All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E15.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX.[eng]

It's the battle for Scotland. And our two
highest-scoring chefs, Adam and Mark,

are competing for a place in the
national finals.

They'll have to impress not only the
judges, but also our guest judge,

an award-winning comic book artist.

Andi! Andi! Big problem!

Dennis has gone rogue in the
kitchen! Oh!

This week, four of Scotland's finest
chefs battled it out.

Ooh la la. Now only two remain.

Well, this is Great British Menu.

Ancl if I'm not going to push
myself now...

Michelin-starred Adam Handling,

zero-waste champion and owner of

three restaurants, including Frog
in London's West End.

Judging clay... It's the third time
I've been here in my career.

How much do I want to win?
That's... A lot.

Your celeriads burning.
Made you look!

And newcomer green
Michelin-starred Mark McCabe

from The Ethicurean restaurant
in Somerset.

Adam's incredibly stiff competition.

I've certainly got my work
cut out for me.

He, too, is driven
by sustainability.

But that's not
all that he and Adam share.

Are you happy with the temperature
of you canape, Adam? Yeah.

Shame.
ADAM LAUGHS

Their desire to win
is palpable.

Today, I'm going to give
it absolutely everything.

I'm going to make that man
over there as nervous as I can.

With dishes inspired by animation
and illustration...

Oh. That was hard

...from Dennis the Menace, Brave, to
Wind In The Willows,

they're going for broke...

Smells good. It does.

So full of flavour. That is lush.

...to wow our judges
and come out on top today.

The winner of the Scotland heat
is...

I'm raring to go.

I had no idea what to expect
as a newcomer in the competition.

I'm very nervous.

I've tasted the finals
before, and I want it again.

I'll be giving this competition
everything I have.

Good morning, chefs. Morning.
Morning.

How are you doing?

Not too bad, thank you. Are you
ready for this? Absolutely. I am.

Battle royale. A brand-new day.

It's judging day. Four new palates.

The slate is wiped completely clean.

It's a very good idea to get
the larger jobs that you've got

to achieve, going.

And it looks like you're already
doing that, because there are pots

flying around already. I cannot wait
for these judges to taste your food,

because you're going to blow
their socks off, all right?

See you in a minute. Thank you.
Thanks, Andi.

Lots to do this morning.

Really want to make sure
my fish is nicely brined.

I've got to get some sauces
on, nice and reduced.

I've got to get that brioche dough
working so that it's lovely

and proved and fluffy. Loads to do.

Just need to get focused.

With the brioche for his main
course in hand,

Mark starts preparing a caramelised
turnip puree for his fish course.

Having a main course consisting
of 19 elements,

Adam has a lot on his plate.

First jobs I need to do
is get my custard on for my starter,

so that can set.

I then need to get my chicken clone,

because that takes a long time to
do.

All my sauces, my little pea
panna cotta for my canape.

It was too cold the last time,
so I need to get ahead of the game.

Scrutinising the chef's dishes today
is our head judge, Tom Kerridge.

He has three Michelin stars
and is the only chef in 20 years

to have twice cooked the main course
at a Great British Menu banquet.

Scottish produce, Scottish chefs,
there's passion, there's flavour,

there's that kind of drive
for perfection.

Flavours are going to be fantastic.

I'm so excited. I've been looking
forward to today all week.

In the kitchen, Mark is preparing
strawberry tuille

butterfly wings for his dessert.

They were a disaster yesterday,
and he couldn't serve them.

So he needs to make sure
he doesn't repeat the mistake today.

While Adam is preparing the tuiles
for his starter by mixing flour,

sugar, egg substitute and tomato
skin powder with water,

to make a paste.

They are "tuilly" delicate. Oh!

Do you think that's going to get
old at any point this week? Nope.

Next, he blends haggis with chicken

to make a mousse for his main
course...

...as Mark makes a tuile paste
for his starter using a base

of fermented rice called koji.

Can I open this? Of course you can.

I'll be watching you, because I want
to make sure you close it.

Just put them straight in on top
of yours. Probably.

I know your game by now, mate.

As the chefs crack on, I'm going
to give Tom an insight

into the week's events.

Hello, sir. Morning, mate.
How are you, darling?

Very well. We've had a good week.

Great. These two chefs scored very,
very well.

We've had eights, we've had nines.
And there was even a big fat ten.

No way! From Tom Aikens. Wow.

I can't wait for that.

I'm looking at some of the titles
as well, and they sound amazing.

A Badger's Sett.
A Lump Of Coal Nothing.

A Lump Of Cold Nothing. Amazing.

Can we get started? Are you
ready? Yeah, 100%.

Helping Tom judge the chefs'
menus today

are Ed Gamble and Nisha Katona.

With 16 Indian street food
restaurants and counting,

Nisha's a titan of the UK
hospitality industry.

Scotland's always excelled
when it comes to fantastic

ingredients and delicious dishes.

But what I want is that real visual
impact that hits the brief

of animation and illustration.

Whilst Ed presents a popular food
podcast with fellow comedian

James Acaster.

A huge history of animation and
illustration from Scotland.

There's obviously the Be a no,
the Dandy, things like that.

And also someone drew
a very detailed genitalia

on my poster at the Edinburgh
Fringe one year.

Veteran judge Tom Aikens gave Mark's
fish course a nine,

his highest score of the week.

But in a bid to get a big fat ten,
he's heeding his advice.

I'm just caramelising my turnips.

Tom mentioned that it could
have been a little bit further

down the caramelisation road,
so having that sort of deep

caramelisation in the puree
is just going to add a nice depth.

Adam, on the other hand, is only
making slight adjustments.

I'm only making real tweaks
to my dishes, not major changes.

So I feeL..I feel comfortable.

Morning. Good morning.
How are we?

Very well, thank you,
Tom. How are you?

Super-excited and looking
forward to Scotland.

So I've been chatting to Andi, and
she said that this week these two

chefs that are cooking today
have been very, very close.

This is what this show is about,
though, isn't it?

