All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E13.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX.[eng]

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

Ooh-la-la!

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

Hot stuff coming through.

They're competing to cook
a course at a magnificent banquet,

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

Rock 'n' 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...

SQUEALS OF DELIGHT

Isn't that amazing!

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

But reputations are at stake...

I wave the white flag.

...as some of the most eminent
Michelin-starred veteran chefs

of the competition...

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

...those dependable old hands...

Snakes. That'd be snakes! Yeah.

...and bright young guns...

One each. Oh, you're too kind.

...will be returning
to cast judgment.

I'm scoring you a 10.

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.

That's amazing!

Just as the likes of Mr Bean,
Rupert Bear, Pingu

and Fireman Sam delight
their audience...

Back-up 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!

Battling it out this week are
the best chefs from Scotland.

LAUGHTER

So, I'm the princess!

Oh, my God!

This week, the top chefs from
Scotland are drawing inspiration

from comics and cartoon characters
that originated in their nation.

Prepare for culinary takes on

DC Thomson's legendary
comic book heroes

including Dennis The Menace,
Oor Wullie, and even Bananaman.

Our first Scot today is
Great British Menu newcomer

and Michelin Green Star winner
Mark McCabe.

I definitely feel like
a bit of the underdog

but will be cooking my little socks
off to try and get as far as I can.

Next, another first-timer,
Nigerian-born Babatunde Abifarin

who showcases his African
cuisine in Edinburgh.

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

I'm Mark. Abi. Nice to meet you.

My flavours are
from all over Africa.

How's the nerves?

It's quite a lot, isn't it?
Oh, the same here.

Having your flavours from Scotland
as well, that's very important

in what I'm trying to do.

So, I think that is what's
going to give me the edge.

Newcomer Kevin Dalgliesh
from Aberdeen

wants to show what Scots
can do in the kitchen.

The main goal for this week is
certainly to get to the judges

and then get a dish to the banquet
would be absolutely fantastic.

Adam Handling completes
the line-up,

hoping that third time's the charm.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Morning, chaps.

He had an emotional time of it
last year,

just missing out on getting
a dish to the banquet.

Nice to meet you. Welcome back.

CHUCKLES
Thank you very much.

If I do well and I don't mess up

and I don't lose my temper
or get stressed as I did last year,

I think I have a good shot.

How are we all today?
Good. You?

I always get that butterflies
every time I step in this kitchen.

It get any easier?
No. I don't think it does.

Hello, chefs.

Hello, Andi. Oh, you're back!

I sometimes question, why am I back?

No, really, you got close
last time, huh? This close.

Scotland has done very well
historically in this competition

and I'm sure that you clutch of
chefs are going to be no different.

Let's hope so.

So, we're going to start
with canape.

Canape needs to be elegant.

It needs to be sharp.
It needs to be beautiful.

It needs to be full of
your heart and soul.

I want your veteran
to see what you can do.

Are you ready to go? Yeah, ready.

Best of luck to everybody.
I'll see you shortly.

Thanks very much. Thank you.

The canapes are a chance
for the chefs to create

a fabulous first impression.

And whilst they won't be scored,

they will be used
in the event of a tie-break.

Your...corn. Oh?

I'm not panicking yet.

Adam is using
the leftover ingredients

from the rest of his menu
in a pea and caviar tart.

These are my pea skins
from the waste.

Mark is skinning char, a cold water
member of the salmon family,

to serve as a croustade.

I'm going to cure it, smoke it,
and that will be the main element

once it's dressed with
a little tomato reduction

and some concasse tomato.

Meanwhile, Abi is braising goat
for a bite-sized taco.

This is an opportunity for me
to show a bit of my background,

a bit of Scotland as well.

And Kevin is marinating
duck for a tartare.

None of the chefs yet know
which veteran they need to impress.

BUZZER

Oh, that's me.

What about if Aktar Islam
walked through the door?

Abi, how would you feel? I'd like it
if he walks through the door

because I know he works with
loads of spices.

Tom Aikens? I know that he's
not going to take any prisoners.

Paul Ainsworth? I'm kind of excited
to meet anyone, to be honest.

Heading their way is a chef

who's no stranger to getting
dishes to the banquet.

Ooh-la-la.

Are you all ready?

I am. Yeah. Yeah.

30 seconds.

When we say 30 seconds,

I mean an actual 30 seconds,
not a chef's 30 seconds, OK?

He's head chef and owner
of London's Muse restaurants

and in 1996 became
the youngest British chef

to achieve two Michelin stars.

All right. Can I have you all at
the pass now, please. Thank you.

There he is. (Oh, my God.)

Hello, everybody. It's Tom Aikens.

So, tell me, Adam, what have we got
here? It's a pea and caviar tart.

Lots of different types of peas.

What do we have here?

So it's a char belly and tail,

lightly cured with a tomato
reduction,

tomato concasse, a little creme
fraiche, crispy fish skin

and some shiso. Brilliant.
Chef. All right.

What have we got here? So we've got
a cone of duck and venison tartare,

chicken parfait, toasted greens.

Hello, chef. How are you?

Here we have braised neck of goat
with some polenta taco shells, some

sweetcorn and some corn juice.

Wow.

Good luck, guys. Thank you. I look
forward to it.

Some tasty snacks there, so, thank
you. Lovely. Thanks.

Wow.

Tom is a legend in the game.

I'm looking forward for him to try
my style of cooking.

I was delighted Tom came
through the doors.

I think he's such a high-regarded
chef.

It's pretty nerve-racking.

Tom's got quite the reputation.
Mildly intimidated.

He's a guy that doesn't mince
his words, but sometimes you need

a good kick up the bum.

So I would like you to rank them.

I've put Mark first. A, the right
flavour combination between sort

of fatty of the belly of the char
and the acidity

from the tomatoes.
Good flavours. Delicious.

Then Adam, only slight thing
with his peas and caviar

which is a great combination,
which is the temperature

is a little bit too chilled for me.
It should be cold in the middle.

Very nicely balanced,
nice and sweet.

