Episode 2 MasterChef

MasterChef is back. Hundreds auditioned,

and now the best 60 amateur cooks are through.

I'm not that mad! Wait till you hear what's in me dish.

-It's burnt!

-No! We call that enthusiastically crisp.

Each week, 12 new contestants battle for just four places

in Friday's quarterfinal.

So raw.

Only the strongest will make it to the final challenges.

Not as lovely as your pear.

I love it.

Happy anniversary. Ten years.

Three wives, but only one co-judge.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

These six amateurs all think they've got what it takes

to become MasterChef.

But, at the end of today's heat,

only two will become quarterfinalists.

Welcome to MasterChef. A fantastic competition.

One of you could easily be the 10th MasterChef champion.

So, to start off, we're going to get you to do your own dish.

Your calling card, some things that tells us about you as a cook.

But, please, for my sake and his sake, make it edible. Could you?

You've got one hour to do it in. Ladies and gentlemen, good luck.

When we're bored, let's cook.

I feel like I've always been a foodie, really.

So hedonistic, food.

If you're cooking it for people that you love and then they're

getting pleasure out of that, there's no feeling like it, really.

-Hello, Trina.

-Hello.

-How are you feeling?

-Fine, thank you.

You're making a dessert.

Yeah, I'm making raspberry and hibiscus flower tart.

I get the raspberry and hibiscus, but is there no custard in the tart?

-Yeah, there's creme patissiere.

-You're making a creme pat?

-Yeah.

I'm happy about that.

Why this dish rather than any other dish in the world?

Cos I love puddings.

You might like them, but do you know how to cook them well?

-Well, my husband would tell you yeah.

-Well done, Trina. I'm excited.

-Good.

-I'm excited.

-Me too.

If Trina does her tart right, it's going to demonstrate a lot of skill.

She's got to make pastry, she's got to make creme patissiere,

and then she's got to finish the tart with raspberries

and make the whole thing beautiful. Big job.

My wife has always said

if I'd started cooking earlier in life,

it would probably be what I'm doing for a living.

So, now's the time to look at whether that is possible.

-How much do you love food?

-Very much so. Food is what I do to relax.

-Food is not work.

-You do realise that might all change

and food might become the most stressful thing in your life ever,

-if you stay in?

-Yes!

-I'm realising that now, actually.

-How good do you think you are?

I think I'm fairly good. My strength is in invention.

I don't tend to get fazed.

If something's missing, something goes wrong, I'll adapt it,

I'll change it, I'll move on.

Stephen has the most fantastic array of ingredients on his bench.

He's making little steamed moneybags, which are pork and prawn.

And he's making his own pastry. This moneybag just shows real ambition.

An ambitious cook.

Almost 20 minutes gone.

I've always worked in the catering industry, but front of house.

A lot of people, you know, say that I'm good at cooking.

Hopefully, I can get into the kitchen and follow my dream.

Dani, forgive me, it all looks a little bit frantic over here.

-It is a little bit, yeah.

-What's going on?

I'm just worried about the time. I keep looking at my watch.

You seem to have loads more ingredients

and pans than anybody else. What are you cooking?

I'm cooking a pan-fried sea bass with truffle mash,

sauteed samphire, and a mussel, saffron, and king prawn sauce.

What are you trying to show us?

You're not going to get through cooking a sandwich, are you?

-Doing a toasty. So, all-out, first round.

-Good lad. Well done.

-Cheers, mate. Thank you.

-You carry on being manic.

-Thank you, mate.

Dani is really pushing himself.

He's got to fillet the fish, he's got to make a sauce,

he's got to do his mussels, chop his prawns,

he's got to do lots of things all at once.

I wonder, though, if that's pushing himself a bit too far.

The thing about Kate is she is daring.

And she's daring to be different by cooking a 1950s stew.

Rabbit, suet dumplings and carrots. Fantastic.

She gets this right, brilliant.

Kate, you've got scrumpy, you've got suet.

It's very old and traditional.

And you look anything but old and traditional.

-What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?

-I've got a couple of jobs.

I work for customer services, and then I also do fire performance.

Firebreathing, that sort of stuff, for a few different events.

That's unusual. It's also creative.

I would look at you and imagine your food to be a little bit wild.

It can be at times. But I wanted to go a little bit traditional today.

-Do you think you're good?

-Yeah.

-How good?

-I think I'm good enough.

30 minutes have gone.

You've got half an hour left.

My first-ever job interview after school was for a trainee chef,

which I felt at the time was what I really, really wanted to do.

A couple of days later, got offered the job but, unfortunately,

I had to turn it down.

Ever since then, it's been a burning passion

and something I've always needed to do.

What is it you're making for us, Greg?

I'm making a brandy and ginger snap basket, filled with

white chocolate cheesecake, a limoncello jelly,

meringue topping with a lemon sauce.

