Episode 22 MasterChef

It's the final week of MasterChef 2014.

And only the four best amateur cooks remain.

I'm really grateful I'm here

and it's been a tough competition so far

and I know it's only going to get tougher.

I've seen a lot of people go home.

Some people who I thought were nailed-down finalists,

but, you know, I'm still here...

amazingly.

I never envisioned myself doing this.

So, to get here is just a massive privilege, a real honour.

And I'm just massively excited.

Being in this competition has made me realise

that I can achieve great things.

Yeah... I can do it!

Tonight, the competition moves on to a completely different level.

Quite a challenge, eh?

That's a failure.

Everyone's getting a little bit nervous now.

We're in a whole world of trouble, all right?

For one of them, their MasterChef journey will come to an end.

The pressure is on!

The four contestants are on their way to the Holborn Dining Room

in central London for their greatest challenge to date.

This year's Chefs' Table.

In less than six hours,

they will have to serve five iconic Michelin-starred giants.

What they don't know is that the chef

who's travelled here to set the menu

is the rule-changing maestro Tom Kerridge.

You are joking me!

Oh, my God! Oh!

-That's made my day!

-Oh, yeah!

Morning, ladies and gentlemen.

-How are we?

-Good.

OK. So, today is a big day.

We are cooking for some major industry boys today.

We have Tom Kitchin, Nathan Outlaw, Ashley Palmer-Watts,

Michael Caines and Simon Rogan.

So, this is a massive day for myself,

and you guys are my team.

I have brought along with me my head chef and my development chef

just in case we need them.

So, guys, we've got loads to do.

Fingers crossed we're not going to be running around

like headless chickens. So let's crack on.

40-year-old Tom Kerridge has risen to be

one of the country's most popular chefs.

The biggest part of food for me is flavour.

I try to make sure that my food is accessible

and it's food that everybody understands,

but to get there in the first place is quite a difficult process.

Opened in 2005,

the Hand & Flowers in Marlow is the only pub in the world

to be awarded two Michelin stars.

It's a reputation that we've worked very hard for

over the last nine years to get right.

I would hate for it to all come crumbling down around us

at the hands of four people who have not done it before.

Sounds like madness, doesn't it?

I just hope the nerves don't get the better of them.

To cook under Tom, it's just...

You can see from the smiles on our faces.

I think we're all massively excited to be here

and just really looking forward to it.

It is so exciting!

Oh!

It's brilliant!

I love his food.

I've been trying to get into his restaurant for months.

To be able to work WITH him,

I mean, this is amazing!

This'll be great!

It's a lot of pressure, but it's massively exciting.

It's going to be good... Hopefully it's going to be good!

OK, now, Angela, you're on the starters.

So, you're going to be doing a parsley soup.

Tom's starter features Bramley apple, salted cucumber

and confit orange.

This is all diced exactly the same size.

Knife skill is a key to this.

You remember you're cooking for nine Michelin stars out there.

So, all little things like this they'll notice.

The dish also includes a blue cheese tortellini,

a vibrant green parsley soup...

Just be careful that it doesn't boil too hard

because it will begin to go brown.

That looks amazing...

..and is finished off with croutons and borage.

There you go, girl. That is your starter.

Very simple-looking dish in the end. A lot of work to get there.

Get in there!

That is so delicious. You are so clever.

-Is it all right, girl?

-Yes, delicious.

Mm-hm!

Can I do it? Er...

I can eat it.

-OK, now, Luke, you are doing a fish course.

-OK.

No pressure. Only Nathan Outlaw out there today.

OK. So, we're doing a moules marinieres

with warm stout and brown bread.

Sounds very simple.

Erm, it is very simple...

ish.

In this pan here, we have beautifully diced shallots

and beautifully diced celeriac and carrot as well.

This is when we add the mussels.

You've got raw ones.

And you've got to debeard, cook, steam,

then pick out of their shells.

So then, on top of that, the warm stout.

So, this is kind of like the top of a pint of stout.

-Yes.

-Brown bread on the side.

That's it.

-Easy?

-Um, probably not.

THEY LAUGH

Unfortunately, I have a shellfish allergy.

-So, I am unable to taste this.

-OK.

So, my head chef, Aaron, will be tasting this

and checking the seasoning.

-Come on in, chief. Get in there.

-Excellent.

Oh, that is amazing!

-I could eat that all day.

-Yeah.

