Dundee-born chef Adam Handling lost his final chance to serve at the Great British Menu banquet after finishing sixth in Thursday night’s episode.
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.
And there was disappointment for the Scot in the latest instalment of the BBC2 show as he failed to win over judges Tom Kerridge, Ed Gamble, Nisha Katona and special guest Huw Edwards.
Contestants were asked to create a dessert course inspired by 100 years of broadcasting.
In his fourth TV appearance of the week, Adam produced a dish titled ‘Where there’s a wheel there’s a way’ – inspired by legendary TV game show The Crystal Maze.
It also involved the judges each having to retrieve their crystal, which they then enjoyed alongside the other elements.
Ice cool
Earlier the 33-year-old vowed to “go out kicking and screaming”.
His dessert was a sugar crystal filled with a miso mousse filling, alongside a millet cake with ground almonds and tapioca.
Using meringue and dried ice, he created a mellow sweet snow and added sour cherries in an attempt to bring up his score from the original 29 he received in the heats.
Despite his best efforts, the judges were split on their views of the dish, with Huw finding the “filling in the crystal bland” and the miso mousse too “thick”.
Nisha, on the other hand, enjoyed the density of the mousse but Tom found “the sour cherries too sour” and the cake “too dense”.
They all agreed the crystal was the highlight of the dish but it wasn’t to be for Adam whose TV dream, for now, is over.
Four chefs move on to the banquet, including Spencer Metzger, Chris McClurg, Nathan Davies and Sally Abe.
Adam congratulated the quartet, adding: “Done now, ready for my bed.”
