Great British Menu – Season 19 Episode 16 – North West Starters and Fish

Great British Menu – Season 19 Episode 16 – North West Starters and Fish

Four chefs from north-west England, Andy Sheridan, Kirk Haworth, Ryan Stafford and Nina Matsunaga, cook starters and fish dishes inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics. The starters include a horse head-shaped mantou bun filled with roasted celeriac and carrot gel, with a khaidaif hay bale. The fish dishes feature a brill cooked over coals with a jellyfish yaki, and pan-fried scallops in browned smoked butter with leek puree and a dashi hollandaise.

The top seated chefs from around the UK are heading to the Great British menu kitchen what can go wrong we’ll find out they’re in a race I need to crack on to cook a course at a record-breaking banquet things you do on a great re you the Ultimate Prize in any Chef’s career

It’s a Sprint 100% this year the banquet is celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics wo as team GB limber up for the 2024 Paris games move move move come on it will be held in the Sumptuous British ambassador’s residence in the heart of Paris the home of classical Cuisine oh

La competitors need to come up with dishes that are worthy of such a majestic Feast so get the mouth watering Olympian in their ambition where I’m on and strive for a personal best wow that looks incredible because some former Champions Veterans of the competition and relax are returning to

Score them wow Michelin star winners themselves I’m ready for action let’s go and they won’t be pulling any punches I’m scoring you a four it’s a fish course it’s been about 8 years since I last gave a 10 the dishes need to be worthy of a place on the podium

Heart to impress the demanding lineup of Judges they’re searching for courage spirit and ambition in every dish I love it on your marks set go it’s Great British menu let the games commence hoping for gold This Time come on are four of the very best from the northwest I’m only widening you Up this week the most promising chefs from the Northwest compete with creative dishes celebrating a wide range of Olympic and Par Olympic sports including Taekwondo dressage and cycling first through the door is Nina Matsunaga from the Lake District this is her first time in the Great British menu

Kitchen showcasing her Fusion food it’s quite intimidating as long as I can execute everything that I’ve planned well I think there’s a good chance next is fellow newcomer Manchester Born Ryan Stafford who’s gained confidence and experience working under some big names including Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver

I think the biggest competition is going to be with myself just got to get hi I’m Nina nice to meet you Nina returning for another crack at the title is Blackburn born plant-based Chef Kirk howth who narrowly missed out in 2021 too everything’s at stake for me in

This competition I need to stay focused stay calm finally it’s Andy Sheridan from Liverpool this isn’t his first rodeo either hello Chef okay Ryan nice to meet you trying in 2018 before reaching the final in 2019 I’m feeling a little bit more confident than last time hopefully Third

Time Lucky Third Time Lucky there we go feel like it’s Christmas Eve last night tossing and turning waiting to get going hello chefs hello it’s lovely to see two wonderful shef returning and two brand new Mina yeah any nerves yeah Ryan how about you sir confident feeling good

Okay chefs think of this as your Olympics we are going to start with canop let these games commence let’s go do it let’s go the canipes won’t be scored but ranked and used to decide a tie break should one arise I know you’re all thinking it smells insane I could agree more Ryan

Serving a carrot puree with a cafir lime coconut yogurt served in a mini crad right hair isn’t hot enough so we’ll do that again Nina is also creating Cru dards topped with lamb mackerel and a kimchi tartar with cured egg yolk I just need to make sure that

The batter works out and then that the balance in the TARTA is Right Andy’s canop consists of a pineapple chutney with a cheese mousse and pineapple caramel served in a mini pastry Cornetto the only thing that I’m really worried about is myself ruining it to be honest with you Kirk’s also

Serving a Cornetto have to improvise here but his is with cashew cheese Arch choke jam and black truffle woohoo but who’s this week’s veteran the chefs need to win over all right chefs I’ve got a few names I want to give to you Lisa Goodwin Allen Spencer meta who’s quite a new

He’s a brand new veteran for us um Tom ains yeah or my clo hair my clo hair would be good what about you Nina bit intimidating yeah whoever walks through those doors I want you to impress them the veteran our Chef’s need to wow is our very own Sporty Spice he’s holder

Of a michelan star a previous Great British menu fish course winner known for his Innovation with both presentation and flavor all right that’s time please chefs thank you very much yes it’s the one and only Michael oare hi chefs chef chef chef Nina what have you made card with souro and kefir

And lamb and kimata and puff rice cook yeah we’ve got a Cornetto of ay choke Jam whipped cashew cheese and black Truffle Andy we’ve got a Cornetto of cheese and pineapple Ryan my Heritage carrot tart composed with a carrot puree with a charie spice in there balance of a beautiful Fair lime coconut yogurt Chef’s a brief this year is a dream you know I want the the food to tell me the story and underlining that I want delicious flavors all right chefs

Yeah thank you thanks I’m really happy with my Clow hair he’s all about Innovation creativity really excited he’s quite fair I rate my chances with Michael o’ haare quite strongly so who was the least favorite on it my least favorite was Andy’s Cornetto that could have easily been a