I have made mussels before,

but, yeah, never doing this particular combination.

But it's absolutely delicious.

So, I need to make it that good.

Quite a challenge, eh?

Good job you're wearing trainers

cos today you are going to be running around, chief.

Jack is responsible for the main.

A venison with star anise infused carrot, game ragout,

chargrilled lime, toasted lentil dhal and carrot cake.

There's a lot going on. There's a lot of ingredients.

As you can see there's a whole stack of things to happen here.

Unfortunately, there's no short cuts.

So, it isn't... We can't last-minute go,

-"Oh, I haven't got the lentils on."

-Yeah.

-Cos they take an hour and a half to cook.

-Yeah, yeah.

This is going to be working methodically

and understanding what you're doing.

Don't look so nervous. It's all right.

Get in there. Taste it.

-Let me know what you think.

-Thanks, Tom.

And any improvements you want to make, let me know.

So good.

So nice.

Anything you are worried about?

I think my only concern would be getting everything on at the start.

Once I've got the main things on,

then I think you'll probably have a bit more time to...

space to breathe. But... No, I mean, it's a lovely dish.

So I hope that I can just do it as you would like it.

Oh, I'm sure you will.

-How are we doing, Ping?

-Good.

OK, so you've got the final dish of the day.

You've got the dessert.

And we're making a malt cake with malted milk ice cream

and a couple of little tuiles that go with it.

-So, they're beautiful like this.

-Right.

So this is a little bit of skill.

And that's the first thing I need to do?

Yeah, make the tuile mix for that

and then make the cake and ice cream.

Ice cream - I can't tell you how much it's key to get on.

Once it's in the freezer and its frozen, we're OK.

We can breathe a sigh of relief and mop our brows.

It's no worries, OK?

And now into the tuile... creme fraiche.

That, my friend, is the malt cake with malted milk ice cream,

butterscotch sauce, yeast tuile and creme fraiche.

All your skills are going to be needed

-in getting it all done at the right time.

-OK.

I haven't attempted anything like that.

I've never made, actually, a tuile before.

So, this will be my first time.

Yes. Do not panic.

That is a big thing for me.

The contestants have just four hours to prepare

and cook Tom Kerridge's two-star menu.

Amateur cooks cooking with Tom Kerridge for Michelin-starred chefs.

This is a mammoth task.

Angela begins work on her parsley soup.

It's vital that the soup retains its vibrant green colour.

Parsley, my new best friend.

To achieve this, the parsley leaves are blanched

and then quickly plunged into iced water.

-OK. Lovely.

-Yeah. Great.

-OK, give that a minute.

The next step is to make the base of the soup

by cooking potatoes and onions in a parsley flavoured nage, or broth.

At the moment, I'm feeling quite calm.

Plenty of time to change that, though.

Across the kitchen,

Luke is finishing the dough for the individual breads.

This is made first, so it's given time to prove.

Next, he makes a start on the stout foam that will top the mussels.

It's important the quantities are exact.

If the mixtures too thick or too thin,

it won't create a foam.

I have not made foams before.

It's an induction hob.

I don't know how quickly these things come up.

They come up very, very quickly.

Because you poured it over, start again.

-Start completely again?

-Oh, yeah.

So, Jack has a lot to do.

He's got the biggest jobs out of everybody.

This is going to be a case of cracking on.

Getting my head down and really ploughing through.

Getting all the prep done

and hopefully I'll be all right for service.

Jack's first task is to cook the lentils for his dhal puree.

Before moving on to his savoury carrot cake.

Get this one done. Then get the ragout going.

And then we can begin to feel we're on top of it, all right?

All right. OK.

Jack, at the minute, has not quite broken out of a smile yet.

I've been waiting for him to relax just a little bit,

but he's doing all right. He's doing all right.

Timer. We're on.

Cool. Thanks, Tom.

Pastry is an exact science.

So Ping must follow Tom's recipe with absolute precision.

All in control?

-Er, so far.

-You seem very calm.

-Thank you.

-Good.

To make the malted milk ice cream,

the custard must be heated to exactly 82 degrees

before being left to cool.

Ping seems very controlled, calculated.

She's read the recipe three or four times. She's ahead.

She's got the ice cream custard made.

She's about to make the cake now.

The cake... There's a lot of little processes.

She seems to be very thorough.

So I'm fairly certain that she'll be on top of this.

