All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E12.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX.[eng]

It's the battle for the North West.
And our two highest-scoring chefs,

Danielle and Laszlo, are competing
for a place in the national finals.

They'll have to win over not only
our judges, but also our guest

judge, who has voiced some of our
most iconic animated

characters, including Babs
from Chicken Run.

I don't want to be a pie.

I don't like gravy!

I hope their food is better than his
impersonation.

This week, four of the North West's
finest chefs battled it out.

I'm still fighting for it!

Now the final two remain.

GROANING

Laszlo Nagy was born in Hungary,
but he's made

the North West his home.

He's classically trained, and until
very recently was head chef

at Green Michelin-starred
Hypha in Chester.

Getting into the national final, it
would be such a huge thing for me.

And Danielle Heron - she's trained
with some of the best chefs

in Europe and is now chef-owner of
Osma in Manchester.

I never thought I'd make it this
far, so to go even further

would be just the icing on the cake.

Both first-timers in
the competition,

they're determined in their quest
to impress the judges,

with dishes inspired by
animation and illustration.

Everything is probably my worry
at the moment.

To make a dish which requires
1 hour 45

in 1 hour 15 - that's a bit tricky.

From the building site...

Look at the little
lollipop stick pallet!

...to the farm...

Patch is back.

...and deep into the ocean.

In terms of flavour, it's fabulous.

They're pulling out all the stops
to emerge victorious today and get

a chance to cook at our banquet.

Going through to cook at
the national finals is...

I'm so excited. To make it
to the national finals,

it would mean everything.

I'm going to bring my A-game.

I'm terrified.

I never thought I'd get here in
the first place,

so to be here is just...
It's amazing.

Good morning, chefs.

Good morning. Good morning.
How are you doing?

Good, yeah. Yeah?
Ready to get going.

You're both new to the competition,

so you've never been in this
position before. No. No.

How are your nerves?
How are you feeling, Danielle?

Yeah, definitely nervous. It's like
going back to clay one again.

Is it? Indeed. My belly's doing
somersaults. Yep.

But at the end of the clay,
it's four new palates,

so I look at it as a blank canvas,
so... Yeah.

The slate is wiped completely clean.

I like the energy in here.

I can't wait to see how you get on.
All right? Thank you. Great.

Right, see you in a little bit.

With their six-course menus
to prepare, as well

as vegetarian alternatives
for today's guest judge,

they need to get a wriggle on.

I'm getting my mushroom
broth on for my starter.

Oyster emulsion clone.

All my sauces ready.

I've got the fish sauce going on.

I've got the sauce for
the vegetarian course.

If I screw up this, everything
is going to go down the drain.

How are you getting on, Laszlo?
Are you OK? So far, so good.

How are you doing? Good, yeah.

Can you believe we're cooking
for some of these judges today?

It's such an hon our, but obviously
it puts a huge amount of extra

pressure on myself, personally.
I agree.

Our lead judge is a chef with an
unrivalled Great British Menu

pedigree - double banquet
main course winner,

and he's got a total
of three Michelin stars -

Tom Kerridge will be scrutinising
our chefs' dishes.

They would have entered this
competition, Great British Menu,

wanting to win it. But it's
the first time they've competed.

I'm hoping today their enthusiasm
and their excitement

will overtake their nerves.

As the judges arrive,

Danielle turns her attention to
the first course - canapes.

I'm just making the whipped blue
cheese, so I've just softened

it down with a bit of heated cream.

Ancl then I'm going to pass it to get
rid of any lumps.

Meanwhile, Laszlo is concentrating
on the vegetarian version

of his fish course.

So I'm making the vegetarian
mushroom finger.

Obviously, the vegetarian option
for the fish finger.

So, some chanterelles,
trumpet mushrooms,

a bit of lemon zest,
mushroom extract.

So hopefully it tastes good.

With heads down in the kitchen,

it gives me a chance to catch
up with head judge Tom

about the week's exploits.

Hello, love. Good morning.
How are you doing? I'm all right.

You're very perky. I am, yeah.

I'm ready for some feeding.
Ready for some feeding!

You're in the right place, darling.
Listen, how has the week gone?

It's been quite a week.

Quite a challenging week,
I would say.

But they really listened to
brilliant Lisa Goodwin-Allen.

Amazing. Oh, she's so fantastic.

And we had Spencer Metzger in.
Oh, really? Spencer was in? Yes.

Fantastic. He came and did fish
because Lisa has an allergy. Yeah.

So they had double veterans

at one point. Two of the best.
The chefs really listened to them

and implemented changes
as they were cooking, actually.

So I think you're going to
like some of the dishes.

Well, I'm looking forward to it.
Anything up there catches your eye?

Well, Builder's Tea & Cake.

I mean, that sounds just delicious,
doesn't it?

I loved it. I mean, first thing in
the morning, we're sat here

in the cafe. I've not got a coffee.
You've not sorted me out.

I'm very sorry. So, I'm now going,

"I'll tell you what, Builder's Tea
& Cake could be perfect."

Joining Tom in the judging chamber
are Ed Gamble and Nisha Katona.

With 16 restaurants and counting,

Nisha is one of Britain's
top restaurateurs...

This is about them having
imagination and excellence

and real mastery,
and presenting that on a plate

in the toughest of circumstances.

...whilst Ed is the host of a popular
food podcast with fellow comedian

James Acaster.

Very excited for the North West
menus here.

I see there's one called Eat Like
A Womble, which will be related

to the Wombles, of course.
I grew up near

Wimbledon Common, so I know what
goes on in Wimbledon Common.

I never saw a Womble.
We just drank cans of warm lager.

Morning! You all right?
Good morning. Good morning, Torn.

How are we? Very well.
It's a big clay today.

It is for you, mate.
It's the North West.

My home on a plate.

I've been to your home. I don't want
to have that on a plate.

Hoovered home on a plate. It's too
big and it's covered in dog hair.

So, listen, what are we hoping for
today? Spectacle.

I want to see a little bit of that
theme written through the way

that things have been presented.

So a bit more of a kind of
breathtaking spectacle

on the plate would be good.

I love a bit of spectacle.
And a tasty dinner, Tom?