It's that nail-biting,
when they're both excellent

and you can't discern them.
Nisha, if you're biting your nails,

you're not eating
enough of the food.

THEY LAUGH

All right, my lovelies.

I'm back to let you know
that the judges are assembling,

and the guest judge is on their way.

So get your canape started.

Yes, keep an eye on that weird,
double-time vortex clock.

OK, so make them the best
you possibly can.

Thanks very much, Andi. Here we go,
boys.

The guest judge today is a
Glasgow-born,

award-winning comic
book illustrator

who has drawn Batman,
the X-Men and Superman,

Vincent Deighan, better known
by pen name Frank Quitely.

Frank. Hey. Hello.
Hello.

Welcome. Thank you.
Thank you very much for joining us.

Take a seat. Delighted.
Thank you.

Frank, I've got to point out
now that Ed is very, very excited

that you're here.

Oh, well, I'm very excited, too,
but for different reasons.

THEY LAUGH
Not because of Ed.

That's not to say that we're not
excited, but Ed is a big

comic book fan. I love comic books.

So our theme this year, Frank,
is animation and illustration.

What do you think of that as
the theme for the banquet this year?

It's a great theme. Obviously!

What is it about the comics
that attracted

you in the first place?

I loved drawing, when I was a child,
and also I was a kind

of lazy reader.

So the comic strip kind of worked,
because you could get

through the story and work it out
without really doing much reading.

Not a great advert...for comics.
THEY LAUGH

Yeah, but a wonderful one for art.

Adam is building pea and caviar
tarts.

You're happy with the temperature
of your canape, Adam?

Yep. That's a shame.

Whilst trying not to let his rival
get under his skin.

I can't concentrate like that.

I heard that. Did you hear that?

For his canape, Mark is adding diced
arctic char belly

and tomato to his croustade
cases,

and a sprinkle of
dehydrated fish scales.

So, Frank, what is it that you're
looking for in the food today?

I'm looking for flavours,
but I'm also hoping to see

how the dishes
tie in with the briefs.

Have you come hungry as well, Frank?
Yes, I have.

I have eating nothing for clays.
Great.

So, food, comic books, all tied
into the brief.

We should be in for an amazing clay.

Yeah, I'm living my
14-year-old dream today.

Not quite, actually.

Unless Pammy's coming.

THEY LAUGH

How you looking, Adam? I'm looking
good.

Two minutes to go. Yep.

Adam adds compressed peas
to his tarts...

...while Mark garnishes his cultured
cream croustades with shiso leaves.

Mark, how are you doing?
Yeah, I'm good.

My flowers have wilted as quickly
as I have.

Adam's tarts are crowned with a dome
of caviar and a garnish

of alyssum flowers.

Are you ready to plate?
I am - plating right now.

Service, please. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

First up, Adam's tart.

TOM: They both look exquisite.

It's got quite a bit of flavour.
It's really, really lovely.

I lost the caviar a bit in it.
I didn't get a lot of caviar.

I mean, it looked like a lot
of caviar, but there wasn't.

We should have licked it
off the top, shouldn't we?

Or eaten it first. But I didn't want
to lose the pea.

NISHA: I know. Exactly right. There's a
beautiful, savoury sweetness to that pea.

Ancl the crispy tart was delicious.

You're right. The caviar, kind of...

That saltiness kind of got
lost just a little bit.

But it was... I mean, it was
beautiful.

Next, it's Mark's croustade.

Nice to have cultured cream
for a change, isn't it?

As opposed to this barbaric,
uncultured cream we've been having.

That is lush!

Smoky. Acidity.

That cream is beautiful.
The tomato is lovely.

Oh, that's delicious.

NISH: That was so good.

So we've got to choose one.

We've got to decide which one
we like the most.

You pick up the plate that it
came from.

Wow. Whoa.

We've all gone for that one.
That was quite a close call for me.

The balance just edged it.

I think it's just because it was
awkward for us to both pick this up.

A strong start for Mark.

Can he keep it up for his starter?

In the week, his handmade tuile
moulds let him down.

Absolutely fine with the tuiles
this time.

Not using the dog bone moulds has
really helped. It mixes

a bit better now.

So, Frank, how long have you been
drawing comic book cartoons?

Er, professionally,
for more than 30 years.

Have you got some of that stuff
here? I have some here, yes.

There's a couple of graphic novels
and a selection of various different

pieces of artwork. Wow, look at
this.

God, they're so beautiful, Frank.
Wowsers!

TOM: Here you are. Let me see.
What was your big break, Frank?

I started working for an underground
comic in Glasgow,

and then from that, I started
working on the judge Dredd sort

of stuff, then into superheroes.

Ancl just, over the years, there
hasn't been a single big break.

It's just been a slow build.

The main element of Mark's dish

is mushroom porridge, made with
oats,

spelt and mushroom stock.

He adds fermented pearl
barley, along with mushroom

garam and truffles.

How you looking, Adam?
I'm looking good.

You do look good.
How's the food, though?

You're getting funnier
the more the week goes on.

He portions wild mushrooms and
dices king oyster mushrooms,

which he fries in garlic and thyme.

The first starter is called
Behind Bars, and it's a savoury

mushroom and koji porridge
with beer-pickled chanterelles,

barbecue maitake, mixed wild
mushrooms and koji tuille.

Ancl it's inspired by the Beano's
Dennis the Menace, and an episode

when he ends up behind bars.

Published by DC Thomson in Dundee.

Hey, I'm a big fan of DC Thomson,
so here's hoping it sticks

to the brief.

Veteran Tom Aikens gave
Mark's starter an eight.

He had a couple of suggestions
to help his porridge score higher.

So you're taking on, wisely,
the advice from Tom.

You're going to up the seasoning
and you're going to push

that creaminess with a little
more oats running through it.

Exactly. And also, salt gives you a
touch more luxury to the whole thing.

Exactly. Be a no or the Dandy?

It's kind of like a rivalry, wouldn't
it...? Which would you read?

