shimeji mushrooms.

Ancl what are...? I'm going to layer it inside

a feuilles de brick tart shell, topped with a smoke salsa verde.

Alongside that, I'm going to do barbecued hen-of-the-woods mushroom.

Then, just to go round the bottom, I'm going to make a dukkah mix.

You're coming in fighting this time, right?

It's getting hot. Yeah. It's game time.

Gemma, we wish you loads of luck. Thank you.

Kerry's been influenced by the Gruffalo. In Colin Glenn forest,

on the outskirts of Belfast,

there is a Gruffalo trail, which provided inspiration.

How are those nerves? Yep.

They're still there. Still there? Yeah. Churning away excellently.

Just use them. Quite sparse-looking ingredients on here.

The name of the dish is called The Gruffalo Trail.

OK. Everybody loves The Gruffalo.

So we've got Jerusalem artichokes here.

I've got a chestnut flour tart... OK. ..with a lovage emulsion.

The artichokes are the main component?

I'll cook some in wine and fat and pop them into the tart.

So tell me how you're doing this tart base.

It's probably the bit that I'm most concerned about with this dish.

Sure. It's chestnut flour and wholemeal.

When it works, it's really light and beautiful to eat.

Ancl when it doesn't work, it crumbles and won't go

on the plate. We wish you so much luck. Thank you very much.

It'll be fine.

Onto john, whose dish is based on an animation that tells the story

of a young boy and the medieval Book of Kelts.

It is called the Cabbage of Kelts, based

on the cartoon directed by Tomm Moore.

Ancl there's a little one episode, and it's a cold night,

and all they have is a cabbage, so they roast the cabbage and then they all eat it.

So, John, hispi cabbage. What are you going to do with it?

I'm just going to roast it with a bit of salt, a bit of oil

and the garlic. What's the pistachios...? Pistachios, I'm going

to do a pistachio puree, actually. OK.

And then I'll finish it off with a wee bit of smoke, almost

like enchanted thing I'm getting to, like, shrouded in mystery.

I love how excited he is!

WHISPERS: You've got to deliver, though. Oh, yeah.

He's got to deliver. I am the delivery man. Oh, love it!

On that note, thank you very much.

Good luck. Thanks.

Finally, Matt. He's making a starter based on an animated series

and video game.

He's preparing pumpkin and squash for his parfait.

He seasons with salt, olive oil and garlic before roasting.

Hey, Matt. Hi, guys. What's the name of your dish?

My starter is called Eat Dirt.

The link with my dish is the video game Earthworm Jim.

Yeah, I've played it.

Not very good at it, but, yeah. I've called it a parfait,

so it's going to be similar, in texture, to a chicken liver parfait,

but it's going to be butternut squash and roast pumpkin,

and then served with some bitter leaves.

But the idea is then that you can use those and spread some

of the parfait on those. Parfait... You need dairy and eggs.

Yeah. Texturally, it is very smooth.

Ancl the squash and pumpkin hold their own.

They give enough body when you blend them. OK.

For her Wolf walkers-inspired starter, Gemma mixes the nuts

and spices for her dukkah, and roasts.

I've quite a lot of elements - 13 elements all together on the plate -

so a lot to do. But if you don't push yourself,

what's the point? Only here once.

Well, or three times.

She chops parsley, minced garlic and shallots,

and combines with lemon juice, buckthorn juice and rapeseed oil.

My smoked salsa verde is ready. OK. It's intense.

It's not as aggressive as I thought it would be.

But, yeah. I can't go too much, obviously, because I've barbecued

my mushrooms. It's balance. There's sweet, savoury... Key word.

Key word, balance. So hopefully you get all those flavours in one bite

and it's going to blow your mind.

Gemma's salsa verde,

I really enjoyed it, and I think it's going to work really well

with those earthy flavours of the mushroom, and then you've got

the sweetness coming through, as well.

I would really love to impress Aktar with this one.

This year, former pastry chef Gemma hopes her unique cooking style

will take her all the way to the banquet.

I only started cheffing nine years ago.

Since then, I've worked in some of the best places in Belfast,

and then eventually it was just time to go out on my own and open my own place.

I'm a very quirky person, and I wanted A Peculiar Tea

to represent who I am.

We try to use the five senses to install a long-term memory,

so that when people leave this building, they're not

going to forget it.

Obviously, it's my third time on the show. I'm really excited

about this time.

I always said I would give it three goes, so it's now or never.

For her Gruffalo-inspired starter, Kerry seasons Jerusalem artichokes,

and roasts.

Better now that I'm started. Ready to go. Yeah.

She bakes the skins for her crisps.

She's making a delicate tart case by mixing vegetable oil,

chestnut flour, wholemeal flour and linseeds.

The only worry with this dish would be the pastry.

It's made without butter, so it can be quite difficult

to work with. The hope is just to get that right.

She's also making an emulsion - combining vegan egg white,

English and Dijon mustard and sherry vinegar.

And then adds some lovage oil.

All under control? All under control so far.

All right. I've got the emulsion here.

You know, the lovely aroma of the herb...

Your tart case. How's that looking?

I think it's going to behave. It looks like it's going to behave.

I've had a word. I've asked it nicely. We should be good.

Amazing. Yeah, pray to the tart gods, right?

Definitely. All right. Well, look, good luck.

John adds garlic, thyme and rosemary to his

hispi cabbage before baking.

