This is the first part of the South West blog that will build throughout the week, rounding up each heat of the Great British Menu 2016.
Yesterday saw the turn of three chefs from the South West to show their skill, creativity and expertise, designing a menu fit for the Queen’s Great Britons. Josh Eggleton is back for a third time and Jude Kereama back for his second.
Michelin starred chef Lisa Allen will be judging the chefs but as she has a shellfish allergy she invited Simon Rogan to taste two of the dishes for the starter course.
Reigning champion Josh - who got to the final last year with his starter - was making a lobster curried coronation chicken terrine – an interesting take on a dish originally created in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth’s second coronation. Josh poached the chicken and lobster.
He was very worried about getting the terrine set in time but then used a blowtorch when serving as he thought it may have gone cold.
Serving on an envelope-shaped plate, the terrine had seven accompaniments - poached apricot slices and pickled baby gem hearts, apricot gel, devilled quails eggs, curried mayonnaise, lobster oil, apricot membrillo and coriander shoots and a lobster dressing.
He seemed a little disappointed with the dish and said that he felt it needed more balance. Simon Rogan called his starter "bang on the brief". Both judges agreed however that some of the flavours were lacking. Judge Lisa Allen said that it didn't make her think of coronation chicken.
Jude Kereama competed in the South West heat last year and was eliminated on the Thursday. His contemporary dish was called 'Crank Up The Radio', a tribute to inventor of the wind-up radio, Trevor Baylis CBE.
The acronym 'RADIO' detailed the rather unconventional ingredients in Jude's dish - Radishes, Alium (shallots), Dexter beef, Ice cream (parmesan, of all the flavours!) and Oysters. Both judges were interested to see how Jude would combined these different flavours for his starter.
Serving on boxes that resembled wind-up radios (they even played a song!), Jude's beef tartare was topped with pickled mooli and shallots, parmesan ice cream and radishes. He garnished with nasturtium leaves, mustard cress and oyster emulsion. On the side, Jude had made lotus flower crisps from the flowers stem, but he left the copper pots behind by accident at service.
The other two chefs said that they couldn't taste the parmesan in his ice cream. Simon Rogan said that the oyster didn't come through. Lisa Allen called the beef tartare delicious but both judges felt that the musical prop dominated the dish and it was lacking in flavour.
New addition Chris Wheeler was looking to impress the judges with his diverse selection. ‘A Feast of Crown Jewels’ was to resemble an idea of the Queen’s dressing table with seared venison carpaccio, asparagus and watercress mousse, duck leg rilette and his own brioche.
The judges were worried about the dish, that the three on one plate was a 'big ask' in the time allocated. At one point, things didn't look so good for Chris as he almost burnt his balasamic vinegar.
For Chris' theatrical dish, he had a few props like a little beefeater and a parmesan tuille crown. Serving his orange marmalade brioche in a jewellery box (with extra marmalade).
Also on the plate was his confit duck rilette with orange jelly. His asparagus and watercress mousse was put in a glass crown and topped with wild mushroom, poached quail egg and hollandaise sauce.
Then for that final touch of class, beluga caviar and a gin and dubonnet.
Unfortunately the judges were not so impressed with Chris' starter. While they agreed that his venison carpaccio and asparagus mousse were tasty, they said that the duck rilette was a bit dry. They felt overall that the different elements didn’t work together and said that the dish had 'suffered' as a result of Chris taking on so much.
Josh Eggleton starts the week with a seven, Jude on six and Chris on the lower score of five.
Always an interesting one, last night's episode was the fish course for the South West chefs. A key component of this years brief, the dishes are to honor Great Britons but also showcase the transformation in British cuisine during the time of the Queen's reign.
In the lead was Michelin-star chef Josh Eggleton of The Pony and Trap. His fish course was called 'For Services to Maritime Safety', a tribute to the volunteers in the RNLI. By blending sardines, Josh created a 'bolognese' that he topped with pan-fried mackerel.
He also set himself the challenge of making a hake fishcake but instead of using potato, he made a mousse with the fish itself. Much like yesterday, Josh's dish had several components.
He dehydrated scallop roe to a powder and brushed it onto the scallops themselves as seasoning. He pickled clams, mussels and cockles.
