All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E18.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

It's the battle for London and the South East, and our
two top-scoring chefs, Avi and Robbie, are competing

for a place in the national finals.

They'll need to bring their dishes
to life with fantastic flavour

and big characters,
from Mr Bean to the Gruffalo,

from Winnie-the-Pooh to Paddington.

If it's not top-drawer,
it won't get the top score.

So, Rastamouse,
it's your region this week.

Is there anyone in particular
you've got your eye on?

Hmm. Interesting.

London and the South East saw four
incredible chefs

cook their hearts out for a place
in the final two.

Rock and roll!

Through to cook for the judges today
is the inventive chef patron

at Only Food And Courses in
central London -

returner Robbie Lorraine.

I just need to bring my A-game
today. Up the levels.

Calm and collected head chef at
London's Pahli Hill-

newcomer Avi Shashidhara.

I am confident about my food, so I'm
going to give it my best shot.

Today's winner goes through
to the finals with a chance

of getting to our banquet.

Whoa!

Inspired by British animation
and illustration,

their food includes odes to
The Gruffalo, Fantastic Mr Fox,

and Alice in Wonderland.

They are phenomenal.
They're not.

I think this is completely
banquet-worthy! WHISTLING

But which chef will impress
our judges in this,

the toughest of chefs' competitions?

The winner for London
and the South East is...

100% I want to win. I want to get
one of my dishes to the banquet,

so, yeah, I'm going to give
it everything.

It would be a great achievement for
me to represent London

and the South East in the final.
I call London home,

so I'm really excited about it.

Hello, Avi. Judging clay.

Lots to do, Robbie.
Let's get cooking. Let's go.

Good luck. Good luck, buddy.

Come on, let's go.

Hello, chefs. Good morning.
Wow! Morning.

Yes, I've gone full sequins

for judging day.
Looks wicked, looks wicked.

So, remember, today is a completely
clean slate.

You have four brand-new palates
to impress. Yep.

How do you feel? Very excited.

Ready for action? Yes.

You've both got some excellent
dishes,

you're both packed full of talent,
so you can't really afford to put

a tiny little step wrong.

So, I would suggest that you get
your first jobs on right now.

Wishing you both loads of luck.

All right? Thank you.
Thank you, Andi.

With all six dishes to serve to
the judges, the chefs get ahead

with the most time-consuming jobs.

I've got to make a few doughs.

I've got to make some garnishes.

I've got to make some crackers.

So, I'm just getting on with it.

Avi starts with the dough for
his Man galore buns canape,

as it needs time to rest...

Oi, oi. Here we go.
Come on.

...whilst Robbie is preparing golden
beetroot for his main course.

Really busy right now.
Loads to do.

Just steaming into it. I've clone
the sheets, now, of beetroot.

I'm just tying them, so that they
stay intact,

and then I'll finish them
off in vinegar,

ready for the beef fat later.

Then it's on to the crab sauce,
also for Avi's canape.

He's preparing a crab-free celeriac
version for Tom,

due to his shellfish allergy.

It's going to have a similar
texture, just like white crab meat.

Robbie is also replacing
the shellfish in his canape

with con fit celeriac.

How are you feeling about cooking
for Tom Kerridge?

Does that intimidate you? Yeah,
I mean, a little bit intimidating.

Tom Kerridge knows his food,
he's looking for perfection,

so we can't afford to make
any mistakes today. Absolutely.

I hope I've got all of mine
out of my system. Yeah.

Maybe you might make some today.

With a total of three Michelin stars
under his belt, Tom Kerridge

won't be easy to impress,
and having taken his main course

to the banquet TWICE, he knows what
it feels like to compete

in this competition.

I remember those times competing in
that kitchen, and those nerves,

they really can get hold of you.
Particularly now, with two chefs

that have not got through to judging
chamber before, it may well

be a heavy weight on
their shoulders.

The chefs concentrate on creating
a good first impression

with their canapes.

Avi shapes and deep-fries the dough
for his Man galore buns...

...whilst Robbie makes a start on

the main element of his dish -
scallops.

It seemed like it was a bit of
a struggle to eat in one bite,

so I'm just reducing the size
slightly.

They're looking good.

Hello, love. Glitzy outfit today!

Yes! How are you?

I'm all right, thank you.
How's your week been?

Interesting. Interesting. OK.

I think it took the chefs a minute
to settle into the kitchen.

They're not that used to being in
competition, but once their nerves

kind of settled, we got some really
good cooking.

I'm quite looking forward
to a trip to Darkest Peru.

It's lovely. Hold on a minute.

Is one of those chefs my mum?
Fish, Chips and Beans?!

That sounds like my tea from 1983.
It's your mum, babe.

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

Nisha is one of Britain's most
successful restaurateurs

with her street food chain Mowgli.

In my view, London is the world's
kitchen, so I'm looking

for really bold and arresting
flavours, and that bravery.

And someone who needs arresting for
crimes against comedy -

it's Ed, a hugely popular
food podcast host.

Very excited.
I'm from London, of course.

That's where I really fell in love
with animation and illustration.

So, lovely to see some of my
favourites represented here.

Pugwash. Pooh.

Nice that there's a Mr Bean dish
as well.

Big fan of Mr Bean. Huge fan.

Hello. Good morning.
How are we?

Morning, Tom. Very good.
Big smiles. Why is that?

I'm hoping there's going to be some
really, really good food.

It's London. And if it's happening
in the world, it's happening

in the South East and London.

So, I'm looking for some really
exciting flavours.

Ancl I'm excited cos I'm a
London boy, a proper cockney.

Yes. Well, I'm excited because
I also competed

for London and South East.

Tom found a loophole when he
did GBM.

Cos he's not from London

and he doesn't really cook
in London.

London and the South East.
Marlow is in the South East,

even though my accent is not.
I thought you were from Somerset.

Avi, how are you doing, mate?
Yeah, I'm good. You?

Yeah. Good, man.

Hello, my loves. How are you getting
on? Yeah, good. Good, thank you.

All right. Well, the judges are
starting to assemble, and we've got

our fantastic guest judge today,
who is from London.

He's an extraordinary illustrator
and author,

so you really have to make sure
you're getting those stories

on to the plate. All right? Yeah.

I loved both of your canapes.
Tommy loved both of your canapes.

I hope that these judges do, too.

The guest judge helping to score
the dishes today was

Illustrator of the Year in 2022.

He's illustrated 12 books,
including the acclaimed Look Up!,

and authored two - one of them an
award-winning anthology of stories

called joyful, joyful.