Kevin's looked great and also
tasted really lovely as well.

So far they're all very,
very different, aren't they? Yeah.

Yeah. And then Abi's taco shell
with the pulled goat.

I just thought the taco shell
was a bit chewy.

That's a mouthful.

It's got nice flavours in there. Mm.

But really kind of thumbs up
for everybody there.

Yes, thumbs up. There wasn't a dud.

Yay! There wasn't a dud. No.

What a good place to start.

Onto the first scored and themed
course - starters. This year,

not only do the dishes need to link
to the theme, they also

have to be vegan.

Abi is basing his starter
around a fruity superhero.

Abi. Hi, Andi. Talk to us about your
dish.

Title of my dish is The Banana is
Loaded, which is inspired

by DC Thomson's Bananaman.

Bananaman. Bananaman.

Good old Eric. You love Eric?

Oh, yeah, yeah. The bananas are the
plantain I see, yes? So, yes.

Three different types of plantains,
unripe plantain, the ripe plantain

and overripe plantain as well.

OK. So they all have different
flavour profiles.

Right. So I'll be using the unripe
plantain for my hummus.

I'll also be doing falafel
using the overripe plantain,

which I'll be coating in dukkah,
using pistachios.

Then the ripe plantain

I'll be using that just fried
and seasoned as well.

Ancl I'll also be using the banana
skin as well. Oh, yes.

Using the skin? Using the skin to
make almost like a vegan bacon.

Is there any part of this dish
that you need to kind

of really perfect it?

The spicing is very important.

I come from a background
of using loads of spices,

so it's all about getting
the right spice balance.

Excellent. Sounds really
interesting.

It's good I like bananas, innit?

Like Abi,

Kevin's inspiration also comes
from a Scottish DC Thomson comic.

My dish is Vegetables Are Not Evil.

Inspired by the Be a no,

which they had an edition of Attack
Of The Evil Vegetables.

I'm going to put a hummus in there.

I'm going to aerate the hummus.

So I'm going to do an
ash-baked celeriac.

So I'm going to burn some hay, get
the blackness onto the celeriac,

and really get it shiny.

Beetroot is great when it's
salt-baked. Yeah.

The flavour is great.
It stops it bleeding really.

So you've got different nuts going
on there. What's going on with

those? So the cashews, we're going
to put through the hummus. Yeah.

Ancl we're going to make a lovely
hazelnut dressing. just sort

of describing certain things and
you get all smiley and happy.

Oh, well, that's good.

Adam is hoping that his vegan dish,
inspired by a classic tale bearing

the voice of Scotland's king of
comedy, will give him a head start

on the scoreboard.

The dish is called The Mouse
That Saved The Lion.

The inspiration is from Aesop's
fable.

How is that connected to Scotland?

In 2014, it was made into an
animation where Billy Connolly

was the narrator as well.
There you go.

So, you know, yeah. Can't get
more Scottish than that.

So I'm going to do a little roasted
red pepper set custard,

and then I'm going to make
a savoury basil sorbet.

Oh. I'm going to make a tuile
using all the skins.

I'm not going to waste anything like that.
The tomato skins and what else in there?

Tomato skins.
A little bit of flour, margarine.

Mm. And I'm going to mix it
with a little bit of smoked

paprika as well.
Ancl have you practised that before?

Yes.

And finally, Mark, who like Kevin,

has based his dish on a Dennis
the Menace escapade.

Called Behind Bars.

Dennis actually hasn't clone anything
wrong but gets caught and blamed

for everything and goes to prison.

So it's a savoury porridge prison
food, but a rich mushroom porridge

with some pearled spelt for some
texture. Mm-hm.

Some pearl barley koji, a
little black

truffle in there as well,
a mushroom garum as well.

So trying to pack as much flavour
into it as possible without relying

on the old dairy.

I also have a koji tuile that's
going to be on the side

with a mushroom garam emulsion.

Well, it sounds beautiful.
I hope it works out for you.

I can't wait to taste it.

Abi starts with his most unusual
element - vegan bacon made from ripe

plantain skins marinated
in soy sauce, maple syrup,

paprika and garlic.

It's a bold move, as it might not
be to everyone's taste.

Putting food in front of Tom
Aikens is going to be scary.

I need him to also understand my
style of cooking,

so I'm going to go a bit
more gentle with the spices.

Kevin rolls the dough for his
crispbread and slices carrots,

which he presses into the dough.

Hopefully, they're colourful cos I'm
going to pop all these carrots on.

It'll be nice and crisp and that's

going to finish off the hummus
really well.

He encases beetroot in a salt
dough, hoping for a juicy

and flavourful result, and applies
a charcoal rub

to celeriac before roasting.

Adam mixes egg substitute
with flour, sugar and tomato powder,

which he blitzes into a paste
for his tuile.

So all my skins from my tomatoes
that I've peeled, I've dried them

in the dehydrator and I've just
blended them into a powder.

Ancl that's what I'm going
to be making the tuile for,

for the top of the dish.

There'll be a battle of the tuiles.

Although Mark's is being made
with a type of fermented rice called

koji, which he is blending
with flour, salt and sugar

to make his smooth paste.

I believe Adam is also doing a
tuile, interesting to see who's

got the better vegan recipe.

So, starters are here and they're
plant-based this year.

What do you think about this?

No, I love that. I think, in the UK,
choice of vegetables

that we have is enormous and the
chefs can really be creative

in terms of the taste, the textures,
the methods of cooking, the style

of the dish. You know, I really want
to see some great creative dishes,

which, on paper, of what I've seen,

they look all really good.

As the pressure mounts, Abi
con fits garlic cloves in oil

and blends chickpeas with green
plantains, lemon juice and oil

to make his hummus.

Then he adds the blended
con fit garlic.

So I'm hoping to achieve a mellow
garlic flavour - not too sharp,

and also helps the plantain
hummus to be less gloopy.

As the chef owner of Farin Road
in Edinburgh, Abi specialises

in Pan-African cuisine.

I'm originally from Nigeria
and I grew up around African food.