You know, the North West represents
an area that is always

about robust, fantastic, solid
cooking, you know, and I'm looking

for those flavours coming
through today.

Helping the judges score the dishes
is an award-winning actress

and the voice of beloved characters,
such as Babs from Chicken Run.

I don't want to be a pie.

I don't like gravy.

It's Jane Horrocks.

Welcome,Jane. Hello! Hi.

How are you? Yeah, good.

Please, take a seat. Thank you.
Welcome.

How lovely to have you here.

It's very nice to be here.

So, have you come hungry?

I've come very hungry. Great.

Ancl you're a big foodie. Love food?

Yes, I love food.
I'm a very greedy girl.

Snap, Ed? Yes, I'm a very
greedy girl, as well.

It's a big full-on clay of food
and it's all themed this year,

obviously, on animation
and illustration, which is part

of the reason we've invited
you because you're a bit

of a kingpin of animation voice over,
I would describe you as.

Yes, yeah, I've done a lot of
animation.

A lot, which is great.

It's one of my favourite
things that I do.

Oh, sandwich, sandwich.

Cheese.

Grapes.

Rubbish picnic.

GASPING

Ice cream!

Ah-h-h!

What do you think of when you think
of North West Food?

What are you expecting?
To be a little bit more kind of

out there in an interesting way.

That's what we are in
the North West, isn't it?

Out there in an interesting way.

Canapes are up first,
and Laszlo is preparing the jam

for his bacon
and onion jam tarts...

...while Danielle
is finely slicing apple

for her beetroot meringues
with blue cheese.

All right, my loves.
We have three minutes to go.

Is everything going to plan?

Yes, Chef. Yep.

And how are the vegetarian
options going?

I'm already vegetarian.
How about yours, Laszlo?

Everything's clone for it.

Basically, I just lost
the bacon from it.

Ancl then just an onion jam.

Everything else is the same.
Good to go. Fantastic.

All right. Wonderful.

As they rush to get their first
dishes to the pass, Laszlo

fills his vegetarian tart...

...and Danielle crowns her meringues
with whipped blue cheese.

Have you made any changes to
your canape?

Just a bit of chardonnay vinegar,
just for a bit of extra pop. Mm.

Nice, zingy.

Laszlo tops his tarts
with whipped scrambled eggs,

and Danielle carefully
balances compressed apple,

and tops with dill.

What's that last little bit
you're dusting with, Laszlo?

This is the leek ash.

Oh, it's leek ash. Yeah.

To give the bitterness.

They look fantastic.
Shall we send them? Yeah.

Service, please.

We're off.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

First up, it's Danielle's canape.

Shall we? Shall we? Let's do it.

Mm.

What did you think?
Yeah, it's really lovely.

Really nice.

And the crunch element of it.

It just disappears,
as well, doesn't it?

It does, doesn't it? Yeah, it melts.

That's sort of
what you want for a canape.

I feel like I want the rest of it,
but I'm trying to save myself.

I think that would be all right
to have the rest of that one.

Thought it was a
bit blue cheesy, though.

I couldn't quite taste the beetroot.

Yes, I mean, I couldn't taste
the beetroot, but I didn't find

the blue cheese overwhelming.

That lovely... What was it?

The apple and the dill, though,
picked through that.

No, I agree. You got that sweetness
initially and I was a bit worried

about the texture of the meringue.
But then the blue cheese

sort of just... Mm.
The meringue texture was lush.

And from Laszlo,
a bacon and onion jam tart,

with a vegetarian version for Jane.

That was enormous flavour.

Oh, that made me feel great.

I knew it would make you feel great!

That was delicious.

That was a very good start. Mm.

I was worried about whipped
scrambled egg.

I didn't know what that would
consist of because it didn't taste

scrambled at all to me. No.
For me, it was a bit too eggy.

Yeah. It was. You're right.

So, what we do, Jane, is we
hold up the one we like best.

Right. Oh, well, there you go.

A tie. There we go,
right down the middle.

It's a good start.

Onto starters, and Danielle
is serving first.

Lisa gave this dish an eight,
suggesting it needed a wider

variety of mushrooms.

I've got girolles, king oysters,
some black pearl oysters,

and some white oysters
going in there.

There's not "mushroom"
for anything else in this dish.

OK. So, the first starter that's
coming our way is called

Eat Like A Womble,

and it's roasted mushrooms
with black garlic puree,

served with a mushroom cookie.

Ancl it's inspired by the stop-motion
animation the Wombles,

and the narrator and voices
of Lancashire-born

Bernard Cribbins.

Great. Remember the Wombles?
Are you old enough for that?

Yeah, I'm old enough for that.
Also, I grew up in Wimbledon,

so the Wombles are local legends.

True. I love the Wombles.

I loved Uncle Bulgaria.

Danielle is baking mushroom cookies
from a dough she has infused

with powdered trumpets.

Danielle. Hello. How are you doing?

Good. Yeah. Starter situation?

Yeah. What was Lisa's feedback
for you on this dish?

So, it was to portion control
the broth a little bit

rather than the big teapot.
Ah, yes. So, I've clone that.

And the other feedback was maybe
some different mushrooms inside.

It's a beautiful dish,
really well-balanced.

You're an excellent chef. I wish you
loads of luck. Give us a crisp.

Thank you. Good luck, darling.
Thank you.

What did you think of the voices
on the Wombles? In those days,

one voice did all the voices,
whereas now nowadays there

has to be sort of many
different voices.

But I quite like that sort of single
voice that told the whole story.

Yeah, it was almost like
a bedtime story. Yeah.

It felt like it flowed
like a narration.

Yeah, it was kind
of less frenetic, as well.

They were much more gentle,
those early animations, I think.

Danielle is frying her mushrooms
in vegan butter...

Danielle? Yes, Chef.
You have four minutes. Yes, Chef.

...and piping sunflower-seed hummus
onto her mushroom cookies.

If you could just grate some of
the horseradish over the top

for me, please?

Laszlo lends a hand with
the garnish, adding

some pickled girolle.

Oh, that smells incredible.

You have three minutes, Danielle.
Yes, Chef.

The sauteed mushrooms are dressed
with black-garlic puree

and then a lemon thyme pickle gel.