He's passionate about creating
characters who challenge

race and gender stereotypes.

It's Dapo Adeola.

Hey. Hi, Dapo. Hi.

Good morning. Welcome!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Take a seat. Hello, Dapo.

Thanks very much for joining us.
Thank you for having me.

We're going to eat loads
of food. You up for that? Yeah.

Are you a foodie, Dapo?

I think I am, but I'm a creature
of habit, so, like, I tend

to just eat what I like.

Ancl every so often I come across
a new dish and I just add

it to the list.
And you live in London? I do.

So, all different styles,
cultural backgrounds.

There's so many different spaces
to eat. What kind of things

do you like, Dapo?
Huge fan of African dishes.

Nigerian food especially, because
I am Nigerian.

I love Caribbean food as well.

Ancl Chinese and Japanese
food as well.

Fusion dishes.

So, you like spice and a bit
of heat and all of that?

All the good stuff. All the good
stuff. Right. All the good stuff.

Two minutes, gentlemen. Oui.

They look lovely, Avi.
Are you happy?

I'm very happy with them.

The right size as well.

Slightly big last time.

Avi garnishes with deep-fried curry
leaves whilst Robbie adds

puff pastry and lovage emulsion
to the scallops.

Last minute, please. Yep.

The scallop Mille-feuille is
garnished with apple blossom,

and the Man galore buns are finished
off with a sprinkle

of grated bottarga.

How are you doing, Robbie?
I'm, like, 30 seconds away.

I'm going to be one minute. OK.

You are due at the pass, gentlemen.

This is for Torn.

Service, please.

Here we go.

That smells lovely. Wow. Thank you.

First up, Robbie's scallop
Mille-feuille,

with a con fit celeriac
version for Tom.

Very nice. Yeah.

Nice and fresh. The flavours are
not quite punchy enough,

but, actually, texturally,
I thought it was great.

I quite like that delicate
flavour and I like the...

I like the crunch of the apple
and the crumbly pastry.

I thought it was delicious.

Then it's on to Avi's Man galore
buns with a crab sukka

and another celeriac alternative.

Give it a go.

That's delicious.

Some spice on that. Mm.

Got that lovely curry leaf that's
deep-fried on the top,

so you've got that really haunting
fragrance that persists.

And that acidity works
so well with celeriac.

And the grated bottarga,
I love bottarga.

I can taste the acidity
that Tom mentioned as well.

Ancl it's not overwhelming.

Like, it's just nice. And that other
one was very, very fresh as well.

So, now what we do is we hold up
the plate that we like the most.

Both very good.

I mean, I haven't finished
this one, but that's no sign

that I don't like it the most.
There you go. There you go.

It's straight on to the starters,

and Robbie is serving first.

He fills samosas with a spiced
carrot mixture, ready to fry later.

We're good.

So, the first starter is called
Fancy A Little Smackerel? -

a braised and glazed carrot with
a carrot samosa, and a carrot

and coriander cornetto.

Ancl it's inspired by EH Shepard's
illustrations in AA Milne's

Winnie-the-Pooh, particularly
the vegetables in Rabbit's garden

and the Hundred Acre Wood.

Robbie scored a disappointing six
for his plant-based starter

after failing to impress
veteran Tommy Banks.

Your hay-baked carrot was a little
underwhelming.

Yeah, it didn't quite hit the mark.

So, what I'm going to do is I'm
going to braise it in carrot juice

and a load of Aromat, and then
I'm going to use the braising liquor

to make a glaze and just
ramp up the flavour,

so it's got a nice sheen around the
outside. More carroty carrotiness.

Exactly. Are you making any other
changes to the plate?

Yeah. So, I've parked the lollipop,
so I'm going to go

with the cornetto instead, which I
think will be a nice kind of

palate cleanser at the end.
That's a really nice idea.

Hoping this new edition will hit
the spot in the judging chamber,

Robbie shapes and bakes his
cornetto cones

and churns carrot-flavoured
sugar syrup to make sorbet.

Carrots are good to go.
I'm just going to torch them now,

I'm going to glaze them,
and then I'm happy.

They're looking better
and they're more vibrant.

We love your work. It's so
different, so ground-breaking

and important. Oh, thank you.

What brought you into illustrating
in the first place?

I didn't really see myself doing it
as a career, but luckily enough,

a friend of mine, Nathan, is
the author of our book Look Up.

He saw something that I didn't, in
terms of the potential for my work,

and came up with a great story
and I illustrated it,

and here we are. Did you go to
art college at the beginning

and then move, or was it just...?
No, I'm self-taught.

I did study graphic design
in university, but it wasn't

what I wanted to do at all.

After the course, I started to teach
myself how to become an illustrator,

and roughly about ten years
later, I got published.

People always go with things
like, "Oh, overnight success.

"They came out of nowhere."
Ancl you're like, "No. A decade."

Yeah. Yeah, been here a while. Yeah.

You have four minutes, Robbie.

Yeah. How are you doing?
I'm all right.

Robbie plates the carrots and adds
beads of carrot puree,

before sprinkling puffed barley
and pickled baby onion petals.

You got your lollipops today?

No. I'm doing a cornetto today.

How are they? Nice and crisp?
Yeah. Lovely and crispy.

You've got one minute, Robbie.

Do you think you might be a minute
over, perhaps? Possibly.

Just get it right. Yep.

Robbie garnishes with salad
burnet, a type of leaf,

while the final few samosas
are fried...

There you go. Nice and crispy.

...and plated.

So, Robbie, you are due now. Yep.

The dish is dressed with chive oil,
and carrot sorbet fills

the crispy cones.

Beautiful, Robbie. Looks gorgeous.

OK. Service, please.

Thank you. Brilliant.
Great presentation.

I think we need to go
for the cornetto first.

I actually don't mind the samosa.

It's not a bad pastry.

It's got a nice flavourful filling.

The filling was delicious
in the samosa.

Then you get to the carrot and I
just feel it's a little bit

one-dimensional. And I nearly broke
my teeth on... Is that puffed rice?

The carrot itself, I really liked.

But the puffed barley is
a real issue.

The carrot was... It wasn't
too crunchy, it wasn't too soft.

It was perfect. The biggest flaw
in this dish, for me,

is it's just a bit cold.

It's just not a warming
start for me.

I struggled with the cornetto.
It's a bit too sweet.

There's a natural sweetness in
carrots. I haven't got a problem

with the cornetto. I think
the flavour is lovely.

I mean, they're sweet, Tom, but
that's surely got

added sweetness to it.

