The F Word 5x3

1. - The F Word's back and this year I'm launching

2. a competition to find our best local restaurant.

3. I've always loved independent restaurants.

4. Across Britain, you'll find them week-in, week-out

5. proudly serving their customers fantastic food

6. at great prices.

7. And, best of all, every single one is unique.

8. I think they deserve our support now more than ever.

9. Earlier this year I asked you to log onto

10. the F Word website and nominate your favourite

11. local restaurants.

12. We had nearly 10,000 nominations.

13. Together with journalist and foodie Janet Street-Porter,

14. and the F word's maitre d' Jean Baptiste,

15. we set out to find the very, very best.

16. All three of us are searching across the country,

17. high and low, to put these restaurants under scrutiny.

18. We've had 10,000 nominations,

19. but there can only be one winner.

20. Who will be crowned the F Word's best local restaurant?

21. So far, I've found the F Word's

22. best local Italian restaurant.

23. And the F Word's best local Indian restaurant.

24. And tonight, the competition continues with French.

25. Our top two restaurants will be battling it out

26. in the F Word kitchen.

27. Starting with succulent foie gras,

28. then pan-fired mullet with Puy lentils

29. up against Pyrenean rack of lamb with aubergine

30. and a rosemary sauce.

31. And finally, both brigades make crepes Suzette.

32. Plus, I go back to Paris.

33. My love affair with French food began here

34. and my heart still belongs to this city.

35. Je t'aime.

36. As the brigades go tete a tete,

37. I find out who's the best tosser.

38. Big pair of Newcastle bollocks.

39. - Why aye man.

40. - Good evening!

41. Good evening.

42. Excellent.

43. Eric, bienvenue.

44. Welcome.

45. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

46. Right.

47. Gentlemen, welcome.

48. Good to see you, congratulations.

49. Yes you are, the best two French restaurants in the country.

50. Here's the bad news, from now on in, it's a competition;

51. there can only be one winner, yes?

52. The French Table from Surbiton, Surrey

53. and Bouchon Bistrot from Hexham, Northumberland

54. are our top two French contenders.

55. Here's how I found them.

56. I've loved French food for many years,

57. so I couldn't wait to start searching

58. for the creme de la creme of French restaurants.

59. My team travelled all over Britain

60. to visit the places you nominated where you love to eat.

61. From Stroud to Cambridge, from Teddington

62. to Tunbridge Wells, from Norwich to Battersea.

63. - Presentation wise, it's very basic.

64. - As a native Frenchman,

65. the F Word's maitre d' can certainly spot

66. exceptional French cuisine.

67. - It's not pretentious, it's fairly small,

68. it's friendly, you get well looked after.

69. - It's modern French, so they're not stuck

70. up their own backsides.

71. After months of whittling down your nominations,

72. we finally found two outstanding restaurants.

73. Tucked away in Surbiton, 13 miles from London,

74. is a gastronomic treat, The French Table.

75. How are you?

76. Where's the chef?

77. What a beautiful little place!

78. - Thank you.

79. - Head chef Eric Guinart

80. One foie gras, one lamb.

81. - Runs his kitchen with French passion.

82. - A good plate is like a beautiful woman,

83. it needs to look good, it needs to taste good,

84. and you mustn't be disappointed.

85. Otherwise, that's it, you don't love it anymore.

86. - Eric puts his heart and soul into the cooking

87. and his wife, Sarah, brings charm to the front of house.

88. - People think that French cuisine

89. is just heavy sauces and snails and frog's legs

90. and it's much, much more.

91. Thank you. - Thank you.

92. Classic combination there, husband and wife team.

93. They do the front, hard-ass chef, French behind.

94. It's great.

95. First up for me, rillette of mackerel.

96. Is that how it's normally served like that?

97. That's how they serve food at the Ritz.

98. Delicious.

99. - I know it's good because I like it.

100. And, you know, I pour my sensitive and love in it,

101. so I know it's good.

102. - For the main course, I just have to try

103. the house special, Pyrenean lamb.

104. God, it's like butter.

105. Incredible, I wouldn't expect to find

106. a lamb of that quality on a menu tucked away

107. at the back of Surbiton in a bistro.

108. The lamb's delicious.

109. What a find.

110. For me, the hard thing is that there's

111. only two restaurants that are going through

112. to cook in the F Word restaurant,

113. and this, having been in love with French food

114. for many years, has been a very, very tough choice.

115. And with only two restaurants going through,

116. the French Table is one of them.

117. - Thank you, Gordon!

118. - Congratulations, well done.

119. - Can't believe it, really can't believe it

120. and just think that...

121. - It's quite exciting, I'm very excited!

122. - They have just raised the bar.

123. It's gonna be fuckin hard to beat them, I tell you.

124. That's one of the best dishes I've eaten all year.

125. - Oh thank you!

126. - I mean it, really nice.

127. The French Table in Surbiton is through.

128. And I've found an amazing restaurant to take them on.

129. Bouchon Bistrot is in rural Northumberland

130. in a small town called Hexham.

131. It's a local favourite and I knew just the man

132. to check it out.

133. - Mr. Greg?

134. Hi, how are you?

135. Nice meeting you.

136. - Nice to meet you.

137. - Jean Baptiste grew up in restaurants

138. and his uncle ran one of the most amazing restaurants

139. in Leon, so if there's one person

140. that can spot an amazing bistro,

141. it's definitely Jean Baptiste.

142. Run by Greg Bureau, the Bouchon has only been open

143. for two years, but its reputation is spreading

144. as the most genuine French restaurant for miles around.

145. - People here are well-traveled.

146. They have visited France many, many times

147. and it feels like they are in France

148. when they come to Bouchon.

149. - Nico Duhil is the head chef.

150. He first fell in love with cooking as a boy

151. growing up in Brittany.

152. - Cooking with shellfish and fish

153. really reminds me of when I was young

154. and when I first started to cook.