Her malt cake is ready to go in the oven

when she notices something.

I forgot to put the baking powder in.

All right. How am I going to best do this?

I think I'm going to put the baking powder in here and whisk it in.

I forgot to put the baking powder in.

So, what I'm going to do is put the powder in and whisk it in?

-Yeah, do you need a hand?

-Yes, please.

-All right.

-One teaspoon, yeah?

-Yes.

SHE BLOWS A RASPBERRY

With the baking powder added last,

Ping can only wait to see if it will affect the outcome.

It's freezing, freezing cold this water.

OK, chaps, where about one hour away from starter going out.

You all right there, Angela? Yes?

One hour away from your soup, Angela.

The next stage for Angela is

to combine the blanched parsley and her hot nage.

-This is make or break, this point.

-Oh, don't. Don't.

No, this is the pressure bit.

This is the bit...

You get this right, then you can take a deep breath.

This must be done as quickly as possible

if the soup is to remain a vibrant green.

Let's have a little look at it.

Let's see if it's smooth.

See that? That is beautiful.

Once smooth, the mixture is quickly sieved over ice blocks to cool.

That's it. What that's doing is instantly chilling that soup

and keeping it that lovely green colour.

-Good news, Angela.

-Yeah?

-Is that that soup looks amazing.

-OK.

-Bad news is, we've got to serve it in 35 minutes.

-OK.

OK, so...we've got to make tortellinis

-and we've got to get everything else diced.

-Yeah.

So, what I might do is get Chrissie to dice some of the orange...

-er, segments and confit.

-Yeah.

-We'll clean this down.

-OK.

-We'll get on to making and rolling the tortellinis, yeah?

-OK.

-All right. Chrissie, give us a quick push.

-OK.

Luke has remade his stout and cream mixture

and adds it to a roux base.

Yeah, we are looking OK.

Disaster...rectified.

I'm happy at the moment.

I've got quite a lot of stuff to do.

I'm worried about cleaning the mussels, to be honest.

I've got to do all of those in ten minutes - ten a minute.

That's six seconds a mussel. That's a lot of mussels.

For each mussel, the gritty beards and barnacles must be removed.

This is going to take a while.

Jack's now on to the ragout - venison mince,

diced salami and toasted cumin mixed with a venison stock.

Look at that!

You just know that's going to taste lush, don't you?

This is ready.

-If all else fails...

-Yeah.

-..and it all goes horribly wrong,

at least you got ragout.

For Jack's point of view, all the difficult stuff, he's on top of.

I've got to be honest with you,

the one course I thought would be the hardest, the main course,

this is the one where Jack seems to be in control.

So, fingers crossed it stays that way.

Luke is still preparing his mussels.

How are we getting on? Are we behind schedule?

Um, I don't know, but I'll just try to do them as fast as I can.

I want to make sure they haven't got the beards on and the barnacles.

-Are you left-handed?

-I am left-handed. That's why I'm slow.

Left-handed!

With the malt cake still cooking and her ice cream churning,

Ping now has to start on the delicate tuiles.

That's a failure. It's too thick.

That's mine.

That's Chef's.

So, I'd better practise, yeah?

OK, chaps, it's half an hour until the starter goes out.

Half an hour.

-Are we all all right?

-Yes, Chef.

Everyone's getting a little bit nervous now.

I'm getting a little bit nervous. Getting a little bit nervous?

Cheers!

Here's to a good dinner.

We're looking at a two-star Michelin menu, serving to, you know,

Michelin-starred chefs and there's nowhere to hide. I love it!

I'm really expecting them to execute Tom's food

how he'd expect it to be.

I was on the other side last year.

So I know what Tom's going through now.

The pressure will be well and truly on in that kitchen. I'm telling you!

I know, for one thing, that Tom will let nothing come through that pass

if it doesn't meet his standard.

These four have got to the business end of the competition.

This is sink or swim now, isn't?

OK, girl, we can have five minutes.

We are behind schedule now. Suddenly, the time's gone.

-We're in a whole world of trouble. All right?

-OK.

-So, we need... Croutons are in?

-Yeah.

-We need to dice apple.

-Yeah.

-And then we need to get your lovely soup out, OK?

-OK.

-And we need to do all of that in three minutes.

-OK.

-They're supposed to be out in five minutes.

-Yeah.

-The starters are supposed to go.

-Yeah.

-They're nowhere near ready.

