Original subtitles

This year on Great British Menu...

Hot stuff coming through.

The creme de la creme of the UK's chefs

are cooking their hearts out... Ooh la la!

...for a chance to cook

at the prestigious Great British Menu Banquet...

Rock and roll!

...which this year celebrates Britain's triumphs

in animation and illustration.

That's amazing!

Of course, the chefs' dishes must taste delicious.

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

But they must represent the theme, too.

A roster of revered Great British Menu winners...

Snakes. That'll be the snakes.

...are returning as veteran judges to score the regional rounds.

I'm scoring you a ten.

I would give you an 11 if I could.

They've got their eyes peeled and taste buds primed

for supreme culinary skill and unparalleled talent.

Go hard or go home. Focused.

The pressure is on as, at the end of each day,

the least successful chef will leave the competition.

Exciting!

Today, it's the best up-and-coming chefs

from London and the south-east...

Thanks.

...trying to impress veteran chef Tommy Banks...

Wow.

...with their main course and dessert.

Is that on? Stressful. Oh, stressful!

Yesterday, the stars were not aligned for Brian

in the starter and fish course.

Agh!

And despite some positive feedback, Tommy felt his dishes

weren't quite on brief.

It's lovely having you in the kitchen. You're such a joy.

Thank you. Thank you.

Now, three talented chefs remain -

newcomer Avi Shashidhara...

I'm really excited to show a different side of my cooking.

...Budgie Montoya...

I set a goal for myself to be able to cook my whole menu,

so new goal - try and win it.

...and returning chef Robbie Lorraine...

Made it, made it, made it!

...who left the competition after the fish course last year

so has something to prove.

I didn't come here just to participate.

I want to get a dish at the banquet.

With just one point between the three chefs,

we're in for a white-knuckle ride.

Let's hope it goes well, shall we?

The three top chefs for London and the south-east must now compete

over mains and desserts.

Avi is in the lead on 14 points,

and Robbie and Budgie are hot on his heels with 13 points.

They need to stay focused and keep on track

because only the top two will get to cook for the judges.

Right, lads. Main course today. Yeah.

It's the one that everyone wants to be in, right?

I'm really excited. I'll be running about like a lunatic.

You're going to see a different style of cooking today,

so I'm bringing my real experience of cooking to this main course.

You're the one to beat, eh?

The veteran they're trying to impress this week

is one of the UK's most exciting and innovative restaurateurs,

holder of two Michelin stars, Tommy Banks.

The chefs need to be on their mettle if they want to impress him.

London and the south-east has always been a very strong region

in this competition.

The last two years, the banquet winner for the main course

has come from this region, so they've got big shoes to fill.

Well, good luck, everyone. Let's go!

Let's do it.

Budgie is just one point behind Avi.

He scored an impressive eight for his fish course

and will be hoping to close the gap with another knockout dish today.

Budgie. Hi, guys.

Talk to us about your main course.

So, the name of the dish is A Meal Fit For Fantastic Foxes.

Fantastic Mr Fox. Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

and illustration by Quentin Blake.

I slightly fancy Mr Fox.

Each their own.

There's just something a little about Fantastic Mr Fox.

It's based on the three main villains - Boggis, Bunce and Bean.

They have a specific diet, each one of them.

So, Boggis only eats chicken. Right. Bunce, doughnuts with parfait.

Ancl Bean drinks cider.

So all of these sort of elements are going to come to the dish.

So we've got a chicken, which I'm going to ballotine

and stuff with the leg meat,

and then to finish it, I'm going to get it in the deep-fryer.

You'll fry it? just to get that skin super-crispy.

Ancl in the sausage mix, I'm going to put banana ketchup,

classic Filipino condiment, to put a bit of sweetness in there.

Ancl then I'm going to do a little choux bun

with a liver parfait in there,

and then cider in thejus, glazed carrots with cider and butter.

Ancl then obviously you're going to have a little bit of cider on the side.

Nice.

Despite getting a disappointing six for his fish course,

Avi has managed to hang on to the top spot,

but only by one point.

So he'll be hoping to regain his form with his main course.

So, the title of the dish is What's A Squab?

Inspired by the movie Fantastic Mr Fox.

Hark, Budgie!

Yeah, he's doing the movie, I'm doing the book,

so, you know...

I've chosen the scene where Mr and Mrs Fox are at Squab Farm,

and Mrs Fox asks Mr Fox, "What's a squab?"

What is a squab?

So, he says, "I don't know, it's some sort of a pigeon."

So that's the inspiration for the dish. OK.

I'm going to stuff my pigeons with some thyme and some sage,

colour it in the pan, roast it in the oven with a bit of Marsala.

I'm going to serve it with chestnuts, pancetta,

sweet quince cheese, girolles and some roasted pumpkins, too.

I love the idea of the pumpkin with the girolle

and the chestnuts. Wonderful.

Robbie scored a point more for his fish course than his starter,

so he'll be hoping to carry on that trajectory with his main.

My dish is called Darkest Peru,

and it's inspired by Paddington Bear.

So, we're going back to where he originally came from,

which was obviously Peru.

Peru!

Huh? Wow!

You can have this as a reward for helping me today.

So we have a Paddington origin story? Correct. Lovely. OK.

So, I've got a beautiful sirloin of beef.

I'm going to marinate it in Peruvian spices,

cook it in a water bath and then finish it off on the barbecue.

I'm going to make an aji verde sauce,

which is a condiment from Peru.

And then the beef fat?

So, with the beetroot, I'm going to turn it into a long strip,

cook it in a little bit of vinegar and a little bit of stock,

and then I'm going to finish it off in beef dripping.

Wow. OK.

You've got bread, so is this like a marmalade sandwich?

It is going to be a short-rib marmalade sandwich,

and I'm going to pan-fry it. Right! Yeah.

Short-rib marmalade... fried sandwich. All words I love.

What do you think of all these three dishes, Chef?

Three very, very different takes.

Again, ultimately, it comes down to who cooks the meat the best.

They all look at each other there!

The centrepiece of Budgie's dish is a chicken ballotine

stuffed with chicken sausage.