155. That's when I really discovered what we could do

156. with fish and everything.

157. It brings loads of memories, really.

158. - And for you, the sal frisane.

159. - Lovely, thank you.

160. - I wish you well eat.

161. - Very tasty, very fresh.

162. The product are beautifully cooked.

163. You can't ask for better than that.

164. - The reason I love to cook is simply because

165. you get raw fish, some raw vegetables

166. and, from all that, you can create something

167. that is really magical, pretty much.

168. - Mmm, the veal, perfectly cooked.

169. So tender, you can really see that the guy

170. behind this store knows his cooking.

171. - Nico is obviously a very talented individual,

172. but running a successful kitchen relies on teamwork

173. and his Geordie colleagues are very loyal.

174. - Is your team, are they all French or no?

175. - No, none of them are.

176. - None of them are?

177. - No.

178. - So you're the only froggy in the kitchen?

179. - Yes, I'm the only one.

180. - Me and Nico have a good relationship,

181. I'll teach him how to reply in Geordie,

182. he can teach me how to reply in French.

183. It's all good.

184. At the end of the day, it's going to be

185. a new language before long.

186. - Howay, man!

187. - JB said Bouchon Bistrot

188. was faultlessly brilliant and, in this category,

189. I was prepared to trust his instinct 100%.

190. Hi, it's Gordon Ramsay, how are you?

191. - Very good, thank you very much.

192. - The French category have been huge.

193. - I'll bet.

194. - There can only be two restaurants

195. - Right.

196. - That go through to the F Word's dining room.

197. - Right.

198. - So, the Bouchon Bistrot

199. - Yup.

200. - Is one of those restaurants, congratulations.

201. - Oh wow.

202. - You're through.

203. - Goodness me.

204. - Well done.

205. - Fantastic.

206. - Sorry guys.

207. Nico, we are going to London, bravo.

208. Well done, wow, fantastic.

209. It's just amazing, absolutely amazing.

210. I just can't believe it.

211. Eyes filling up.

212. - What does it mean?

213. - We've made it.

214. - Well done.

215. - So, I've found my top two French restaurants.

216. Will the F Word diners prefer the Bouchon Bistrot's

217. simple charm or the French Table's elegant fine dining.

218. Who will be crowned the F Word's

219. best local French restaurant?

220. We're about to find out.

221. We're back in London at the F Word restaurant.

222. Tonight we're going French.

223. From nearly 200 nominations, we found the F Word's

224. best two local French restaurants.

225. Bouchon Bistrot in Northumberland

226. and The French Table in Surbiton.

227. They'll both be serving 25 portions

228. of their own starters.

229. If the F Word diners don't like it,

230. they don't pay and that includes family and friends.

231. Bouchon, on order four covers table one,

232. four foie gras, four mullet, four crepes.

233. Excellent.

234. The French Table, yes, four covers table four,

235. four foie gras, four lamb, four crepe Suzette.

236. - Yes, Gordon.

237. - Excellent.

238. So, they're underway and every single plate

239. they send out is crucial.

240. I've challenged them to cook one of my favourite

241. ingredients, foie gras; a French classic

242. that is the ultimate test for these restaurants.

243. While they prepare their own recipes,

244. here's how I do it.

245. Foie gras has to be the chef's ultimate ingredient;

246. rich, sumptuous, melt in your mouth,

247. and absolutely delicious.

248. First off, caramelise your apples.

249. Core, peel, slice.

250. Hot pan.

251. Butter, just starting to foam.

252. Apples in.

253. Season.

254. Sugar.

255. Caramelise.

256. Calvados.

257. Thumb over the end.

258. Whoof.

259. Remove from heat.

260. Tarragon, chop.

261. Foie gras.

262. Heat knife, slice.

263. Salt, pepper, hot pan, no oil, no butter.

264. Fry.

265. Remove.

266. Rest.

267. Slice.

268. Use the caramel from the apples.

269. Salt.

270. Foie gras with caramelised apples.

271. Done.

272. Gentlemen remember, this is not a race.

273. I want those dishes looking, yes, perfect.

274. - Sexy!

275. - Sexy.

276. Both restaurants are cooking their own recipe,

277. it's a fascinating battle between

278. fine dining and rustic bistro cooking.

279. But who will come out on top?

280. Bouchon Bistrot in Hexham near Newcastle

281. serves no-frills, classic French food.

282. - Basically simple, rustic and flavorful.

283. - Bouchon Bistrot are pan-frying

284. their foie gras and serving with spinach

285. and pan d'Epices.

286. This is a sweet, French bread that they bake

287. in their own restaurant that will complement

288. the richness of the foie gras.

289. Good, now Nico what was that you put on there?

290. Looks like a biscuit, what is that?

291. - It's a pan d'Epices, so...

292. - Pan d'Epices?

293. - It's a bit like gingerbread.

294. - Yeah, gingerbread.

295. They look fantastic, are you happy with those?

296. - Very happy, chef, yes.

297. - And why is the gingerbread on top

298. and not underneath to absorb the fat, why is that?

299. - Just to keep the crisp of the gingerbread.

300. - So it doesn't go soggy on the spinach, as well?

301. - That's right, yes.

302. - Lovely.

303. Right, Eric, onto you guys,

304. so what are you putting underneath there?

305. What is that?

306. That's toasted brioche with a bit of walnut.

307. - Walnut brioche?

308. - Yeah.

309. - And where did you buy that from?

310. - We make it.

311. - You made it?

312. Good, I like that.

313. They look beautiful.

314. You're happy with those, yes?

315. - Yes, gorgeous.

316. - Good.

317. The French Table in Surbiton serves fine dining

318. French food in a relaxed environment.

319. - When you're in the French Table,

320. this is Paris, you have to show your passport

321. when you come in.

322. - They are serving their foie gras

323. on top of a walnut brioche with

324. a fig and muscat grape chutney and pickled walnuts.