I like the idea of the theme,
the carrot and Rabbit from

Winnie-the-Pooh, but I'm not sure
it's been quite realised

in the presentation. No.

For his starter,

Avi is making a mint chutney by
blending fresh mint with chillies,

ginger and lemon juice.

Yeah, it's good. just trying to
cruise through all my prep.

So, this is
Scrambled Snake by the Lake,

and it's papri chaat,

delica pumpkin, mint and
tamarind chutneys,

chakli, coconut yoghurt,

fresh tomato, and pomegranate seeds.

Ancl this is inspired by
The Gruffalo, which is by

Julia Donaldson and AxelScheffler.

You got an eight for this dish.
Yes.

It's a good score.
It's a good score. Not good enough.

You'd like more. Yes. Of course
you'd like more, Avi.

Tommy was looking for a few more
zingy flavours from vegetables,

or a burst of that flavour of
pomegranate every time

he took a bite. He also wanted a few
more pumpkins in there,

which I'm going to add.

Are you giving them extras
to play with themselves

or are you just going to put it
straight on to the plate?

I'm just going to put it on
the plate cos I don't want

them to imbalance the dish.

Right. Keep control. Exactly!

To make the snake from
the title of his dish,

Avi puts spiced dough into a
wooden press and deep-fries.

Chakli is something that you
would have with your tea.

They're deep-fried gram flour,
crunchy whirls, basically.

Slightly spiced.

And what a brilliant theme, though.
The Gruffalo.

Fantastic book.
Yeah, absolutely brilliant book.

"Where are you meeting him?

"Down by the lake.

"And his favourite dish is
scrambled snake."

I know The Gruffalo verbatim.

You're a very interesting person,
Nisha, because you quite often

don't remember what we do here
when it's happening,

but you remember bits of
The Gruffalo off by heart.

I think that's a long-term memory
issue that I don't have. Yeah.

Avi, you've got six minutes to go.

How's it going? Yeah, really good,
thank you, Andi.

I should be there on time.

He crumbles papri chaat crackers,
tops with plant-based yoghurt

and tamarind chutney
for a sweet-and-sour edge.

Three minutes, Avi. Yep.

Mint chutney, cooked beetroot,
tomato and pomegranate are next.

Do you reckon this is a better
version than earlier on in the week?

Yeah, I'm just upping the quantity
of the tomatoes

and more pumpkin, more beetroots.

It was a good feedback.

I thought I should take it on board.

A garnish of coriander
and wood sorrel.

Let's get the snakes on there.

Service, please.

Thank you.

That is amazing.

It's so delicious. This is like
a rainbow of flavours and textures.

It's so vibrant, it's so alive.

It's great.

It's a really tasty bit
of cooking, that. I love it.

So, you like it, yeah? Yeah!

It makes me smile inside.

It looks all soft and mushy,

like guacamole, almost,

and then it's just got this
nice crunch to it.

There's nice sweetness as well.

It did just look like a bowl
of guacamole, and yet

within it are a million flavours
and a million textures,

and such excitement, you know,
for the palate. It's just fantastic.

This is what plant-based cookery
should be about, right?

It's not trying to do an impression
of meat, it's its own thing

and it's using the ingredients
perfectly.

Presentation, the boards, I mean, it
feels very autumny.

Has it got a connection
to The Gruffalo? Kind of.

So, knowing whatl know
about Axel's colour palate,

this is it.
Right. Interesting. Yeah.

The greens, the browns, even
the oranges.

Yeah? Yeah.

Maybe for some people at a banquet
situation, you need to be a bit

more on the nose.
More obvious, yeah. Yeah.

Cracking on with his fish course,

Robbie scores his bass and places
in a lemon and peppercorn brine.

Beautiful.

So, it's the first fish dish now,
and it's called FishmeaL

Ancl it's wild sea bass, apple dashi,

fermented fennel ravioli,

apple and Exmoor caviar salad.

Ancl it's inspired by Captain Pugwash
and the episode Fishmeal,

where he was swallowed by a giant
fish, along with another pirate,

and they fight it out
to claim the treasure.

Captain Pugwash!

Love Captain Pugwash.

Robbie trims the tail off the fish
to use as a base

for the fish mousse, which will be
the filling for his raviolo.

The seaweed cracker failed to
impress during the week,

but thinking on his feet, he's found
a way of keeping those flavours

on the plate.

I've just cut up some chives to go
through my ravioli filling.

I'm going to put a little bit of
lemon zest and then some seaweed

through it as well. Tommy felt there
wasn't enough flavour.

I thought it was important to keep
that element on the dish,

so I'm just going to up the flavour
profiles.

NISHA HUMS
CAPTAIN PUGWASH THEME

Was it that? It was that.

LAUGHTER

Didn't he have some interesting
characters?

There's some urban myths
that surround the names

of the characters. That's right. But
they actually are not called that.

There was a rumour went
around that the character

was called that ancl now everyone's remembered that
the characters were called that. There were two.

He should rewrite it with those
characters in it now.

You got a seven for this one,
Robbie. Yes.

I think there's room for a few
more points in that dish. Yeah.

A couple of tweaks and hopefully
I'm going to get there. What's your

biggest worry? Getting that fish
right? Getting the fish right.

Yeah, I slightly overcooked it.

So, that's the key part of the dish,
innit? It's a Fishmeal,

so it needs to be bang-on. Yeah.

If I can nail that, then we're on to
a winner. Wonderful.

Robbie, I hope this one works
out really well for you. Me too.

The pasta, coloured using cuttlefish
ink, is filled with the mousse.

I'll be there in a minute to give
you a hand, if you need anything.

My 911V!

Fermented fennel is plated
alongside sea purslane.

OK, Robbie, you've got
three minutes, my dear.

OK. Are you going to be
a little over?

Yeah, I'm going to be over.

The ravioli is blanched.

Robbie starts cooking the sea bass,
but having overcooked

it in the week, he'll need to keep
a close eye on it to avoid making

the same mistake.

One minute and you'll be due
at the pass, Robbie.

I'm going to need another
two minutes, please.

Avi finishes off the salad
with apple pearls.

Did you want me to put some of
the caviar on top? Yes, please.

And the bass and ravioli are plated.

Happy with your ravioli this time?

Yeah, I think I'm much happier,
to be honest with you, mate.

OK. You're two minutes over,
Robbie. Oui.

It's served with apple dashi
alongside.

Dashi looks great.

Are you happy? Yeah. Ready to go.
Great, send it. Service, please.