You're due now. Yep.

30 seconds.

And to finish, a sprinkling of
artichoke crisps.

Little hats on. Yep.

Looks lovely. Are you happy?
Yes. Thank you.

It's yours to send. Service, please.

# Underground, overground
Wombling free

# The Wombles of Wimbledon Common
are we

# Making good use... #

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

That's beautiful.

It's a lovely little grassy mound.

Isn't it? It's gorgeous.

It's very accurate to the terrain
of Wimbledon Common, as well.

I want to wear it as a hat.

Oh, it actually really works.
That's perfect. Is it?

Danielle's dish looked
absolutely lovely.

They are feeling the pressure,
but they're responding well to it.

I hope the judges love that dish.

Ooh, gosh.

That's a lovely broth.
The cookie's very tasty.

Yeah.

The black-garlic puree is a big
old whack of flavour,

which I absolutely love.

I mean, it feels so autumnal.

It's... I think it's lovely.
I think it's a great dish.

Although the Wombles would be
absolutely livid to find this.

Yes.

I found the broth a bit too acidic.

Do you think you need the broth?

Mm. Yes. I think it brings things
together.

Rather than it being
a standalone element,

I think it just weaves all
those flavours together.

We know this is a good dish
because Nisha has eaten it all.

Wow. Wow. I know.

First dish of the clay,

and Nisha's eaten it all.
I do usually eat them all.

You're just not watching me
cos you're so busy talking.

So, this is Sea 8; Farm, and it's
seared king oyster mushroom,

mushroom garum, broccoli miso
puree, torched broccoli.

And it's celebrating The Astounding
Broccoli Boy, who turns superhero,

by the fantasfic Frank
Cottreu-Boyce,

who comes from Bootle,
which is where I went to college.

It's the battle of the mushrooms
today. It is, isn't it?

That's a great place to be -
in between the battle

of the mushroom.

Having blanched and chilled his
broccoli, Laszlo finishes

the florets over the barbecue.

Hey, Laszlo. Hello, Andi.

Let's talk about Sea 8; Farm.

Now, you got a five for this. Yes.

Which you weren't happy with,
obviously. Not at all.

I'm assuming you've put
that behind you.

Yeah, I did. I've got all
the advices from Lisa on board,

so I'm going to be much more
and stronger on flavours.

Flavours, flavours, flavours.
So, how are you doing this

pushing of the flavour? Your
broccoli. Obviously the broccoli

needed much more love. So I did
blanch them and obviously

I seasoned the water really heavily.

And then the mushroom. Yeah.

I'm going to cook it all the way
through in the pan.

Loads of vegan butter
and loads of mushroom garum,

you know? It sounds like you're
making excellent changes.

I can't wait to see the new version
of Sea 8; Farm, my dear.

Good luck. Thank you so much.

Since this year's starters
all need to be vegan, Laszlo

is trying his hand
at the art of illusion

and preparing king oyster mushrooms
to look like scallops

for his sea-themed dish.

I'd be quite intrigued to see how
that kind of combination

of cabbage, sea herb, sea foam,

so that kind of earthy flavours
you get from mushroom,

but with that kind of like salty,
beautiful sea flavours coming in.

How they'll balance that will be
quite a difficult thing

to put together. Miso, as well.

Miso is a big boy
to add to the fight.

OK, lovely Laszlo,
you have five minutes.

Yes, thank you.

First onto the plate
is pickled Savoy cabbage.

Can you put three of these?

Yeah. Dot around? Yeah. Yeah.

Even spread. Thank you.

The torched broccoli is arranged.

And you're in
your final two minutes.

Yep. Bang on time. Look at that.

The broccoli and miso puree is next.

And how's that foam? Got more body?

Yes, I did infuse with much
more seaweeds,

so hopefully the judges are going to
like the stronger flavour.

Looks greener this time. Yeah.

And finally, a garnish of
salsify and sea herbs.

Looks good, eh? Yeah.
Hopefully it tastes good, as well.

Lovely. Service, please.

Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

OK, we're starting.

Feels like it's in a rock pool,
doesn't it? Yeah.

It smells great, as well.
Looks gorgeous.

Sort of treated the king oyster like
a scallop, by the looks of it. Yeah.

Oh, that's clever.

I'm struggling a bit with this dish.
Yeah. Me, too.

I think it's a disjointed effort
to bring sea

and farm together, sadly.

It's an ode, is it not,
to the Astounding Broccoli Boy,

and it's not the most loving
rendering of a piece of broccoli

that it could have been.
It's not a great dish.

It's not in balance.

The sea foam is a nice idea,
but it doesn't really taste

of the sea to me.
It tastes a bit like wood.

It just feels a little bit like
it's a load of ingredients

that have been left behind
in a fridge, and someone's

just had a go at trying to create
something exciting with it,

and it's just not hit the mark.

If you're going to do that,
you're bringing it to the expert,

you want to really pull out all the
stops if you're serving it to me.

So, how would you have clone this?

I would have put it in a blender.

Bubble and squeak!

GROANING

Next up, the fish course.

One down, it definitely feels good.

So, at the moment,
I am on my veggie alternative,

so I'm roasting my hispi off
and getting my sauce passed.

It's been infused with kombu,
chardonnay vinegar, just to still

give you the fish elements
without it there.

Ancl I'm just going to thicken
that up and then get ready

on everything else.

Jane, do you have a favourite role
that you've played within animation?

Well, I think Chicken Run is
probably the most favourite.

I have had a FOWL period.

LAUGHTER

Oh, me life flashed before me eyes.

It was really boring.

Is that quite spooky, watching
an animation back and seeing

your mouth move on a chicken's beak?

I'm used to it now.

It feels normal.

Danielle has moved on
to her oyster emulsion.

Her dish is inspired by How Pippa
Became the Queen of the Ocean -

a children's book made entirely
out of recycled plastic.

Having seasoned the oysters with
lemon and salt, she blends

and sieves them
for a silky-smooth consistency.

Just like that, we're onto fish.

Yes. Quite extraordinary.
How are you feeling?

Everything's moving very,
very quickly.

Yeah. So fast in this kitchen.

