This week it is the heats for the south west. Battling it out for a spot on the banquet menu are three new chefs to the competition who are at the cutting edge of the food scene in the region.
Emily Scott is the chef proprietor of Cornwall’s renowned St Tudy Inn, a firm believer in fuss free and paired back food. Her two rivals are from across the sea on Jersey. Joe Baker is largely self-taught, but at just 28 is already running his own restaurant, No 10, in St Helier. A neighbouring restaurant is Michelin-starred Samphire, where Lee Smith is head chef. Classically trained, Lee has worked his way through the ranks of restaurants including Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons.
Today they cook their musically-inspired starters and fish courses for a surprise Great British Menu veteran.
For the starters Joe goes out on a limb with his Beatles-inspired dish My Octopus’s Garden – an unorthodox pairing of seafood and cheese. Lee’s dish Beets of the Sixties is devoted to the colourful music of the 1960s. It is a risky move as it involves creating a pesto he can’t taste prior to plating because of his nut allergy, leaving the final flavour balance a guessing game. Meanwhile, Emily creates a salad inspired by David Bowie, called I Don’t Know Where I’m Going From Here But I Promise It won’t Be Boring. But could her relatively simple salad be just that?
For the fish course Lee creates a dish called A Whiter Shade of Pale, featuring turbot and the humble turnip which he cooks in a variety of ways. Joe celebrates the golden era of pirate radio with a dish called Off the Record, that pairs steamed cod with an oyster and squid ink sauce. Emily is also inspired by radio (Desert Island Discs) to create her dish called Half Shell Heroes, featuring scallops.
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