He pan-fried the scallops and mackerel, and poached an oyster. When it came to serving, Josh had a special RNLI plate. Onto the plate went the pickled seafood in a cup with pickling liquor, the scallops, the oyster (served in a shell with an oyster emulsion), his hake fishcake and sardine 'bolognese', served on a spoon with an anchor on it. The mackerel was placed on top of the sardine.
Once again judge Lisa Allen called Josh's course 'bang on the brief'. She said that the 'bolognese' was amazing and Simon Rogan felt that the seafood was cooked perfectly. The hake fishcake however, the judges said had split and it tasted 'grainy'. It was suggested that the potato was needed after all.
Jude Kereama sought to celebrate British ingredients in his dish, the star of which was lobster. Jude would serve the butter-poached lobster tail with a yuzu and ginger foam.
He also incorporated the lobster into a quinoa salad. For extra flavour, Jude opted for mango and wanted to create a kind of 'coronation chicken' style with a curry mayonnaise.
Judges were wary of this, having criticised Josh's take on the same dish the say before. Could Jude pull off the curry flavour? Also on his plate was diced mango, marinated in vanilla syrup.
A garnish of samphire, purple butterfly sorrel and coriander cress and Jude's vibrant fish course 'Britannia Rules the Waves' was ready for tasting.
Lisa felt that while colourful, the dish didn't really say 'Britain' as asked by the brief. Simon added that the lobster was slightly undercooked and Jude agreed. The judges still both felt that there was not enough curry in the dish to remind them of coronation chicken and Lisa said that the mayonnaise had split.
With a disappointingly low score for his starter, Chris Wheeler was looking to catch up with his fish course 'Swimming Through the Paths of Time'.
He decided he would cook mackerel four ways, making a nage, a battered fish-and-chips, an escabeche, pickling the mackerel and pan-fried sesame mackerel with soy and lime for an Asian-inspired addition.
His nage was cooked with fennel, samphire, carrot, dill and scallop and it was served in a small shell. His escabeche was served in a sardine tin. 'Fish and chips' was of course served in traditional paper and a little basket.
The whole dish looked very 'seaside' but the judges didn't feel it hit the brief. The mackerel as an oily fish had unfortunately meant that the batter was a bit soggy. They also commented that the soy overpowered the fish in his Asian element of the dish. Both judges did however say that the course was a big improvement on Mondays.
Chris' score yesterday reflected said improvement as he was awarded a seven. Jude received a six. Josh's fish course earned him a nine, keeping him in the lead and four points above the other two chefs.
There was still everything to play for last night as the South West chefs cooked their main courses for judge Lisa Allen. Josh Eggleton sat in the lead, four points ahead of Jude and Chris – he is desperate to get the banquet this year after narrowly missing out for two years (in a row?).
Josh’s main was to celebrate the production and cooking of British beef during the time of the Queen’s reign. He jokingly called the dish ‘The Heart of Britain, Les Rosbifs’ – ‘rosbifs’ being a joke term used by some French people to say that the English can’t cook beef properly.
The star of his main was a 65 day-aged red Devon rib eye. Josh added that the cows were grass fed, as he is a firm advocate for sustainable and ethical produce. Judge Lisa Allen seemed unconvinced by the lack of potatoes that Josh was planning to serve with his beef… Would vegetables be enough?
Josh glazed veal sweetbreads in marmite and maple syrup and served them on a wooden board with his sliced barbecued rib eye. He made an oxtail ragout, braising the oxtail in red wine and grapes, which he served in copper pots and topped with sautéed root vegetables. Also in pots was his ox heart salad and he served bone marrow on toasted sourdough. A really interesting addition, Josh had made a beef stock infused with herbs – a bit like a tea!
Lisa said that each individual part of the dish was very tasty. She thought the ox heart salad was delicious and the oxtail ragout was rich and wonderful. The ribeye was a bit rare and Josh agreed that it probably could have been cooked for longer. Lisa also said that the slices looked ‘lost’ on the board.
Jude Kereama set himself another real challenge with a contemporary take on two British classics – cottage pie and wellington. He used venison for both components and made his own rough puff pastry. He called his dish ‘V for Valour’ and dedicated it those who have served for Britain in the forces. Jude went to the service personnel charity Help For Heroes headquarters in Hampshire and met co-founders Emma and Bryn Parry, both of whom have received OBEs for their work.
