All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E24.The.Finals.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

Eight talented chefs have battled
their way through the heats

and are now vying to cook
a course on this year's menu.

With celebrations of illustrators,
animators and comic book heroes,

it promises to be visually
spectacular.

Looking good, Ed. Andi, didn't you
get the memo? What?

Tom! Good of you to come as Wallace.

I haven't.

Welcome to finals week.

This is the final hurdle...
Good luck, everyone.

...where the champions from each
region or country return...

The competition's on.
I'm scared about that.

...and compete to cook at
a spectacular banquet

at Brighton's Royal Pavilion,

celebrating the 65th birthday of
national treasure Paddington Bear,

and everything that's great
about Britain's animation industry,

from comics and computer games
to cartoons and illustrations.

Let's rewind and take it
from the top, then.

In the gruelling week ahead...

No, I10, no, no.

BLEEP

...talented finalists will cook
a course a day...

This is now a whole nother level.

...aiming to dazzle our expert
panel"

It all works in perfect harmony.

It's a real elegant slap
in the face.

Properly sings, doesn't it?

...and special guests from the world
of animation.

They'll score each dish out of
ten...

Yes! ..to ensure only the finest
dishes earn a place on the menu.

I'm here to win.
It's as simple as that.

I'm here to get a dish
to the banquet.

Today, the banquet starter
will be decided.

Oh, that's the one.

And with the chefs battling
first-day nerves...

I am sweating.

...as well as each other,
this could be tense.

Cooking the starter is...

The fact that I'm actually en route
now to the to the finals week

is just surreal.

The eight finalists, some of the
country's most exciting chefs,

are returning to the Great British
Menu kitchen.

I'm excited. I'm a bit nervous to
see who's there.

The calibre of chef
on Great British Menu is already

really high, but now
it's finals week,

the calibre of chef is so high,
so it's going to be tough.

It's going to be epic.

They're yet to find out who they're
cooking against, but know

they'll be the best of the best.

My nerves are not that bad
at the moment, but I'm sure once

I get there it will get worse.

I definitely think I will be
the underdog by a mile.

Well, how are we feeling, guys?

A bit nervous. You nervous?

Yeah. Really, really nervous.

Northern Ireland's imaginative
Gemma, proud Welsh chef

and champion of Welsh produce, Mark,

and Michelin-starred Scotsman Adam
have all tried

and failed to reach the banquet
before.

This is my third year
in the competition.

I'm just going to give it
absolutely everything.

I need to concentrate more,
push even more

to get my name on that board.
Any big changes or new dishes?

Yeah, I completely changed
my starter. So did I.

This will be my third attempt.
Second in the finals.

Sol need to make sure that I give
it my all, because I really want

a dish at that banquet.

Hello. Hello. Hiya.

Determined South West
champion Nick earned a star

as our own Tom Kerridge's head chef,
but narrowly missed out in the final

stage of the heats in 2021.

Last time I was on the competition,
I didn't make it to finals week.

So already this is new territory
for me.

Working for Tom adds another
level of pressure, I guess.

London and the South East's quietly
confident Avi, known for modern

Indian cuisine, is the group's
first newcomer.

Quite nerve-racking, I must say.

Well clone, though. I do believe
I've got a few winning dishes.

But that's just me thinking my food
is amazing.

Hello, everyone. Hello.
Hi, guys.

The final three contenders
are all newcomers too.

Which restaurant are you from?
Roots. Yeah.

Oh, you work for Tommy Banks?
Yeah. A lot of pressure.

Creative North East champion Will
brings eight years' experience

working alongside the Yorkshire
culinary legend.

It's amazing to be here representing
North East and Yorkshire.

Really, really want to get
a dish to the banquet.

Proud Brummie Tom cut his teeth
alongside culinary greats, including

Sat Baines and Michael Wignall,

but his love of food started
even earlier.

I was a very, very young lad
when Great British Menu started.

So this is very much for the 16,
17-year-old who once dreamed

of being here. What about
yourselves? Where do you work?

I own my own restaurant
in a suburb outside of Manchester,

in Prestwich.

North West champion Danielle is
hoping her experience cooking at top

restaurants in Norway can help
take her all the way.

It feels amazing to be at finals
week.

I never thought I'd make it this
far.

Are we all excited
about the possible banquet

dishes within us? Wouldn't be here
otherwise, would we?

Good luck, everybody. Let's have a
good week. Good luck.

Yeah, good luck.

The winning courses will be chosen
by our formidable panel,

chef and restaurateur Nisha Katona,

food podcaster and comedian
Ed Gamble, and Michelin-starred,

two-time banquet winner
Tom Kerridge.

It's finals week. I'm so excited.

Same here. I've been in their shoes.
I know what it's like.

Ancl this week is incredible.

The competition is steep this year.
It really is.

Ancl it wowed us the first time, but
it's got to really blow our socks

off this time. And that's flavour,
but it's also that storytelling.

We've got to see both of
those things.

And I don't want camaraderie,
either. I don't want it.

I want it to be like Squid Game
in that kitchen.

So, after seeing the other chefs,
it's going to be a hard competition.

It's going to be super tough.

I think there could be a few people
to really keep an eye out.

Adam Handling, obviously, probably
being the main one.

Nick has a restaurant right
around the corner from me in London,

and I've known Tom for ages.
He's a very good chef.

I am really excited about seeing
everyone else's dishes, though.

Welcome, chefs.

Feel free to answer me.

Hi.
LAUGHTER

Good morning. Hello?

How are we all feeling?

Good, thank you.

Look at these gorgeous faces!

Adam, you're the only one who's
been to finals week before.

How are you feeling, darling?
I feel all right.

I feel not as bad as I did last
year, but I feel good.

I'm very focused. Third time's
the charm, right?

Ancl Will, Tom, Danielle and Avi,
this is your first time

in the competition. How are you
feeling? Are you feeling nervous?

I'm more excited than nervous,
I'd say.

It's amazing to be in this position,
with all these amazing chefs,

so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm just excited to be here.
Too much positivity.

I want to see them destroyed.

LAUGHTER

Well, listen, first to cook is going
to be Gemma, Adam, Will and Avi.

OK, you four. Off you go. Thank you.
Thank you.

Which means Nick, Tom, Danielle
and Mark, you'll be cooking later

on this afternoon, so go and
chill out, I'd imagine.

Put your feet up and stuff.
Thank you so much, chefs.

Good luck.

Good luck, guys. Good luck, guys.
Good luck.

Cooking first are our champions
from Northern Ireland, Scotland,

the North East and Yorkshire,
and London and the South East.

They're going straight on to the
starters as the mini courses,

canapes and pre-desserts,
are not judged in the finals.

Finally, we're cooking,
and the competition's on.

The judges are looking for
a plant-based dish with drama,

flavour and a clear link

to British animation
and illustration. Whoa!

