Dundee-born chef Adam Handling slipped up in the opening round of Monday night’s Great British Menu after a disappointing starter course.
The Scot, who is representing his country in the BBC2 show after winning the regional heat earlier this month, came sixth out of the eight chefs battling to serve the opening course in the GBM dinner.
His potato dish, a tribute to much-loved BBC Scotland show The Beechgrove Garden, lost points for using too much caviar.
The judges including chefs Tom Kerridge and Nisha Katona criticised the dish for not tasting enough like potatoes.
Nisha said the dish “could almost be a fish course by itself” because of the “abundance” of caviar.
Second time around for Adam
Adam was cooking the dish, called Tattie Planting Time, for the second time after making it in the heats.
Tom Kerridge said he preferred Adam’s first effort because it was less complicated.
“It lost the simplicity of the simple potato ingredient,” Tom explained.
In response, Adam conceded that a little bit less caviar “would have refined it a bit more”.
A win for Wales
Welshman Nathan Davies, who is the co-owner of Aberystwyth’s Michelen-starred SY23, took first place after scoring perfect tens from all four judges for his barbecued and slow-cooked lamb neck.
He will cook the starter course in this year’s Great British Menu dinner, which is themed around 100 years of British broadcasting.
Davies’ starter took inspiration from BBC show Merlin, which was filmed and set in Wales.
Three more courses are to be decided this week, with tomorrow’s programme focusing on the fish dish.
Alexandria Palace, where the BBC’s first regular broadcasts were made from, will host the final dinner.
Each Great British Menu contestant is a professional chef trying to impress the judges, which along with Tom and Nisha include comedian and food podcaster Ed Gamble.
Steve Pemberton, one of the stars of League of Gentlemen, was Monday night’s guest judge.
A long journey for Adam Handling
It has been an arduous road to the finals for Adam, who took the Scottish regional crown after knocking out compatriots Calum Montgomery, Stuart Ralston and Fraser Smith.
The Dundonian, who is already on a high this year after gaining his first Michelin star, navigated some tricky moments including a canape that one judge described as “easily forgotten”.
But he also scored a perfect 10 from the same judge for his lobster dish. Lobster is a signature dish at Adam’s three UK restaurants.
Adam will be hoping his luck returns and that he will not miss out on cooking at the final dinner.
