Great British Menu... Great British Menu... Great British Menu...

For more information on this show visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071y6r

We’re into the fifth series of Great British Menu (GBM) now, and aside from narrator Jennie Bond being banned from the kitchens after the first series, little has changed. The chefs still appear to be goaded into taking pot shots at each other across the stainless steel benches, the judges still seem to be more concerned than having rows amongst themselves than giving an honest opinion of the food, and the continual repetition in each and every programme could drive a sensitive person to drink.

Perhaps that’s not quite fair. There ARE definite differences this time around. First of all, three chefs represent their region and compete against each other rather than two. And now we have a chef that any regular viewer would instantly recognise acting as judge. And then only two get through to cook for the judges. So yeah, tongue out of cheek, we’ve got some changes to play with. If only the darned repetition was one of them. *sigh*.

Ah well, on with the details and the ‘story so far’.

At the beginning of the first show, and every show after that come to mention it (I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll let it go now), we were told of this series’ challenge. The chefs are competing to cook a dish for a special banquet which is intended to celebrate great British produce. The guests will be 100 food champions from all over the UK; farmers, producers, fisherman. The host will be well-known advocate of regional food, HRH the Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall. As he is the president of the National Trust, the do is to be held at a National Trust property.

For this series, tying in the National Trust even more and playing on the theme of local produce and local suppliers, the chefs are not allowed to use their regular restaurant suppliers, and instead are given a starting point at a historic National trust property, and asked to explore from there to find their ingredients.

Week 1 was Scotland’s turn to shine. The contenders were Toni Singh, Michael Smith and Alan Murchison. Their dishes were judged by the fantastically camp and always good value Jeremy Lee. Jeremy, and all subsequent chef judges, will score the chef’s efforts and on Thursday, the chef with the lowest score goes home and does not cook for the Judges on Friday.

Alan Murchison has a previous (unsuccessful) appearance on GBM under his belt. He is a Michelin-starred chef and has recently opened Parish House in Bedfordshire. He is known for his complex cuisine. Toni Singh is the owner of modern Scottish restaurant Oloroso in Edinburgh. He favours simple, flavoursome food. Final competitor Michael Smith is the head Chef at The Three Chimneys, on the Isle of Skye. The menu at his restaurant capitalises on the local available produce. Michael was also Jeremy’s sous chef ten years ago.

The three chefs entered the kitchen to a flurry of ‘m’dears’ and ‘darlings’ from Jeremy, who appeared to be modelling a pair of Harry Potter specs. The first day is starter day, so each showed off their ingredients and explained what they would be making. Toni Singh did roast pigeon with hazelnut praline, Michael Smith a scotch pie with pickled winkles, and Alan Murchison cock-a-leekie terrine with prune puree. Each chef got his inspiration after starting the hunt from ingredients at a different National trust property. Alan’s search began at the House of Dunn on the East coast of Scotland, from which he found excellent chicken. Toni based his hunt from Kellie Castle, Southern Scotland, and discovered some great pigeon. Michael worked from his base at the Balmacara estate in the Highlands, and got his pie idea from the resident Highland cattle.

After cooking, the judge tastes the dish made with the chef who created it, and the other two try it together in another room so they can give a full and frank criticism.

For the starters, Jeremy’s scores were Alan’s terrine; seven, Toni’s pigeon; five and Michael’s pie; six. Alan led going into day two, the fish course.

Alan’s fish course was a warm lobster cocktail in which the lobster is cooked four ways. Toni cooked a lobster with butter sauce and garden vegetables, whilst Michael made shellfish and Sorrel soup with tattie scones. Alan was very confident going into this round and Toni anxious to improve. Jeremy scored Alan’s dish a seven, and Toni and Michael’s offerings eight each. Totals were now Alan tying with Michael at 14, and Toni a margin behind on 13.

Day three was the mains. Alan sought to regain the lead with a steak and chips, served with tomato relish. Toni offered Hogget Scotch pie with peas and carrots, and Michael a lamb with haggis, pearl barley and neep purry. This time around Michael and Alan both earned an eight, whilst Toni was only awarded six. The gap widened, as Michael and Alan, still tied, went to 22, leaving Toni on 19.