I was a Be a no kid. Yeah. Yeah, for
sure.

Mainly because of Dennis the Menace.

I think he's a hero to all children.

All badly behaved children.
Yeah, exactly.

Although I sort of saw myself as a
hybrid between Dennis the Menace

and Walter the Softy. You know, I
wasn't on one side or the other.

That's a good balance. You know,
I like running around in the park,

but I like to smell nice as well.

THEY LAUGH

Mark starts building his dish
with his mushroom and koji porridge.

You have five minutes
to the pass, Mark.

Thank you. He adds his fried
king oyster and barbecued

maitake mushrooms.

Oh, look at those colours.

This emulsion here.

Just do like a good dollop.

Mushroom garam puree is piped onto
the koji tuiles.

Yeah, that's fine. And then, there's
chopped

toasted pumpkin seeds just behind
you.

Truffle sits on top of
the porridge, a sprinkle of pickled

chanterelle, followed by micro
herbs.

Last minute, Mark. One minute to go.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Ancl then it's just the glaze.

We are good to go.

Are you happy? Yeah, very
happy, yeah. Service, please.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Absolutely love this.
NISHA: Fantastic.

Great. I love the attention to
detail here.

Look at this. Prison tray as
well.

Yeah. It smells good.

It does.

I'm just toying...

I'm having to think through
whether I think the balance

of that sour and the real umami
of the mushrooms is right.

But that's a very subjective thing.
I love it. Yeah?

I really love it. I know there is
acidity in there, but I think that's

balanced out by that sweetness in
there.

That tuile was just a proper
little punch of flavour.

It's porridge. So it's prisony, you
know?

Ancl Scottish. And Scottish. Exactly.

It's absolutely delicious.

The presentation is really good -
with the brief.

I think Nish is right on that point
of the acidity.

It's not just like little bursts
of acidity you get.

It's actually this constant kind of
underlying whir of sour that comes

from the fermentation, which I think
is fantastic

if it was a slightly smaller
portion.

It's absolutely beautiful.

But for a starter, I could do
with a smaller portion, as well.

A few tweaks to this and it's a
great, almost perfect, dish.

Mm.

I said it was too much and I keep
eating.

I know. I know. I've had to push
it away.

Adam's up next...

Oh, you bugger!

...with his dish, The Mice That
Saved The Lion,

inspired by an animation of one
of Aesop's Fables, voiced

by Billy Connolly.

It's a red pepper custard,

basil sorbet, tomato skin
tuille,

Tomberry tomatoes in tomato ponzu,
toasted hazelnuts.

It's just me, but savoury
custard and savoury sorbet...

Yeah. I'm...

The hairs on the back of my neck
are going up, and not in a nice way.

Adam starts building his dish
by piping red pepper puree

onto his set custard.

Like Mark, he received an eight
from Tom Aikens.

The feedback from Tom was he wanted
the custard set a bit firmer,

and he needed a little more
seasoning on those tiny

little Tomberries.

This is what I forgot the last
time - to season my tomatoes.

Not this time.

Tomato on tomato, on the red pepper.

I'm kind of curious to how that's
going to work.

I'm not quite sure what it's got
to do with the mice and the lion.

NISHA: Yeah. It sounds very
Italian.

European. Well, the mice were
Italian...in the fable.

Great. And the lion was from
Provence.

Yes, exactly. Yeah.

OK. The mouse came along and said,
"I help-a you, lion."

Having broken his intricately
designed tuiles whilst plating,

earlier in the week, Adam
is down on his knees, hoping things

will run smoother this time around.

Super-intricate. You know,
all the little clots,

all the little flowers.

Do you think you might need an extra
minute or two, Adam?

What time is it?

You've got two minutes left.

Two minutes. OK, Mark?

Yeah, Chef? Can you help me, please,
now? Mm-hm.

The spirit of cooperation
that has permeated this competition

this week is in full effect
once more. I love it.

One minute, Adam. One minute.

So what changes have you made
to this, Adam?

I've just let it be a little colder.
Recipe's still the same.

I've added a little bit
more spice mixture.

Gorgeous.

He sprinkles a fiery Japanese spice
mix called togarashi, to enhance

the red pepper flavour, before
carefully adding his

shiso flower top tuiles.

They look really beautiful.
Stunning.

Can you grab my little mice
down, please? Hmm. Love to.

Finally, basil sorbet, which Adam
is serving much colder

than he did earlier in the week.

Was it on the side before?
Yeah. It's smaller. A lot lighter.

Service, please.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I mean, I love the way it looks,
straight away. Yeah.

NISHA: Tell me what the string is.

How is that part of the...?

TOM: It's hatched.

NISHA: Oh, it's a trap.

Has it trapped you? It did!
Intellectually.

TOM: Straight away, the smell that
comes from that.

It's fresh, it's clean, it's
vibrant. It's amazing.

Flavours are amazing, and love
the hazelnuts.

The custard itself is a bit,
texturally, a bit grainy.

The graininess is coming from the
top. Right. So it's double-layered.

The custard itself that's at the bottom
is actually very smooth and lovely.

It's really delicious.

It's not as tomatoey as I was
expecting - from the description.

In a good way.

Ancl the sorbet, it is very cold,
but it's delicious.

The basil is exceptional.

It's one of the best basil
sorbets I've had.

So full of flavour. But it's VERY
cold.

I'm... I'm not a fan of the sorbet.

I'm not quite sure how it's tied
into the brief, but it tastes good.

The tuile and the sorbet,
I think, are outstanding.

The dish itself was fabulous, fine
dining dish that was incidentally

on a prop that links it to brief.

Hopefully, the dishes are as good
as they were, if not better,

and everyone's having a great time
in there.

Someone should be having a great
time, right?

I'm having a great time.
Are you not having a great time?

I'm having a lovely time. Wonderful.
We're all having a good time.

Tequila!

THEY LAUGH

No tequila just yet,

we're only on the fish course,
and Mark is first to serve.