So, I'm going to use the skin for the outside,

then the breast is going to be used in the middle.

Ancl then all the meat trimmings I'm going to use as sausage mix.

Budgie's banana ketchup includes onion, garlic, chillies

and, of course, bananas.

Bananas go in.

Don't need to clean it. There's flavour in there.

He blitzes with brown sugar and soy sauce.

Budgie's dish, it's an intriguing dish.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

I'm quite excited by the banana ketchup.

I've never seen that before.

But then the chicken ballotine itself-

deep-frying it?

If you fry it, it better be juicy.

I think, though, he's going to give us a glass of cider, get us drunk,

and that's going to gloss over any... It's a good technique!

Having previously impressed with his use of spices and complex flavours,

Avi wants to show off how versatile he can be

with a more scaled-down list of ingredients.

I'm feeling quite confident.

I'm really excited about this dish,

to show a different side of my cooking.

Avi's stuffed squab with sage and thyme

before browning and topping with pancetta, then roasting.

He seasons his Delica pumpkin.

So, I've got some pumpkin with a bit of chilli flakes, salt, pepper,

olive oil, sage, thyme.

So, they'll roast in there for about 20 minutes.

Avi's a very competent cook.

I've really been challenged by his food so far this week

and sort of excited by it.

Whereas I can already sort of understand

what this dish is going to taste like.

So, is it going to have that wow factor? Yes.

For added sweetness in his short rib sandwiches,

Robbie is using citrus.

I've got a little orange gel on the go here.

Agar, orange juice, a little bit of sugar.

I'm going to bring that to the boil, set it in the blast chiller

and then I'm going to blend it into a fluid gel.

Paddington's favourite - orange marmalade -

goes into his shredded short rib.

And a Peruvian spice rub is added to the beef sirloin

before it's cooked in the water bath.

I love the sound of this dish,

particularly the marmalade short-rib fried sandwich.

Yeah. It's just this sirloin of beef that's bothering me a little bit.

Yes. It's called Darkest Peru. Mm.

Get it on the barbecue and get lots of smoke going through...

Char, lovely. ..and some char and sort of the burnt ends.

You want all that, that flavour.

Ancl I think he's missing a trick with that.

At Boys Hall, the Kent restaurant where,

until recently, Robbie was head chef,

he got some expert marmalade-based help

when visited by Karen jankel,

daughter of Paddington creator Michael Bond.

I've always been a huge fan of Paddington.

Where did Paddington's love of marmalade come from?

Well, when my father wrote the books,

he knew that bears liked sweet things,

and he himself particularly was fond of marmalade.

Talking of marmalade, we've got here Peruvian spiced beef

and a short-rib marmalade sandwich.

I'm going to try the sandwich. This looks absolutely wonderful.

Of course, Paddington would pick it up in his paws,

but I don't think I should do that.

That is absolutely delicious.

You can just taste the marmalade coming through,

but it doesn't overwhelm it. It's wonderful.

Glad you enjoy it.

Ancl actually my father would have really approved of your dish

because he used to eat marmalade with bacon.

Amazing.

Great minds think alike!

Back in the kitchen...

Backs.

I'm trying to multitask.

...Budgie has a lot to get through

to recreate the favourite foods of the Fantastic Mr Fox characters.

Looking like it's going to be tight for time,

but, yeah, just got to crack on, really.

Whilst his chicken ballotine is steaming,

he blends duck livers with shallots, herbs and double cream

for his doughnut filling.

Don't split, don't split, don't split, please.

Then sieves and leaves to rest.

Next, Budgie starts his apple ciderjus.

All the chicken trim, bones, etc, brown them off with some mirepoix,

and then some cider,

a little bit of port and red wine.

And for his parfait-filled doughnuts,

Budgie is making a choux bun mix with milk, water and butter,

which he brings to the boil.

I've reduced it too much, so I'm going to need to do this again.

He already has a huge prep list to get through,

so starting again is the last thing he needs.

Budgie, how are you going? I'm all right, Chef.

Titanic springs to mind, though!

That didn't end well. Yeah.

Your ballotine, is that cooked?

Yeah, cooked. Got the jus working now.

Ancl then I've got the choux buns working right now.

Oh, wow, you have not made your choux paste yet? No.

You've got banana ketchup.

Yeah, it's going through the sausage mix for the ballotine.

Ancl then also I'm going to clot some on the plate as well.

Interesting.

Budgie's busy.

I thought he'd have his choux buns made by now, but he doesn't.

So I'm a little bit concerned about that.

Tried his banana ketchup, though. That's nice.

Whilst Budgie is pushing,

the simplicity of Avi's dish means he has time on his side.

Avi's taking over Brian's calm, cool and collectedness...

That's hot, very hot. Very hot pan!

Avi slices and fries pancetta

and makes a start on his Marsala sauce.

I've reduced the Marsala. I'm adding a bit of pigeon stock in there.

I'm going to reduce all of that.

I'm going to monte some butter in there

and make it into a really glossy sauce.

To create his Paddington-inspired main course,

Robbie is using beetroot in two ways -

purple beetroot deep-fried croquettes,

and he's also preparing golden beetroot.

I'm going to spin it so it makes one long sheet,

and I'm going to roll it back up, put them in my vinegar solution.

Once they're cooked, I'm going to finish it off in beef dripping.

He mixes egg yolks and mustard for his Peruvian aji verde sauce.

I've got many nostalgic memories of Paddington.

My mum reading the books to me

and, as I got older, watching the TV program me.

Roald Dahl is just so iconic all around the world.

Even in the Philippines, you know, it's something I grew up with a lot.

I love Roald Dahl, too.

There's a lot of food elements in Fantastic Mr Fox.

That's what I love about it. Yeah. True, true.

To help answer the question

at the heart of his dish What's A Squab?...

Hey, Charlie. Hey, Avi, how's it going? Yeah, good, thank you.

...Avi visited his favourite butcher local to his restaurant in London.

It's a different type of breed to our domestic pigeon.

It's from northern France, from the Anjou region. Yeah.

Slightly fattier.

It's less gamey

and more soft and tender, but definitely delicious. Yeah.