Northern Ireland's Gemma
is preparing a ravioli filling

with no less than four types
of mushroom, along with ginger,

miso and capers.

Absolutely delighted
to be in finals week.

Really proud to be
representing Northern Ireland

at this level.

Scotland champion Adam is confiting
potatoes with bay leaves

and pickled spruce tops.

Finals week. What do I expect?

It's going to be scary because these
are the best of the best.

They can cook.

Real stiff competition. Obviously,
Adam's clone it twice before

North East winner Willis a
newcomer,

and has one of the highest scoring
starters from the heats.

Feeling good. Nice to get started.

His colourful side dish of purple
potatoes will accompany an equally

vibrant watercress soup,
and could be his ticket

to the banquet on his first attempt.

I feel I've got maybe a couple
banquet-worthy dishes.

Avi, cooking for London and the
South East, has high hopes

for his highest scoring dish.

I'm most confident about my starter.

I love this dish. It's one of my
favourite dishes to eat and cook,

so I'm really looking forward
to getting it to the banquet.

He's preparing a delicate pumpkin
for roasting and creating a mint

chutney, before combining
flour, carom seeds and oil

for a papdi chaat,
a type of Indian cracker.

But recreating his success
from the heats won't be easy.

With this dish, there's
a lot of cloughs involved.

So if I add too much water,
or if I don't fry something

to its perfect crispiness,
it could go wrong.

So, Avi, how excited would you be to
go down to Brighton and cook

for the banquet? I think it'd be
fun. Brighton's a great city.

It would be nice to cook
for a banquet full

of interesting people.

What about you, Adam? Yeah, it would
be good to get out of London. Yeah?

HE LAUGHS

This week, the scores from the heats
are reset and each chef

will be marked solely
on what they present to the panel.

Today, that includes our guest judge
who, after making his mark on BBC

comedy Goodness Gracious Me, is now
also known as a voice in animations

such as Bob The Builder, Thomas
And Friends, and Postman Pat.

It's Kulvinder Ghir.

Nice to be here.
So nice to have you here.

Ow! I've just banged my knee.
That's a good start!

LAUGHTER

The tables are quite low, aren't
they? Straight into the comedy, eh?

You're quite a hero of mine.

I know you're voicing in animation,
but of course, there's

Goodness Gracious Me,
which is what I was raised on.

Only yesterday we were just
celebrating the 25 years

since it was last put on.
Fond memories.

Personally, I quite like it where
we left it as well, because...

Don't want to revisit it.

Well, people wanting more of it,
you know? It's a bit like food.

So where does the animation
part sit in that?

Because, of course, Postman Pat
is one of the things you did,

Bob The Builder. That's been
amazing, actually, because they had

created new characters, like Ajay.

Morning, Pat. It's the rocket.

She's not running properly.
I don't know why.

Ended up doing nearly 144 episodes
of that, which is fantastic.

I am sweating!

In the kitchen, Gemma and Adam are
under pressure.

They're cooking all-new dishes,
as their original starters scored

poorly in the heats.

Both new dishes go big on mushrooms.

I definitely think it's better
than the first one.

So, yeah, hopefully
it's going to be enough.

I want to at least get the first
dish out the way,

because that's the one
that the judges haven't tasted.

Gemma's mushroom ravioli
will be supported by a rich mushroom

puree, while Adam's centrepiece
is maitake mushroom,

which he's steaming
before barbecuing later,

plus making a mushroom puree
with yeast oil.

I think it is a risk to do
a new dish for finals, but I'm not

really here just to enjoy
a score of eight.

I want to do better.

Gemma has the dubious hon our
of serving first.

She is doing Little Owl In The Dark,
and this is

a completely new dish.

Ancl the inspiration is...

HE MIMICS AN OWL

Nicely clone. Amazing.

There is an owl in the dark.

NISHA LAUGHS

Gemma's all-new mushroom starter
celebrates Paul Howard's

illustrations in The Owl
Who Was Afraid Of The Dark,

and she's desperate to improve
on the 27 points her original dish

scored in the heats.

Let's rewind and take it
from the top, then.

I am doing a black dish, so
I'm going to do a black charcoal

ravioli. That being the dark. Yep.

I'm also going to do a black garlic
focaccia on the side, with some

fresh truffle, and a nice mushroom
broth with that as well.

Wow. And are you hopeful?

I am hopeful.

With her focaccia baked, Gemma
creates a mushroom puree, which she

mixes into her ravioli filling,

before rolling and shaping the
pasta...

World's fastest raviolis.

...that's coloured with activated
charcoal.

Tight for time, making pasta and
bread in the starter.

But, you know, go big or go home.

The main feedback for the first
starter was the balance was off,

so I've made sure that this dish
is not like that.

To offset the rich ravioli
and focaccia,

Gemma's creating a tangy vegan
cream cheese, and using Madeira

and sherry vinegar in her broth.

Always exciting when there's
a new dish, because I think it shows

that the chefs
really, really want it.

Ancl quite often, the new dishes
come out amazing

because they've...they've really put
a lot into it.

Ravioli cooking...
Pasta nice and thin? Yeah.

...Avi helps by deep-frying maitake
mushrooms, while Gemma

fin is he's the focaccia.

What's on top of that bread?
The vegan cream cheese.

Gemma, are you happy with the colour
on this? Yeah, they're lovely.

Yeah, thank you.

You've got two minutes, Gemma, to
the pass. Oui.

Gemma adds black truffle
to the focaccia...

just a bit of truffle, then, yeah?

...before serving the ravioli,
topped with pickled shallot

to add more acidity...

One minute to the pass, Gemma.
..and seasoning the fried

maitake mushrooms. What's going on
with the mushrooms?

So it's just a bit of cep powder
and a bit of truffle powder.

The dish is served with a jug
of mushroom broth,

and will be presented under an
owl-themed cloche.

OK. You happy, Gemma? Yeah, I am
happy-

It's a whole new world there.
That was...

SHE BLOWS A RASPBERRY

LAUGHTER

Why don't you send it?
It's the first dish of finals week.

Service please, guys.

Gemma's tribute to the
illustrations in

The Owl Who Was Afraid
Of The Dark

is served by suitably
attired waiting staff, in the dark,

with a subtle twit-twoo.

OWL HOOTS
It wasn't me!

This is beautiful. Look at this!

The second group aren't
going hungry, either.

How are you? How was that?
Yeah, that was tight.

This is a focaccia. It's a what?
The bread.

Don't you swear at me like that
again.

That crust on that bread
is really good.

The focaccia is lovely. Yeah.

Tucking in there, chefs. Good.
Lovely. Yeah.

TOM: That is the star of the show.

That piece of bread is absolutely
delicious.

The truffle on the top is great.

Ancl the crispy mushroom,
I think, is amazing.

