Great British Menu 2021 episode 5 – Scotland Main and Dessert: The three chefs are halfway through their heat, and the pressure is mounting. Each one wants to represent Scotland at a banquet celebrating British invention and innovation. For mains, one chef honours Logie Baird’s invention of television with a very upmarket take on a TV dinner, and another celebrates Scotland’s successful cloning of Dolly the Sheep.
A third chef cooks an ambitious, multi-layered pie of beef and chicken with a beef consomme, in homage to the Scottish inventions of Bovril and the hip flask. But whose inventions in the kitchen will veteran judge Tom Brown score highest?
Next, presenter Andi Oliver asks the chefs to prepare a pre-dessert or palate cleanser. Veteran judge Tom must blind taste and rank them as they will be used in the event of a tie to decide who goes home. There is a yogurt and berry sorbet coloured to look like a child’s toy, and a celebration of Scotland’s invention of the first commercial marmalade among the mini dishes to choose from.
After a surprise turn in fortunes on the first test of pudding skills, it is on to desserts, often laced with alcohol flavourings. One chef is celebrating a modern-day hero of the Scottish brewery industry with a chocolate and whiskey dessert, while another is celebrating Alexander Fleming’s invention of penicillin with a cocktail and ginger cake shaped as individual giant pills. But which chef will prove they have the winning formula to get the top marks? And who will go home?
Only two will proceed to Friday’s judging and have a chance to represent Scotland at the regional finals.
Great British Menu 2021 episode 5 – Scotland Main and Dessert
Along with Masterchef, Great British Menu is a cooking show that has been running so long it is basically a national institution by now. However, even after all these years, Great British Menu manages to keep fresh with new ingredients for season 16 – former judge Andi Oliver is now presenter, with cook, writer and broadcaster Rachel Khoo taking her place on the judging panel.
It’s a very formidable line-up – so can the chefs impress with a menu based on innovation to celebrate thirty years of the world wide web?
Oliver Peyton
Oliver Peyton is a renowned restauranteur and founder of cafe and restaurant service Peyton and Byrne, and was awarded an honourary OBE in 2012. He has been a judge on Great British Menu since it began all the way back in 2006, and has released two cookbooks: The National Cookbook: Recipes from the National Dining Rooms at the National Gallery and British Baking.
Matthew Fort – Great British Menu 2021 episode 1
Food writer and critic Matthew Fort was the Food and Drink Editor of The Guardian for over ten years, and has also written for Esquire, The Observer, Country Living, Decanter, and Waitrose Food Illustrated. He has also written several books on gastronomy, and been awarded Glenfiddich Food Writer of the Year, Glenfiddich Restaurant Writer of the Year, and The Restaurateurs Association Food Writer of the Year.
Fort has also presented TV shows such as UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen, and has been a judge on Great British Menu since the show’s beginning.
Rachel Khoo – Great British Menu 2021 episode 1
Rachel Khoo’s breakthrough came through the BBC series The Little Paris Kitchen, which along with the cookbook of the same name brought critical and commercial acclaim. She has since released six bestselling cookbooks and toured the world making cookery shows for the BBC, Food Network UK, and other international broadcasters.
This will be her first year as a judge on Great British Menu, taking over from Andi Oliver who is now host.