My style of cooking is traditional
African cooking.

I think I fell in love
with Scotland

ever since I moved here in 2006
and my career and my experience

has mainly been rooted in Scotland.

To be on Great British Menu is a
massive, massive opportunity

and I hope I do Scotland proud.

Back in the kitchen, Abi blitzes
toasted spices to make his falafel

before frying the marinated
plantain skins

to make his unconventional
vegan bacon.

Can I take one? Oh, yes, please.

So just refresh me how you did this.

So it's the plantain peel, marinated
in some maple syrup, some soy sauce,

a bit of paprika and some
garlic. They're crispy. Yeah.

Yep.

So the idea is to get a bit
of charring in the tray

before going in the oven.

Abi's plantain bacon,
I really loved it.

Very unique, very different,
but just has to watch the colour

on that and make sure it's not
too dark. Otherwise, tasty.

For his custard, Adam mixes red
pepper puree into potato milk,

oat cream and seaweed extract.

Just tasted the mousse - just needs
a little bit more spice.

Meanwhile, Kevin is making hummus
using a base liquid of vegetable

stock, coriander seeds, black
peppercorns, lemons and oranges.

He then adds it to chickpeas
and roasted cashew nuts.

I want to make it quite light,
so I'm going to put it in the

second gun and really aerate it.

Maybe a touch more salt.
It's quite light.

Kevin's hummus has got this base
liquid.

I think it's really nice, brings an
acidity to it and a depth of flavour

that you wouldn't normally
have in a hummus.

With his paste too thick
for his home-made moulds,

Mark is having tuile trouble.

I'm not quite happy with the mix,
erm...

...not entirely sure what's going on.

Mark, originally from just
outside Dundee, is head chef

at The Ethicurean Restaurant
in Somerset.

The restaurant is about
a connection with nature.

We're set in this beautiful
walled garden.

I spent two and a half years
at River Cottage,

working under Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall.

I was really attracted to the way
that every ingredient was treated

with some sort of boyish
love from Hugh.

How long...? One minute, chef.

It's an hon our to be representing
Scotland.

It's pretty terrifying, as well,
there's some amazing chefs.

I want to do myself proud and show
what I can do, but that's

as far as it goes. I don't want to
think any further than that.

And if I get deeper into
the competition, that's

just a bonus for me.

Service, please.

Back in the kitchen, Mark remakes
his tuile mix, this time

using a silicon mould.

Hi, Mark. Hi, chef. Any issues yet?

I had a bit of issue with my tuile mix. In
the cooking or the taking out the mould or...?

Sometimes the psyllium husk,
it's... Yeah.

It needs a bit more of a tweak.

Tend to its own. Yeah. Yes, indeed.

And the chanterefles, are they what
we have here? Yeah.

Can I try one? Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah.

So Mark is making
a koji tuile.

It's a mushroom dish.

He's already had one lot of
failures, I'm afraid.

It's an element that will bring,
I think, sort of a bit of intricacy

and a bit of delicacy to his dish.

But it just depends if he can pull
it off or not.

On the other side of the kitchen,
Adam's home and dry with his tuiles.

So he moves on to his sorbet,

mixing glucose, citrus juices,

basil and sugar.

This the basil sorbet?

I didn't cook the basil at all or
blanch it, it's completely raw.

So you get that really fresh
flavour.

Do you want to try it?
Love to, yeah.

It's raw basil, yeah?
Yeah, raw basil,

lemon and orange juice,

blended in. And no,
no issues as yet?

No issues yet.

Abi will be serving his
Bananaman-inspired starter first.

And with the clock ticking, he's not
happy with an element of his dish.

Got some really good bits of
plantain bacon, but also half of

them are a little bit charred.

So to support that, I'm doing
some plantain chips.

He quickly slices then deep-fries
some green plantain

along with his falafel.

Well, the falafel is on.

Finishing those with some raw
cauliflower.

Two minutes now, Abi. Yeah.

He dresses with carrot
and pine nuts.

One minute left, Abi.

Yes, Chef.

Plantain bacon and chips complete
the dish.

So the name of my dish is
The Banana is Loaded, inspired

by Bananaman. It's definitely a
banana theme going on there.

Oh, yeah.

All right, well, bring your dish
and we'll go and taste it.

Here we go.
Plantain-tastic, banana-tastic.

What are your thoughts in terms
of plantain crisps and the bacon?

Definitely happy with the textures,
that they will snap well.

That caramelised one
I think is so burnt.

Ancl the falafel? The falafel,
just about is quite dense.

I'd like it to be a bit more fluffy.

I feel like you could take
somebody out with that.

Dennis the Menace and his slingshot.

So now that you've cooked it
and now you're eating it,

what are your thoughts? I would say
the hummus needs a touch of salt.

Seasoning wise, it's fine.

Yeah, I think it's maybe
slightly under-seasoned,

if I'm being really honest. I think
it's massively under-seasoned.

Yeah.

Where would you score this dish?

A couple, couple of mishaps along
the way.

I'll be very, very happy

if I do get a seven.

I would give him a five.

I'd be inclined to agree as well.
I was thinking around a five.

Kevin? I'd give him six.

Hi, Abi. WOW.

That was intense. Was it?

Oh, yeah. Are you happy with the
dish?

I think I had a bit of seasoning
issue there.

All righty.

Kevin's starter is next.

He aerates his hummus...

...and fries pieces of onion squash
followed by cauliflower.

OK, we've got two minutes, please.
Yes, Chef. Onto the pass.

He drizzles his hazelnut and maple
syrup dressing onto the plates.

What do you have here, the little
black vegetable?

That's the celeriac, which I've just
rubbed in ash.

I've got the beetroot that's been
salt-baked.

I've got my little florets of
broccoli.

A dome of aerated hummus.

And topped with his vegetable
crispbread and beetroot leaves.

OK. Kevin, clue on the pass, please.

Yeah.

The name of the dish is Vegetables
Are Not Evil, and the inspiration

is The Be a no. All right, well,
let's go and try it.

Do you think people will understand
the story of what you're trying to say?