Now, you got an eight
for your fish dish. Yeah.

What was the advice that you got
about this dish?

Lose the pomme puree altogether
and just put more oyster emulsion.

I'm trying to get everything ready
now so I can completely focus

on the plaice.

I absolutely love plaice. It's one
of those great British fishes.

It tastes fantastic.

But the only problem with it is
that if it's overcooked, it goes

quite cotton-woolly,
like, quite quickly.

But cook it correctly,
brilliant piece of fish.

It's very important
to get this one right.

To ensure she serves
a generous portion of plaice,

Danielle uses a protein gel
to glue two fillets together.

She then wraps and places
in the fridge to set.

She starts preparing her cucumber.

These were supposed to go on my fish
course. I forgot them last time.

So this time I'm really going
to make sure I remember them.

Danielle chops capers
and prepares cavolo nero.

You have four minutes, Danielle.
Yes, Chef.

With service approaching,
she pan-fries her double fillets.

OK, I'm going to put the oyster
on first, and then it's clone, so...

Three minutes, Danielle. Yes, Chef.

She dots oyster emulsion
onto all of the fish dishes

except Tom's - which
is shellfish-free.

You want me to foam the other one,
as well? Yes, please.

It looks really good.
I love the colours.

Nice and fresh.
You have one minute, Danielle.

Yes, Andi.

Happy? Got everything? Yeah. Yeah?

This one's for Tom.

Yes. You ready? Yes, Chef.

Service, please.

Fish just as you wanted it?
Yes, it was perfect.

Ooh. Message in a bottle.

Oh, is it? Oh. Wow.

Yes.

"I will miss the ocean.

"I will miss the fish,
the whales and the waves.

"Now, this here could very well
become a common thought

"as our oceans continue
to drown in plastic."

It's so kind of light
and refreshing, isn't it?

The little bits of cabbage, tiny
bits of... As well as the hispi,

the different greens in it
just look really...

Yeah. Yeah, inviting. Yeah.

In terms of flavour, it's fabulous.

But how beautifully cooked
is that plaice?

And it's so moist and tender.
And I'm sorry, I'm waxing lyrical.

No, but... Whoever's created this
plate of food has such skill. Mm.

That's - as they would say
in the North West -

a lovely bit of fish. Is it?

I'm not sure that's specific to the
North West. It's the way I said it.

A lovely bit of fish?
It's the way I said it.

That's just a sentence,
really, isn't it?

Yeah. As they say
in the North West - hello.

No, but it's a wonderful bit
of cooking, and those flavours

that are with it,
it's just very seaside-y.

It's clean, it's crisp.

My only negative is the fact
that the reality of the story,

you know, we're sat here
with the sea and the plastic

and it's very prominent.

Ancl it does make you question,
it does make you think.

But the dish is a wonderful
celebration.

I get what you're saying,
but I just wonder how they could

have created that in a more
aesthetically pleasing way.

It is thought-provoking
but it ends on a positive

note, doesn't it? Yeah. Because
it tastes as clean as we want

the sea to be.

For his fish course,
Laszlo is serving fish fingers.

For the fingers, he makes a cod
mousse by adding chopped chives

to cod fillets, egg white
and double cream.

With the mousse steaming in
the oven, he can turn his attention

to Jane's dish.

This is the vegetarian course.

It's truffle polenta.

So, this dish is called
Not So Fish Pie,

and it's crumbled mushroom,
truffle polenta,

artichoke crisp, smiley potato.

Inspired by children's
poetry book Poetry Pie,

written and illustrated by
Liverpool poet Roger McGough.

Love a bit of Roger McGough.

We've got a more fishy version
over here.

We've got butter-poached halibut,
cod fish finger, and then we've got

smiley potato, fish sauce
with Exmoor caviar and mussels.

So, yeah, these are the smiley
potatoes.

Lisa gave me a little extra tip
how to make them crispy.

So, should be crispy,
crispy, crispy outside,

and nice and fluffy inside.

Hello, Andi. How are you
getting on, darling? Good.

Fish. Yes.

What was your score in
the fish course?

I had a seven for it.

Pretty good. Yeah. What are you
doing for Jane Horrocks,

our guest judge? Mushroom fingers.

Mushroom fingers. Yes. Nice.

Anything you're worried about?

You know, poaching fish in any
liquid or butter. If the temperature

is not right... Yeah. ..you're out.

Yeah. And she's a really good
fish cook.

Yes.

Thanks for the extra pressure.
Silent assassin.

Good luck, sir. Thank you.

Now that his fish-finger filling
is cooked, Laszlo coats

it with breadcrumbs
in preparation for the fryer.

His mussels are steamed
in a white-wine sauce.

Laszlo, you have six minutes
to the pass. Yep.

Halibut poached in seaweed butter
is first onto his pie dish plates.

How are those fingers?

Nice and crispy.

Fish looks good.

Is that enough truffle
for you, Chef?

More, more, more, more.

Two minutes to go, Chef. Yeah.

Iced chicory leaves
add texture and colour

to Jane's vegetarian dish.

Oh, the chicory looks lovely.

What a beautiful colour.

A garnish of dill finishes it off.

Are you happy?
Happy. Service, please.

Fish, done.

Yahoo.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

OK, are we pouring? Are you
pouring it over everything?

Sorry, I've eaten a potato smile
already because who can resist that?

Mmm.

There's so many components
here that I love.

I like the polenta.

We have crumbled mushroom,
which is really a bit too salty.

Hmm.

I have to say, I've got these
cod fish fingers that I think

are a little bit over-salted,
as well. Mm.

I love the cod fish finger.
I think the cod fish finger...

That's a real highlight for me.
Yeah. just not what you expect from

a fish finger, but it's also

everything you want
from a fish finger.

What's so different about it?
Well, is it like a sort of mousse?

It's been made into a mousse with
the flavour, you've got lemon

and herbs through it, and it's
just like a lovely fish dish

that's been blended into one,
and then shaped and deep-fried.

I think it's delicious.

The vegetarian version
is not as appealing.

I get the sense that yours
is a lot more tasty than this is.

I think it's so much fun, this dish.

Ancl I think it does sort of capture
something that Roger McGough puts

into his poetry.