-That's ambitious.

-You've got to take risks.

What makes you think a bald man called Greg will

-succeed on MasterChef?

-Well, you've managed to do it.

This shows that Greg is truly inventive.

Cheesecake inside a brandy snap with jelly made from limoncello?

Brilliant!

20 minutes left.

20 minutes for your masterpiece.

Lucy, what is it you're doing?

I'm doing a bit of a take on pasta puttanesca, without the pasta.

So, I've got pan-fried cod with a Parmesan crust.

Why did you not do the pasta?

I wanted to stretch it and make it my own, and put my own creative

take on it, rather than just plating up a dish of spaghetti.

-If we go through, will you make me some pasta?

-Absolutely.

-Promise?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

Lucy is making a strange dish because, instead of cooking pasta,

she's taking the pasta and replacing it with a piece of fish.

It does show me that she's an inventive cook,

but I wonder if the inventions are going to work.

Last five minutes.

Disaster.

Just three minutes.

Final 60 seconds.

That's it, time's up, stop.

For his calling card, Stephen's made Oriental moneybags.

Prawn, pork and shiitake mushroom dumplings served with

ginger and rice wine vinaigrette.

I like the way you've made the baskets, I like how light they are.

I DO like the meaty filling you've got in there.

I also like the ginger. However, it's too salty for me.

I'm going to disagree with you on this one. I really like it.

I love the flavours of the prawn and pork and the shiitake, all smoky.

I like the saltiness that comes with it. And I love the textures.

I think this is demonstrating somebody who's imaginative,

and somebody who's got some guts.

-I ain't got a complaint, Stephen.

-Thank you.

The first challenge has been completed.

I got the dish on the plate, it presented well,

I was quite pleased with that.

Fire dancer Kate's dish

is a rabbit and cider stew

with carrot dumplings, potatoes, and bacon.

Kate...

it's delicious.

The cider makes it really lovely and rich. Your rabbit's not dry,

I like your little dumplings with the fennel and the carrot through them.

And I think good on you.

I like it. It's all well cooked.

I haven't got an issue with the dish.

As a bowl of stew, it's a very, very good bowl of stew.

I love it, Kate.

Thank you.

Deputy pub manager Dani has made sea bass topped with samphire,

a courgette stuffed with truffle mash,

and a prawn, mussel and saffron sauce.

Dani, that is incredible presentation.

-That's a beautiful plate.

-Thank you.

No wonder you looked so manic, if this is what you had in mind!

There's so much in there to be pleased about.

Really like the way you've cooked the fish. And I love

your saffron sauce. However, the mashed potato has lumps in it.

-And putting it inside a courgette is a mistake.

-OK.

Courgette is really watery.

You're getting water from courgette going into mashed potato.

However, the processes you've gone through

and your presentation skills, and the technique you're showing

here in the early round of MasterChef is applaudable.

Dani, I agree with Gregg. You've got a lot of skill on this plate.

This shows a really ambitious cook, Dani. You've been pretty busy

-at this plate. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

Classroom designer Lucy's calling card is Parmesan crusted cod

on olive potatoes with a puttanesca sauce.

I know your inspiration because you're talking about puttanesca,

which is a very strong sauce served with bundles of pasta.

It's strong with tomatoes, and capers, and olives,

strong with Parmesan cheese and basil.

But my poor little fish, it has no flavour any more.

You can't taste that beautiful fish.

But, I've got to say, I love the way you cooked the fish,

I love the crust, I like the depth of flavour in your tomato sauce.

From this, I get that, actually, you have a decent touch.

However, you need to readdress the flavours that you are using.

Mum of three Trina's dessert is a tart filled with creme patissiere,

topped with raspberries, an hibiscus flower and spun sugar,

served with hibiscus syrup and edible glitter.

Really love your presentation. I really like what you've done,

demonstrating your skill by making your own pastry,

your own creme patissiere, little swirls of sugar on top.

The hibiscus flower's a difficult one because it sits in only one place.

To me, it feels like you need to flavour it more with hibiscus.

-It needs to be a little bit sweeter. Be brave with your flavours.

-OK.

It is a skilful dish. It could taste a lot better.

OK.

Van salesman Greg has made a brandy snap filled with

white chocolate cheesecake, a limoncello jelly,

and topped with meringue.

It's served with a lemon sauce.

I've done the cardinal sin. I've burnt the brandy basket.

Have to serve it with it cos that's the centre of the dish,

so disappointed with that.

That is really seriously good. It's a shame it's a little bit burnt.

But that is really good. That is toasty and nutty.

Big, grown-up flavours, loads of skill.

Shame it got a little bit burnt.

-I'm going to overlook it cos that's good.

-Thank you.

-Really good.