Day four was dessert day. Alan created a medley of carrot, with a bizarre dish of carrot cake with cream cheese ice cream and carrot sorbet. Michael made strawberry shortbread with a toddy syllabub and green ginger jelly. Toni provided a modern take on Rhubarb and custard. Michael became the highest scorer of the week, getting an eight for his dessert and finishing on 30. Alan was told he would also cook for the judges, earning a score of seven for his offering and getting a total of 29. Toni managed a six, which put him out of contention with a final total of twenty five.

So, judgement day. The judging team are the same as in previous series- Prue Leith (PL), Matthew Fort (MF) and Oliver Peyton (OP). Prue Leith is has something of the school head about her appearance, but is actually a restaurateur, caterer, TV cook, broadcaster and cookery writer. Matthew Fort is a food writer and Oliver Peyton, who has looked positively ill in previous series but was possibly badly lit, is a pale man who appears to have been stretched, and is an Irish restaurateur. The judges entered their chamber chatting about how excited they are by the new format and the focus on local produce and producers. Then it was down to business.

First on the chopping block, Alan’s cock-a-leekie terrine. PL considered it pretty, but the chicken was overshadowed by the prunes and Leek, although overall, she did like it. OP found the chicken very high quality, but over-seasoned and thought that although it was hard to make a terrine look good, this did. MF disagreed, stating that he doubted the Prince of Wales would be thrilled by this dish, and that it was not a great celebration of the producer’s wonderful chicken.

Next up, the Scotch Pie. PL was dismayed to be missing Winkles from the top of her pie, but liked the idea, the pastry and the winkles themselves. OP thought it looked interesting, the pastry was thin and not overpowering. MF did not like it, suggesting was not actually a dish but a plate of parts. He asked the other two judges if, were they beef farmers, they would consider it a fine celebration of their beasts? They admitted they would not.

Then it was time for the fish courses. The Lobster cocktail was first up. PL liked the look, the fact that it was still warm, but wanted a long spoon as was not easy to eat. OP though the lobster was delicious, the dish well executed and the ingredients beautiful, and found was interesting that it was warm on top and got cooler going down. MF was sceptical about trying to cook the lobster to that level of precision for 100, and also disagreed with OP that the dish was a class act; claiming instead that the creativity was entirely in the presentation; the dish was an old familiar friend decked out in very smart new gear but he would have liked it to speak with a little more sophistication. Michael’s soup followed the lobster. PL though it smelled good and acknowledged the very Scottish ingredients but felt it was not different or exciting enough. OP loved the big mussels. MF thought it was decent and respectable but not very exciting, though he liked the mildness and the excellent mussels, and did feel that the chef had clearly made an effort in sourcing his ingredients locally.

The first main was Alan’s steak and chips. PL thought it looked lovely, showed off the beef and was an unusual dish for a banquet. MF was appalled, claiming he had a great sense of disappointment over the dish and that it wasn’t very imaginative. OP said he didn’t particularly like the dish but was encouraged by MF’s violent disapproval to try to find something he did like about it. The next main was Michael’s lamb and Haggis. PL commented on the delicious smell and the lamb which had clearly been grazing various plants rather than a green lawn of grass. OP thought it was a winter dish and looked dull. MF disagreed with OP, loved the smell and said the dish had a wonderful contrast of flavours, had colour from the redness of the carrot and the greenness of the kale, and said the meat was excellent, had clearly been rambling the hills for a while and living off mountain grasses and heather. He did feel that the dish perhaps fell short in terms of imagination and showing off the meat in a way even the producer had never thought of before, but he insisted he still loved it when needled by OP.

Desserts and the carrot mixture from Alan was the first dish. PL loved the dish, calling it innovative, witty and a carrot showcase. OP though the carrot and ginger cake was good but not amazing, but really rated the sorbet which had real carrot flavour. MF found the presentation odd, and wondered what his royal highness would make of the dish, with its carrot cake, sorbet, candied carrot, carrot puree and carrot dust! The shortbread was next. OP was delighted to see it, saying it looked good and he felt quite excited. MF agreed that it looked beautiful. On tasting, PL and OP called it fantastic, but PL did wonder whether it could be presented as beautifully for 100 people. MF said it was fresh and light. OP mentioned that it wasn’t really rock and roll being elegant but slightly homely, but MF scoffed at this saying they clearly lived in different homes!

