All language subtitles for Great.British.Menu.S18E26.The.Finals.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

Today, the eight finalists must battle for the
centrepiece of our banquet - the main course.

They'll need to be on point
for our guest judge,

renowned actor, comedian,

and narrator of some of
our best-loved animations.

"The first little pig

"decided to build the house
of Yorkshire park in,

"the second of steamed chicken
and gold bar spring rolls,

"and the third was
a crocodile Wellington."

Oh, delicious!

Welcome to the Great British Menu.

It's the main event
on Great British Menu.

All eight chefs are hungry to win
this prestigious course

at our banquet celebrating
British illustration and animation.

This isn't restaurant food.
This is GBM food.

So far, the starter
has gone to London's Avi...

The flavours are so punchy.

...whose dish,
inspired by The Gruffalo,

wowed the judges...

I'm already at the banquet,

but it's not that
I'm going to take it easy.

I want to put out
the best plate today.

...and yesterday,
Nick Beardshaw from the South West

saw his Thai-influenced
fish course...

Looks amazing. ..triumph with
a perfect score of 40.

It blew us away on every level.

So, there's two spaces left
at the banquet.

I'll take another one
if there's one going.

Our chefs want the hon our
of cooking at the GBM banquet,

which, this year, will be at
the spectacular Brighton Pavilion.

Ooh, BLEEP!

Which of our talented chefs...

That was tough.

...will be victorious today
and win the coveted main course?

With a perfect score
of four tens is...

With only today's main course
and tomorrow's dessert

still up for grabs, the heat is on.

Everybody ready for main course?

This is the one everyone wants.
The big one.

There's a lot at stake today.

You know, everybody else
will be on top form,

so I need to be, too.

The main course
is at the heart of the banquet,

and all of our chefs
have their eye on the prize.

I was third for starter.
I was second for fish.

Is it going to be a first for main?

I'm going to give it my all.

Our eight chefs will need
to dazzle our expert judges -

Nisha Katona, a TV cook, barrister,

and owner of a growing chain
of restaurants,

comedian and award-winning
food podcaster Ed Gamble,

and Tom Kerridge, who has
a total of three Michelin stars

and is still the only chef
on Great British Menu

to have won the main course twice.

Nick absolutely smashed it
yesterday. Four tens - brilliant.

Yeah. So, we have got
the Indian flavours in the starter,

we've got those Thai flavours
coming through,

and then it's pitching
that main course just right.

I'm gunning for this one. Yeah.

I got 35 with
two silly little mistakes.

What did you get? 34. 33.

35. Oh, wow! Strong one.

We want something
that is incredible,

visually brilliant, but super tasty,

obviously. They'll want it, as well.

They'll be staring each other down.

There's going to be some knives
flying around today.

Anyone's game, I think, this one.
Yeah, absolutely.

Let the games begin.
LAUGHTER

The scores seem really close

for their main courses,
so I think it's anyone's game.

You can tell
everybody's gunning for this.

My biggest rivals, all of them.

They're all amazing.
They're all pushing.

Hello. Good morning, chefs!
Morning! Morning. Hello.

Lovely to see you all, you beauties.
How are you feeling? CHEFS: Yeah.

Ready for action? Absolutely.

Nick, how are you feeling today?
Amazing, yeah.

Really good sleep last night.
LAUGHTER

Any of you got your eye
on this one - the main course?

CHEERING

I'll just point out I won it twice.
It's the best one to have.

LAUGHTER
It was a lot easier back then.

LAUGHTER

So, this year celebrates
Britain's best illustrators,

creatives and animators,
and to do them justice,

we need such great visual impact
from your dishes.

It's not just about
how delicious it is.

It's that added layer of complexity.

So, Mark, Gemma, Tom and Adam,
you'll be first to cook today.

Thank you, guys. Thank you.
Good luck, chefs. Thanks.

Ancl the rest of you will be cooking
a little bit later on, so good luck.

Thank you.
I'll see you out there soon.

Good luck, guys. Good luck,
everyone. Good luck.

Shall we?

After finishing last yesterday
with his fish,

Wales' champion Mark
is determined to do better.

I really want to get my name
on that board today,

so I'm going to put yesterday
behind me and push on today.

Mark is cooking duck three ways.

There's a lot of elements to do -

crisp the duck, carve the duck,
rest it, barbecue it,

got the heart to pan-fry,

make sure everything's perfect and
then hopefully get a better score.

Also hoping for a better score
with her venison pies,

and competing in the finals
for the first time,

is Northern Ireland's Gemma Austin.

I definitely feel
more confident today

after coming fourth yesterday.

Just want to cook some good food
and hopefully it'll be a good clay.

To dial up the flavour,

Gemma has added Parmesan
to her shortcrust pastry...

...but she's got stiff competition
in Central finalist Tom

when it comes to making
the perfect pie.

So, this is Desperate Dan's cow pie.
Oh, amazing.

My dad's a big inspiration
for this one,

just because I grew up
and just, like,

the garage would be full
of Dandy comics.

I am also doing a pie. No way!
Yeah. Battle of the pies.

I'm doing venison pie, caramelised
onion and Jerusalem artichoke.

Beautiful. So, it'll be
battles of the pies. Absolutely.

I don't really care
what anyone else is doing,

if I'm being brutally honest.

It's a case of just
doing the best I can do.

I really want to showcase this dish.

Well, you can see it in Tom's eyes
that he's gunning for it, isn't he?

Having just missed out on a place
at the banquet with his fish course,

the pressure is on
for Scotland's Adam.

Everyone's really wanting
the main course.

It's the crown jewel at any banquet,

so I've got to make sure
I don't trip up.

Adam is juggling many elements
for his picnic-style main,

including beef cheeks,
which are seared and sealed,

alongside vegetables,
aromats and spices,

and finished off
in the pressure cooker.

The guest judge who our chefs
are desperate to impress

is national treasure
Sir Lenny Henry.

