Nerves boiled over in the Great British Menu 2017 kitchen as the Scottish competitors began the battle to win a place to cook at the Wimbledon banquet.

Returning Great British Menu contestants, and friends, Ally McGrath, chef proprietor at Osso restaurant, and Michael Bremner, who runs his own restaurant, 64 degrees, were joined by classically trained Angela Malik, who cooks for private clients.

The three chefs are trying to win a place to serve their dishes at a banquet celebrating 140 years of The Championships, Wimbledon, by creating meals which are ‘a taste of summer.’

This week they are being scored by competition veteran, Nathan Outlaw, of self-titled, two Michelin-starred Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, in Cornwall.

First to plate up last night was Michael. His dish, Summer Cup Ceviche with Wimble-Gin 22, was vegan and included compressed watermelon with fennel seeds and star anise; lime infused cucumber, grapefruit, celery, strawberry gel and fermented scotch bonnet chilli sauce. The gin cocktail was served alongside it.

>>> Related: Michael Bremner, Chef Patron, 64 Degrees

The chefs were very blunt about the dish. Angela said that the raw onion was too overpowering and Ally said he was “a little underwhelmed by it”.

Angela was next to serve her starter, Strawberries and Cream. The unusual first course combined scallop ice cream, fried queen scallops and cold strawberry gazpacho. Nathan was sceptical about it and concerned about sweet scallops being used in already sweet ice cream. The chefs didn’t hide their distaste for the dish either.

>>> If you liked Angela's Strawberries and Cream dish you can get the recipe here

Ally was last to the pass to serve his starter Halcyon Days which was an array of the Wimbledon colours: purple, green and white. It included roasted golden and red beetroot bavarois, roasted golden and micro red beetroot, dill seed ricotta, pickled beetroot and julienne apple, beetroot leaves and blackcurrant leaf oil.

The chefs admired the presentation but criticised the bavarois for not being set enough. Nathan liked the flavour of the ricotta but also said that it should have been more set. Ally said that he was aware his dish needs a lot more work.

After a few hiccups in the kitchen, the scores for the starters were very close. Nathan gave Ally seven points for his beetroot starter, saying that the textures in the dish were “completely wrong” but the colours were very vibrant. After an initially bad impression of her starter, Nathan gave Angela’s dish seven points and said that the scallop ice cream had a “nice richness” to it. Michael received eight points, putting him in the lead at the beginning of the week.

The pressure is on for the fish course as the chefs prepare to cook for seafood specialist, Nathan, who has already told them “I don’t want any mistakes”. It should be interesting.

A returning competitor was the catch of the day in the Great British Menu kitchen as the Scottish regional heat entered its second set.

Great British Menu contestant 2017, Ally McGrath, of Osso restaurant, was first to the pass last night with his dish Messing About In The River, which was inspired by his childhood summers splashing about in rock pools. The dish impressed both competition veteran, Nathan Outlaw, and the other chefs. They enjoyed the flavours of the trout, trout mousse and a microwaved dill sponge. The bright green creation intrigued Nathan, who said Ally had taught him a trick when he demonstrated how to make it.

>>> Get Ally McGrath's recipe for Messing About In The River here

Private chef Angela Malik was next to serve. Her dish, Andy’s Plate, inspired by Scottish Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray, involved a little more effort from diners, which Nathan wasn’t convinced would go down well at the Wimbledon banquet. The brief, to cook dishes with a taste of summer, was evident in the presentation however.

Angela’s dish was inspired by Andy Murray’s love of sushi. She served miso and in an oyster shell, cubes of sashimi sea trout with radishes, samphire, seaweed, yellow sea roe, edamame salad and teriyaki style dipping sauce. She served raw langoustine separately along with a table top barbecue for diners to cook their own fish.

Nathan was worried about the practicalities of the dish, however he did enjoy the fish, though he criticised the precision of her trout sashimi. The chefs enjoyed the novelty of Angela’s fish course and the delicate flavours.

Returning Great British Menu competitor Michael Bremner, chef proprietor at 64 Degrees restaurant, was last to serve his fish course, Traditions of white, which paid homage to the strict white dress code worn by Wimbledon competitors. Michael served cannellini bean puree on potato tuile, watercress puree and fried kale crisps, white wine sauce and turbot.

The chefs and Nathan praised the presentation although Nathan said it was fiddly to eat. Unfortunately the potato tuile became a little soft due to sitting atop the wet ingredients. Despite this the chefs and Nathan enjoyed it and said they could tell a lot of thought had gone into it.

