Great British Menu ™
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Pumpkin Crumpets
Pumpkin Crumpets with Hummus, Shiitake Tea, and Pumpkin Seed Miso Spread
A vegan starter built entirely around a single delica pumpkin. The dish includes pumpkin crumpets (heavier than traditional due to the pumpkin puree in the batter), a pumpkin hummus with tahini and roast garlic, pickled pumpkin seeds, shaved raw pumpkin, a maple vinegar gel for acidity, and a dusting of liquorice. Served alongside a shiitake and kombu tea and a pumpkin seed miso spread. Jack uses every part of the pumpkin across all elements. The miso balances the natural sweetness.
Lisa Goodwin-Allen scored this an 8. Lisa said: "I love the bowl of hummus. They had great texture. The pops of acidity came through from that maple vinegar gel. The pumpkin crumpets were light, fluffy, and the pumpkin seed miso spread was delicious. I liked the pumpkin and shiitake tea, but it needed more pumpkin flavour and a little bit more depth. I do not think that the [theme] came through enough. You need to work on your storytelling and have fun with it."
FINALS JUDGING -- Changes: Pumpkin broken down smaller for quicker cooking and more char flavour in the hummus.
PROBLEMS: Crumpets failed -- doughy, flat and heavy, not light or aerated. Accidentally added spiced pumpkin oil to miso spread; tried to bulk it out with extra pumpkin seeds. Cut finger during prep. Ran 2 minutes over time. Finished each dish with a leek ash logo.
Tom: "Flavour wise, it's proper punchy. Kind of like a brutal assault of savoury salty."
"The crumpet is a little doughy. It's not quite aerated enough."
"I feel myself being quite excited about this dish, but still, there's still work to do on it."
Phil: "It's like being kicked in the face by Batman... but with flavour."
"The miso spread is a bit gritty."
Lorna: "These two elements [hummus and tea] are very good. The textures of the nuts and the little sweetness. And I like the spice. The flavour of the shiitake is great. I just think that the miso spread's too salty and the crumpets are doughy."
Debbie: "They're [hummus and tea] the best bit about it." All judges agreed the shiitake tea was excellent.
Phil: "Don't even talk to me till I've had my shiitake tea."
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