Great British Menu

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster, in celebration of everyday great Britons honoured by the Queen. In this episode, three top chefs from Scotland are out to impress this week's veteran judge and be crowned Scottish champion. Adam Handling, the youngest competitor, has already won a number of industry awards and is full of confidence. His starter sets out to take the diner on a tour of the UK's best producers. He is up against Aberdeen-born Michael Bremner, who now runs a restaurant in Brighton. Michael is hoping to impress with contemporary ingredients including birch sap and douglas fir oil. Ally McGrath, the only chef who is cooking in Scotland, is celebrating his nation's finest produce and making his very own version of haggis.

Creative culinary competition. Three newcomers to the competition create their fish dishes in a bid to be crowned Scottish champion. The standard is so high that the veteran judge is moved to tears. The youngest competitor, Adam Handling, is celebrating the very best of British seafood and is promising a dramatic presentation at the pass. Michael Bremner, known for being inventive, is pushing boundaries with his mackerel dish. He is using some innovative techniques which honour one of Scotland's leading fishermen. And Ally McGrath is setting out to create the best of British, using Scottish salmon, although he confesses the fish is not his favourite.

Creative culinary competition. Three of Scotland's finest chefs are competing to be crowned champion. All week, Ally McGrath has been keeping the veteran judge entertained with his very individual approach. His main course is called the backbone of Britain - a hearty dish for all those hardworking great Britons. The highly competitive Adam Handling has been showcasing the finest produce grown and caught in and around the UK in his menu. His main course is no exception - he is creating a modern take on a Sunday lunch by using premium grade wagyu beef and combining it with langoustine and Asian flavours. It is an unusual combination that has got the veteran's interest. Once again, Michael Bremner is out to show how inventive he can be. He is cooking mallard with his version of the famous Scottish dish of stovies. He is also being innovative by using beeswax with blackberries, but will it pay off?

Creative culinary competition. Three chefs from Scotland are fighting to be crowned champion. Today, one chef will go home and the veteran judge finds himself with a very difficult decision to make. Inventive chef Michael Bremner is recreating the Scottish deserts of his childhood inspired by a local hero honoured by the Queen. Adam Handling is sticking with his trademark Asian flavours to create a modern take on a lemon meringue pie. And Ally McGrath is tempering chocolate for the very first time - it is a rollercoaster dessert course for all three chefs and there are some explosions in the kitchen.

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster, in celebration of everyday great Britons honoured by the Queen. It is the head to head. Scotland's two highest scoring chefs are cooking for judges Oliver Peyton, Prue Leith and Matthew Fort for the very first time. Both chefs have decided to make changes to some of their dishes, taking on board criticisms made during the week by the veteran judge. It's a risk but will it pay off? The three judges are joined this week by guest judge, award-winning food writer Tim Hayward. Together the panel are impressed by some of the finest modern cooking they have ever seen, but there are also some disappointments along the way for chefs and judges.

Josh Eggleton made the national finals last year where his starter was shortlisted for the banquet - but will he triumph in today's starter challenge?

The pressure is on as the three chefs from the South West - a region renowned for its seafood - tackle the fish course and are scored by a surprise second judge.

The chefs are out to impress with some challenging and theatrical main courses, including ox heart, sweetbreads and an Asian take on the classic cottage pie.

It's show time for the dessert round, with some musical themed dishes, a vegetable ice cream and a new take on Eton Mess. Which two chefs will win a place in tomorrow's regional final?

The judges are highly entertained when an usual dish arrives in the chamber, but which chef has done enough to clinch the South West region and progress to the national finals? The panel are joined by guest judge, journalist and restaurant critic, Grace Dent.

Competition is tough for the starter round, with some unusual flavour combinations including luxurious king crab, classic liver and bacon and a selection of Indian and East African delicacies.

Reigning North West champion Matt Worswick's fish course was shortlisted for the banquet in last year's National Finals - but will his challengers rise to the occasion this year?

Today's main course round sees all competitors come out fighting. Dishes include coronation chicken, beef with beef tea and a culinary tribute to honoured police officers.

The dessert round includes challenging spun sugar work, a reimagined Peach Melba and a red poppy jelly inspired by the Yeoman warders at the Tower of London.

Joining the judges for the Regional Final is guest judge Lady Claire MacDonald OBE, who has published 18 cook books over a 40 year career.

Today's starters include an Indian love affair, a modern version of the Welsh stew Cawl, and a cauliflower cheese.

Fish is one of the veteran judge's specialities, so the pressure is on as the chefs serve up cockles, a revamped prawn cocktail and a modern take on a boil in the bag fish supper.

For their main courses the chefs showcase wild boar on a spit, a traditional roast combining strong Japanese flavours, and an "OBE" - a refined take on onions, bacon and egg.

Earl Grey panna cotta, a "Cup of Tea for Ma'am" and a highly stylised Eton Mess - three desserts, but only two chefs can go through to tomorrow's Regional Final.