He is the voice of
many admired children's animations,

including Famous Fred.

# I'm going to love you, baby

# And make you ye“ for more
Ooh-ooh

# I'm going to love you tonight. #

Hello! Good morning!
Good morning. Welcome.

Nice to see you.
Well, nice to see you.

How are we? Are we OK?
Are you hungry? Yeah, I'm hungry.

A lot of toast behind you. I might
have some of that in a minute.

This is so exciting!
I'm on the Great British Menu!

So, it's pretty exciting
to cook for Sir Lenny Henry.

For me, being a Brummie, he's
kind of a big deal in Brum Town,

to be fair. I think
we have a super fan here.

SHE LAUGHS

Are you a big foodie?
Yeah, I love food.

Well, I did a television series
for ten years called "Chef!",

and it was really hard work.

And I even had a guy
who did my hands.

So, they got this other black guy in
from Birmingham

to do all the chopping of the onions
and everything like that,

except for my family went,
"That's not Uncle Len's hands."

Oh, really?
LAUGHTER

"Len can't cook carrots like that!"

Honestly, I remember that show,
and it was just the greatest.

Very, very close to the real thing.
Ancl it really inspired Tom, as well,

because he had someone else
to do his hands.

LAUGHTER

I hope it's a black guy.

"Ready for Tom's close up."
LAUGHTER

When Mark last cooked this dish
for the judges,

they said it wasn't generous enough
for a banquet.

So, my changes are I'm adding
a con fit duck leg, some game chips,

just a couple of crunchy bits
to help the dish as a feast,

and an illustration so they can
understand the story better.

Is there a giant head going
to be here at some point?

You never know, apart from Tom's.
LAUGHTER

Mark's dish is inspired by

the ancient Welsh fable
of King Branwen,

who lost his head after a battle.

I'm not sure I'll be able to eat
with a giant decapitated head

in the middle of the table.
It's quite off-putting.

I mean, you might have a few peas
and then go,

"Do you know what? I'm all right."
LAUGHTER

Mark chars his roasted ducks.

You have four minutes, Mark. Great.

I see your friend has rejoined us
here on the pass.

The duck legs have been
stripped and pressed,

so Mark portions them,
then crisps up the skin.

Duck hearts are pan-fried
in foaming butter and thyme

and topped with a soy glaze, barley,

and a pumpkin
and sunflower seed mix,

then plated alongside
the compressed duck leg,

and pureed, roasted and pickled
butternut squash.

And you have two minutes, Mark. OK.

What's that, Chef?
This is red cabbage puree.

To present his pre-carved duck,
Mark prepares a bed of burnt hay.

It smells amazing.

It's served with
duck and elderberryjus

and a bowl of juniper salted crisps.

OK, service.

BIRDSONG

Wow! Here it is. Ooh! Wow!

Thank you.

As the judges taste the food,
the chefs waiting to cook...

Chefs. Oh, look at that!

...also get an opportunity
to critique each dish.

The elements are delicious.

I love the duck hearts
with that little bit of crunch,

but, again, I just want more of it.

This is not as feasty
as I thought it was going to be.

One of the nicest things
was the crisps.

LAUGHTER
The crisps, they were delicious!

Ooh, love that leg.

The heart's lovely, as well.
It's really tasty, isn't it? Yeah.

That heart is beautiful. Yeah. Yeah.
Really, really good.

The heart's probably one of
the highlights of the dish for me,

but I think there's maybe
a bit of an issue

with the actual main duck itself
with the fat,

and the skin is a bit...

The duck isn't brilliantly cooked.
It's not that well carved.

Actually, I think the squash element
really doesn't work.

For me, it's a plate of super highs
and a couple of crashing lows.

God, you really bring
the whole thing down, don't you?

LAUGHTER

They've just given him a plate
of food and he's slagging it off!

I think it's your best dish so far.
It's absolutely delicious.

It's a really good start, that,
isn't it? It's very nice.

Can't afford to relax after this.
Yeah. No.

Have you any garlic and herbs
just to cook with?

Ancl I'll get it for you after. Yeah.

Rosemary, thyme and garlic
if you have it.

Gemma's main,
The Moral Of The Story,

depicting Aesop's Fables,

scored an underwhelming 27 out of 40
during the heats,

so she has her work cut out
to impress the judges.

"Venison pie filled with
Jerusalem artichoke,

"caramelised onion
and venison meat mix,

"served with a venison loin."

My memory was
I wanted a fuller pie. Yes.

I've taken on board
the comments from the judges

and I've basically increased
the flavour on the dish,

I've added a wee bit more meat.

As well as adding to the pie,

Gemma has also added to
the presentation.

The illustrations are beautiful.
Yeah, stunning.

It sort of draws you into the story
a bit more.

With service approaching...

Oh, my God!

You all right? Yeah, I've just got
a lot to do in the time.

...venison loins are seared,
then roasted,

caramelised beetroot
is blitzed to make a puree,

and a red wine and venison sauce
is reduced.

We have five minutes, Gemma. Oui.

Ooh, I'm not convinced.

I'm just going to finish the venison
in a wee bit of foaming butter,

just to get more flavour on it.

You have two minutes, Gemma. Oui.

I do like a pie. It's one of
my favourite things. I love a pie.

Beetroot puree
is first onto the plate.

Pickled and mulled beetroot
tops the venison loin.

Perfect.

I'm already a fan
and I haven't tasted it yet.

The pies are adorned with
a centrepiece of herbs...

Ooh! One minute, Gemma,
please, to the pass. Oui.

Stay in control of it, though.

Ooh, love it!

...and it's served with
the venison and red wine sauce.

Woo! OK, service, please, guys.

Oh, my God. That was tough.

LENNY GASPS
Look at the size of that pie!

Look at that!

Excellent.

Ooh! OK, there's a pie.
There we go. Yeah.

It's like a pie muffin.

Oi-oi. How's it going?
Smells delicious.

Thank you. Thank you.