When the scores came in, it was Michael who once again took the top points. Nathan said his turbot dish was “super” and he awarded Michael nine, pushing him into the lead with a total of 17. Ally was given eight points for his inventive, rock pool inspired dish, giving him a total of 15. Angela was awarded seven points for her dish, bringing her total up to 14. Nathan was disappointed with the sashimi, which he said wasn’t sashimi.

With only three points between them, the contestants are preparing to serve their aces in the next round and win the match.

The tables turned for the Great British Menu Scottish contestants 2017 as they served up main course to four Michelin starred chef Nathan Outlaw.

It was a stressful night in the Great British Menu kitchen as competitors Michael Bremner, of 64 Degrees restaurant, Ally McGrath, owner of Osso and classically trained, private chef, Angela Malik went head-to-head with their main courses in an attempt to win the chance to serve their food at a banquet celebrating 140 years of The Championships, Wimbledon.
First to the pass was returning contestant, Ally, who has struggled to hit the high marks so far. He hoped to score an ace with his dish Cooking On Coals, which definitely met the brief ‘a taste of summer.’

Ally served chicken thigh ballotine with truffle shavings, parmesan and truffle custard, chard, little gem lettuce, broccoli and sugar snaps. Separately he served partially dehydrated potatoes which looked like barbecue coals, and chicken breast, in a table top barbecue. He placed hickory wood chips in the bottom of this and set it alight to create the smoky barbecue flavour.
Nathan was impressed with Ally’s interpretation of the brief and liked the “theatre of the dish”. He even took the bigger portion for tasting.

Next to plate up was Michael with The Grass Is Greener. He took his dedication to the brief to the next level by growing rye grass, the same as that used on the Wimbledon tennis courts. Michael served ox tongue, cooked in a water bath then wrapped in grass and muslin and steamed. To finish it off, Michael fried the ox tongue. He accompanied this with grass infused potatoes and jus filled ravioli.

Despite his effort in growing the grass, the chefs and Nathan were underwhelmed by Michael’s dish. They criticised the pasta for being thick and raw and Angela said that the ox tongue was “rubbery”.

Last to the pass was Angela, who beamed as she cooked what she described as “her food”. Her dish, A Spot Of Tiffin On Henman Hill, was inspired by summer picnics with her family. She filled a three-tiered tiffin box with cucumber raita, quail kebabs, Scotch eggs, and summer vegetable biryani topped with asparagus and cauliflower.

Angela was pleased with the dish, and when questioned if the Scotch egg was a little dry, she said that she thought it was succulent. The biryani was a hit and the rice said to be fragrant.

When the scores came in it was Ally’s barbecue which took the top points. Nathan awarded him nine points, putting him in the lead with a total of 24. Angela was given eight points, putting her in third place with 22 points in total. Michael took six points, putting him in second place with 23 in total.

With the scores so close it’s set to be a critical cook off. Who’ll be feeling sweet when the dessert scores are called?

There was dessert delight and disaster in the Great British Menu kitchen as the Scottish contestants served their last ace for the chance to cook for the judges.

It’s been a challenging week for the Great British Menu 2017 Scottish contestants, with a mixed bag of scores and cutting reviews from competition veteran and four Michelin-starred chef, Nathan Outlaw. Last night’s dessert round was the last chance for Michael Bremner, of 64 Degrees, Ally McGrath, of Osso, and private chef, Angela Malik, to whip up top scoring dishes with a ‘taste of summer’ for the chance to cook at the Wimbledon banquet.

First to plate up was Michael, who slipped into second place after a disappointing main course. He cooked a dessert in honour of Scottish Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and inspired by the many bananas which tennis players eat during the tournament. Bananas About Murray contained yoghurt sponge, passionfruit curd, poached banana, pecan and maple tuile, yoghurt sorbet and yoghurt-sugar crisp.

Nathan and the chefs appreciated Michael’s presentation. And while Angela thought the sponge was a little too dense, they liked the flavours including poached banana with a hint of rum.

>>> Get the recipe for Michael Bremner's Bananas About Murray dessert here

Next to the pass was Ally, who had a tough night. His offering, If Summer Ever Comes To Scotland, was a representation of Scottish hedgerows and summer rain. Unfortunately it didn’t quite turn out as he’d planned: his dehydrated berries were over-cooked and he didn’t serve them.