I absolutely love the meat.

This particular dish, I'm going to use some Marsala and some chestnuts,

all the flavours of the autumn.

So, these come from a small supplier.

They have plenty of space to roam around.

They've got very natural feed and just cared for really well.

Very tasty. Yeah.

Brilliant. Thank you very much.

No worries, mate. See you soon. See you.

The quality of these pigeons are amazing. They're full of flavour.

And along with all the other ingredients that I'm using,

I think it's going to be a great dish.

Back in the kitchen, Avi, the most relaxed of the three chefs,

is cracking on with his sauce.

Putting some of this in the Marsala as well

just to get a bit of flavour from the pancetta, the smokiness.

Avi pan-fries boiled chestnuts with a splash more Marsala wine.

Avi, how's it going? Yeah, really good.

This is your pigeon sauce with Marsala wine? That's right, yeah.

I've got a pigeon stock in there, and it's quite intense.

Ancl then your chestnuts, they're all ready as well?

Yeah. I'm just going to keep cooking it

so it feels almost like a caramelised chestnut

and I get that flavour of Marsala just on the outside.

Very, very different.

Very different indeed.

All is calm and under control in Avi's section.

I'm going to shoot myself.

But the same can't be said for Budgie.

The choux bun demons have struck again.

I'm not using these.

I made them a little too wet, too many eggs,

so I'm going to start again.

With yet another batch of choux dough going into the oven,

Budgie can only hope that three time's a charm.

While he waits anxiously,

the chicken ballotine comes out of the steamer.

Going to the blast chiller.

First to the pass is Robbie.

His sirloin now out of the water bath,

he's torching it on the grill, hoping for a caramelised finish.

For the short-rib sandwich,

he flattens white bread and tops with marmalade

before filling with the chilled short-rib.

You've got two minutes to the pass, Robbie. Hey.

He pan-fries the sandwich fingers to make them golden brown,

but all is not well.

Is that on?

Not getting hot? No.

It's still flashing.

That means it's not on.

Sure.

Just get that other pan hot and put them in the other pan.

GENTLE SIZZLING

Are you happy with the sandwiches?

I was happy with them until they went into that pan. Yeah.

I think it sat so long in that tepid pan

that the whole thing's fallen apart.

Robbie, you're...you're clue at the pass now. Right.

Despite the sandwiches falling apart, Robbie holds it together

and plates them

alongside golden beetroot spirals, amarillo pepper crisps...

This is a little marmalade gel. Yeah, it looks lovely. Thank you.

...his Peruvian-spiced sirloin...

Are you happy with the sirloin?

Yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah, it looks perfect, man.

...and a garnish of Peruvian marigold tops it off.

The quinoa and beetroot croquettes are served in a mini suitcase

alongside a jar of aji verde sauce, and hidden under Paddington's hat.

Well clone, Robbie, you got there. Yeah. Made it, made it, made it.

Pop that on your head, ah!

You like that? Don't tend to fit very well.

OK, so this dish is called Darkest Peru.

It's inspired by Paddington Bear and where he originally came from

before he came to London.

OK. Looks beautiful. Definitely on brief.

Right, let's go.

Is that what you wanted from the beef?

Is it cooked how you wanted it?

The flavour's there, texture's not quite right.

It could be a little bit softer.

What about the caramelisation on the outside? It's coming through.

I think the spices have caramelised enough on the barbecue.

I think the fragrance of Peruvian cuisine is there.

I think the beef is perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned as well.

Ancl there is really good flavour on the crust on the outside.

These marmalade and short-rib sandwiches,

they were causing you a bit grief at the end there.

If I would've been able to get the pan hotter,

I think it would've held its shape better.

It's kind of a little bit soggy there, the bread. The bread? Yeah.

What about the short-rib itself?

I think the short-rib is really delicious.

Ancl the marmalade flavour?

I think it's good in the sandwich. I don't think it's overpowering.

It got a bit lost to me. I didn't really notice it.

The gel was a little bit sweet.

I was expecting a little bit of bitterness from the marmalade.

So, this is quinoa and beetroot... Yep. ..croquettes.

Are you happy with how they've come out?

Yeah, nice and crispy. Beetroot's coming through.

I personally find the croquette slightly dry.

I think he was thinking that this aji verde ties it together,

but it doesn't really do that.

So, if you were going to score this dish, then... Yeah.

...what would you score? Uh...

Seven-and-a-half. Seven-and-a-half? Mm.

I'm going to score this a seven.

It definitely needs a sauce.

I think I'd give him a seven, too.

The croquette, for me, was a little bit dry.

How was that, mate? Yeah, it was tough. Yeah?

A bit annoyed about the sandwich, but what can you do? Yeah.

Next to present his main is Budgie,

and it's a moment of truth for his choux buns mark Ill.

Consistency's much better now.

Happy at last, Budgie halves them and pipes on

the duck liver parfait and cider gel.

Two minutes.

See you in six, Chef!

You need six? Five...six.

Budgie, don't panic.

With the chicken ballotine now chilled,

Budgie puts it into the deep-fat fryer to crisp up the skin.

Due on the pass now, Budgie.

Is that oven on? This one's on 200.

...before placing it into the oven to warm through the middle.

So, you're one minute over now, Budgie. Yeah.

So, get it out there, kiddo.

His glazed carrots are garnished with heritage carrot tops.

You're happy with it? Uh...it's just cold.

Do you want it back in? Cheers, bro.

Oh, stress! It's stressful! Yes!

So, it's three minutes over now, Budgie. Yeah.

While he waits for the chicken to warm through,

Budgie adds banana ketchup to the carrots.

You're doing well, Budgie. Keep going. Thank you.

Yeah, please. It does help.

Four minutes over, Budgie. Yes.

No, it's still cold, Chef. I'm going to need another...

...two minutes in the oven.

That's going to put you, like, seven minutes over. Yes, Chef.

If the chicken ballotine isn't ready to be served soon,

it will cost Budgie points

and jeopardise his place in the competition.

Right, let's go, Robbie. Do you want it, yeah?

Yeah, let's do it.