It's barbecued arctic char, ribboned
and caramelised white turnips,

smoked whey foam, rock
samphire gel, Exmoor caviar,

and sea vegetables.

And it's inspired by Orkney animator
Selina Wagner's animated film

Spindrift, set on a desolate
Orkney beach.

It's another appearance
for char on the menu.

I wonder if that's the same chef
trying to use every bit

of the ingredient.

I think both of these chefs have got
an eye on sustainability.

So I would reckon that that smoked
char starter is now making another

appearance as the fish course.

How's your fish doing, buddy?

Yeah, all coming together, I think.

Perfect opportunity to say
swimmingly.

Sorry. I've let you down.

Adam and I both have very strong
views on zero waste.

It's great to be cooking
with someone who holds such things

to his heart as closely as I do.

How are you doing, darling? I'm OK,
thank you.

You got a nine for this beautiful
dish, Spindrift.

What was your one piece
of feedback from Tom?

The turnip puree could be slightly
more caramelised.

That's what I've clone. Is that what
you've done? Yeah.

Having deboned his fillets, Mark
barbecues the arctic char

skin-side-down, to get it nice and
crisp.

Mark's wonderful dish, Spindrift,
full of powerful, bleak romance

and absolute precision in terms
of the food.

Let's hope he gets it spot-on.

Mark dots pickled rock samphire gel
onto his ribboned turnip.

Then adds caramelised turnip
puree.

Smells nice and smoky
around this neck of the woods.

Just under four minutes, Mark.

Lovely. Thank you.

Having rested his arctic char
in cultured butter, it's now ready

to be portioned.

You have two minutes
to the pass, Mark.

Thank you.

Adam lends a hand, adding
the sea vegetable garnish.

His smoky whey sauce is blitzed
to a foam and plated.

These are the last things going on,
yes, Mark? Yeah.

Yeah. It's your dish.

The dish is finished with caviar.

Are you proud of my garnish?
It's beautiful.

OK. Service, please.

WAVES RI PPLE

The turnip ribbon is just delicious.

There's a little note here that says
spindrift is the spray blown

from the crest of waves by the wind.

Ancl you're really getting that.

Ancl there's just the right amount
of pickling - sweet, acidic, lifts

the whole dish. And the fish
skin as well.

The fact that that's been done
separately, so it's crispy

and charred and you get
that smoky taste to it.

What I'm really interested in,
the caramelised turnip puree.

It's already got a peppery
kind of flavour to it.

Ancl it sucks that fish into
a different realm,

because it's sat on it.

I've not had something
like that before.

The fish is beautifully cooked
as well, by the way.

It makes you want to wrap
up in a big coat.

I love the way that it's drawing
those kind of sensations for me,

like the feeling that you're walking
across a gale-blown beach front

with the waves crashing up, maybe,

and it just captures all of
that feeling.

For me, this is the first dish where
the food itself has actually

met the brief. Mm. Whereas,
everything previously

has just been in the presentation.

Adam's barbecuing salmon belly
skin-side down for his fish course.

A risky business, as the skin
may stick to the grill.

His dish is called A Princess
Should Not Have Weapons.

It's inspired by the animation
Brave, which is set

in the Highlands of Scotland.

Getting there. That - doing the do
up there.

I'm getting there. Now, you got
a nine for this dish.

Yeah. You and Mark neck-and-neck
all the way at this point.

Yeah. We were. Are you making any
changes?

I'm not. No.
Cooking the fish the same way.

I want it really black, the skin,
so it gets that real smokiness.

Ancl then it is a little fiery
bad boy today,

so I'm letting it rest and hopefully
the skin relaxes, so I can

pop it off. OK. Anything you're
worried about on here?

Most of all, this not sticking.
Right.

It's probably my only worry.

Barbecued salmon belly.

Amazing. Beautiful fat content in
salmon anyway. Lovely and fatty.

Salmon belly. Yeah. I love it.

I love to see a salmon with a belly.

Adam garnishes cured salmon tail,
using his crispy salmon skin.

He adds fermented garlic stems,
garlic capers and chive oil.

But it's the moment of truth for
his salmon belly.

Has it stuck to the grill?

HE GASPS

LAUGHTER

I'm happy. I thought it would stick.
And it's cooked

really, really nicely.

He seasons with fennel pollen
and fermented garlic caper juice.

Just get this really hot,
and then away we gan.

How does it work with the things
like Superman?

Is it difficult to try and get your
own personality

into something whilst also sticking
with what they demand

from a Superman illustrator?
With something like Superman,

you have to make it recognisably
Superman.

But everybody has their own mark.

It's like your handwriting,
the way you draw.

You can try... If you wanted to,

you can try and draw like someone
else, but it keeps going back

to your own signature look.

Yeah. So, there is an element of
Desperate Dan

to my Superman. He does have...

He's got the chin. He's got the chin
and the barrel chest. Yeah.

Adam's cured salmon tail is first to
be plated,

and the caramelised whey is added
to the sauce.

A spoonful of smoked celeriac
puree is topped

with dried chickweed leaves.

Next, he portions his barbecued
salmon belly

as the Brave princesses arrive.

ANDI LAUGHS

The full kit and caboodle!

Good wig. What are you dusting
it with? Dashi.

Right, mate, can you hold this for
me, please?

He adds a garnish of blueberries,
lingonberries

and pickled elderberries,

and finishes with leaf-shaped potato
crisps.

Last minute, Adam.

Yep. Wonderful.
Thank you so much.

I am good to go.

Thank you very much.
Service, please.

Just like that. Thank you.

BAGPIPES

It makes me proud seeing kilts.

NISHA LAUGHS
They look great!

Thanks very much.

Ooh!

The smell coming off it is
absolutely delicious.

Those berries that are punching
through. The texture...

Crunchy, chewy, acidity, sweetness.

And the smokiness of that sauce
is so well-balanced.

It does feel very Scottish,
doesn't it?

It's got a very Scottish feel to it.

We eat this at least once a week.

LAUGHTER

That celeriac puree is fabulous,
isn't it?