Time for the verdict, and at this stage the judges get to see the two menus in full, having not known which dish belonged to which until now. They don’t know which chef cooked which menu though, each is only known by A or B. They made their selections for Scotland- PL went menu B, MF menu A and OP for menu B. The chef who cooked menu B was....

Alan Murchison!

Alan will represent Scotland in the finals. OP said his menu was interesting and the lobster a high point. MF preferred Michael’s because of the focus on good ingredients and the lengths gone to to track them down and show them off. PL warned Alan to watch out as he had only sourced his main ingredients locally, whereas she believed other chefs would have found more local ingredients AND cooked them well.

The next week the North West took centre stage. Our heartless judge was the terrifying and surprisingly hairy wristed Marcus Wareing, sample quote; ‘It’s hard to shatter someone’s dream, but it won’t be a problem for me.’ Lovely.

Our chefs were Aiden Byrne of the Church Green, at 22 the youngest ever recipient of a Michelin star; Lisa Allen, the only woman in this year’s competition and head chef at Northcote, and Johnny Mountain, who runs Mosaica at the factory. Starters on offer were a poached and roasted chicken with new season onions from Aiden, a wild rabbit and leek turnover with piccalilli from Lisa, and a steamed rabbit pudding from Johnny with parched peas and gravy, bizarrely presented in a polystyrene tray with a plastic fork.
Aiden’s ingredients search started from Dunham Massey, where there were several resident farmers, Lisa’s from Sizergh castle which had, amongst other features a kitchen garden and an orchard, and Johnny’s from Tallon Park estate, home of abundant game.

Marcus dished out his scores at the end: Aiden got an ‘excellent’ and an eight, Lisa earned another excellent, and another eight, and Johnny got a five, and a rather withering look.

Onwards and upwards to the fish. Aiden made a turbot with brown shrimps and spring vegetables, Lisa a wild sea bass with shrimp toastie, tomato liquor and samphire, and Johnny a ‘never tried before’ wacky bream with hazelnuts, salted caramel and garden leaves. Aiden was utterly gobsmacked to hear this was a first time dish for Johnny, and later vented his annoyance- deservedly nearly ruining his own dish as he was distracted by his rant over Mr Mountain not taking the competition seriously. Ha ha. Unfortunately Aiden got the last laugh at score time, when he and Lisa again tied on a seven and Johnny only managed a four. The totals were now; Aiden 15, Lisa 15 and Johnny trailing on nine.

Next, the mains. Aiden’s dish was oak-roasted middle white pork with bread beans and wild mushrooms. Lisa’s offering was salt marsh lamb with sweetbreads, woodland mushrooms and sorrel. Johnny made Gloucester old-spot pork with smoked venison, cauliflower cheese and goose fat potatoes. And Johnny triumphed this time around, with a glorious nine! Aiden scooped a seven and looked boot faced, whilst Lisa only managed a five as her sweetbreads were undercooked. Totals now with one round to go were Aiden 22, Johnny 18 and Lisa 20.

Last round and the desserts. Aiden came up with a caramel parfait, honey ice cream and caramel tuile dish. Lisa made an odd looking dish of strawberries with meringue and Kendal mint cake water ice, which actually stunned her rivals, who called it the dish of the week. Johnny dished up rhubarb and custard tart with beetroot ice cream. Marcus gave his highest mark all week of nine to Aiden, giving him a total of 31 and a definite place in front of the judges. Lisa got an eight for a total of 28, and Johnny got seven, finishing on 25 and leaving the competition.

Friday’s judging, and the fearsome threesome were back.

First dish out was the rabbit and leek turnover from Lisa. PL thought it looked interesting and pretty, admired the fact that the rabbit was still succulent rather than dry and went on to say that although homely, it was elegant and sophisticated, rather brilliant, and that she would love to see something like this at the banquet. OP also thought it looked interesting and attractive, and said it was his type of cooking, being simple, elegant, beautiful and satisfying. He felt that the person cooking the dish had really understood the requirements for the banquet, as this could easily be made for a large number of people. MF was the quietest judge but liked the flavour as it was not too acidic.