Check you're happy.

It's warm.

Finally the chicken ballotine is plated,

topped with apple ciderjus...

In the cloche.

...and is served under a smoke-filled Fantastic Mr Fox-themed cloche

with a glass of cider.

Shall I pour some ciders? Yes.

I think pour a big one for you. Yeah. OK.

So, the name and inspiration?

A Meal Fit For Fantastic Foxes,

inspired by Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl,

illustrated by Quentin Blake.

Presentation looks amazing.

It looks lovely. Can't wait to tuck in.

Shall I carry the cider? Yeah. Yeah, there you go.

Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

Ah, the horrors of the Great British Menu clock, eh?

All right. Cheers, gentlemen. Cheers indeed. Cheers. Cheers.

Yum.

So, the chicken...are you happy with how that's come out now?

No, I would've liked the skin to be crispier.

There's a lot of skin that's a bit fatty.

Yeah, it's a little bit flabby.

The banana ketchup?

Really like the sweetness,

it brings something different to the plate.

It tastes amazing, the banana ketchup.

It's really nice.

I've had banana ketchup before. That's a really good one.

Delicious, yeah. It's really nice.

The choux pastry,

are you happy with how it came out the second time?

It was a little darker than I'd like it, but it's nice and crisp.

The parfait itself? Parfait could've been set a little bit longer.

It could be a little bit sweeter as well.

The parfait, I think, doesn't have enough seasoning to it,

but also the gel is quite bland.

I think it's good. It's got a nice, crispy texture.

It's light and airy on the inside.

So, what would you score yourself?

A few errors on my part, so I'd probably give myself a six. OK.

I think I'd give Budgie a six.

The parfait wasn't seasoned enough,

and there was a few elements that didn't go together.

Yeah, I agree. It's a six, it's just a bit confused for me. Yeah.

Cider's good, though. The cider's great.

Spice meister! How are you? Got it out, mate, yeah.

A few schoolboy errors, but, yeah...

I felt like I could feel his disappointment.

Last to the pass is Avi, currently leading by just one point.

He scored highly with his starter,

but struggled to maintain the high standard with his fish course.

Will his pared-back squab main be enough to keep him out in front?

So, Avi, you've got three minutes.

OK, fine.

Happy with the cook on that squab?

Yeah, very happy with it.

I think it's nice and pink.

What do you need, bud?

Could you pour the sauce into the jugs, please?

Yeah.

OK, Avi, you've got two minutes. Yup.

Squab are plated, followed by pan-fried chestnuts.

What's that you're putting on?

Putting some pumpkin on.

Just roasted it with thyme and garlic. Looks amazing.

Girolles are added next...

The colours look great, mate. Very autumnal.

...followed by crispy pancetta.

Some crispy sage.

A sweet addition of pre-made quince cheese is plated.

Put some olive oil on top.

It's served to Fantastic Mr Fox - my crush - inspired music.

See? Sexy.

Yeah.

That is a sexy fox.

Sexy fox!

The dish is called What's A Squab?

Inspired by Fantastic Mr Fox, the animated movie by Wes Anderson.

Let's go taste it.

So, are you happy with the cook of the squab?

I'm really happy with it. just cooked, and it's well-rested.

Perfectly cooked for my liking.

Could be a little bit crispier for me,

but, yes, it's a good bit of cookery, that.

You made a jus with the squab pigeons and Marsala wine.

I'm really happy with thatjus. Quite rich.

I can still taste the Marsala in there.

That sauce. Yeah, it's lip-smackingly good.

Unctuous, silky, shiny, really good savouriness. Yeah.

The second time you've used pumpkin this week.

Yeah, I love pumpkin.

It's adding that whole starch element, but also the sweetness.

I mean, it's cooked really well. Pumpkin is really sweet.

I think a dish like that needs sweetness.

Cos it's so rich.

Do you think this is quite a safe dish?

It is a safe dish, but it's also a very comforting dish.

I think it's quite special in itself, although it's so simple.

It's missing something, whether it's acidity

or a little bit more texture.

What would you score this dish?

I'm really confident about my food, so I would score myself an eight.

OK.

Yeah, I'd give it a nine

only because I think it needs a bit of acidity.

It's an eight from me. I think it's a bit rich.

HEY, guys. All right, mate?

Mr Cool, Calm And Collected.

Well, that's only on the outside.

I think your dish was fantastic, mate.

Yeah. Great bit of cookery, that. Pigeon was perfect. Thank you.

Quite a chequered main course, I would say.

The pressure got to the chefs.

It really, really did, didn't it? All three chefs,

there was technical problems with their dishes. Yeah.

So, that's the savoury done, guys. Are you looking forward to desserts?

Yeah. I've clone a bit of pastry in my time.

I can't say my pastry is my best of skills, but I know enough.

I don't mind going on the pastry section every now and then.

I find it quite therapeutic. Great for this kitchen!

Right, let's go check out what our scores are for the mains.

Yeah, let's do that.

As the scores stand, Avi is in the lead with 14 points,

and Robbie and Budgie are just one point behind with 13.

Hello, Chefs. Hello. Hello. Hey.

Well, there's no escaping that

that was quite a difficult course.

Robbie. Yep.

For your dish, Darkest Peru,

I thought the presentation was fun.

I could see everybody with their Paddington hats at the banquet.

Golden beetroot cooked in beef fat, I thought was delicious.

The croquette was nice and crispy, and I thought the quinoa

had a nice nutty flavour.

The short-rib sandwich, though, fell apart,

and the marmalade you put in there just wasn't enough,

because that was your big link to the brief.

My biggest issue, though, was the cooking of the beef sirloin.

The texture was just a bit flabby.

I think you should just cook it all the way on the barbecue

and get that lovely, smoky, barky outside, you know,

that people really enjoy to eat.

Mm-hm. Cool.

Budgie.

For your dish, A Meal Fit For Fantastic Foxes.

The link to the brief was subtle, but I think it was really clever,

using all the elements that the farmers eat.

The chicken meat and the sausage filling was cooked nicely

and really quite flavourful.

But as you said yourself, the skin could've been crispier.

I think that's because it waited quite a while

it got back up to temperature.

I really enjoyed the banana ketchup.

That was again another first you've given me.

I'd like more of it on the plate.

You had problems with your choux pastry and you made it again,

but I still don't think it was wholly successful.

Your duck-liver parfait lacked seasoning,

and the side of gel I didn't think had much flavour at all.

PM, for your (fish, What's A Squab?

I thought the presentation was great.

You really hit the brief.

The sauce was a masterclass in sauce-making.

Lots of depth of flavour. Truly delicious.

The pumpkin was beautifully roasted.

The crispy sage and pancetta

provided crunch and seasoning to the dish.

The pigeon breast was cooked well, but I think the skin on the bird

needed more rendering just to make it crispier

and a bit more pleasant to eat.

And so to the scores.

Robbie.

I'm giving you a score of...

...six.

Robbie, this dish has got a lot of potential,

so if you do get to cook it again,

I would take every bit of Tommy's advice.

Budgie.

I'm giving you a score of...

...four.

Budgie, I know that's not what you wanted to put on the plate.

This is one of those moments in the competition

where you just have to draw a line under it

and move on to the next part.

Avi.

|'m giving you...

...a score of eight. Thank you.

This was accomplished, confident cooking,

and that sauce! Very good. Beautiful.

Next up, it's the sweet part of the menu.

I love a dessert, so I'm really looking forward to this.

Good luck, Chefs. Good luck, Chefs. Cheers.

Well clone, mate. Thank you. Well clone. Good job.

Well clone, bud. Thank you. All right? Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I was expecting that.

I was expecting that.

Feel a little gutted.

The score was obviously not ideal.

But we're going to approach the sweet part of the menu

a little bit more organised and a lot more fire in the belly.

I'm disappointed with the six, but I feel good about my dessert.

Avi is out in front, but I don't think he's too far

that I can't catch him.

I'm really pleased with the score. I'm in the lead again now,

but I don't want to take my foot off the pedal.

I just want to keep going.

Dessert should be fun. You can really tell a story on the plate.

Ancl I think the chefs got to really embrace the brief

because this needs to be a fantastic end to the banquet.

Pre-desserts are not scored, but will be tasted blind by Tommy.

In the event of a tie-break, they could be the deciding factor.

I didn't come here just to participate.

I want to get in front of the judges,

and I want to get a dish at the banquet.

Robbie is making a frozen fennel meringue for his pre-dessert,

which takes inspiration from children's animated series

Fifi And The Flowertots.

So talk to me about your pre-dessert, sir.

So, Fifi and her mates

are named after vegetables and different flowers,

so I've tried to incorporate some of those into the dish.

So there's a character in there called Poppy,

so I'm making a poppyseed tuile,

and it's in the shape of a flower to represent Fifi.

There's also a character called Gooseberry,

so I've got some salted gooseberries here,

and I'm going to put a gooseberry curd in the bottom of my bowl.

Ooh! I love a gooseberry.

Bit of salt on them, just to... Mmm! ..emphasise the flavour. Oh!

That's gorgeous, that's really gorgeous.

The main part of it is a frozen fennel meringue

whipped up with egg whites and fennel...

So it should be chewy, slightly, on the inside.

It should melt away in your mouth and give you a burst of fennel.

Oh, it sounds lovely. Good luck. Cheers.

Leading by three points, Avi is going back to his roots

with a brightly coloured Indian shaved-ice treat.

My pre-dessert is called Colourful Snowman,

inspired by the animated movie The Snowman.

It's the scene where the snowmen are having a little disco.

The lights are flashing, it's very colourful.

So I'm trying to recreate that with shaved ice... Yeah.

...and I'm going to splash some passion-fruit chervil

and pomegranate syrup on it. Oh, nice combination.

I can't wait to see how this turns out for you. Great.

Currently trailing by two points in last place,

Budgie needs to whip up some delectable desserts

to stand a chance of getting through to the judges.

I'm doing a dish called Carrots Can Be Cool.

Inspired by Horrid Henry and the Ice Cream Dream.

Oh, I love Horrid Henry.

Yeah. So I'm going to do little orange feuille de brick cones

with a carrot and calamansi sorbet.

Nice. Calamansi's like Filipino lime. Yeah.

All right, my darling. Thank you so much.

I wish you lots of luck. Thank you, Andi. Thanks.

Everybody on time? Yep. Yep.

With just the final flourishes remaining,

Robbie adds colour to his pre-dessert with edible flowers,

Avi pours a rainbow of sugar syrups over the shaved ice...

Woo!

Pretty things happening in here.

...and Budgie finishes his carrot sorbet with candied carrot tops

and positions in purple hands, a nod to the Purple Hand Gang,

the baddies in Horrid Henry.

Are we going? Ready.

Wowzer.

All right, everybody happy? Yep. Yep.

Fantastic. Let's go.

Fabulous. Thank you so much.

An array of colours. Really colourful.

Do I eat it from the hand? I don't want to.

THEY LAUGH

That's so fresh! Yeah. Citrus, lovely.

Love the smoothness of the whole ice cream. Yeah.

CRUNCH

Mmm. That's quite tasty. I like it.

Nice and crisp feuille de brick

and refreshing sorbet.

Really refreshing. Couple of bites and it's gone.

So, this one is inspired by The Snowman, you know...

# Walking in the air

# Da da doo di... # You know, etc.

Looks like a lot of fun, man.

It's like the sexiest Slush Puppie I've ever seen. Yeah.

Oh!

Heavens. That chervil's extraordinary. Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, this reminds me of childhood, really?

There's three different ices.

Every time you get a bit, it's a bit different.

I quite like that. Quite sweet, though. Mmm.

Just crack through. Yeah.

It's a really nice flavour.

It's kind of got lemon meringue pie vibes to it.

It's really refreshing and light.

Lots of acidity going through there as well.

Good to clear your palate after. Yeah.

Just this curd's not really set.

No, it's a bit watery.

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

I think this is my favourite.

This is my second favourite.

Ancl this was my third. And that was your third.

I think the purple hand was Budgie,

and I think this was Avi.