Absolutely delicious.

This is very, very, very
good cooking.

Again, I feel very much
outdoors in Scotland.

My only criticism is I want
more fish.

Yeah, that salmon wasn't fat enough.

Didn't have enough belly
to go round.

It is transportive, like the last
fish dish, but I would argue

this feels way more banquety.

I actually preferred the first dish.

I just think, you know, this is
salmon belly and I think

it's just the ingredients.
It's great.

But there's something about that
arctic char, that barbecue

flavour, the smoke, all of that.

There was something that was rounder
and wilder and more desolate.

They're both great bits
of fish cookery and I think

really reflective of Scottish
produce.

However, this one makes me feel
just a little bit warmer.

I'm really torn between which
I prefer. Mm.

It's not clear for me.

Both were transportive.

Both were smoky and rich
and beautifully cooked.

So, it's...

Yeah, it's a tough call.

And just like that, gentlemen,
we're at the halfway mark.

See how fast it goes.

That means it's time for a big,
deep breath.

It's main courses. Let's do it.
Let's go.

Whilst it seems to me as though
these friendly rivals are

neck and neck, I'm off to test
the temperature

in the judges' chamber.

Hello. Well, howdy, folks.

Hello. All right? All right, mate.
Yeah, I am.

Look, it's smiling! Aw.

Honestly, what a morning.
Great food.

Lots of things
that have been amazing.

Excellent. Nisha, are you feeling
the love?

It's incredible because the level
that they're cooking at is so high

that we are now splitting
emotional hairs

and it's become very subjective.

It's a kind of superhuman effort,
something you're familiar with.

Did you like how I did that?
Very good.

Thank you very much. Are
you picking up on

the stories in the narrative?
Absolutely. Yes.

The last two dishes, in particular.

I've been going over my notes

and it's really tight.

Are you eating everything, Ed?
Yeah.

Ancl I really came in being like,
"This is the week.

"I've got to just rein it in a bit."

Ancl I've just... We got to the fish
dishes and I was just like,

"No, I'm drinking the sauce out of
the little pan."

I mean, it's been a really
good morning.

With their mains under way,
the chefs are taking any opportunity

to catch each other out.

WHISPERS: I'm just going to give
that a minute.

Your celeriads burning.

Made you look.

That's the closest I've come
to saying the one word

I don't want my mum to hear on TV.

Adam's serving first.

He glazes the chicken and haggis
with chicken sauce, and decants

gherkin, ketchup and aubergine
chutney.

He moves on to the tart cases
for his braised beef cheek tarts.

I want this dish to be absolutely
perfect.

So, I'm not 100% happy
with all of the tart cases.

So, I'm going to make a few more,
just so that they are

the cleanest tarts ever.

Like this little bad boy.

His dish is called Ratty's Picnic.

It's inspired by the picnic Ratty

makes for Mole in Wind In
The Willows, which was written

by Edinburgh-born Kenneth Grahame.

It's a Balmoral chicken with
truffles, tongue and cheek sauce,

beef cheek tarts, broccoli stalk
salad with broccoli cress,

roasted beef fat broccoli
and blue cheese,

beer-battered gherkins,

spicy aubergine puree,
and gherkin ketchup,

served with ginger beer.

I'm looking forward to it.

I need another oven.

Adam will be serving 19 different
elements in his picnic,

so he's up against it.

Hello, my love. How are you?
Marvellous.

How are you feeling? Yeah, a little
bit worried, a little stressed on

this one, I have to admit.

Well, you got a ten for
this dish.

And also a ten from Tom Aikens.

Not an easy thing to do. Not many
people can say they've had that.

So, I'm assuming that there
are no changes?

Zero. Zero. Apart from more
condiments.

Exuberance of plenty.

For sure. Your main issue
is time right now.

Yeah. OK. OK. Well, I'm going to let
you get on with it

because you need to crack on.

What are you most proud of?
What have you enjoyed the most?

All-Star Superman was a kind of
special project because it

struck a chord with so many people.

It's just... It's a very moving,
emotional story.

And people come up at comic
conventions to get it signed,

you know, and that's kind
of special.

So, do you go to these comic
conventions and have your own little

kiosk and they all come up and have
things signed by you?

Yeah. Yeah.

It's a glimpse into how important
your work is and how far-reaching

and how impactful.

I was so uncomfortable with
the attention that I stopped

going to conventions altogether,
and I hadn't been to a convention

for like ten years or something.

And I get invited to Toronto,
and my wife's got family

there and she said, "Come on, let's
just go."

So, we went to Toronto and she was
waiting to see her cousins,

and she had half an hour to kill.

So, she just sat at the table
while I was signing and people

were coming up and people brought me
presents, and they were telling me

that, you know, like, I'd inspired
them to start drawing, you know,

and she kept nudging me and saying,
"What do you not like about this?"

And I thought, "That's a point."
You know, I should really try

and get into this.

With the pastry cases for his beef
cheek tarts in to bake,

Adam is prepping the salad
for his picnic.

He blends broccoli stems with chilli
and garlic oil,

along with deep-fried chicken
croutons.

It's two minutes to the pass, Adam.

Yep, yep. Yep? Yep, yep.

Oh, ye bugger. They're hot.

First into the lunch boxes
are his beer-battered gherkins,

followed by roasted blue cheese
broccoli,

while his rival Mark helps out by
garnishing the beef cheek tarts

with truffle.

Straight into this little square
box for me, mate.

Do you have a little sprinkling of
rock salt on them?

No. I will do. And you've got
the truffle all right?

Which is in that little bottle
there. Yeah.

You're due on the pass now, Adam.

I think I'll will be max
one minute.

His picnic baskets are completed
with gherkin ketchup, his tongue

and cheek mustard sauce,
as well as ginger beer

made from his grandma's recipe.

And on the plates, a rocher of
spinach and broccoli puree,

along with his cooked and pulled
Balmoral-style chicken.

Oh, that was hard.

Thank you so much.