Aiden’s chicken had a hard act to follow. PL admired the confit egg yolk, but thought overall it was too complicated and not very nice. OP was also unimpressed, feeling that it was too showy offy and a sea of beige, completely unsuitable for the banquet and actually stating that he hoped it would go no further. MF noted the unusual inclusion of cock’s combs, and described the plate as a little hymn to the chicken, saying that the chef had clearly found a chicken they felt was absolutely wonderful and that they had gone to great lengths to show it off. Slightly more positive than the other two judges, he said it would be interesting to see how the menu itself panned out after this.

The first fish course arrived; Lisa’s sea bass. PL thought it looked lovely and fresh and that the toastie parcel was delicious. MF thought it looked small and identified the Morecambe Bay shrimps in the toastie. OP was not enamoured and claimed that outside the toastie the dish was a bit of a tragedy, boring and dull, and that the almost clear tomato soup was a dish from back in the 80s. MF defended the offering saying he felt that the fisherman would be pleased to see the fish like this, the shrimp gatherers pleased to see their shrimp like this, and effort had been made to forage for the Samphire- overall that all it lacked was some sense of personality. PL said that it might not be the most original dish in the world but she would not put originality over deliciousness and this was delicious. OP remained unconvinced, stating the dish was second-rate and he wouldn’t want to put it in front of the producers or the prince.

Next up, Aiden’s turbot. MF was a bit disappointed in the small portion. OP thought the dish looked dull and that the shrimps brought nothing to the plate and were only included as a geographical reference. PL thought they had not been cooked particularly well and the mere inclusion of a few bits of lemon was lazy, but she did think the chef had done well overall, cooking the ingredients beautifully and simply and letting them doing the talking. OP suggested that with turbot being such a lovely fish it was always hard to come up with things to present it with. He felt it was unexciting and a bit safe. MF lamented aloud about why OP had to be such a miserabilist, and the teasing continued to the end of the segment.

Time for mains. On entry Aiden’s pork drew wows from PL and MF. PL admired the fat layers and the flavour. MF agreed it had great flavour and felt the primary ingredient was getting to speak for itself. OP was unimpressed and felt that the pork was dry and the dish was style over substance. PL agreed that the pork was over-smoked. MF retained his positivity saying that as the pork was so nice and the apple sauce went with it so well, he could forgive a bit of chewing. OP declared the meal unsuitable for the banquet, as it did neither British produce, the pork nor the producer any favours. PL adored the idea of pork, apple sauce and gravy and expressed a desire to tinker with the dish to get it to the big event. She suggested smoking the pork out in the kitchen then bringing it to the tables.

The second main was Lisa’s lamb. PL and OP thought it looked lovely and pretty, then agreed that it was a delicious, beautiful piece of lamb. MF stated that the plate was summery with the little bits of sorrel and the tiny new potatoes. PL admired the simplicity, but MF wanted more eloquence and asked the others if this was the most exciting dish they had eaten in their life. PL allowed that it wasn’t but said it was one of the most delicious. MF persisted on whether it was celebratory, and if it was just... nice. OP insisted this was food he liked, was world class and cooked perfectly, but despite PL also continuing her praise MF still said he wanted more excitement.

In came the first dessert- Aiden’s. PL liked the honey comb, the frivolity and the fanciness. MF loved the dramatic presentation and the combination of the curd with the honey flavour. OP was not thrilled, saying it was high concept but the combination was off-key and he thought the honey unnecessary, which PL and MF totally disagreed with. MF hailed the dish for being beautifully realised and said that it had been built up layer by layer based on the wonderful ingredient the chef had found – a great, great product had made a great, great pudding. OP insisted it was just wrong for the occasion, lamenting that he wanted trifle and strawberries and cream. PL argued that the Prince and the Duchess would love this.

