Page 15 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

The first four chefs received mixed reviews from the judges and Jay felt a sense of trepidation.

These judges didn’t miss a trick and they certainly weren’t easily impressed.

He wished they’d call him up so that he could get the verdict over and done with, whatever the result. Then it was Rav’s turn.

‘Oh, this is just divine,’ Angela said as she tasted his dish. ‘What’s this called again? It’s got a unique flavour.’

‘It’s called shatkora. It comes from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. Shatkora is a citrus fruit native to the area.’

‘It’s got such a delicate build-up of spice, not surprising as you had so many ingredients on your bench, and it’s tangy and exotic all at the same time. An excellent dish.’

‘Well, I’m grateful to Jay that the sauce was saved, otherwise you wouldn’t have had any to taste,’ Rav replied.

‘Yes, well done, Jay,’ Philip said. ‘I know this is a competition, but if you get to the banquet stage you’ll all have to help each other, and it’s nice to see some great team spirit at this early stage.’

Jay felt the colour rise in his face. He’d acted out of instinct rather than any need for praise, but it was nice to see that his efforts were appreciated.

‘And would you say this is a traditional dish for the south-east of London?’ Louis asked.

‘I would, yes,’ Rav said, his voice controlled. ‘From the 1950s, as part of the Commonwealth countries, many Bangladeshi people migrated to London to help rebuild the city after World War Two. We also came to the East End as a response to the Bangladesh Liberation War in the early seventies.’

‘Exactly,’ Angela added. ‘You have to remember, Louis, that London was a hotspot for immigration, which is why today we have so many types and flavours of food in our cuisine.’

Louis looked away as a hush descended on the room.

Jay couldn’t believe that he’d made such a rookie mistake and wondered if he’d said the first thing that had come into his head to distract from the praise Philip had given Jay.

If that was the reason, it had backfired.

Louis had completely discredited himself.

‘And your pudding?’ Philip said. ‘This looks interesting.’

‘It’s narkel er payesh . It’s a Bengali coconut rice pudding, cooked with Bengali kalijeera rice, in grated coconut, coconut milk and cardamom powder. It’s topped with coconut flakes, dried rose and cornflower petals, and crushed pistachios.’

‘Beautifully creamy, yet sweet and spicy at the same time,’ Philip said.

‘And the rice is cooked to perfection,’ Angela added. ‘Well done, Rav.’

Then Jay heard his name being called. He took a deep breath as he placed his dishes on the judging table.

One by one they tasted Jay’s food. Again he held his hands behind his back to stop them from shaking. His mouth felt dry, his stomach churned.

‘Oh, wow, this is amazing,’ Angela said. ‘The depth of flavour in that sauce is incredible.’

Philip nodded. ‘And the pastry is so crumbly, it just melts in the mouth. Yet it’s strong enough to hold the filling. There’s not an ounce of leakage.’

Louis frowned. ‘I find the liquor a bit too salty.’

‘That’s the flavour from the eels,’ Angela countered him. ‘And I think you’ll find that is how it is supposed to be traditionally. Perhaps it could be adapted to use a little less salt to cater for today’s palate, but on the whole I think it’s a very clever and enjoyable dish.’

Jay let out a breath. The first hurdle was over and he was glad he’d managed to win over the other two judges. He couldn’t believe just how much they were going against Louis, but perhaps they too sensed that his judging wasn’t exactly honest.

‘Now for the treacle tart.’ Angela delved into it and added a dollop of ice cream on her spoon. ‘Oh, yes,’ she said after a few moments of silence. ‘The rhubarb in the ice cream provides the perfect tartness to balance the sweetness of the treacle. That’s inspired.’

Jay waited as the other two judges tasted the dessert.

‘Perfection,’ Philip said.

Louis replied, ‘Yes, very nice.’

Jay felt like doing a fist pump in the air, not just because he’d received such good comments but because Louis had found little to complain about. He resisted the urge.

The competitors filed back into the lounge while the judges deliberated on who was going to go through to the next round.

Only four of the eight would go through and then they’d have to wait for the other heats to take place before they could get to the next stage.