Jude wrapped the venison shin in spinach and parma ham, crepes and mushroom duxelles before covering it with pastry. He made a soy ‘master stock’, combining marin, chilli, ginger, garlic and spices to give the dish an umami twist. Jude’s food had previously been criticised for lacking flavour – would the stock pack the punch that Lisa was looking for? We had a rather tense moment when Jude realised that his oven was turned up to 220 degrees – his wellington needed to be at 200 or the meat would be overcooked!
Serving with a venison and cocoa nib jus, kale, he also placed roast beetroot and carrots in a medal box with the ribbons of the Gallantry medal. Lisa Allen said that the venison pie topped with potato and celeriac mash was delicious, the pastry on the wellington was crisp and finally, Jude’s “flavours shone through”!
She did however add that the venison was a little tough (perhaps due to the oven) and the serving plate was too small for the dish.
Chris Wheeler was looking to score some serious points in the main course. Having been criticised for his theatrical presentation and for taking on too much, he promised that ‘The Ashes, Over and Down Under’ would have less going on. He too was cooking beef and Lisa wondered if Chris or Josh would celebrate the beef best.
Chris’ main was to resemble a cricket pitch, celebrating sporting achievement. With a pea puree with mint for the grass, he made ‘bats’ a bit like spring rolls from braised oxtail and filo pastry. His ‘batsman’ was oxtail wrapped in spinach in a china bone, topped with beef fillet and pan-fried marrow for a hat.
Chris added a few redcurrants as cricket balls and served his veal jus in a porcelain cricket ball. A garnish of pea shoots, runner beans and edible flowers, Chris then smoked the beef under a glass dome – a fitting tribute to The Ashes.
Lisa was more impressed with this dish. She said that the beef was cooked well, the marrow was a ‘great addition’ and the salsify was well executed. She felt however that the oxtail lacked impact and that once again Chris had “put presentation above the food”. She said she couldn’t see Chris’ main fitting in at the banquet.
Scores were eight a piece to Jude and Josh and a six to Chris. He is now in third – but a great dessert and a faltering performance from Josh could change all that.
Last night’s desserts were the decider for the South West chefs as only two points separated Jude Kereama and Chris Wheeler. Josh Eggleton, who was in the lead, was hoping that his dessert would secure his place at the Banquet – could he live up to the ten that his dessert last year received?
Josh’s dessert, ‘The Re-emergence of the High Street’ was a beetroot and white chocolate soft serve ice cream. He roasted the beetroot, then blended it to make a puree before combining it with cream, milk, egg yolks, white chocolate etc to make an ice cream.
There was another rather tense moment as the soft serve machine didn’t seem to be working just before Josh was about to serve but he managed to get the power back on in time.
Presenting his dish on a mocked up high street with market stalls, he had prepared a carrot tuille and frozen raspberry cells as a garnish. He set the hazelnut cones with a dark chocolate base, then added a lemon thyme puree. Lisa Allen served herself the ice cream and Josh topped it with his garnishes.
Lisa called Josh’s dessert “fun, original and exciting” and said it would definitely have impact at the Banquet. She particularly liked the ‘bursts’ of frozen fruit on top of the ice cream but said that the ice cream was too sweet and her cone was burnt.
Jude Kereama’s dish resembled the Royal Albert Hall, and rightfully so as he called it ‘Last Night at the Proms’.
Jude wanted to elevate the traditional Eton Mess, making white chocolate and peppermint macarons and a strawberry liquor jelly to accompany the strawberry, cream and meringues.
He served his Eton Mess on a plate with the macarons, jelly cubes, fresh and freeze dried strawberries, chocolate mint and mint opaline shards.
He also gave Lisa a ‘little tipple’ on the side and said he hoped “the proof was in the pudding!"
Lisa praised Jude for his presentation and said the dish was lovely and light. She said his jelly had set ‘just right’ but felt that it didn’t really have an impact on the plate. She also commented that the mint overpowered his macaron.
Chris Wheeler had once again opted to make an ambitious dish. ‘Showtime’ would be tribute to British musicians and performers and would consist of several small desserts.
The dessert was laid out in the style of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover, with a slate ‘zebra crossing’ using coffee snow and traffic lights made of white chocolate and coffee liquor truffles. The plate looked like a 12” record.
