The Apprentice - BBC series 4 - week 5

Frozen out

For the first time in this series both teams worked well together and left the bitchiness until they were fighting for their places in the boardroom.

Claire knew she was under the cosh after being bawled out by Sir Alan Sugar the previous week and seemed a new woman as she took control of Renaissance. Kevin was transferred from Alpha to make up their depleted numbers.

Lucinda, who was put in charge of Renaissance, finally sprang to life and proved to be an effective team leader.

The teams had to come up with three flavours for ice cream, manufacture them at two farms in southern England and sell two of them to the trade.

Bockingfold Farm in Goudhurst, Kent, and Downsview Farm in Ringmer, East Sussex, got some valuable publicity from the show and some real sales orders.

After the TV show aired, Alastair Jessel of Bockingfold Farm, said all of Lucinda's team should have been fired. He thought the flavours the team made were not particularly nice and he was surprised that none of the candidates asked him about the marketing of specialist ice cream, which is where both teams struggled.

Mr Jessel attended the recording of The Apprentice: You're Fired but was not asked any questions by Adrian Chiles which were broadcast.

Claire's side of the team took a leisurely approach on the first day cruising round the countryside while the others were hard at work making the ice cream. By the evening no one had been lined up to taste the ice cream samples in the local village and they ended up asking a couple of guys who rolled out of the local pub looking well tanked up. Not surprisingly they recommended the flavour containing cider and elderflower. The five berries flavour was also selected. They had called it Very Berry - or was that beriberi?

Lucinda's team was better organized and 15 villagers attended their tasting session, choosing the toffee apple and avocado & chili flavours.

The next day Claire's team rolled up at the Clapham Picture House and thought they had secured an order for 18 litres. But Lucinda's team were at the head office and got an order for 100 litres. The 18 litre order was cancelled.

Just at the end of the day Claire's team made a final appointment at a trendy bar and grill - and received an order for 200 litres - £800. This ensured they won with total sales of £1,455 against Alpha's £1,274.

Tears started rolling down Claire's cheeks when she heard she had taken her team to victory - for the second time in two weeks. She certainly looked a changed woman.

Lucinda chose Lindi and Jennifer for the final boardroom session where Sir Alan Sugar showed his displeasure at two orders which had promised exclusivity in London to a pub chain and to cinema chains. They had committed Downsview Farm to a reduced list of potential customers. But it was Lindi who was fired - and a chastened Jennifer who returned to the house wondering why she had earned the ice queen tag.

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