I can't really see anything going too wrong here.

Quietly confident, let's say.

And dissolves sugar in water to make a stock syrup, and adds to

pistachios for his puree.

This stuff is glorious. It's a great colour, like.

The bit I'm really intrigued about is the pistachio.

Can I have a taste? 100%, course you can. 100%?

How much of a part is this going to play?

It's going to add a really nice mouth feel.

There'll be a light sort of nuttiness, and it brings a cool sort of sweetness.

OK. Well, I'm really interested to see how it all comes together.

That pistachio element - that needs to be on a dessert,

not on a starter.

I hope for him it works, because all that confidence,

and then if it just doesn't work and doesn't come together,

can be quite embarrassing.

John earned his chef stripes in Michelin-starred restaurants

in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Working in kitchens is the realisation

of a childhood dream.

I always wanted to be a chef.

15 years old, I went straight into a kitchen.

Even though I was boiling beans and burning toast,

still loved coming in every day, making an omelette, thinking

I was an absolute hero.

My ethos is really about zero waste, using everything.

I'll try to be quirky, use something new.

The more I read over the menu that I've created and look at it,

I'm just more and more confident.

I just feel like it's time for people to see what I've got.

Oh, I think it's about time for the umami bomb.

Back in the kitchen,

John's shaping his cabbage before caramelising.

Oh, yeah, that's the money.

Matt blends the flesh of his now roasted butternut squash

to create the parfait texture.

He seasons, adds sherry vinegar and the vegan thickening agent,

then pipes into dishes and leaves to set.

The only thing I'll be worried about with this dish is maybe

that I've played a bit too simple, but I think the flavours

will definitely be there.

Matt's moved onto his miso glaze - reducing sake, mirin and sugar,

before adding the miso paste.

Is there anything I can get a little taste, just to...? The miso glaze.

OK. Now, it is intense. Intense? So I'm taking the smallest amount.

Yeah. Safe amount? Yeah, that's a safe amount.

OK. Ancl that's just going to...

That's just going to coat the top of the parfait. OK.

I've tried the miso glaze.

If he gets too much of that on there, it's just going to overtake

everything else on the plate.

Ancl I don't think it'll be pleasant to eat.

Gemma is getting ready to serve first.

She cooks shiitake and shimeji mushrooms, and barbecues

hen-of-the-woods for an extra smoky taste.

First onto the serving board is dukkah mix,

followed by a mushroom puree.

You have three minutes, chef. Whey!

She adds a hazelnut praline to her feuilles de brick tart shell.

So we've got mushroom and Bramley apple chutney on top of that.

Then just some fried mushrooms and a bit of truffle oil.

Ancl then the pickled mushrooms.

Gemma, you've got one minute. Yes, chef.

It's then topped with the smoked salsa verde

and a generous grating of truffle.

Finally, she adds her barbecued hen-of-the-woods.

If my hands weren't shaking so much,

maybe I could actually plate the food.

And the finishing touch - a set tuille.

A bit of a push at the end, couple of minutes late.

Yeah, I could have clone with another hour and a half.

LAUGHTER

The name of the dish is Howls of the Forest

and the inspiration is Wolf walkers.

Northern Irish Forest Floor.

Right. Shall we choose one?

And that's the one, yeah?

Good luck, chef. Thank you, guys. And we're off.

Gemma, are you happy with the presentation?

Yeah, yeah, I love it.

Do you feel you're getting all the different complexities

from the different types of mushroom?

It wasn't really about the way that the mushroom was cooked,

it was more how it was treated.

Sure. So it was pickled, it was fried, it was barbecued.

What do you think about the mushroom?

The pickleness just kind of helps carry everything through.

Your salsa verde, that element of smoke.

Is that something that you feel is coming through, or is it lost?

It's about balance. I didn't want to overpower it.

Definitely get the smokiness from the salsa verde.

It almost needed that to bring a freshness to it.

If you were in my shoes, what would you score this dish?

I would give it an eight. I think the flavour's there.

I think I'd probably scored about an eight.

It's the exact same number I was thinking, an eight.

Nine. Nine?

Well, guys. Well, how was that?

Yeah, he doesn't give anything away.

Based on his face, he hated it, so we'll see.

SHE LAUGHS

Kerry's due to serve next.

But as she tries to remove her now-baked tart cases

from their tins, her worst fears are realised.

They're broken.

My tart pastry is too short.

It hasn't worked for me. It's crumbled.

Have you got enough that you could do it again?

Yeah, but I don't have time.

OK. Do you want to give me it and I'll do it?

While Gemma prepares a second set of ta rt cases,

Kerry gets the other elements ready.

But time is not on her side.

How long is the next round going to be?

It's going to be eight minutes from now. OK.

Kerry, come for a second, darling.

What would you like to do?

You can either come up as it is now,

or we can give you another 15 minutes.

That does mean that obviously we will adjust the scores.

What would you prefer to do?

Take the extra time, please, chef.

With the tart cases baked,

this time Kerry immediately takes them out of the tin.

Yes. Thank you so much, chief.

There you go. Yeah, well clone.

She fills the tart case with Jerusalem artichoke puree,

followed by some roasted artichoke.

One minute to go, Kerry. Yes.

These are pickled hazelnuts with some caraway seed.

She adds mustard and lovage oil emulsion.

Oh, lovely. What a colour.

And then tops it with her sunflower and linseed cracker,

and dehydrated artichoke skins.

Apologies for being late, chef.

Whoo!

This is The Gruffalo Trail,

and the inspiration behind it is the Colin Glen Forest Park

Gruffalo Trail in West Belfast.

Great. I'm really looking forward to tasting it. Come on, let's do that.

Good luck, chef. Thanks.

You've had some problems with the case.

What happened? It was too short.

I think I could have got them out of the cases sooner.

I thought the pastry is very, very crumbly. It's very dry.

The artichoke puree. What do you think about the texture of that?

I'm happy with it. OK.

Definitely think she could have been a bit heavier on her seasoning.

It's almost all one note. Like, it's all just really nutty.

The lovage emulsion.

I had no issues with it. Ancl the flavour. Yeah.

I think it stands up against the pickled hazelnuts.

My favourite part was the lovage emulsion. It's really fresh.

It just brings everything together.

If you were to score this dish out of ten, what would you give it?

I think, with the delay, a seven.

I would score a five.

I think I would agree with that. I would probably give it a five.

There's a lot to be improved.

The base of it's good. Five all round here.

It's just not quite there.

How was that? It was pretty tight. Intense?

A lot. Thanks so much for help, like, that was... Oh, no problem.

Who's next? Me. john boy.

John plates the caramelised onions first.

Like, honestly, you don't really need a lot of this.

Like, you'd be quite surprised.

How you doing for time, mate? 100%, I'll be ready.

"100%, I'll be ready"? Yes.

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

I know. It's just me.

He dots pistachio puree onto the cabbage...

It's weird and wonderful. That's all I can say.

...followed by artichoke crisps,

a sprinkling of burnt onion powder

and purple stemmed radishes.

For the final finishing touch,

he smokes each dish.

Five minutes early, my friend.

Postman Pat delivers.

You know what? I delivered early.

So this dish is called the Cabbage of Kelts, and it's inspired

by the animation directed by Tom Ward called The Secret of Kelts.

Right. Which one are we going to go for? This one here.

That the one, yeah? Yeah, that's the smokiest.

Good luck, chef. Thank you very much.

Do you feel this dish and the presentation really tells

the story that you're trying to tell?

I believe it does. I think, like, with the smoke element,

it's almost, like, shrouded in mystery.

Are we getting The Secret of Kelts from this?

I don't think it's leaping out.

I don't think anything's strikingly obvious.

Are you happy with the cooking of the cabbage?

Yeah, I think it's still got a bit of a bite, bit of texture.

It's still fresh. It's not too far gone.

The texture of the cooking on the cabbage is really... Perfect.

Flavour was nice. Nice.

That's not a good word, is it?

Onto your pistachio puree,

are you happy with how sweet that puree is?

Yeah, because all those elements that are on the bottom, on the top,

they sort of are what bring that cabbage all together.

It's all very... It's almost like the same tone.

Yeah. Cabbage itself is sweet, onions are sweet.

Pistachio was sweet.

What would you score this dish out of ten?

It's quite a favourite of mine. I'd probably give it an eight.

It's a favourite of yours. We'll see if it's a favourite of mine.

Of course.

Probably give it a seven. A six.

I would give that a six, as well.

How was that, john? That guy definitely takes, like,

method acting classes or something, cos he's, like, completely different

when you're out there, like. No, happy enough. Yeah.

Just Matt to go.

He tops his parfait with the miso glaze,

and then black olive crumb and puffed black rice.

Really looks like soil.

He adds more miso glaze and a finishing touch of cornflowers.

Nice colours.

He serves with a bowl of crunchy, bitter leaves.

Matt, early to the pass.

Yeah. Early to the pass. Good.

So, this is my starter. It's called Eat Dirt.

Ancl the inspiration behind it is the video game Earthworm Jim.

Is that the one? Yeah, this is the one.

Cool. Good luck, Chef. All the best. Yeah.

Presentation - are you 100% happy with that?

Yeah, I think I'm definitely happy with presentation, in terms

of hitting the brief. Earthworms live in the ground

and I think I've replicated a garden here.

Parfait - do you think it's got the set that you wanted?

Classical parfait might be set a bit firmer, but if we were to add

more of that gellan gum in, I think then it would

ruin the mouth feel.

It's a funny texture. It's more puree than parfait.

You chose not to dress the leaf at all.

If you dressed it beforehand, served it,

they would wilt very quickly.

If you're dressing them just before you're about

to serve it, it'll be fine, you know? They are a bit dull.

So, Matt, if you were to score yourself for this dish,

what would you give it? Maybe give myself a seven for this.

I think it's a little wet, so I'd probably go for a seven.

Probably go a six. I'll also give it a six.

There's my other guys. How did it go? Hard to tell, isn't it?

You can't read him at all. I don't know what he thought.

What are your thoughts, Aktar?

Very disappointed, actually.

Balancing seemed to be out on all of them.

Some of them, very ill conceived.

A couple of them, it looks like they're having a chill clay

in the office. A day off.

Yeah. I found, as well-

one thing that I found really difficult today is trying to get

an understanding of how they're linking it to the brief.

If this is the attitude that's going to continue onto the next

course, it's not going to bode too well for them.

Hello, chefs.

I'm sorry to say this was something of a disappointing start,

and I feel like some of you are not pushing yourself

to hit the brief with your storytelling.

And I'm afraid there were balance issues on each of your dishes.

Gemma, for your dish, Howls of the Forest...

...| really liked the presentation and I understood the story.

The feuilles de brick tart, that was perfect.

The pastry was lovely and crisp.

The different types of mushrooms that you used, you know,

they were cooked different ways, but sadly it was all a bit lost.

It all sort of came together.

The salsa verde, that became the big flavour.

The dukkah, I wasn't getting the spice element from it.

Ultimately, the balance was slightly off.

Kerry, for your dish, The Gruffalo Trail,

I thought the plate was lovely, but it didn't really scream

Gruff a l0 to me.

Unfortunately, the tart case, I just found it really powdery.

The star of your dish should have been the artichoke.

The puree didn't really hit me with flavours and the nuttiness

that you expect from an artichoke.

The roasted artichoke, it was undercooked,

and, once again, that lacked seasoning.

If you were to cook this again, ditch the tart case and concentrate

on the artichoke. That's the star of the show.

John, for your dish, Cabbage of Kelts,

I mean, you talk a good talk, but ultimately, when the dish

was presented, you didn't really sell me the story.

The cabbage was just a cabbage.

The pistachio puree, it was so sweet.

I just couldn't understand why it's on the plate.

The caramelised onions,

it was just onions cooked down slowly.

The dish lacked flavour, depth,

and just wasn't savoury enough for me.

Matt, for your dish, Eat Dirt,

I didn't get it. It did not scream Earthworm Jim.

When you come to the Great British Menu kitchen, you've got

to come and really push yourself.

The pumpkin and the squash parfait,

the texture wasn't of a parfait.

It was just a puree.

The miso glaze didn't really add anything to the dish.

It was just sweet.

Then on the side, these undressed, bitter leaves.

This isn't a starter.

And so to the scores.

Gemma...

...I'm scoring you...

...a six.

The storytelling was great and the dish looked elegant.

Sadly, it was lacking in clarity.

Kerry...

...I'm scoring you...

...a three.

Kerry, you lost a point for being late.

Unfortunately, after all that effort, which we do really

appreciate, the dish didn't quite come together

as I'm sure you hoped it would.

John...

...I'm scoring you...

...a four.

A really important part of this competition is storytelling.

And unfortunately, with your dish, there was no story to be found

on the plate.

Matt...

...|'m giving you...

...a three.

In all honesty, this felt like a side dish.

Textually there was an issue because everything was soft, really.

And then flavour-wise, everything was sweet.

Yep.

So, everybody, there is work for all of you to do.

And please remember that one of you will be going home

after this course.

Thank you, 9W5-

The lowest scores I've ever seen anywhere. Urgh!

It's really annoying because I do...

I totally agree with them, like. I'm concerned.

That was my favourite course.

So we all bring it back. Yeah. Let's go.

The scores are low but fair - and tight, too.

The chefs that manage to put the disappointment behind them now

stand the best chance of turning things

around for their fish course.

Pretty brutal. I think we all have a lot to prove with our fish course.

Not the best start. Surely it can't get any worse.

Hopefully it can't get any worse!

I'm going to use this as motivation for my fish course and just give

it everything that I possibly can.

Very level playing field here, like.

Very much all to play for. Yep.

I'm going to take all that negativity and just turn

it into something super positive.

Show them why I'm here and why I should stay.

Oh, it's lovely.

Matt starts by filleting and brining his cod.

He makes his base for his brandade - a cod and potato puree -

by heating cream and garlic whilst boiling potatoes.

Hello, Matt. Hi, Andi.

Please tell me the name of your dish.

So the name of my dish is Puffin Rock, and it's inspired

by the animated series for children, by Tomm Moore.

Tomm Moore, is this the same dude? The same guy, yeah.

In the series, he explores all different ecology

and I'm going to capture that on the plate. A celebration of coastal

ingredients from around Northern Ireland. How lovely.

How are you going to almost bring that in onto the plate, apart

from just using the coastal ingredients? Yeah.

So, there's a roast piece of cod

and I'm going to have a seaweed salad on the side.

I've got a tapioca seaweed cracker.

I've got a nice, vibrant, green fennel and dill puree.

A cod brandade cream, and clementine and carrot.

So, it's almost symbolising the colours on a puffin.

Are these all purees?

Yeah. ls there a sauce?

No, I thought the three purees, that's more than enough.

I mean, I'm not usually an advocate of no sauce.

One thing's for sure, I don't think there's any space left

on that island there. It's exactly the opposite of the starter station.

Yeah, exactly. Well, I wish you loads of luck. Thank you very much.

All right.

He gently cooks his fennel, then blitzes the dill

and vegetable oil together.

Gemma is filleting hake.

I would love to get a high score on the fish and I really want to cook

my whole menu, so hopefully I do enough today to get me through.

She's also making a batter for her capers and scraps.

So, my fish course is called Na Daoine Sidhe.

Na Daoine Sidhe. Na Daoine Sidhe, which is Irish

for basically the Irish fairy people.

So, our good friend Tomm Moore, he basically done, like, a series

of animations and Song of the Sea was one of them.

It's based on an Irish folklore called a selkie.

So it's basically when a female is normal on land... Mermaids.

...and then a seal in the water. Right.

So, when we were growing up on a Friday night, we got a chippy,

and we got fish, chips and a curry dip.