It's the Welsh Regional Final and one chef decides to make a dramatic change to his menu - but will the gamble pay off?

There's panic for one chef when the veteran judge reveals they don't like his choice of garnish. Will Coronation Chicken, grey-legged partridge or oxtail win the day?

Today the chefs are using some of the UK's best seafood: salmon, Cornish crab and lobster are served, along with an unusual cheese custard and a risotto made without rice.

British beef competes with two venison dishes, including one sourced from the Queen's Balmoral estate, served with what is claimed to be a favourite Royal tipple

A machine usually found in the fairground comes into play for one chef, as all three push themselves to create staggeringly complex and imaginative desserts in a bid to make it through to tomorrow's regional final.

The guest judge for this week's regional final is Enam Ali MBE, a food entrepreneur who set up the British Curry Awards.

This week's starters include a refined and contemporary version of Bubble and Squeak; an unusual combination of haddock, sausage meat and scallops; and an historic recipe for rook pie.

An ambitious fish course with seven key elements, including lobster with jerk spices, celebrates the diversity of one chef's beloved home town of London.

Today the chefs' brief is to prepare a main course fit for an historic banquet in the Houses of Parliament, as they fight to get to the top of the leader board.

Competing for a place on Friday's judging table are a complex pudding, a challenging take on afternoon tea, and a dessert using the delicate fragrant flavours and spices from the Commonwealth Island of Grenada.

Standards are high for the head to head, with the regular panel of judges joined by guest judge Kevin Gould, an award-winning food writer who has also been a chef, a grocer and a restaurateur.

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster. Mini Patel is back for a second attempt at the north east regional title but he is competing against two young newcomers - Tommy Banks and Chris Archer. Last year, Mini went home after the dessert course, so he is hoping to keep better control of his nerves this year. Tommy Banks is 26, a self- taught chef who already has a Michelin star. He grew up on a farm in north Yorkshire and has brought many of his homegrown ingredients with him, including one the veteran judge confesses to hating. Chris Archer is another competitive young chef who is creating an entirely gold dish - hoping for a gold-star score as well.

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster. It is the fish course and two chefs, Tommy and Mini, have very similar ingredients - both are cooking mackerel. But Mini is trying an original beetroot sorbet while Tommy is using wild woodruff and oyster leaf from his own garden. Chris Archer has chosen the king of the sea, turbot, but there is controversy in the kitchen when he reveals he is discarding a precious oyster! The veteran judge is not impressed... And there is laughter when Mini tries a wholly original way of shaping his beetroot sorbet - the chefs are glad they don't have to do his laundry. The beauty of Tommy's presentation wows his competitors as he creates woodruff dew drops. Finally, when it comes to the judging, one chef struggles to contain his emotions - he can't believe what he is hearing.

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster. It is the main course of the north east region and overnight there has been a dramatic development. It is a tough and emotional day for the chefs as they react to the news but they battle on in a bid to present a perfect dish with venison and wagyu-angus beef - the meat of the day. The veteran judge is seeking perfection and gives one chef the jitters after hearing he is planning to make venison buns using caul fat which can go stringy if not cooked correctly. But the crucial thing for the chefs is that the meat is cooked correctly and there is bad news for one competitor.

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster. It is a highly emotional day for one of the chefs as he prepares a dish which is inspired by and a tribute to his own great Briton, his late grandfather. But all is not going to plan and the chef ends up making one key element three times in a bid to achieve perfection. On the other side of the kitchen, another chef is also challenging himself, attempting to make a meringue mountain with some unusual smoke effects. The battle is on to get the first ten of the week from the veteran judge.

Creative culinary competition. The nation's top chefs are competing for the ultimate prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster. Today, the two chefs are cooking for judges Matthew Fort, Prue Leith and Oliver Peyton for the very first time. Joining them as guest judge is John Williams MBE, the executive head chef at The Ritz, the only hotel to hold a royal warrant for banqueting. For one of the chefs, the chance to cook for John is a lifetime's ambition - he was one of his first culinary idols. It is a tough contest - both chefs excel with different courses and the judges must decide who should be north east champion.

This week, three top chefs from Northern Ireland are competing for a place in the national finals. After 20 years working at top restaurants in London, Chris McGowan has just opened his first solo venture - Wine & Brine in County Armagh. It is Chris's third time in GBM. He has made it to the national finals once but this time only the banquet will do. However, he is facing tough competition from Mark Abbott, head chef at Daniel Clifford's two Michelin-star restaurant, Midsummer House in Cambridge, and also from Eddie Attwell, who has just completed a year as head chef at Ardtara Country House in Upperlands.

There are some varied and exciting starters as the chefs get creative with pigs heads, potatoes and re-inventing the classic ploughman's. And there is real shock and emotion as the veteran chef delivers his scores - he is stunned by the quality of the cooking.