-You can't overlook that it's got burnt, Gregg.

-I just have.

I can't overlook the fact that you burnt your basket. I just can't.

-Of course.

-But what's inside your basket, it's a joy.

Creamy, sweet cheesecake, sharp,

warming alcohol from the limoncello, sweet meringue on top of it,

and then you've got this lemon sauce on the side. It is really clever.

Thank you.

Flawed cos you burnt it, you duffer, but it's really clever.

That means a lot, thank you.

Relieved, pleased, in the end. Thought I'd done a disaster.

But, luckily enough, the flavours came through.

Yeah. Happy.

Thanks very much for cooking your calling card for us

because now we've got an insight into you as cooks.

You're now going to take a break and then, when you come back...

we're going to start the competition in earnest.

Thanks very much indeed. Off you go.

John, this is the sweet or savoury invention test.

Blue box, sweet ingredients. Green box, savoury ingredients.

-Your choice.

-I'll go sweet.

-Really?

-Yeah.

John has an hour to invent a dish from

popped rice, coffee granules,

eggs, pastry, dark chocolate,

walnuts, thyme and beetroot.

He also has a basic larder.

I think that's ghastly.

JOHN LAUGHS

I'm going to do a walnut and thyme sable biscuit with

a chocolate and coffee mousse in the middle of it.

-John, on your own head be it.

-Yep.

The problem I've got is making sure the mousse sets within the hour.

Mousse is in, praline's done. Where's the biscuits?

I would expect this to be more technically challenging than

the contestants would do, but you never know, do you?

-Are you actually making an edible puzzle?

-Yes, that's it.

Right. If they don't work...

..I'm out of the competition.

-You've got six minutes.

-Thank you.

-Are you going to get it out?

From the sweet box John's made thyme sable biscuits with a walnut

and popped rice praline, coffee and chocolate mousse

and a sabayon served with Chantilly cream.

-That is a yummy, melty, biscuity coffee nut cuddle.

-Thank you.

Let's get them in. Let's see what they can do.

Now the competition truly begins.

The blue box contains the ingredients to make a sweet dish.

The green box has got the ingredients to make a savoury dish.

We're now going to give you ten minutes to design your dish.

Everybody now choose.

What a shame. Not a single dessert in the whole room.

Wish I had picked the dessert ingredients

because I could have done something really good.

Today's savoury box contains pork tenderloin, steak, Parma ham,

butternut squash, figs, a lettuce, calvados apple brandy

and black eyed beans.

You know the rules. You'll have one hour to create the dish.

At the end of this, two of you will be leaving the competition.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

-Panicking, again?

-It's just Dani style, that.

-Is that Dani style?

I've already had a fire in the kitchen.

-We loved your dessert.

-Thank you.

-Why didn't you do another one?

Just wanted to show a bit of versatility.

-What are you going to burn for us, Greg?

-Nothing on this round.

There's a magic box of ingredients

and people are playing it really safe.

Pork served with pumpkin and potato.

That's what we're going to have by the looks of it.

Kate, you don't appear to be doing pork in Parma ham?

I'm doing sweet and sour black beans and Japanese style sweet

and salty omelette.

-Is this absolute invention?

-Yeah.

Not half.

SHE LAUGHS

Ladies and gentlemen, you are halfway.

I like the look of your potato. Is that something you've done before?

No.

But I have seen it done before.

Stephen, you said you were most looking forward to

the invention test.

-That was the sort of cook you were.

-I like big flavours.

I don't believe you should put something on a plate

if you can't taste it.

You've got only 15 minutes.

After the last round, what are you keen to demonstrate?

I thought whatever it is I'm not doing a dessert.

I just want you to see that I can do lots of different things

and lots of different techniques.

Just three minutes.

You have 90 seconds.

Most of these contestants will be cooking the pork.

We're going to have five very different flavoured pork dishes.

That's it. Time's up.

From the savoury box Lucy has chosen to make

mustard stuffed pork tenderloin on a potato

and Parma ham galette with butternut squash cubes and a pork reduction.

Lucy, I like it.

I think there are things on there that are really clever.

Your pork is still moist, I love the mustard flavour inside of it.

I really adore the sweet butternut squash you've got on there.

My perception of you now is of a much better cook

than it was in the other round, you'll be pleased to know.

Your potato galette is inspired and you get this comforting

flavour of crispy ham like you're eating a pizza.

I think there's some really nice, promising bits on this plate, Lucy.

Really, pretty good indeed.

-Well done, Lucy.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

I'm kind of relieved that that bit's over.

I was pleased that I was able to put up something that was

an improvement from my first dish, so I'm quite happy.

Trina has made pan-fried steak with garlic mash,

a creamy peppercorn sauce and butternut squash crisps.

I quite like the look of it.

I think you can try to get it on the plate if you can.

