Great British Menu ™
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'The Missus'
Daniel prepares a brine of citrus, herb, salt and sugar for his fish.
Daniel: “So the title of the dish is “The Missus”, and it's inspired by Allen Edwards, early 1800s, who was really a trailblazer in navigation and teaching people how to sail.
Daniel: “I have a mackerel sandwich element, which is a mackerel tartare. Then I have a torched mackerel. There's pickled apple fennel, an apple caramel and a watercress veloute.”
Daniel:"The bread element of the sandwich will be little toasts that are going to be branded with compasses.”
Daniel prepares capers, chives, parsley and shallots for his mackerel tartare.
Judges talking behind the scenes
"Dan's dish, I think this is his kind of cooking, is it?"
"I feel like he's much happier in this part of the menu.
It's a dish that, on paper, works really well. Let's see if he can pull it off."
Plating
Daniel: "Want to crisp up these little breads. So I just want to slightly crisp them so when I brand them, they'll burn and not just stick to the bread, basically."
Daniel blow-torches the mackerel. Drizzles on apple caramel. And plates up the mackerel tartare sandwich and the torched mackerel.
Spencer Metzger: "Let's start with the mackerel. Obviously, you've done it in two forms there, the torched piece. How is that?"
Daniel: "So I like how it's cooked. I wanted that little char on the skin, but then, you know, keep that flesh, like, just cooked."
Spencer Metzger: "And the mackerel tartare - how was the seasoning of that?"
Daniel: "I'm not a huge fan of raw fish, but there's enough there to have that contrast in texture and flavor, I think.
Peers, talking behind the scenes
" Mackerel tartare? Loved it."
"I would like more of that torched mackerel, because it's very delicious."
Back in the Judging Room
Spencer Metzger: "And then we've got the watercress sauce. Has that got enough punch? Is that peppery enough for you?"
Daniel: "It didn't overpower it. Just a nicer compliment rather than a flavor on its own.
Peers, talking behind the scenes
"I'd say the first initial bite of watercress was lovely. Then by the last bite, it was just too much."
Back in the Judging Room
Spencer Metzger: "So the bread, was it crispy enough?"
Daniel: "I think I would do it a little bit crispier, just because when you pour the sauce over, it will obviously make it a little bit soggier."
Peers, talking behind the scenes
"Maybe a different bread. I just thought it was all right."
Back in the Judging Room
Spencer Metzger: "So if you were going to score this dish, what would you give it?"
Daniel: "I'd be absolutely thrilled with another seven. I'm really, really happy with with the dish and really happy with the props."
Final Judging
Spencer Metzger: "Daniel, for your dish, "The Missus". I loved the storytelling and theatre of the past. It was very on brief. The mackerel tartare, I found a little bit underwhelming. The bread, I found a little bit dry and brittle. The portion of mackerel, I think you could have been more generous. I think for a banquet, this grandeur should have been a little bit bigger. I loved how you told the story on the plate. However, you have to be careful that this doesn't outshine the cooking."
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