I hope so. I mean, every kid, even
my son, I think they think

every vegetable is evil.

So I want to try and say
that vegetables are not evil.

It feels a little like a meze plate.

I'm not 100% sure it's a dish.
It's a dish.

So how do you think all the
contrasting texture of everything

works well together? Yeah. I mean,

some of the vegetables are soft,
some are crispy.

You've got the crispness of the
bread.

It's kind of a little bit soft
under where the vegetables

are sitting on it, a bit chewy.
Yeah.

Ancl you think the seasoning
in the hummus is as it should be?

Yeah, I think I want it to be nice
and light and fresh.

Abi, what do you think about the
hummus? I love the flavour.

The only thing I would say
is it's a little bit

too light for me.

Is it a hummus or is it a chickpea
foam?

Well, it's interesting, isn't it?
But it's tasty.

What would you give it?

I think it's colourful.
It's tasty.

It's got a great link to the brief.

So a strong eight.

It'd say a seven. It's tasty.

I'll give an eight.

I'll give it a seven.

How was that, chef? Oh, yeah, bit
nervy. How do you find it?

The hummus was so tasty.

We're debating whether it's a hummus
or a chickpea foam, but...

Well, hummus, I'd say.

Adam's due next.
With his tuiles decorated,

he's plating up early.

Starting with his set red
pepper custard...

Quite intricate plating, Adam,
you need an army for this.

...which he decorates with tomatoes
and hazelnuts.

He pipes on red pepper puree_

You got four minutes, Adam.

Yep. No problem. I'll be on the
pass.

To be fair, I didn't think
I would finish this quick.

Ah, broke!

All right? Yeah.

After a quick prop repair,
he attempts to rocher

the chilled basil sorbet.

You got two minutes now, Adam.

Yeah.

I can't get my spoon warm enough.

So it's being a pain in the bottom.

Laughing-

How long do I have? One minute.

One minute, you say.

And to finish - his hand-decorated
tuiles.

BLEEP. Oh, you little...

Give that one to me, Adam.

0K?

So, Adam, the name of your dish
and the inspiration behind it?

The Mouse That Saved The Lion
from the Aesop fables.

All right. We should go and try it.

Let's do it. There you go.

Do all the components work
well for you?

Yep. In terms of the flavours
of the basil sorbet, the acidity,

do you think that's at the right
point?

Basil sorbet is acidic.

I didn't want to make it
sweet, like an ice cream

or anything like that.

It just works together, you know,
it's soft, it's crunchy,

it's packed full of flavour.

Ancl then the intricacy of the tuile,
do you think that adds to the dish?

It adds a little texture.
It's a little playful as well.

I think the tuile was the star for
me. The tuile is fantastic.

The tuile is fantastic.

You have tuile? No, you don't. You
have tuile. I've got a tuile.

Is it tuile worry? Having
a "tuiley" bad time.

So, Adam, if you were to score
this dish? I'd like to give

it a nine, but it's you,
so I'm going to say an eight.

OK.

So if I were to score an eight,
what would you change?

A little touch of rock salt
on the tomatoes.

That's it.

OK.

I think it's a strong nine.

Strong nine.

Yeah, I'd say nine.
Maybe a high eight.

Hi, Adam. How was that?

It was all right.

Happy with it? Were yous happy with
it? It was lovely.

You're all looking at me like I did
something wrong.

No, no, it's delicious.
The tuile was amazing.

Thanks. It was really delicious.

Mark's is the final starter,
but will his re-made tuiles cause

as much trouble as Adam's?

All fine.

No massive drama.

He barbecues the maitake mushrooms.

Did you do a full mushroom dish
because you're a fun guy?

THEY LAUGH

Once you get to know me better,
Adam,

you'll know I am not a fun guy.
It's smells great.

Ga rlicky, buttery.

Mark's mushroom
and barley porridge is the first

of many fungi elements
into the bowls.

The barbecued maitake mushrooms get
a coating of medlarjelly.

They're a really nice sort of
rich caramel flavour.

Ancl just to give a bit of
sweetness to the dish as well.

They're layered along with black

truffle and pickled chanterelle
mushrooms.

A lot of mushrooms, not "much room"
or anything else you might say.

Mark pipes mushroom puree
onto his koji tuiles.

OK, two minutes, Mark.
Thank you very much.

A sprinkle of mushroom garam
and hazelnuts to make koji

tuile sandwiches and the dish gets
a short stretch in jail.

The dish is called Behind Bars.

It's inspired by an edition
of The Be a no, where Dennis actually

hasn't clone anything wrong
but goes to prison anyway.

Well, let's go.

I love the props. Oh, I love the
props.

It looks good. Smells good.

Yeah, it does smell good. It really
does smell great, doesn't it?

So, Mark, with all the different
mushrooms going on, do you think

you can really taste their distinct
flavours?

I mean, I guess you could argue
that they are all mushroomy. Yeah.

Potentially could have achieved
a similar result just using one,

but it wouldn't have looked
nearly as good. Yeah.

Are you tasting different mushrooms?
No.

Or are you getting one flavour?

One flavour.

Ancl then the koji tuile, was
that the right amount of flavour

that you wanted in there? Yeah.

It needed to be quite punchy and
sharp, I think, to just help lift the dish.

What about the tuile
with the mushroom puree?

That had some flavour.

I don't think there's anything
necessarily wrong with it. Mm.

But there could be more right with
it? There could be more. Yeah.

If you had to score your dish?

I'm pretty harsh on myself.

I would say a seven, maybe an eight.

I'm going to go seven.

There's nothing wrong with it.
A seven.

Yeah, seven.

There he is. How are you?

Oh! That's horrible, isn't it?

A nervous wreck coming in there.
Ah! Feel like one.

Did he give you the death stare?

I wasn't looking him in the eye.

Oh!

First course done, started.

How have they done, Tom?

Listen, it's always so difficult.

I think, you know, there's three new
guys in there, and I have to say,

I'm quite impressed at how
they all went around getting

their first course out.