It's homely, it's warming.

It feels like you're sat around the
kitchen table and you're a child.

In terms of a bit of cookery,
I think it's very good.

Best fish finger I've ever had.

Slap ten. Give it five.

Give as many as you like.
You're doing brilliantly well,

both of you. Great energy in here.

I love the way you're
supporting each other.

Halfway mark.

Main courses. Yes. Yep. Let's go.

After three courses
it feels pretty even to me,

but I'm going to see if I can get

any insight from
the judging chamber.

Hello, my loves. Hello. Hey, mate.
How are we doing?

Very well. How's it all going
in here? Nisha, how's it going?

A couple of really good dishes.
For instance, the plaice.

You know, there was not an element
on that plate that was overlooked

or skimped on in terms of
imagination and flavour.

Brilliant, brilliant cookery.
Absolutely.

What do you think about
the connections to the brief?

How's that working out for you?

Well, the link to the brief
is occasionally gentle.

A bit overly gentle.
Overly gentle, I'd say.

But the cooking's been pretty
strong this morning, I think.

Pretty strong. They've been
cooking special dishes

for you, of course, because you're a
vegetarian. How is that working out?

In some dishes, it's really worked
well. And I think, in others,

I feel like I've missed out.

There have been a couple of very,
very strong dishes that have come

through that are very, very good.
Some tweaks maybe and they...

You know, you could be looking at
them in finals week

that are pushing into the top three,
maybe even banquet-worthy dishes.

So, you know,
I don't think any of the dishes

are just quite there yet.

They're not nines and tens for me.
Getting up there?

But they're very, very good.

Well, we're halfway, people.

I'm going to go back and tend
to my lovely chefs and see

how they're getting on because
we've got the big one coming up,

obviously. The main.

See you later. Bye, Andi. Thank you.

Everything you're saying sounds
sarky, I don't know why.

Bye, Andi.

LAUGHTER

That's on. That's on. That's on.

For her main course,

Danielle is trimming baby
leeks and poaching chicken

for her Chinese dish...

...while Laszlo gets to work
filleting loins for his lamb cannon,

and slicing red rooster potatoes
for his dauphinoise.

Hello. Hello.

How are you doing, guyS?
Busy, busy. Busy, bUSY-

Gosh, well, I don't think I've seen
either of you move

quite this quickly
throughout the whole week.

I will leave you to get on with it,
but make sure that in your haste

to get everything done,
you don't miss out the important

facets and the detail
on your dishes.

I wish you both loads of luck,
all right? Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, 9W5-

Uh, Laszlo, your pan. Cheers.

Laszlo saves his lamb shoulder
pieces just in time,

before braising in red wine
with carrots, celery,

Spanish onion, rosemary and thyme.

First main course is
jack &jilt's Dinner,

and it's a herb-crusted lamb cannon,

dauphinoise potato,
braised lamb shoulder pot,

with lovage espuma, and lambjus.

Ancl it's inspired by a 1957 issue

of the comic jack and Jill
of Buttercup Farm

by Manchester-born Hugh McNeilL

They're so charming, aren't they?
Beautiful.

Do you think lovage espuma was
around in the time of jack and Jill?

What is espuma?

It's a Spanish word for foam,
basically.

What have you got?

Savoy cabbage stuffed with black
risotto and sauerkraut.

Would you normally eat this much
cabbage in a clay?

There seems to be a rather a lot of
cabbage, doesn't there, going on?

Let's hope it doesn't
have an effect.

LAUGHTER

With the lamb in hand, Laszlo turns
his attention to his creamy

dauphinoise potatoes.

Got a bit less time on my hands than
the first time,

so I really need to focus on
everything.

Got the lamb brining, the shoulder
pot is on,

the dauphinoise in the oven, so
those are the tricky things.

Doing a dish which requires
1 hour 45

in 1 hour 15.

That's a bit tricky.

It sounds classic.

Cannon of lamb, dauphinoise
potatoes, lamb fat carrot,

heritage pickled carrot,
braised shoulder.

It feels quite rustic,
farmland-like, doesn't it?

Hey, Laszlo. Hello.

So, you got a seven for this dish,
jack &jilt's Dinner? Yeah.

What were Lisa's notes for you?

Obviously bigger on flavour.

Your dauphinoise,
they need to be creamier.

Yeah, that's already in process.

Actually, they need to
come out of the oven.

Your seasoning on the lamb
fat carrot.

Yeah, again, like,
a lot more salt than before.

And then your little pots,
lovely lamb shoulder. Yeah.

The potatoes are going to
be thicker,

and then the actual braised
Lamb's going to be richer.

Wonderful. It sounds great.

I'm going to let you get on with it,
cos I know you've got so much to do.

Thank you, Andi.
Thank you so much.

Laszlo is up first.

I have not seen him move
this fast all week.

There's a bit of detail
he's got to work on.

If he gets it right, he could
very well up his score.

For Jane's vegetarian version,

Laszlo is stuffing cabbage
leaves with black rice,

risotto and sauerkraut.

All right, Laszlo.
You have five minutes, love.

Yes.

Danielle lends a hand, adding
the braised lamb

to his lamb fat carrots.

Is this enough for you? Oh, yeah,
well enough. Well enough. Yeah.

Do it with five.
If it needs one more, do one more.

She dresses them with his pickled
heritage carrots, while Laszlo adds

the herb crust to his lamb cannon.

Four minutes, my love.

Yeah.

Patch. Yeah. Patch is back.

Yep.

All right, so this will be
the vegetarian person, yeah?

OK.

Service, please.

Ooh.

What's the verdict on
the dauphinoise?

It's oversalted.
Yes, it is. It's such a shame!

I know. It's such a shame.
It's as salty as the sea.

Also, it doesn't have all of my
favourite things about dauphinoise,

which is the sort of creaminess
and richness to it.

It just seems a little bit
sparse on all of that.

I really like the lovage espuma,

cos it's quite her by and light.

I think that's what I didn't want -
for it to be overpowering -

because there's a lot of depth
of flavour in this.

I do love the flavour of lovage
and that's a beautiful way

of getting it on there.

The lamb itself is pretty good.