Pred desert so intensely sweet oh wow sweetness so then who came third I would say Ryan it was a nice pleasant mouthful this was the carrot tart but it wasn’t particularly explosive it didn’t blow any doors off pretty good second it was Nina so nice and crisp um the tartar on

The top was beautiful the crunch for me great journey so that means that first it’s C it was beautiful so well executed that’s my very nice show yeah cashed cheese is amazing does it give you hope for the week ahead yeah cuz I’m going to go to

Paris so good next it’s onto the first scored course starters one more little Blitz and then we’ll get that out they must be vegan and themed on the Olympics or par Olympics hey Ryan hey tell us all about your dish Chef so the name is the

Eternal torch when I was a Wei Nipper my grandfather taught me all about the Olympic torch and what it represented so what are you cooking I’ve got some beautiful variegated kale cabbages purple white and cavalero the dish is going to be composed of um a light pafa of Jerusalem arter chokes some Truffle

In there toasted shalots crispy arter chokes and they’re going to come out like flames and then also an ember oil it’s a pafa traditionally be like with some toast or something like that is this being spread onto the ks what’s happening so you’re going to eat it with

A fork or a spoon well wish you lots of luck and the chef thank you Chef thinking along similar lines is Andy the title of the dish is the Olympic torch really the torch I know who my main competitor is now in the kitchen for sure what’s the inspiration

So the inspiration is when the torch arrives to the house country and it travels through the country I’ve got a bowl that’s kind of looks like Flames the bottom of the bowl then I’ve got a whipped puree from the Frozen seps that I’m using and the Truffle on top of that

I’ve got the myi mushroom and then I’ve got some set mushroom pastry in the shape of the runners to represent the people that are running with the torch most worrying thing um it’s going to be sweet sour and savory dish you you know obviously you got to make sure that each

Balance lies let’s hope it works this is not for small people Kirk should be on home ground here as it only cooks with plant-based ingredients and never uses dairy or meat my dish is um called ability not disability it’s inspired by an incredible par Olympian Taekwondo gold

Medalist called Amy trusdale is from the Northwest Taekwondo is a Korean sport so we’ve got Korean flavors what are you cooking okay so the base is a matake mushroom caramelized and then brushed with an iy CH caramel and then on top of that is going to be kimchi and then it’s

Sat on a mle but Asian so a black rice mle and and on the side I’ve got here the black belt CES and then we’ve got a little Yuzu AIDS oh so that’s a drink yeah just a drink yeah quite a lot of processes do you feel you know extra

Confident going at this particular round yeah for sure but I don’t um look at it as just one round if I deliver on my flavors I can match every other course Hoping to gallop in front of the others is Nina with her take on the Olympic brief so it’s valro um a gift of gold and the inspiration behind it is shalad dadan who has won three gold medals with the horse valgro how care that on a

Plate it’s supposed to be a horse’s head you know a fun horse’s head um it’s steamed bun in the shape of a horse’s head Okay and like a little hay B the main element of the dishes the call rabing and it will be flavored with like Korean barbecue sauce okay so this is

Like a handheld bun yes yeah and the the hair Bell H kive pastry okay this must be incredibly labor intensive getting it all shaped up into the right shape is hard good luck chefs we will see you on the pass thank you to stand a Fighting Chance of success with the bun Nina’s

Dough needs to be spot on yeah it’s really really over grooved this one because see it’s a bit warm in here but it will it will do hopefully fortunately now and it’s a little bit late in the day to get another one on so Nina’s dish

It’s a horse’s head which of course has so many Godfather it’s going to look sophisticated and it’s got to be an actual starter that’s very true because this is at the moment it’s a bun that you pick up stuffed full of barbecued col R bead I have zero experience in

Making horses heads so I can’t help you with that one thank you here to represent the flames on his Olympic torch Ryan’s using deep fried cavalo Nero and barbeq roasted white and purple kale I feel like we’re going to need some sort of toast or Cracker or something yeah

Potentially I think you know you eat this with a spoon crank the heat up BR that over there and he’s Ed to the Olympic torch centers around fungi cooked multiple ways right now I’ve got the uh shitaki mushrooms which are Barbe I’ve got the glaze which is just reduced

Just to go over them um mushroom puree on the stove pastries in the fridge looking good the mushrooms sound amazing my concern with cutting up these little Runners is it it could quite easily look childish I think it’s lacking a little bit of substance so I’m just going to cut and weigh the

Mushrooms 35 Grand perfect Kirk hopes to tip the scales in his favor with his career inspired mushrooms and with his vast experience in Vegan Cooking shitaki juice he’s serving them with a mle made from black rice black beans and toffee KK is in fact a plant-based Chef

So this is where he lives is what he does every single day yeah I mean this is this is very much his R to lose he’s got everything there he needs to succeed um it’s just if he hits the brief with her Korean barbecue sauce cooked and her col rabie roasting Nina

Tackles the fiddly horse head buns I’m not 100% happy with the dough but I’m just going to hope that it it’ll look as good as it can in her day job at the award-winning gastro pub the Black Bull in Cumbria head chef and co-owner Nina draws on her Heritage to inspire her