It's almost just like getting
your feet wet.

Yeah, exactly. I think it's just
settling nerves, working through it.

It's always the sort of the time
pressure, as we know, it kind

of suddenly drips away.

Have any of the chefs done
better than the others?

Yes, definitely.

How do you think Tom
is going to score us all?

He's a guy who knows perfection.
Right? Yeah.

And I think with us all
being professionals,

if there was an error, which we had
made, he would have picked it up.

Yeah. Yeah.

So where we started off? I'm quite
happy. Good. Quite happy.

You're in a great mood,
aren't you?

I know it's making me a little
nervous, but, hey.

Moment of truth, guys, let's see
what Tom says.

Let's do it. Here we go.

A reasonably respectable
start from all of you.

And it's lovely to see you all
settling in

in our Great British Menu kitchen.

Abi, for your dish,

The Banana is Loaded.

I thought it was fun and a
light-hearted presentation.

The plantain hummus,

texturally it needed more body.

I thought it was a little bit
under-seasoned as well.

The plantain peel bacon had a burnt,
sort of slight, acrid taste to it,

which is a bit of a shame
because the concept I really loved.

You then made some last-minute
plantain chips.

Good idea.

But I just thought
they were a little bit bland.

The plantain falafel, as you know,
were pretty dense.

Ancl again, I think they lacked some
spice and just a bit more flavouring.

So, Kevin, your dish,

Vegetables are not Evil.

The cashew nut hummus was
well aerated.

It was light and had a good depth
of flavour.

The vegetables all tasted
as they should,

but texturally I thought
they were all a little bit too soft.

Ancl the pumpkin, the beetroot
and celeriac just could

have had that little bit
more bite to them.

The smoked hazelnut dressing
was lovely.

It added another dimension of
flavour to the dish and brought

the acidity which it needed.

Adam, for your dish, The Mice
That Saved The Lion.

I thought you had really thought
this through well,

and how to bring
the fable to life.

The basil sorbet had a really lovely
basil flavour,

and it wasn't too sweet.

If you get to cook this again,
I would definitely use a teaspoon

of the basil sorbet.

Not a big rocher.

The tuille was beautifully made

and a great idea to use
those tomato skins.

I just thought just a little bit
more paprika to give that a bit

more of a spicy kick.

Mark, for your dish, Behind Bars.

Your posh prison style porridge
definitely hit the brief.

The savoury porridge had a
really good mushroomy flavour

and the texture from the spelt
and the pearl barley

worked really well.

But I just think it could have just
clone with a touch more seasoning.

Onto the koji tuile,

we know you had a few little
problems, but I'm glad you stuck

to it and it worked really well.

Nice touch. Thank you.

And so to the scores.

Abi,

I'm going to give you."...

...a five.

Abi, I was really excited about
the potential for this dish,

but you made mistakes
that I'm pretty sure

you're going to be kicking
yourself for.

Kevin,

I'm going to give you."...

...a seven. Thank you.

Your flat bread was really
beautiful.

I just think those vegetables just
need to sing.

Adam,

I'm going to score you...

...an eight.

Adam, that tuile was amazing.

Such depth of flavour. Excellent.

Thank you. And, Mark,

I'm going to give you."...

...an eight.

I really enjoyed the presentation
at the pass with your dish.

It was simple. It had a full
connection to the brief,

and I really enjoyed the cooking.
So well done.

Well done, all of you.

Next up, it's the fish course.

Yeah, and I'm really looking
forward to it.

So carry on where you left off,

the starters is a really, as they
say, a good start.

A good start.

See you in a minute. Thank you very
much.

Not bad. Yeah?

Yeah, it was good. Well clone.

Yeah.

Well done. Well done. Well done.

Now on to the fish.

Next, it's the fish course.

And with their place in the
competition at stake, pressure

is running high.

Getting a five for my starter,
yeah, I'm gutted.

Gutted. I definitely don't want
to be the person going home.

I think right now to save myself,
I've got to keep an eye on Kevin.

If I can beat Kevin on the
fish course, I've got a chance.

Nope.

A little bit manlier than me, Kevin.

Any chance you could...? I'm not
sure about that.

The competition
is really, really high.

The standards are high,
but I'm just going to concentrate

on what I do. Don't get wrapped up
in what anybody else is doing.

Yeah, let's have a look.

That's it. BLEEP.

Thank you. You must've slackened it
for me.

I'm quite apprehensive
going into the fish course.

I feel it's probably not
my strongest dish.

Throughout my menu, my starter is my
weakest dish. In my eyes, I think.

So getting an eight for that,
the only way is up.

Last year, Adam netted a ten
for his fish dish, and he's hoping

to reel in the same score this time.

The title of the dish is A Princess
Should Not Have Weapons.

Right. From Brave. Brave.

I love Brave.

Do you remember the scene
where the mum turns into a bear?

She gets hungry on the way
and they start eating

these poisonous berries.

So these are the poisonous
berries. Right.

And then she made a little barbecue
and does salmon for the mum.

Aha!
This dish will be that whole scene.

So I'm using what you would normally
throw away on a salmon.

So the tail, the skin and the belly.

Oh, yum. And I'm going to serve it
with bilberries.

Wild blueberries. Bilberries,
beautiful. Bilberries, yeah.

The belly, I'm going to be barbecuing
it heavily only on the skin side.

OK. So it's completely black.

And then on the plates will be a
light smoked celeriac puree.

I'm making a little cheese
because I'm using the whey

in the sauce, so it's very light.

And inside the sauce you'll have
garlic capers,

lacto fermented stalks, lots of
different types of berries you find

in the forest. That's fantastic.

While Adam reduces his bilberries,

Mark is softening grated turnip

in butter to make a puree.

The dish is called Spindrift,
and it's based on an animation

of the same name by an award-winning
animator called Selina Wagner.

So it's really beautifully animated.

It's set on a very bleak
Scottish beach.

How are you getting all
this beauty onto a plate?

Everything's going to be quite
bleak looking.