Is that what we're getting? So, I'm going to do some pan-fried hake.

I'm going to put a ras el hanout dust on top of that,

jazz it up a wee bit by making a champagne

and vermouth sauce. Ooh.

I'm going to do a curry oil, just to sort of split the sauce a wee bit.

For the chip element, I'm going to do a duck-fat hashbrown.

OK. I love a hashbrown. Then I'm going to do some crispy

battered bits on the top, with some capers for the saltiness.

Again, loads. Loads?

Again, you've given yourself loads, but it sounds fabulous.

Gemma is serving her Friday night fish supper with a kohlrabi pickle.

She heats cider vinegar, orange zest, sugar and spices.

John's also cooking hake,

but that's not the only similarity between his dish and his rival's.

It's called Puffins on the Rock, and it's Puffin Rock.

Are you kidding? It's inspired by Tomm Moore, believe it or not.

Believe it or not. I kind of really want to give

you that scene, like from the cartoon,

where it's like they're on the island and they're all

around the rock. What are? The puffins? Yeah, the puffins.

Tell me about it. The fish is the rock.

I don't know if you know, but puffins eat hake.

So I've just taken the two sides off and I've taken the skin off,

and then I've stuck them back-to-back,

and then I've rolled it.

Ancl then I've vac-packed it to get it to fuse, and you're going to get

a nice, perfect circle of fish.

Ancl then I've got cauliflower steak on the side, which is going

to represent my island.

Ancl then I'm going to make a really nice citrus and herb butter,

and then I'm going to put trout roe in it.

So, when I put the trout roe in it, that's to represent

the puffins and their bill. It's going to be like they're

between the island and the rock

and they're all sort of popping about in the water, if you get me?

John vac-packs cauliflower steaks with lemon zest,

ready to cook in the water bath later.

Meanwhile, Kerry debones and removes the skin

from her sea trout fillet.

She sprays her seaweed sheets with water, then wraps and cures

in the fridge.

She pops the skins into the fryer to crisp up.

Obviously, not feeling wonderful after starters.

That was a baptism of fire.

But just going to try and use it,

make sure the fish course is up to standard.

It's called The Fog Catcher.

The inspiration behind it is The Fog Catcher's Daughter

by Marianne McShane, which is a book based sort of off Donaghadee

and a fictional island.

It's all very sort of seashore, fairies,

folklore sort of thing. So, it's more folklore? Lovely.

I'm making a chalk stream trout.

I've made a mussel stock, which will be the base for the sauce,

and a smoked haddock infused potato puree

in the iSi. It's going to be like an espuma sort of situation?

Mm-mm. Yep, OK.

And is the fish going in the pan? It's going in the pan.

I'm very happy to hear that.

There's not really anywhere to hide on this plate, is there?

Keeping it so simple, you're exposed, right?

So everything has to be right.

She then makes her stock using mussels, vegetables

and white wine.

Lovely.

Kerry came to Northern Ireland as a student and never left.

She trained at various fine-dining restaurants before moving

to Stix & Stones in Belfast, where she is now head chef.

I started in kitchens when I was a student.

I just got roped in to cover somebody's

holiday, actually, originally. I've never left.

I decided to stay in Belfast because I think the food scene

is definitely up-and-coming.

My cooking style is definitely still evolving.

I'm still learning.

I'm really pleased to be representing Northern Ireland.

It's an hon our.

If I got one of my dishes to the banquet,

I'd be incredibly proud.

Back in the kitchen, Kerry is poaching smoked haddock and leeks

in milk, cream and herbs for her espuma.

Kerry's dish, The Fog Catcher. She's working with trout.

It's a beautiful fish to cook with, but it's very unforgiving.

She's pan-frying it.

She's removed the skin, as well. Which I'm a bit worried about.

Yeah. That offers a layer of

protection and just helps you slowly cook that side.

Matt's dish, are we going to miss the sauce with the fish?

No, I understand he's trying to

display the colours of the puffin's beak.

But ultimately it's something that has to work as a dish.

John's dish, Puffins on the Rock.

I'm concerned again about his storytelling.

They need to realise that celebrating the brief

is a very important part...

...of what they're putting forward. Yep.

Gemma's dish, Na Daoine Sidhe.

For me, ras el hanout on fish and chips is a bit left-field,

and with that classic champagne sauce, as well.

So it'll be interesting to see how that all works.

Gemma's controversial champagne and vermouth sauce is under way.

She sweats shallots and mushrooms with thyme.

She then mixes spinach, tarragon,

lemon and oil for her tarragon oil...

...and curry powder, turmeric

and ras el hanout for her curry oil.

She adds grape fruit juice and champagne to her sauce.

I am making a second sauce. I'm going to give you my favourite

of the two because I think my confidence is knocked a wee bit.

It's exactly the same sauce. I just want to be ready.

This is your first one, is it?

Yeah, it's not finished, but that's the base of it.

Good luck with this call. Thank you so much.

She fries her capers in a tempura batter...

...while Matt fries his tapioca cracker.

With his potatoes mashed, he blends them with the cod trimmings

and cream for his brandade puree.

This one here is going to be the brandade, or take on a brandade.

Take on a brandade? Flavours of a brandade, but a smooth puree.

OK. Can I taste that? Yes, go ahead. Of course.

Well, you've got loads going on. Yeah.