The ravioli, though, it doesn't
taste of mushroom enough.

I think it was the pickled shallots.
There was too much acidity.

That's just what skewed it.

Did you get truffle? I didn't.
Not enough.

I did like the bread.
I thought that was lovely.

I'm just going into my conscience
whether I want to go back into it.

Are you glad you changed it? Yeah.

Hopefully, it's going to be enough
to not make me last.

It's a brave thing to do, to come
with a completely new dish,

but it means it sort of
has to arrive perfect.

It's a great dish, but there's
improvements

that need to happen to it.

Next, Adam's rival all-new
mushroom starter.

This is Adam Handling, Scotland,

and this is
The Mice That Saved The Lion.

So, I'm a little bit nervous cooking
my starter, because it's a brand

new dish, so I hope it works
out well.

As before, the dish is inspired by
the woodland scenes in an animated

version of The Mouse And The Lion
fable voiced by Billy Connolly.

My feedback from the judges
were perhaps the tomatoes

didn't quite work
with the inside of a forest.

So I've worked hard to basically
emulate things that you would find

in a forest.

His woodland theme rests on steamed
then barbecued maitake mushrooms,

pickled girolle mushroom, and a
deep-fried British woodland staple.

Tempura nettles. Absolutely.

I hope there's a tempura
clock leaf nearby.

LAUGHTER
You'd need that, wouldn't you?

I'd love a dish to be at
the banquet, so fingers crossed.

He came so close last year.
To make it this time,

Adam will need to control the bold
mushroom flavours

and ensure the presentation
is clearly linked to The Mouse

And The Lion animation.

It's a fierce field. Does it feel
good to be here again?

It does. Learning from last year.

It's a very stressful week. Yeah.
So just focus.

As Gemma fries tempura nettles...

How are we looking? I'll have them
up, please.

You've got one minute to go, Adam.

...Adam rolls his con fit potato
in a potato thyme crumb.

Potato looks gorgeous, gorgeous
colour.

Next, the mushroom and yeast puree,

then pickled wax cup mushrooms
and the barbecued maitake mushrooms.

They've been heavily, heavily
cooked and then almost burnt

and then rehydrated after
being steamed.

So they taste super, super meaty.

Can I have my little crispies
over there?

The tempura nettles cover the dish,
which is topped with chervil

and cep mushroom powder.

Adam presents it under cloches
decorated with mice to reinforce

the link with the animated
Aesop's Fable,

The Mouse And The Lion.

Are you happy? I'm happy.

Would you like to send it, Chef?
Yes, please. Service.

Thank you very much.

Oh, wow.

Adam likes big flavours,
but I personally am looking

for a bit of reprieve.

Lovely earthiness. So much umami
in there. It's so good.

Yeah, it's great, isn't it?

Barbecued the mushroom.
That's really good.

Yeah, that's probably my favourite
is the barbecued hen.

What I like is the tempura
nettle is nice and crunchy.

I love the texture on that potato.

Really, really good.

I love the char on the mushrooms.
Yeah. Yeah. So nice.

Really, really juicy.

Every element on that plate,

the flavour has been pulled
as much as you can get.

I don't know if it's, like,
a complete dish.

It's almost like a garnish or
something. Yeah. Feels like a...

I feel the same.

I feel like I should be pouring
something on it.

Ancl that sauce, you're quite right,
would have slightly softened it.

Everything on there is lovely.
Yeah, it is.

It's just missing something.

I'm not getting a story.

So it seems the only link to brief
is this cloche

with the stuck-on mice
and the card.

Yeah, but you could just bring a ham sandwich and
plop that card in front of it, couldn't you...

You could. ..and say that's a link
to brief?

The North East's Willis next
with a watercress soup.

Bit of nerves, bit of excitement.

When you're voicing that, is the
animation being shown

in front of you, so you're just
mouthing it and wording it?

No, we're just mouthing it.

And if you're playing two
characters in one scene...

LAUGHTER ..and that's
where it gets really, really fun.

I bet you feel insane doing that
as well, don't you?

It can, because especially in
Postman Pat, because I had another

lovely character in there
called Bill.

He was a nine-year-old
Yorkshire boy.

IN A YORKSHIRE ACCENT: So you have
to start talking like him,

like that, all of a sudden.

You know, I'd give it a bit of
a Yorkshireness about it.

I know what's good in ice cream.
Cherries.

And then...then you had Ajay, like
a first generation Indian.

IMITATES AjAY: All right, there?
You all right? Are you well?

Are you coming over today, are you?

Oh, Pat, that'd be champion!

That's been the joy of when you do
animation, you can really play.

Will's dish of green soup and blue
string pudding is in hon our

of the volcanic green soup
found in The Clangers.

Can you do a Clanger noise at all,
Kulvinder?

HE WHISTLES

In each soup he'll serve

pan-roasted maitake mushrooms,
onions steamed in their skin

and shaved truffle, with a blue
potato cake on the side.

Now, I remember this dish,
and I remember

absolutely loving this.

Tom gave the dish ten in the heats,
saying it was an unforgettable

flavour punch.

But the other judges scored it
an eight, as they felt

it was over-seasoned.

So Will's got his work cut out
pleasing everyone today.

Back in the kitchen.

Yeah. First dish jitters.

Well, your nerves served you
quite well last time, I think.

I'm assuming not really any changes.

1g of salt out of the veloute,
that is it.

ANDI LAUGHS
That is the only tweak I've made.

He'll need everything else to be
identical to build on his high

scores and beat his rivals.

Yeah, I'd love to get any dish
in the banquet.

I think they're all worthy
of doing so.

Onto his blue potato cakes.
Will places wild garlic emulsion,

fennel pollen, vinegar gel
and nasturtiums, before combining

watercress, parsley, spinach, stock
and soya milk to create his soup.

Just, like, scatter the bottom
of the bowls with the pickles.

Yeah, just do me one. And then if
you want to follow

with these onions. Yeah.

Will serves maitake mushroom puree,

topped with pickled and roasted
maitake mushrooms,

steamed onion and shaved truffle.

Like, this much? Yeah.

Next, Will's vital watercress
centrepiece.

Are you happy with the consistency
of your soup?

It's a little bit thick,
to be honest.

To maintain what he hopes is an
identical consistency to last time,

Will's making a last-minute tweak.

Is everything all right
with that veloute?

Yeah. It was a little thicker
than last time.

I've just kind of let it down with
a bit more veg stock... Right.

...so I can get the foam really.

Soup adjusted and aerated.

You're due at the pass now, Will.

But take the time you need.

Will serves his tribute to the green
volcanic soup in The Clangers.

Wow, look at that colour. You happy?

Yeah, very.

Would you like to send it? Yeah.
Service, please.

I'm getting more onion.

I really like those capers still.

Good veloute? I love it. Yeah.

What do you think about the
seasoning in it? I think it's really high.

Tasty, but it's on the edge,
on the border, yeah.

I find it quite salty
actually, but I do

like that crispy thing.

Good for a first course.

There's a lot of acidity in there,
so it kind of wakes your mouth up.

I don't think I can eat a lot
of it. just small amounts.

It's salt and acid.

I just feel like there's more onion,
mushroom, truffle, capers, now

it's almost like it's that stuff
just covered in a bit of a sauce.

But I miss the soup,
because that was really fresh

and delicious and green.

Is it a soup? It should be
a soup, yeah.

It's a punchy way to begin
the meal, that's for sure.

Let's hope they're all perky
in the judge's chamber, shall we?

Yeah. I think there's probably
the same amount of liquid.

What he's clone is he's clone it
slightly differently.

He's aerated it
just a little bit more

and he seems to have just
dialled it down.

Yeah. I think he's listened
to your two notes.

Don't you start blaming us.

Next, London and the South East
champion Avi.

I gave this a ten.
Based on the crackers and chutneys

of Indian street food papdi chaat,

Scrambled Snake by the Lake
is inspired by Alex Scheffler's

illustrations in The Gruffalo.

Chaat means to lick the plate clean.
It's so good.

Ancl it was, in my view,
it was really that good.

So let's hope he's not changed
anything dramatically.

I can't wait to see this dish again.

Do you think you're a contender?
Absolutely.

I've scored the highest points
for this dish,

so I'm going to give it
my best shot.

Having netted an impressive 37
out of 40 in the judges' chamber

in the London and South East heat,
Avi has a lot to live up to.

Dough prepared,

he fries his papdi chaat
before combining ground chickpeas

with rice flour, sunflower oil
and chilli powder to create another

dough for his all-important
crispy snakes,

that he shapes with a wooden press
and fries.

I'm making more, just so
I have a couple extra, just in case

one of them breaks.

Now for the epic assembly, starting
with the papdi chaat and snakes.

What's that you're putting on?
Oat yoghurt.

I've got a tamarind chutney
going on that.

What's that?

Mint, green chilli and green
mango chutney.

Onion, tomatoes and chillies
are next.

I've got some dry mango powder here.

I feel like I want to get
a Dorito and just... Yeah.

What are they?

These are kind of crispy sprinkles,
I'd say, made with chickpea

flour, water, salts.

He's still going...

You have two minutes, Avi. Yeah.

...with red and golden beetroots,
roast pumpkin and pomegranate.

You're going to need an army for the
banquet

I need a few hands.

If you just start that dish now
it'll be ready for the banquet!

Avi's added a card to help diners
understand the link to

The Gruffalo's scrambled snake
illustrations.

Could you place them upright,
like that?

I'm happy with that. Great.
Service, please.

He's added this card, which at least
shows the connection a little bit.

Ancl there's an instruction
there to break the snake

onto the chaat.

It's nice colours, different
textures,

but it's quite spicy in the middle.

Oh, yeah. That's got a lot of
flavour. Mm-hm.

This has made me wanting
to eat this by looking at it.

Not only is it beautiful to look at,
the flavours are so punchy.

The pomegranate that sits in there,
the crunch of it, the acidity,

the spice levels are beautiful.

It also feels like you're eating
something healthy.

It's just a bit mad, actually.

I do actually really like it.

The beetroot's probably just about
the main element, is it?

Ancl in chaat, when do you put
beetroot?

It's a real twist, isn't it? Yeah.

It's sort of explosive.
Creamy, cold, acidic, sweet.

These little biscuits... Mm. ..and
they're like little rafts... Yeah.

...that hold everything together.
They balance it.

It stops everything mushing
together.

Are you enjoying that, dear?

THEY LAUGH

I'm trying to think of something
negative, to go, yeah, but.

You don't need to, man.

No. Not everything
needs to be negative, Tom.

You've got to chill.

First night is clone.
How's everyone feeling?

Yeah, good. Glad to have it out of
the way, to be honest.

Really happy
that the starter's done.

Everybody's very anxious
until the first course goes.

Yeah, it was a little touch
and go in the middle of it.

I made a whole new dish today.

Has it paid off?

I won't know until the judges tell
me, but I think it might have.

Hello, my darlings.

Hello. Hello. Hi, Kulvinder.
How are you?

We're really good. Good food?
Fantastic.

Mr Kerridge, how are you?

Very, very, very good, thank you.

It's been some great food.

Really, really good dishes.

The two dishes that were brand-new,
they were fantastic improvements

on the dishes that we first had.
That's good news.

There's one that I'm slightly
disappointed about and it's made me

feel a bit sad, but it's still
a really high score.

It just made me go, oh.

I think I cooked the dish well,

made a small tweak.

I think that might have stood me
in good stead.

Your dish was awesome, so was yours.
I'm very happy with my dish.

It takes a lot of focus
to get that starter right.

So super HAPPY-

I think the chefs are really
responding to this brief

and you are right across that,
aren't you?

So is it lovely to see a world
that you're so immersed

in being celebrated?

Absolutely. Yeah.

I mean, if you look at the food, you
can see the colours in it as much

as you might see in an animation.

Oh, that's nice. You know, so,

animation, as you know,
is heightened in itself. Mm.

So the food that we're getting here
is quite pungent...

Yeah. ..in its taste. I'm glad the
chefs' endeavours are paying off.

There are four more to come.

I hope the next four are going to do
just as well.

I'll be back here to check in
with you and have a chat, right?

It's lovely to have you here,
my love. I'll see you soon.

Bye, Andi. Bye!

Hello, everyone. Hello.
Excited to get going?

Yeah, I think I would liked to have
gone first, if I'm being honest.

Yes. It's a good feeling.

Yeah, I can imagine!

Wish you all the very best.
Thank you. Thank you.

Good luck. Good luck. See you later.

See you in a bit. Good luck.

The next four chefs are going all
out to impress,

with Wallace And Gromit, the Wombles
and Fireman Sam.

The stakes couldn't be higher.

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

The second group sees the Central,
South West, North West and Welsh

champions all vying for supremacy.

So the expectation for me is tough
competition.

I'm expecting everyone
to bring their A-game.

Down-to-earth Central champion Tom
is choosing beetroots to create

a gel for what he hopes is a much
improved Pac-Man inspired dish.

He'll serve it with a smoked
mayonnaise made of aquafaba -

or chickpea water - and smoked
grapeseed oil.

I'm not one to turn around and say,
yes, that's banquet-worthy,

because I'm not choosing.

If I was choosing, all four
would go through.

The South West's precise Nick is
combining cold pressed carrot juice,

coconut oil and Pernod
for a carrot jelly royale.

We are all super competitive chefs.

That's why we're here.

Meticulous Danielle, cooking for the
North West, is creating

a mushroom broth with kombu and
roasted onions,

hoping to beat her
more established rivals.