This dish is a massive improvement.
I think it's fantastic.

The last time,
the sauce was a little watery.

And the gravy is
absolutely beautiful.

That pie,
she's improved immeasurably.

The pastry's delicious
and it's a lot more packed.

I love the cheese running through
the pastry. Really great, right?

The inside is super tasty.
I think it's smashing.

The pie mix is rich and hearty. Mm.

I think it's delicious.
Ancl the jus is very, very nice.

This venison's clone
just about right for me.

I would argue that mine is
a little overcooked. Really?

My piece of venison's
actually overcooked.

Really good. And the beetroot puree.
Yeah? Yeah, it's really nice.

When I think of pie, you want
something a bit more centre stage,

so I wished it had been bigger.

And does it have the same impact
as the dressing? I'm not sure.

That pie is the absolute star,
but I think if you strip away

a lot of the stuff on the table,
it doesn't...

The actual food itself
doesn't have the impact

that we need for the banquet. Mm.

Ooh, BLEEP! Ooh, this is burning.
I took it off it.

Thank you so much. No problem.

We're all in this together,
aren't we? What a hero, man!

Tom's hearty Desperate Dan's Cow Pie

is a braised beef cheek,
potato and onion pie

served with roast sirloin,
maple-glazed carrots,

mushroom ketchup and chive emulsion.

HE LAUGHS
Cow pie!

A cow pie should be huge,

and you should have
a big knife and fork like this.

You should have a cowboy hat on
when you eat it. Yeah.

Tom's pie did well in the heats,

but judges found the potatoes
in the filling a little undercooked.

So, in the regionals,
I sliced my potatoes raw,

so, this time,
I've tried to eradicate that

by cooking the potatoes whole
and slicing them,

so they're going to go into the pie
pretty much 95% cooked.

As well as cooked potatoes,
Tom layers the pastry

with flaked braised beef cheeks
and caramelised onion.

Of course, the theme
this year for the banquet

is animation and illustration,

and you've got quite a CV
with that sort of stuff, as well.

Yeah, and it's really great
doing stuff for kids

because they recognise your voice,
even if they don't recognise you.

Zog went off to practise,
flying fast and free.

He soared and swooped
and looped the loop...

...then crashed into a tree.

I was in Tesco's talking to
the person behind the counter,

and this little kid went, "Zog!"

LAUGHTER
"That's Zog!"

How did the novels come about, then?
I've always wanted to write.

When I was a kid,

I loved The Famous Five
and I loved The Secret Seven,

but I always noticed that

there weren't people like me
in these books,

and just thought, "God, it'd be
great if there was a black kid in this."

Ancl when I got the opportunity to write a book,
I just thought, "This is when it happens now."

I've written a book
called The Boy With Wings

and another one... It's behind you.
..called The Book Of Legends.

Ancl Keenon Ferrell, who is
this gentle, dread locked giant

in New York City, does all
the illustrations for my books,

and he draws on a computer.

Ancl I asked him
to draw with a pencil

and he nearly had
a nervous breakdown.

"No, man, I usually do it
on a computer."

So inspirational to watch. Yeah.

Remember Stars In Their Eyes
with the steam?

For his mushroom ketchup,

Tom sweats off shiitake
and button mushrooms

with shallots and garlic.

He adds butter, vinegar
and soy sauce before blending.

Cowboy-sized sirloin steaks
are pan-fried in butter and herbs

and left to rest.

You have four minutes, Tom.
Thank you.

How's my pie looking?
Yeah, I'm really happy.

Yeah? Yeah. Really happy, yeah.

So, what have you cooked them in?
So, they're in a maple butter,

and that's star anise emulsion.

They look beautiful. Cheers, mate.

You've got three minutes, Tom.
Oui, Chef.

Onto the plate, mushroom ketchup

garnished with
raw chestnut mushrooms...

...then chive emulsion
topped with chive flowers

and a sprinkle of cep powder.

Are you happy with the beef, Tom?
Really, really happy, mate.

You're due on the pass now, Tom.
Thank you.

His beef sauce
is served on the side...

...and, finally,
Desperate Dan's signature pie.

Wow'.
HE CHUCKLES

Let's go, 9W5-

Hello, Chef. Chef!

You all right? Absolutely.

Ooh! Look at that.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

PASTRY CRUNCHES

See, I love that noise -
the noise of the crumbly pastry.

Yeah! Flippin' heck!
Beautiful. Thank you.

Hope you enjoy, guys. I've just got
to take this back for the other chefs.

Thank you. Amazing. Thanks, Chef.
Thank you so much.

Let's bear in mind that he took the
pie back when we come to mark it.

LAUGHTER

Ooh!

Mm. This is some pie!
It's some pie, isn't it? Mm.

That beef cheek -
somehow even better than last time.

The flavour in that is phenomenal.

Much happier with how
the potato's been clone, as well.

Wonderful. I'm loving it.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

That pie is so rich
and sort of... Yeah.

I think it screams
Desperate Dan. Mm.

Everything about it is like
Desperate Dan would want, isn't it?

It's bold. It's robust.
It's muscular. It's flavoursome.

The pastry is just so, so good,
and I think it's amazing.

The pie is amazing.
Presentation looked perfect.

Deceptively simple.

Few things on there and they're all
done so brilliantly well.

Thank you, mate.

This is the first one where I've
been tempted to eat the whole lot.

Ancl I love the fact that
it's just a big wodge of carrot.

It's a lovely carrot, isn't it?
Mm-hm. Really tasty.

I love the kind of grandeur
of that pie, that depth of flavour.

But then you see his skill
with just that chive emulsion,

which is phenomenal.

And that carrot is one of
the best carrots I've ever tasted.

- Getting worried?
- Yeah.

I feel sorry for my pie
having to be up against your pie.

There isn't a duff note here.

To make something so simple,
like pie, carrots,

look so effortlessly easy...

But the amount of
complex chef technique and skill

that's gone into this
is outstanding.