Despite the positive comments he’d received, Jay’s stomach quivered at the thought.

He really wanted to get through. No, he corrected himself.

What he really wanted to do was to get all the way to the banquet, but he couldn’t get ahead of himself just yet.

As they all sat down, Jay was surprised to find how friendly everyone was now that the competition was over.

‘Well, I don’t think I stand a chance,’ Sarah said. ‘I made a complete mess of both my dishes. You, on the other hand, Jay, are a shoo-in.’

Jay blushed. ‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that.’ He hoped it was true, though.

‘Well, I would,’ Rav said. He buttoned up a fresh chef’s jacket that he had collected from his locker, as the one he had been working on had been heavily splashed with the sauce from his dish.

‘And you deserve it too. I wouldn’t stand a chance if you hadn’t been so quick-thinking and saved my sauce. I really can’t thank you enough.’

‘It was nothing,’ Jay said. ‘But I’m glad they got to taste it. It would’ve been devastating if you’d lost the lot.’

Rav nodded. ‘It would.’

‘Louis is being a bit of an arse, though.’ Ben said. Then he turned to explain to the group. ‘Jay and I used to work at La Emporium. Jay worked there a lot longer than me — mine was only a brief stint — but even so I couldn’t stand the man.’

‘Neither could I,’ Jay said. ‘And if anyone is going to mark me down, then it’ll be him.’

Ben continued. ‘I always thought he was a bit of a bully.’

Jay’s neck prickled uncomfortably. While he’d been the one to blow the whistle on Louis, he didn’t want it to be common knowledge, especially among these chefs.

‘I would say his management style leaves a lot to be desired,’ Jay said diplomatically.

‘I can’t say I took to him at all,’ Lucy said, as she tried to refasten her escaping hair back into its bun. ‘There’s something about him that gave me the creeps.’

‘I don’t think the other two like him very much either,’ Sarah said.

They all nodded in agreement.

‘Do you think you should declare your previous acquaintance with him to the other judges?’ Sarah asked.

Jay looked to Ben. He hadn’t thought about that.

‘Perhaps we should,’ he said. ‘Although my pre-acquaintance with the man certainly won’t do me any favours.’

‘But for the sake of clarity,’ Ben agreed. ‘We probably should speak to the judges.’

The door opened and they were asked to return to the kitchen.

The eight chefs stood in a row, all anxiously waiting to hear their fate.

‘Right, well, I know how nervous you all are,’ Angela said.

‘So I won’t keep you waiting too long. What I do want to say, though, is congratulations to you all.

The standard was incredibly high and you made our decision very difficult.

But the chefs going through to the next heat are.

..’ She paused. ‘Jay, Rav, Lucy and Ben.’

‘Commiserations to you other four,’ Philip added. ‘But please don’t think of it as a reflection on your cooking. You are all very talented chefs and will go far in your careers.’

Jay stood in disbelief as the other chefs clapped him on the back and he realised he’d done it. He was through to the next heat.

As the other chefs filed out, Jay nodded to Ben and hesitantly they approached the judges’ table.

‘Gentlemen,’ Angela said. ‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you,’ they said in unison.

‘Is there something we can help with?’ Philip asked.

‘Yes well,’ Jay said, taking the lead. ‘We thought that, in order to be transparent, Ben and I should let you know that we used to work with Louis at La Emporium.’

‘I didn’t work there for very long,’ Ben added. ‘But all the same.’

‘Quite,’ Philip said and turned to Louis. ‘Did you not think to mention this during the selection process?’

Louis shrugged. ‘I didn’t think it was important.’

‘Well, it obviously is,’ Angela said. ‘We’ll have to declare this to the sponsors and seek their guidance, going forward. But thank you, gentlemen, for bringing this to our attention.’

‘But we will still be going through to the next round, won’t we?’ Ben asked.

‘Yes, you will,’ Philip said. ‘The marks you were awarded by both Angela and me guarantee that.’

‘Well, that’s a relief,’ Jay said but couldn’t help noticing the way Louis was glaring at him.