That was hard.

Yeah, it looked it.

Shall we have a look in this basket?

Yes, let's have a look. There you
go. Some nice tarts there.

We've got some lunchboxes.

Granny's ginger beer.

Wow...

I think that beef cheek tart with
that really flaky pastry

and the truffle -
absolutely gorgeous.

I'm struggling a little bit more
with these beer-battered gherkins.

There's a heck of a lot
of oil in there.

I agree with you about the gherkins.

They are delicious,
but they are quite oily.

I actually love the broccoli
and blue cheese,

and the tart is brilliant.

The Balmoral chicken is lovely.

And I particularly like the salad.

The salad is really good.

Ancl this, I love this sauce.

I think you might say it's a bit
heavy on the salt, Nisha.

I think it's a little bit heavy
on the salt. But it's delicious.

But I do enjoy it. And especially
the aubergine chutney

as well, is fantastic.

The chutney is beautiful.

The gherkin ketchup is fantastic.

The sauce is outstanding.

My only disappointment is the actual
chicken, the piece itself.

Every little bit is about
the same size.

A bit more of that, a little bit
less of that,

bit of a tweak of that.

And it could be completely on song,
in balance.

Just right now, it just feels
a little bit too many bits,

not enough focus.

It's very good. Very, very good.

Mark's main course is up next, part
of which is a fondant celeriac

that he's caramelising in butter,
white wine and lamb stock.

He's also baking brioche rolls,
stuffed with a lamb

and Scottish pale ale stew.

So, this is Badger's Sett. Rack
of hogget, smoked yoghurt, black

garlic puree, buttered sauerkraut,
fondant celeriac,

pickled elderberry sauce,
lamb-fat candle,

with a stew-stuffed brioche.

Ancl it's inspired by
Edinburgh-born Kenneth Grahame

and the character of Mr Badger

in the fantastic Wind
In The Willows.

We've got a Wind In The
Willows off. We have. We have.

Hey, Mark. Hi.

Now, there was a lot to love
about this dish, but there were some

errors, and that brought
your points down.

So, now, tell me, what tripped
you up?

It was the cooking of the hogget,
really.

Didn't have my timings
quite right.

You weren't able to get
that fat rendered?

Exactly. Yeah, I want to get that
fat nice and rendered,

and then make sure it's just nicely
cooked inside.

Wonderful.

From his racks of hogget,
which is an older lamb

but younger than mutton,

Mark trims off excess fat,
which will be used to make

his lamb-fat candles.

He pan-fries to render the fat
down further...

...and then roasts to finish.

So, when you cooked that lamb, when
you sealed it, were you happy

with the render on it this time?
Yeah.

Yeah, it looks a lot better.

I love hogget. I love the flavour
that you get from it,

like lamb on steroids.

It's a bit punchier, bigger
flavours.

I would definitely order
this on a menu. Mm.

Imagine having the meat
sweats and then someone

brings you a stew-stuffed brioche.

With which to mop your brow!

Yesterday, Mark's lamb-fat candles
were criticised for being too tall

and too unstable.

He's making them smaller, but
they're still causing problems.

How? Come on!

There's a tiny little hole
at the bottom of the candle holder,

where the wick goes through.

If it's not taped-up properly,
then you end up leaking out

before you can get it set.

So, that's what's happened
with these.

So, just going to reset
and go again.

That inspiration, though, it
definitely feels very outdoorsy.

Very, very Scotland.
Very, very, very countryside.

Ancl between these two chefs, I mean,
you can see why the influences

are quite heavy in what they cook
and how they're doing it.

Mark begins building his dish
by piping smoked yoghurt

and black garlic puree.

Pieces of fondant celeriac are
added.

Buttered sauerkraut is next onto
the plate.

That's three minutes, Mark.
Thank you very much.

As Mark's hogget rests,
he glazes his brioche with a milk,

egg and sugar mix.

And positions his remade lamb-fat
candles on their candle holders,

then garnishes with salt
and rosemary.

You are due at the pass, Mark.

He pours his pickled elderberry
sauce into serving cauldrons...

...and portions his hogget.

How's your hogget?

Looks nice. Thanks. Yeah? Yeah.

Service, please.

The lights are dimmed in the judging
chamber to create

the vibe of dinner at Badger's home.

I think the candle that's melted,
there's salt and rosemary

in the base.

Ancl so I think we're meant to clip
the brioche into the salted lamb.

It's a lovely idea.
That is a great idea. Yeah.

That hogget is so good.

It's so pink and tender, and so
massively full of flavour.

I love hogget.

For me, that's perfectly cooked.

You know, my criticism is that
I would just want more of pretty

much most of it.

I love this elderberry sauce
as well.

The elderberry sauce is delicious.

Yeah. I loved, loved the buttered
sauerkraut.

I think my only real criticism of
the hogget is that I didn't feel

the fat was rendered down quite
enough on the outside.

Everything about it is great.

It fulfils the brief and it looks
beautiful.

I think people would be wowed by it,
wouldn't they?

Yeah, I think there is that wow
factor to it.

It does feel great.

It does take you to the countryside.

There's a kind of theatre to it.

It gets my vote.

All right, my lovelies,

you have four minutes for your
pre-desserts.

Adam will be serving
lemon panna cotta,

lemon sorbet, jasmine-pickled apple,

and a wine foam.

It's called Lump Of Cold Nothing,
and is inspired

by The Star In The Forest,
by Glasgow-based author

and illustrator Helen Kellock.

To impress Tom with this dish,

I've just got to make sure it's
exactly how I gave it to Tom Aikens.

Two Toms.
I want both of them happy.

Mark's pre-dessert is called Take My
Hand and it's a lemon verbena

mousse, rye biscuit, damson
jam and candied hazelnuts.

It's inspired by an illustration
called Be Kind, by the late Scottish

singer-songwriter Scott Hutchison.

Since serving this dish yesterday,
Mark has decided

to make some changes.

On reflection, I thought maybe my
pre-dessert was a bit

too big, a bit rich, so I've
changed it slightly.