Crossing the ‘road’ were a guitar made of a peach and Earl Grey sorbet, representing boybands and the sweeter side of pop music. Chris made a biscuit cake with toffee popcorn, in the shape of a drum kit with chocolate drum sticks in honour of The Beatles. In an interesting tribute to ‘Ginger Spice’ (Spice Girls), he made a spiced ginger and white chocolate panna cotta – which even had Geri’s famous Union Jack dress on it! Finally, Chris made a replica of Elton John’s piano, made from a granola and coffee cheesecake.
Judge Lisa was impressed with how much Chris had made in the time allocated and complimented him on his peach sorbet and his creativity. She added however that the portion was too big, the cake too rich and the flavours in the panna cotta weren’t quite right.
Lisa scored Jude and Josh eight a piece and gave Chris a six. Chris’ low score of meant that he was eliminated and will not be on tomorrow’s show cooking for the judges.
We here at TSC admired Chris’ flair and passion and we’ll be keeping an eye out for his work in the future!
Friday saw a battle between two returning South West chefs, Josh Eggleton and Jude Kereama. Both hoping to get a place at the Banquet, Josh had kept a strong lead for most of the week.
Jude had struggled with his favours but scored quite highly with his main and dessert. Joining the judges this week was Grace Dent, who said that she watched the programme regularly. She loved the brief too, as she is very “proud to be British”.
Josh was first to serve his coronation chicken and he wanted to make the curry mayonnaise more powerful. He also opted to add some croutons to the starter for texture. Taking his terrine out early, Josh said that he wanted it to be the right temperature.
Prue Leith was particularly impressed with the terrine. Matthew Fort was keen on the apricot jelly and quails egg. While Oliver was complimentary about the curry balance in the dish, he said that all of the flavours were outside of the terrine – “It’s good Britain, not Great Britain”.
To add some flavour to Jude’s starter, he added an oyster jelly. He didn’t forget his lotus root crisps this time either! Matthew Fort said that the parmesan ice cream was a brilliant idea but that there was a lot going on for such a small dish. Grace called the jelly/emulsion mix a ‘radioactive puddle’ and did not enjoy the combination of the two. It was a dish that had mixed reviews from the panel.
Josh’s fish course ‘For Services to Maritime Safety’ received a nine from Lisa Allen but she said that his fishcake could do with some potato. He heeded her advice and also chose to pan fry his mackerel last minute. Grace called the dish the ‘greatest medley’ but Prue thought that the hake was overcooked. Oliver said that the course was all fish and there were no counternotes.
For Jude’s fish course, he decided to change the tempura lobster claw to chunks of claws instead. He also added a Yuzu dressing in an attempt to boost flavours. Matthew said that the ‘myre’ of mango stopped the lobster from being the hero of the dish.
Lisa Allen said that Jude’s main ‘V for Valour’ was a bit big – he decided to serve his vegetables in copper pots to give more space on the plate. He was worried that his venison wellington would not have enough time to rest. The judges were not convinced, Oliver said that it was “not the vanguard of modern British cooking”.
For Josh’s main, he decided to cook his beef medium and give it a bit longer. Nearly all of the judges were extremely complimentary of this dish. Prue said that the bone marrow was delicious and rich, Matthew said that the vegetables made the dish lighter, Oliver said that the fat content of the ribeye was just right. Guest judge Grace however said that it was not beautiful and did not feel the same way as the others.
When cooking his dessert previously, Jude was told that there was too much mint in his macarons and that it overpowered the white chocolate. He said that this was a mistake – he had spilt some of the mint. At the last minute, Jude remembered the presentation façade, that made his plate resemble the Royal Albert Hall. He did however forget his strawberry jelly, which did not go unnoticed by the judges!
Josh’s dessert ‘The Re-emergence of the British High Street’ featured a soft serve ice cream machine. The judges were very excited about this, particularly Grace who said that it was a real “showstopper”, a “conversation piece”. Matthew and Prue disagreed over whether the beetroot in the ice cream was strong enough or not.
While it was said that Jude cooked some ‘dazzling dishes’, the win was awarded to Josh Eggleton. His Main course ‘The Heart of Britain, Les Rosbif’ received a ten from all but Grace. He will go on to represent the South West at the Banquet but we will be keeping an eye on Jude too!
