Original subtitles

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

Oh, la, la!

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

Hot stuff coming through.

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

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

Rock and roll.

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...

EXCLAMATWNS

Isn't that amazing?!

...from cartoon series to computer games and comics.

Like a Gruffalo... 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?

...both 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!

What?

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

Game on, people.

It's the North East region, which, for Great British Menu,

stretches from Yorkshire and the Humber to Northumberland.

And with four outstanding chefs, we're set for one

of our tightest battles.

God, that's good.

This week, the most talented chefs from the North East

are drawing their inspiration from the finest animations

and illustrations from their region.

Prepare for culinary re-imaginings of the Clangers,

a music video from The Cribs,

and comic strip hero Andy Capp.

We've got four of the very best today, starting

with Northumberland's Cal Byerley.

It feels really exciting to be on Great British Menu

for the first time. Watching the show growing up,

it's a huge hon our to be here.

Competing against him is Rory Welch from County Durham,

who's also a first timer.

How are you doing? You good? Yeah, good.

I'm really competitive. I do want to win, but most of all,

I just want to be here cooking my whole menu.

Third in is another confident newcomer -

Yorkshire's Will Lockwood.

Will. Cal, man. How's it going? Rory - nice to meet you.

I'm aiming for big scores this week.

I think my dishes could... All of them could score highly.

And finally, Gareth Bartram from South Yorkshire.

He tried two years ago and just missed out on cooking

for the judges. I'm Gareth, nice to meet you.

There's a lot at stake. Obviously, it's my second time here.

I've got a lot to prove.

I just really want to get through to that judges' chamber.

It's fantastic to be here. Nice. Yeah, proper chuffed.

It's an hon our. Ready to do my bit. Hopefully get something to the banquet. That'd be amazing.

Hello, chefs. Hello, Andi.

How are you doing? Good, thank you. Very good. Thanks.

So, the first thing I want you to do is make the canape.

Now, the canape needs to be sharp.

It needs to be elegant. And quite importantly, it really needs

to be one bite. It's your first foot forward in

the Great British Menu kitchen.

Let's get cracking, shall we?

The canapes don't need to be themed, but they will be used as a decider

in any tie-break.

And scores could be tight today because they're all at the top

of their game. Cal has a Michelin star

and a Green Star for sustainability.

Gareth has one star.

Will also has a star, and Rory has a Michelin Plate.

Willis using discs made from artichoke puree and xanthan gum

to create a tart. Feeling good.

I just need to blend my artichoke puree and then

fill my tart cases.

He cuts beef tartare for the filling,

while second-timer Gareth's having some trouble

with his cheese and truffle gougere.

A bit concerned about this custard, but it seems to be thickening up now. Yeah, it should be OK.

Fingers crossed.

Cal, meanwhile, is sieving sourdough batter to make a thin, crispy pastry

shell called a Pie Tee.

A Pie Tee is a traditional sort of iron that you clip into hot oil

and then into a batter, then fry.

Trying to control his nerves, he pipes in brown crab emulsion,

followed by white crab.

And Rory sieves pease pudding and shapes

fermented potato flatbreads.

This canape represents my style of cooking because it's something

that's really well-known in the North East.

As Will grates smoked dried ox heart,

they're all trying to showcase their culinary style in one bite.

How would you feel if Paul Ainsworth came through the door? Paul's great. I'd be over the moon.

Do you think he'd get your food? Totally. Tom Aikens?

Yeah. Formidable character.

Angela Hartnett? Yeah. She'd be great.

Another legend of the industry.

How about if I said Michael O'Hare, Gareth?

Yeah. Yeah, brilliant.

So, heads down, lads. Focus, and I'll see you in a minute.

Thank you.

Arriving is one of our most experienced veterans, with both

an MBE and OBE for services to hospitality,

along with a Michelin star at restaurant Murano.

You are due on the pass now, gentlemen.

Wow. Everybody happy'? Yeah. Yeah.

Tasting and scoring their dishes will be Angela Hartnett.

Hello! Hey! Hello.

Hello. How are we all?

Well. Good, thank you.

What do we have?

So, it's a cheese and truffle gougere.

What have we got here, Chef?

Fermented potato flat bread, pease pudding, cured ham,

and pickled wild leek.

Did you cure the ham? Yeah.

What have we got here? Jerusalem artichoke

and a raw beef tart.

Ancl this one? A little sourdough cracker cup. It's filled

with brown crab emulsion, fresh white crab meat,

with some apple dice in there,

lovage pickle jelly, and some sorrel on top.

Mm. What are your expectations from these delightful chefs

with our wonderful brief - animation and illustration?

I think exciting food.

I want to see your imaginations.

I want to see you as individual chefs.

Not much to ask, is it?

Enjoy, guys. Cheers.

These lovely canapes,

I'd like you to rank them in order of preference.

My least favourite was Rory's, not because I felt it didn't lack

flavour, but I think it was just a little bit dense.

That's a nice, dense bread.

Yeah. just like a stottie cake should be. Yeah.

Third? Gareth. You know, I love that gougere. Full of flavour, bursting

in your mouth. Maybe a tad big.

Makes the custard warm. I love that. Yeah. Really good.

And second? Will, for me, was second.

That was delicious.

I loved the quirkiness of it.

The fact that he had that grated meat on top.

That's a ten. Heavens.

Layered up with flavour. Really nice. Smart.

Number one for me is Cal.

You know, that was ten plus.

It was so beautiful, it was so delicate, and it was just bursting

with flavour. So fresh, that. Yeah. Really fresh, Cal. Lovely.

Well, I think we're in for a good week.

This should be a joy to judge.

Right, boys. Let's get going, then. Yeah.

We're onto starters.

This year, there's an extra challenge of making them vegan,

as well as being themed on British animation and illustration.

And Will's basing his on a stop motion animation,

recently revoiced by Sheffield's Michael Palin.

The title of the dish is The Soup Dragon,

inspired by the Clangers.

WHISTLING

Small has come to collect the soup for breakfast.

WHISTLING

THEY IMITATE THE CLANGERS

How are you going to tell us about the Clangers in a plate of food?

On the bottom, there'll be a hen-of-the-woods puree.

On that will be some pickled hen-of-the-woods, and then onions

that I'm going to bake really high.

They'll give some nice crunch, and then there'll be some roasted

hen-of-the-woods, topped with a soup. Like a foamy soup made

out of the watercress, the parsley and the spinach.

Ancl what are you doing with this dye here?

With the green soup, the Clangers would eat a blue string pudding.

Blue string pudding, yes? Yep. So, the purple potatoes,

they get noodled and then they get brined

in the blue dye, and then they'll be fried in a little ring.