Good luck. Looking forward to tasting it all. Thank you.

He then moves on to his third and final puree, blending sauteed

carrots, orange juice and zest.

Aktar gives nothing away.

Hopefully he enjoyed it, but I'll find out soon enough.

Matt worked at the Ledbury in London when it held its two Michelin stars

and is currently head chef at the Michelin-recommended

SHU in Belfast.

I always had an interest in cooking, but I think I only really thought

of it as a career after I started my first job in a small cafe.

I'm definitely excited to be representing Northern Ireland

on the show this year, although with that comes a lot of nerves.

I think I have got what it takes to get to the banquet.

Ultimately, I'll just let the food do the talking.

Back in the kitchen, Kerry removes her mussels from the stock

and pickles in chardonnay vinegar.

For her espuma,

she adds cooked potatoes to a smoked haddock mix,

and purees.

I've got my puree in here for the espuma.

So what's in this? Tell me.

It's a potato puree but infused with smoke haddock, cream...

...lots of tarragon, chives, that sort of thing.

Is there anything more to go into this?

I'm not finished seasoning it just yet,

and I still have to finish blitzing it.

It's not quite where I need it to be just yet.

John is making his puree by boiling cauliflower in milk and cream

until soft, then blitzing.

He moves onto his crumb, cooking cauliflower trim

and panko bread crumbs until golden.

So, you've got the cauliflower steak...

Then we have a cauliflower anise puree.

Ancl then I've taken the tops of the cauliflower and I've mixed in

some panko breadcrumbs

and just fried it off in some

really nice butter to represent the sand of the island, as well.

Is that ready to go? Yeah. No, it's basically there.

Well, look, I want to see how you pull back after the starter.

Good luck.

Matt is due to serve first.

He's pan-frying his cod,

but makes a last-minute decision.

Going in the oven here for a couple of minutes, just...

Bit tight for time now, chef. I know.

So vibrant, Matt.

This is my seaweed salad.

There's some hispi cabbage in there, as well, fresh dulse,

some sea lettuce. Dried sea greens, as well.

Ancl it's dressed with effectively a dashi vinaigrette.

Matt, one minute. Yes, chef. Are you going to be a little late?

Yeah, I'll probably be two minutes late. OK.

It's nice, though, to see you break a sweat.

Yeah!

His cod and potato brandade is plated first,

followed by his con fit fennel puree with dill oil,

and carrot and clementine puree...

Matt, are you going to be a much longer?

One minute. One minute, yeah?

...and finally, his cod.

Looks great. What are those?

Seaweed tapioca cracker. Nice. Cool.

Matt, you've got one minute to make it to the pass.

Yeah, coming right now.

Look at that!

Have you broke a sweat, chef?

Yeah? Yeah, definitely.

Introduce us to your dish.

This is Puffin Rock.

OK, well, we're going to choose a plate, and then... This one.

...you want to carry it out or do you want me to? I'll carry it.

You're sure? You're a funny guy.

Oh, look!

He's about to fall down!

I'll give you a little massage.

Let's talk about the cod.

You decided to pan-fry it and then roast it...

Roasted it in the oven because they were quite thick pieces.

I would have rather clone it the whole way in the pan

and then basted it with a bit of butter.

I think it's a wee bit

under-seasoned but I think the actual cod itself is nice.

The cooking on my piece was spot-on.

You chose to go for three purees instead of a sauce.

Yeah. Was that the right decision?

Yeah. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

I didn't want to overcrowd the plate with maybe too much moisture.

Are we missing a sauce?

I feel like there's enough sort of sauciness going on there.

I would have preferred a sauce and to have lost two purees.

How would you score this dish?

A seven. Based on...?

Based on just the presentation I think could have been

slightly different to help it along with the length of the brief.

I'd give him a seven. Yeah.

I think I'm going to go seven, as well.

Probably go with a seven, as well.

How'd you get on?

Yeah, I was under pressure there at the end, definitely.

Hopefully it's enough. We'll see.

Gemma is serving next.

She's finishing off her hake with ras el hanout,

butter, garlic and herbs.

Happy with the cooking on the fish there, Gemma?

Yeah. just want it a wee bit under. Yeah.

Let it tick over there and then let it rest for a minute.

She fries her duck-fat hashbrown potatoes...

What's the craic with the hashbrowns?

Basically, my chip element.

Everybody loves that sort of fish and chip.

They look great.

...then dusts in salt and vinegar powder...

Gemma, you're one minute over.

Yes, chef.

...followed by the pickled kohlrabi and sea herbs.

I love crispy capers, I a love crispy bits.

Who doesn't? I think she's got a lot of texture there.

Just her champagne and vermouth sauce to go.

That's the tarragon oil, and then I'm just going to finish

it with a wee tiny touch of the curry oil.

Brilliant. Oh, so it's happening. OK.

FOGHORN

Ah!

Want these on? Yep.

Oh, my God, my hands. Sorry! I know!

And...breathe? Yep!

So, this dish is called Na Daoine Sidhe, which is Irish for...

...Irish fairy people.

Ancl the inspiration is Song of the Sea.

Choose the one.

I always go for the middle one. You OK with that?

Oh, yeah. Thank you. Good luck. Cheers.

You are totally happy with the way the fish has been cooked.

Maybe I should have took it off a little earlier.

It's a little over. It's a bit cotton-woolly, isn't it?