Cooking a lot of my influences as a chef comes from uh three different cultures so being from Germany but born to Japanese parents and living in the UK which heavily influences the food as a chef I think the proudest achievement um so far is we’ve gain two rosettes within

The last four years how long on the pork MK 2 minutes on the pork being on the greatfish menu to me means quite a lot it was really exciting when my sister gave me the first Great British many cookbook and I’ve still got it I’m hoping to uh stand out from the other

Chefs by bringing different flavors to the show service please hi Nina hello where are you at what have you made I’ve just finished the barbecue sauce um with fermented chili sauce got to taste it yeah of course and is that texture finished yeah I just tasted Nina’s barbecue sauce

I really enjoyed the spice level in it I still have massive concerns about how this is going to look those doors look a little bit childish the Flames for Ryan’s Olympic torch are almost done shots have been roasted and Archer chokes deep fried trying to curl them while they

Cook there a little things you have to do to push the brief next to Jerusalem Al choke puree is Blended having been cooked with salil lots garlic and apple juice it’s got to be extra thick boys having learned his trade in restaurants and as a private Chef Ryan

Is now executive chef at fold beoke near Stockport my culinary Journey started in London working on great chefs like Gordon Ramsey Jamie Oliver I’ve worked in michelan restaurants the vibe here at fold is about accessible dining an experience that we’re trying to create where everybody’s welcome if you come here you

Can expect to eat you know fun exciting showcase dishes Great British menu to me means the world I’ve watched many of my Idols come through the kitchens here when I received the brief I could have been more excited I mean look at the Olympics Power Glory winning success Triumph what

More do you want in a competition hands please is this the PA this is the paa chef so you’re going to lighten that with a cream yeah uh give that kind of parfait on toast kind of feel with the texture of the Crunch and the soft parfait Ryan’s oke Pur is seasoned

Beautifully I just can’t see how this Pur is going to turn into a PA and be the basis for a dish so guys do you do a lot of kind of Pan based dishes in your restaurants I don’t cook for vegans in the restaurant it’s not something that we do so so I’m

Not I’m not welcome then at yours it’s not you’re not welcome I’m not I’m not confident I’m not very confident I only widen you up Andy’s making a mushroom and truffle puree saving it for a silky texture as well as a black garlic ketchup with cherry vinegar

You I try this mushroom yeah of course can so what’s in that um so in there’s the um seps uh truffle some dashy vegan cream uh Madera as well I’m really impressed to see how Andy’s working he’s very clean and precise and his mushroom puree is delicious Kirk’s pickled col rabi in

Charcoal powder and is smoking my tacky mushrooms on the barbecue that are then glazed with an artichoke caramel some flavor on that b boy his dish May center around fungi but he also needs his black rice mole to deliver Punchy Korean flavors I try them all

Yeah sure and what’s in this black rice black beans tofu um lots of misar uh fermented shitaki juice and I’m going to finish it with B A smok Sho juice give it a bit more body okay I’ve just tested Mo and it tastes a little nondescript I’m just concerned at how

It’s all going to come together first to the pass will be Ryan with his Olympic torch but not before his roasted shots get a final CH wanted fire his arch choke and truffle pafa is garnished with aroke crisps and deep fried brassa Flames just want to pop a few of those

In creating as much drama and height as possible it’s finished with shots and black truffle I’m feeling quite confident about This the title of the dish is the Eternal torch should we going test it yeah let’s go Show the consistency of the paa is that what you were looking for I think that’s you know exactly what I was looking for the puree was really tasty I just think it’s missing a main component you know to bring it together and the AR chokes the AR chokes are my favorite

Part probably you know that kind of umami that little crunch as well like a crackle of a flame you know I really put a lot of thought into this I think it’s U almost U more like a b snake where you’d have the crisps separate and then

You dip them in rather than like a full starter sometimes you get them they’re a bit not that crisp what have you done with the shalots so the shalots are a salty caramel shalot and you’re happy with the texture of those yeah I think there’s a lot of crunch in there the

Flavors are lovely that ember oil is a little bit all pervasive is there anything that you change in the dish potentially the type of spoon that we eat it with I practice this a lot and I’m really happy with it if it had a like a really earthy caramelized AR in

There give it the body so Ryan what would you SC your dish be looking for something around the eight I think would be fair I would give this one a seven I just think it’s missing that main element uh same for me a seven um yeah I

Just don’t think it’s a a finish starter if I’m honest mhm I’ll go with seven I’ll go with seven how was it do you know what I’m happy with the dish let’s just hope it’s enough yeah next up Kirk with his Korean mushroom dish you have 8 minutes cook

What you spraying on this is a small Japanese vinegar this is just the juices from the kimchi so I’ve got to make sure that they taste that kimchi cuz because of the Korean link what’s in your bottles looks really good basically just a take on an energy drink for athletes