Final dish of the day, Lisa’s strawberries in a bizarre global dish. PL laughed at it, saying ridiculous. OP thought it interesting and unusual, but he and MF both felt it was very sweet. PL was not impressed, remarking that the chef should have thought about how it would look when it was being eaten, as now it looked disgusting- like sick. MF claimed it showed a lack of imagination, whilst PL then insisted she did not mind it. MF went on to suggest a lack of technical skill, and OP interrupted saying he wanted fun and frivolity but had changed his tune. MF announced that there was a difference between fun and frivolity and childishness and that this was rubbish. OP continued the row saying the dish had looked amazing when it came through the door and that people would say wow if this was put down in front of them at the banquet, that it would make them happy. MF refused to budge, responding that people would smile when this was put down in front of them, smiling in disbelief that this was the very best that British produce and producers could put on their plate on an occasion like this.

The judges then saw the complete menus and made their choices. The chefs came in for the verdict. OP chose menu A, MF menu B, and PL menu A. Menu A turned out to be....

Lisa Allen!

Aiden’s face was a picture- lost out again!

Now time for Central and our judge is the lovely Glyn Purnell, a kindly down to earth GBM regular and very successful past competitor, who had cooked at two banquets.

Chefs in the running this time are Richard Bainbridge, head chef at Michelin Starred Marston Hall, Norfolk, where the menu focuses on the best, freshest local produce; Daniel Clifford, Glyn’s past rival, a bit of an arrogant chap but perhaps deservedly- his Midsummer House has won two Michelin stars; and finally Will Holland, the head chef from La Becasse, who also has a Michelin star. Richard sourced his ingredients from Blickling Hall, Daniel from Wimpole Hall, and Will from Calke Abbey estate.

Starters first. Richard’s recipe was braised hog’s head with apple sorbet and cauliflower crisps. Daniel made white onion soup with parsley cream, roasted muntjac and spring onions. Will made a rabbit and smoked bacon salad with peas, carrots and lettuce.

Glyn marked very fairly and gave Richard and Will six, and Daniel an eight, putting him into the lead.

The fish courses were next. Daniel did a Rainbow trout baked in hay with asparagus and broad bean salad, Will a beetroot cured sea trout with horse radish and beetroot, and Richard a crab in barley soup with smoked oyster oil and asparagus. Glyn was quite unimpressed and no one did particularly well, but Richard came off worst with a four. Daniel and Will scooped six each. Daniel still led with 14, Will hunting him up on 11, and Richard had 10.

Next day was time for the mains. Will made roast saddle of lamb with asparagus crown, broad beans and mint. Daniel produced rump and shoulder of lamb with purple sprouting broccoli, spring cabbage and glazed carrots. Richard’s attempt was pigeon and rabbit with carrot terrine and crisp vegetables. Again, Richard got the lowest score, when Glyn only gave him six. Daniel and Will got a much better reception, both earning nine. Daniel retained his lead on 23, Will had 20, and Richard continued to be third with 16.

Finally, the Central desserts. Richard’s offering was Lavender Junket with mead jelly and rhubarb sorbet. Will did heather honey custard with rhubarb and elderflower. Daniel made a queen of puddings with fresh strawberries and elderflower. Here the form was reversed, and Richard finally scored an eight for his efforts, with Daniel and Will only getting six each. No change in the result though- Richard was still the one going home on a final score of 24, whilst Daniel and Will went on to cook for the judges with scores of 29 and 26 respectively.

On with the judging! First starter up was Daniel’s soup. They were intrigued by the small animal, and MF correctly identified Muntjac. PL loved the crispy onion rings, but MF had already put soup on his turning them soggy. MF wondered about people pouring their own soup out of the white jugs it arrived in, but PL insisted they would love it. MF thought the dish was lovely with subtle flavours. OP felt it was truly British, interesting, original and demonstrated skill. PL announced it was perfect, right size, beautiful looking, local and that the chef knew how to cook. She wanted it at the final banquet right away.

Next in with a tough challenge to face, Will’s rabbit salad. PL was amused, feeling it looked like a little train. All the judges agreed it looked bright and summery. OP didn’t like it on tasting and PL found a raw piece. OP felt the confit was too dry and the loin lacked flavour. PL thought the purees needed more work, the pea one tasted of pea but the carrot one tasted of nothing. MF thought it was a continental dish- not British, and OP condemned it as style over content, saying rabbit was difficult and easy to get wrong, and this was wrong- with PL’s agreement.

