Written by Andrea Bell
Teams travel from the city to the country to compete in the next team challenge, ‘Farmers' Feast’. It is time for the teams to give back to the Coles farmers and their families who provide for the show and the nation.
In walk twelve farmers carrying twelve crates containing twelve different types of produce. Each team is to choose one of the crates, and this will be the star ingredient of their dish. Teams are to prepare two platters each in ninety minutes, with six teams to prepare savoury dishes, and six to prepare sweet. The Farmers will choose their favourite dish of the day, and Colin and Pete will choose the two worst dishes, which will put their chefs straight into Sudden Death.
The teams race for the crates, and a few misunderstandings ensue. The Spice Girls and Drasko and Bianca are fighting it out over the chilli crate. They maturely settle the matter through a game of scissors, paper, rock, which Drasko and Bianca win.
Rose and Josh are cooking Roast Beetroot Fettuccine with Caramelised Pears and Blue Cheese. The heat of the outdoors affects their pasta, and the dough keeps breaking. On tasting, the Judges think the pasta let the whole dish down.
Celine and Vicky decide to show their culinary versatility by cooking Greek style - Marinated Lamb Cutlet with Mediterranean Couscous. On tasting the Judges think the flavours all work well together, with one of the farmers claiming it is ‘magnificent’.
Drasko and Bianca are preparing Nan’s Burmese Chilli Prawn Curry. Drasko says that it was Bianca who introduced him to the world of chilli. What a shame she could not also have introduced him to the world of modesty. On tasting, the Judges think it is delicious and dances on the tongue, the amount of heat from the chilli is perfect.
Spice Girls Eva A and Debra B are cooking Smoked Beef with Asian Noodle Salad. They use the unusual technique of smoking whole beef in a steamer over a wok before placing it in the oven. The technique does not work, and the beef overcooks.
The Judges find the beef dry, and overall the dish is lacking love. The Farmers think it is tasty, but not memorable.
Kool Kat and Understated Andre are making Pork and Mushroom Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom Sauce. Kool Kat loses her cool and loses the plot with the mushroom sauce, which she describes has taken on the consistency of mushroom river water. At the end of the challenge she apologises to Andre for being a Psycho. She also needs to apologise to the nation. On tasting, the Judges admit that they have truly celebrated the mushroom, and the sauce brings the whole dish together.
Carol and Adam are showcasing salmon with Baked Salmon with Ruby Grapefruit Salad. Adam takes on the ginormous task of filleting and pin boning ginormous salmon, but the hard work pays off, with the Judges finding the salmon moist and delicious.
Jac and Shaz score citrus and are cooking Spiced Orange Cakes with Citrus Syrup. The Judges find it to be a well thought out dish, and both say ‘wow’ on tasting. The farmers find it moist and citrusy and are equally wowed.
Sheri and Emilie are making Mixed Berry Wagon Wheels. Things are not coming together, and it appears that the passive girls may actually be fighting. On tasting, the Judges think they have missed the brief, and the berries have been missed from their dish altogether. The farmers agree that it needs more berries, and overall think it is plain.
Dessert Queen Jane and Emma are preparing Layered Hazelnut Cake with Frangelico Cream. The Judges think they have highlighted the nuts well, and while the cake is dry on the outside, it is moist and delicious on the inside.
Robert and Lynzey are making Upside Down Peach Cobbler with Peach Schnapps Custard. Disaster strikes when the cake is not cooking quickly enough. This affects their presentation, which can only be described as beyond rustic. On tasting, the Judges think the peaches needed to be more pronounced and chunky, but overall it is a pleasant dish.
Will and Steve are working on Riesling Poached Rhubarb with Ginger Biscuits. They are having trouble making the biscuits with the heat drying out the mixture. They manage to come up with a solution, and on tasting the Judges love everything about the dessert.
Rob and Dave are making Apple Amandine with Apple Sabayon. With nothing really going wrong during their cook, the Judges think the sabayon is pleasant, but the apple caramel is bitter.
Time for the results. The Farmers have voted Will and Steve’s rhubarb dessert the best, with Pete saying it was his favourite dessert of the day.
Colin and Pete declare Debra and Eva and Sheri and Emilie the worst performing dishes of the day. Sheri and Emilie even get a ‘there is no I in team’ talk from Colin. With the proof not being in Sheri and Emilie’s pudding, nor in Debra and Eva’s noodles, these two girl teams are going straight into Sudden Death, where one team will be eliminated.
Watch a preview of the Sudden Death episode here: