Great British Menu 2026 episode 26

Great British Menu 2026 episode 26 delivered one of the most closely contested fish courses in the series’ recent history, with eight finalists fighting for a single place at the banquet celebrating British film and its makers. The judging panel, made up of Tom Kerridge, Lorna McNee and Phil Wang, was joined by Hollywood actor and producer Will Poulter, whose turn as a fine dining chef in the television drama The Bear had taken him through genuine professional kitchen training. What unfolded across the day was a rare contest in which every finalist produced fish cooked to a high standard, leaving the judges with the task of splitting hairs over concept, balance and banquet suitability.

The episode arrived at a pivotal point in the finals week. Orry had already secured the starter course the day before, which meant his place at the banquet was guaranteed and the pressure lifted marginally from his shoulders. For the other seven finalists, however, the fish course represented a fresh opportunity, and for some, a final shot at redemption after underwhelming heats. The cooking was shaped throughout by the central brief, which was to celebrate British movies and movie makers, and the food produced under this theme ranged from Dracula’s Whitby connections to Gandalf’s iconic bridge scene, from Mad Max to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

This account of Great British Menu 2026 episode 26 will move through the kitchen prep, the individual dishes in the order they were served, the critical reception of each plate, and the final scoring that produced a one-point margin between first and second. Along the way, it will examine the personalities driving each plate, the technical choices the chefs made in response to earlier feedback, and the judging calculus that ultimately determined who would cook at the banquet.

The cooking began at first light, with host Andi Oliver reminding the finalists that the stakes could not be higher. Each finalist spoke briefly about their ambitions. Corrin, representing Wales, declared himself tired of finishing third and determined to secure his first banquet dish. Jamie, who had scored highly in the heats with two eights and a nine, admitted he was eyeing not just the fish course but the main and dessert as well. Nikita arrived aware that her halibut dish had previously impressed her mentor Spencer with a perfect ten but had under-delivered in the judges’ chamber. Lawrence, who had been bottom of the pack in the heats, carried the heaviest burden of all.

Will Poulter’s arrival in the kitchen generated a quiet hush among the chefs. His journey into acting began with a public casting at his school for the film Son of Rambow, a project about two boys making their own movie over the summer holidays. His subsequent work in The Maze Runner, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Bear gave him a particular angle on the day’s cooking, because his role as a fine dining chef required him to stage at St John in London and study pastry sections up close.

That experience, he explained, made him appreciate kitchens as families in themselves and helped him understand why food had always felt central to his most memorable experiences. His presence added a thoughtful, curious voice to the judging table alongside the three regulars.

Before the finalists’ first plates began arriving, Tom Kerridge set the tone by remarking that the morning offered some genuinely exceptional dishes, while Lorna McNee described the early service as “half spectacular, half very much improved.” Phil Wang brought his customary wit, observing that the pressure today was about finding the dish with the most magic, and recognising that three or four plates were separated only by the narrowest of margins. The atmosphere in the kitchen tightened accordingly.

Great British Menu 2026 episode 26

Jamie’s Blood Lust and the Opening Of Great British Menu 2026 episode 26

Jamie served first, presenting a Dracula-inspired plate called Blood Lust, a dish celebrating the novel’s connection to Whitby in Yorkshire. The plate featured barbecued monkfish with a paste of black garlic, barbecued pickled rose petals, compressed pickled white beetroots, and a pig’s blood sauce, alongside a blood-curdling drink of beetroot juice, grape juice and water. Having scored two eights and a nine in the heats, Jamie chose not to change the dish, trusting that his previous strong result indicated the recipe worked.

The main technical challenge, Jamie confirmed, lay in the sauce. Bringing it down to the correct reduction and then whisking in the blood at the final moment was delicate work, with the risk that pushing it too far would curdle the finished product. His focus throughout service was ensuring that the sauce achieved a chocolatey richness without splitting. Additionally, he crafted delicate roses from compressed beetroot and topped a black garlic paste with barbecued and pickled rose petals, finishing with a quick-cooked piece of monkfish straight off the barbecue.