I'm expecting some tough competition
from the chefs this week.

I've watched a few of them being
on the show before and I've loved

what they've done, so just makes me
more nervous to have to cook my

dishes and let everybody taste it.

She needs to balance her earthy
mushroom flavours with a creamy

almond and miso puree, plus
a lighter zingier

lemon thyme pickle gel.

You've got to infuse the lemon thyme
first into the pickle

and then set it with agar.

It means the world to be here, so I
just want to showcase what I can do.

Proud Welsh chef Mark is creating a
carrot puree

and hoping to go all the way
on his second attempt.

If I get a dish at the banquet
I'd be super happy.

All the hard work would be worth it.

The carrot puree will complement
a braised carrot, which Mark

is soaking in a fermented koji rice.

It will be served alongside
lentils, which he's cooking

in mushroom stock.

Are you a vegetarian, vegan?
Do you like that?

I would say I'm going more and
more vegan.

Only because...it might sound
stupid, but it's getting easier.

Mm-hm. Yeah. It's now making me feel
more intrigued to see what creative

juices are going to be ending up
on my...for me to eat,

on the sense of being vegan.

Yeah. Because I ain't eating
anything bland.

THEY LAUGH

I can't do the blandest thing.

Nick is serving first.

I'm really up for it.

Now it's time just to get in there,
cook it and smash it.

He's hoping to cook the Golden
Carrot at the banquet, a tribute

to the super-sized vegetable
in Wallace 8; Gromit -

The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.

How did you get on with the starter,
with the first course?

Yeah, I had the 34. OK.

I had a ten off the guest judge.

Nine off Nisha. Oh, wow.

I got a 32.

I got a nine off Nisha as well.
What about you?

I had a pretty steady start,
mate, to be fair,

and I think I got
27 in the chamber.

Nick? I got 33.

So I'm actually changing.

I'm just tweaking something based
on Michael O'Hare's feedback...

Yeah. ..which is to put carrot
in the carrot.

I'm making a carrot tartare
and adding that as well. Nice.

Excited to taste them all? Sure.

With a carrot jelly royale setting,
Nick's creating potato ribbons,

which he'll shape into the carrot
centrepiece of his dish.

That's how you make those. Yes.

So then do you fry that?
Exactly that. Yeah.

Well, it's a beautiful dish.

I mean, it's very technically
quite challenging.

Like all of your dishes are
technically quite challenging. Yeah.

So getting that right and getting
the balance and everything else

is quite the feat, isn't it?
Yeah, exactly.

It's all about balance.

Now rolled, Nick fries...

A couple of average ones,
but they're all right.

...before creating the revised
filling with minced carrots,

capers, dill and horseradish
combined with vegan feta.

And it's all change.

Hello. Hello. I'm here. I'm so glad.

And that's because Tom is
Nick's boss.

Hey, Chef Nick. Yo. How are we?

Getting there.

Even though he would, of course,
be scrupulously fair, we're not

going to put him or Nick
in that position.

So I'm getting a turn in the hot
seat, and I'll be judging Nick's

dishes, and Tom is taking
my place in the kitchen.

Do you guys remember this dish?
I do. Oh, it was fantastic.

Ancl in terms of link to brief,
you couldn't do better.

With the carrots ready and hopefully
perfectly crispy,

Nick begins to plate.

Do you want anything? I tell you
what you can do is get the soil on.

As Mark serves the soil of
dehydrated black olives,

breadcrumbs, truffle oil and
herbs... Two minutes. Yeah? Oui.

...Nick fills his carrots with vegan
feta and carrot tartare...

Are you happy with the cook of
the carrots? Yes, happy.

...before coating with gold powder.

I'm covered in gold again.

LAUGHTER

Nick's so-called anti-pesto of
herbs,

pickled vegetables and parsley oil
is served in tins.

Wallace and Gromit have got
a pest extermination company

called Anti-Pesto.

That's my nod to that.

The carrots are topped and placed
on the soil.

You're supposed to be up at the
pass, Chef. I'll be a minute.

One minute. Nick's carroty tribute
to Wallace 8; Gromit -

The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit,
is served.

Happy with that? Very happy.

That's genuinely the first time
I've seen that as well. Yeah.

Genuinely is. No-one will believe
that, will they?

No, no-one will believe it!
It looks great.

Feel free to send it, mate.
Go, please, guys. Service.

I mean, it's just immediately,
visually... It's stunning.

...it has such impact, doesn't it?

I think it looks absolutely amazing.
The carrot itself, beautiful.

Well, he's added quite a lot of
carrot to

that centre filling, hasn't he?

But in terms of flavour,
it's one, two dimensional.

The carrot itself, I think,
is delicious.

I love that vegan feta. I think
there's enough seasoning in there...

Oh, inside... Inside the carrot
itself.

I like that he's added the carrot
tartare. I think that's delicious.

I love the crunch, but the flavour
wouldn't be up my street.

What do you guys think?
I really like it.

I love the anti-pesto
with the apple as well, and cashew.

Yes, it's nice textures as well.

Presentation's good.

Well, even the pesto is
a little bit flat.

It's very her by, but it's kind
of lacking in depth.

A bit bland?
THEY LAUGH

Are you happier with the set
of the custard?

Yeah. Yeah. You don't want it too
firm.

I don't know if I'm fond
on the texture of the royale.

It looks incredible. I just wanted
that carrot flavour

just to be a little bit more
carroty.

What's the dust, the soil? So it's
black olive, lemon, thyme. Spice?

Yeah, caraway, nutmeg.

What it doesn't do for me
at the moment

is wanting me to go back
and eat some more of it.

It's like the soil gets wet
and then it clags up.

It's too realistic a soil, really,
isn't it?

It's too soily. That's the problem.

Right, I'm off.
Oh, we miss you already.

Oh, sure.

It's been a wonderful interlude,
but there's work to do, Ed.

Actual work, do you remember?

Actual work. I think you'll
find this is actual work.

You're very brave, etc, etc.

Actual hard working central champion
Tom is next,

with his beetroot and pear starter
simply titled Pac-Man.

Isn't that when he goes
"om-nom-nom"?

Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

Essentially what we've been doing
all day so far. Yeah.

The judges loved the clear link
to the brief,

but scored it just 27 out of 40.

It had some mixed reviews.

Very solid as a dish.

But is it impactual and exciting
enough to be to the banquet?

Ancl have you clone something
about that?

I've beefed every single
element up.

I've got a pine nut pesto
going on the bottom.

So it just gives that a bit
of vibrance on the base

of the plate. It's to add that body
to that dish as well.

Ancl the seasoning will be quite
high on that. Beautiful.

I wish you loads of luck, sir.
Thank you, Andi.

After cracking open and dicing
the salt baked beetroot, Tom blitzes

the pesto of beetroot, pine nuts
and blanched garlic before plating.