Ancl we will top that with wild garlic emulsion

and a fennel pollen vinegar gel.

Very calm, isn't he? Mm. Worried?

A little bit. It sounds good. Good, good.

Will finely chops maitakes for his puree,

as Cal is also preparing mushrooms.

Look at you standing to attention! I know, I'm ready!

What are you cooking for us, Cal?

The name of my dish is the Magical World of Mushrooms,

based on an illustrator. And the book is called

lnkcap and the Blight of the Bonnets.

And who's the illustrator? Kylie Dixon from the North East.

So, this book, they're all mushroom characters? That's right. Yeah.

They live in an allotment of living mushrooms. Mushroomy adventure.

Yeah, exactly. Sounds fun.

I'm doing a mushroom broth with chestnut mushrooms and some

dried ceps, then cooking the mushrooms in very different ways.

We've got the lion's mane... This one here? Yeah.

We're going to baste that in a mushroom miso and vegan butter.

What are these? Those are blue oyster mushrooms,

so we're going to very gently cook those.

I'm going to fry off some of the sourdough starter

and sort of coat the blue oyster mushrooms.

So, you get a lovely, garlicky crunchy mushroom as well

in there. We wish you loads of luck. At ease, soldier.

LAUGHTER

Onto Rory who is taking inspiration from a comic strip

of a flat-cap-wearing, beer-loving Geordie,

which has appeared in the Daily Mirror since 1957.

The title of my dish is Life With Andy Capp,

and it's inspired by... Andy Capp. ..Andy Capp,

illustrated by Reg Smythe from Hartlepool.

What exactly are you cooking?

Beer and onion and mushroom broth.

Ancl then on the side, it's going to be like a little mushroom parfait

toast. That will be piped onto the sourdough,

that will be grilled. And then we finish with truffle.

What are you doing with the grains and the hazelnut?

The grains are going to be in the broth. Yeah.

Ancl then the hazelnuts are going to be through the parfait,

just to give it the body. Right.

Ancl as well, I'm making a burnt nut oil,

just to finish the broth with.

There's a lot of mushrooms here. Take us through what's what.

I've got cauliflower mushroom, scarlet waxca p,

trooping funnel caps, maitakes and the common waxcap.

Ancl they're all just basically going to be grilled in a basket

over the coal. Mushroom city, Here we come. Yeah, it is.

Finally, it's Gareth. And guess what?

He's using mushrooms, too.

So, the title is Mirror Kissers.

It's inspired by a music video by a band, The Cribs.

Oh, The Cribs. Yeah. So, they're from Wakefield.

What's the nature of the video, then? It's 2,740 frames

which have been manipulated to make, like, a start-stop

almost animation style of video. Right.

# You've got a lot to say but don't mention

# The mirror kissing ways of the hipster type... #

So, my dish is basically there's going to be lots of layers

in there. I'm using the Japanese slicer on my potatoes

so I get a nice long ribbon.

I then season it with truffle and thyme, lots of vegan butter.

I'm rolling it around a rolling pin, then I'm going to steam it

and then fry it. Look like a bit of a record almost. OK, OK. Ah!

That's quite tricky, isn't it, to get it fried, and stay crisp and cooked? Exactly.

Yeah. On there as well, you've got some artichoke puree,

then mushroom and kombu sauce.

You've got hen-of-the-woods again? Going to roast off those,

finish them with a little bit of a persillade - a mixture of shallots,

garlic, lots of herbs, tarragon, chervil, parsley.

The expectations are high. Mm-hm.

May the battle begin.

With everyone cooking mushrooms,

they're going to have to do something really special

to stand out.

Will's hoping his green soup will do just that, as he prepares fresh

watercress and parsley to blend later.

I need a good score against these guys.

Quite a lot of different elements, but I think I should get it clone on time.

I've practised it enough, so I need to give it everything.

He pours wild garlic oil for an emulsion, in a recipe

he's adapted to make vegan.

So, instead of using like eggs, you use soy milk.

Rory is starting his broth by cooking down onions

and dried mushrooms.

Feeling confident. just need to get cracking.

Rory's dish - Life With Andy Capp, he's bringing out the barbecue.

He's got a lot of mushrooms there. He's got a lot of barbecue flavour.

That's his thing. But if there's no acidity to cut it,

it could be quite flat.

Will's delicious dish - The Soup Dragon.

He's obviously got the watercress soup, then he's got

the mushroom dashi.

Then I think there's a mushroom puree, so it's all quite wet.

So, I just hope that, as you eat it, you feel it's not just all liquid.

Like Rory, Cal is also simmering mushrooms for a broth.

God, that's good.

Whilst Gareth is slightly bucking the mushroom trend

by having potatoes at the heart of his dish.

I'm doing a potato and truffle spiral.

It's very important to get a good score in the starters. It puts you in a good place,

ready for the rest of the competition.

Gareth, that potato spiral, he has to nail that.

Soft in the inside, crispy on the outside.

Seasoned beautifully.

Cal's dish - The Magical World of Mushrooms?

So, I like the sound of Cal's dish.

He's nailed the brief. And as long as it tastes great,

he should be getting top marks in this one.

Cal works on wrapping leeks in salt dough for baking,

as Gareth starts to layer his wafer-thin potato sheets.

I want to brush this with a little bit of vegan butter.

A little bit of salt, a little bit of thyme leaves. Grate some truffle

inside. I'm just going to spread it out. Make sure it's nice and even.

He carefully rolls the potato strips

around a covered rolling pin.

Easy as that. He puts them in to steam,

and turns to his mushroom sauce

and artichoke puree.

My kombu dashi stock.

And my mushroom stock.

Oh, I've just messed up.

I've made a mistake. I've poured my dashi stock

into my Jerusalem artichoke puree

when it should have gone into my sauce.

There's no time to remake his puree,

so he pours the stock into the right pan and keeps going.

Only thing I've got to do now, because I've added that stock

to the Jerusalem artichokes, I need to re-caramelise those.

So, panic averted now.

He's honed his calm kitchen style as head chef at Lincolnshire's only

Michelin-starred restaurant Winteringham Fields.

I started in a butcher's shop, slowly worked my way into a kitchen.

Worked my way through the ranks. And now I'm here.

My proudest moment has to be being awarded a Michelin star.

Held it now for four years. Ancl it's a very proud achievement.

How long on that lamb garnish, guys? One minute, please, Chef. Oui, that.

We only do tasting menus.

Six course at lunch, eight course at dinner.

It's uber-seasonal, relaxed fine dining.

I love to see the excitement in the kitchen when I'm creating

new dishes. And when it goes down on the table, just to see

the guests enjoy it.