Do you know what I mean?

There's a little edge around the outside

so you get the stuff in the middle.

Well-seasoned steak, nicely cooked. Mashed potato lovely and creamy.

Your little attempt here at these crisps won't work.

Butternut squash has too much water in it.

I can't find fault.

I will, however, say it's not the most adventurous invention

I've ever seen.

It wasn't very creative and crazy but I just felt I wanted to stay...

..with something that I knew.

Dani has cooked pork medallions on fondant potatoes topped with

Parma ham.

And served with a fig glaze, black eyed beans

and a butternut squash puree.

Lots of work again. Outlandish presentation, again.

My main flavour I've got is of a fig roll.

That's a biscuit and I was expecting something a little bit more savoury.

Your potatoes are cooked really nicely.

The rest of it's a bit sweet and jammy for me.

I like the way you made the squash.

I like the way you've made your fondants.

And I don't mind the sweetness with the pork.

I think you've got skill. I think you've put in bags of effort.

Lots of technique and I appreciate it.

-Good, Dani.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Glad it's over. That was the one I wasn't looking forward to.

Overall I'm happy, to be honest with you. It could have been a lot worse.

Greg has wrapped the pork tenderloin in chilli spiced Parma ham

and served it with butternut squash puree and a fig baked in calvados.

Your lines are beautifully clean.

Quite what the herbaceous border is doing sticking out of it,

I have no idea.

Is it an aerial?

-Are we supposed to get Radio 4?

-Hello? Hello?

I need to tell you that after a super-duper splendiferous start,

-I'm a bit disappointed, mate.

-OK.

Because your squash is watery

and that is also washing out the flavour of your pork.

Your pork's cooked nicely. The fig's OK.

But it is what it is. Considering the wonder of your dessert.

With the way you've cooked that pork very well,

I remain convinced that you're a decent cook.

However, I think you've really let yourself down here.

-I don't think you've pushed yourself hard enough.

-OK.

'Devastated, to be honest.'

I didn't think it was too bad.

I just thought the flavours would be good enough.

Obviously not.

Stephen has stuffed his honey-glazed pork with onion, chilli and ham.

And served it with garlic mash and a creamy mustard sauce.

-It's a bit anaemic. It's all cream.

-It's all cream.

Presentation probably not the best.

Your mashed potato is lovely. The pork is dry.

I don't think the dish works.

-Bugger.

-Yeah. Bugger.

I find your sauce a little too thick. And a little too sweet.

I can see the promise I could see in your earlier round.

But the way you've cooked the pork is disappointing.

Great first round though.

-Disappointing second.

-Thanks very much.

A little disappointed. Presentation wasn't great.

Let's hope I've done enough to show I have potential.

Kate has made a sweet and sour black eyed bean puree

topped with a Japanese style omelette,

a spicy ginger pork medallion and fried onions.

You dared to be different here. You went for it, big time.

I really like your Japanese omelette. It's sweet, it's savoury

and it's really interesting with the flavour of the pork.

There's bits I find a bit weird.

The beans, they're a bit sweet.

But I like bits of it, as well.

I really like that omelette and I like the flavour of the pork.

Sweet beans on a savoury pork dish isn't great.

It's not particularly pleasant but I like the chilli flavour

you have on the pork and I also like the flavour of your omelette.

That is light and it's salty like soy. It's very nice.

Thanks, Kate.

'I feel like I've let myself down a little bit with that one.

'Possibly next time not try'

to be so adventurous and out there.

Thanks very much.

Off you go.

I am so confused after those two tests. So confused.

The problem is the people who did great food in the calling card round

did bad food in this round.

The people who did bad food in the calling card round

did great food in this round. What have we got?

Let's talk about Dani.

Dani is the only contestant,

I feel, that can walk straight through to the next round.

Just purely because of the skill he showed, the technique he's shown.

His presentation may be a bit OTT.

His pork dish was fig sweet

but he looks to be the most accomplished cook in the room to me.

I think we keep Dani but as for the other five, Gregg,

I don't see how it's easy to make a decision on them.

-I got one other I'd like to keep.

-Who's that? My namesake.

-Greg?

-Yeah.

Greg does this amazing dessert. You and I are in awe of it.

Then in the invention test we get a piece of pork on a watery puree with

a baked fig with a rosemary twig sticking out of it.

I know he let himself down but he still had one of the best

-cooked pieces of pork in the room.

-OK, fair enough.

-Good.

Dani stays, Greg stays. Tell me about Lucy.

I've got to say I thought that fish was cooked beautifully

but over flavoured and this time I thought that pork dish was stunning.

I like Lucy. I tell you what, I think that's progress

and that's what you want to see.

We've now got Dani in, Lucy in and Greg in.

I've never seen such a contrast as Stephen.