325. The chutney is seasoned with mignonette pepper,

326. a blend of peppercorns used in French cooking.

327. Now Eric, on the weekends you do cookery classes

328. for your customers?

329. - Yes, we do, yeah.

330. - What kind of things are you teaching them?

331. - We teach them...

332. There's one Saturday morning where we do bread classes.

333. - Bread classes?

334. - Yeah.

335. - Yeah, and how do you teach them

336. to make good bread?

337. - It's a special secret, Gordon.

338. - Special secret, yeah?

339. Please, whisper me.

340. - Huh? - Whisper me.

341. - They're titties.

342. - They're titties?

343. - Yeah, you need to feel like it's titties,

344. you know when they come out in your hand.

345. - So you knead the bread...

346. - It needs to feel like titties,

347. you know when they are nice and firm.

348. - Okay, right.

349. Okay Nico, well done.

350. - Thank you.

351. - Well done, excellent.

352. Guys, those first two tables looked fantastic.

353. Keep them all like that.

354. - They're all like that.

355. - I'll be surprised, yes, if anyone

356. refused to pay for that foie gras.

357. Here's why French food is the envy of the world.

358. I'm going back to my beloved Paris

359. to find out about one of the most famous French foods

360. of all, the croissant.

361. As we Brits embrace coffee shop culture,

362. the croissant is fast becoming our favourite breakfast.

363. And last year, we ate a staggering 60 million of them.

364. But the majority were mass-produced by machines

365. in factories and they can often contain additives

366. for taste, colour and to make them last longer.

367. Sadly, the majority of the croissants we get

368. in this country taste like old cardboard,

369. so I'm off to Paris to learn the art of a perfect croissant.

370. Bonjour!

371. We may expect inferior croissant in the UK,

372. but even in Paris, the factory croissant

373. is beginning to take over.

374. Many French boulangeries are now buying in

375. the same mass-produced dough.

376. And if you want to find a traditional,

377. authentic, handmade croissant,

378. you've got to look a little harder.

379. As a young chef, I spent a couple years

380. working my ass of in Paris.

381. I was very fortunate to live above

382. the most amazing boulangerie, eating croissants

383. seven days a week.

384. What I never got a chance to do

385. was perfect the perfect croissants.

386. So, I'm going back to the floor to see if I can turn out

387. a batch of croissants as a pro baker.

388. Arnaud Delmontel has been hand-making croissants

389. for over 20 years.

390. He's a Parisian baker who's still producing

391. the delicious, rare, hand-made versions

392. we're all missing out on.

393. What's the secret behind your croissants?

394. - Love, butter.

395. - Yeah.

396. - Good ingredients.

397. - Yes, and can you teach the perfect croissant?

398. Or is it all in the feel?

399. - It depends on the student.

400. - Right.

401. I hope I don't disappoint him.

402. Okay, so whose recipe is this?

403. Did you steal it from an English chef?

404. - Not really.

405. - The ingredients to make the dough are simple,

406. flour, sugar...

407. - Ooh, do small.

408. - Milk, salt and yeast.

409. But they're perfectly balanced

410. and the smallest mistake will ruin the entire batch.

411. With water and eggs added,

412. the dough is then chilled and rested

413. to use for the next day's baking.

414. Okay.

415. - 24 hours.

416. - So you're that far in advance?

417. Every time, you're always in advance?

418. - Yes.

419. - Using yesterday's pastry,

420. the dough is gently rolled before we add the key ingredient.

421. Okay, that's the butter?

422. - That's the butter.

423. - So that's like a whole slab

424. of butter in the middle?

425. - Voila.

426. - The French love rich foods

427. and almost a third of every mouthful of Arnaud's croissants

428. will be butter.

429. - Best butter you can find on the market.

430. - Which is rare today because a lot of croissants are made

431. with margarine and cheap forms of fat.

432. To produce the all-important layers in a croissant,

433. the dough has to be rolled, then folded,

434. rolled, then folded three times

435. to create over 70 layers of dough and butter

436. in each croissant.

437. The pastry is cut into triangles

438. and rolled into the famous croissant shape.

439. But you need to be gentle so as not to crush the layers.

440. It's a technique the French have perfected.

441. - And do it like this.

442. - You're caressing it?

443. It's like you're caressing, like your stroke.

444. - To caress

445. - Right, caress, but don't crush it.

446. Every morning, he has the challenge of hand-rolling

447. 400 croissants for discerning Parisiennes.

448. Can I match his lightning speed?

449. So there's 40 croissants here.

450. - Yeah.

451. - Normally how long would that take you

452. to make and roll?

453. - Around three minutes.

454. - Three minutes?

455. Okay.

456. - Three, two, one.

457. - To match Arnaud, I needed to be able

458. to roll one every four and a half seconds.

459. Don't crush.

460. Shit

461. 60 seconds left.

462. Shit.

463. Fucking, so that's 30 in three minutes.

464. So I'm ten behind.

465. I thought, coming back to Paris,

466. it wouldn't be like what it was like 20 years ago

467. when I was getting my ass kicked.

468. The rolled croissants are then gently heated

469. to activate the yeast so they rise.

470. They're glazed with egg and then they're baked.

471. Right, see you in 20 minutes and come out

472. crispy, golden and delicious

473. The smell was taking me back 20 years.

474. The smell is amazing.

475. I couldn't wait to taste if all our hard work was worth it.

476. My God, inside perfect, slight moist.

477. Crisp on the outside, and that bit there.

478. - You see all the layer here?

479. - The layers.

480. Twenty five years of experience inside.

481. - Yeah and some love.

482. - Oh my god, that is amazing honestly.

483. And thank you for giving me a proper insight

484. to a bit of French history, huh?

485. - It's my pleasure and my passion.

486. - Delicious, handmade croissants

487. are a world away from factory versions,

488. but I want to put this to the test.

489. I am back at the Gare du Nord to conduct

490. an unscientific, but very revealing test

491. on some francophiles.