MUSIC: The Sailor's Hornpipe

Thank you.

Mine appears to be on fire!

Whoa!

That is nuts.
I feel like I'm in a theme park.

That is so ace, isn't it?

Has anybody eaten a piece of that
fennel yet? Mm.

That is so overpoweringly strong.

It's actually quite offensive.

I got a bit of the fish before
I let the fennel

attack my mouth. The fish is lovely.

The dash I's tasty.

The dashi's really tasty.

Sort of the same issue with
this salad.

I quite like the apple in it
and I like the caviar, obviously,

but the leaves are just sort of
dumped in there a bit.

If you get a spoon of it all
together, the flavours actually

combine really nicely. And then
we get into the dish itself,

the fish is OK, the sauce
I think is delicious,

but then you're avoiding the fennel

and that's not really OK.

The fish was tasty. The fennel was
a kick in the teeth.

The ravioli was nice as well,
but it was just kind of plain.

The ravioli, for me, is one
of the disappointing things.

The pasta is great.

It's got that cuttlefish ink
that's gone through it.

But then actually when you eat it,
the middle of it is really bland,

there's nothing going on. And it's
a shame because the box came,

you opened it and it was exciting,

and it felt that we're really
into that brief.

But then the dish - just nothing
is tying in very well.

So, as a pirate, Tom, you don't
approve? As a pirate,

this is not pirate-worthy. Mm.

For his fish course, Avi
has made a significant change

to his sea bass.

I'm just taking off the skin
because once it's steamed,

the feedback I got from Tommy
was it was a bit soggy for him,

and I thought I should take
that feedback on board.

So, the next dish is
Fish, Chips & Beans.

So, it's a sea bass steamed in
the banana leaf, with Jerusalem

artichoke and potato
shoestring chips,

chickpea and fennel salad,

all served with solkadhi.

Inspired by the animated
Mr Bean series,

specifically the episode
where Mr Bean has his chippy tea.

I'm a bit worried about Mr Bean
connected with food,

cos it doesn't normally go well for
Mr Bean when there's food

involved, does it? No.

My favourite episode of Mr Bean is
the steak tartare one,

when he orders that, and then he has
to hide it in the plant pot.

So, we can see where the fish
and chips are in this.

But where are the beans?

Is that the chickpea salad,
I wonder?

I mean, that's the only other
place he's got to put it. Yeah. Mm.

Avi is making a marinade for his
fish from fresh coconut,

coriander, mint, lemon juice
and ginger.

It's spooned on to fresh banana
leaves and topped with bass fillets.

So, the banana leaf should have been
softened before I put

the fish on top. It should have
gone in the oven,

so it's a bit more pliable,

but, unfortunately,
I forgot to do that.

In a rushed attempt to get
around his mistake,

Avi blowtorches the edges of
the leaves to soften them.

This was your lowest-scoring
dish. Yes.

You got a six for this.

What were the issues that you had?

So, the beans element wasn't really
coming through in the salad.

Beans were getting lost. So,
I decided to change the whole

element of the mung beans
to black chickpeas,

which also I'm a huge fan of.
Oh, nice. Like kala Chana?

Yes, that's it. Lovely.
The chickpeas with their skins on,

that's the only difference. Yes.
I really like it in a salad

because it's got a really nice
bite to it.

I love this new addition.
Thank you.

So, you're hoping to get more marks
for this? Yes, absolutely.

I think I've done enough.

Avi will have to hope
the judges agree.

He cooks the chickpeas with
mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes
are deep-fried for the crisps.

Next, it's on to the solkadhi,
a traditional Indian savoury

digestive drink, which veteran
Tommy Banks thought too salty.

Kokum vinegar is quite salty
on its own, so I've reduced

the quantity, but it still keeps
its colour and intensity.

So, I've added a little bit more
coconut milk and yoghurt to it.

So, Dapo, the first book that you
had published was Look Up,

wasn't it? Ooh, we've got it here,
actually. Is it not?

I just want to make sure.
Technically you're right.

The first book I had published
in the UK was Look Up.

I had another book published in
America which was called

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer,
written by Lamar Giles.

But Look Up was the book that pretty
much got me into the industry.

Because the main character here is
a young black female.

Yeah, it wasn't something
that was depicted that much,

especially in STEM,
surrounding space.

We really struck it lucky
with Look Up.

We were just making a book, and for
me, I was just trying to come up

with a fun character.
She's based on one of my nieces.

I'm not supposed to say this,

but she's my favourite niece.
She's so gorgeous.

She's so cool!
Your favourite niece! Yeah.

Avi still isn't happy with his
banana leaf parcels,

so he starts again.

I just thought I've got the time,
I may as well just do them.

I don't want to take any chances.

In a change to his presentation,
the solkadhi is served in

shot glasses and garnished with
fresh coriander.

Fresh lemon and green marinade
are plated, followed by chopped

fennel and chickpeas to
finish off the new salad.

Avi, you have four minutes to
the pass.

Are you happy with the changes that
you've made, Avi?

Yeah, really happy.

It looks slightly simpler, but it's
got much more flavour

to the salad.

I see you've added a
lemon wedge, Av! Yeah.

It's a massive change on my dish.

I just thought it's nice if someone
wants a little bit

more acidity on their fish.

You've got two minutes. Yeah.

How's your fish looking, Avi?

It's very nicely cooked this time.
Great. I've cooked it only

for five minutes.
It smells incredible, mate.

The bass is topped
with crispy potato

and Jerusalem artichoke chips.

I'm going to put some mint
on this as well.

That's the last thing.

Each plate is served alongside
Mr Bean's iconic red tie

and his beloved teddy bear.

Bang-on time, Avi.

Well done. Thank you.
Service, please.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Wow.

Hey, it's Teddy!

You're getting right into it, aren't
you? Are we putting these on?

I'll tell you what,
this is my kind of tie to put on.

It's the only one I know how to do!

Can you wear the hat the other way?
You're completely freaking me out.

Look at you! No, I like it this way!

I went straight for the
fennel salad. Mm?

You know, like, if you're worried
about something, you've just got

to face your fears head-on?
And it's delicious.

Very nice.

You could be on a kind of Goan
beach shack, couldn't you?

These are really South Indian
flavours.

Lots of coconut.

I think it's a personal thing, but
I don't really like the solkadhi.

Yeah, I'm with you on that.

It's just not for my palate,
to be honest.

Yeah, I don't think it's my palate.

I think it's a cognitive
dissonance when I see that.