OK. Ancl that's Robbie.

And you would be...

...completely correct. Yes!

You're right. You're right. Aah!

It's time for the dessert course,

and with scores this tight, this one is going to the wire.

Avi is on 22, Robbie is on 19 and Budgie is on 17.

OK, guys, last chance to impress Tommy.

Go for it. Yeah. Let's do it. Good.

Budgie's going for broke with his dessert -

his last chance to climb out of last position.

He's making a Knickerbocker glory full of unusual ingredients.

So, this is the ube extract. Ube is a purple yam,

traditional sort of Filipino ingredient.

Very sort of vanilla notes. Quite earthy as well.

He's using it to make a purple yam ice cream to crown his dessert.

So, Budgie, tell me what's happening with this dessert.

So the title of the dish is called Mix Mix Glory.

It's inspired by a book called Paddington

Ancl The Knickerbocker Glory. Oh, we love a Knickerbocker.

So I'm doing a layered dessert. For the ice component,

we're going to have buttermilk granita... Oh, yum.

...some apple and pear jelly.

Calamansi marmalade. Right, lovely. Ube ice cream.

Yam? Ube's a purple yam, yeah.

I've got sweetened Carlin peas.

Which are a bit like chickpeas. Yeah, yeah, very similar.

And how are you sweetening them? How does that...? Sugar syrup.

It's almost like a candied pea, then.

Yeah, yeah, but it'll be soft.

I mean, obviously I'm familiar with a knickerbocker glory... Yep.

...but I've never had Carlin peas in a dessert,

and I've never even eaten a purple yam, let alone in ice cream.

So I'm fascinated by it. Amazing.

Budgie continues creating the layers for his original

and risky take on a knickerbocker glory.

It's all about timing.

If one layer's not ready, then none of it's ready.

He boils apple and pear juice

with water, sugar and gelatine before setting.

Whilst Avi makes a flour less chocolate cake

using dark rum and coconut oil.

It's like a really nice, light, moussey kind of a cake,

which is steamed in the oven for about an hour.

His dessert pays tribute

to everybody's favourite whistling pink aliens.

I'm creating the Planet Of The Clangers.

WHISTLES

Using coconut rice pudding.

I'm going to pipe it into a balloon, and then dip the balloon

into liquid nitrogen so it freezes the outside layer.

And then the inside, I want it to be still soft.

So you want to freeze the outside, but not the middle?

That's right. Wow.

Tricky stuff.

It is pretty tricky.

Despite being at the top of the leader board,

he's not resting on his laurels.

To create his precarious frozen coconut planet,

Avi combines coconut milk, sugar and rice.

He adds coconut oil, rose water and double cream

before leaving to chill.

Robbie, three points behind Avi,

is pulling out all the stops in his attempt to secure a place

cooking for the judges tomorrow

with a multi-layered Queen of Hearts

cherry and chocolate gateau.

I've got my sponge mix on the go here.

I've got my chocolate melting for my feuilletine disc.

My chocolate melting for my mousse, cocoa butter for my clip,

my cherry gel in the freezer.

So loads happening at the moment. Yeah.

Hey, Robbie. Hiya. You all right?

You look very busy.

Seven pans on the go.

Yeah, you know me.

So tell me about your dish.

The title of my dish is My Queen Of Hearts,

and it's inspired by Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.

John Tenniel illustrations. That's right. Beautiful. Yes.

So I'm making a heart-shaped cherry and chocolate gateau.

It's going to have feuilletine base, then sponge,

then it's going to have a cherry gel insert.

It's going to be coated in a chocolate mousse,

clipped in white chocolate and then sprayed with a red velvet spray.

Heavens.

Sounds like a delicious dish.

Black forest gateau sort of vibes, isn't it?

Ancl that's a classic combination that works really well. Yes.

Does this dish mean a lot to you? I feel like somehow it does.

Yeah, this one was inspired by my wife,

so this is for my wife.

Oh, that's a lovely thing. What's her name? Inga.

All right, Inga.

Hold your breath. Let's hope it goes well, shall we?

Robbie's romantic recipe might melt his wife's heart,

but it's Tommy he needs to woo now.

Right, I'm in that oven for ten minutes, OK?

Please don't open.

Budgie boils the pre-soaked, controversial Carlin peas

in sugar syrup to add sweetness.

Traditionally, in the Philippines, we would use red beans,

but I wanted to use sort of British ingredients.

So using the Carlin pea.

He churns the ube mixture to create ice cream.

That is an incredible colour.

Ube is naturally purple.

Ancl that's a purple yam?

That is a purple yam.

With, you know, ice cream ingredients,

but, yes.

But the flavour is definitely purple yam.

And what about these peas?

Carlin peas that have been sweetened.

Obviously they're a lot harder than red beans.

But this is quite a soft dessert, so I wanted something

with a little bit of body.

It's fascinating. CooL

Budgie's yam ice cream is delicious.

Really tasty.

But the peas taste a lot like dried peas, which I'm not sure

have a place in a dessert.

Tommy may not like the peas...

What just happened?

HE GROANS

...but Budgie is more concerned about his apple and pear jelly.

The jelly kind of froze a little bit in the blast chiller.

It's not his day.

He'll have to start again.

But having previously been late to the pass, he'll need to move quickly

to avoid that happening again, as he cannot afford to lose points.

Avi also needs to keep an eye on temperatures as he carefully

tempers his chocolate.

You heat your chocolate up to about 40-45 degrees, and then you rapidly

bring the temperature down to about 20 or 30 degrees by adding more

uncooked chocolate.

The best way to check it is dip your finger in the chocolate, put it on

your lip and it should feel cooler than the body temperature.

Have you got anything that I can try?

Yes. That's the chocolate.

It's got a bit of rose petals on one side, a bit of glittery gold

on the other side. Cool.

So is this planet going to be ready on time?

Yeah, it's all chilling to about four or five degrees.

Not too cold either because it gets really gloopy if it's too cold.

It's going to be fascinating. I can't wait to see it.

Thank you.

For his final element, Avi moves onto his praline made from caramel

and crushed pistachios.