492. Will they prefer a handmade croissant by me

493. or are they going to be conned by something processed?

494. That's the first one.

495. - We've been eating croissants for a week.

496. - You've been eating croissants all week?

497. That's great news.

498. Which one out of both croissants do you prefer?

499. - The flakier one.

500. - I prefer this one.

501. - It's got more taste.

502. - My god, this is whitewash.

503. - First one was drier.

504. - Second one was moist and creamier.

505. - Creamier, interesting.

506. The first one or the second one?

507. - The second one.

508. - The second one?

509. Now, in terms of flavour, do you prefer

510. the first one or the second one?

511. - Second one. - Second.

512. - Now, which one do you prefer?

513. The first one or the second one?

514. - This one.

515. - The second one.

516. - Second, sir?

517. - Second.

518. - Second, why?

519. - The layer, there's more layer.

520. - Uh huh.

521. - That one tastes like a proper one

522. you might get from a decent restaurant.

523. - Now, which one do you prefer?

524. The first one or the second one?

525. - Second.

526. - Second, why?

527. - Tastier.

528. She's spot on.

529. I'm so glad the public prefer the

530. handmade buttery croissant.

531. Everyone should be asking their baker

532. if theirs are handmade.

533. Croissants from a factory in France?

534. Nico, how long have you been the head chef

535. for the Bouchon?

536. - About a year and a couple months.

537. - And what's Craig like as a young sous chef?

538. Does he learn quickly?

539. - He does, he really is a good grafter, he loves his job.

540. He is really fast.

541. - Where are you from Craig, whereabouts?

542. - I'm from Newcastle. - Newcastle?

543. - Yeah.

544. - So you're a supporter of Newcastle?

545. - Yes.

546. - Well you were until they disappeared

547. out the Premier League.

548. - Thanks for that, chef, yes.

549. - Damn.

550. And Nico, last table, well done, yes.

551. - Yeah.

552. - Yeah, two covers.

553. Let's go, you know where you're going, yes?

554. Go please.

555. - The foie gras, to be honest,

556. wasn't the most overwhelming of the taste.

557. The biscuits are very strong and stays in the mouth

558. and the rest, not too tasty to be honest.

559. - Paula, my darling, welcome.

560. - Hello. - How are you, sweet?

561. - I'm fine, thank you.

562. - Good to see you, welcome to the F Word.

563. How do you think Craig, your son, is doing this evening?

564. - I think he's doing amazing.

565. Yeah, yeah.

566. - He's a very determined, focused young man.

567. What would it mean for him tonight to win?

568. - Oh, it would mean everything, absolutely everything.

569. It just would mean the world to him.

570. - Yeah, you must be very proud.

571. - Oh, I'm very—

572. - To see him stand there and watch him cook like that.

573. - Yeah.

574. - Now, why Newcastle?

575. - Ha, why Newcastle?

576. I was sent to Newcastle by my boss in France.

577. - Your first impression impression when you went up there?

578. - Cold.

579. - But the Geordie girls are very, very warm.

580. - What was The French Table's foie gras like?

581. - It was good, I mean, I really appreciated

582. the dish, maybe a little bit soggy on the bottom.

583. You see the fact that the foie gras

584. being on top of the brioche.

585. - Would you steal that dish and put it

586. on the Bouchon's menu?

587. - No.

588. - More importantly, are you going to pay for the foie gras?

589. - We are paying for it.

590. - You are paying for it?

591. - Absolutely. - What a gentleman.

592. Foie gras, are you going to pay for it?

593. - No. - Why not?

594. - It just, it was the texture.

595. - The texture? - Yeah.

596. - Just in terms of undercooked, overcooked, or?

597. - It was undercooked for me.

598. - Undercooked, this is a tough table, this one.

599. I thought it was perfect.

600. You're the customers, customers are king.

601. Very good to see you and I hope you enjoy your main course.

602. - Thank you.

603. - Thank you, Gordon.

604. - Thank you.

605. - Thought the start was very well balanced.

606. It has a lovely texture of the soft foie gras

607. with the crunchiness of the bread and the walnuts.

608. - The texture was really, really nice.

609. Dressing was delicious and grapes were,

610. they tasted really fresh and crunchy and full of flavour.

611. - How are we doing?

612. - I'm a little bit nervous.

613. - You look nervous.

614. - I am, I'm very nervous.

615. - You look great and nervous at the same time.

616. - Great and nervous.

617. But it's funny because I look at Eric

618. and then I actually feel really calm

619. because he looks really calm and controlled.

620. - Where does that passion come from?

621. Because he is incredibly passionate about food.

622. - His grandmother, from the Loire Valley

623. always used to cook for 10 children that she had.

624. - Yeah.

625. - And I think, from seeing that from a very early age

626. he just took it on.

627. - What do you think of Bouchon's foie gras?

628. - Beautifully cooked. - Mm-hmm.

629. - Melt in your mouth, I have to say,

630. I think it wasn't seasoned enough,

631. I think that let it down.

632. - Most important question, are you going to pay for it?

633. - I said no.

634. - You said no.

635. - No.

636. - Bouchon's foie gras and pain d'epices,

637. it's like a gingerbread on top.

638. Foie gras, it's very pink in the middle, that.

639. Sauce, finish with apricot and some proper spinach.

640. Flavour, delicious.

641. For me, it needs a bit more colour on the outside

642. and a little bit more salt.

643. Slightly bland.

644. The French Table presentation, lovely.

645. A really nice colour on the foie gras.

646. Foie gras is more cooked inside.

647. Really good.

648. Foie gras nice and crisp on the outside,

649. cooked perfectly.

650. Bouchon, just a little bit too pink.

651. But what did the diners think?

652. The results are in.

653. How well do you think you did out of 25?

654. - I don't know, I'd say 14, 15.

655. - Pessimistic.