Truly delicious. Still eating.

This isn't restaurant food.
This is GBM food.

High-scorer Adam has been in the
top three twice already this week

and is determined
to move past runner-up.

My main is my strongest dish,
so if I can't make it with that,

I don't think
I'm going to go to the banquet.

Ratty's Picnic is inspired by
The Wind In The Willows,

and has over ten components,

including broccoli
and spinach puree,

shredded beef cheeks and chicken.

The feedback was that I needed a
bigger chicken element to the dish,

so I'm doing roast whole chickens.
More risky.

That's what this competition's
all about, though, isn't it?

It's a dramatic change to his main,

but Adam is sticking with
a haggis mousse stuffing.

Chicken is blended with egg whites,
haggis and double cream

before being syringed
under the chicken skin.

That's why I needed
extra large birds -

cos my hands are massive.

I loved Wind In The Willows
when I was a kid.

Such an evocative story, isn't it?

Ancl it feels very, like,
British and idyllic. Yeah.

BROCCOLI SIZZLES
Ah!

With so much left to cook,
Adam needs his rivals to muck in.

I need someone to fry my gherkins,
please. Fry your gherkins.

Ancl I need someone to help me
with my tarts, please. Yeah.

Beer-battered gherkins
are deep-fried,

and the shredded beef cheek
is added to tart cases.

You've got three minutes, Adam.
How are you getting on?

We're cooking with gas.

A picnic-basket boat,
complete with Ratty and friends,

is filled with home-made ginger beer

and jars of mustard
and ox tongue sauce.

Oh, the gorgeous sauce -
I'd forgotten about that.

Slices of black truffle are arranged
on the tarts before being boxed up.

Pop this in there for me, please,
Chief. In here, yeah? Yes, please.

Lettuce and broccoli salad
and the gherkins...

One second. I've just got
to season the bad boys.

...are served alongside
jars of aubergine puree.

What's going on the plate now?
Some broccoli puree. Nice colour.

Onto roasted beef-fat broccoli

goes a blue cheese sauce
and broccoli cress.

So, crispy garlic.

You've got one minute, Adam.
OK, thank you.

They did say
they wanted more chicken.

That's great, mate. Well done.

Last on the plate,
haggis mousse-stuffed chicken...

Oh! I am sweating!

...garnished with shaved truffle...

Looks great, Adam.

...and a final sprinkle
of nori powder.

Service, please.

You know when you have that feeling that you're
forgetting something, but you don't know what it is?

Ooh! Oh, look!

Thank you.
God, this truffle smells amazing.

These are great, aren't they?

Go on, Nisha - open the ginger beer.

I think it's amazing.

It's absolutely fantastic.

A roller-coaster
of incredible flavours,

hit after hit after hit.

It's like a firework's
going off in your mouth.

He's definitely turned that chicken
into a main element now, hasn't he?

The chicken is so moist, Adam.
It's all amazing.

Delicious. Very, very delicious.

I love this deep-fried thing,
whatever it was. Pickled gherkin.

Really tasty. just sumptuous.
A sumptuous feast on a plate.

Every single element is delicious,

but I find it slightly overwhelming
with the amount of different things.

Yeah, but that's what picnics
are about, aren't they?

You keep coming back for more.

It's the best picnic I've ever had.
Yeah, it's really nice.

And a real star of this for me,
as well, is the ginger beer. Yeah.

Really spicy and peppery
and gingery. It's fantastic.

Cheers.

Oh, man! Holy smokeaccino!
That would... Blow your socks off.

Socially, this is a great dish.
You can imagine this at the banquet.

What do you think?
Banquet-worthy dish?

Yeah. I mean, it's up there for me.

Absolutely delicious.
One of the best plates I've eaten.

Nice presentation, too,
with the boat and the animals there.

It's actually Badger,
Ratty and Moley.

He's really gone to lengths here.

Hello. Hello.

How are you feeling? Good.
How are you all? Yeah, really happy.

Good. It was all delicious food.
Blown away.

Hello, darlings. It's Andi! Hello!

You came on a good day,
Sir Lenny Henry. I know.

There's been some brilliant,
beautiful, exquisite dishes.

How are yous feeling?
Excited to get started?

Excited. Bit nervous.

35 for you, right?
You're the one to beat. We'll see.

I really love this dish,
so, hopefully, I can pull it off.

What about you, Avi?
Relaxed. Got my name up there.

LAUGHTER

Well, guys, good luck.
Thank you. Good luck, mate.

Cheers, man. Smash it, mate.

When they get it right, the brief
fits like this with the food.

People have, like, absolutely,
like, reinvented their dishes,

so it's been amazing.

Anything banquet-worthy?
Yes, definitely. Yeah.

Yeah. just a bit. Undoubtedly.

OK, our turn now.
Good luck, everybody.

Yeah, good luck, Chefs. Let's go.

Ooh!

Within this second group
are two chefs

who have already
secured their place at the banquet

and two that are hot on their heels.

I feel good about the main course.

I think this dish is
one of my strongest dishes.

I think I've got a good chance
of getting to the banquet.

I think my dish is really strong.

Already starter winner

and representing London
and the South East is Avi.

His dish, "What's A Squab?",

takes inspiration from
the animated movie Fantastic Mr Fox.

I love Mr Fox as a character,

and also I love Wes Anderson's
animation and creativity.

Avi starts on his new pigeon broth
made from pigeon carcass and legs -

a brave replacement to his
previously successful Marsala sauce.

Having scored a respectable 33
during the heats,

North East finalist Will knows that
the level of competition is high.

Nick got a good score,
Danielle got a good score,

so they're all rivals, really.

Willis presenting a venison feast,

including a whole rack of venison
and venison faggots,

which are wrapped in pig's caul.

Venison is also the centrepiece of

South West fish course champion
Nick's dish.

Savoury Crocodile is inspired by one
of Quentin Blake's illustrations.