It's not great.

Ancl then the sad thing is
the dauphinoise is too salty.

What did you think of yours?

I wouldn't be jumping up and down
if I'd got that as a main course

in a restaurant.

There's something that's just a bit
underwhelming about it.

It feels like you're kind
of like farmyard-esque

but, actually, the execution,
the technique of the cooking,

is not on point for this.

My throat is tingling with salt now.

This is the main, potentially,
for the banquet.

You know, it needs that spectacle.

And I just don't think a plastic
jack Russell does spectacle make,

in a way. That's the thing.

You always say that, don't you?

That's something they say up north.

Yeah. That's another thing
we say up north!

Apart from "hello". Yeah.

Danielle's next.

Her chicken is now poached
and cooling...

...but she's feeling the heat.

Can you get a mop, please?

Everything is probably
my worry at the moment.

Timing, getting
everything clone on time.

My noodle sauce - still cooking.

One with chicken stock,
one for the vegetarian we have.

Ancl then I'm getting on with my
sauce for my chicken,

all the vegetables,
all sorts of stuff.

This is Paddington's First
Chinese New Year.

It's steamed chicken with gold bar
spring rolls, home-made noodles

with chilli and peanut sauce.

Ancl it's inspired by the animated
series of Paddington,

and Paddington holds a surprise
Chinese New Year party for

Ms Potts, who is missing her home.

A family feast!

WOW!

My way of saying
thank you to you all.

Especially you, Paddington.

Thank you, Ms Potts.

Now the chickens are down to
the right temperature,

Danielle is jointing them.

She reserves the breasts for later
and turns her attention

to her spring rolls.

I'm definitely going to
need an extra five.

For the filling, Danielle marinates
her chicken leg meat

in Shaoxing wine,
soy sauce and sesame oil.

On Lisa's advice,
I'm making them bigger.

Hey, Danielle. Hello.
Busy, busy, busy.

So, you got a seven for this dish.
Yes.

What was Lisa's feedback for you?

Basically, I needed to amp up all
the flavours, so I've really clone

that with all the vegetables.

Ancl also the fridge-cold chicken
was the major one. Yes.

And what are you making for our
guest judge? What's the vegetarian?

So, I'm doing a whole compressed
king oyster mushroom.

Oh, lovely. When it's cooked,
it's similar to chicken, as well.

And then she'll have all the same
sauces and everything? Yeah. OK.

I hope you do well. Thank you.

What is it, then, about your voice

that lends itself
so well to animation?

I think cos it's quite up and down,
isn't it? Yeah.

Yeah, there's kind of like lots of
sort of syllables in one word.

So, it's... Yeah, it's
sort of all over the place.

Are you directed when you do it,
or do you have the script

and you put your own personality
to it? Yeah.

You are directed.
Yeah. Yeah, very much.

I mean, it was funny with
the Tim Burton film Corpse Bride

because I'd done my main character,
which was a spider,

and then I played a chef
and then they said,

"Oh, we'd really like you to
do a voice of the ant."

And so they said,
"We'll show you a clip of it."

And I can't see an ant anywhere!

I said, "I'm sorry if I'm being
really stupid,

"but where is the ant?"

And they went, "Next to the uncle?"

LAUGHTER

With the help of the pasta machine,
Danielle creates fine noodles.

How are you doing, Danielle?
How are you getting on?

I'm all right.

Guess you're going to need a bit
of help for plating? Yeah, please.

If you can do the leeks first,
and then I'll flash them.

Laszlo torches the leeks to give
them a nice char, while Danielle

fries the king oyster mushrooms
for Jane's vegetarian dish.

You have four minutes
to the pass, Danielle.

Yes, Chef.

If you just want to place all
the maitakes like that, please.

Yeah, put it on.

How are your noodles?
Doing what they need to?

Yes. Spring rolls crispy? Yes.

We have one explosion,
but I have an extra, so...

OK.

She adds the noodles to her sesame
and peanut sauce,

while Laszlo decants the spring
onion and ginger dipping sauce.

You are due
on the pass now, Danielle.

Yes, Andi.

Oh.

SH E EXHALES

Are you ready, Chef? Yes.

Are you happy?
As happy as I'll ever be.

Let's send it. Service, please.

Thank you very much. Can you manage?

Ooh, wow, thank you.

Well, let's do a bit of serving.

Brilliant. Thank you. Young Ed.

A bit of that. There you go. I'm
going to just pinch a bit of that.

Every element tastes different.

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

Look at that mushroom!

I know. I've got one.
That's a beckoning mushroom.

Have you got the same?

I have got the beckoning mushroom.
The veggie option for this

is not a disappointment.
It's really fantastic.

Oh, good. Really good.

Ancl these beautiful noodles.
Yeah, they're gorgeous.

The home-made noodles with the
sesame is just absolutely fantastic.

And these little leeks
are lovely, aren't they?

I honestly do not want this to end.

Yeah. Great.

But this poached, steamed chicken
is such a brave thing to cook

cos it's cooked just
the other side of pink,

which makes it so tender.

Tender like no other chicken.

I almost think you don't need
the spring roll.

It's very nice, but it feels
like an extra element

that you don't necessarily need.
Like the spring roll in this

red sauce here... Yeah,
I'm not keen on the red sauce.

No, me neither. A bit too sweet.
I think the red sauce is great.

I love the plum sauce. I don't
like it. I love the plum sauce.

I love the spring roll.
I think it's great.

Every little element works.

I just think it's magic.

We're all used to Chinese takeaway
food that you might have

every other weekend on a Saturday
night in front of the telly

that just feels the same.

Then when it's something like this,
when it's clone beautifully

and it's clone well, and every
ingredient is cared for and loved

by a chef with technique
and heart and soul,

and it's a great bit of cookery.

I only question the cold chicken
breast as the main course

of a banquet. But I think
the majority of people,

when they work out it's supposed
to be cold, will absolutely love

it and it'll be a very different
experience for a lot of people.

Yeah. I love that.
That's a good 'un.

Yeah, it was very good. A treat.

That's a good 'un. Very, very good.

What are we up at? 20 past?

So we've got six minutes. Yeah?
Six minutes, yeah. Right.

