London & South East Main
Creative culinary competition. Mark Froydenlund is showcasing British veal to celebrate the determination of British producers to bounce back from disaster.
24 of Britain's top chefs are competing in this year's Great British Menu for the chance to cook at a most prestigious banquet at the Palace of Westminster. In the year of the Queen's 90th birthday, the chefs are celebrating the everyday great Britons who have been honoured for their selfless work to charities, to their communities and to the country. The chefs have to showcase the transformation in British cuisine during the Queen's historic reign, creating dishes that could be a legacy to the new Elizabethan age.
It is the all-important main course and returning contender Mark Froydenlund is banking on it being his strongest dish. He is showcasing British rose veal and celebrating the determination of British producers to bounce back from disaster. His veal is produced by a farming couple from Cumbria who lost their entire herd to foot and mouth in 2001. Russell Bateman is pushing himself again and creating a beef dish to represent the moment the modest great Britons meet royalty. And Ronnie Murray is mixing a crown of lamb with a curried filling, but he has to make sure the lamb is cooked medium rare.
It is a tough day in the kitchen for all three chefs - the veteran judge is impressed but not by everything he sees.