I have got a dish
to the banquet already,

but this is my favourite dish.

I think it's so on brief,

it's really fun
and it's super tasty.

Nick is making not one but two
venison Wellington crocodiles,

with their bodies and tails
made from venison loin

wrapped in sausage meat,
black pudding and pastry,

and sausage-meat legs.

And hoping to go all out
on her presentation

with Paddington's
First Chinese New Year

is first-timer Danielle.

Avi? Do you need this one,
Avi, yeah?

Representing the North West,

her well-earned 35 points
during the heats

makes her one of the top two
scoring chefs for this course.

I didn't realise that I was joint
highest with Adam in the scores,

so that was
a great confidence boost,

but I think it's only made me
more nervous.

Danielle sets her chicken to poach

with ginger,
spring onion and garlic,

and covers the pot,
hoping it will keep the meat moist.

How did you get into television?

So, I used to do impressions
all the time, make my friends laugh.

They said, "You should do this.
This is you, this is."

Ancl there was a thing in the disco.

The DJ said, "Right, we're going
to have a competition now.

"Anybody want to get up and do something,
tell a joke, whatever you want to do?"

Ancl I did some impressions.

I did Elvis. I did Muhammad Ali.
"I'm the greatest!"

And they went mad.
Ancl then my life changed in 1985.

I went on television and
I won this talent show, New Faces,

and it was in front of
60 million people,

and I never stopped work.
But it doesn't feel like work.

It's great! You get to sit
in your pants and write jokes!

LAUGHTER
What's better than that?

Sir Lenny Henry -
that's pretty special, isn't it?

Yeah. Bit of humour in my dish,
as well. He's a comedian, isn't he?

So, hopefully, he might see
the funny side of mine, as well.

Yeah. You got any humour
in any of your dishes?

Depends if I cook them
well or badly, I suppose.

Aiming for the former,

and to add some sweetness
to his dish,

Will sweats red cabbage in duck fat
and glazes in sugar and liquor.

Avi is cooking pancetta,

which he'll use
to add more flavour to his squab.

Nick constructs the fiddly toes
for his crocodile,

and Danielle wraps spring rolls

filled with a chicken,
cabbage and mushroom mixture.

First to the pass is Avi.
Looking good.

In the heats, his main was one of
his lowest-scoring dishes,

so he's decided to make
some significant changes.

Tom said he'd like to see
a bit more spice.

So, this time, the pigeon legs,
I've cooked in the stock.

I'm going to take it off the bone,
chop them up with a few spices -

coriander, mint, green chillies -
make a croquette. Oh, interesting.

Right. Ancl I'm barbecuing
the pigeon - again, spiced up.

So, you're going to put
some energy into that? Exactly.

I think we said
it was a bit restauranty.

Is that a bad thing? Well, ever
since I've started doing this show,

I've found out that's an insult.
LAUGHTER

Cor, if you went out for
a fantastic four-star meal,

you'd get this?

LAUGHTER

I'm going to make sure
this pigeon is rested enough

so it's nice and pink and juicy.

All right, Avi,
it's five minutes to the pass.

How's it all coming along?
Slowly but surely.

LAUGHS: Slowly but surely!

The sauce is ready. That's ready.

As Danielle takes care
of the pigeon broth,

Avi plates delicate pumpkin
roasted in thyme and garlic...

What's that going on there?
just chanterelles

cooked with garlic and some spices.
Looks lovely.

...followed by crispy pancetta.
Love a bit of bacon.

Three minutes to the pass, Avi.
Yeah.

Spicy squab is carved.

You happy with that?
Yeah, I think so.

Nice and pink, Chef.
It's a good portion, as well.

Next, the newly added
deep-fried pigeon croquettes.

You're due at the pass, Avi,

but take the time
that you need, please.

Yeah. I'm, like, one minute away.

Finally, rainbow carrots...

Smells lovely, doesn't it?
Those look amazing.

...and a garnish of coriander.

That looks great. Service, please.

Done.
THEY LAUGH

Phew! I'm sweating
for the first time.

Thank you.

Just like that!

Look at that. Ooh!

That is amazing.

HE CHUCKLES

Good, right?
It's just lush, isn't it?

The croquette's delicious.
The croquette is fabulous.

It's a really good addition.

Honestly, it's making
my mouth sing and dance.

Ooh! The croquette,
it really has punched this dish up.

I like it, Avi.
I love the way Avi cooks.

It's just so delicious.
He really knows how to spice stuff.

Just there, isn't it? It is, yeah.

It's an odd taste, the squab.

I don't think
it's my favourite thing.

Mm, the squab is just tame.

All that pigeon...
Avi, you've made me like pigeon.

I was blown away.

Has he clone enough
to address the initial worry

of it being too restauranty
and not good enough for a banquet?

No. No. It's still too restauranty.

He's still two or three tweaks away
from this being a perfect dish.

What he's done to it is magnificent.

I'd love to eat this again and again
and again, but not at a banquet.

It's hot, hot.

Will's elaborate main, The Wishbone,

is inspired by the children's books
and television series Funny bones.

"Tempered rack of venison,
black garlic puree, beetroot puree,

"caramelised cauliflower puree,
roasted cauliflower,

"venison faggots
and glazed red cabbage,

"venison and herb marrow sauce..."
Mm!

"..And Yorkshire park in
with duck liver parfait."

Is there enough venison
in this dish?

LAUGHTER

Will shows off his culinary skills
with a complex cooking method

of alternating a seared venison rack

between a butter bath
and a hot oven.

It should create a rare cook
on the inside

and a perfect caramelisation
on the outside.

Will gets on with frying
Yorkshire park in,

a type of ginger cake, which is
topped with duck liver parfait...

Too shaky!

...and beetroot ketchup.

Are you making any changes
to this dish? I am not.

Well, Tom said he would like
the park in slightly smaller,

so I've made it
ever so slightly smaller.

I'll have his extra bits.
How's that?