Yeah, but I definitely get that curry, chip shop,

fish sort of vibe.

The consistency of your sauce - are you happy with that?

Yeah, I'm really happy with that.

Are you getting enough of the curry notes running through this?

So, when I've practised it, I've always thought

there was too much curry, so I dialled it back slightly.

I wish I hadn't. Are you getting the curry oil and...?

I got curry at the end, yeah.

I was expecting it to kind of blow my head off a bit more.

You've clone a duck-fat hashbrown.

Yeah. I really like the texture that it adds to it.

Crispy on the outside and still sort of soft on the inside.

The hash browns weren't just as crispy enough.

How would you score yourself?

I would go a seven. What would have made it a ten?

I think the potato could have been a bit better,

maybe a wee bit more seasoning on the fish.

Overall it's a good dish, eats really well - an eight.

Eight, as well.

I'd give it a seven.

Well, Gemma, how was that? It's hard to know, isn't it?

Yeah. I liked it. But then I liked the first dish, so...!

Kerry's up next and is feeling the heat of the kitchen again.

How are you feeling, Kerry?

I'm not great. Why?

Just, er...

...none of this feels great, Gemma.

Ha-ha! It never does.

She pan-fries her trout fillets and transfers her mussel stock

into a vial.

Kerry... Yes. ..you're clue up.

I'm clue up now? Yeah.

She plates her potato puree with smoked haddock espuma,

followed by pickled mussels...

I'm late. You are.

...and the sea trout fillet.

You need to get it on, darling,

cos we don't want to lose points again because you're late.

She then tops with crispy skins and trout caviar...

It's from the trout.

Just because we're going sustainable.

...and finally, she adds the sea purslane.

Ready?

Do you want to hold on to one of them?

ANDI LAUGHS

Kerry - slightly late, but you made it.

Yeah. Happy?

I'm happy, yep. Good. Good.

Introduce us all to your dish.

The dish is called The Fog Catcher.

The inspiration is The Fog Catcher's Daughter, which is a book

all about the fairy people of the beach and coastline of Donaghadee.

All right, so, you choose the plate that you want to taste.

This one, please. Do we need a lamp or do we...?

Well, I think we should take... ALL TALK AT ONCE

I want to carry one of those lamps.

Light the way! THEY LAUGH

As Gemma has a shellfish allergy...

...it's just john and Matt tasting in the kitchen.

With the cooking of the fish?

I'm happy with the cooking of the fish. Happy with that? Yep.

It's probably a touch under in the centre there,

where it's not quite coming away.

Right.

The mussel sauce...

I think it's a good consistency, I was happy with how it turned out.

The sweetness of the mussels,

the aroma of the mussels, is that coming through?

Yeah, I can get mussels from it.

Quite nice balance to it. It's a good bit of acidity there.

The flavour of the espuma - are you getting enough of that smoky

element from the haddock?

I think it is.

I could do with a bit more of the smoked haddock.

It's almost like you're just getting an elevated sort of chowder, like.

How would you score yourself on this dish?

I'd be happy with a seven.

What are you marking yourself down on?

The espuma could have better texture.

I think the crisps could be slightly puffier.

An eight. An eight. Yeah.

She's really clone herself proud there, like.

I'll also give that an eight.

Kerry, how was that?

I liked it before I went in, I don't know if I like any more, like!

John's last to serve.

He's cooked his cauliflower steaks in a water bath and is now searing

before finishing in the oven.

So you just finished in the cauliflower and butter?

Yeah. just to get a nice caramelisation there to finish it.

He portions his hake and cooks in more foaming butter.

What are you looking for there, john, on the hake?

Looking to get a nice crust, a nice golden vibe going on.

I want to keep that nice roe.

Onto his herb and citrus nage,

which is a type of broth for fish.

He makes it by adding his herb butter to the fish stock

and emulsifying.

Lovely. Yeah, it's like you just don't want to boil it too hard.

See there's a few nuggets of butter still left?

That's kind of where you want it.

It's time to see if he's successfully fused the two

fillets of fish together.

I'm scared to take this clingfilm off.

It looks pretty tight to me.

Holding together nicely, then, John, yeah?

Just about.

You're four minutes away from

telling me why this is the best thing I've ever ate in my life.

What sort of cook are you looking for

in your cauliflower steaks, john?

I want that beautiful caramelisation.

See those two there? Absolute betters.

He plates the cauliflower and tops with the crumb and puree...

Puree looks beautiful. Yeah.

...then adds his hake, which has been dusted with leek powder...

...and dresses with sea herbs.

These lovely herbs are ones that I actually foraged myself.

John, you're three minutes over.

Two more minutes before I start deducting points.

Yes, chef. I just need that sauce into the jug.

Thank you.

A spoonful of trout roe is added to the citrus and herb nage.

I'm ready.

John, you've made it. Tell us the name of your dish.

It's called Puffins on the Rock

after Puffin Rock, the animated series.

So what I have here is, I'm trying to do, like, an island here,

and these are the flowers and herbs you would find on the wild island.

This is to represent the sand.

This hake is to represent the rocks, a wee bit of moss on them.

Ancl then this is basically to represent the sea

and the little bits of trout roe are to represent little puffins

popping about in the sea and they're just trying to get

at that rock and eat everything and get back to their island.

Right, which one are we going with? This one. All right, cool.