So everything's white but white
turnip ribbons that are going

to look like a sand dune, topped
with sea vegetables. The trim

of the turnip I'm going to turn into
a caramelised turnip puree.

Got Arctic char,
a little caviar as well.

Ancl it all comes down to a smoked
yoghurt whey sauce,

which I'm going to foam.

So we've got that really nice
Spindrift across the plate.

Wow. Bleak beauty, Tom. Flavour
combinations sound lovely.

CLATTERING

But on the other
side of the kitchen, things

are less harmonious.

BLEEP.

Adam's only just started his fish
dish, but he's already in trouble.

So I took my eye off my
bilberry sauce for my jam.

It burnt, so I'm making it again.

Meanwhile, Abi will be looking
to avoid any mistakes as a strong

fish course is needed to keep him
in the competition.

Hi, Andi. How are you, darling?
Yeah. Not too bad, not too bad.

Deep sigh you just gave. Aye.

I I Aye- II
TH EY LAUGH

That's the Scotsman in me.

So let's talk about your fish
course.

So the title of my dish
is Yabbies And Witchetty Grubs.

Yabbies And Witchetty Grubs?
Yes.

Which is inspired by Maisie Mac.

So this is a Scottish cartoon? Yeah.

OK. So there's an episode,

she took a trip to Australia.
I was going to say yabbies,

this is very Australian. Right?
Witchetty grubs. Certainly is.

So they found some yabbies, some
witchetty grubs, which is like worms. Yeah.

Got the lobster, which I'm going
to be finishing on the barbecue

with some lobster glaze.
All the garnishes, samphire,

the sea fingers all look like
worm-ish. Right.

So I'm trying to recreate that.
So we're not actually getting worms?

Oh, definitely. No, hopefully not.

Shame. Hopefully not. Damn. Shame.

What's this? What's happening here?

Is that going in the rice?

That's myja... jollof bisque.

Oh, so you're making like
a jollof rice? Yes.

Oh! Yes. Some of the flavours you've
got going on there are going

to work really well. The jollof rice
and the lobster,

yeah, it's a great
shellfish to cook on the barbecue.

For his Gaelic-inspired
shellfish fish course,

Kevin is stuffing razor clams
with scallop mousse.

The dish is called Dinna Be Crabbit
Wullie.

Crabbit. That's grumpy, isn't it?

Yes, it does. Yeah.

And which Wullie are we
talking about? Oor Wullie.

Oor Wullie is a Scottish character
created by DC Thomson. Wullie

was famed for being cheeky,
using a bucket as a seat

and for speaking the Scots language.

I'm going to make a scallop mousse.

I'm going to bind it with
brown crab.

So I'm going to make it into
the shape of a bucket.

So it's almost like a lasagne. Sits
on a bucket? Sits on a bucket,

and I'm going to use the stuffed
razor clams for the rim of the

bucket, put it all together and I
made this wonderful crab bisque.

Cor. With a velvet crab, some
langoustine shells in there.

I'm going to get loads of aromat in
there with basil, lemon juice.

So it's quite light.

Sounds beautiful. Certainly does.

There's nothing more than doing
lots of intricate little details

on the dish because it just, it
brings it nicely together. Yeah.

Kevin learned his trade working
at The Savoy in London.

Now he runs his own restaurant
in Aberdeen.

This place is really giving
me focus.

It's just been open three months.

I spend more time here than I do
at home.

So you've really got to love it.

Ancl I think at this stage of my
career,

I'm loving it more than ever.

My cooking style is probably
classical, natural,

ancl seasonal certainly. In Scotland,

we have the most wonderful produce,

so we don't want to do a lot
with it.

Opening up a restaurant for
three months, to getting on

The Great British Menu,

it's just been a whirlwind
and I think if I can get a dish

to the banquet, it would
just be the icing on the cake.

In the kitchen, Kevin is rolling
pasta sheets for his bucket lasagne.

You love that machine. Yeah.

Mark is deboning fillets of Arctic
char.

And Abi is scorching peppers...

All on the line at the moment.
So go hard or go home.

...and carefully shelling and
preparing his luxurious lobster

ready for the barbecue.

Out of the starters, his was the
lowest score.

So he's definitely got to push
himself now.

Ancl I think subtlety of that lobster
needs to be at the forefront

of his dish. Mm.

Meanwhile, Adam is using a stencil
to make leaf-shaped crisps

before moving on to his whey sauce.

Hmm.

That's perfect.

Returning chef Adam runs three
restaurants, including Frog

in London's theatre district.

He made it to the finals last year,
but was pipped to the banquet

by Spencer Metzger.

Great British Menu means an awful
lot to me.

It's one of the very few things
I haven't quite won yet.

Last year I did pretty good.

I cooked my socks off.

But when you're cooking
against someone like Spencer,

it should be called the Great
British Spencer Show.

He's a phenomenal chef.

Ready? Yeah.

Bear in mind, this has to be done
extremely quickly.

I think what will make me
super happy this year

is to get a dish at the banquet.

I came second on my fish course last
year, and I think if I can get one

of them to the banquet,
I'll be over the moon.

Service, please.

What we got here, then?

Smoked celeriac puree. OK.

Lovely.

Just tasted Adam's celeriac puree.

It's got that nice sort of depth
of flavour from the smokiness.

It's fairly rich, you know,
nice and creamy.

Ancl I think it'll work well with
the other components of his dish.

Having checked his crab and scallop
mousse for bits of shell,

Kevin layers it along with pasta
into bucket-shaped moulds.

With his lobster glazed, Abi
cuts his bisque gel.

How we doing, Mark? Good, Thank
you, Chef. All right?

Yeah. What we got here? So this is
pickled rock samphire gel. OK.

Which is...quite strong.

It's only going to be a little bit
of it on the plate,

but it is the only sort of real
acidity that's going into the dish.

So softly, softly. Indeed.

It definitely isn't something
I would have tried

or clone before myself.

He's going to have to use this
subtly because it is quite strong,

because if he has too much,
it's going to sort of kill

the subtlety of the char.

Adam will be first to serve
his Brave-inspired dish.

