Great British Menu ™

VETERAN ROUND (Simon Rogan, mentor): Simon: "It's got a really pleasing acidity to it. Good depth of flavour on the apples. I think that's going to cut through the richness of the tatin really well." 

Simon: "Really, really clever. Are you happy with the cooking of the apple?" 

Jeffrey: "It took a spoon and nothing more to just go through it. It was really good, good crispiness. Apple cooked perfectly." 

Simon final feedback: "Hay is for war horses. Presentation and the link were first class. The individual tart tatin was excellent. The apple kept its integrity and was nicely caramelised. The technique you used made it that way. The pastry was unreal. So light. I think you took the best of two methods in making a tart tatin. It was outstanding. And the hay-baked caramelised apple puree brought an amazing acidity to it. And the diced raw apple was inspired. The frozen hay sablé was surprisingly not too sweet and gave an excellent texture and mouthfeel. The hay ice cream was rich, creamy, just the right amount of hay running through it. Overall, very impressive pastry work. I could see this ending a banquet." Score: 10. 

JUDGING ROUND (Tom Kerridge, Lorna McNee, Phil Wang, guest Ben Whitehead): Ciaran swapped the apple to Braeburn for the judging round after feedback to ensure he could complete on time. 

Lorna McNee: "I usually get quite worried when a tart tatin doesn't come out as a whole tart. You're not going to get the same effect from it. My favourite part is always that chewy caramel on the outside. This has definitely still got that. The sablé with the brown butter flavour going through it is really nice. And the freshness of it. I'm really enjoying it." 

Phil Wang: "Tarte tatin I absolutely love. It's so good. It's quite tricky to eat because it has that sticky caramelised base that sticks to your teeth. I just love that. That's really good." 

Tom Kerridge: "The chefs managed to make this all come together and be a real beauty. It's a very special dish. It's super tasty, really light. I love the cream. It makes you feel super special." 

Tom Kerridge (final): "I thought it was absolutely delicious. I found it really humbling and engaging. It was a great dish. In fact, so good. I gave it a perfect 10." Ciaran won the South West heat and progressed to finals. 

FINALS (banquet cook, Tom Kerridge, Lorna McNee, Phil Wang, guest Joanne Harris): Ciaran added a cider vinegar note to the reduced apple juice glaze for the tatin finish at finals. 

Phil Wang: "I'm a massive fan of classic dishes like an apple tartin, and it's beautiful, and I love the layers of flavour that you managed to get with something that's so simple and clean." 

Lorna McNee: "The little dish in the side with the frozen sablé was absolutely beautiful as well. The tartin is lovely. It's nice and chewy. It's warming. It's sweet. I think the balance in the dish is perfect." 

Joanne Harris (guest): "This is wonderful. I love the way it's presented, but it's also really good combination of flavours. The frozen sablé is genius. It's just a really nice addition to the ice cream. I would order this every time." 

Phil Wang: "When you bite into it it's just so deep and rich and sticky. And it's got just the right amount of burn on it." 

Tom Kerridge: "Sometimes tart tatin is a little heavy. But what Ciaran's managed to do here is create this beautiful, light, airy pastry. Absolutely delicious. Apple completely tied in with that cream. I think this is definitely Ciaran's strongest dish that he's done." Ciaran won the finals dessert with a perfect all-10s score and cooked the dessert course at the banquet.