Nathan noticed the missing component and wasn’t impressed with the presentation. The chefs did, however, enjoy the flavours of lavender yoghurt, meadowsweet gel, wheatgrass sorbet, crumbled shortbread and candyfloss.

Last to the pass was Angela, who started the evening in third place. Her technical dessert, The Championship Final, consisted of frozen tennis balls made up of three layers, including mango and white chocolate. These were sprayed green to look like tennis balls, served on crushed pistachio base alongside chilli shortbread. She accompanied this with a cocktail of champagne with mango and black cardamom alongside the dish.

After wondering why the tennis ball was green and not yellow, the chefs decided they liked the “brave” dessert. Unfortunately for Angela, she forgot the gold netting component and Nathan noticed.

Nathan proved to be impressed by Michael’s banana creation and gave him 10 points, bringing his total up to 33 and sending him through to tonight’s regional final. Ally was given seven points, despite the dehydration disaster, bringing his total up to 31 and also sending him through to cook for the judges. 

Angela received six points for her pudding which Nathan said was “a little too gimmicky” for him and she left the competition. She was pleased with her performance, however, and Nathan said she lost out to “a couple of great chefs”.

After a really tough week, the regional final looks set to be a photo finish.

For the Scottish final, returning chefs Michael Bremner and Ally McGrath were hoping to impress the judging panel with their four-course menus, inspired by Wimbledon and the tastes of summer.

There was only two points difference in their scores from veteran judge Nathan Outlaw. Joining Andi Oliver, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton, was Wimbledon’s executive chef, Gary Parsons. Gary was looking for “some classic ingredients of the British larder, modernised for the Championships”.

Ally was first to the pass with his starter Halycon Days, with variations of beetroot and a dill seed ricotta, which failed to set earlier in the week. The heat was on as Ally prepared his dish and he didn’t seem too happy with the ricotta as it was sent for service. The judges, however, really liked the creaminess of the ricotta and called it a “beautiful, summery dish”.

Next up was Michael’s vegan starter, Summer Cup Ceviche with Wimble-Gin 22. Inspired by the 22 players who took part in the first Wimbledon, Michael’s ambitious dish was a mix of powerful flavours including star anise, lime and fermented scotch bonnet chilli sauce. Oliver Peyton said that there were “19 ingredients too many in there” and other judges were not keen on the combination of onion and watermelon.

Ally’s fish course, Messing About In The River, was inspired by playing in rock pools as a child. His dish was supposed to resemble the river and featured sea trout cooked two ways. Veteran judge Nathan Outlaw said that Ally’s portion of sea trout was too small so he decided to up the quantities. The judges were not overly impressed with the appearance of the dish, calling it "sludgy". They also disagreed on the tastes of the dish, and decided that it was not "banquet-worthy".

Michael’s fish course, Traditions of White, was inspired by the Wimbledon dress code. Nathan Outlaw scored it a nine earlier in the week but thought that the potato tuile wasn’t crispy enough. The judges liked the tuile and Matthew Fort said that the turbot was “perfectly cooked”.

For the main course, Michael was serving ox tongue, with grass-infused potatoes and jus filled ravioli. The judges’ eyes lit up as they broke into the ravioli and they were impressed to see how Michael had made a ‘heavy’ meat seem light in the dish.

Ally’s chicken main course, Cooking on Coals had a table top barbeque with partially dehydrated potatoes underneath, made to resemble coals. The judges thought the presentation was interesting but didn’t think the chicken was refined enough for the Banquet.

Michael was first to plate up his dessert, Bananas About Murray, with bananas being a favourite of most players at Wimbledon. Combining rum-poached bananas with yoghurt sponge and passionfruit curd, Nathan Outlaw had awarded the dish a ten the day before and Michael was hoping for more of the same from the panel. Andi Oliver said that the sponge “tastes a lot better than it looks” but the judges weren’t impressed overall.

Ally’s dessert had a medley of summer fruits and this time, he remembered to include his roasted and dehydrated blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Decorated with borage flowers, the judges thought that Ally’s dessert looked very summery but didn’t think that the dish showed enough skill.

In the end, it was Michael Bremner who was awarded a place in the finals for another year. The judges particularly liked his main course, The Grass Is Greener, with all four of them awarding the chef a perfect ten. Michael was shocked!

By Monica Turnbull
Twitter: @Monica_Turnbull

>>> Read more about Great British Menu 2017 here