You're expecting sweet, right?
Yeah. It messes you up. "Whoa!"

It looks like a strawberry
milkshake.

But the dish itself
is absolutely fantastic.

The soft fish
and the delicate spice,

and then the chips on top.

Ancl I love the... You know exactly
what the dish is themed on.

I love the hat, with the teddy
wearing the hat as well.

I think that's a really
lovely touch.

The chips aren't chipping for me.

Like, they're not... My chips,

they're a bit more solid than this.

Tom's not sure.

I don't know. I think
it's delicious.

My fish is slightly overcooked.

It's a shame, Tom, cos mine's cooked
perfectly, but that just shows

a bit of inconsistency.

And the dressing on the fish, for
me, is perhaps a little acidic,

it's a little over-punchy.

I mean, part of the problem is that
one of the first things

I did is put some lemon on it.
Oh, Lord. Yeah.

But then don't serve me the lemon.
Yes, that's a good point.

OK, so have I then over-seasoned it
because you've given me the lemon?

Maybe that's the Mr Bean mistake.

Yeah.

Do you remember the episode
of Mr Bean where he put the lemon

on the fish and it didn't need it?
Oh, we all laughed, didn't we?

LAUGHTER

It's hilarious.

I'm getting a heads-up on what
the judges think of our London

and South East chefs so far.

Hello, lovely people. Hi, Andi.

All right, mate? How are you, Dapo?

I'm fine, thank you, Andi.

We're so excited to have you here.
Thank you for having me.

How are you, sir? All right.

I've had some things that have been
offensively bad,

and then bland, and then... No.

Did you have a starter that you
really liked?

Ancl then I've had a starter
that I've loved.

I think everything that's come out
has got a certain degree

of accomplishment about it,
you know, and we're not getting

those dishes where it kind of is
disjointed and making no sense

and anxiety on a plate. Which does
happen sometimes.

They are bold. What are you looking
for, in terms of storytelling?

You want something arresting?
Well, that was the chest,

cos you're like, "What's in it?"

Ancl also with the theme with Pugwash
and all that,

you know, treasure chest - perfect.

With the Gruffalo dish, the snake,

I thought the presentation
was brilliant

because it was very much in keeping
with the colour scheme

from the book itself. Yes.

The other judges didn't really think
it was hitting the nail on the head.

Ancl sometimes with illustration,
you're not supposed to hit the nail

on the head. Less is more, if
that makes any sense. Right.

It's time for the main course.

Whilst Robbie grates purple beetroot
for his quinoa croquettes...

...Avi is making a sauce by reducing
Marsala wine and stock.

Well, I've just been
in the judges' chamber.

They really appreciate all the hard
work and effort that's

going into delivering all
of these dishes.

How are your energy levels?

Took a bit of a clip after the fish
course, just cos it was such a push.

But it's back up now cos we're going

into the main course. This is
the big push. Yes.

Avi tosses girolle mushrooms in
butter, garlic and thyme,

and chestnuts are simmered in
Marsala wine

to accompany his main.

OK, the first main course of
the clay

and it's called What's a Squab?

Ancl it's roasted squab pigeon with
Marsala sauce, crispy pancetta,

chestnuts, roasted delica pumpkin,
sage and quince jelly.

Ancl it's inspired by
Berk's Squab Farm in

Wes Anderson's animated
film Fantastic Mr Fox.

It's actually one of my favourite
Roald Dahl books, but it's also one

of my favourite animated
movies as well.

It's brilliant. Have any of you
seen it? Yes.

Stop motion film. Fabulous.
George Clooney as Mr Fox. Yeah.

You got an eight for this. Yep.
First two courses,

you're reaching into your heritage.
This is reaching into your training.

Yes. What was Tommy's feedback?

The skin wasn't crispy enough,

and maybe the leg could have done
with a bit more cooking.

So, that's exactly what I'm going to
do. It's a gorgeous dish.

It's so simple, I have to make sure
every element is cooked perfectly.

Delica pumpkin is seasoned
with sage,

whilst another earthy
aromatic spice,

stone flower, has been delivered
to the judging chamber.

What's the smell? This is fabulous.

If I'm not mistaken,
this is stone flower.

Yes. You well-educated man. Mm!

That smells great, though, doesn't
it? I know my smells.

What is a squab?
It's a farmed pigeon.

Oh, not a...? Not one of the
Trafalgar Square rats with wings.

Should be lovely. Plump breasts,

roasted beautifully, nice and pink,
good fat covering.

Super tasty.

That's a sexy pigeon. Should be.
Yes, a sexy pigeon. Like it.

Avi fries pancetta

to add a salty texture to the dish.

The sage-and-thyme-stuffed squabs

are lightly browned before
being roasted.

So, I've put the pigeon legs
in the Marsala sauce, so they cook

a little bit more and almost
con fit,

but not in oil, in the sauce itself.

I'm hoping for it to be
really tender.

Four minutes, Avi. OK, love?
Yep.

Robbie, can you pour that sauce
into the jugs, please? Oui.

How's the crown on that squab?

Yeah, it's beautiful. Very happy
with it. It smells incredible.

You've got two minutes, Avi.
Yeah.

This is the first time I've seen Avi
really pushed at the pass.

Judging day has a way of
doing that to chefs.

Next to his squab,

Avi plates the pumpkin and girolle.

You're due now, Avi. Yep.

Quince cheese, crispy pancetta
and sage are added.

Gorgeous.

And Fantastic Mr Fox cloches
finish it off.

Service, please.

Thank you.

HEIST MUSIC PLAYS

Do I need to take it off? Yes.

I love that. I love the music.
I love the smell.

I love the look of this.

To me, so far, the presentation is
on point.

He's absolutely nailed it.

What do you reckon, Ed?
It's a tasty dish.

It's classic, classic flavours.

I love the squash on there,
the crispy sage leaves.

My pigeon's cooked nicely.
It doesn't blow me away.

The squash is delicious.
I love the flavours.

I love the gravy as well.

The mushrooms are lovely.
Everything else is nice,

but I'm not a fan of pigeon.

It's a wonderful autumnal dish.

Pigeon is beautifully cooked.

The flavours are great, the crunch
and the texture.

But overall, if you take that away,
we've got here

a fantastic pigeon dish that you
could get in

any top-end restaurant.

It needs something else. It needs to
have that that wow factor,

which it doesn't necessarily have.
The squash is beautiful, though.

Oh, it's so good. But it's just not
right for a banquet.

What we've got are some really
well cooked elements, bound together

by a very nice sauce, but that's it.