Today the atmosphere in the kitchen gets even more competitive as the three chefs from Northern Ireland dish cook their fish courses.

Mark Abbott is pushing himself again, plating up a complex fish course of the very finest produce. He is calling it shellsational but at the last minute he forgets a key element. Returning chef Chris McGowan is refining cod and chips and Eddie Attwell is getting classical with the king of the sea turbot.

The repartee is relentless as the chefs jostle for top place on the leader board. Once again there is plenty of emotion as the veteran chef delivers the scores.

It is the main course and returning chef Chris McGowan is feeling confident but part of his dish involves making his own venison sausages to serve with a venison rack, and getting it all done in time is straining his emotions. Chris is not the only one cooking venison - Eddie Attwell is also serving the meat but with a traditional Northern Irish dish called dock pudding. Mark Abbott is pushing himself again. He is using wagyu beef and serving it with tongue and corn cooked in a variety of ways.

Once again, the veteran chef is delighted. There are top scores and plenty of emotion but also disappointment from one chef.

The three chefs from Northern Ireland are cooking their desserts and one chef is on course for an historic score. He could beat his boss - a veteran of GBM - and achieve more marks than anyone has done throughout the history of the competition. But it is a hot kitchen and the chefs are tempering chocolate and working with sugar. One chef is heading for disaster after his cream splits and he loses valuable time.

There is so much at stake, but the chefs have to pull off a perfect dessert dish if they are going to win a chance to cook for the judges.

Today is the head to head. The two highest scoring chefs from Northern Ireland are cooking for judges Oliver Peyton, Prue Leith and Matthew Fort, who are joined by guest judge, restaurant critic and editor-at-large of the Independent, Amol Rajan.

From the starter onwards, the judges are impressed by the exceptional cooking. The scores are close and the judges are devastated that they can only send one of the chefs through to the national finals.

It is day one of the national finals. Before cooking starts, the eight champions are called to London's Southbank to get a sight of the prize - the chance to cook at a banquet held at the Palace of Westminster, in celebration of everyday great Britons honoured by the Queen. It has a huge impact on every one of the chefs, and each is determined to do all he can to get a dish to the banquet.

There are some shocks and surprises as the chefs' opinions differ from the judges, and one chef struggles to contain his emotions as the judges deliver the result.

It is day two of the national finals, and the eight champions must cook their fish courses. Two chefs have reason to be confident after scoring tens from every judge in the heats. Can they deliver a perfect dish second time round?

After disappointing scores in the regional heats, another couple of the chefs have opted to change their dish radically. It is a gamble, preparing an untested dish for the first time in the finals.

Judges Matthew Fort, Prue Leith and Oliver Peyton are joined by award-winning food writer Tim Hayward who previously judged the Scotland heat. Once again, opinions are divided, and it is a surprise to see which two chefs end up at the bottom of the leaderboard.

It is day three at the national finals and time for the main course, the one course every chef wants to cook at the banquet. Judging the chefs' dishes are Matthew Fort, Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton and guest judge John Williams MBE, executive chef of the Ritz.

It is a nerve-wracking day for three of the eight regional champions who have decided to cook new and untested dishes, and a fourth chef is turning what was his starter into his main course.

The day ends in crushing disappointment for one chef - after misjudging his timings, he ruins what could be a winning main course - but there is cause to celebrate for others.

It is up to the judges to decide who has done enough to get a dish to the banquet.

The competition is more intense than ever, with the chefs dishing up some original, creative and technically difficult desserts.

The superlatives are flying in the chamber as the judges are impressed again and again. The chefs are not making it easy for the judges to decide on the final banquet menu.

Great British Menu's winning chefs arrive at the Palace of Westminster to cook for the banquet of great Britons.

The chefs have been selected because their dishes showcase contemporary British cuisine and demonstrate the transformation in British food during the Queen's historic reign.

Welcoming them is banquet host Lindsay Hoyle MP, deputy speaker of the House of Commons. The chefs are overawed by the grandeur of the Houses of Parliament. It is their first time here and the first time they have seen the kitchens, but as they discover, their prep time is limited - the Houses of Parliament kitchens are a busy machine.

The banquet guests include individuals from across the UK who have been honoured for their work for charity, for their community, or for their country.

They include military hero Johnson Beharry VC, headteacher Kamal Hanif OBE, charity fundraiser Lynne McNicoll OBE, Anna Kennedy, honoured for her work for children with autism, 18-year-old Louise Greer, who campaigns for riding for the disabled, RNLI volunteers, food producers and women such as Justice Williams and Zoe Jackson who have received honours for their work with young people.

Also present are guest judges Grace Dent, Kevin Gould and Enam Ali and veteran chef judges Michael O'Hare, Lisa Allen, Daniel Clifford and Simon Rogan.

As the banquet is served, the chefs show just why they are amongst the best in the country, pulling off four stunning courses that leave the guests overwhelmed and delighted.