The TV programme ‘Coast’ provides Stuart with an opportunity to showcase the best of Scotland’s shores and it’s Rory’s chance to air his Neil Oliver (and Sean Connery). Razor clams, dill, crème fraiche and lemon juice are combined to make a tartare that’s piped into edible shells. Turbot topped with cucumber, clam and caviar is plated with dill emulsion and artichoke puree and served with a vin blanc sauce infused with katsuobushi, button mushrooms and shallots. ‘I love it,’ exclaims Ed. Tom agrees ‘it’s very, very clever cookery’.

Whilst Stuart adapted his fish course for Tom’s shellfish allergy, Adam has decided to serve him a completely different dish. Inspired by his young son’s love of ‘Balamory’, Adam prepares beef fat-brushed lobster tail and tempura battered claws for most diners, along with carrot puree, barbecued pak choi, sea herbs and lobster sauce. Tom’s getting crispy cod, lemongrass sauce and a battered cheek. It sounds a little violent and… just at the point of service, Adam literally loses his temper over the tempura. ‘I’m not serving,’ he barks, and the bleep machine goes into overdrive. Andi remains magnificently calm and focused and eventually all the food is in the judging chamber. Ed burns his finger on a hot skewer but it’s nothing compared with the drama they’ve had in the kitchen.

With just an occasional bleep, Adam’s back on track to deliver his main course. It commemorates a moment in broadcasting history when, in 1923, Scottish miners were able to tune in to listen to the radio. The retired dairy cow is on the menu again – this time given a charcoal mustard glaze to look like coal. It’s served with truffle brioche brushed in beef fat, charred cauliflower, leek and black garlic puree, radicchio dressed in bone marrow fat and a flask of beef gravy. ‘Your soul smiles when you eat food like this,’ says Nisha, and Tom calls it ‘one of the most intense, incredible bits of cooking I’ve had in a long, long time’.

Putting the game into ‘Game of Thrones’, Stuart presents a medieval banquet of venison. Parsley root puree and a squeeze of foraged berry gel go on the plate, joined by ragù-stuffed Roscoff onion, crispy potato and slices of venison loin cooked in foaming butter. Skewers of liver and heart, topped with lardo and glazed with tamari, are served alongside, accompanied with goblets of Bull Shot cocktail. Tom praises the showcasing of Scottish produce, but Rory’s put off by the flavour of something on his plate, Ed doesn’t think the cocktail works and Nisha regretfully admits she was expecting more ‘abundance and generosity’.

For his pre-dessert, Adam had planned a witty take on the Tunnock’s teacake, but switches instead to a caramelised honey and sea buckthorn sorbet. It proves to be a canny move as Tom praises its ‘cleansing’ properties and Nisha says the honey is ‘divine’. Stuart’s blueberry sorbet, topped with blue and white Swiss meringue and a scattering of cornflower petals is less successful. ‘There’s something weird here,’ grimaces Rory and Ed calls the texture ‘creepy’.

TV gameshow ‘The Crystal Maze’ provides the theme for Adam’s dessert. Onto slices of millet cake go miso mousse, shards of milk crisp, poached and pickled pears and dots of apple gel. Andi invites Ed to solve a puzzle and, once successful, crystals of meadowsweet parfait rise dramatically to the delight of the judges. ‘They’ve wheeled in the link to brief – now I’m happy’ smiles Nisha. She, Ed and Rory all love the combination of flavours too but Tom wonders if ‘it just feels a little chaotic’.

Taking inspiration from Sir Billy Connolly and his banana-shaped boots, Stuart reworks the classic banana split into a layered square of banana semifreddo, black sesame craquelin, cherry gel, tempered dark chocolate and cherry sorbet. ‘Will you be eating the whole dessert as Billy Connolly?’ asks Ed of Rory. Thankfully not, but there’s still a weary look on Tom’s face. ‘If you had it in a restaurant, you’d go ‘yes – it’s a lovely pudding’, but this is most definitely not a Great British Menu banquet-winning pudding’, he says.

‘Consistency across the menu’ is Tom’s explanation for Adam’s victory. Andi nods knowingly, never revealing the fish course fiasco. Stuart and Adam celebrate and commiserate with a glass of Champagne, then, free of the bleep machine, Stuart retreats to a storeroom to swear to his heart’s content. Meanwhile, Ed, Tom and Nisha look at the banquet table plan and reconsider where to seat Rory.