After some Asian black mayonnaise each mushroom is covered in Gold puffed rice you’ve got three minutes Andy if you can do this for me yeah course come yeah it looks bang in though Andy okay got a whole lot more dangerous this CL quick costume change and the mole is

Topped with the mushroom and served alongside the col rabie black belt my dish is called ability not disability it’s inspired by an incredible Tawanda par Olympian called Amy trale is Taekwondo a spot that you plays no I do J jit oh do you he it well

But this is this is her training one really is her personal one yeah oh my goodness W should we go and test it yeah The mushrooms what have you done to these I’m just very lightly smoked them off of the Birchwood and then finish them on the barbecue are you happy with the seasoning on the dish yeah I think it’s I think it’s good loving Korean food I think we could turn it up a notch

One one or two Jerusalem out a CH caramel over the mushroom does that come through for you you no it’s not really Mena you’re not Mena taste like ay Chu and do you think the dish is well balanced yeah I think so I actually thought it was quite well balanced I

Think everything is there yeah I just want more of it what about the ratio the the mle and the mushrooms and the rice yeah I think it’s I think it’s a good balance do you think this dish tells a story yeah for sure that definitely

Links to a black belt I think the little belt was quite clever so this is the user word yeah this is just just something like acid just to clean your palette I think the Yuzu lemonade is lovely it’s a really good touch and is there anything you change on

It um no I don’t think so presentation everything I was fantastic yeah and what would you score this dish out of 10 um an eight or a nine I think I’d scored an eight Andy I I think an Eight’s Fair I’d say an eight with Improvement it could go a little bit

Further hey Chef how did that go yeah I think it went good but for me mate I thought it was banging dish Nina’s next to the pass need a hand benit mate just this on there the roasted Co rabie is layered in the hor head buns choose

Plenty yeah then topped with a carrot gel just a squiggle on the horse the Korean barbecue sauce and a dipping chili oil are placed in a horse’s tack box Chef why do you want the ha bells oh just on there it’s fine thank you and the plate is garnished with pastry hay

Bales and fermented col rby leaves you do the past now Nina Nina has requested a particular track to serve her dish Tu why did you play that music it was the routine that shalad jadan and valro won Gold to oh I was so lost so it’s valro a gift of gold the

Inspiration is to Equestrian Team and the horse of algro should we going test it y Yeah okay so CH me through these sauces Again Korean style spring onion Ginger soy mirin the is they can go in the sandwich right they can go in on the side what’s the pickle here fermented kabi leaves with ginger strong yeah really salty is it

Salty yeah as a as a dish do you think it works as a starter course food should be fun and especially at the banquet I think it gets people talking My worry is is it refined enough for a banquet the the presentation the horses head is

Obviously a very bold move to to do that do you think you pulled that the dough could have been a little bit smoother i’ probably say the the balone could have been a little bit fluffier the presentation do you think that works I think it’s recognizable as a horse and

It comes in a tack box you know this is what this is yeah it’s a t bring to speed with horse life I’m not sure how much it looks like a horse’s head but I’m not sure it matters is that it tastes incredible but I think the flavor

She scared me a little bit what would you score this dish out of 10 I think in terms of the brief I hope it works um know six seven there’s room for elevation I’m going to score it quite fairly at seven um I’m going to score it

An eight and that’s looking at it both from Flavor and presentation combined yeah I go with an eight on that I think purely on Flavor alone how was that really stressful oh yeah yeah Andy’s garnishing his Olympic torch starter with mushroom pastry Runners what’s it made from like a

Crocodile so I’ve got the mushroom cream going on the bottom it’s topped with pickled shots be generous on the pickles and dotted with a black garlic ketchup what’s underneath the plate it’s a flame just to represent the torure raw lion’s mane and an noi mushrooms Crown the dish

What’s the dressing Shu it’s just liquor from the pickled onions just put tiny little bit of truffle oil in There this is the Olympic Tor Rel and it marks the start of the opening of the games when the torch arrives to the host country all right happy Eating the Lion’s man you’ve kept Ro yep does that work for you yeah I think the um the textures of the different mushrooms really lovely really rich I think it’s very good um flavor very strong does the Truffle come through on the dish um I hope so I think I throw a

Whole Truffle in in the puree and grated half a truffle on top as well the biscuits with the runner that’s just a texture to the dish have and does that add enough texture for you yeah I could do with a little bit more mushro mushroom pastry potentially you know I

Only had a sort of half a man do you think this dish has a strong link to the brief um I mean obviously I’ve got the runner and stuff on there the I think it’s more more of a visual link to the brief I’m just not sure that the

Mushroom pastry dude is enough of a connection dude without that I have a bowl of mushrooms yeah I think agreeing with you there as well and is there anything you change um I mean I’m happy with it is for someone that never ever Cooks vegan dishes I feel like there’s definitely something missing

What would you score this dish out of 10 I think it’s a strong eight strong eight definitely I’m quite happy with it je I’d give him a strong seven I’m going to give him an eight I think I’m going to give him an eight there he is hi guys all right how