At the judging table, reception was strongly positive but not unanimous. Phil Wang opened with praise for the sauce, calling it a strong start, while Tom Kerridge noted the punchy flavours and the excellent crust on the fish. Lorna McNee felt the rose element perfumed everything well, although she found the overall seasoning slightly high. Will Poulter observed that the dish felt cinematic in its presentation, echoing the Dracula source material, and Tom agreed that the concept was ambitious. However, Tom worried that using blood for a sauce might split opinion at the banquet itself, a reservation that nibbled at the dish’s otherwise strong performance in Great British Menu 2026 episode 26.

Josh’s Lobster Nativity and Corrin’s Secret Garden

Josh served second, presenting his lobster dish with major changes since the heats. He eliminated the pumpkin that had featured before and replaced it with a cauliflower puree, keeping the tempura lobster and vanilla sauce as the core components. The presentation included a nativity scene reference that tied the dish to its inspiration.

The judges’ response to Josh’s cooking was markedly improved on the previous outing. Phil Wang praised the way the vanilla and dulse worked together, while Tom Kerridge noted that the lobster was more tender and the tempura piece was fantastic. Lorna McNee admired the cauliflower puree, calling it silky and well-seasoned, although she remained unconvinced by the vanilla sauce itself. Will Poulter offered a memorable note that he could happily eat a whole basket of the tempura lobster bites, a playful endorsement that led to one of the day’s running jokes about cribs and bassinets of tempura. Tom summed up the improvement neatly, affirming the dish was a marked improvement on the heats.

Corrin’s Secret Garden arrived next and shifted the energy of the room. The dish, inspired by the film that shares its name and referencing scenes filmed at Conway Botanical Gardens, consisted of a poppy-seed croustade filled with broccoli puree and cured trout belly, a chawanmushi topped with cured trout bottom loin and champagne veloute, and top loin of trout in a champagne and brown butter sabayon. Corrin had removed the pickled elderflower element Lorna queried in the heats, replacing the acidity with finger lime inside the croustade.

The judges’ response was immediate and unequivocal. Lorna McNee described the cook on the fish as stunning, with the brown butter champagne sabayon being outstanding. Phil Wang praised how immersive the dish felt, like good storytelling, and remarked that the chawanmushi and veloute next to each other shouldn’t work texturally but did.

Tom Kerridge went further, declaring the dish undeniably delicious with perfect fish cookery. Will Poulter called the melt-in-mouth trout spectacular and said he had never experienced fish quite like it. Lorna said the dish made her feel happy and declared it her favourite of the three so far, with Phil agreeing without hesitation. This performance in Great British Menu 2026 episode 26 would prove central to the day’s outcome.

Lawrence’s Redemption Attempt In Great British Menu 2026 episode 26

Lawrence faced the steepest uphill climb. His fish dish had scored lowest in the heats, with a three from Phil and fours from both Lorna and Tom, and his work today was about rebuilding from that catastrophe. The dish, called Under The Sea, celebrated Northern Irish costume designers and their work in the movie industry. It featured aged wild plaice fillet stuffed with scallop mousse, butternut squash puree, a scallop skirt beurre blanc, fermented kohlrabi, linseed tuile, caviar, micro herbs and succulents, with a mannequin dressed in a hand-sewn kohlrabi frock as part of the presentation.

He made several key changes. The scalloped skirt veloute had been too thick for Phil’s taste, so Lawrence replaced it with a thinner beurre blanc. He used linseed in the tuile instead of flax seed, and crucially, he worked harder on the brine to avoid the saltiness that had plagued his earlier plate. The last time he served it, the mousse had split and released what he described as a “spooky liquid” when cut open, which was not intentional. Today, he was remaking the trout belly mousse for Tom (who has a shellfish allergy) with extra care, worried that the first batch looked volatile.