I think we could have had some more
things that transport us to

fox-based things -
maybe a recording of some

high-pitched mating squeals
or something.

I knew that was where it was going!

Robbie's next, and retrieves
the slow-cooked short rib

for his main from the water bath.

Veteran Tommy scored the dish
a disappointing six

earlier in the week, so he needs to
up his game today.

So, Robbie, main courses.
How are you feeling?

I'm really excited about this one.
I didn't get a great score for it.

Made some rookie mistakes...

Yeah. ..when I was finishing
my dish,

so I'm trying to eradicate all of
those. Yeah.

This is Darkest Peru.

Peruvian spiced sirloin of beef,

short rib and marmalade sandwich,

beef dripping roasted golden
beetroot, amarillo pepper,

quinoa and beetroot croquettes,

and aji verde sauce, which is
inspired by Paddington Bear

and his Peruvian origins.

So, let's talk about that beef.
Have you changed your methodology?

Yeah. So, I'm going to cook it
completely on the barbecue.

Tommy was absolutely right.
The texture wasn't right.

The smoky flavour didn't
permeate it, so...

Get that bark around the outsides.
Yes. So, what about that sandwich?

We were all a bit sad
about the sandwich,

cos we were very excited about it
and very looking forward to it,

and it kind of fell apart a bit.

Most importantly, I need to get
my pan up to temperature.

So, getting that temperature just
right, so it's golden. Exactly.

If I can get that right,
I think you'll love it.

So far, so good.

You can see the link to the brief
straight away just by reading it,

the Peruvian ingredients
and the marmalade sandwich.

Also very on-trend,
southern American cookery.

The spicing is bang-on, isn't it?
Mm.

Also, anything that just has
"beef dripping" in the title.

Yeah.
It's very brave, isn't it,

to do for a main course, a sandwich?

I was thinking that. I was like,
is it just going to be sandwich

with, like, a rib sticking out?

This is my short rib that
I've been braising with

salt, pepper, a little bit
of marmalade.

I've finished it off with shallots
and some vealjus,

a little bit of thyme,
cooked it out, taken it

off the bone, I've flaked it down.

Now I'm just going to press
it between two trays.

While the mixture sets, Robbie
shapes and panes quinoa croquettes.

Tommy's feedback in the week
was that the marmalade flavour

in the sandwiches was too subtle.

I'm just buttering my bread with
marmalade. I'm slavering a lot

more on this time to make sure that
the flavour is more prominent.

The sandwiches are assembled,
ready to be fried later.

To create his Peruvian
aji verde sauce,

Robbie mixes mustard, egg yolks,
lime juice and oil

before adding herbs.

Golden beetroot spirals
are cooked in beef dripping.

And, following Tommy's advice,
the beef sirloin is barbecued.

Robbie, how are you doing?
How's that sandwich today?

No dramas with the pan? No dramas
with the pan so far, my man.

Famous last words, though, right?

Having fallen apart earlier
in the week,

this time round, Robbie has decided
to dry-fry the sandwiches in

a hot pan first, and then cook them
in butter for a crispier finish.

I'm much happier with my sandwiches.

My beetroots are beautiful.
My beef has come off the barbecue.

I'm just going to finish
it in the oven just to make sure

it's cooked through beautifully.

Robbie deep-fries his croquettes
and serves the aji verde sauce...

You've got four minutes, Robbie.
Yep.

...before topping his sandwiches
with marmalade gel.

You seem to be in a much better
place. I am indeed.

They are garnished
with Peruvian marigold...

just coming up to the pass.
Mind your backs. Lovely.

...and plated.

Got a nice bark around the outside.

See what we're dealing with
on the inside.

Is that clone as you'd like it?
Yeah. Looks beautiful.

Could do with a little longer rest,
but the colour's perfect.

The sirloin is plated alongside
golden beetroot...

You're due on the pass now. Yep.

...followed by
amarillo pepper crisps.

Let's go. Yep.

Service, please.

OK.

Another bucket hat.

It's less Paddington,
more festival when you wear it.

THEY LAUGH

Now, that is the sort of
bread-to-filling ratio

I like in a sandwich.

The sandwich is fabulous.

That bread that's been fried,
the meat, the sweetness

from the marmalade, absolutely
everything you would want.

I think the beef is fabulous.
I really love this sauce as well.

I'm struggling a little bit
with the croquette.

I think the croquette needs
the sauce.

It's just a bit dry.
There's nothing to the croquette.

It's completely tasteless. Yeah.

It's funny, because every other
element is really punchy in flavour.

Then all of a sudden you get to the
croquette, and it is pretty

flavourless, unless you dip
it in the sauce.

My thing is, I've never
had marmalade out of context.

It's always in a sandwich,
part of a breakfast.

But to have it like this is new to
me, and it definitely works

with the beef, everything.
It gives it that nice little zing.

I love the way it's been presented
and I love the link to the brief

in the ingredients themselves.

The cooking on the beef
is beautiful as well.

It's not too rare,
it's close to medium,

and I like that.

In terms of, like, is it
something for a banquet?

I kind of think, is it grand enough?

That's the thing. But I like it.

It's on to the sweet part
of the menu, and the pre-desserts.

Avi makes pomegranate,
passion fruit,

and chervil sugar syrups

for his shaved-ice palate cleanser,
entitled Colourful Snowman,

inspired by the animation of
Raymond Briggs's The Snowman.

Robbie works on his poppy seed
tuile, which will be bloom-shaped

and topped with edible flowers to
represent the children's animation

series Fifi and the Flowertots.

Two minutes for the pre-desserts,
gentlemen. How are you getting on?

Yeah, good, thank you.

How are your tuiles
coming along there, Robbie?

Lovely. Yeah, they're bang-on. just
need to get my fennel meringue

into the bowls. And how is the
meringue? I hope it's frozen.

It's been in there for about
15 minutes. OK. Oh, gosh.

"Hoping" and "frozen" -
two words that strike fear

into my heart in this kitchen.

You are actually due on the pass
now. Yeah, no worries.

I'm ready when you are.

How's your meringue? Sorted? Yeah.

Avi bottles the colourful
sugar syrups, ready for the judges

to pour themselves.

And Robbie's gooseberry curd
is topped with meringue

and the flower tuile.

Let's go. Service, please.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Avi's shaved ice with flavoured
sugar syrups is first.

Here, Tom. You have a go with that.

That was cool!
That was very cool. Like a Western.

Thank you, cowboy!

Mm.