You've got those little Asian money bags that you absolutely love.

And then we have a piece of dried pork, soaked in vinegar,

on a thick, oversweet cream sauce with some nice mashed potato.

I can't recognise the cook that gave me

one of the worst bits of cooked pork with one of the worst cream sauces

I've ever had to sample.

If I go home today, I'll be disappointed.

I hope I've done enough, there's nothing else I can do.

Kate has left me guessing.

The cook that made me that wonderful rabbit stew, then came back

and did something which was completely experimental...

Yes, it's a daring cook who does a Japanese omelette

and a piece of pork on a bean puree, but daring in maybe not a good way.

I feel like I'd need to really, really up my game if I got through.

Trina is particularly difficult to judge.

I had a raspberry tart that had no flavour

and she's just given me a piece of steak and mashed potato, John.

She just hasn't pushed herself.

I really hope they see something in me that they will take me

forward, I really, really do, but...I don't know.

Three are in, we know who they are.

And now we've got to send two people home.

I've never seen such a topsy-turvy start to the competition.

We have made a decision. The first person to leave us...

..is Stephen.

Bit disappointed that I've let meself down on that test.

Those are the breaks, you can't turn the clock back,

you've just got to accept it and move on.

The second person to leave us...

..is Trina.

Good luck, guys.

It's a long, busy, adrenaline-fuelled day.

But I wouldn't change it and I'm glad that I've done it.

Congratulations, well done.

Now we ramp up the pressure.

You are going to be cooking for three champions

and finalists of MasterChef.

Natalie Coleman, Tim Anderson and Dr Tim Kinnaird.

Today it's going to be like a service.

You will have one hour to put up your main-course orders.

Then, after that, another 15 minutes to put up your dessert orders.

This will determine which two of you go through to a quarterfinal.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

Now I'm excited because we've got four cooks

and the last two rounds were all topsy-turvy.

Now they've got to prove to us they've got consistency.

It's all about timing, they've got to get it right.

Cooking for MasterChef champions really...

makes you feel a little bit nervous.

I'm hoping that they will have a little bit of empathy for me

because they've obviously been in that position before.

But ultimately I want to impress them.

-Lucy, what are you going to make for us?

-I'm going to do a chicken laksa.

It's kind of like a broth, like a soup with noodles.

I know how important it is to get the balance perfectly right,

so that's my biggest test, really.

And then for pudding?

I'm kind of thinking about a pina colada, so I've got a coconut

-and rum sponge with pineapple cream and a pineapple syrup.

-Yum!

-A bit of Asian food and a cocktail?

-Yeah.

-What about timing?

-I've practised it quite a few times.

One time I've been over, the other time I've been under,

so I'm just hoping that today is the time when I get it perfectly right.

-Lucy, good luck.

-Thank you.

Laksa - it's creamy with coconut, spicy with chilli,

salty with fish sauce,

but it's got to be vibrant and packed full of flavour.

A coconut pineapple sponge with rum sounds really interesting.

And that pineapple has to be really vibrant through that sponge.

I'm really determined. I don't want to go home.

I've really got the bug for this now.

I want to go as far as I can go.

What Greg are we going to see today?

The hard-working Greg or the cop-out Greg?

I've taken your comments on board and I'm going to come back fighting.

What are you going to make for us?

Pan-fried cod fillet on a bed of green parsley mash,

served with a beurre blanc, brown shrimp and mussel sauce.

And a pudding, my friend?

Pudding, I'm going for the chocolate fondant pudding with

a star anise flavoured beetroot puree.

You are aware of the catastrophic list of failed fondants in this competition?

-Yeah, but I won't be one of them.

-It's a huge amount of work, Greg.

It is, it's tough going, but if I pull it off,

hopefully that'll be a quarterfinal place.

What I think Greg is doing right now is putting

one too many ingredients on both of his dishes.

In saying that, I'm really pleased he's stepped back up to the mark.

I'm really pleased to see the Greg that we first recognised

as being a good cook back in the room.

Halfway. Half an hour gone.

I'm going to be working extremely hard today

because I've got a lot to prove.

I just need to get my timing right and get on with it.

Kate, you had an up-and-down invention test,

-but this is back to your own food again?

-Yes.

-How does that feel?

-Much better, I'm not experimenting this time,

-but I know this tastes good.

-So what are we going to get?

This is pork meatballs with jalapeno corn bread and hot jalapeno salsa.

Then for after, there's white chocolate and chilli Key lime pie.

All sorts of things... You've got a lot of work to do, Kate.

I know I have. I know I have.

Is it going to be so hot that we could be breathing fire?

Mmmm, maybe it's going to have a little bit of chilli in it.

Good luck.

Kate's cooking food that she says she's really into.

Mexican, spicy food. Brilliant.

As long as she doesn't make it too... wishy-washy.