That, for me, is just amazing.

Service, please.

Today he's got the toughest customer of all.

What have you got working here? What are these two things here?

So, this is my Jerusalem artichoke puree.

Ancl this is my mushroom sauce.

What have you got in there? Obviously mushrooms.

There's all the mushroom trim, from all of my mushrooms

I've prepped, shallots,

there's some white wine, kombu stock, and mushroom stock as well.

Yeah, you can taste that white wine, can't you?

Gareth can cook. Listen. Technically, flavour-wise, ticks every box.

I just hope it's going to have that wow factor.

Will has maitake mushrooms on to roast, as he prepares

his Clangers-inspired spiralized potato blue string pudding.

Right, I'm going to start weighing out the potato.

He fries them in rings to keep a perfect circle,

then he blitzes up his mushroom puree.

They look exciting. Blue potato nests.

Ancl how are you looking? Yeah, good. Good.

So, this is your mushroom puree?

So, it's hen-of-the-woods cooked down in, like,

a mushroom dashi, kombu, and loads of dried mushrooms.

Are you on time? Yeah. Yeah, I'm looking good.

His competition is looking good, too, as Cal unveils the king

of the mushroom jungle.

These are lion's mane mushrooms grown in Gates head,

right under the Tyne Bridge.

Which is just up the road from his Northumberland

restaurant Pine.

After opening in 2021,

it quickly racked up the accolades.

My proudest moment as a chef so far would definitely

be winning the red and green Michelin star this year at Pine.

In the kitchen, my style is less conformist to traditional

methods of cooking. It's a bit more raw, new world

sort of cooking style.

Basically we don't do creme brulees!

What you put in is what you get out, so, you know, the harder you work,

the bigger the benefit.

I'm very competitive, especially at like Scrabble and things like that,

so I'm hoping it comes across in the cooking.

I think it would be amazing to get a dish to the banquet, not only

just for myself, the restaurant, but for the North East in general.

It would be huge.

Cal's hoping to add a Great British Menu win to his trophy

cabinet, as he moves his lion's mane mushrooms to the barbecue.

Just basting them in miso vegan butter,

and then some fermented cep juice as well.

They're like sponges, so really takes on all that flavour.

He's making tin loaves to go with it, and each one is topped

with an illustration.

You're looking quite in control. Yeah. A little bread to go on the side with the broth.

So, in there, there's allium flowers, wild garlic

and wild leek flowers, and some chive flowers from the garden as well.

I think you have a lot to do, Cal. You're like...

Cal's the chef you want in your kitchen.

Flavour-wise, I think he should nail it.

It's just making sure that, in the time, he does do it

and his bread is cooked properly.

Rory, can I get in after you on 250?

Yeah. just for the bread, after your onions.

For his starter, inspired by Andy Capp's love of beer,

Rory has roasted onions to go in the bottom of his broth, which now

has kombu sheets in to give a more umami flavour.

Alongside it, he's reducing some local stout.

What are you up to? I've just got my broth in there.

I've just got my liquid in, so it's just cooking away.

Got my barley on, Imperial stout glaze.

Just need to get a bit of vinegar in there.

Cook it down a bit more. It's quite treacly, isn't it? Yeah.

Ancl you're feeling quietly confident? Yeah.

Head down and get cooking.

In another pan, he's cooking more mushrooms for his parfait,

and adds hazelnuts for texture.

Gareth blitzes his artichoke puree and adds a dash of lemon juice.

And Cal has fresh loaves aplenty,

and is clarifying his mushroom broth.

I froze it and now I'm going to ice filtrate it,

and then you get a nice, refined, clear broth after that.

It's Will to serve first.

He pipes his wild garlic emulsion and fennel pollen vinegar gel

onto his blue potato string, then adds tiny nasturtium leaves.

They look striking. Yeah, mega.

He begins to layer his soup bowl with the mushroom puree, as Cal

helps by whizzing up his watercress veloute.

Full power for 90 seconds, please.

What's going in there? Onions?

Yeah. So, they're cooked at 300 degrees,

so they sort of steam in their own skin. Five minutes, Will, yeah?

Yes, Chef.

Everyone pitches in to plate roasted and pickled maitake mushrooms,

truffle shavings and wild garlic capers.

Finally, it's topped with the watercress veloute,

and the blue string pudding is on the side.

CLANGER WH ISTLES

The Soup Dragon. Inspiration is the Clangers.

How are you feeling? Yeah, good.

Broke into a little sweat there, Will? Yeah, a little bit.

Yeah. Have you forgotten something, Will?

Yeah. Oh! My mum would not be happy.

Your mum? Yeah. So, she made these Clangers out of felt.

Oh! Oh, wow! And you nearly forgot!

Yes. Aw!

Will's mum, hello! Oh, wow.

Right. Let's go, Will! Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

Shall we see if it tastes as good as it looks, gentlemen? Yeah.

Are you happy with how your mushrooms are?

Yeah. The texture of them? Yeah.

I like to give them a real good roast, sort of firm them up,

so they've got a bit more texture.

Can you taste all the different preparations of mushrooms?

Yeah, I can. The pickled maitake comes through a lot more

than the others. It's pretty tasty.

What's the texture and consistency of this like? As you wanted?

Yeah, crunchier. Could be slightly crunchier.

How about that veloute? The watercress veloute? Cal?

Yeah. I thought that was delicious. More.

Do you think this dish has met the brief? Yeah, very much so. Yeah.

Ancl if you scored it, what would you give it?

An eight. Any element you'd change?

No, I think the soup could have clone with slightly more seasoning.

We're going to go for our first lot of scoring.

You know, it's an eight.

He's really told the story of it, so, yeah, I'd agree. Eight.

Yeah, a good start. It's an eight for me.

How'd that go? All right. Who's up next?

Me.

Cal's finishing his dish, based on the adventures

of an allotment of mushrooms. What's that, Cal?

So, this is a vegan herb butter.

Will decorates the butter with nasturtiums,

as Cal places the salt-baked leek hearts and the lion's mane

mushroom around the bowl.

What mushrooms are these ones now? So, these are blue oysters.

Ancl then I've just coated them in a black garlic emulsion

with tamari as well. What's the crumb on top of them, sorry?

So, I've just fried sourdough starter.

It's all hands on deck as they scatter truffle

and borage cress.

One minute, Cal. Thank you.

He decants his clarified mushroom broth, then finishes with garlic

capers, pickled shiso herb leaves,

and wild leek oil.

It's served in a mushroom allotment, with a freshly baked bread

and herb butter alongside.

Name of the dish - The Magical World of Mushrooms.

So, the book is lnkcap and the Blight of the Bonnets.