OK, you got two minutes, Adam.

Two minutes.

Now barbecued, his salmon gets a
spray of fermented garlic oil.

The cured salmon is plated...

Is that your cheese you're putting
on the board there, Adam? Yep.

...along with celeriac puree
and the barbecued salmon belly

before adding a garnish
of mixed berries.

You got one minute, Adam.
One minute. Yep. Yep.

It's topped with leaf-shaped
crisps and edible flowers.

Right.

Let's rock and roll.

I forgot something, I need
to grab one more thing.

BAGPIPES PLAY

LAUGHTER

So I'm the princess.

Oh, my God! Commitment.
That's what we like.

So, Adam, what's the name
of the dish

and the inspiration behind it?

The dish is called A Princess
Should Not Have Weapons.

And my inspiration is Brave.

On that note, let's disappear.
Yeah.

So, you getting Brave from this...

...tonight's scenario?

Be hard pushed not to, I think.

So, Adam, here we are.

Or should I call you Princess?

Princess, please.

Well, Princess, you may
remove your wig.

Ah... Sauce, where you want me to
put it?

Just all over it. All over? Yes.

But look how beautiful that is.
Isn't that fabulous looking?

So you're happy with the cooking
of the fish? Out of all the dishes

that I've practised, this one, when
I cook it, I eat it all the time.

And I'm really happy with
the flavours on this dish.

Bang on. Crispiness.

Softness, still pink. Yeah. Very
nice.

There's not much to fault about it.
It's really beautiful.

The sauce has got a few elements in
there, namely, the caramelised whey,

were you happy with the flavour that
brought into the dish? Big time.

I think the sauce is really probably
the standout part of the dish.

I'm trying hard to find fault.
I can't.

I can't fault it.

What would you score your dish?

I wouldn't change anything
to the dish.

I'd add a little bit more sauce,
though, because that sauce has got

the cuddles, it's got the acidity
and things like that.

But I know that you're way more
critical than I am, so I'd give

it a nine.

I'm reluctant to give a ten,
but I can't see

how it could be anything else.

It's really nice.

I like to go nine. Ten all day
long. Ten all day long.

Welcome back, Princess. How was it?

Yeah, it was good.

Delicious, mate. You like it?

Really good. Top notch.

Wonderful.

Who's up next?

Me. Do you want a hand?

Will do, yeah, please.

Mark starts by plating his turnip
puree and ribbons for his dish based

on a Scottish animation.

You've got three minutes there,
Mark. Thank you, Chef.

What's in the bag?

Pickled rock samphire gel.

It's pretty pokey,
but it's just there to give

a little burst of acidity.

He adds the barbecued Arctic char
and his smoked whey sauce.

OK, one minute, Mark. Thank you.

And some sea vegetables and caviar.

So this dish is called Spindrift,
and it's inspired by the animation

of the same name by Selina Wagner.

Last-minute rush there.
A little bit.

So, do you want to bring the tray?
Yeah.

Are you happy with everything
on the plate?

I think the sea vegetables
could have been a bit neater.

But other than that, I'm pretty
happy-

I like it, it looks simple but it
does have lots of flavours to it.

Ancl there's a richness from the
sauce and smokiness you got from

that, is that what you wanted?
Yeah.

I just wanted a hint of the smoke.

I didn't want it to be too intense.

The sauce kind of helps
with everything.

Ancl the turnip puree, you happy with
that caramelisation? Probably

could've clone a slightly larger
amount, which would have given me

a bit longer to cook it and get it
a little bit more depth to it.

Caramelised turnip puree underneath,
which is silky and lovely. Yummy.

The cooking of the fish, are you
happy with that?

I'm really happy with how the fish
is cooked.

It's got a nice sort of blistered
skin for a little bit

of that extra barbecue flavour.

I would say the only one
little thing I would say

is just a little more crispy
on the skin.

But other than that, the guy smashed
it out of the park in my eyes.

So, Mark, what, if you could,

would you give your dish?

Being the person I am, I'm going
to err on the side of caution

and say a seven.

OK. Interesting.

The puree could have been yes,
sort of slightly richer

in flavour. The sea vegetables,

I would have liked a bit more time
to arrange them slightly nicer.

You know, I'll give him a ten.
Nine, I think.

Yeah, very good. I'll go ten.

All right.
Thumbs up from the chefs.

Happy? I think so, yeah.
What did you guys think of it?

That was a really good dish.

Nice and classical. I gave it a ten.

You did not. I did. Shut up!

I did. I thought I was very nice.

Kevin's fish dish, an ode to a
Scottish comic strip, is due next.

His bucket-shaped lasagnes
are cooked.

Two minutes, Kevin. Yes, Chef.

So I'm just going to let them
rest a sec.

First onto his plate is a base of
cucumber, apple and kohlrabi.

Are you happy with your little
cabbages? Yes.

They look very cute. You got one
minute, Kevin. Yes, Chef.

Just go round.

Just come out like that.

You are due at the pass. Yeah.

He tops his lasagne with caviar,
unwraps his stuffed razor clams...

One minute over now, Kevin.

Yeah.

...drizzles foam bisque around
the base and serves the remainder

and his lasagnes in buckets.

There you are, chef.

So the name of the dish
is Dinnae Be Crabbit Wullie.

The inspiration is Oor Wullie.

I'll bring the sauce, shall I?

How do you think the cooking was of
your crab lasagne?

The texture's there, the flavour's
there.

It's nice. It's nicely cooked.

I think the pasta's maybe
slightly chewy.

And the razor dams?

Added a bit of technique.

Cucumber, apple and kohlrabi,
do you think that was the right

texture into the dish? Yeah.

I was just conscious that it was
a bit soft, erm, just a last-minute

decision to pull it and just to give
it a bit more texture.

I want to love it, but it does
nothing for me.

The bisque, how it tastes
altogether,

do you think it's got the right
sort of flavour? Yes.

It's flavoursome, it's light.

He has perhaps a little too
delicate of a touch.

If this is to portray him.

Got a little bit of shell there.