Because I was very happy
with the size of the park in. Yeah.

Are you making any changes in the
way this is going to be presented?

Yeah, it will be presented
slightly differently,

but I'll keep it a surprise. Well,
I can't wait to see it. Thank you.

Coming in, as well, Will.
Where are you going?

I'm going to stick that there, look.

Will, like all the chefs,

is desperate to get a course
on the banquet menu...

HE GRUNTS
..and the pressure...

BEEPING
..is starting to show.

TRAY CLANGS
You all right?

I am sorry about that.

Yeah, the pressure is on.

You know, I'm running out of time,
running out of dishes.

Will fries venison faggots
in foaming butter,

which will be served
on top of caramelised cabbage.

You've got four minutes, Will.

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

Cauliflower puree
is topped with pumpkin seeds.

Anything you need, Chef?

Get my tweezers
and just fill in the dots.

Over the whole thing, yeah?

Roasted cauliflower is plated...

...the park in toast
is topped with oxalis leaves,

and venison and cherry blossom sauce
is decanted.

You have three minutes. Yeah.

What are you putting
on the plate now, Will?

Some black garlic puree I made
and some smoked salt.

There were some really nice elements
of the presentation,

but they were quite subtle,
so we need something a bit more...

In-your-face, really. Yeah, yeah.

Ooh!

Will, is this the extra theatre
you were telling me about? Yeah.

Those are some very cute
Funny bones people. I like it.

As he portions the rack...
Beautiful. Perfectly cooked.

...Will has concerns.

That is not looking good. Why?

Could have done with
a bit more rest.

What are you brushing on it?
just some bone marrow

infused with some garlic and herbs.

Looks amazing.
Yeah, it looks stunning.

Will, that looks
absolutely beautiful.

Happy? Yeah. All right, you want
to send it? Service, please.

I love the outfits.

HE LAUGHS
Oh! Oh, great!

Some skeletons. Excellent!

Thank you very much.
This is so great.

Thank you very, very much.

That was great! I love a costume!

Have you had some of this yet?
Mm. Yeah. Very good.

You look very happy, Danielle. Mm!

Can't stop eating.
Making my belly happy.

It's just incredible,
incredible, incredible.

The faggot was quite nice.
I had some venison. It was...OK.

Nothing blew my mind, really.

I also don't think
the venison's quite cooked enough.

No, it's just... It's under.

It's beautifully cooked.

Really nice aroma
from the herbs coming through.

The red cabbage is amazing,
by the way.

All of the elements
are really lovely,

but there's just
lots of lovely elements

that I don't feel are
necessarily together as one.

I felt like it needed some mash
or something to kind of...

Yeah. Is that a...?
That's a great thing to say, though.

Is that too restauranty? No.

Something has gone awry
since last time.

I don't think he's necessarily done
enough to make it a banquet dish.

I'm really happy with
the first crocodile.

I'm just doing the second one now.

Nick's reptilian main -

Savoury Crocodile -

is a venison loin Wellington
wrapped in green pastry,

and is inspired by
the artwork of Quentin Blake.

Hopefully, it's recognisable,

straight away,
who the illustrator is.

During the heats,
veteran chef Michael O'Hare

scored him a perfect ten,

but guest head judge Marcus Wareing
and the rest of the panel

felt there was room for improvement.

I'm listening to their feedback.

I'm going to increase
the amount of venison

and decrease the amount
of sausage meat.

I mean, I've got a dish
on the banquet.

I've still got two dishes
to showcase,

see if I can get another one. One
just gives you the hunger for more.

Oh, yeah. Oh, look at that!
Look at that fire! Yeah, yeah.

I love to see that look in your eye.
It's excellent.

To accompany his snappy pair,
Nick prepares an artichoke mash...

...grilled hispi cabbage...

...and a gherkin gravy.

Crocodile eyes are made
using quail eggs and olives.

They're just the eyeballs.
I just need four halves.

As Nick works in Tom's restaurant,

we are swapping places,
just to make sure all is fair.

How are we, Chefs?
We all right? Yeah, good.

This looks pretty impressive, Chef.
Crocodile, innit? Crocodile, innit?

Hello! ALL: Hello. Nice to see you.
How's it going, guys?

How's it been in the chamber?

It's been fun, adventurous,
and very filling.

H E CH UCKLES
Audacious.

Crocodile's ready to go up.
How long, Nicholas?

One and a half. One and a half?

Fight, PM, can you go
to the steamer

and pull out the bowl
of artichoke mash?

Nick serves up grilled hispi cabbage

glazed with garlic butter
and gherkin gravy.

Lovely!

It looks great fun.

Let's go, please, guys. Service.

Good luck, Chef. Thank you.

Hi, Chef. Hello.
Oh, wow! How are we?

Look at that! That's a crocodile!

Crocodile Wellington.

Thank you. I'll leave you
with the crocodile.

Thank you very much. Thank you.
Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

This crocodile is pretty tasty.
ED CH UCKLES

Love how nicely
the venison's cooked.

Love the cabbage
and the artichoke puree.

It looks super fun,
tastes really good.

On presentation,
there's really not many dishes

that would better that today.

It's amazing.
Knocks it out of the park.

Yeah, it really does. When you see
Quentin Blake's illustration,

it looks just like it.

It's really, really very clever.

Very good fun. Makes you smile
inside when you see it.

But then, actually, when you eat it,
it's very, very serious cooking.

The gherkin gravy rocks.

Gherkin gravy - it's a thing, right?
It's up there.

It's definitely up there.
I love the cabbage.

Really delicious, the cabbage.
Good chunk of cabbage, that.

My favourite part is the cabbage.
Mine is, as well.

The char on it
is absolutely delicious.

It just looks incredible,
tastes incredible.

GBM banquet -
that dish, for me, is that.

Last to fight for the hon our
of cooking their main

to celebrate
Paddington's 65th birthday

is Danielle with her
Paddington-inspired Chinese feast.