A book all about living mushrooms.

Happy? Yes. It's exactly how I want it to be.

What do you think, Will? Yeah, beautiful. Right.

Thank you. Good luck, Chef.

Gareth, talk to me about that broth.

Yeah, the broth is delicious. It's got great flavour there.

Nice clarity as well. He's clone exactly what he set out to do.

Happy with the cooking of your leeks? Yeah.

Tender. Sometimes I hate when you get a leek,

it's sort of, you know... Firm? Yeah, firm.

You get bits in your teeth, and I don't think I've got

that with that. I think that's, for me, perfect.

Let's move to the mushrooms. Let's start with the lion's mane.

Will? Yeah, it's got a beautiful texture, a nice crust on it.

What about the cooking of the other mushrooms?

Do you think the garlic is coming through enough? Yeah, I do.

The crumb on the top? Yeah, yeah.

Great texture on that. Yeah. Sort of sour flavour.

It's delicious, that crumb.

And your bread. Cooked enough for you?

If I was being hypercritical, I would say maybe another

ten minutes proving.

All right. Should we score it? I'm going to go with nine.

I'm going to go eight.

Yeah, eight for me as well.

Do you think this is better than Will's dish?

Hopefully. What would you score it?

I'd really love a high score with this one. Eight, nine, ten? Nine?

I really love this dish. I put loads of effort into this dish.

I hope it shows.

How was that, Cal? It's tough, man.

Yeah, it was tough getting everything up. Did she give anything away?

She said it was an 11 all clay. Nah, I'm joking.

LAUGHTER

Rory's next.

He's barbecuing wild mushrooms and his roasted onions over spruce

to get a smoky flavour,

as Will helps by piping the mushroom and hazelnut

parfait onto barbecued toasted sourdough.

Some hazelnut. Four or five bits.

Ancl then completely lace it with truffle. Yep.

Ancl a couple of bits of wood sorrel. Yep.

Rory, three minutes. Yeah. Thank you.

The smoky, wild mushrooms are given a basting to finish.

What's that going on? Imperial stout. Nice.

I'll just finish it with a bit of smoked vinegar. Lovely.

Just for a bit of acidity. It's called Big Trouble Al'Owa.

Big Trouble Al'Owa?

Sticky soy barley and the mushrooms are spooned into bowls.

What sort of mushrooms have you got in there? I've got some scarlet

waxcaps going in. Some cauliflower mushroom.

His mushroom broth goes into jugs on the side.

Right, lads.

Oh.

So, it's Life With Andy Capp,

inspired by the comic strip Andy Capp.

He pours out the broth at the pass,

adds some burnt nut oil, and serves with the cap on top.

Sleeping. Andi Capp.

Right. Let's go, then.

Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

I just think that looks very inviting. Yeah.

Sticky and dark and yummy. Yeah, it looks good.

Are you happy with your broth? Yeah. I'm happy with it. Yeah? just a nice

really deep, rich-flavoured broth.

Perfectly seasoned, the broth. Coats everything really nicely.

Yeah. Keeps all that flavour going in your mouth. Really good.

How do you feel the roasting of the mushrooms is?

Yeah, it's good. And you want that smoke flavour coming through?

Yeah, I want that smoke flavour in there.

What about the grains? Lovely bite to them.

Pearl barley. Yeah, real nice texture. I love barley in broths.

Me, too. It's really homely, sort of, yeah.

Parfait. Are you happy with the consistency of your mushrooms?

Yeah, I'm very happy. With the hazelnuts in it, I think

it just gives it a bit of body.

One question is - is it one note? Potentially.

It's a good note, though.

What would you score it? Solid eight.

Why would you mark it eight? Maybe a bit of a pickled element

cos the parfait is really rich.

I'm going to go a strong eight. Eight for me. Will, what do you think?

Yeah, I'm going eight as well.

How was that? Yeah, it was tough.

She gives nothing away, does she? No.

Last to serve,

Gareth pan-fries some hen-of-the-woods.

Nice fresh herbs, lots of butter - vegan butter.

Vegan butter, obviously.

The potato spirals are crisped up in the deep fat fryer.

The perfect chip.

The Perspex plates are a representation of his Cribs

music video inspiration.

What's that going on there, Gareth? Jerusalem artichoke puree.

On the puree ring,

he places the hen-of-the-woods and his potato.

Gareth, four minutes. I'm probably going to be a little bit early.

What are they going on there? So, these are my pickled shimejis.

To represent the layers in the music video,

he's layering his dish with splashes of mushroom sauce, nasturtium

leaves and truffle slices.

OK. So, this is Mirror Kissers.

Inspiration - The Cribs, who are from Wakefield, and their video

for their song Mirror Kisses.

Wow. Very colourful.

Let's go and eat it.

All right. Shall we try The Cribs Mirror Kissers?

So, how were the potatoes for you?

Yeah, they're good. Nice and crispy, as I wanted. Truffle's come through.

Nicely seasoned.

Yeah, deep-fried potato. Who doesn't like that?

Just like a really her by chip. It's delicious.

Artichoke puree?

Yeah. Delicious. Consistency? Yeah, I'm happy with that.

It's got great flavour. Nicely caramelised.

His hen-of-the-woods, how's it treating you?

Nice. There's, like, good depth of flavour.

Maybe a touch more salt on it.

The temperature of the dish, because obviously it's on this,

is it going to remain hot enough?

Might be nice to try and get the board hot.

It's just going to help maintain that heat.

Where do you think it sits amongst the other three? I think

we're all pretty level pegging, to be fair.

What would you score it? I think an eight.

So, let's have some scores. I'm going to say a seven.

I'd agree. I think a seven.

Seven, I think. The flavours are sort of...

Yeah, quite safe.

Here he is. Here he is. How are we?

All good? Yeah, man. You? Yeah, good. Yeah, I'm good.

Happy with that? Yeah, I was happy.

Angela give much away?

Yeah, wouldn't like to play poker with her.

Well, starters were good.

Weren't they? Yeah, really good.

I mean, that's a really high standard to start

the competition with. I'm thinking there's a couple of pretty good

scores in there.

I don't know, Andi. I don't know.

LAUGHTER Don't tease me, Angela!

Let's do it.

Hello, chefs. Hello.

All round, loads of flavour and great storytelling.

Will, for your dish, The Soup Dragon,

it was a really clever presentation.

I loved your mum's arts and crafts.

I'd love her to move next to me so she can do all my sewing.

The watercress soup, for me,

it needed more seasoning, as you said. And I felt it needed

that more pepper flavour to come through - you know, the pepperiness

of the watercress. Yep.

I thought your roasted hen-of-the-woods,

they had great texture to the soup.

