‘Banquet worthy’ – a phrase once appearing so regularly on GBM, it was part of its DNA. Then it seemed to fall out of fashion and favour. However, quite unexpectedly, it made several returns this week. Veteran chef Tom Aikens said it first. Sadly, it wasn’t specifically about any of the dishes served up by the North West’s newest batch of fresh-faced chefs. Instead, Tom used it as a benchmark… which, judging by his meagre marking, nobody quite managed to meet.
Andi Oliver described Tom as ‘known to reduce hardened chefs to jelly’, which essentially meant he had to prudently avoid any obvious signs of enjoyment and carefully check himself if he felt a smile coming on.
Tom quickly despatched two cheerful chefs – the ebullient Ashwani Rangta from GupShup in Hale and chirpy Dave Critchley from Liverpool’s Lu Ban, leaving judges Oliver, Rachel and Matthew to ‘blind taste’ the other two’s menus. Except, for once, there’s little mystery as to who cooked what. Vegan chef Kirk Haworth from Plates in London is serving a purely plant-based menu. Anything with meat, fish or dairy is undoubtedly from Dan McGeorge of Rothay Manor in the Lake District.
As an appetiser, Dan serves venison tartare with barbecued beetroot and charcoal emulsion. He offers extra beetroot for vegetarian guest judge, Wayne Hemingway. The dynamic designer swiftly discloses a dislike for beetroot but he’s willing to give it a try. He’s not impressed, and the other judges agree the smokiness is ‘overpowering’. Kirk’s canape combines crispy potato and leek, pickled grape, spirulina and a dusting of cashew ‘blue cheese’. It fares better, despite Wayne’s complaint that ‘it’s all over the blooming table… and my jacket’.