This is the salt baked beetroot
on top.

You start to be familiar
with the shape of it.

Yeah. Like Batman.
Batman, yeah?

So happy that
you've noticed the face.

You've got five minutes, my love.
Thank you, Andi.

Next, he adds the smoked mayonnaise,
then a ketchup of pear juice,

cider vinegar and sugar.

What are they, Tom?

These are smoked, salted almonds.
That little bit of texture.

Tom, you've got just under one
minute to go, love.

Finally, the effect
is hopefully clear

when Tom adds his pear
and beetroot jelly.

That looks good.

You recognise it now?
Yeah, it looks like Pac-Man.

Looks like Batman, yeah?

Tom serves under Pac-Man joysticks,
complete with sound effects.

Looks great, chef. You happy?
Yeah, really happy.

Want to send it? Yeah, absolutely.
Perfect. Service please, guys.

Wait, wait, wait.

JOYSTICK BLEEPS
It's my favourite.

ANDI LAUGHS

As you're the guest judge, would you
like to press the button first?

I'd love to.

JOYSTICK BLEEPS
Yes.

JOYSTICKS BLEEP IN UNISON

Perfect harmony.

LAUGHTER

Pretty, no?
Yeah. Yeah, very pretty.

When I took it out of the box,
it was a slightly deflated,

eyeless, soulless looking Pac-Man.

Ancl then you get into it, and I just
think the flavours are fabulous.

I like the smoke that comes through.

I like the texture of the almonds.

What's the creamy stuff
on the bottom? Pesto, he said.

It's almost like a hummus
consistency.

It's very gentle, isn't it?

It may be missing a couple
of dimensions for me.

All flavours that really work
nicely, innit?

Beetroot, almond, a bit of smoke.

Wow. I like the contrast
between the almonds

and the smoked mayonnaise.

I think it's quite delicate
as a dish,

but really lots of flavour in there.
Yeah, I agree.

I think it's tasty, yeah.

To start the meal, I think
we would need something a little bit

more uplifting and a little bit...
Yeah.

This is a very easy transition
into the meal.

Ed's right. For the starter
of a banquet,

you want something a bit
more exciting, a bit more vibrant.

There isn't anything that makes
this sing.

I hadn't had something
that's going to go...

HE GASPS

"Oh, can I have some more?
ls there any more there?"

The north-west's Danielle is
perfecting a black garlic

and yeast extract puree for her
mushroom starter,

which the judges
will sample next.

Kulvinder, what was it about your
background and where you grew up

that gave you this ability
to just do all of these accents?

It was just partly to integrate
and to adapt within a culture

because I wasn't born here.

I came here when I was seven,
and when we first settled

in London, everyone was talking
like 'at.

Next minute my parents
took me to Yorkshire and they said,

"Don't 'ee talk funny?"

Since clay one, when I came at seven,

I haven't clone anything else apart
from this work.

Danielle's dish, Eat Like A Womble,

is designed to represent the
autumnal floor of Wimbledon Common.

I think... Yeah, we enjoyed this.

It does feel like you're eating
like a Womble would eat.

Straight off the floor.

It's a tribute to the narration
and voices of Lancashire-born

Bernard Cribbins in the legendary
stop-motion animation.

I seem to remember really
liking this.

Yeah, I was going to say,
I liked it as well.

Yeah, I remember...
Was it Uncle Orinoco?

Uncle Bulgaria.
Uncle Bulgaria!

Sorry, Uncle Bulgaria.
Was there a Florence?

No, that was the Magic Roundabout.

Magic Roundabout. Was Florence.

Where did they used to forage?
Wimbledon Common.

This is a section of Great British
Menu I like to call

"People Over 40
Try And Remember Things."

LAUGHTER

That's right!

Danielle scored
a solid 32 out of 40,

but has taken advice in the hope
of scoring even higher.

So Tom's advice was to lose
the mushroom cookie altogether.

So I've clone that.
How about the way that it looks?

So, I've kept my Womble houses.
Lovely.

I've also got a nice illustrated
card with a little Womble poem on

to really bring home the Wombleiness
of the dish.

Underline the Womblenelity.

Yeah. If that's a word. It is now.

With Womblenelity
at the forefront of her mind,

Danielle finishes her artichoke
crisps

before creating her starter's
mushroom centrepiece.

So what are the mushrooms
in the mix?

Black trumpets, oyster mushrooms.

Ancl then there's some yellow
chanterelles, grey chanterelles.

After simply frying in dairy-free
butter, Danielle plates.

Whilst they're in the butter, just
added a couple of the ramson capers

to the butter. So they're not, like,
lethal when they're really fresh,

but they're still there
in the background.

You've got three minutes,
Danielle, OK? Yes, Andi.

How's it all going? Good, so far.

Next, the puree of black
garlic and yeast extract,

which, as a by-product of the beer
making process, is a subtle nod

to the Wombles' love of recycling
and avoiding waste.

The black garlic is cooked with
sherry vinegar and demerara sugar

first and then I blitz in a little
bit of minced truffle,

and then the Marmite as well.

It's your last minute, Danielle.
Yes, Chef.

The mushroom broth is decanted,

and Danielle serves the artichoke
crisps resembling autumn leaves...

Quite Wombley now.

...hoping they make up for the
crunchy texture

lost by ditching her
mushroom cookies.

Ooh.

You happy, Danielle? Yes, very.

Well, let's send it.
Service, please.

WOMBLES THEME PLAYS

For a nostalgia hit, Danielle's dish
is served to the Womble soundtrack.

# Underground, overground,
Wombling free

# The Wombles of
Wimbledon Common are we... #

Lovely broth.

# Making good use of the
things that we find... #

it just smells of pure mushroom
truffley loveliness, doesn't it?

Can we dive in?

That lemon thyme pickle gel,
I think it's just great.

Yeah. Properly sings, doesn't it?

Tastes exactly like it smelled,
doesn't it? Exactly, mate.

I think it's got a really nice
acidity to it,

but also different textures.

I love these artichoke crisps,
as well.

Texturally the almond puree's
a little bit...

Feels a bit grainy,
a little bit claggy.

I think the mushrooms are
really meaty.

Loads of umami through it.
Yeah, I think it's a lovely dish.

I think it tastes really good.

There's loads of inspired
little moments all over that plate.

I'm liking the variety
in the taste.

It's really, really combined those
flavours really well together.

There's nothing too
cheffy about this.

It is just, like, "How can I create
what feels like a woodland floor?"

Let's hope the judges
like mushrooms, eh?

LAUGHTER

But it's everything that you would
want from a celebration

of mushrooms. This is
truly savoury and earthy.

There used to be a mushroom cookie
and a hummus thing on this dish,

and we don't need it.

It's the best thing I've eaten all
day, by a mile.