They had great acidity with the pickled onions.

I thought that was a really lovely touch.

Overall, I thought this was a great dish with really

complementary flavours. So, well clone.

Cal, for your dish, The Magical World of Mushrooms...

...your presentation looked fun. Visually, it was great.

It really did have that wow factor.

I think maybe you need a little card to explain the connection

with the book.

I thought your mushroom broth was spectacular.

I really thought that was so delicious.

Garlic was a big part of your dish.

I didn't feel it came through enough.

I liked your white tin loaf.

I think you're right. Needed a bit more proofing,

and maybe it would have been slightly

less doughy as a result.

Rory, for your dish, Life With Andy Capp, I really

enjoyed your presentation.

The cap, the flavours of the stout really helped reinforce that story.

Mushroom broth, again, delicious.

Deep in flavour and very rich.

I did like your mushroom parfait on the char-grilled toast.

It was a nice addition, actually.

It was really tasty.

You need a bit more acidity to cut through your dish.

You know, that broth is rich, so you need something that's

going to lighten that slightly.

Gareth, for your dish Mirror Kissers,

I like the inspiration of the music video.

It was a fun link to the brief.

I just think that board, you know, as soon as it hit

that Perspex, your dish would have gone too cold.

I loved your potato and your truffle -

the spiral, it was well made.

It was crispy.

Had a good hit of the truffle.

I think I just wanted more of it.

Your Jerusalem artichoke - full of flavour.

Again, just needed more of it.

And so to the scores.

Will...

...|'m giving you...

...an eight.

Will, I love the way that this dish came together.

Deep and satisfying flavours.

Well done. Thank you.

Cal...

...I'm scoring you...

...a nine. Thank you.

That broth was just spectacular.

So much flavour. Thank you.

Rory...

...I'm scoring you...

...a SEVEN.

I just thought you needed a little relief to it.

Something bright, something sharp, something herbaceous.

Gareth...

...I'm scoring you...

...a SEVEN.

I just felt it was a bit muted.

Needed a bit more oomph to turn up the flavour. OK.

This is probably, in all honesty, the strongest

round I've ever tasted first off the bat, I'd say so.

So, well clone, all of you. Thank you. Thank you, guys.

See you for fish.

Well done. Well clone, guys.

Quality. Well clone. Well clone.

Nerve-racking, yeah? I can't feel my legs.

Fish course, lads. Yeah. Got to impress Angela. Yeah.

Fish course - very important they get this right.

Got to nail it.

One of them goes home after this.

Going into the fish course, I feel a little bit nervous.

I'm feeling a little bit disheartened maybe from the score I got.

But if I go out confident, I'm sure I'll come out on top.

Proper chuffed getting a nine for the starter.

If I can deliver on the fish, I think I'm in good stead.

Happy to get eight on the board, so I just need to knuckle down,

not make any mistakes.

I've got to be coming back fighting for the fish course.

If I don't, then I'm going home.

Rory hopes to stay in the competition with a dish

inspired by the just So Story -

How the Whale Got His Throat, illustrated

by South Shields' Sheila Graber.

It tells of a shipwrecked sailor who uses a raft

to stop a whale eating all the fish in the ocean,

including some plaice.

How are you going to get this whale story onto a plate?

I've got the plaice which I'm just going to pan-roast,

pickled celeriac, and I'm doing a smoked dulse salad.

Ancl then I'm making a sauce. I bake potatoes in the embers

and just finish in the oven. Nice.

Ancl then it's going to be equal parts potato, dashi

and neutral oil, trout roe, and pepper dulse.

Nice. Ancl chives. So, would that be like thick?

Not mayonnaisey, but... Really thick, yeah.

What's your biggest worry on this?

Just to get the balance right, cos you can just totally

destroy dishes with smoke.

Gareth is cutting brill into tranches, and he's equally

determined to get through to the next round in this,

his second attempt at Great British Menu.

Feel good to be back? Yes, I remember the pressure

well now. It's all coming back to me.

The title of your dish, please?

So, the title of the dish is Fishing For Green Soup,

and the inspiration is the Clangers.

We're back at the Clangers. I'm using brill.

And what are you doing with your brill? I'm going to barbecue it.

It needs very, very careful cooking.

30 seconds here or there, and it could be undercooked. Destroyed. Destroyed, yeah.

And what's with it? Leeks cooked in whey, a sorrel sauce,

compressed cucumbers, and some grape.

So, the whey? Yeah, so it's a by-product of yoghurt.

So, that's where the acidity is coming from? Yeah. OK. Interesting.

Quite a naked plate of food.

Exactly that. So, it's nerve-racking.

Current leader Cal is wilting spinach and preparing sea herbs.

I'm very intrigued to see what you're going to come up with

for the fish course.

So, yeah, Paddington's Catch, based on an episode. Obviously,

classic Paddington, gets into all sorts of bother -

catches his fish, loses his fish.

I plan to cook the fish. So, what fish are we having?

We've got plaice. Basically,

I'm going to debone the whole thing because we're going to stuff

it with a mousse made from some more plaice, New Zealand spinach, dill.

So, it's going to have fish top and bottom, and then the mousse

running through the middle. Sounds gorgeous. Angela? Very much so.

Ancl the sauce with it? Doing like a white wine sauce,

but with fermented white asparagus juice. What would the danger be -

that you could split that stuffing?

We'll see when we carve into it, I guess.

Cal preps his con fit potatoes.

I'm going to cook them in rapeseed oil, produced on the same farm

as well.

Whilst just one point behind him in the scores,

Willis basing his course on the same famous bear.

The title is A Buried Treasure, inspired by an episode

of Paddington Bear called Paddington Finds Buried Treasure.

In this episode, what happens?

They sort of dig down, find this broken vase.

Oh! What's this?

Oh, treasure!

See, Judy!

That's not treasure.

It's just a worthless bit of pottery.

So, you're recreating this vase?

I've broken the plates on purpose with a hammer.

Yeah. And stuck them back together with gold. And all the shellfish

will be in the bottom, hence the treasure.

Tell me about what's going in this bowl, then.

So, we've got roasted scallops, razor clams, pickled mussels.

They're pickled in elderflower vinegar.

Got a sauce made out of English sparkling wine, some yoghurt whey,

with some samphire in there, and split with some chive oil.

Ancl then it's topped and gratinated with potato and a sheep cheese

sort of mousse. What's your main worry on this dish?

Getting all the shellfish cooked.

It all comes together at the last second.

Will combines whey with fermented onion and mushroom juices

for a sauce,

as Gareth uses his whey to cook his leeks in.

Coming out all guns blazing, do you know what I mean?

