Tuesday 23rd May 2017
FISH DISH: Turbot with Strawberries and Cream
Well, going in to the kitchen in last place was a very strange feeling. So much pressure to perform well. I really need to be up there with a high score, a 9 or 10 to reverse the order and get back on track.
To be honest I’m really really happy with my turbot dish, it’s definitely the one I think best fits to the brief. I mean what says Wimbledon more than Strawberries and cream! Whilst it’s a slightly unusual combination with the turbot, it seems to work. It’s a dish we’ve served in the restaurant here at The Black Swan and its definitely the one I’m most happy with.
I also think the dish fits Great British Menu as a whole, in the sense that the backbone of the dish is very much all about very traditional techniques, with a modern twist that makes it more interesting and relates it to the brief. But there’s no where to hide with this dish! It’s so simple that those traditional techniques need to be absolutely perfect. It really is all down to the technicalities of the prep and cooking. No fancy props can hide a poorly cooked piece of turbot! I think that’s also why I wanted to keep the presentation so clean. I wanted the elements of the dish to stand on their own. They’re so special in their own right. Also… I know Jeremy said that I should take the red strawberries off, but I wouldn’t do that, they’re such a massive part of the dish for me. Sorry Jeremy!
Danny’s may have been my favourite dish yesterday but I definitely preferred Josh’s last night. His fish stew was absolutely delicious and with two dishes down it appears it’s all about making it as summery and as closely linked to Wimbledon as possible. It seems anything vaguely wintery will get marked down. I feel Jeremy marked Josh down because of similar reasons to me on Monday. We all presented very different dishes today too, it must have been really hard for Jeremy to judge. It’s always so nerve racking to see how people are going to judge your food as it’s such a personal thing.
But a score of 9 is just what I needed. I really think this dish has a chance of getting to the banquet and maybe with the odd tweak it could a 10. Danny and Josh both scored highly, (with just a one point lead for the top spot!) so its going to be a tight week with stiff competition. All I can do now is try to make it through to Friday.
The Scores:
Danny 8 Josh 8 Tommy 9
MADE IN OLDSTEAD 