Was that how was that don’t know he doesn’t give anything a away does he Michael I think as as chefs they were all very composed I’d maybe even use the word overly confident listen I like the taste of it you know was tasty very tasty I think that everyone got the

Balance of text just wrong so for you nobody’s excelled particularly I haven’t been blown away by anyone Right an interesting first round chefs and we can see your talent very very clearly perhaps a couple of stumbles in terms of connecting the brief to the food Ryan for your dish the Eternal torch R I thought the presentation on this was excellent I think if you call something

A paa then I’m going to be looking for a paa and to me the Truffle and Jerusalem AR choke paa wasn’t really a paa and felt a little bit confused the deep fried brasas were nice and crispy I don’t think there was a focal point to

The dish as a as a bowl of food Kirk for your dish ability not disability the presentation was incredibly refined however I don’t think it’s smacked in the face about Taekwondo or the story of it although I did enjoy your outfit change because the the M’s consistency

Is quite soup likee I thought there was a bit too much of it on the plate alongside with the black Asian mayonnaise it was quite a lot of the same texture which I felt took away from the star of the show which was the mushrooms the kabi black belt was really

Tasty and it helped superbly with the the richness of the dish Nina for your dish vro a gift of gold the presentation was fun and I understand the connection however that box is enormous for any plate but particularly just one small dish the horse head steam bun I thought

Was a super ambitious idea but I don’t think it was precise enough the barbecue col rabi was delicious and really well cooked and I thought the hair B added a great texture inside the bun also but for me I don’t think that a steamed bun is a starter for a

Banquet Andy for your dish the Olympic torch relay the presentation on this as a whole I think needs to be a lot stronger it was a beautiful looking plate of food but putting a bowl on a picture of a flame isn’t enough for me if you take that Runner off it’s just a

Plate of food the mushroom truffle cream I thought was absolutely delicious the H of the woods were super tasty I just think it’s it’s really lacking a direct link with what you’re cooking to the brief yeah I think that’s that’s the one that struggle with the m

Well you you need to hit that y to do well in this competition Y and so to the scores Kirk I’m giving you an eight you do really need to punch up the flavors in that mole and give us more kimchi cuz it’s amazing cooking Andy scoring you a

Seven one of the biggest challenges in this competition is connecting the dish to the story and I do think you have a little more work to do here Nina I’m scoring you a seven I love your D exploding with those incredible flavors but you do have to work on that presentation because it

Just didn’t quite come together and Ryan I’m scaring you and eight I love the dish at the past I thought it was wonderful the fire I just felt it was a little incomplete I wanted something to dip into that delicious paing so chefs one call down and we move

On to fish next we do so focus and we go best of luck chefs thanks thanks done guys I’m glad that it’s over fish isn’t my favorite course I don’t think I just need to organize my timings and thoughts I’m feeling pretty good about getting an

Eight got to keep that momentum up and just keep pushing really I think an eight is a good score I obviously wanted more but I just got to stay positive and push on for the next one yeah the links to the brief that was the feedback still

Got another course to go so feel Fine at the minute I’m just getting the leaks chopped for the leak porc I’ve obviously got a claw a couple of points back so I need to make sure that I executes it all correctly and he needs to nail this course if he’s going to cook his whole menu so this dish is

Called Open Water Swim um it represents the swimming Marathon so I’ve Got Hand dive scallops how are you cooking the SC I’m just going to do a heavy roast in the pan chef with that I’m doing a Bonito Holland days so I’m serving that with Crispy leaks a dill puree and then

I just finish it with a little smoked butter truffle and cavar um starting off with the sauce and then I’m going to move on to my fish and then the batter for the jellyfish also needing to pull something out of the bag and in the bottom too

Nina is going all out with a fusion fish dish the title is challenge 3000 and the inspiration is the British sailing team and in particular Hannah Mills and the challenge that was spear headed by her at the Tokyo Olympics to pick up 6,000 pieces of Plastics in the ocean what are

You cooking so it’ be a piece of Brill and some jellyfish takoyaki fisheye crackers and some Brill skin as well did you say fish eye crackers how you making that so it’s literally fish I made into a cracker how you cooking the brill on the bone over fire I think fish cooked

On the bone over fire that’s pretty great stuff isn’t it as long as you get it right pretty sure you will This is going to be a Step Beyond usual fish and chips tell us all about your fish dish then my love so the title of the dish is made in water and I want to do uh a lot of Justice with the incredible force that is Dame Sarah

Story she started her Olympic Journey swimming and then she went on to recycling in the par Olympics she’s got 28 medals 17 Golds that’s insane 1 she’s the most decorated par Olympian in the country wow so what are you actually cooking I’m going to pay homage to the

Great Curry M for a bit Cory sauce they’ve got a dish composed of halber I’ve Got a New Concept on the chip New Concept on the chip well um don’t want to reveal too much going to make a beautiful really silky PPR I’m really interested to see the chip concept thank

You for his reinvented chip Ryan starts by creating Matchstick potatoes just put the potatoes on in joint first place Kirk as a plant-based Chef is facing the biggest challenge of all but he’s confident that he can bring all the flavor of a traditional fish course without using the main

