Michael Caines: "Does cider and spelt work well on this dish?"

Nicholas: "I think it does. The only acidity I've used throughout the whole dish is cider vinegar."

Michael Caines: "Do you feel that you've got the right balance in the flavors here?

Nicholas: "I think there is a really good balance. I think there's a lot going on, but I think they marry together really well.

Peers, tasting behind the scenes

"There's a lot on a very small dish, you might do with taking one element off even."

Back in the judging room ...

Michael Caines: "How do you think the king oysters fared with the dish?

Nicholas: "It is quite in the background, but that was intentional. The star, if you like, is the lion's mane in tempura,"

Michael Caines: "The secondary mushroom, the oyster mushroom. Is that a bit lost?"

Nicholas: "Yeah, I think it is lost.

Michael Caines: "Now, this sauce, tell us a little bit about how you fee that's gone.?

Nicholas: "I think it's really good. I kind of wanted it to have a creamy, luxurious mouthfeel. I didn't want it to be too thin and milky.

 Peers, tasting behind the scenes

 I think the sauce is really nice. It had a nice nuttiness to it.

Back in the judging room ...

Michael Caines: "The psychedelic gel. Are you pleased with what that's brought to the plate?"

Nicholas: "It is there for sweetness and acidity. The base of it is a pickle brine.

Peers, tasting behind the scenes

 It felt a little bit weird on the palate. I'm not such a fan of like a coldish jelly on top of a warm dish.

Back in the judging room ...

Michael Caines: "What would you score this dish if you had to do it yourself?

Nicholas: "I think I'd have to go for an eight.

Final Judging

Michael Caines: "Nicholas, your dish. "Mother of Glastonbury", the presentation was colorful and playful. The psychedelic cider jelly didn't quite work for me. It had acidity and sweetness, but the acidity is needed through the whole dish, not just on the top. The tempura of lions mane was a real delight. I really thought that was the tastiest part of the dish. The spelt mushroom ragu. Well, I thought that was slightly under seasoned.