656. How well do you think you did out of 25, Eric?

657. - 26.

658. - 26!

659. - You had one.

660. - Ah, excellent, okay.

661. First of all, before I announce the results,

662. congratulations to you both, yeah?

663. I thought you did bloody well, yeah.

664. - Thank you, Gordon. - Thank you.

665. - So, Bouchon Bistrot, you go first,

666. the number of customers, out of 25,

667. that are happy to pay for their foie gras is

668. 15 out of 25.

669. Really good.

670. - Thank you.

671. - Ten customers not wishing to pay, feedback?

672. - Slightly too oily.

673. - And a bit undercooked.

674. - And a bit undercooked, right.

675. French Table.

676. - Yes?

677. - The number of customers out of 25 that are willing to pay

678. for your foie gras is

679. - Uh oh.

680. - 20 out of 25, well done.

681. Really well done.

682. Really well done, indeed.

683. And the five customers that aren't paying, feedback?

684. - A bit too bland.

685. - A little bit too bland in terms of seasoning?

686. - Mm-hmm, yeah.

687. - Both of you, well done, yeah.

688. - Thank you.

689. - You're only five behind.

690. This can change, you're now going to be cooking

691. 50 portions of your lamb and 50 portions of your

692. grey mullet, yeah?

693. Make it absolutely exceptional.

694. You can pull this back easily.

695. Clear down, get ready for main course.

696. Well done.

697. Welcome back to the F Word.

698. Right, now both restaurants are going to cook

699. their main courses.

700. First up, Bouchon Bistrot.

701. - Are you ready to order?

702. - I'll have the grey mullet.

703. - Three mullet.

704. - Oui, chef.

705. - Bouchon Bistrot's signature dish

706. is fried grey mullet with Puy lentils.

707. First, Nico dices a carrot and onion,

708. adds Puy lentils, a bouquet garni,

709. some veal stock, and simmers.

710. For the shellfish bisque, he fires off langistine heads

711. and shells, flambes with cognac,

712. and adds shellfish stock.

713. - Cooking with shellfish and fish really reminds me

714. of my time in Brittany.

715. - He strains the mix,

716. adds cream and butter, and leaves to reduce.

717. Nico fillets the mullet, scores the skin,

718. and fries, leaving it pink in the middle.

719. He quarters cep mushrooms and fries in butter.

720. - You get the ceps from a guy, well we call him

721. Andy Mushroom, we don't know his name really.

722. - Puy lentils, mushrooms, mullet,

723. shellfish sauce.

724. - One grey mullet on table two.

725. - Bouchon's grey mullet with Puy lentils

726. and ceps, served.

727. When you cook grey mullet, would you cook it like salmon

728. and serve it a little bit pink inside,

729. or cook all the way through?

730. - Slightly pink.

731. - So a little bit of moist in there, in the centre.

732. - Cos the English are somewhat squeamish

733. a little bit with sort of slightly pink, yeah.

734. - Yes.

735. - Almost it's translucent.

736. - It's hard to get that, often,

737. not often but every now and then, the fish comes back

738. and they ask, in the restaurant...

739. - More cooked.

740. - Cooked through, yeah.

741. - I love that langistine sauce.

742. Yeah, it needs that kind of luxuriousness

743. with lentils, yeah?

744. - Yes.

745. - There you go, service please.

746. Get these two out right away.

747. Eric, you have an English wife.

748. - Yes.

749. - Yes, what's wrong with French ladies?

750. - They're too cocky.

751. - They're too cocky?

752. Oh, too snobby?

753. - Snobby.

754. - Oh, too posh?

755. I used to have a French girlfriend.

756. - Yeah?

757. - Hairy.

758. - Hairy?

759. - Yeah.

760. - , Gordon.

761. - Here's what the French Table are cooking for main course.

762. - Come on guys, one foie gras, one lamb.

763. - Oui.

764. - The French Table's signature dish

765. is Pyrenean rack of lamb with aubergine tempura.

766. Eric first prepares the spaetzle, a different take

767. on pasta popular in Alsace.

768. He whisks with water, eggs and creme fraiche.

769. And pipes the spaetzle into boiling water to blanch.

770. - Really cold water stops the cooking straight away.

771. - To make his puree, Eric scores

772. an aubergine, adding oil, salt, nutmeg,

773. herbes de Provence and bakes.

774. He blends the baked flesh with a knob of butter.

775. - We serve loads of portions every night.

776. - Eric seals his lamb and adds garlic

777. and rosemary.

778. For the gremolata, a chopped herb sauce,

779. he mixes garlic, parsley.

780. - Not to thin.

781. I don't like when it's too thin,

782. you lose too much flavour.

783. - With lemon juice and olive oil.

784. - Tiny pinch of salt and that's it.

785. - He deep fries the aubergine in tempura batter.

786. Then Eric fries girolles, a chopped shallot

787. and his spaetzle with butter

788. and adds white wine and cream.

789. Aubergine puree, girolles, tempura, lamb.

790. - Just pink, beautiful.

791. It's not nice to ask for well done in a restaurant.

792. - Pyrenean rack of lamb with tempura aubergine,

793. served.

794. It looks fantastic.

795. I love the smell, the fragrance.

796. Are you using rosemary now or thyme?

797. What is that?

798. - Yes, rosemary, a little bit of rosemary.

799. - Mm-hmm.

800. - Bit of parmesan instead of the salt.

801. - Yup.

802. - As a seasoning.

803. - So the French have got a reputation

804. for being arrogant, would you call yourself

805. an arrogant Frenchman?

806. - No, I am becoming more English.

807. - A bit more English?

808. As you're getting older, you're getting more mellow?

809. - Exactly.

810. - Yeah, now the scores are incredibly close so far.

811. It was only five, yeah, points in front of you.

812. You know, you can pull this back, yeah.

813. Keep it going, yes?

814. - I will.

815. - Really good.

816. Make sure all that seasoning is exactly the same way.

817. - Yes, Gordon!