The judges acknowledged the improvement but remained divided. Lorna felt there was too much going on, while Will Poulter conceded the flavours did not wow him. Tom Kerridge praised the delicate balance and cuisson on the fish, calling the fish cookery perfect, but felt there were not enough firm textures on the plate. Phil Wang said the presentation was clever and well-thought-out but amounted to style over substance, noting that it didn’t deliver the pack-of-punch flavour the dish needed. Lawrence had redeemed himself enormously but the room above him was crowded with contenders.

Nikita’s Draught Of Living Death And The Malaysian Spice Note

The afternoon session opened with Nikita, whose dish was titled Draught of Living Death and celebrated Jim Broadbent from Lincoln, who plays Professor Slughorn in the Harry Potter films. The plate consisted of pan-fried halibut with a fish head curry-inspired sauce, fried okra and baby aubergines, a cucumber and raw mango sambal salad, and a potato-stuffed chilli, alongside a lime leaf oil representing the “liquid luck” potion. The curry sauce drew on lemongrass, galangal, dried red chillies, mustard seeds and curry leaves, reflecting a fusion of Indian and Southeast Asian traditions.

Nikita had made two crucial changes to address criticisms from the heats. She switched to larger cauldrons so bowls could sit inside them, preventing the overcooking caused by deep cauldrons with lids. She also took extra care not to overcook the halibut, which had been slightly overdone previously. These two technical adjustments proved decisive.

The judging response was ecstatic. Tom Kerridge called the fish cooked beautifully and described the dish as stunning. Lorna McNee loved the dish and felt the spice level was warming rather than overwhelming. Phil Wang, who is Malaysian, gave the highest praise of all, saying he completely forgot he was Malaysian while eating it because the cooking was so good. He described it as a film he could binge-watch rather than watch once, and said he would never get tired of eating it. Will Poulter called the sambal amazing and noted the massive flavours. This was a dish pushed firmly into the top tier of Great British Menu 2026 episode 26.

Orry’s Phone For The Recipe And The Problem Of Going After Nikita

Orry’s dish, called Phone For The Recipe, celebrated the film Limbo, a story of a Syrian refugee left in limbo in the Scottish Highlands who calls his mother for Syrian recipes and ingredient advice. The plate featured barbecued Orkney scallop, baba ganoush, fennel and carrot salad, a curry sauce, langoustine tail wrapped in kataifi pastry, parsley emulsion and caviar. Orry had scored two nines and an eight in the heats and came in determined to push for a second banquet dish to join his starter.

He made two adjustments based on judges’ feedback. The vegetable salad was cut more delicately, with finer slicing of the fennel and carrot, and he toned back the acidity slightly. He also worked hard on the scallop cuisson, pan-frying first to develop a crust before transferring to the barbecue to finish, a technique he explained prevented scallops overcooking on one side if cooked entirely over live fire.

Critical reception was strong but came with one significant structural problem. Phil Wang praised the scallop cookery as perfect and said the sauce was delicious, calling it a complete piece of cookery that only lacked a certain spark or pizzazz. Lorna McNee felt the scallop sometimes got lost beneath the dominant sauce. Tom Kerridge agreed the sauce took over. Will Poulter observed, fairly, that following Nikita’s curry-led dish placed Orry at a disadvantage, since both sauces occupied similar flavour territory. The phrase “sunshine in a bowl” captured its visual warmth, but the dish didn’t have the wow factor of the best plates served that day.

Ciaran’s Splendid And The Mad Max Aesthetic

Ciaran’s plate, titled Splendid, celebrated Mad Max: Fury Road and its lead actress, Devon-born Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who plays Splendid in the film. The dish featured tempura scallop with a dusting of dried scallop roe and a cured egg yolk sauce, plus a pan-fried scallop with scallop skirts, satay sauce, and a pumpkin sambal, with everything tied to an orange palette that matched the film’s visual identity.