Really nice bright green. The bitterness cuts through the cake.

Robbie's assembling his indulgent cherry and chocolate gateau

with layers of chocolate sponge and feuilletine,

chilled cherry gel and chocolate mousse in heart-shaped moulds.

Robbie. How are you doing? I'm good, yeah.

Do you have anything that's ready now I can try.

Yeah, I've got a little bit of cherry gel.

So this must be an important part of the dish because it'll bring

a lot of acidity, will it? Exactly.

Counterbalance the sweetness and bitterness of the chocolate.

OK.

I just tried Robbie's cherry gel.

It was lovely and fruity and acidic.

You could see how it would be really nice with a chocolate dessert.

It just seems like there's an awful lot to do, though.

First to the pass is Budgie.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Feeling good, feeling confident.

I'm almost there.

He holds his breath as his second attempt at an apple and pear jelly

chills and he starts to layer his dessert.

All right, Budgie, you've got six minutes.

Oui, Chef.

He starts with calamansi marmalade...

What's a Paddington dessert without marmalade? Yeah.

...Carlin peas.

Then it's crunch time for his second jelly.

Yeah. jelly's good.

In goes buttermilk granita...

Looks like a fun dessert, this, Budgie.

Yes. It's based off a dish called halo-halo in the Philippines.

Halo-halo actually means mix-mix. Yeah.

So the idea of this dish is to kind of just get in there,

tuck in, just have fun with it. Nice.

...more calamansi marmalade...

Three minutes now, Budgie. Yeah, oui.

...a generous sprinkle of latik coconut crumb...

Sprinkles, obviously.

It's all about colour. Yeah.

This is the ube ice cream.

Wow. A lovely colour, that.

Phwoar. Two bowls as well. Proper.

Good serving! Yeah.

...all topped off with a flourish of purple sugar.

Yeah. H E CH UCKLES

Here we go again.

So this is Mix Mix Glory

inspired by Paddington Ancl The Knickerbocker Rainbow.

Feeling good? Yeah, very good.

It's a dish I grew up with, halo-halo.

So, yeah, I'm proud to be able to put something up of my heritage.

Fantastic. Right, let's go and eat before it melts.

Well, this looks like proper, like, seaside fun, doesn't it? Yeah.

Yeah, real big.

OK, let's talk about this purple yam. Yep.

Is the flavour of the ice cream exactly how you wanted it?

Yeah, the flavour's there, sort of earthy, vanilla-ey.

The texture I'm really happy with.

It's delicious ice cream. Beautifully smooth.

I can't stop eating it.

Do you think it's the right level of sweetness?

Yeah. You've got a sharp burst of sweetness from the jelly,

and then you've got the buttermilk granita with a bit of acidity.

Got a bit of sour, bit of sweet, bit of bitterness.

It's kind of interesting, cos depending on which spoonfuls

you take, it's either more or less delicious.

So, these Carlin peas, this is quite a new one for me.

Yeah. I enjoy the texture that it brings to the dish.

I'm not totally convinced by the Carlin peas.

I'm not either.

But with the ice cream, I think it's not too bad.

It could actually be a pea shooter. Yeah. Yeah.

Ancl what would you score this?

I'd give myself an eight. OK.

I think I'll give it an eight.

The only reason I'm not giving it any more is because of those peas.

It's a six for me.

It hasn't got the wow, the refinement that I'm looking for.

Right.

Yeah, all clone, guys. All clone. How did it go, man?

Obviously Tommy doesn't give anything away, so we'll see. Yeah.

Next to present his dessert is Avi.

For his take on the Clangers' Planet,

he fills balloons with his coconut pudding mixture, hoping

for a light, aerated centre.

He then carefully dips them in liquid nitrogen.

The idea is to flash-freeze and form an outer shell.

You've got six minutes, Avi. How's it looking?

Yeah, I should be there on time.

I'm hoping. AVI LAUGHS

The flour less chocolate cake, now baked, is plated first

along with gold leaf and rose petal chocolate shards,

before Avi sees if his ambitious

plan for his Clangers' Planets has worked.

What are you doing there, Av?

Just getting the balloon off the frozen moon,

which is posing a little problem.

Yep.

Finally free from their moulds...

Avi, you've got three minutes. Yeah.

...the delicate coconut moons are topped with pistachio praline...

Looks great, buddy. Thank you.

...all served with a swanee whistle for that Clangers vibe.

Got to go.

THEY PLAY WHISTLES

Hey.

ANDI WHISTLES A TUNE

Yeah.

What do you think, guys?

Looks incredible. It looks amazing.

Thank you.

Let's go try it. Thank you. Good luck, Chef.

HE PLAYS WHISTLE

HE PLAYS DESCENDING NOTE

I mean, this is truly inspired.

Did you want the filling to ooze out more than it has clone?

Probably not. You know, it works both ways.

It works like a custard, but also as an ice cream.

I'm quite amazed by that.

Incredible. Yeah.

It's so light. Yeah. So airy.

Not only that, the flavour. Yeah.

The flavour is just banging. Yep.

Flourless chocolate cake, so this took over an hour in the oven.

Are you happy with how that's come out and the texture of it?

I love it. it just melts away in your mouth.

It's more like a mousse almost, isn't it? Yeah.

The texture's just perfect.

It's divine. Yeah.

The pistachio praline,

think that brings the right level of bitterness to the plate?

I think it does.

Yeah. Without that, it would be too soft.

The pistachios just add that little bite to it.

So if you were going to score this, then, what would you give yourself?

Er, I'd say nine.

I'd like to give myself a ten, but that would just mean

I'm being a bit arrogant. THEY LAUGH

Let's get some scores. Robbie? It's a ten.

Budgie? Ten for me.

Well, I mean, there's not really much more to say, is there?

Hey, guys. Outrageously good, mate.

Thank you. Stunning dessert, man.

Incredible, honestly.

Robbie is serving last, but still has the trickiest part of his

Alice In Wonderland-inspired, multilayer gateau to tackle -

the white chocolate dip.

When my frozen gateaux come out of the chiller, I need

this to set instantly around it.

If it's too hot, it will melt it.