I definitely think
that's a contender.

This hits you with how
delicious it is.

This is a truly talented chef.
You could actually wear that.

There you go. Look at that.

Fabulous. I'm camouflaged now.

Now I'm not here. Who said that?
"Who said that?"

That's the worst dad joke ever.

Finally, Welsh champion Mark.

I've come here to win.
It's going to be a hard week.

Ancl his dish is called
It's A Fire! Call Sam!

This is a carroty celebration
of the Welsh animation Fireman Sam,

for which Mark is braising his
carrots in carrot juice with thyme,

before creating a foamed sauce
with oat milk and smoked water.

It's like you're Fireman Sam,

and you just walked into a fire
in a carrot factory.

They make them in factories, right?

What? Fireman Sams? Carrots.

Carrots. Oh, no.
On both counts.

With 34 out of 40 in
the regional final,

this is Mark's highest scoring dish.

Are you aware that you are joint
second place in the scoring

of the starters
right across the regions?

Oh, that's good. I didn't know.

I thought, "I bet he doesn't know
that." But you absolutely are.

You and Will. Anything particularly
challenging about this dish?

The challenge, get the balance right
with a smoke and still taste

that carrot.
In the middle of it all?

Well, you did it brilliantly
before, and I'm sure

you're going to achieve it again.

Mark adds con fit garlic and
shallots, truffle and smoked vinegar

to his lentils before
creating a fresh spring onion oil.

How you feeling, Mark? Yeah, good.
Happy? Yeah.

Everything how you
wanted it? Yeah.

Mark tops his braised carrots
with carrot puree and cob nuts

before serving more puree
on the plate.

Vibrant colours. Yeah. What's the
inspiration again? Fireman Sam.

So there's a lot of smoke elements.

You've got, like,
smoked vinegar in it.

The smoky lentils with garlic
and truffle are next.

What's that stock?
Shiitake. Nice.

So I've used truffle mushrooms
really just to help the flavours.

Balancing these rich flavours
with the fresh carrot centrepiece

will be tough.

Are you nervous? Another
carrot dish to compete with.

I mean, it does look great.
Yeah.

Mark's also bringing back crispy
fried carrots, which he removed

for the Welsh final after
they went soggy in the heats.

They wanted more texture for the
dish, so I've decided to put them

back on, but put them on the side
in a fire bucket.

By serving them separately, Mark is
hoping they maintain their texture

and get him a winning score.

What's the oil? This is spring
onion. Spring onion, nice.

More cob nuts and the carrot
centrepiece are next.

I hope they'll get it, like with all
the hidden flavours. 100%, mate.

What's that? It's a smoke foam made
with soy milk and smoked water.

Mark finishes his smoky
celebration of Welsh animation

Fireman Sam with oak smoke
under a cloche.

Oh, that's the one.

Oh, goodness. Don't they look great?

That's topped with a fireman's hat

and with the crispy carrots
to the side.

The fire buckets look great.
You happy? Yeah.

Let's send it.

# When he hears the fire bell chime

# Fireman Sam is there on time

# Putting on his coat and hat

# In less than seven seconds
flat... #

Hello, chefs?

Come on in.

Look at your little anxious faces.
Come on in.

That smell is just fantastic.

The smell is incredible.

That's real sort of street
market food smoke, isn't it?

But it's not just token, that feeds
right the way through this dish.

Yum. That's delicious, Mark.

You've got a carrot dish. What do
you think about this carrot dish?

What you were trying to achieve
with the smoke,

I think it's absolutely delicious.

This was the addition.
A little bit more flair.

It's beautiful.
I think it's great.

I like so many of the elements.
I really like the carrot crisps.

I like the cob nuts.
I like the lentils.

I love the hazelnut going
through there as well.

I thought that was super tasty.

The little carrots for crunch.

The actual carrot, I'm getting
very little from.

Yeah. I'm with Ed, I think
the actual main focus point

isn't really focused.
It's not a great carrot.

What do you think, Kulvinder?

There is skill in this in the making
of the lentils, that they're not

overdone, that they still
have texture to them.

I find it sweet as much
as I want it to be fiery.

Listen, it's a very, very nice dish.

It's not going to the banquet,
though, is it? We don't know.

We don't know what the scores are
going to be.

Well, Tom's one of the
people scoring.

How do you fancy its chances?

I'm going to say that Ed's probably
not going to give it a ten.

Ed, you loved it.

There were a lot of elements that
I did love, but the main central

element I did not, which for me
is an issue.

And I concur completely
with Ed on that.

OK. Lovely.
That is all eight of you cooked.

I feel good. Feel good to get the
first one on the way.

I'm glad it's over.
It was a nice one to get done.

I'm really happy with the way
it went.

It feels like the competition
is properly begun now.

Yeah, I think I've clone well.

My dish, I think the flavour's
there.

I'm going to go chat to the judges,

and I'll see you guys
in the judging chamber.

Amazing. Lovely.

So there's definitely, you know,
two, three, I would say, at least

for me, that are quite strong
contenders there, Tom?

Yeah, I do think by the time
we sit down and we put our scores

together, it will
be close between...

Yeah, I would say
two or three.

I really enjoyed it today.

I mean, there's dishes in there
I've tasted that I've never tasted

before, so it's been quite
liberating in that sense.

But the presentation
was amusing and fun.

But, overall, I think there were
two or three dishes in there

that was really,
really beautifully made.

I think there were a couple
of dishes that really divided us,

because I think there were some
real moments of magic.

I think there's been a bit
today of being very excited

by the presentation and link
to the brief, and then the actual

taste of the dish, not necessarily
living up to that - and the reverse.

I think there's definitely
going to be a couple

that are top contenders.

Well, guys, shall we see
what the judges scored us?

Absolutely. Let's go.

After eating some of
the courses today,

I hope I'm not last.

I just want to get
in the judges' chamber.

I want this first clay
to be out of the way.

There were some good dishes,
but I might be in with a shout.

My starter is one of my strongest
dishes, so I'm really hoping

I can take it to the banquet.

After tasting everybody else's,
I wouldn't say

it's my strongest dish.

We both did carrot dishes,
me and Mark.

I think they were both very
good. Mark's was excellent.

I'm super nervous, going to the
judges' chamber,

but hopefully
I won't be going out first.

Hopefully I'll be there in the top.

I think in this competition,
it's anybody's game any day.

Welcome, chefs.
Come on in, everybody.

Hello. Hello.

How you all doing?
Good. Good.

Well, you've all done very well.

You worked really, really hard.

Yeah. How was it in that kitchen
today, guys?

Good. Good. Calm.
It was hard. Good to get going.

OK, I wasn't in their kitchen.

Yours wasn't calm?
No, it wasn't calm. No.

I'd just like to thank you all
for some amazing cooking today

from all of you, especially taking
on the challenge of vegan cooking.