All right.

With the clock ticking, the chefs
are prepping pre-desserts.

Danielle is preparing cucumber for
a goat's yoghurt mousse called

Sophie's Snozzcumber Stew,

inspired by the animated film
version of The BFG.

Laszlo will be serving ice lollies
made from blue Curacao -

a coloured liqueur that gets its
flavour from Laraha citrus fruit,

grown on the island of Curacao.

Danielle is using liquid nitrogen
to make her herb snow,

which she's elevated following
Lisa's feedback.

So, the changes I'm making -
I'm adding a bit more wood sorrel

to the top, just for a little bit
of extra acidity,

and a couple of finger lime
pearls inside the granita, as well.

Just make it that much more light
and refreshing.

Beautiful, chefs.
How is it looking?

Good. Good? For pre-dessert, yep.

Good, Laszlo? My one's fine.

I just need the granita really cold.

Are you saying you're going to be
early with your pre-desserts?

No, no.

Did you say no? No, no.

It's a wise answer, Danielle. Yeah.

Laszlo's pre-dessert is inspired by
the Watchmen graphic novel

and its colouristjohn Higgins
from Liverpool.

Veteran Lisa said
these lollies were too bitter.

Made any changes to that lolly?

No.

They are blue.

They are bitter. No.

All right, Laszlo.

Danielle plates her goat's yoghurt
mousse...

...adds the cucumber, and tops
with a drift of herb snow.

Yes. All right, guys. Yep.

Service, please. Yes. Service.

Thank you. So, we've got
Sophie's Snozzcumber Stew.

This looks lovely.

Mm.

I love that use of
cucumber in desserts.

I think it's fantastic.

Clean, fresh. Light.

It's so light I'm wanting
a bit more of the lime.

I'm not getting much finger lime.
Is anyone getting much lime?

No, actually. I just got
a big piece, just as you said,

so I think... You're very lucky.
Perhaps you need a little bit more.

Not quite sweet enough
for me, almost.

It's a little bit too
sort of herbal and floral.

And then we've got Dr Manhattan.

I'm a huge fan of
the Watchmen comic books.

I'm not sure that this presentation
quite sums up the huge

ambition and grandeur.

NISHA LAUGHS

I love the texture of that lolly,
actually. Wow.

It's strong. Mm.

Again, there's not a lot
of sweet in there.

It's bitter. It's bitter, yeah.

It's like a serious
cocktail-maker's cocktail, that. Mm.

That's SO not for me.

I like the other, though.
I loved that.

I loved the other one.
Yeah, I loved that one.

Takes you from savoury into sweet,

it's not just hit with the sweet -
whereas this one is...

Yeah.
HE WHISTLES

Very aggressive, isn't it?
Very gruff.

It is very aggressive! Yeah.

So, are we holding up our favourite?

Deffo. Yeah. It's pretty clear,
isn't it?

Pre-desserts gone.

One more left! Thank God.

Naturally, the last course
is desserts.

Both are making sponge cakes.

Condensed milk sponge for Danielle,

whilst Laszlo is making pionono -

a Peruvian rolled sponge
with pastry cream filling.

I hope that professional pastry
chefs don't watch this part.

So, this is the first dessert.

It's The Battered Suitcase.

It's a Peruvian dark chocolate
cremeux,

pionono, marmalade ice cream.

The dish is inspired by Paddington
arriving to the UK from Peru.

This is simple, and it could be
fantastic, couldn't it?

This is the pastry cream
for the pionono.

So, the feedback was the ratio
of the cream and sponge

wasn't right,
and the cream was a bit runny.

To thicken things up,
Laszlo is adding cornflour.

HE EXHALES

Guns of steel.

It's going to be all down
to the pastry cream.

If it's set, it's good.
If not, I'm in trouble.

He spreads the now rum-infused
pastry cream onto his sponge.

Then he chills the whole thing
and hopes for the best.

Ooh. I spy m6"9°-

Yes. So, what was the feedback you
got from Lisa on this dish?

Lisa requested a little extra
something on

the actual suitcase. Luggage tag.
Which I have it.

So, you got an eight.
Would you like a big fat ten?

Oh, I'd love to have a big fat ten.
That would be nice, wouldn't it?

All right, Laszlo.
I wish you loads of luck.

May the road rise with you, sir.
Thank you.

He bakes petal-shaped
chocolate tuiles. Oven.

And it's the moment of truth
for his pionono.

He needs the pastry cream to firm up
to avoid previous pitfalls.

You have four minutes to the pass,
my love. Yeah.

I'm going to need, like,
an extra minute.

It didn't really set, to be fair.

I think I didn't have enough
time for it. No.

If that went back in the blast
chiller,

how long would it take to set up?

We're talking half an hour
or an hour? Yeah, yeah.

Oh, right. It's not like
an extra minute. Yeah. Yeah.

I know what you mean.

Having a bit of a
nightmare over there?

He's trying to get the clingfilm.
Yeah.

Keeping his cool, Laszlo pipes
marmalade ice cream

into serving jars, and tops
with yet more marmalade.

He adds mango salsa to his
Paddington suitcases...

...followed by his pionono cake,

which he torches, and arranges
the tuile petals around.

Let's go.
There's a second one. Yeah.

Service, please.
That's the vegetarian.

I like the little tag.

Ooh, thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you.

Aw.

This marmalade ice cream is so good.

I love that we've got a spicy
mango salsa...

I know! ..on a dessert. Yeah.

And that pionono, that kind of cake
that's got that oozy centre.

It's lovely. It's just
the right amount of sweet,

the right amount of ooze
and creaminess.

I think the ice cream
is a bit grainy for me.

It tastes a bit like shop-bought
marmalade that's then been blended

into an ice cream,
rather than a marmalade that's

been made. The salsa,

I like the nod - that it's a nod
to Peru, that Peruvian kind

of flavours, but I don't think

it sits on the dessert very well.

The cake, the pionono,
is lovely, actually.

That's something that's
quite new and delicious

that I've not come across before.

I think if you put the salsa
with the ice cream, that's nice.

Yeah. Mm. It's lots of
really lovely little bits.

Is it the spectacle that we want
for the dessert, for the banquet?