Bottom of the pile with me and Rory, but

one of us is going to shine here.

He's hoping his brill will get him through, as he skewers it

for the barbecue,

whilst Rory prepares seaweed for smoking later...

This one I'm just prepping up now is dulse.

...and Cal is starting his fermented asparagus juice sauce.

Shallots, garlic, some thyme.

Then that's just fired down with white wine.

Then you add in the fermented white asparagus juice, so a very tangy

white asparagus flavour.

Cal's dish - Paddington's Catch? He's technically

really pushing himself there.

He's going to put those fillets, which have no bones holding them

together, on a barbecue.

I am absolutely holding my fingers, that does not stick and that works.

Gareth's dish - Fishing For Green Soup.

We're back to the Clangers.

We love the Clangers. SHE IMITATES THE CLANGERS

So, this brill that he's got, it's quite a delicate fish.

He's putting it on the barbecue, he's putting it on the grill.

Yeah, that I feel is quite brave.

If he gets his fish right, great. If he doesn't...

He ain't going through. ..it's going to be a problem.

Rory's dish - How the Whale Got His Throat.

He's using plaice. You don't want to kill that plaice with loads

of too much smoky flavour

that actually is going to destroy it with the garnish.

So, the balance is all for him.

It's hot in here, isn't it?

Will's dish - this Buried Treasure. I love the sound of this.

He's got all his shellfish at the bottom.

Then he's going to have his whey coming through there.

I don't want a repeat of his first course, and they do sound similar

in how they're being plated and styled.

Willis hoping his emulsion will make it more fish pie

than fish soup. I'm making the potato and cheese foam now.

Boil them, blend them with cream, butter and sheep cheese.

He preps his shellfish for cooking later.

Back in York, Willis head chef for one of our veterans, Tommy Banks,

at the one-starred Roots restaurant.

My food is quite creative.

I try to use quite simple ingredients in quite a complex way.

As a chef, I get inspired by foraged ingredients, and then preserved

ingredients in the winter months.

I like the unique flavour they give my food.

I would say I'm very competitive.

My boss, Tommy, has obviously been really successful

in the competition, so I've got a lot to live up to.

Ancl I want to beat him.

Harry, will you get that lamb, please? Yes, Chef.

I feel like I'll bring a fresh perspective and a new style

to the kitchen.

Service.

The potato and cheese emulsion is now cooked

and ready to go into the espuma gun.

Oh!

BLEEP!

Whoops.

To add to the pressure, along comes Angela.

What's in there, then?

So, this is sheep cheese, boiled potatoes, butter, cream, salt.

Feeling all right? Yeah. Good. Good, time-wise.

Sounds in control.

Yes, it is. I'll let you get on. Until the last five minutes.

All right.

He's basically got this foam going over the top of his dish.

It tasted delicious. Really good.

What he's got to make sure, though, is when he burns it,

it doesn't flatten down and it still holds the structure.

Like Will, Cal's been inspired by Paddington,

as he mixes together his spinach and dill mousse.

And like Rory, he's cooking one of Britain's favourite fish.

Plaice, it's a beautiful fish.

Yeah. Great choice. Nice and sustainable.

Yeah, "plaice" to be.

It's anyone's game. Definitely.

It's a big moment for Cal as he has to debone his plaice

without damaging the flesh or skin.

So, you're going over the backbone?

Yeah, going over the backbone.

So, it's like a nice big parcel. And then, yeah,

mousse in, fold it back over,

and I should be able to get three or four nice tranches.

OK.

He's boning out his fish. He's got to get that right.

It's technically tricky.

That's the key to his dish.

You know, he's got to make sure that delivers on every count.

Rory's pickling celeriac with thyme and juniper berries

for his How The Whale Got His Throat plaice dish.

It's a very simple dish, but I've just got to nail everything.

He scoops out the flesh of his barbecued baked potatoes,

and mixes with kombu dashi stock for his sauce.

Back in Gates head, Rory is head chef at Trakol restaurant

under the Tyne Bridge.

My career highlights so far would probably be winning

the North East Chef of the Year in 2017.

The food I cook is everything is cooked over an open fire.

We use a lot of rare heritage breed meats.

Sustainability is massive to us.

What we're trying to achieve is the green Michelin star.

With the projects that we've got going on, we've got the outdoor

garden, the indoor grill room,

and the mushroom room as well.

I wouldn't say I've got like a definite style.

A lot of my cooking doesn't really have much planning.

It's cooking off the cuff.

Great British Menu means a lot to me because I've watched pretty much

every series since I started being a chef.

There's going to be a lot of pressure and stress.

I think that's just part of it, and I'll just have to handle it.

Service, please.

He's now blended his potato and dashi stock to make

his sauce base.

Oh, there's lots of it, isn't there? Go for it.

Yeah, so it is much thicker, isn't it?

I will let it down when I go to serve it.

Ooh, you get that dashi through there. Yeah.

So, then I'm going to finish it with the trout roe, the chives

and the seaweeds, and then a little bit of the vinegar,

just to cut it right at the end.

He looks like he's in control of everything.

He needs to make sure he doesn't overpower everything

with all these different seaweeds and pickles and stuff now.

For his Clangers green soup,

Gareth is compressing cucumber with dill and chardonnay vinegar.

What did you use to watch as a kid, Will?

Thomas the Tank Engine. Classic. Postman Pat as well.

Another good one. Wacky Races. I used to love Wacky Races.

Oh, Wacky Races was so good! Yeah. Yeah.

His leeks are now finished, and he's reducing

down the whey cooking juice.

That's what I'm going to brush my fish in. Taste that.

So, it's quite sticky. It should be a little bit salty,

a little bit acidic. So, it should really lift the whole thing.

Ancl that's how you're cooking your brill, then? Yes. Ah!

So, I've got skewers. Will you take the skin off or leave the skin on?

I'm going to take the skin off. The skin is there just to protect the flesh.

Gareth gives his brill a final turn and Cal stuffs his plaice

with the spinach and dill mousse, before also getting

it on the barbecue.

The fish is at about 35. It needs to come to about 48-50

before it's ready.

Will adds butter to emulsify his yoghurt whey sauce,

and Rory's fired pine and hay to smoke his seaweed.

Has the fish come out how you wanted it, Gareth? Looks spot-on to me.

Four minutes to go. Yeah.

First to serve, Gareth lets his fish rest as he finishes his sauce.

This is basically my base for my sauce.

Ancl then it's literally sorrel and spinach in there.

Everything ready to go,

he carves his fish.

How are you serving the brill, Gareth?

I'm literally going to take it off the bone.

And it's brushed with the whey reduction.