I LOVE that chervil syrup.
I think it's absolutely fabulous.

It's the passion fruit that's
coming through for me. Really?

It's super tasty. It's really sweet,

but it's really refreshing
and clean. And I just think,

what a great idea.
Really, really clever. Yeah.

I can't believe that I've been
bowled over by a bowl of shaved ice.

As a pre-dessert, it's sort of
perfect for it. It is.

Next, Robbie's poppy seed
tuile with edible flowers.

More fennel, Tom.

HE LAUGHS

Oh. Yeah. Your face is my face.
It doesn't... It's not hitting.

What's upset you about this, Tom?
I think it's the gooseberries.

I like the gooseberries.
Oh, they're sharp.

I think the sweetness of that tuile
balances out how sharp

those gooseberries are.
It certainly did not warrant

a screwed-up little baby face, Tom.

It 100% did. The tuile is too sweet.

It's so far at one spectrum of
sweetness, and the gooseberries

are so far at the other, there's
no way that it can be harmonious.

Well... This is my favourite.

Yeah... This is my favourite.

Hold up your favourite.
Which one's your favourite?

It's definitely the shaved ice.
Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

How you doing, Robbie?
The last stretch.

Yeah. Final push.
Feeling good about it, Av?

Yeah, kind of.

Let's see how it goes.

For his final course of the day,

Avi makes a batter
for his flour less chocolate cake.

This is Planet of the Clangers.

Coconut rice pudding planet,
chocolate cake,

pistachio praline,
and chocolate shards.

Do you remember the Clangers?
They went...

SHE WHISTLES

LAUGHING: Didn't they?!

Something like that! It was
like a penny whistle.

ASCENDING WHISTLE

Am I wrong?
No, I don't think you are wrong.

But also, you know you look
absolutely insane right now?

Yeah.

How much did you score for this,
Avi?

Ten. Ten!

This is a wonderful dish.

I'm assuming you're not
making any changes.

No changes to this one.
I just need to get it right again.

I wish you lots of luck.
Thank you, Andi. Let's get it.

Avi is filling balloons with
the coconut rice pudding

before carefully flash-freezing in
liquid nitrogen to create

a hard shell for his planet.

It'll be interesting to see how
they get a coconut rice pudding

planet together.
I'm quite excited to see that.

How are we feeling about rice
pudding? I'm not a fan,

I'll be honest. Like, it's just...

These are all childhood
trauma things.

THEY LAUGH

Big fan of rice pudding. Big fan of
chocolate cake. 'Course you are!

Pistachio praline sounds
pretty good.

I think that's going to make up for
it, and the chocolate shards.

I think the coconut rice pudding's
going to be nice.

I think you'll be surprised.

Chocolate cake is served adorned
with tempered chocolate shards

coated in rose petals and gold leaf.

Five minutes, Avi. Yeah.

How are those planets? I think
they're coming along fine.

I just have to make sure I get them
out in one piece, really.

Seems to be a bit of a problem.

Rice pudding planets, now free
of their moulds, are plated.

Looks incredible. Are you happy with
the way they've turned out, Av?

Yeah, really happy. I think by the
time they get to the pass,

they'll be hopefully the perfect
texture I'm looking for. Yeah.

Is it just your praline to finish?

Praline and rose petals.

Oh, look at that.

Service, please.

Nisha. Yes! You got your wish.

Well, now we can see
if your impression was any good.

ASCENDING AND DESCENDING
WHISTLE

Oh, my God! That's amazing!

WHISTLING

Have you broken yours, Tommy, love?
Yep.

LAUGHTER

How do you like that rice pudding?
Awesome. Amazing!

Seriously. I didn't know rice
pudding could be this smooth.

It's kept its form as well. Yep.

And so the outside is slightly more
congealed, and it's got

a lovely chew to it.
The flavour is fabulous.

Mm. Ancl the cake complements it very
well, because it's not too rich.

I mean, it's almost a mousse,
really, isn't it?

The cake is just... There's a
skillset in this that's great.

And there's pastry technique
that's really, really good.

I think it's amazing. And actually,
I think the chocolate cake's great.

But my only problem is I think
I've got two desserts,

but they don't necessarily
tie together.

If you eat the chocolate cake,
it's powerful, it's thick,

it's heavy and it's very, very dark.

And then you go back to the
rice pudding,

and you can't taste anything.

You put them together,
and they are phenomenal.

They're not. I think they are.
The chocolate overpowers it.

I think this is...
HE WHISTLES

WHISTLES,
TH EY LAUGH

I think this is completely
banquet-worthy!

This is not banquet-worthy yet -
YET.

It's like we've walked round
a buffet, an amazing buffet

in a beautiful hotel, and gone,
"That pudding is incredible

"and that pudding's incredible. I'm
going to put them both on my plate."

I love a buffet.
Yeah, I know you love a buffet...

LAUGHTER

They're both brilliant...
SHE STRUGGLES TO WHISTLE

That was rubbish.

LAUGHTER

ANDI: It's the final
dish of the day,

and Robbie is whipping up
a romantic chocolate delight

dedicated to his wife.

Pushing now. It's the final furlong.

So, this next dessert
is My Queen of Hearts.

It's a heart-shaped
cherry-and-chocolate-layered gateau

with cherry gel, tempered
white chocolate, served

with a cherry sour cocktail.

Ancl it's inspired by
John Tenniel's illustrations

of Alice in Wonderland.

Robbie previously scored an eight
for his dessert, his highest score

of the week, but he's making
some changes to try and snag

that elusive ten.

So, his feedback was that the cherry
centre was just a little bit

too cold, and I completely agreed.
Yep. just need to get it out of

the blast chiller and sprayed
with enough time.

To let it come up to temperature.

Tommy had other advice for you,
though, didn't he?

He suggested another component part.
Yeah.

So, I've added a little bit of
kirsch into my cherry gel,

into the centre, just to give it
more of that Black Forest gateau

kind of feel to it. Right.

Robbie's gateau comprises layers of
chocolate mousse, cherry gel,

chocolate cake and feuilletine.

And we're away.

Black Forest gateau, one of the
most classic desserts around.

Chocolate and cherry.
You get that right, it's magic.

And then cherry gel and
tempering of chocolate.

There's a few areas here where we
can see some real sort of skill.

I'm trying to envision
what the Alice in Wonderland

inspiration is going to look like
in terms of the presentation.

Yeah, this is a real opportunity
for the presentation, isn't it?

It's about 30, 31 right now. Lovely.

Are you trying to keep it really
thin, or...? Yeah.