Yeah, I went through it three
or four times as well.

Understand where Adam is coming
from, but I like the flavours.

You like the flavours.

So what would you score your dish?

I'd like to see even a nine or an
eight.

I'll say a high seven.

I'd say six.

Yeah, that's a six for me.

How are you? Hi, Chef. Pretty good.

How was that? Yeah.
How'd you find it?

Yeah. It was all right. Yeah.
It's nice, it was tasty.

Finally, it's Abi to serve,

but he seems unsure
about his lobsters.

Are you happy with your lobsters?

Uh... Yep, in a way.

He adds Parmesan, chicken stock
and butter to his jollof rice.

Nice.

OK. You got two minutes there, Abi.
Oui, Chef.

He plates his lobster, also fennel.

Mark helps with the sea vegetables.

His jollof rice is added,
which he seasons with dried

and grated scallop and serves
surrounded by liquid nitrogen.

So the name of my dish is Yabbies
and Witchetty Grubs.

Inspired by Maisie Mac's trip
to Australia.

You happy, Abi? Uh...

So far so good.

OK, Abi, grab one and then let's
go taste it.

So, Abi, what do you think of all
the flavours going on there?

Think they're all working well?

Yeah, I think the flavours
all work together.

Mark, you're looking at me.

Talk to me.

What's happening on your plate?
Everything's just too toned down.

Bland? It probably wouldn't be
unfair.

How do you think the lobster
is cooked?

Personally, I think the lobster
is a touch over.

If you're going to cook lobster, the
king of the ocean,

make sure you know how to cook it.

Leaving the intestinal track
inside lobster,

if anyone had that in my
restaurant, I would...

...| would literally be mortified.

Yeah.

How about you guys?
ls yours all right?

Clean.

So the fennel, do you think that
adds anything to your dish?

Yeah, I think it's a good
complement to the dish.

I hope when he tastes it, he
realises that this is a disaster.

What would you give it?

It was a safe seven, but I'd
like an eight for the dish.

OK. There's not a lot
to like about it, really.

All right, I'll ask
you to score first, Kevin.

Four. I'd say a four.

I'd say a three.

Ah, here he is.

Hello, guys. Aye-aye. How are you?

Actually happy with that. I think

I was more relaxed with that dish
than any other one I've served.

So. So. End of the fish course.
Yes, indeed.

Fair to say there were some
peaks and some troughs.

I would say. Definitely.
What do you guys think?

I had the intestinal tract still
in my lobster, and that's one

of the things that really
grinds my gears big time.

Oh, my God.
So I wasn't, I wasn't chuffed.

I'm really sorry about that.

The brief and storytelling fitted
well amongst three of the dishes,

definitely.
You are scoring these chefs.

Is it clear to you the direction
that you're headed?

Crystal clear. Right.

As things stand, Adam and Mark
lead with eight points,

Kevin has seven and Abi five.

Hello, chefs.

I'm going to hand you over to Tom.

Thank you. Adam.

So for your dish, A Princess
Should Not Have Weapons.

Presentation was spot-on and
brought the story to life.

The cured tail was light and fresh.

Salmon belly had a lovely
smoky flavour.

But I thought that the belly
was literally like a minute

of a minute overcooked.

Mark, for your dish, Spindrift.

You definitely conjured up the
desolate beach

from the animation using all
those lovely, humble ingredients.

I thought the smokiness of
the fish and the turnip

worked really well together.

Caramelised turnip puree brought
sweetness and richness to the dish.

But I thought it could have been
just caramelised a tiny bit more.

Kevin, for your dish, Dinnae Be
Crabbit Wullie.

Not bad. Excellent.

Your inspiration of Oor Wullie
was clearly close to your heart.

I just didn't think it quite
worked on the plate.

The shellfish bisque was, was nice
and aerated, which is what you want.

Ancl it didn't overpower the crab.

I thought the razor clam
was a beautiful idea.

First time I've seen a razor
clam stuffed.

I just thought it needed a touch
more seasoning.

The lasagne, the crab and the
scallop had a subtle flavour.

However, I thought it was just
a tiny bit overcooked.

Abi, for your dish,

Yabbies and Witchetty Grubs.

I liked the story
that you were trying to tell.

I was expecting the lobster tail
to have a really nice barbecue

flavour.
I just didn't think it was there.

I thought the lobster tasted almost
like it had been parboiled.

Ancl also, you'd left the intestinal
tract in the lobster.

But you had some lovely fennel,

and I thought that was a welcome
addition to your dish.

And so to the scores. Adam.

I'm going to give you."...

...a nine. Adam.

Some truly delightful balance
and flavour on that plate,

it was a wonderful moment.

Thank you. Mark.

I'm scoring you...

...a nine.

Mark, your dish had all of the
bleak romance that I was hoping for.

So well done on that. Kevin.

I'm scoring you...

...a six.

Kevin, if you cook it again,

I would follow Tom's advice because
it will probably get you a higher

score. It's got a lot of potential.

Yeah.

And, Abi.

I'm scoring you...

...a five.

Abi, that means, unfortunately,
that you'll be leaving us.

It's been lovely to have you
in the kitchen and I hope

you've enjoyed your time here.

So for the other three of you, get
some rest because tomorrow

it's mains and desserts.

Commiserations, Abi.

Neck and neck with Mark going
into the main course.

That's his favourite.
That's my favourite.

But my main course is a lot of work,
so I'm going to be running.

FAKE SOBBING

I'm feeling quite disappointed
in myself.

A bit gutted.

Hopefully be back here next
year and do way better.

I'm obviously a few points
behind so I'm playing catch up,

but hey, I've got some strong
dishes on the way.

It can change so quick
in the kitchen.

I definitely always fear the worst,

and it's nice to know that my food
stands up

against the other chefs here.

Next time.
Happiest clay of my life.

Our Scottish chefs, take it up a
gear...

Praise be! I tell you that that is
a weight off my mind.

...making sure they don't drop the
ball...

...or let their nerves get
the better of them.

SQUEAK
Oh, excuse me!