I'm not sure. There's some nice
elements,

but if Paddington turned up with
this...he's not living at my house.

TIMER RINGS

Sorry. That's all right.

Danielle is preparing
the last dish of the day -

poaching pears for her
construction-themed dessert.

It has not gone pear-shaped
whatsoever.

Builder's Tea & Cake -
condensed milk sponge,

poached pears in verjus,

and builder's tea ice cream.

A dish inspired by Bob the Builder,
which was made in Manchester.

Danielle. Hello.

Last dish. Oh, finally.

So, you got an eight
for your dessert.

Are you making any changes?

Lisa did suggest for me to lose
pears altogether and go to apples.

I've gone for a much firmer pear,
and hopefully a bit more flavour.

Ancl I've switched out
the honey gel for a pear gel.

So, to bring more...
To push the pear flavour.

And the lovely cremeux
in the middle. Yeah.

That was a little thin.

So the whole idea was that it
was supposed to be more liquid,

so I've changed it to more
of a custard recipe,

but still it's supposed to kind
of bring the milk element

to your... Right, for the tea.

Builder's tea ice cream.

That sounds like it's going
to be great, doesn't it?

Then also the use of Earl Grey,
which is much more fragrant,

much more lighter.

But would Bob drink Earl Grey?
Probably not.

He'd have to "BUILD '|S" tea
ice cream, wouldn't he?

Danielle's strains her Earl Grey
custard to remove any lumps.

As that cools, she checks on her
tea-infused ice cream...

...before glazing her cakes
and chopping the pears,

ready for plating.

They've chilled down just in time.

They're a lot firmer today
than yesterday's.

Five minutes, Danielle. Yes, Andi.

How's the ice cream?

Looks good.

To construct the building site
dessert,

Danielle adds her custard
foundations,

lays poached pears in place,

topping it off with salted caramel
and a pear gel.

Oh, here they are.

I'm so sorry.

ANDI LAUGHS

Four minutes, Danielle. You look
like you're going to be early.

Yes, if that's OK.

What a way to end the service.

Happy? Yes.

Service, please.

# Bob the builder

# Can we fix it?

# Bob the builder

# Yes, we can!

# Scoop, Muck and Dizzy,
and Roley too

# Lofty and Wendy join the crew... #

Thank you.

# Bob and the gang
have so much fun... # Lovely!

I love that this is on a pallet -
look at the little lollipop stick

pallet that it's on.

I really like this builder's tea.

That's clever. We've never had
anything like that before.

And you can taste the tannins
and the sharpness and all of that.

It really does taste
like builder's tea.

But it's quite grainy. Texturally,

it's not a smooth, wonderfully
whipped-through ice cream.

That's got the potential
to be something magic,

but it's not quite there.

Ancl I think the Earl Grey custard,
for me, that's the most

disappointing part cos it's
quite watery.

There's a really good basis
for it to be a very good dessert.

I think there's just a couple of
things that are slightly off.

Although the proportions
are well out.

I know builders like their tea,
but that's ridiculous.

How are you feeling?

Tired. A little nap?

Yeah, that would be lovely.

Both chefs have put their all
into their menus, but only one

of them can go through to the finals
and have a shot at cooking

at the banquet.

Welcome, chefs. How are you both?

Good. Nervous. Yeah.
Nervous? Tired. Tired. Yeah.

Listen, we've had
a great day in here.

I mean, two very distinct,
two very soulful menus

that have come through. So, on that,
I'd like to know who cooked

Paddington's First Chinese New Year.

Me. That was you. OK.

That, for me,
was an outstanding dish.

Incredibly brave.

Really different.

You know, all of those amazing
little supporting acts

that helped that one main course.

I thought it was a great,
great dish.

Well done, chef. Thank you.

Who cooked Not So Fish Pie? Me.

I loved so many elements on that
dish. To have something

as classic and as delicious

as that sauce, but with the fun
of a potato smiley.

And, frankly, I think the best fish
finger I've ever had.

Thank you. Well done.

OK, so we didn't know
who cooked which dish,

so we've given our scores
to Andi to add up.

So the winner of the North West,
going through to cook

at the national finals...

...is...

...Danielle.

Holy moley.
Congratulations, honestly.

Thank you for all your help.
You deserve it.

Congratulations, Danielle.

For me, that main course is a real
contender to go to the banquet.

I thought it was outstanding.

Thank you very much.

Ancl I loved the veggie version
of Saving The Oceans.

I loved the presentation of it.

It was very imaginative.

And, Laszlo, for the first time
you've been on

the Great British Menu

and you came straight through to
the judges' chamber -

this is the beginning of great,
great things for you.

Thank you.
Yeah, I'll just second that.

Congratulations.

Jane, thank you so much for coming.

It's been an hon our to have you in
the chamber, and such

a pleasure to meet you. And we'd
love to have you at the banquet.

I hope you'll make it.
That would be an hon our.

It would be wonderful to have you.

We'd really, really love
to have you there.

Thank you to both of you, chefs.

Please go take a well-deserved rest.

Yes. Thank you. Congratulations.
Thank you for having us.

Thank you for having us. Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm blown away.

It was tough. It was nerve-racking.

It was really hard. But I enjoyed
every single moment of it.

I've got a lot more work to do,
that's for sure.

But it feels amazing.

It really, really does.

I can't wait to tell my mum.

For me, there was the one
outstanding dish

that really is a contender
for banquet-worthy

and that is that main course.

While both chefs achieved similar
scores for their desserts,

for the fish, starters and main
courses, Danielle pulled

ahead of Laszlo
on the judges' scorecards.

I think for Laszlo's point of view,
I think he had a couple

of good ones in it. The moment you
get on that roller-coaster

and you're against someone who's
just doing that, I think

you just fall behind a bit.

But hopefully he'll learn
from his week here.

I think he will. I'm sure
he'll be back and do really well.

He's definitely one
that should be coming back.

Yes, please. Wahey!

Hey! Congratulations.

Thank you so much. You deserve it.

Thank you so much for all your help.

It was a pleasure to cook
with you, Chef. Same.

Thank you for everything. Yeah. Good
luck, and make the North West proud.

Ru try.