Following feedback from the heats, Ciaran made the egg yolk sauce slightly looser, more spreadable than the jammy original, which would still receive its dusting of scallop roe powder to achieve the striking orange colour. He also blended roasted pumpkin into the scallop skirt satay sauce for extra depth and sweetness.

The judging split sharply. Will Poulter enjoyed the scallop and satay combination enormously and called the cured egg yolk interesting. However, Lorna McNee felt the tempura scallop was overcooked on hers and the pan-fried one was undercooked, and Phil Wang actually preferred the version he had eaten in the heats. Tom Kerridge sided with Lorna on the satay sauce, saying it wasn’t quite as effective this time. The aroma and plating were universally admired, with the presentation described as spectacular, straight out of the film. However, the technical inconsistency between the two scallops prevented the dish from pushing to the top of the scoring in Great British Menu 2026 episode 26.

Jack’s You Shall Not Bass And The Balrog Reference

Jack served last with a dish titled You Shall Not Bass, a celebration of actor Sir Ian McKellen, from Burnley, who played Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The plate made direct reference to the bridge scene where Gandalf stops the Balrog, the fire demon, and featured barbecued sea bass, smoked trout roe sauce, charred and roasted leeks, smoked almonds, lemongrass oil and sea vegetables.

Jack had scored joint highest in the heats with an incredible three nines, placing him in pole position for today. He made no wholesale changes, instead following specific advice from Tom Kerridge about developing more char flavour. Rather than adding bitter outer leek leaves, which could overwhelm, he removed them in favour of the sweeter heart and incorporated more charred elements to boost bitterness without tipping the balance.

The judges received Jack’s plate enthusiastically. Lorna McNee praised the beautifully cooked fish and crispy skin. Phil Wang said it felt like eating barbecued fish at a campsite on the way to Mount Doom, and called the sauce amazing. Tom Kerridge described it as having many dimensions and flavour profiles. Will Poulter said the dish felt like a piece of food straight out of a scene from the film, the most immersive cinematic moment of the day. The paprika came through clearly in the sauce, the garnish was lovely, and the fish was cooked to high standard. Here was another dish firmly contending for the top placings.

The Final Scoring And The One-Point Margin

The judges’ assessment in the chamber began with Tom Kerridge declaring every single piece of fish had been cooked perfectly, which meant the decision came down to concept, balance, and banquet suitability. Phil Wang agreed that three or four dishes were separated by the thinnest of margins. Will Poulter described feeling lucky to have experienced such a strong sequence of plates. The panel’s task was to identify the dish carrying the most magic, which Phil noted only narrowed the field to four.

The results came in order. Lawrence was first out, with the dish much improved but unable to compete with the exceptional day around him. Josh came fifth, with the lobster cooked beautifully and the sauce better than before, but displaced by stronger work elsewhere. Orry came fourth, with Will Poulter giving the dish a nine and saying it took him “from limbo to heaven,” which was powerful praise on a tight day. In third place, remarkably, three chefs were tied: Jamie, Ciaran, and Jack. All three had produced incredibly strong dishes, with the fish cookery critical to their success.

That left Corrin and Nikita as the two contenders for the banquet place. The dishes under consideration were The Secret Garden and Draught of Living Death. Andi Oliver revealed that the margin was one single point. When the name was read, it was Corrin who had prevailed. Lorna McNee confirmed she had scored The Secret Garden a perfect ten, and Phil Wang had given Draught of Living Death a ten as well, saying he would eat it all over again. The spicing, Phil said, had been fantastic.

Corrin’s emotional response was quietly powerful. He had been third many times and described being ecstatic at finally earning the right to cook at the banquet, even confessing that beneath his composed exterior he was going crazy. Nikita took second place with grace, declaring herself happy to come second and ecstatic to still be in contention. The one-point margin captured what Great British Menu 2026 episode 26 had essentially been: a contest so tight that each fractional decision mattered, with Will Poulter noting on departure that he could come back tomorrow and every other day for the rest of the year.

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