If you can just go a couple of leeks either side.

A couple of leeks either side, yeah.

Will, can you just go with three grape?

One on top of each of the leeks, then one on top of the fish.

Sea purslane and oyster leaf to go on top.

Last thing to go on is caviar.

Chive oil is dotted around, and the sorrel sauce is served

on the side.

The name of the dish is Fishing For Green Soup,

and it's inspired by the Clangers.

All right, let's go and taste it. Well done, Gareth.

Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

WHISTLING

There we go. I just had to get it out of my system.

Yeah, me too!

Cooking of the fish, happy with that?

Very happy with that. I think the cuisson's pretty spot-on, really.

Perfectly cooked.

It's still kind of... Really meaty.

Yeah, it's meaty, but it's kind of really tender at the same time. Mm.

It's really lovely, isn't it?

How was the sauce for you? Consistency is perfect.

It's got that nice, luxurious feel to it.

Real sort of luxurious finish with the caviar going through.

It does have a luxurious feel. It's quite buttery. Yeah.

So, chive oil - that worked for you? Yeah.

Maybe I could have put a little bit more on.

Then maybe it would have come through a little bit more.

Anything you'd change?

Maybe the cooking of the leeks.

I did think maybe they're a little bit over. What would you mark it?

A nine. Yeah.

You feel this is going to take you through to the main courses? Yeah.

I'm going to say eight. Why not a ten?

I don't know. I think it could be a bit more adventurous. A bit more exciting.

Yeah, a bit more adventurous.

I'm going to go nine. Nine for me.

Will is next.

And he's got razor clams and samphire for the start

of his Paddington's Buried Treasure.

You need any help? Not as yet.

Then when scallops hit the pan, all hell breaks loose.

He chars, then chops his leeks.

Put a tablespoon of leek in each. Each one, yeah?

Yeah.

The scallops hit the pan, and he puts mussels

into the mended broken bowls.

So, they're steamed. Yeah.

Ancl then they are pickled in elderflower vinegar.

Three minutes left. Yes, Chef.

Hot whey sauce is poured into the pans.

So, the razor clams are just cooked in the sauce.

The scallops have been added to the mussels and the mix

is poured over,

then the sheep's cheese and potato emulsion tops it off.

What are you doing there, Will? So, I'm just gratinating

the emulsion.

This is the tricky bit, as he's got to make sure the heat

doesn't deflate it.

Ooh! OK, name of the dish, Will? Inspiration?

The name of the dish is Buried Treasure

and the inspiration is Paddington Bear.

Looks fantastic. Yeah. Really good.

I want to eat it.

Right. Let's go, Will.

"Within this dish, you'll find a seafood delight that's sure

"to bring you pleasure."

"So dig right down and take a bite to find your buried treasure."

Are you happy with your potato emulsion?

Yeah, I think it brings a nice sort of creaminess to it.

Not too much potato, cos it would be too rich.

I think it's verging, you know, on the edge of being too heavy.

But I think it's just bang-on.

How's the seafood for you?

The scallops, they were quite small, so I tried to keep them as close

to opaque as possible.

What about your mussels? Lovely.

Just the elderflower vinegar on the mussels - really good.

Happy with the cooking of the razor clams?

Yeah, they're howl like them. They're nice and soft and sweet.

Good texture. You can really differentiate

between the seafoods, the way he's dressed them individually.

Right. What would you score it, then?

Maybe a...nine?

Make you nervous? Definitely.

Yeah? Gareth, you go first.

Well, it's ten all clay for me.

That's a ten. Ten all day for me.

Ten all clay. Yeah.

Wow. Good dish.

Cracking dish, man. Yeah? Yeah. Unreal. Bit of a gamble.

Serving next, Cal is crisping up his fish skin

before giving his plaice a final

charring next to the coals.

That looks nice. Yeah, man, it's spot-on.

Now, all he has to do is take his boneless fish out of the cage.

Easier said than done.

Delicate fish as well, the plaice.

Yeah, it's a really delicate fish.

The hard thing is getting it from the cage

to the board. Very carefully - one, two, three. OK, pull that cage away.

Thank you.

Very carefully, he begins to cut portions,

making sure no mousse is pushed out.

Cal, you've got ten minutes. I would like to come up early,

if that's possible. That's fine. Thank you.

Each slice layered with the con fit potatoes, caviar...

just a bit of luxury, really.

...spinach, oyster leaf and oxalis.

Then it's one final delicate move to get it onto the serving board.

Two bits of crispy skin on all of them, please.

The fermented asparagus sauce is split with dill oil

and served on the side.

So, this is Paddington's Catch, from an episode of Paddington

where he loses a fish, finds a fish,

and now I've cooked the fish.

Beautifully clone. I'm an old hand. Been here, clone that a few times.

I'll bring the sauce. Well clone. Thank you.

All right, enjoy. Good luck, Chef.

Stuffing a fish is difficult enough without then

cooking it on a barbecue.

A lot of things could potentially go wrong and he's nailed it.

So, how was that for you?

It was pretty scary, to be fair. Mm.

Happy with the cooking of the plaice?

Yeah. If I was going to do it again, I'd cook it the same way,

if I'm being honest.

Texture and consistency of the mousse, you're happy with?

I was worried about the mousse cos it's very lightly cooked.

I'm pleased with how it's come out. And the flavour of dill

has come through enough? I think it has. But you could argue it could

have more chopped dill through that mousse, perhaps.

The sauce is really good.

Like, the cooking of the fish is just absolutely perfect.

Ancl you like the consistency of the sauce?

You could have it thicker. You could have it foamier, but I want to

be able to pour it. OK. What would you score that?

I'd like another nine.

I think it could be a ten.

It is. It is a ten. There you go!

There you go!

I'm going to say nine,

cos I think he probably will struggle to do that at the banquet.

Nine for me. Yeah. Excellent fish cookery, sauce maybe a little bit

on the thin side, but still tasty.

How's it going?

How was that? Tough, that one. I thought the starter was tough.

That was something else.

Just Rory to go.

He mixes smoked dulse with the pickled celeriac,

and finishes his potato and caviar sauce.

Is that trout roe you've just put in that pan? Trout roe, pepper dulse,

I'm just going to finish it with some chives.

A bit of lemon. Sounds beautiful, that, mate.

It really does. just rich.

He starts pan-frying the plaice.

What sort of cuisson are you looking for in your fish?

I'm just looking to get it nice and opaque in the middle.

Nice golden brown.

Happy with it, Rory? Yeah. Perfect. It looks banging.

The pickled celeriac and smoked dulse go on top of the plaice.

What are the fronds, Rory? So, they're pickled rock samphire,

just pickled in a bit of stray vinegar.