818. - Fred, aubergine nice and crisp,

819. gremolata finish on top.

820. Craig, lentils tasted, yeah?

821. Not just the first pot, everything yes?

822. - Oui, chef.

823. - Eric, last table,

824. make it as good your first table, yeah?

825. - Yes.

826. - Let's go please, to the eight top.

827. Eric, really well done.

828. Bravo, Nico.

829. - For me, I think the mullet was my preferred course.

830. The flavours in it complemented a lot better.

831. - I loved the fish, the sauce on the fish particularly,

832. was lovely, it was really subtle.

833. - Now, good to see you again.

834. - Yes.

835. - Talk to me about the grey mullet.

836. - When I saw the presentation, I thought the colours

837. looked a bit bland and it looked quite flat.

838. It didn't look...

839. - Inviting. - Yes.

840. - No wow factor.

841. - No, no va va voom.

842. - No va va voom. - No.

843. - Will you pay for it?

844. - No.

845. - I had lamb, it was absolutely beautiful.

846. It melted in the mouth.

847. Every texture complemented the next

848. so it was absolutely a pleasure to eat.

849. - I thought my lamb was really, really well cooked.

850. I like it really rare, so the rest of the table

851. thought it was undercooked, I absolutely loved it.

852. It was really moist and tender.

853. - How was the lamb?

854. - For me, the lamb it was too salty.

855. - Really?

856. - And just sort of a bit chewy.

857. - A big question, are you going to pay for it?

858. - I'm not gonna pay for that.

859. - My goodness me, you are one tough cookie, aren't you?

860. Ay yai yai.

861. Bouchon Bistrot grey mullet.

862. Now, not the most widely-renown fish,

863. however, lentils, ceps and really nice langistine jus.

864. Mmm, that's delicious.

865. Cos he's managed to enhance the flavour

866. of the grey mullet with that amazing, light

867. langistine bisque sauce.

868. I hardly ever use grey mullet, but the flavour of that

869. is delicious.

870. More importantly, highly sustainable

871. and the ceps go brilliantly well with it.

872. Really good.

873. Right, French Table's lamb.

874. Beautifully cooked, nice and pink.

875. Aubergine puree is quite interesting.

876. Girolle mushrooms and very light fragrant lamb stock.

877. There's a lot of things going on that plate,

878. however, the balance is absolutely perfect.

879. My one slight concern is all this raw fat here.

880. Two really seriously unique dishes.

881. However, I think the grey mullet just has the edge.

882. Right, first of all, before we do the results, well done.

883. Seriously, well done, yeah?

884. - Thank you.

885. - Okay, JB, thank you

886. This time around, I'll switch around.

887. We'll start with the French Table.

888. The number of customers that are happy to pay

889. for your rack of lamb out of 50 is

890. 36 out of 50.

891. Well done.

892. That's good!

893. Fourteen didn't pay, why not?

894. - Slightly undercooked.

895. - Seasoning?

896. - Yeah, lack of flavours.

897. - Yeah well listen, I find that hard to believe,

898. there's lots of flavours in there.

899. For me, I thought the balance worked brilliantly.

900. Fred, you don't look very happy, what's the matter?

901. - I was expecting a bit more.

902. - Do you want to go and kill a customer?

903. - No, nothing like that.

904. - You want to mahhh.

905. - Because we give all our love and the passion

906. to that dish and we're a bit disappointed.

907. But that's fine, we've got the dinner to carry on.

908. - Okay, Bouchon Bistrot, the number of customers

909. happy to pay for your grey mullet out of 50 is

910. is 40 out of 50, well done.

911. To convince the diners to pay for grey mullet

912. is bloody good news, well done.

913. - Thank you.

914. - Bouchon Bistrot, so far you have 55 out of 75.

915. French Table, you have 56 out of 75.

916. That's amazing, well done, great job.

917. Okay, it all comes down to dessert.

918. Clear down, get ready for your crepes, yeah?

919. - Yes, chef.

920. - Thank you.

921. - Right, this week Janet finds out

922. which came first, the chicken or the egg.

923. - Ow!

924. - I've asked Janet Street-Porter to provide

925. rare Mangalitsa pigs and miniature dexter cattle

926. to ensure we have the best possible meat

927. for the final of our best local restaurant competition.

928. But I still think she's got room for one more breed.

929. I've chosen rare, Ixworth poultry

930. because they're good egg layers and great to eat.

931. But before she can begin, she needs to answer

932. the age-old question.

933. - How do chickens have sex?

934. - There's a man in Yorkshire

935. called Chris who knows the answer.

936. And Chris has got just cocky cockle for the job.

937. - He's gone without right now for about two weeks.

938. - Alright girls, you ready?

939. Sex god is coming.

940. Look at it.

941. Hot to trot.

942. - He's having a look.

943. - What's that, is that saying I'm ready?

944. - That's it, yeah.

945. That said come and get me, yeah.

946. - Could I ask you really something stupid?

947. Do chickens have willies?

948. - No, they're all internal organs.

949. - They haven't even got a little...

950. - No, nothing.

951. - Bumbly bit?

952. - Nothing.

953. - Well, his bum's quivering.

954. I don't know if that means he's aroused.

955. Oh no, hang on, we're getting somewhere.

956. That's it!

957. - That's it, Janet.

958. - What's in it for her?

959. Nothing.

960. - I think he's got the taste now,

961. he probably will be straight onto another one now.

962. - He pushes her on the ground,

963. her tail lifts up.

964. - Yeah and he's literally, sperm is just dropping out

965. of him onto her.

966. She then stores it in a sac within herself

967. and that's that sperm that she uses for the next

968. two to three weeks.

969. You'll actually see by the end of today,

970. his back end will be covered.

971. It'll be dripping, you'll see.

972. - Dripping with what?

973. - Sperm.

974. - Oh no!

975. - Yeah.

976. - No, too much information.