Good luck, chef. Cheers.

Do you feel you've clone enough to actually tell the story?

Visually, it's kind of right there in front of you, the island

and then the puffins around it and then the wee rock.

If it wasn't for the puffin figure, would it tell a story?

You've chosen to put the trout roe or your puffins into the sauce,

and it's dropped to the bottom.

If you think when it actually comes to the table,

you're going to pour out all the sauce,

so you will get that from the bottom.

It's very light because obviously it's just butter

and stock, isn't it?

The hake? For me, personally, that's kind of the level

I like my fish to be at.

Mine has been sous vide or something.

To me it's ruined the piece of fish.

Hake is pretty delicate, isn't it? Yeah.

For this dish, what score would you give?

A seven. What's stopping it from being a ten?

I think there's just another level I could hit,

but then again, I am quite happy with how it turned out.

I would go a seven.

Six, I think, because of the texture of the hake. Yes.

A six, purely for the lack of story.

How are you doing, chef?

Ey! You were happy with it?

Yes, I really like that dish, yeah.

That's something I would eat.

It's all good until you go in there, isn't it?

Like, "Yeah, I'm really happy with it."

And then you come out and you're like,

"I hate it, I wish I was a plumber!" THEY LAUGH

Did they do better in the fish course?

Yeah.

Coming out of starters, I was slightly deflated.

Yes. The fish course has been so much better.

Unfortunately, one of us will be going home.

I think everybody's goal is always to at least cook their full menu.

My question for you, Aktar, is -

do you know who's going home?

I do.

Currently, Gemma leads with six,

john has four,

and Kerry and Matt are trailing on three.

So, chefs, the great news is that this was a much better course.

The bad news is that one of you will be going home.

Matt, for your dish, Puffin Rock.

The dish didn't really scream puffin to me.

I know you chose to go with three different-coloured purees

to represent the colours of the beak, but it just wasn't

enough for me.

Seaweed salad, though - that was fantastic.

Lovely and refreshing on the side.

The cod I thought was really well seasoned, but I wasn't super happy

with the cooking of it.

You chose three purees instead of a nice sauce.

Personally, I believe it's the wrong decision.

Yeah.

Gemma, for your dish...

...Na Daoine Sidhe...

"visually, I thought it was fantastic.

The treatment of the hake was great.

That said, though, it was just a tad overcooked for me.

The duck-fat hashbrowns, I thought it was a great idea.

What I needed it to be was just pressed a little bit better

so you had that lovely crust on the outside and then lovely,

moist potato and onion on the inside.

The champagne sauce -

it was powerful and packed a lot of flavour.

The curry flavour was just a bit too subtle.

I'd recommend you scrap the ras el hanout

and you replace that with curry.

Ancl I'd also dial that up, right?

Really punch up that curry flavour.

Kerry, for your dish,

The Fog Catcher...

The presentation and theatre was really good.

The cooking of the trout...

...for me, it was just on the edge of being...

...under, and I think people

would have preferred it cooked a little bit further.

The potato and haddock espuma

lacked the flavour of smoked haddock.

The mussels and the buttermilk sauce was ever so slightly over-seasoned.

What I would have liked was a bit more of that mussel.

John, for your dish, Puffins on the Rock.

The storytelling on your dish was still lacking.

You sold me puffins in the sea around your little island.

But what I ended up with was puffins bobbing around

at the bottom of my jug.

The cooking of the hake was good, but I'd love to have seen it

spend a bit more time in the pan, actually build a crust.

The cauliflower steak, you could have put so much

more flavour into that, and that needed

a lot more time in the pan again.

You cauliflower puree, I thought it was great -

it had a lovely mouth feel.

The cauliflower crumb, on the other hand, I felt

was more panko than cauliflower.

And so to the scores.

Gemma...

...|'m giving you...

...an eight.

This dish has got a lot of potential, I feel.

A few tweaks here and there, and if you get to cook it again,

you could score even higher.

Kerry...

...I'm scoring you...

...a six.

It was really impressive to see you in this course

pick yourself up after such a shaky start.

It was really commendable.

John...

...I'm scoring you...

...a six.

I just want to reiterate that storytelling is an incredibly

important component part to Great British Menu.

And Matt...

...I'm scoring you...

...a five.

So, with the lowest overall score by one...

...I'm afraid, Matt, that means you'll be leaving us.

So, for you three, it's mains and desserts.

One foot in front of the other.

Keep going, you're going to get where you need to be.

Thank you. Thank you, chef.

Oh! Everyone bring it in.

I could have sworn that was me.

I'm gutted.

The fact that I am a couple of points ahead does not mean

that it is time to take the foot off the gas.

I want to go through to the judges.

It's go time now.

Just feel gutted.

I don't think that's a good representation of me.

I'm capable of much more. I think I'll definitely be back.

I have to set the record straight.

Main course next, buzzing to do it.

My first score was a four and then I went to a six,

so hopefully it just goes up to an eight and then I finish

on a ten!

Disappointed with my scores, but still delighted

to be cooking my whole menu.

It's a really tight competition and it's anyone's game.

Tomorrow, it's Gemma to the rescue again,

as Kerry encounters problems with her pie...

I don't want to...

...and there are disasters with desserts.

You not happy, Gemma? Nope.

It hasn't worked. Ah, no!

Curse of the dessert course

on Great British Menu kitchen. Absolutely.