It’s hard to recall a more expressive week in the competition. From his own restaurant in Bath, newcomer Gordon Jones takes the kitchen by storm, fizzing about with infectious enthusiasm for his ingredients. His menu is shamelessly spontaneous but it’s his wonderful facial expressions that make him so watchable; switching from classic silent movie ‘surprise’ to full Frank Spencer in seconds.
Veteran chef Richard Corrigan gives Gordon a run for his money as he guides (and gloriously gurns) throughout the week. Richard takes a more direct approach than other judges – saying up front if he likes or dislikes something and offering a little heartfelt encouragement to a struggling chef. Of course Richard, like all veterans, is contractually obliged to ask unnervingly loaded questions like ‘does the pineapple work for you?’ I long for someone to reply ‘no, it’s self-employed’.
Award-winning chef Lorna McNee returns from Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, the only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars. Lorna has an impenetrable look of determination that says she will express vicariously through her food.
Gutted to miss out on the judging chamber for a second time is Ben Reade, owner of the Edinburgh Food Studio. Ben did the full Goldilocks thing of serving a dish that was far too salty, one not salty enough, then one that was just right. Sadly, by the time he’d delivered a high-scoring pudding someone else had nicked his happy ending.
Talking of porridge, Gordon starts with the brilliantly named ‘Fleetwood Mackerel’. Onto paper-thin discs of radish, he spoons porridge oats cooked with lovage, shallots, garlic and chicken stock and adds diced cucumber, lime mayonnaise, celery and raspberries marinated in cloudberry liquor. His mackerel is cured in salt, lime and cardamom, then torched. A crispy shard of linseed biscuit tops the dish, along with a garnish of chervil and fennel fronds. Ooh, and then a last minute drizzle of curry oil. Impromptu and Gordon are very good friends.