In came the first fish course, Daniel’s trout. The judges felt it had a Japanese look and the dish celebrated the international aspect of modern British cuisine. MF was disturbed by the mat look on the pea puree and felt it was dull to look at and to eat. OP thought the dish interesting but MF disagreed, saying it was devoid of anything. PL told him off, saying he just wanted an excuse to disagree with OP. OP joined in saying if he was so unimpressed to stop eating it, but MF claimed he would continue, in a search for flavour!

Onto Will’s cold trout. On arrival OP joked that it was pudding. MF thought it was sea trout with proper flavour. PL found it delicious but too sweet and bland. OP thought the idea of trout cured in beetroot was a well trodden path and the dish showed laziness. He could be angry but as chef had been this lazy did not want to be. MF chided him for sucking the joy out of things. He thought it worked well, was not perfect but that it could be really stylish and good with a few tweaks, and that it did celebrate the produce. OP announced it was style over content- again. PL thought the inclusion of horseradish ice cream was too creamy and sweet, and that it should have been sorbet if anything, a view that MF agreed with. MF also said it represented a practical concern for the banquet as it melted so fast, at which point Oliver laughed and said they would not have to worry about the banquet for this dish- over his dead body.

And so... the mains. Up first, Will’s lamb. PL and MF admired the asparagus crown. OP thought the lamb good and PL said the asparagus custard was delicious. MF commented on the dish looking effortful, but PL felt it did not look fiddled with. OP remarked that whilst it was hard to say bad things about the dish he had had similar dishes before. He said he did not remember would them and would not remember this one either. PL thought it was perfect for the banquet and that the chef had got the brief right. It was wonderful and delicious. MF was not committed, saying he wanted a dish to go through that would put a smile on the Prince’s face; whilst this would make him happy, he would not be ecstatic.

Onto Daniel’s lamb. On arrival PL said the plate looked dull but OP said the lamb was good. MF and PL thought the broccoli was all wrong and like baby food. Pressing on in the positive vein OP said the revelation was in the pot which had amazing flavours, but an unimpressed PL thought there was too much fat, although she conceded that the potatoes and lamb in there were lovely. OP disagreed, saying that although the look was not great there were a lot of good things in there and it had a sense of honesty. PL dismissed the dish as lacking ‘festival feeling’ and being more of a good Sunday lunch and again pointed out what she called ‘a lake of fat’, which MF agreed with.

First dessert to the judges was Daniel’s queen of puddings. When they saw it coming the judges thought it looked good, but PL was not sure she could eat all of it especially as Daniel had not had time to chill it and it had arrived warm- it seemed very rich. MF said it WAS rich, and very sweet. OP felt it was not a summer pudding as it was warm and huge and would be too much at the end of a big meal. PL commented that warm puddings on summer nights were a disaster (unlucky Daniel- if only it had made it cold as intended!). In doom-laden tones OP concluded that they had seen before that one little incorrect choice even on puddings had previously knocked contenders out of the competition. He felt this effort was ill-considered.

Wills pudding arrived. PL loved the honeycomb and told fellow judges to try the jelly on its own. They identified and enjoyed the elderflower in it. PL thought the dish was sensational with very British flavours of Rhubarb, elderflower and honey, and MF agreed saying it was local, summer and seasonal. OP had never had the combination before but it went well together and was not too much on the plate, he felt it would be the perfect ending to any banquet meal- especially this one. MF admired the mix of textures- firm rhubarb, soft custard, crunch of honeycomb- said looked very simple but in fact had lots going on. PL firmly concluded this was a winning pudding.

So, the choice of menu. PL went for B, OP for A and MF for B. Menu B belonged to...

Will Holland!

And so Daniel lost- again. The B voters said Will’s menu was better and they loved his main. As a small consolation OP told Daniel he loved two of his dishes, the starter and the main. But never mind, it’s Daniel out, Will in!

Next week; The South West are up.