Finally, he spoons over the potato and caviar sauce.

Alongside the pebbles,

he's got a message in a bottle and a raft to link

to the whale's story.

Title of the dish is How the Whale Got His Throat,

and the inspiration is an illustrator called Sheila Graber

from South Shields, and she illustrated the just So Stories.

"A greedy whale ate numerous fishes in the sea, including plaice,

"leaving only a resourceful shipwrecked mariner,

"who he also swallowed along with his raft."

Let's go, Rory.

Thanking you. Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

Yeah, I think it's cooked perfectly.

How's the seasoning on that dish?

Yeah. Do you think it's nailed it for you? Yeah, yeah.

I don't want to put any more in.

When I have the fish on its own, the seasoning is

very high, almost on the edge.

And then when you have it with everything else,

it just levels itself out. Yeah.

Anything you'd change on the sauce?

Uh, no. It's rich with the potato. Nice with smokiness,

cos it's been cooked on the embers.

I think it's a well-balanced, well-rounded sauce.

Do you feel the dulse, the seaweed salad -

does that come through, work for you? Yeah, I think so.

I think, like, it's quite smoky.

Smoked dulse. Who knew? Unbelievable.

It really holds the smoke.

Yeah, almost like it's been cooked on a barbecue.

Do you think it tells a story and hits the brief?

I think it definitely tells a story and hits the brief.

So, so far, perfect, perfect, perfect? What are we saying? A ten?

Well, there's always room for improvement.

I can't pick a fault with it, to be honest. I think it's

a magical plate of food. On that note,

let's have some scores, then.

A ten all clay. Yeah, it's a ten. Yeah, he should be proud of that.

Ten all clay. Yeah, got to agree. Ten.

Here he is. Hello.

All right, lads. Aye. How was that?

Yeah, mint. Yeah. Real, real smart.

Just been full-on, hasn't it?

Yeah, yeah. Competition's strong, though, innit?

Yeah, I think we're doing the North East proud. Yeah, absolutely.

Like, spot-on cooking. Well, I don't know about you,

but I'm having an excellent day, Angela.

Aren't you?

Listen, I don't think there was a dud dish amongst them.

No. There were some exceptional dishes, but they were certainly

all high up there.

It's always difficult. Yeah. It's even more difficult than usual.

Yeah. It's not going to be an easy decision.

OK, guys, shall we go and get some scores? Good luck, guys.

Good luck. Good luck. Good luck.

Currently Rory and Gareth are on seven,

Willis on eight, and Cal's on nine.

It's now time to find out which one will be leaving us.

Hello, chefs.

Hello. Hello. So, we were expecting glorious cooking

and we got glorious cooking.

Thanks for that. You're not making my job easy at all.

So, Gareth, for your dish,

Fishing For Green Soup,

the story of the Clangers was clear in your presentation.

When I looked at you cutting the brill, I thought,

"Ah, he's overcooked that." But actually when I ate it,

it was perfectly cooked.

As we both sort of said, the leeks on the verge of

slightly being overcooked

and maybe slightly under-seasoned as well.

Dare I say, it was a restaurant plate of food.

Ancl I think you've really got to elevate that whole style to make

it banquet-worthy.

Will, for your dish Buried Treasure,

you presented it beautifully in that gilded pot, which tied

to the Paddington inspiration.

Your seafood, you nailed it.

It was cooked perfectly.

Ancl I thought that consistency of that yoghurt whey sauce

really had a great acidity as well.

I wasn't sure how the potato, sheep cheese emulsion would work,

but it held together nicely,

and a lovely little blowtorch on top.

All in all, I thought it was an original dish and I thought

it was delicious. Well clone.

Cal, for your dish,

Paddington's Catch,

I really loved the presentation.

Really told that story.

Very impressive - to debone that plaice, to cook it whole.

It held its form well and it was cooked very well.

The mousse in the plaice -

lovely, vibrant, green.

But, for me, I felt a little bit more clill was needed in there.

I loved that acidity with the fermented asparagus sauce.

I think it could have been a little bit thicker.

Technically, very clever, really complementary.

All those flavours together, fresh and light.

Rory, for your dish, How The Whale Got His Throat,

it looked sharp and the story really came through.

I think perhaps a little bit more theatre on the pass - it always adds

to that banquet.

The plaice was perfectly cooked,

and it was well-seasoned, to the point

I would say it could nearly have been over-seasoned.

Potato and trout sauce, lovely smokiness to it.

Ancl as a dish I thought it balanced.

You had a light touch with that smokiness.

And so to the scores.

Cal...

...|'m giving you...

...a nine. Thank you.

Cal, so impressive the way that you rose to the technical challenges

of this dish. Thank you. Over the moon.

Will...

...I'm scoring you...

...a ten. Thank you.

The presentation and the smell alone were absolutely gorgeous.

And just so you know, your fellow chefs all gave you a ten as well.

Cheers, boys. Yeah, well clone. Gareth...

...I'm scoring you...

...an eight.

Beautiful cooking on that brill, Gareth.

You got it just right.

And I had quite a lot of fun at the pass with the whistle.

Rory...

...I'm scoring you...

...an eight.

That means that Gareth and Rory, you are both tied on 15 points.

We've had to go back and look at the canape ranking.

Rory, I'm afraid you came in

just after Gareth, which means, unfortunately,

you're going to be leaving us. Commiserations.

We've loved having you.

And can I just say - it is rarely this tight.

I hope you'll come back. Yeah, definitely.

No, thanks for having us. I've really enjoyed it.

Thank you all so much. Thank you. Thanks very much.

Thank you.

Gutted, man. Gutted. Well done.

Well clone, mate. Cheers. Thank you.

Thanks. It was close, that. Close, real close.

It was close, man. To come down to the canapes

is pretty... just standards are just so high, man.

That's what it is.

Bit gutted, but at the same time, I've clone myself proud.

But most of all, I'm coming away with three new friends and three

restaurants to eat at.

Luckily, my canape got me through by the skin of my teeth,

by the sound of it. I feel relieved.

Excited for tomorrow.

But, yeah, it was hard.

Two nines to start the week is perfect.

I think I've got some really strong courses left to come as well.

The only way is up for me, I think.

I can't put into words. It's just, you know, you practise so much,

and then you get a ten and it's kind of all worth it, really.

What a competition so far. Tomorrow, I'm expecting it

to be an even better clay.

Next time, we've got an epic round two...

One, one down.

...with some kitchen wobbles...

What's coming out your sand castle, Cal?

Hopefully not liquid, Gareth, he says.

...and more incredible creations...

...as they cook to stay in the competition.

Come on!

Gold like that,