Paddington's always been
a part of my life.

I used to wear some wellies
when I was younger

with Paddington all over them,

so to get this dish through
would mean everything.

To make a dipping sauce
for her spring rolls,

she roasts and blitzes fresh plums
with salted plums and their juice.

So far, so good.

Runner-up earlier in the week
for starters,

Danielle is confident that
the high score achieved

by her main during the heats
makes her dish a real contender.

Your chicken, is it the same?
Yes, it is.

So, I'm cooking it exactly the same,
really tender and soft. Poaching it?

Yes, but I have made
a soy and maple glaze.

Ooh! But I've not had a chance to
test it yet, which is a bit risky.

Probably the worst time
to do a test on it. Indeed.

But, I mean, you're at Great British
Menu. Why not? Don't want to be bored.

Danielle's handmade noodles
were a big hit during the heats.

So, I'm just rolling out
my noodle dough.

This is the process I can't rush.

Hoping for the same reaction today,
she works on the accompanying sauce

by adding peanut butter to
a pot of chicken stock and chilli.

OK, this is Danielle Heron,
North West.

"Steamed chicken with
a spring onion clipping sauce,

"gold bar spring rolls
with a plum sauce,

"home-made noodles
with chilli and peanuts

"and a selection of vegetables."

I can't wait.

With no less than eight elements
to cook and serve...

So much, last time, I forgot.

...including pickled mushrooms,
cabbage leaves and fried garlic...

...Danielle delegates
in order to reach the pass on time.

I just want to fry them off,
get them crispy on each side,

add a bit of butter, baste them.
Sure. Thank you very much.

Avi, I've got my noodles
to put in. OK.

Will also lends a hand by
charring baby leeks on the barbecue.

Avi, would you be able to just torch
that tray of cabbage, please?

Yeah.

You have four minutes, Danielle.
Yes, Andi.

First on the plate, steamed chicken
with a soy and maple glaze.

So, you went with your glaze
on the chicken? I did, yeah.

I had a little taste test.

Yeah, it looks good.

Noodles are topped with
ramson capers...

Broccoli's ready.

...broccoli and baby leeks
are served...

Two minutes, then, yeah? Yes, Andi.

...spring rolls...

Looks great.

...are topped with
gold leaf powder...

Then the spring rolls can just go in
one of those bowls, as well, please.

What is that?
Spring onion, ginger and oil.

Wowser!

...followed by dipping sauces
of spring onion and plum.

Service, please.

That looked like
a proper feast. Good.

And you don't even seem flustered.
SHE CHUCKLES

Cos I had three very handy helpers.

Thank you. Ooh! Thank you very much.

I'm already feeling
full of mirth and festivity

just watching Tom
with the chopsticks.

Hello! Come in.
Come in, my beauties.

I mean, it's delicious, isn't it?
So many amazing elements to it.

The chicken's fantastically cooked.

I love that spring onion
clipping sauce.

It's a very, very well clone
and delicious meal.

And I love the plum sauce.

I think it's magic -
spicy, sweet, sour.

I just love the kind of whole
festive, celebratory nature

of this whole dish.

Those noodles are actually
the most disappointing part for me

because they were magic
the first time

and they are now just kind of stuck
all together and a bit thick.

Yeah, they're cold and coagulated,
aren't they? Yeah.

Delicious. Love the noodles.
Love the char on the broccoli.

There's loads of different bits
of acidity coming out

from different sauces and marinades.

There are many things to like here.

I love the spring roll particularly,

but I don't think
this is the best...

...Chinese dish I've ever had.

It's a great dish
when executed perfectly,

but you get a couple
of bum notes in it

and it just softens...

It softens the smile just a touch.

I really enjoyed it.
So juicy and tender.

It's really, really good.
Flavour, as well.

Well done, mate. It was delish.

So, she's gained focus
in some areas -

you know, the sauces,
she's executed brilliantly -

but that cabbage
was actually offensive.

Remember doing this - this face?

HE LAUGHS

There has been
some incredible cookery.

There's been some beautiful dishes,
some of the simplest of things

that have just been done
so, so well.

And those are the things
that really make me smile.

You can see that their heart
and soul is in the plate,

and it's down to the minutiae
and the nuance,

and then it's to do with
link to brief.

It's not just about delicious food.

Ancl that is the jeopardy
of finals week.

Those moments that we have had today
have just been magic -

the way they've managed to combine
the taste of the dish,

the amazing skill and the brief.

And we've had
more than one of those today,

which makes our job
incredibly difficult.

This has been an extraordinary clay,
and I really appreciate

being around people
who can articulate about food,

and it's really taught me a lot.

And, boy, is my partner going
to get some stick when I get home!

LAUGHTER

"Darling, this isn't quite
doing it for me."

LAUGHTER

I'm a little bit nervous
going into the judges' chamber

after my main course. There's a lot
of great chefs in this competition.

I feel good after main course.
I put up the best dish that I could.

Yesterday, I went out first.
I don't want that to happen again.

It was a big clay, a tiring clay,
so I'm glad it's over.

So, my top three
is Avi, Tom and Adam.

Adam, Danielle, Tom.

It would be incredible for me
to represent the Central region

and it would be even more incredible
if it was the main course.

Avi's food, for me, is outstanding.

My top three are Will,
Adam and Danielle.

My two favourite dishes today
was Tom's and Will's dish, as well.

So good.

I think I'm in with a chance.

Hopefully, they loved it
as much as I do.

Can't wait to see who gets it. There
were some amazing dishes today.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Well clone, Chefs.

Hey, Chefs.
HE BLOWS AIR

Yeah, I can't do that either.
LAUGHTER

How are you doing, beautiful people?
Very good. Very good.

Incredible, herculean effort
from all of you,

and really stunning work.

Honestly, we've had
such a fantastic day

of dishes with technique,
with skill.

You know,
it's been exceptional cookery.

Such brilliant cooking,
so much heart on the plate,

flavours popping off in your mouth.