977. - Pretty vile isn't it, yeah?

978. - It's been a week since Janet sat in

979. on some hot chicken sex action

980. and now she's taken delivery of a batch

981. of fertilised eggs ready to hatch within 24 hours.

982. - Oh, get on with it.

983. - The first of Janet's chicks begin to hatch,

984. but it's stuck in it's shell.

985. Acting on advice, she performs an emergency eggsarean.

986. - I've got to give this one a little bit

987. of a helping hand, he's got stuck.

988. I'm taking a bit of the shell off

989. to give him a bit of help.

990. Alright, alright.

991. I've got to put it out of it's misery,

992. I can't stand that tweeting.

993. There's a leg!

994. I have a leg out.

995. Stop knocking about.

996. That's it.

997. The mother and child.

998. - New chicks need to spend around three weeks

999. gaining strength and weight under a brooding lamp

1000. before they can go free range.

1001. So Janet books her new arrival in with a neighbouring farm

1002. for some heat treatment.

1003. - Looking a bit healthier.

1004. I'll tell you what, you're just like Peter Mandelson,

1005. the ultimate survivor.

1006. I'm going to call you Mandy.

1007. - Twenty three chicks from another batch

1008. have hatched and joined Mandy under the lamp.

1009. With the birds settled and soaking up some rays,

1010. all Janet can do is leave them to grow

1011. under the care of her neighbour, Jack.

1012. When Janet returns to check on her chicks,

1013. she's amazed at their progress.

1014. - God, they're huge.

1015. Where's my Mandy?

1016. Where's the one I hatched?

1017. - Well, she never grew actually.

1018. Came in one morning, she was—

1019. - Dead?

1020. - Dead as a doornail, I'm afraid, yeah.

1021. - The thing is, I've never given birth,

1022. but Mandy, I brought Mandy into the world.

1023. I'm pretty pissed off Mandy couldn't shape up.

1024. So this is what we're left with?

1025. - Mm-hmm.

1026. - But these have grown so much,

1027. I can't wait to see how big they are in four weeks' time.

1028. - Yeah, no, they'll certainly have grown by then.

1029. - Janet's got a healthy batch of chicks.

1030. Ixworth mature rapidly for the table,

1031. so her diners in the final can look forward

1032. to some fantastic chicken in the F Word restaurant.

1033. Right, welcome back to the F Word.

1034. Now it's time for dessert.

1035. Crepes Suzette, basically pancakes.

1036. A real old school classic.

1037. First off, you make the batter.

1038. 125 grammes of flour, salt, two eggs,

1039. beat, make a well in the flour,

1040. combine, slowly add 300 mil of milk,

1041. add melted butter, whisk,

1042. orange zest, set aside to rest.

1043. Sauce, oranges, peel and segment, keep juice.

1044. Heat 50 grammes of sugar.

1045. Get that caramel really nice and dark.

1046. Grand Marnier, add the orange juice,

1047. remove from heat, coat oranges.

1048. Crepes, butter.

1049. Flip and cook the other side.

1050. Fold into quarters.

1051. It smells amazing.

1052. Spoon over orange sauce.

1053. Crepe Suzette, done.

1054. Let's go, every crepe perfect, yes?

1055. Let's go, watch your face.

1056. Fred, no wonder you've got no fucking hair left.

1057. Nico, you've got five pans working at the same time.

1058. Eric, you've only got four going at the same time.

1059. Is that the difference between Brittany and Paris.

1060. - Brittany are big sports on pancakes.

1061. - The French Table were beaten in the main course

1062. by Bouchon Bistrot.

1063. They're clearly feeling the pressure

1064. and they seem less confident now.

1065. Maybe because they're just one point in the lead.

1066. It's neck and neck.

1067. For the French Table, winning could catapult

1068. this exciting suburban restaurant into

1069. the Lemon Super League.

1070. - Just to win, there's no English word for that.

1071. There's no English words,

1072. so I'll have to find a French word,

1073. it'd be fantastic.

1074. - For Bouchon Bistrot, success tonight

1075. could really put this rural northern restaurant

1076. on the culinary map.

1077. - If Bouchon were to win, it would be just amazing.

1078. I think it would really boost our confidence.

1079. - The pressure is on.

1080. You just burnt your eyebrows.

1081. Don't go crazy with the sauce, guys.

1082. If you go crazy with the sauce, you're going to

1083. fill up the pancake and make it soggy, yeah?

1084. - Yeah.

1085. - They look delicious, well done.

1086. Service please.

1087. Nico is a great tosser of pancakes.

1088. You're folding your with a palette knife,

1089. why are you opting out and not tossing your pancake?

1090. - I'm concentrating.

1091. - It's an important toss, yeah?

1092. You gonna flip it or are you gonna use a spatula?

1093. I think you've got the balls to flip it.

1094. - Of course, chef.

1095. - Go on.

1096. Well done, well done, well done, well done, well done.

1097. Big pair of Newcastle bollocks.

1098. - Why aye man.

1099. - Watch your...

1100. Damn!

1101. - Shit, don't worry, I got another one.

1102. - This is fascinating cos they're pretty much

1103. neck and neck, however, I think Nico's got the edge

1104. cos he's calm, he's collected and those pancakes

1105. are absolutely delicious.

1106. Eric all of a sudden has sunk into one,

1107. slightly disappeared.

1108. All that swagger is gone and he's less arrogant

1109. and more focused.

1110. This is neck and neck, yeah?

1111. While those crepes have sat there,

1112. is sauce coming or?

1113. - Yeah.

1114. - Yeah, okay now you don't serve as much sauce as Nico,

1115. why is that?

1116. You just want it less soggy?

1117. - Yeah, I think it'll be too soggy otherwise.

1118. I like my pancakes not too soggy.

1119. - I get nervous when you're this quiet.

1120. Why have you clammed up?

1121. Why have you gone into one?

1122. Are you sulking?

1123. - It's a bit thick.