Ingredient not using fish so think there’s a lot of pressure on this course but um I believe in it I think it’s delicious tell us all about it please it’s uh called a celebration of table tennis and the founder of ping pong was an English man called a fost so we are

Celebrating that with like a whipped creme fresh kind of fermented cheese with lots of SE caviar and then crackers that imitate the table tennis bats what’s seaweed cavar it looks like caviar but it’s made from seaweed the challenge that you’ve got ahead of you is is such a big mountain to climb no

Fish means Kirk has to conjure up flavors of the sea just with plants his dish comprises three ceramic ping pong balls one filled with seaweed salad one with parsley porridge and PM puree and one with vegan cream cheese and seaweed caviar he starts with a parsley puree

For the porridge I want to blend that silky smooth meanwhile Ryan adds peas to sweated shots for the Pea puree and makes his batter scraps with beer IPA from Manchester it’s going to be delicious nah is working on her garnishes for the brill I’ve got deep fried fish skin and uh fisheye crackers

Fishe yeah so you feel like in a horror movie digging out all the fish eyes and you get like a like a really fishy cracker right Andy starts his dashy hollay whisking egg yolks with Bonito and dashy vinegar for this day I’m kind of hoping that you know it’s luxury and

M Andy’s used to cooking with these Asian ingredients at restaurant 8 in Liverpool where he’s gained three AA rosettes amongst other accolades started outw working in kitchens all over the UK sort of styling eight uh we’ve got quite a big Asian influence not that I’ve traveled Asia or anything I just

Love that sort of cooking and I love them sort of flavors ours is all about using the best quality ingredients cooking them really really simply and delivering them in the best possible way for the customer to enjoy them truffle on top wagu beef and truffle this year’s

Olympic theme I think it’s um I think it’s a good theme but from my Chef’s Point of View I think it’s A Hard Theme as well I think I’ve got everything that it takes to get a dish to the banquet and to succeed this year because I’ve

Matured as a chef I’ve matured as a person and I think my cooking Styles completely changed as well so for me if there’s any time to enter the competition it’s Now Andy you’re looking very calm is this your hollanders can I try yeah so tell me again what’s in this dashy vinegar and then I infused the butter with the dried an trees Bonito Flakes and ory seaweed just to give it a real sea flavor I’m a little concerned about the

Thickness of that sauce and is that going to work well with just a cook scolar Kirk’s making the pom puree for his parley porridge ping pong Bowl having boiled whole potatoes he peels them before passing through a SI save some of that Mash mate I’ve got a mashed

Potato on my m if I make it through KK’s learned the ropes as a chef at some of the best restaurants in the world 8 years ago Kirk had to temporarily give up working as a chef due to an autoimmune disease but found that eating only plant-based food helped

Him recover and the best plant-based chefs in the UK he’s currently working on the menu for his restaurant plates which is due to open this spring who I am now as a chef is certainly determined by um my health challenges is completely changed the way I create cook work at plates

What I’m trying to do is create a new genre of cookery to Showcase fruits and vegetables in a new way with lots of creativity Innovation and most importantly deliciousness to get a dish to the banquet would mean the absolute world to me just to to Showcase you know the last

Seven years of Journey Through My Health into changing the way I cook um to really get that recognized and understood um on such a huge stage would mean absolutely everything to me Service what’s this um so this is just the base of for the seaweed salad white comu and Nori can I try it yeah yeah sure I’ve just cooked it down in uh white soy and water um and the Nori I’ve just toasted it off and then chopped it for you okay KK

Seaweed of nori salad it was really really good um it tastes just like the sea um these are just uh caca sprays to imitate the rubber on the bats the things you do on the great wish menu with his pea puree blitzed Ryan’s also made a mash that he whips with

Buttermilk malt vinegar and seasoning it’s not going to look like a chip it’s going to taste like a great chip is this your curry sauce now this is the curry sauce would you like to try it’s about 80% there what else have you got to do so just starting to whip

The potato for the base of the Chip he’s been very guided about these amazing Next Level chips all I can see there is some mashed potato that to me does not replicate a chip Nina is making jellyfish Cho Yaki dumplings by cooking a batter but she’s added spring onion Bonito and Jellyfish strips

You got enough time to get all those Med yeah I think so and what’s this that’s a sauce can I try this yeah go ahead so it’s miso saki vinegar creme fresh uh culted butter just tasted Nina’s miso sake sauce it’s a strange texture almost like

A pasty texture I think from the Miso so I’m hoping she passes that before she serves it can I just move this one track course can cheers first to plate is Andy with his celebration of the Olympic Open Water Swim let me know what I can do to help I

Just need to uh get the scops cooked first Andy pan fries his Scallops healthy amount of butter I just want to get a really nice color on one side of them scallops then you’re just pasting over the top yeah yeah that’s it mate the scallops are finely sliced and placed on the leak

Puree you have 1 minute Andy wait right guys does somebody want um just carry on carving them for me like that how many sices each just get three the dashy Holland days is added along with smoked butter M this smells insane and a good grating of black truffle Cav leaks let’s