Going to do it almost like a little
ice cream sandwich,

mousse on both sides. That means
there's a bit more jam spread

throughout the whole thing.

A bit more biscuits, so it changes
the ratio. It should be much nicer.

One minute to the pass for
your pre-desserts.

Are you ready? Yeah.

I'll put my frozen stuff on
and we're good to go.

And we're done.

I like the new version.
Are you happy with it?

I think so. It eats better.

Gorgeous. Let's get it sent.

Did you make one for me?

I did, actually. Oh, cheers, mate.

Service, please.

Thank you.

First is Adam's Lump Of Cold
Nothing.

Mm.

Quite punches you with acidity,
don't it? Mm. It really does.

You get that sweetness and you get
like almost eye-watering sharpness

that comes through. Now, I'm making
a face like I don't like it,

I love it. My panna cotta looks
a little grainy, though.

Gosh, I think the panna cotta is
delicious. But you're right.

It's those variations
in temperature, variations

in texture, all those different
flavours. A bit on the large side

for a pre-dessert maybe? Possibly
a bit on the large side.

That's the only criticism.

I was going to say this is
so refreshing and cleansing

after the rich mains
that we've just eaten.

Next is Mark's Take My Hand.

I like the lemon flavour, but it
kind of gets lost

after we've eaten that one. The big,
punchy, refreshingness of it.

This one is good, but nowhere
near as clean,

as refreshing, as punchy.

I do like that rye biscuit, though.
It's almost sort of shortbready

in consistency. That could have been
bolder with the flavour

of the lemon verbena.

It's such a distinctive flavour
and I love it.

Ancl I'm not getting enough
of that perfume.

It's really lovely, but it doesn't
have that palate cleansing...

I do find myself wanting
to go back to this one now. Yeah.

Which one do we like the best?

Fairly unanimous. Yep.

My custards, my jellies, sitting
over there,

everything is time-sensitive.

It needs to be clone now.

Wish me luck.

It's the dessert course,
and the chefs' last chance to score

high and reach the final.

Adam is serving first.

So, it's the first dessert proper
now. It's called Food Fight.

It's a long pepper-set custard,
a brown butter cake,

a strawberry jelly, strawberry gel,

crisps and rocks,
dressed strawberries,

coffee syrup, meadowsweet cream.

Ancl it's a dish inspired
by the Be a no Annual and a story

in it called Food Fight.

I love the Be a no and I love
strawberries.

Sounds great. You're on to
a winner here.

It set all right. It's set!

So, this is my jelly that I want
to look like them

little packet cubes.
So, I'm going to cut it in cubes.

Ancl it's set perfectly,
much better than yesterday.

Yesterday, Adam scored
eight for this dish.

So, what was Tom's feedback for you?

Set the jelly a little more.

Which, 100% - I misread my
calculations.

I quite liked it soft, but there
you go!

And tone down the pepper.

Are you doing that? I am.

I hope you get the big one for this,
cos I think this dish deserves it.

I really, really love it.

Wish you all the luck in the world.

Thank you. And I'll take that.
Thank you very much.

What's this long-pepper business?
It's a pippali, I think.

I beg your pardon?
I think it's a long pepper,

and they used to use it to bring
heat to food in India.

Exactly. It's exactly that!
Hundreds of years ago.

It's exactly that. It's a flavour
process.

Great ingredient. Strawberries
and pepper together are magical.

They work so, so well.

Adam starts building his Food
Fight dessert with strawberry

and black verjus gels.

He blasts an egg and strawberry
mix with liquid nitrogen

to make strawberry rocks.

Next onto his comic book plate
is the set custard

and brown butter cake.

To be fair, it's a food fight, so if
I make a mess, it doesn't matter.

He adds his grenadine and verjus
strawberry jelly, followed

by the meadowsweet cream...

...a drizzle of bitter coffee
syrup...

...compressed strawberries are next
onto the plate.

Three minutes, Adam.
Wonderful.

Strawberry tuiles are added...

...as well as a garnish of
cornflowers.

Ancl I'm ready to go now, as well,
cos I've got the pop rocks.

Get your pop rocks on.
Sorry, Andi. Ready.

Thank you very much.
Service, please.

They look like they've got your
T-shirts on, Ed. Look at you!

Thank you so much.

Whoa!

Wow. It looks amazing.

It looks fab. It's so fun.

It's exactly what you'd imagine
a dish in the Be a no to be like.

This is an absolute home run.
It's great, isn't it?

Oh, my God. I love this.

Every little element of that,
the flavour comes through.

It's absolutely brilliant.

Just that little bit of pepper
that runs through all of it.

I think it's a great, great dish.

It's just so joyfully chaotic,
isn't it?

It's exactly what the Be a no is.
It's absolutely spot-on brief.

Yeah. It's a complete feast for
the eyes.

And then when you taste it,
it's not chaotic at all.

It's really balanced.

Everything about it feels like it
should just be over-sugary,

over-synthetic, like,
flavour-enhanced,

but actually the use of the pepper
and the use of the meadowsweet ties

it into the reality of real
and true ingredients.

Not just like over-the-top
pastry skills.

It just balances it all together.

I think it really is a magical
little piece of cookery, that.

If this was in a food fight,
I'd just run in with my mouth open.

So, not much to fight about with
Adam's final dish.

Mark only scored five for his
dessert yesterday,

and the pressure is on to improve.

However, once again, the tuile
butterfly wings have tripped him up.

I'm going to call time
on the strawberry wings.

I mean, they're a nice flavour,
but they are mainly decorative.

So, if they don't look sharp,

there's not a huge point in
having them.

OK. So, our last dessert is
One Emotion At A Time.

Strawberry sorbet, smoked
strawberry, almond cake,

woodruff custard,
caramelised yoghurt

and sugar butterflies.

And it's inspired by Scottish-born
JM Barrie's Peter Pan

and the character Tinker Bell.

Well, you'll get... More
strawberries. More strawberries.