If it's too cold, it's not going to coat it.

And we're going to have a disaster on our hands.

Heartache avoided,

Robbie covers them with a red velvet spray...

...before plating.

Beautiful.

Robbie, you've got four minutes.

Right, I'm going to be early.

With four minutes to go on your main course,

you didn't look like this.

No.

Ancl what's the gel? It's cherry gel. Yeah.

Just to bring out the cherry flavour.

For a refreshing kick, Robbie mixes a cherry sour.

Vodka, cherry liqueur, little bit of cherry juice, citric acid.

That looks like a lot of fun, doesn't it? Yeah, it does.

To complete the dish,

a premade queen of hearts white chocolate playing card...

My wife is my queen of hearts.

That's what that's all about. Yeah.

...and a garnish of apple marigold leaves.

Oh... Look at that. Wow.

I like it.

So, this dessert is called My Queen Of Hearts.

It's inspired by Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.

So romantic.

Is your wife going to be happy with you?

I hope so. Yeah. Yeah. THEY LAUGH

Right, let's go do it.

Last one! Yeah.

Shall we try our cherry sour?

Yeah.

Woo-eel!

Sure is sour. Yeah.

OK. So I guess we should break the heart.

So, are you happy with all the balance of flavours here?

Yeah, I think they work well.

The richness of the chocolate, sourness of the cherry,

they complement each other.

Yeah, it's really nice.

It's got a really nice snap, the chocolate on the outside.

Is the chocolate outside a little thick, though?

Yeah, there's a couple of parts where it's a little bit thick.

The cherry gel, you're happy with how that is?

The gel is a little bit colder than I would've liked it.

I think the temperature's not quite there on the gel.

Yeah, it could be a bit more punchy, but because it's so cold, I think

it's toned down the intensity of it. Yeah.

The chocolate sponge at the base and the feuilletine, is that

bringing the texture that you wanted? Yes.

Little crunch, softness of the sponge, exactly what I wanted.

Do you think it's a bit big?

I mean, I've got a sweet tooth. I'd probably finish that.

I think with this, if it gets a little bit too sweet,

you can have a little...

Yeah!

What would you score yourself? I think that's an eight.

Yeah, I'm happy with the balance of the flavours.

I think I've executed everything I wanted to in there.

And hopefully by that sour going to your head, might get a better score

than I have all week.

Scores. Budgie? Nine.

Temperature. Temperature.

I'd give him a nine, too. just for the gel.

Well done, Robbie.

Hi, Robbie. How's it going? Yeah, good, man.

How was that, mate? Yeah, it was all right.

I thought your dish was great, man. Thank you.

Very pretty.

Didn't know you were a little softie inside.

Softie at heart, eh? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, I am quite a happy bunny over here after desserts.

How are you feeling? Yeah, I'm really impressed.

There was some really good cooking on show,

so there's not much in this.

I am really proud of all of them.

Whoever does go home has really put their best foot forward

in this last course.

Right, shall we go see what the scores are?

Let's do it. Good luck, everyone. Good luck, guys.

As the scores stand, Budgie is on 17, Robbie 19 and Avi's

in the lead on 22.

Well, interesting flavours, challenging techniques.

The dessert course was fascinating.

Budgie, for your dish, Mix Mix Glory.

I thought it was a nice take on the brief, and I liked the way you

combined Paddington with your heritage as well.

Purple yam ice cream,

that was delicious.

Such a vivid colour and luxurious texture.

The buttermilk granita had a brilliant flavour.

I didn't think I was going to like Carlin peas on a dessert,

but I'm happy to eat humble pie on that.

I thought the apple and pear jelly was a little lost.

If you want to make it more refined,

maybe you could set the jelly in between the layers,

which would make the whole thing just a bit more elegant.

Avi, for your dish, Planets Of The Clangers.

I loved the swanee whistle.

I thought it was hilarious. Super fun at the banquet.

Your coconut planet was light and refreshing,

and the texture was fantastic.

The chocolate cake was off the chart.

It was incredible.

So rich, light and flavourful.

It was totally delicious and satisfying.

I really enjoyed the bitterness of the praline.

This was a simple dessert in terms of the number of flavours,

but it was perfectly balanced.

Robbie, for your dish, My Queen Of Hearts.

Presentation was great.

It was precise and neat and exactly what we were looking for.

I think the heart mousse had some really good textures,

light and full of flavour.

The feuilletine was crisp.

It was just a shame that the cherry centre was still quite cold.

So, to the scores.

Robbie...

...|'m giving you...

...an eight.

I know this dish meant an awful lot to you, and that translated

very well to the plate.

Thank you.

Avi...

...I'm scoring you...

...a ten. Well clone.

Avi, that was glorious, magical.

A stunning dessert. Thank you.

Ancl Budgie...

...I'm scoring you...

...an eight.

So that means, Avi, you're on 32.

Robbie, you're on 27.

And, Budgie, you're on 25.

So, sadly, that means you will be leaving us, Budgie.

It has been an absolute joy to have your enthusiasm

and innovation, really, for us.

You've introduced us to so many new things throughout this week.

Thank you.

Robbie and Avi, you go get some rest cos a big clay tomorrow.

Go and smash it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Well clone, mate. Well done.

Cheers, mate.

No commiserations. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you, pal.

Do it for the London and the south-east, huh?

Sure, man.

I'm definitely leaving with my head held high, super proud of being able

to represent my heritage and really pleased that Tommy

enjoyed my dessert.

I'm really excited to cook for the judges.

I'm one step closer to the banquet,

so hopefully I can smash it out the park tomorrow.

Getting a ten is spectacular.

I think I have what it takes to be in the final and really looking

forward to cooking for the judges now.

The two chefs going through to the judges tomorrow

are very different.

Ancl I think if they take on some of my advice and make a few tweaks

to their dishes, hopefully we'll see London and the south-east

at the banquet again.

Next time...

Good luck.

...there are four new palates to impress in the judging chamber.

Wow.

But it's far from plain sailing in the kitchen.

I don't want to take any chances.

Will it be Robbie or Avi who emerges triumphant?

The winner is...