Go the title of the dish Chef is Open Water Swim the inspiration behind this is a 10K Marathon Open Water Swim all right shall we go taste it yeah we go for this one it’s got the most hour on I Think so you’ve cooked the scallops on one side y are they cooked how you’d like yeah definitely for me the scallet was nice I think it goes to the individual chef and how they think you should cook seafood what about the size of the dish you happy with that yeah I would

Have preferred a a larger scallop I think the dish is lovely I think you could do a little bit more MH the truffles on top of the scallop with the Cavo yeah that’s right does that work with the dish I think so Chef it’s it’s quite rich but I quite

Like it because it’s Rich what would you score this dish under I give this a n chef I think it’s a strong nine I mean it’s a delicious plate of food I’d say like8 nine as well quite really enjoyed it so like a nine hi guys all right hey Chef how was

That H don’t no the no don’t give anything away does he Nina’s next to the pass and having cooked her Brill over hot coals it’s now finished in a pan you happy with the cook on the fish yeah I wanted to keep it ever so slightly on

The tacoyaki dumplings are topped with a seaweed Emulsion and taco Yaki sauce couple pieces of jellyfish jellyfish yeah oh wow K if you can put them one each one nice one each on there you got three minutes Nina blanched sea lettuce is plated with the brill just need

Another spoon it’s topped with the fisheye crackers crispy fish skin and tapioca pearls are they marinated in yeah so ponzo and Chinese black vinegar and some ginger Nina finishes her dish with the Miso and Saki sauce so so the title of the dish is challenge 6000 and the inspiration was the British

Sailing team that have raised awareness of Plastics in the ocean it’s really good to see somebody picking up on the less obvious elements of the inspiration yeah it’s great should we go and test it y good luck chef You give yourself a lot of work to do on this um did you manage to get it all done in time I did yeah it it was Challenging so the jellyfish Tako Yaki are you happy with that it can be a bit crispy whisper but actually I am quite happy because I think the flavor I think is definitely there Takaki yeah the Takaki I think they’re still quite they bit raw in the middle in the middle yeah the brill

You’ve cooked that on the bone I did yeah is that cooked how you wanted it to be um yeah I think I’d say the br’s slightly overcooked for me I think the brill’s bit under seasoned as well and do anything you change on the dish potentially the the takoyaki could be a

Little bit crisper and what would you score this dish I think a seven I’m quite yeah quite happy with it I think there’s been a lot of work g into it I probably agree with Andy on some of the points that he mentioned I think I’d

Give a fair seven I’d give this one a six hey how’s that Nina stressful but a little bit better than stter so all good good yeah next to serve is Ryan who’s pan roasting his HT so what’s in the pan now just got some butter Ginger fresh turmeric pepper

Corns amazing salt and Curry leaves you have three minutes around while Sandy looks after the mash the matchick potatoes have been deep fried this is the danger moment when I said I’ve Got a New Concept on chips hopefully it’s not going to disappoint Ryan positions a

Chip cone his halet and a spoonful of peeve puree before topping with the mashed potato so it just got some these crispy potatoes going on yeah batter scraps sort of batter scraps and then we should be there are you do at the pass now Ryan his plate is finished with a touch of

Luxury what’s that Ryan 24 karat gold oh do me do me do me and served with curry sauce the title of the dish is made in water and inspiration is the incredible Dame Sarah story this is champagne vinegar it is so we just spray that on

Yeah should we go and T thanks chess thanks for your Help so the fish how have you cooked this just really simply in a pan um and finished it with quite a strong kind of Curry are you happy with how that’s good tiny tiny bit over my fish is a bit inconsistent it’s little dry at the ends are these your

Scraps they are and what’s inside these Cloud water IPA which is made in Manchester with some M vinegar powder to finish is the seasoning on those where you want it to be I think the sauce for me is quite powerful I was hoping the sauce can bring it all together could do

A little bit more Spice in the sauce but I I think sauce is really good I just could do with more of it the curry sauce is that reminiscent of a chip shop Curry not particularly but that’s not the plan I wanted I wanted something new but something that would work with fish

And chips I think it’s got enough heat I think too much heat might be a bit of an Overkill you might not be able to te the PPR and stuff the potato element this is the um the reinvention of the chip does that replicate the chip well for you um

Yeah I think the idea that I wanted to portray was the crisp B on the outside of the potato and the fluff B on the inside and just try and deliver it a new way I didn’t get the chip elements on it though no I got fish fish and mash it’s

Almost a little overthought some things just can’t be changed yeah I get where you’re coming from and do you think your plate hits the brief and tells the story I think I I think it does yeah what would you score your fish dish I’d score it an eight I’d give this one a

Seven I’d give it an eight I I really liked it think it’s tasty how was that mate how was it no IDE is i’ definitely seen some improvements I can make last of the pass is Kirk with his plant-based dish celebrating Olympic table tennis served in ceramic pingpong

