In TV parlance, ‘the competition moves north of the border’, though in reality for geographical convenience our fresh-faced trio of Scottish chefs have probably been dragged to a central London location. Bless them for being so accommodating.
Joining Andi, Matthew and Oliver in the judging chamber this week is GP and media personality, Dr Sara Kayat. I think that means ‘I’m a working doctor… but I’m potentially available for Strictly’.
Award-winning chef Lorna McNee kicks things off with a luxurious starter called ‘Celebrating the Best with the Best’. Flaked Scottish crab, apple and caviar are layered over fennel mousse and dashi jelly with a sharp yuzu vinaigrette. The dish is neatly housed in a caviar tin accompanied by seaweed and potato crackers. It looks like the ideal banquet dish but the judges think the layers aren’t defined enough and Andi pithily dismisses it as ‘like a trifle gone wrong’.
Formerly from Corrigan’s of Mayfair, Ross Bryans serves up his starter of a traditional bone broth with pickled turnips and a Scottish oat dumpling called a skirlie. Matthew immediately seizes the baton of bitchiness and calls it ‘the culinary equivalent of a cardigan’.