Absolutely a delight to taste
all your different cuisines

that were presented to me.

Well, look, it's time to reveal
the places of who's come

where from today's cooking.

So in last place today...

...it's Gemma.

Absolutely loved the black
garlic focaccia.

I thought it was amazing.

Very, very pleased that you changed
the dish completely.

This was a massive, massive
improvement.

But today, I just felt that
we'd seen it for the first time.

It needs to go away, have some
tweaks, and come back again.

Thank you, guys. Cheers.

I'm not deflated at all about coming
last, but coming here with a

brand-new dish was always going
to be a risk.

And in seventh place is...

Tom.

Torn, we loved the presentation
and the inspiration was great.

It was exciting to see a computer
game represented. There were loads

of amazing little points to that
dish, like the smoked almond

and the smoked mayonnaise.

But you came up against
a very strong field today,

but well done.

Thank you very much, guys.

How you doing? All right?
You good? Yeah.

Listen, I've brought a new dish.

I didn't think it was going
to do well, so...

Never my strongest dish, especially
from regionals as well.

But good to get one out the way.

And I'm ream] focused for the rest
of the week.

Looking forward to seeing who
actually gets through now.

And four of you have now fled,

which means four of you will go
to third position.

It just shows how closely pitted
you were.

So the first of those chefs...

...is Mark.

With your fantastic Fireman
Sam Dish, which for me was smoke

and mirrors, but real substance.

It was delicious.

The next chef to assume
third position is Adam.

Adam, you changed your dish
completely,

which is very, very brave.

Are you pleased
that you did that?

I am. I wanted to make the brief
a little bit better.

It's my weakest one out of all four.

So there's more yet to come.

If that's your weakest,

you're in good form, I can tell you.

Ancl the next chef
in third position...

...is Will.

So, Will, that was your Clangers

soup or the veloute,
which was frankly

the most delicious primordial
soup that ever existed.

It was fantastic. Were you pleased
with it?

How did you find the clay? Yeah,
it came out I think quite well.

It's probably same as regionals,
tweaked the seasoning a little bit,

made a bit of a difference.
But, yeah, I think I'm happy.

Ancl the remaining chef in third
position...

...is Nick.

With a spectacular carrot of gold.

How was your clay? Pleased with it?
It was good.

Yeah, it's tough going first,
but I managed to get it clone.

Was happy with what I sent.
So, pleased.

Yeah, you should be. It was,
it was really breathtaking.

The link to brief was fantastic.
Well clone. Thank you.

Well done to all four of you.

Please go back to the kitchen, have
a little chat amongst yourselves

and remember, three
more opportunities to get

onto that banquet menu.

Oh, wow!

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

In one hit?

Four of you came third?
Yeah. Amazing.

I'm very happy I took the risk
to change the dish.

I think that if the judges
had seen it, had I not listened

to their feedback, I probably
wouldn't be joint third.

So I'm glad I took that risk.

Felt good. You know, I got a third
technically.

So it's, yeah, fun.

Got the third. So it's not bad.
It's good.

It was really funny that there was
four of us tied in third place.

It just goes to show how
tight it is.

Well done. Well clone you.

OK. So that brings us to the two
of you, Avi and Danielle.

Ancl your dishes - Scrambled Snake
by the Lake and Eat like a Womble.

How does it feel to have got
this far?

Yeah, really good. Amazing.

Never thought I'd be here.

Your eyes went so big. Yeah.

Was it a bit of a surprise?
Yeah, definitely.

Yeah. I mean, I was really happy
to be here.

I mean, it was...
Yeah, it's unbelievable.

Well, listen, both dishes we thought
were absolutely fantastic today,

but it does all come down to points.

Ancl I can tell you that this was so,
so, so close.

There are only two points in it.

There can, of course, only
be one winner.

And I can tell you now, that
cooking the starter at the banquet

celebrating British animation
and illustration for Paddington's

65th birthday is...

...Avi.

Thank you. Congratulations, Avi.

It's a spectacular dish full of
flavour, bursting with colour.

I think the visual impact
of the dish is one thing,

and it's amazing. And then you eat
it, and it's a cacophony of beauty.

Thank you. Well done.
Congratulations, Avi. Thank you,

Tom. We loved that dish in the
regionals.

Ancl today as well, it absolutely
sang. It was magical.

Everything about it was just a true
celebration of vegetables,

just like it should be.
Thank you.

It got very close to me
as animation, the colours,

the vibrancy of it, you know,
the different tastes that you got

from each of the elements
that you put in there.

I absolutely enjoyed both of the
dishes. Congratulations to

both of you there. Thank you.
Thank you very much.

And, Danielle, this is your first
time in the competition. Yeah.

Ancl you're straight through to
finals. And I know you appreciate

this... Yes, definitely.
..because you're still

so... Ancl you're one of the last
chefs standing.

You should be so proud.
Thank you very much.

We're very proud of you.
Appreciate it.

Like Tom said, it was very,
very close indeed.

Avi just edged it in the end.

But, Danielle, hopefully this sends
you surfing through the week

on a wave of confidence. Yeah.
Brilliant. Thank you. Chefs,

thank you so much.
Avi, congratulations.

Why don't you go back to the kitchen
and get your name up on that board?

Because you are cooking
the starter at our banquet.

Thank you. Well clone, chef.

Congratulations. Well clone.
Brilliant.

Yes!

Did it.

I feel amazing, coming runner-up,

especially against a dish like
Avi's.

Sitting in that chamber, just to be
two of us.

And for me to be one of them
was an amazing feeling.

Yeah, I feel incredibly happy
and so pleased

that I'm in this position.

To nail the first dish
is an absolute hon our

and I feel so good.

Oh, waiting's over.

Who was it then? Yeah?

Well clone.

Yeah. Well done, chef.
Thank you.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Well clone, Dani, as well. Well done.
Well clone.

You'll be on cloud nine for the
rest of the week now, right?

Kulvinder, thank you so much
for coming.

Oh, it's been a pleasure.

We have our starter.
Exciting.

Day one clone.

Cheers, guys. Cheers.
Congratulations. Thank you.

ALL: Cheers.

First one clone, everyone.
Absolutely, cheers, guys.

Tomorrow, the chefs compete to cook
the fish course,

and an award-winning animator
joins us

to judge who will emerge triumphant.

It's anybody's guess.

Hello, my loves.

Hello, Andi. Hi, Andi.
You read my mind.

Cheers, everybody.

Well done. Well done.

Tomorrow, with one less place
at the banquet up for grabs...

I'm scared about that. I'm just,
like, very nervous about this dish.

...the chefs feel the heat when
they cook their fish courses.

Oh!

Oh, BLEEP.

Who will flounder?

It's green and it's slimy.

And who will flourish?

Cooking the fish course
at the banquet is...