It's got to have proper punch.

It's gone up a notch today, hasn't it?

This is MasterChef. The opportunity of a lifetime. You only get it once.

And not everybody gets that once, so you've got to grab it.

Dani, how much pressure are you under today?

Pffff! Enough, but I'm not flapping as much.

You may feel a little bit calmer, you look just as manic to me

-as you always do.

-I've always been manic. Always manic.

Tell us what you're going to cook for us.

I'm doing a snail and rabbit paella with baby artichokes, peppers...

I'm actually making a real aioli as well to go with it.

-And what's that you're doing?

-Fig, raspberry tarte Tatin.

-Is it good enough for a quarterfinal place, Dani?

-I hope so.

The only problem is you can't do much with the presentation.

I must make it taste good cos I can't fall back on my presentation.

-Good luck.

-Thank you very much, guys.

Dani's got a snail, rabbit and artichoke paella.

I think that sounds delicious, yummy, but all those bits

in that paella have all got to be cooked perfectly,

even though they are different beasts and different textures.

This is your final five-minute call.

In 2010, paediatrician Tim Kinnaird made it to the finals.

It was sad not to win initially,

but that lasted about two and a half minutes.

He went on to quit medicine and follow his dream.

I started off making macaroons at home on our kitchen table

and it just grew from there.

Three years later, he opened his first patisserie in Norwich.

I opened the shop eight months ago. We sell our macaroons.

I like detail and precision,

but mainly just making stuff that's absolutely delicious.

I have the best job in the world and the best place in the world.

I didn't win MasterChef

but I got everything I ever wanted out of it, and that's great.

Tim Anderson won the crown in 2011.

We all partied pretty hard on the night of the final.

I woke up the next morning hung over and wondering

if it was all some fabulous dream.

After extensive work in the food industry,

he's about to open his first restaurant.

We have found premises in East London...

And I'm also writing a book, and it's all southern Japanese food.

I'd love to go back and show John and Gregg what I can do NOW,

because I'm so much better...

So much better than I was. Oh, I was just terrible.

2013 champion Natalie has spent the year working with

some of the country's best chefs,

including Tom Kitchin,

Tom Kerridge,

Theo Randall and Daniel Clifford.

Most chefs...not even trained chefs get the chance to work with all these people.

I've learnt a lot,

it's helping me to change my life to move into something I want to do.

You've got six minutes, first course.

So, Lucy's - a main of a fragrant Thai chicken laksa.

Smells good.

It could be great or it could be sort of watery and bland.

And also the chicken can't be dry or tough.

-Right.

-Service.

On time, well done.

-Hello.

-ALL: Hello.

I've cooked for you a fragrant Thai chicken laksa

with some crispy shallots,

Thai basil, coriander and mint in the sauce.

It's a very striking lurid greenish-yellow colour.

It is fragrant, the menu didn't lie.

Chicken's cooked nicely.

I think the broth itself doesn't quite deliver,

it needs a little bit more spice.

It's a little bit thin and maybe a little under-seasoned.

I'm not tasting any of the basil.

I'm getting the coriander and lemon grass, but not the actual basil.

It's not vibrant enough, it tends to be headier,

it needs to be thicker, it needs to be more shocking.

It's shocking, all right.

It's insipid and it's watery, and the chicken is drying out.

15 minutes and pudding, yeah?

Say something, Lucy, even if it's only, "Shut up, baldy."

-Yes, yes, I'm on it. I'm on it.

-Brilliant.

The dessert, the rum and coconut sponge,

I think that sounds delicious...as long as all the flavours are there.

I really want to taste the rum in particular.

People underestimate sponge. It's very easy to make a bad sponge.

Well done.

I've cooked for you a rum

and coconut sponge with a pineapple cream and pineapple syrup.

-Thank you.

-NATALIE:

-Cheers.

DR KINNAIRD: Thank you.

-That actually looks kind of elegant.

-Yeah, it is.

You know, it's tidy and it's refined.

It feels like sort of a regular sponge mix

and then she's folded through desiccated coconut into it.

Coconut, vanilla and pineapple - brilliant,

but it's more of a coconut texture than a coconut taste for me.

-I'm not getting the rum.

-Is there rum in it?

There's supposed to be rum.

I think she's certainly shown promise.

Pretty good food, needs a little bit of work, but so does everybody.

-So did all of us.

-NATALIE:

-Yeah.

Whoa.

That pudding should be strong and sensational and voluptuous

and it's a bit...flat.

I'm not overenthusiastic about it. I'm slightly disappointed.

There wasn't any major mistakes. I think it was OK, it's hard to tell.

-Plate up, now.

-Yeah, yeah, you've got to go.

Greg - pan-fried cod fillet on a bed of green parsley mash.