You've clone a brilliant job.
Thank you so much.

So, Tom, there were
some fairly fierce dishes

coming out of that kitchen.
How was it? Yeah, it was amazing.

We're just growing as a team and
helping each other, working together,

but it's getting quite competitive
in there at the same point.

Well, it is time
to reveal the results.

So, in last place, I'm afraid, is...

...Mark. OK.

The heart on that dish
was fantastic. It was amazing.

But all the other little bits,
they just didn't seem to quite

come together for you today.
OK, thank you.

There's one more chance to get
on the banquet menu. Thanks.

The standard's so high,

so this hasn't been my clay
today again.

Ancl in seventh place...

"it's Will.

This was a lovely dish,
but the venison was undercooked.

Right. But, you know, you're here
as one of the best chefs

in the country, so please
march into the next challenge

like the warrior that
you really are. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Will.
Thanks, dude.

Didn't expect that. Well, yeah.

Ancl in sixth place, it's...

...Avi. Avi,
you came out swinging today.

That sauce that you added and
the croquette were both fantastic,

but it just wasn't
quite enough today

to come up against
the rest of the field.

Right. Thank you.

Oh, wow. Guys.

Very surprised about you. Yeah.
I loved your dish.

Ancl in fifth place is...

...Gemma. This was delicious.

I loved the pastry.
I thought it was excellent.

The filling of the pie muffin,
as I'm calling it, was...

It was incredibly unctuous
and tasty. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Gemma.

Who do you think's coming out next?

We'll see. I couldn't even tell you.

Oi-oi.
ALL: Hello.

Serious, serious cooking today.
That was unbelievable.

Ancl in fourth place...

...it's Danielle.

Danielle, that Chinese banquet
was incredible.

It was delicious, immersive
and courageous, above all things.

Well clone. Thank you very much.
See you again. Thank you.

I'm very, very happy with that.

Some of those dishes
that ended up lower than me,

I actually rated higher than me,
so that was a crazy feeling.

Oh! Hello. You all right?

How are you? Good, yeah. Yeah?

Ancl in third place, it's...

...Nick.

Nick, it was such an amazing dish.

I mean, the impact that it has

when it comes into the dining room
is outstanding.

I think we were
all blown away by that.

Ancl gherkin gravy...
Gherkin gravy! Come on!

I'm getting "gherkin gravy"
tattooed on my chest.

That was just... It's a revelation,
so well clone, Chef.

Cool. Thank you. Well done, Nick.

Brilliant, brilliant work again,
of course.

Thank you, Nick. Thank you, Chef.

I think next through the door
will be Nick.

Yes, I think so. Yeah, I think Nick.

There he is. How are we doing?
Well clone, Chef. Good.

Yeah, amazing. Happy. Super happy.

And, I mean, 80 crocodiles
wouldn't have been fun.

LAUGHTER
Two was bad enough.

So, that brings us down
to the two of you - Tom and Adam.

I mean, Adam, hello again.

LAUGHTER

To be fair, I would rather
come third cos this is horrible.

LAUGHTER
And how are you feeling, Tom?

I can barely speak, to be honest.
It's literally here. OK.

It does all come down to points,

and I can tell you now that,
again, it was so, so close.

There was just two points in it.

There can, of course,
only be one winner,

so I can tell you now that cooking
the main course at the banquet

celebrating British animation
and illustration

for Paddington's 65th birthday,

with a perfect score
of four tens, is...

...Tom.

Well clone, mate. Thank you so much.

That dish, honestly,
it blew us away.

For me, as a chef, it was everything
that I absolutely love and adore,

the ability to get
the simple thing so perfectly well

and make it the most fantastic dish.

Absolutely well deserved four tens.
Congratulations, Chef.

Chef, thank you. Brilliant cooking.
Thank you so much.

And, Adam,
it was an incredible dish,

and you got two tens.

So rarely does
this chamber see chefs with

the kind of skill
that you have in flavour,

but also the creativity.

You are truly gifted.
Thank you very much.

Yeah, you're both
absolutely outstanding.

But, Tom, I've dreamed about
having a cow pie forever.

I mean, the look on Lenny's face
when the cow pie came out...

When the cow pie came out,

I literally started doing
the cow pie song...

LAUGHTER
..and there isn't one.

LAUGHTER

Well done, Tom. Thank you so much.
Absolutely brilliant.

You are both rock stars. Thank you
very much. Thank you so much.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I can't believe that.
That is unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

I can't believe I've made the
main course at Great British Menu.

It's just the most surreal feeling,
and, yeah, I'm privileged, honoured,

and I've enjoyed every second
of this journey.

Oh, there they are. There they are.

Oh! Hello, guys.

# I've got the main course! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Oh, mate, well clone!

Today was a hard, hard battle.

I gave it everything, but Tom
nailed it with his pie. Well clone.

Well, that's the main course
wrapped up.

Tomorrow, the chefs compete
for the final course

and the most magical course -
dessert.

Who will be the final chef
to win a place

cooking at our prestigious banquet?

Cheers, mate.
Congratulations. Cheers!

Oh, Lordy! Well done!

How are you feeling?
Yeah, incredible.

Really? Absolutely...
Yeah, incredible.

It's a brilliant, brilliant,
brilliant dish. Thank you so much.

But congratulations, all of you.

Spectacular cooking, seriously.

Well done, guys. What a crew!

Well clone, well clone,
well clone. Cheers.

I want to tell everybody. I'm going
to call my wife straight away,

you know, my dad, cos he had
such an amazing involvement

in the dish itself,

and my mum, daughter.
Everyone. Everyone.

Tomorrow,
it's the last chance saloon

for the finalists.

High five. No, thank you.
SHE LAUGHS

The chefs are going for broke...

This makes me seriously worried.

It's going to be a disaster,
you know?

...to try and bag the one remaining
course on the banquet menu.

I feel drunk on sugar right now.
LAUGHTER