1124. - It's a bit thick?

1125. Well let it down, no?

1126. - Yeah, we'll work.

1127. - Do you need some more milk?

1128. - Yes.

1129. I told you to say something.

1130. I feel like I'm cooking with a completely different chef.

1131. - Sorry you're hurt.

1132. - Starter, main course, confident.

1133. Now, all of a sudden, you've gone in to one,

1134. what's the matter?

1135. - Nothing, it's okay, yeah.

1136. - Come on, keep it going.

1137. Come on, come on, come on.

1138. I thought you would rise to the pressure, not sink.

1139. Go. Excellent.

1140. Delicious looking crepes and job well done.

1141. - It was absolutely delicious.

1142. Really nice, moist and went really well

1143. with the tang of the orange and it was fantastic.

1144. - Do you have a bit of a sweet tooth?

1145. - Yeah, actually, yeah.

1146. - Yes, how were the crepe Suzette?

1147. - Fantastic.

1148. - Fantastic, yeah?

1149. What did you like most about them?

1150. - It was, they were just so light

1151. and the sauce was absolutely fantastic.

1152. It wasn't too bitter, it wasn't too sweet.

1153. - And the big question, are you going to be paying

1154. for your pancake?

1155. - I am.

1156. - You are, yeah? - Yup.

1157. - Good, I'm glad to hear it.

1158. What do you think?

1159. - Gordon.

1160. - You've actually closed your restaurant

1161. to be here tonight.

1162. - Absolutely, yes.

1163. - If you don't win, will you regret

1164. closing the restaurant?

1165. - Not at all, no.

1166. It's been a fantastic experience, we loved it.

1167. No regrets whatsoever.

1168. Our customers are supporting us all the way.

1169. - Fingers crossed, it's gonna be tight, this one.

1170. More importantly, whatever happens, at the end of this

1171. result, you should be incredibly proud of your team.

1172. - Absolutely.

1173. - And you should be proud of your son.

1174. - Definitely, definitely.

1175. - Thank you very much.

1176. - If we win, you'll be able to hear her from Newcastle.

1177. I'm not kidding you, she'll be like an atomic

1178. bomb going off.

1179. - I thought my dessert was okay, to be honest.

1180. I liked the crepes, were well cooked,

1181. they had good flavour, but it lacked a bit of sauce

1182. and the fruit could have done with a bit more.

1183. I thought the flavour wasn't as strong as it could have been.

1184. - I loved the crepe.

1185. Absolutely just really soft, crispy on the outside, as well.

1186. It's just perfect.

1187. Not overcooked, not stodgy.

1188. Light, fluffy, went down really nice.

1189. - Dessert.

1190. - Yes, it was a little bit too thick for the pancake.

1191. - Right.

1192. - Yeah, and I didn't think there was enough sauce

1193. and I was waiting for a bit more of a punch.

1194. - Right, they were cooked by your husband.

1195. - I'm sure they were.

1196. - Damn.

1197. - So it's really nerve wracking now.

1198. - Are you going to pay for them?

1199. - No.

1200. - You're not paying for your husband's crepes?

1201. - No, not today, not today.

1202. - That's very fair minded.

1203. - Yeah.

1204. - And how's it gonna be in the back of the taxi

1205. on the way home tonight?

1206. - Not very good.

1207. - One in the front, one in the back?

1208. - Yeah, I think so.

1209. One in the spare room.

1210. - One in the other room?

1211. - Yes.

1212. - So the results are in

1213. and it's time to find out exactly

1214. who will be crowned the F Word's

1215. best local French restaurant.

1216. Good luck to you both, yes.

1217. JB, okay, French Table, gonna go first with you, yes?

1218. And for your dessert, out of 25 you got

1219. 9 out of 25.

1220. - Whoa.

1221. - That is a big kick in the bollocks.

1222. Why?

1223. - The main reason is the crepe was too thick.

1224. Lack of sauce as well, not enough sauce on the plates.

1225. - You adjusted the thickness halfway through,

1226. did you know they were going out that thick?

1227. - It was thicker than I wanted, yes,

1228. but not thick, no.

1229. - And they were that thick that your wife

1230. didn't pay for them.

1231. Okay, Bouchon, if you get 10 out of 25 of your desserts,

1232. you tie and then I'll decide who wins.

1233. If you get more than 10, then you are

1234. the F Word's best local French restaurant.

1235. - Cool.

1236. - Okay, out of 25 customers, the amount that are

1237. happy to pay for your crepe Suzette is

1238. is 17, well done.

1239. Well done, well done.

1240. Really well done.

1241. My god.

1242. Eric, two fantastic courses, absolutely fantastic courses.

1243. Lamb superb, foie gras excellent.

1244. Really, really, really good.

1245. Okay Bouchon, congratulations, you're now third

1246. on the leaderboard.

1247. I hope to see you in the semifinal.

1248. Congratulations.

1249. Now all of you go out and get a glass of champagne.

1250. Well done.

1251. Well done.

1252. Bravo.

1253. - I can't speak, honest to god, I'm just so proud.

1254. Really, really proud.

1255. - To win this is phenomenal.

1256. I really can't believe it.

1257. - It's just amazing, it's great.

1258. - It's, you know, the biggest moment of my life.

1259. - So Bouchon Bistrot have made it onto

1260. the leaderboard in third position,

1261. but with six weeks to go, will they hold

1262. onto their place in the semifinal?

1263. Next week, I'll be searching for the F Word's

1264. best local Chinese restaurant.

1265. What an amazing little find.

1266. Is your favourite in the running?

1267. I go searching for an amazing Chinese delicacy.

1268. Look at the size of them, my god!

1269. And my new confidence coach gives me some surprising advice.

1270. How do I get rid of those?

1271. Should I have Botox?

1272. - I mean, if I had large wrinkle like you,

1273. I would be single.

1274. Nobody want me anymore.