As thin as possible, mate. Yeah.

Just make, like, an edible
playing card. Nice.

The moulds come out of the freezer,
but Robbie is struggling.

BLEEP

Let's go back in, then, with them.

Right, I'm going to be over time.
My mousses haven't quite frozen yet

in the blast chiller, so I'm going
to give them another five minutes.

While he waits
for the chocolate hearts to set,

Robbie shakes cherry sour cocktails.

Ugh.

You all right, Robbie?
My chocolate's stuck.

Right. They haven't come out.

I'm going to have to freeze
these and remould them.

Try not to let it totally
throw you, Robbie.

I know it's really hard. Yeah.

Robbie cracks on with his
white chocolate playing cards.

With time already up, he attempts
to salvage the broken hearts

by shaping them with a
cookie cutter.

He dips them in white chocolate
and covers them

with a red velvet spray.

They're served alongside the cherry
sours and finished with cherry gel.

A kind of Herculean effort
from Robbie to get

something on to the plate he feels
he could present to the judges.

I'm a little bit heartbroken
for him.

Can you get them cards back out,
please? Yeah. How long we got?

Well, at the moment you're
eight minutes over. OK.

Coming to the pass in two.
All right, my dear.

HE SIGHS

Ready to send? Yes.
Let's go. Service, please.

OK. No worries. Thank you.

This is not at all what I expected.
No.

Robbie. Yeah.
HE CH UCKLES

Cheers.

You know, I have seen
some of the top chefs

that have been through this kitchen
in that position

with that blast chiller.
It's like a nightmare. Yeah.

What can you do? What can you do?

Mine's just slightly malformed.

I... Honestly, I'm looking
at this and I'm going,

"Someone's had a nightmare here."
Yeah.

I actually, without having any clue
of what's gone on in that kitchen,

I feel a little bit heartbroken. Mm.

Nice cherry gel.

The outer casing is nice as well.
Mm-hm.

But I'm not getting
the gateau experience

that I thought I would be getting.

It's kind of split.

The fats have gone from whatever
the gateau is at the bottom,

the shape is all gone.

How do you find your drink?

It's not the best, but, like,
I just like sour tastes,

so I could just keep drinking that.
Very sour.

Yeah, but there's no balance in that
cocktail at all. Oh, no.

Such a shame, because there
are some really nice flavours

within the elements, but they're
lost within the chaos of anxiety

that is this dessert.

This is the problem where it catches
chefs out so many times

with desserts. If you've got the
foundation of something that needs

to be frozen, and if you've not got
that initial part of it right,

then you're always chasing
your tail.

It's like one horrible car crash
right at the beginning

that continues and continues
and continues,

and you can't stop, apart from
putting something on a plate

that you think looks nice
and send it out,

and then probably break down
in tears.

So, it's been a push all clay but

I've given it my all. Didn't end
the way I would've liked it to.

However, it's been a hell
of a ride, man.

It's been a hell of a competition.
Today was the icing on the cake.

We can only hope for the best now.

Hopefully, we've made London
and the South East proud.

All right, let's see what the judges
have to say now. Good luck.

Let's do this. You too.
Good luck, mate. Thank you.

The scores are in.

Welcome, chefs.
How are you both doing?

I'm good, but exhausted.
It's been quite the week.

Yeah. Well clone, guys,
getting to the end of the week.

I know from experience
how exhausting it is,

so you must be pleased to have
got to this point.

We've had some incredibly
beautifully balanced dishes,

which is why I need to ask, who
cooked Scrambled Snake by the Lake?

That was me.

What a dish.

It was the highlight for me.

Magical rainbow dish of delights.

Nine out of ten, I scored.

It was crispy, it was crunchy.
The textures, the flavours,

so in balance, and it was beautiful.
It was an amazing bit of cookery.

Amazing. Thank you.

Who cooked Darkest Peru?

Yes, I did. Fantastic dish.

Again, there were so many
wonderful elements on that.

The short rib sandwich I think was
a highlight of the day for me.

There was so much to enjoy in that
dish. Well done. Ah, thanks.

Listen, as we didn't know, you can
tell, who cooked which dish,

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

So, the winner for
London and the South East,

and going through to cook at
the national finals is...

...Avi.

Thank you. Congratulations.

Thank you. Well done, mate.
You deserve that. Thank you.

Well clone, Avi. For me, at least,
two very, very strong dishes there.

As a first-time competitor,
incredibly composed cooking.

Well clone. Well clone, mate.
Thank you.

And, Avi, if I can say, I gave
your starter a ten.

Thank you. Your chaat was
incredible.

And it just shows
that you are a flavour magician.

Honestly, Robbie, well clone.

Listen, when it comes to that
dessert, I could tell straight away

that it was a car crash,
it was a nightmare going on.

But, honestly, I had exactly the
same problem when I competed

in Great British Menu.
I honestly felt your pain in there.

So, I'm really sorry, chief, but you
got to the judging chambers,

and well clone for the other dish,
and the main course was fantastic.

I appreciate that.
Thank you very much.

Dapo, it's been lovely having you
here. Thank you.

Have you had a good time?
I've had a great time. I'm stuffed.

LAUGHTER
Absolutely stuffed.

I hope you'll join us
at the banquet. I'd love to.

Please do. Chefs, thank you for
all your heartfelt effort

and your endurance, in this case,
absolutely.

Please go take a well-earned rest.
Put your feet up.

Congratulations to you, my love,
and commiserations to you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Well done, guys.

Yes! Did it.

I gave my all, and I managed
to impress the judges.

So, it's been a long week.
You know, it was totally worth it.

Really disappointed that I didn't
deliver on my dessert.

But, you know, it's been a great
clay, it's been a tiring clay.

Thoroughly deserved by Avi.
He's been strong all week.

Yeah, I feel really, you know,
amazing. I've come this far,

I definitely want to go
to the banquet.

Well, I don't know about the chefs,
but I'm exhausted. Ho-ho!

I bet that was a proper
roller-coaster in there,

because we've had some great dishes,
some lovely flavours, lots going on.

Avi took an early lead
with his impressive starter.

Robbie scored higher with his
much-improved main course,

but the wheels came off for Robbie
with his dessert.

From Avi's point of view, I mean,

there's a couple of absolutely
banging dishes.

They're incredibly exciting.

Well done, mate. So pleased for you.
Congratulations. Thank you.

You deserved that. You've been
consistent all week, man.

I really hope that you get a dish to
the banquet. Thank you.

Cheers. Cheers, buddy.