Baby leeks with a beurre blanc, brown shrimp and mussel sauce.

You've got one minute.

If that tastes as good as it sounds, it's going to be amazing,

it's making my mouth water.

You are two minutes over.

Thank you.

Today I've cooked for you a pan-fried cod fillet

on a bed of green parsley mash in a beurre blanc,

brown shrimp and mussel sauce.

-You enjoy.

-ALL: Thank you.

DR KINNAIRD: Smells fishy.

It smells fishy in a good way. It smells like the sea.

-It does.

-Yeah.

-TIM:

-And it looks how I hoped it would look.

Fish is cooked well.

Fish is perfectly cooked, mussels perfectly cooked.

Sauce is good and flavourful. Mash is good and flavourful and creamy.

Crisp skin would be nice,

but that's 5% of the cod and the other 95% is excellent.

It's all well proportioned and balanced, and you just want

to keep on eating it cos it's like, "Oh, got a little shrimp,"

or..."Oh, I got a little leek!"

I think he's done very, very well.

I'm looking forward to this pudding now.

Oh! We're almost there with this, John,

because the cod is nicely cooked, the mashed potato is buttery.

I like his cooking, I've got to remember he's still an amateur,

it's not a bad attempt.

Cos you've gone over, you've now only got about 12 minutes.

-How long do they take in the oven?

-Ten.

See, you're cutting it fine again, aren't you?

Pudding - chocolate fondant with a beetroot puree.

-Are the fondants ready to come out?

-No.

-Uh. Not rising?

I know beetroot and chocolate work well together,

but a puree and a fondant, I'm not 100% sure about.

-You've got three minutes, will that be enough?

-No.

-Does that mean we're going to be late?

-Looks like it.

We've got to go.

You're making me nervous now, Greg.

-Come on, mate.

-There.

Oh!

I don't want to go.

Ah, disaster.

Take your best three, Greg.

And let's go.

For dessert we've got chocolate fondant pudding served with

a star anise flavoured beetroot puree.

-Enjoy, thank you.

-ALL: Thank you.

He's had unmoulding issues.

But, I'd rather have it falling to pieces and gooey on the inside...

-Yeah, definitely.

-..than overcooked.

He's done good.

Looks like a chocolate river, so I'm quite happy with that.

The puree is just cold and it's grainy and it's watery.

If he'd just put the fondant on and walked out, brilliant.

The beetroot is the problem here.

But the fondant itself makes me forgive.

Greg's had a really good day in the kitchen today.

He's a beetroot puree away from being able to

walk out of here today feeling proud of what he's done.

I love the flavour of his chocolate fondant.

This one has collapsed, the others looked fine to me.

However, what on earth is that aniseed beetroot?!

It tastes to me like I've got a cross between

an aniseed ball in my mouth, while I'm eating a beetroot sandwich.

Relieved it's over, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yeah, it was tough, but I really enjoyed it.

Kate's cooking Mexican pork balls with hot salsa and corn bread.

There's nowhere to hide with that. You've got to get it right.

Otherwise, you just look like you've made pork balls and a...spicy sauce.

Oh, that hasn't worked...at all.

Sort that one out.

-Good. Smile, it smells great.

-Come on, chin up.

This is pork meatballs with a smoky tomato salsa sauce

with jalapeno and mozzarella corn bread.

ALL: Thank you.

-It's not what I was expecting.

-No.

I was expecting a kind of meatball stew, type of thing.

I'm not really getting much flavour of anything from the bread.

The flavour of the bread is not corny enough.

The pork meatballs themselves have a good texture,

but nothing has a really full-on flavour.

I don't think it quite knows what it is

in terms of flavours or presentation.

She might be cross with herself about bits of this.

I'm disappointed with that salsa.

However, I love the meatballs, and I love the flavour she's playing with.

These desserts need to be out of here in seven minutes.

Kate's cooking a white chocolate and chilli Key lime pie.

I LOVE Key lime pie.

The only danger, I think, with the dessert,

is the white chocolate being too sweet.

On time, no issues, well done.

So this is my white chocolate and chilli Key lime pie.

ALL: Thank you.

-Mmm.

-That's nice. That's really nice.

-She's got a nice crunch on her base.

-I think this is delicious.

I like the textures of it and it's kind of that sort of warm,

bouncy eggy top and then the crunchy base is brilliant.

And it works really well in your mouth, and the flavours are fantastic.

It's very rich and indulgent. I could eat the whole thing.

And maybe I will!

It's tasty food and it's interesting to see somebody who at this stage of the competition's got a...

"This is the sort of food I want to cook."

She's got a style emerging, I think.

What Kate's made is a decent Key lime pie in texture and in flavour.

I think it's a good example of it, I quite like it.

I have no idea whether I've done enough. I have no idea.