Balls let me know what I can do Chef yeah if you could uh open me the champagne he starts by placing his painted Nori seaweed table tennis bats on Mini ping pong tables what is that Chef so we just got olive oil salt nutritional yeast and then parsley the first bows are

Filled with pom puree and topped with parsley porridge you have 3 minutes C and the rest are filled with whipped vegan cheese and vegan caviar someone can grate the Hors Rish over or the comu salad do it the pass now C the title of the dish is called a table tennis celebration I mean do you think people would know that that was about table tennis yeah so there’s like some facts about ping pong inside first ball was a champagne C that’s why is champagne should we going to it yes sure I’ll car

That one okay Hey what is it underneath the Cavo fermented cheese with creme fresh lemon juice um and then seawe caveo on Top are you happy with the amount of horse radish in there um yeah I think it just tingles at the back much potatoes that work with it they’ve got a really different texture so they needs something just some body I really like this heavy porridge I’m not usually a

Fan but this one’s really good and the mash at the bottom as well gives it more of a clever and obviously you’ve got the difficulty of not producing fish on a fish Coast do you think this still manages to hit that section of the menu yeah I think it definitely links to like

The ocean I think it’s very clever yeah to be able to not actually have any fish on a on a fish course but it still tastes like the samea so you’ve got a course split into three dishes think that all works together I believe it works really well I quite like that

People can do their own mix and match little combinations that they would enjoy so what would you score your dish out of 10 um I think an eight or a nine I I think it Nails everything think it Nails the brief flavor everything I give it a 10

Totally agree I would give it a 10 as well I give it a nine yeah I found it really tough I think there’s some really stiff competition you’re right hey guys hey how’ that go yeah Ty in I for one I’m quite excited about one of those dishes

Me too I didn’t see that come in it was just a beautiful thing and I’m talking about CK I’m well aware of what he brought to the Past I’m well aware I was ready to dislike it yeah no absolutely brilliant talk about the other Three Chefs how do you think they did there’s

Quite a few kind of basic errors I feel there’s something about that kitchen that can make a chef forget Kirk and Ryan are currently in the lead on eight with Nina and Andy both on seven chefs some of you did well in some places one of you did really well Andy for your dish Open Water Swim I felt that the scallop was cooked abruptly given you had so few elements

On the plate it seems like it came straight out the pan wasn’t allowed to rest and a knife went straight through it the flavor of the dashy hollanders was nice uh but I do think the choice of sauce was wrong with a skull up something a little bit lighter would C

The fish nicely without overpowering it the Truffle I thought was a little lost on the dish and i’ question whether it was needed Nina for your dish challenge 6000 I feel your take on the brief was very good but it didn’t smack me in the

Face when I saw it on the plate the brill unfortunately was both overcooked and underseasoned the taco Yaki was a little undercooked and as a result wasn’t crispy and a little soggy crackers had great flavor I like the fisheye one but it’s lost a bit of the crispiness the second you put it

Onto a wet Product Ryan for your dish made in water I like you take on the brief I like that you pick someone from your area and you chose to take on something as British as the chippy tea The cook of the halibo for me was nice and I like the crust on top of it the curry sauce had a great depth of flavor and a nice thickness to it my problem was you told me that you were going to create the ultimate chip and it’s fair

To say it’s not the best chip I’ve had it was a potato purer with some crisps cook for your dish a celebration of table tennis the presentation was excellent It’s told a story and I learned some fun facts about table tennis The Parsley porridge with mashed potato was delicious and the horse

Reddish levels for me were spot on the seaweed salad uh gave it that saline flavor that I look for in a seafood dish and the way you eat the paddle with the seaweed cavea it genuinely felt as good as the real thing but overall the skill that you’ve

Implemented in this I think it’s Extraordinary so to the schools Kirk I’m giving you a 10 elegant sophisticated and surprising you completely blew us all away congratulations Kirk to create a fish dish of that caliber without any fish unbelievable amazing Ryan I’m scoring you a seven I was a bit disappointed with this dish I thought I was going to get some Innovation and it didn’t happen Nina I’m scaring you six I think there’s just too many things happening on this plate you didn’t really have time to focus on your main element it kind of lacked any love Andy I’m scoring you a five so unfortunately Andy with 12 points I’m afraid you’re going to be

Leaving us you had a bad day in the kitchen I would say today and it happens to everybody I’m really really sorry to see sorry guys yeah Andy I think it’s worth saying from my perspective that you have some delicious flavors and the ability to cook some really beautiful

Food I think the main focus for you is balance on size on ratios yeah well we’ll see the rest of you tomorrow for Mains and desserts cheers thank you chefs that’s all that’s all right mate well done it’s been amazing cooking with you mate Well apprciate it Well

Done I know I can do better I’ve just got a really knuckle down excited to cook my whole menu but a little bit terrified more than anything yeah I can’t believe it to be honest but I want two more 10 so for me we’re only just starting is what it is

Isn’t it you know I can’t I can’t do anything about it now I’ve really enjoyed cooking with the guys and there really good team really nice people the chefs have really got to pump it up and give me everything they’ve got if they want to go through to the Judge