Scottish strawberries.

The base of Mark's dessert will
be an almond sponge cake.

He's flavouring his set custard
with woodruff

from his restaurant's garden.

What is woodruff custard?

Woodruff is a kind of foraged
herb that will be infused

into the custard.

Again, something kind of savoury
being used in a dessert

and a custard, like the long
pepper or the meadowsweet.

You know, they're quite
similar cooks, aren't they?

Are we sure it's not just one
chef putting a disguise on?

So, you're doing something
different with that sponge?

Yeah, I wasn't happy with it at all.

Different recipe, much lighter.

I'm just brushing it with
the woodruff honey as well, to try

and get a bit more of that woodruff
flavour through it.

Mark sprays his almond cake
with green food spray,

pipes on his woodruff custard...

...followed by caramelised
yoghurt crumb.

He adds his smoked strawberry
compote.

You have four minutes, Chef.

Thank you very much.

How's that sugar work? It's not any
easier today than it was yesterday.

Than it was!

You have three minutes, Chef.
Thank you.

Adam gets into the spirit of
things...

I'm helping, I've got to
look the part.

...and decorates the dish with
edible flowers.

You're due on the pass, Mark.

Thank you.

BELL TINKLES

Mark adds his strawberry sorbet
and finishes with the sugar domes.

Service, please.

Thank you so much. Ooh!

"Not a whisper, not a peep, for
in this lantern

"our fairy sleeps.

"All you need to do is believe
and ring the bell,

"if it's Tink you seek."

That's the sign that we can eat.
Yes. As the bell rings.

Yeah.

There's very little in the way
to celebrate a strawberry in it.

It's quite a thick, heavy sponge.

It's like a dense Scotch pancake,
ironically, isn't it?

But, yeah, it's just... It's a bit
heavy-handed.

The woodruff is the crowning
thing for me.

The cream, the custard, is very
nice, but, yeah,

that spun sugar almost feels like
something you have to get through

to get to the dessert. Mm.

I think the presentation
is really good.

Urn, I actually liked the sponge.

I think it's delicious.

I agree. Absolutely delicious.

But I think if we're comparing it
to the whole clay, it's a bit

of a flat end, maybe.

We're having to think
this one through a little bit.

The other one came in and we all
smiled, and we smiled our way right

the way through the dessert.
It's just different, isn't it?

With their menus complete, it's
a nervous wait for Adam and Mark

to find out who will represent
Scotland in the finals.

Chefs, welcome to the judges'
chamber.

How are you both feeling?

Pretty exhausted.

I never like this feeling.

Us judges, here today, we've had
such brilliant dishes.

You know, consistent cooking,
beautiful flavours, wonderful

technique. And on that, I want to
know who cooked Food Fight?

That was me. What a dish.

I was blown away by it. The balance
of the flavours.

It was childlike and silly,
but then amazing, grown-up

adult cookery.
It was fantastic, Chef.

It was an incredible dish.
I scored it ten out of ten.

Oh, wow. Thank you.

And so, who cooked Spindrift?

That was me. Mark, I gave this a ten
as well.

I mean, these are crazy words,
but it was delicious and desolate.

It was really beautiful.

And what a skill you have that
you can immerse and transport us

to the beauty of a wild Scottish
coastline with your food.

You have such a gift. Thank you.

I think you can probably tell by the
enthusiasm we've had a great day in here today!

But we didn't know who cooked
which dish.

So, we kind of put our marks
together and scored them,

and we've given them to Andi
to add up.

ANDI: The winner of
the Scotland heat,

and going through to cook
at the finals...

...is...

...Adam.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations.
Thank you. Oh, my God.

Every single time.
It does not get easier

in this room at all. No.

Congratulations, Chief.

I mean, it was fantastic cooking.

Dish after dish, consistently all
the way through - amazing.

But, Mark, honestly, it's been so,
so close.

But, Adam, congratulations.

Did you cook Ratty's Picnic?

Yeah. I absolutely loved it.

I mean, even just the words
on the page, the fried pickles

and the beef fat broccoli
with blue cheese.

I nearly licked the menu.
You really, really smashed that.

Oh, awesome. Thank you.

And, Mark, if I can say from all of
us, you know, this is the first

time you came into this competition,
and you really blew us away.

You came away with a clutch of tens.

Well, it's your first time
competing,

but what a foundation you've got.
We would love to see you back.

I'd love to come back.
Thank you.

I've got to say that

it was a real hon our for me
to be invited here.

And you two have really done
Scotland proud.

Thank you.
Amazing. Thank you so much.

And it's been wonderful having you
here today.

I hope you've had a great time as
our guest judge. I had

a brilliant time. Thank you.

And I really hope that you'll come
to the banquet.

I will. Thank you.

Adam, congratulations.
Mark, commiserations,

but also congratulations,
because you've been incredible.

Thank you very much. Well clone.

Aw. Hug it up.

Thanks, guys. Thank you very much.
Well done, Chefs. Well clone, Chefs.

Oh, man, that was hard, wasn't it?

Oh! It does not get easier in
that room.

I completely wish Adam the best
of luck in the finals.

I hope he does incredibly well.

Most of me really wants him
to get to the banquet.

There's a tiny bit of that
brotherly, argumentative and spite

that hopes he doesn't,
but it's a very small part of me.

I need to do it. I need to do it.

I need to represent Scotland
and make it proud.

So, two very accomplished
chefs, an epic battle.

It was so consistent as well,
like dish after dish after dish

all the way through.
Really good cooking.

We didn't hit any real bum notes,
kind of right until the end.

Adam's cooking relentlessly
today was very good.

Very good, very good, very good.

Outstanding. I mean, it was. Yeah.

I cannot wait to see Adam in
finals week

cooking some brilliant food.
Absolutely.

It was great cooking with you.

I loved your food.

Thank you. That little lamb roll,

I'm going to steal it.

Here's to Scotland. Here's to
Scotland.

Let's get a dish to the banquet.
Absolutely.