I'm feeling better now I've got the dessert out

and I'm feeling better that it was all done on time.

Dani's main - rabbit, thyme and escargot paella with aioli.

That just sounds incredible.

-Rice is cooked?

-Yep.

Good, let's go.

It'll be fantastic IF the escargot is cooked properly

cos they can be really tough and weird.

-Good lad.

-Thank you very much.

-It looks lovely, it looks really good.

Phew! Oof!

-There you go.

-DR KINNAIRD: Thank you.

OK?

Right, I'm serving you a snail, wild rabbit, baby artichoke

and pepper paella with an authentic aioli.

-I hope you enjoy it.

-NATALIE:

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much, lovely to meet you.

-Cheers.

I think it's really fun presentation,

it's quite, you know...

The little micro herbs and the snails and stuff, it looks fun.

The taste of the paella is lovely.

The core flavours and the rabbit and the snails are brilliant.

I like it, I think the rice itself is really well cooked.

I think the flavours really work well together.

When you get a bit of that aioli,

I think that sort of brings it all together and brings it to life.

The snails are juicy, the rabbit is moist, the rice is nice and soft.

That's lovely.

OK.

-Fruit tarte Tatins - 15 minutes.

-Yep.

-Go on, son, knock 'em dead.

For dessert - raspberries, figs, vanilla, almonds, mascarpone...

They're all winners to me.

Let's just hope his tarte Tatin's crispy on the outside

and nice and caramelised on the inside.

You've got a minute.

HE SIGHS

-Good boy.

-Thank you.

-Good boy, let's go.

That's a fig, raspberry tarte Tatin

with mascarpone and an almond praline

and a tiny little coulis round the side.

I hope you enjoy it, thank you so much.

ALL: Thank you.

I think it's a bit of a pastry roulette.

I think there's some crispy bits and some soft bits,

and actually, you can't fault the taste of it, it's really nice.

I wasn't sure why you'd do figs AND raspberries,

but they work together,

the fig is rich and the raspberries are kind of tart.

-That's really good.

-This is interesting food.

It's nice food, it's tasty, it's enjoyable and...

..I'm pleased I came.

The pastry's a little soggy. I'll forgive him.

I'll tell you what I do love, I love the combination of fig

and raspberry.

-Absolutely love it.

-How can you forgive that?

That is cheese.

Well...cos it tastes good.

Oh, my God.

My heart is absolutely pounding. That was intense.

That is like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life.

Cor, we had some ups and downs there, didn't we?

I've got to say, I enjoyed the majority of the food.

Can I praise Greg and slap him around the face at the same time?

Cos Greg's fish dish was very, very good.

That piece of fish was cooked beautifully.

The mashed potato was well flavoured. The sauce was a great idea.

Greg delivered fondants - very, very good fondants -

but what on earth was that beetroot doing on the side?

If I left at this stage now, I would be...

Everybody says it, but I would be devastated.

Kate cooked well, but some of her flavourings were a little bit off.

Probably not quite enough seasoning in her corn bread,

and her meatballs - probably not quite powerful enough.

Key lime pie? It was a fine little thing.

Baked little white chocolate cheesecake,

flavoured with lime, that was great.

I feel I've given that a good shot,

so there's nothing else I can do really.

Lucy. Lucy gave us a laksa first off, I'll probably call it a LACK-A,

cos it was actually LACKING in any flavour.

I like her dessert, the coconut, the pineapple...it just needed more rum.

I'm glad that I put up dishes that I was pleased with

and, if I do go, at least I know I put 100% into it.

-Dani's paella was delicious.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely delicious.

Moist rabbit, juicy snails and soft rice. Well-flavoured.

The dessert -

I thought the raspberry juice over the figs was delicious.

And I would have eaten the soggy pastry.

Of course I want to get through, so, we'll see what they say.

I hope it's good enough.

Two stay, two go.

Two go, two stay.

-Touche.

-I think we both know who should stay and who should go.

We've made our decision.

Our first quarterfinalist...

..is Greg.

HE EXHALES Congratulations.

Thank you.

Our second quarterfinalist...

..is Dani.

-(Oh.)

-Thank you very much.

-KATE:

-Thank you.

DANI EXHALES

My heart has never beat so loud or fast in my chest,

but just amazing, amazing experience.

I've had a great time.

I feel like I could have done better and there was a lot of things

I would have changed,

but the best two have definitely, definitely gone through.

You are quarterfinalists.

Quarterfinalist of MasterChef. That's incredible.

That's more than I could ever have dreamed of.

Wow.

Wow. What an achievement.

I'm so proud of myself, you know,

and my mum and dad and my family will be very proud as well, so...

Yeah.

Tomorrow night it's the quarterfinal.

The four heat winners return to cook for just one critic face-to-face.

Oh, no.

I think that's a really, really great plate of food.