Is it just me or was the South West week one of the best weeks of Great British Menu? The three competitors - Simon Hulstone, Paul Ainsworth and Nathan Outlaw - represented a phenomenal trio of chefs, all with strong personalities and incredible skill. But each chef is decidedly different and it was impossible to predict whose style would make its way to the judge's chamber. And with all three chefs being part of the Great British Chefs website, we couldn't help but cheer them all on.

But come Thursday night, judge Tom Kerridge had spoken, and competitive newcomer Simon Hulstone (despite an amazing dessert) took a bow, leaving Paul and Nathan to battle it out under the careful judging of Prue Leith, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton.

There was no confusing whose dish was whose, with Nathan standing out for his classic dishes made with local ingredients, whereas Paul used specially commissioned serving platters to create theatre and playful presentations.

Nathan was first up with his starter of hog's pudding with seaweed, potato terrine and mushroom ketchup: his take on a hearty Olympic breakfast. All of the judges were quick to criticise its appearance: "it's a bit beige," said Matthew. But the flavour combination was a "beautiful piece of thinking" according to Oliver. Prue agreed: "Composition is perfect...it just looks awful."

Paul's 'Breakfast of Champions' brought more breakfast fare, this time pork belly with hash browns and an innovative black pudding pan au chocolat. "The high point is the bacon...cured to perfection," said Oliver. Prue praised the poached egg with potato crust: "this is just wonderful." But Matthew was unconvinced by the serving of breakfast as an Olympic starter: "I want them not to have breakfast; I want them to have something they've never eaten before."

Moving on to the fish course, Nathan - a two Michelin starred seafood chef - was feeling pretty confident with his mackerel and mackerel belly roll served with an oyster, horseradish and cucumber sauce, which scored a 9 during the heats. The judges weren't convinced. Oliver called it "poncified fish" with "no personality": "I'm looking for rock n' roll". Matthew Fort agreed that the "mackerel needs a more powerful hit to stand up to the sauce."

Paul's Monkfish 'Two Showings' seemed to fair better, with all of the judges enjoying his nose-to-tail monkfish served on an inventive two-tiered Colosseum-shaped platter. All of the judges enjoyed the top tier: "the curry deep fried monkfish is quite amazing," said Oliver. But the second tier - monkfish liver on toast - ended things on a bitter note, with Prue visibly cringing at the taste: "too powerful for me."

For the main course, it was Paul's turn to feel confident - his 'Wishful Chicken' chicken Kyiv scored a perfect 10 during the heats. And here the judges mostly agreed, with Oliver calling it a "triumph". But there was some debate over whether the elements worked together, with Matthew once again criticising its "beigeness".

It was left to Nathan's modern day surf n' turf of duck, barbecue monkfish, rosemary, samphire and asparagus to steal the show. And steal it did. All of the chefs loved the barbecue sauce, but it was the whole combination that made this outstanding. "We've never had meat and fish together and I love the way the various elements are knitted," said Matthew, "when they come together they make something even better and that's where the true genius lies." Prue agreed: this was "gold medal winning stuff."