-Tortellini's going in?

-Yeah.

Soup, you've tasted it for seasoning?

-Perfect.

-Thank you.

Apple, orange and cucumber in a bowl.

OK, let's go. Tortellinis up.

Sorry for being late.

It's all right. It's all right.

OK, bring that up to the pass.

One tortellini into each bowl.

Stunning.

Then garnish it up with a little bit of the borage.

Brilliant. Perfect.

OK, then, Angela, let's go.

-Call for service.

-Service, please.

Hey, we ran out of time a little bit in the end,

but that soup is phenomenal.

-Well done.

-Thank you. Thanks so much.

Soon I'll find out what some of the greatest chefs

in the world think about my dish.

Sounds ridiculous really, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Wow! I hope they like it.

The starter is parsley soup with blue cheese tortellini,

diced apple, salted cucumber and confit orange

with parsley oil and borage.

It's so alive, this dish. It's got real, fresh vibrancy to it.

From an amateur point of view, the dangers are the tortellini.

The pasta's lovely, cooked well.

And then, you know, the texture of the soup... It's good.

And you've got the colour of the soup as well. It's GREEN!

You know, the herb's been treated with the utmost respect.

It's really interesting, the different textures -

the crunchiness of the apple, the croutons

and the explosion of the blue cheese.

I think it works really well.

Oh, I think for an amateur this is pretty difficult.

It's something that Tom would serve in his restaurant.

So, you know, for any amateur, that's no easy thing.

Yeah, I'm enjoying it. It's really...

It's the perfect start to a great menu.

What a fantastic effort. Great job.

-Well done. Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

Not easy to get something that's meant to be green that green.

-I know.

-And I was very, very impressed.

And you've got the big man watching over you, haven't you?

-Every move, yeah?

-Yeah.

For any amateur to make one of Tom's dishes, I think you did a good job.

-Thank you ever so much. Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Don't know why I can't stop crying,

but, um, just ignore that bit. And er...

Yeah, it feels fantastic.

Really fantastic.

Luke, how are we looking on being ready on mussels?

Um, yeah, I'm just doing the vegetables now.

Everything else is done.

-How long will it take you to dice the veg?

-15 minutes.

-Because we're behind schedule.

-I might be able to do it in ten.

We're going to be late ten minutes.

It's a bit late.

So now I'm feeling a little bit flustered.

Just make sure I get these little touches right.

You know, getting everything cut correctly is difficult, you know?

It's much more precise than anything I've ever done before.

Once chopped, the veg are cooked along with the mussels.

If it needs salt. If it needs salt.

-No, I think it's all right.

-The breads are ready.

Let's get the breads out. Let's go.

It's all coming to a head. The foam's ready.

The breads are all done.

Yeah, I think we're just plating up now.

-So, this is ready to go, yeah?

-Yeah.

Now, I'm having to put my massive trust in you for this, yeah?

Yeah, yeah.

-It's about a ladle.

-Yep.

Lovely. Perfect.

Plenty sauce, Chef, plenty sauce.

-Foam up.

-Foam up.

Love it!

OK, put them on and I'll put lids on.

Get those lovely loaves of bread.

Get them on.

Service!

-Well done.

-Oh, cheers.

-How was that?

-Yeah, it was good.

I knew some tasks would take me longer.

It looked right. It looked amazing.

-So...well done, Chief.

-Cheers.

I think it tasted like when Tom did it.

Ah!

So, hopefully, the best chefs in the world out there like it as well.

The fish course is moules marinieres with a warm stout foam

and an individual brown bread.

The thing for me is it's just missing that little touch of seasoning.

Nice to see the consistency of that veg cut.

Nicely cooked. Not an easy thing to get right,

but it's nice to see a little bit of nice skill in there as well.

Which is great.

The mussels were cooked really well. I think the balance of the dish,

there's some nice skill in there, like Michael was saying.

So they've obviously got some skill.

I thought the bread was very light and when you mixed it in

with that lovely bouillon, yeah, it was pretty special.

-It's a winter...winter warmer.

-I've actually had that dish.

-Have you?

-Yeah, it's not far off it.

-Really?

-Yeah. So he's done really well.

-Hi, Luke.

-Hi there.

-How are you?

Yeah, I'm good thanks. A bit tired.

Tired? You don't say you're tired to this table. Trust me.

-You still seem pretty chipper about the whole thing, so...

-Yeah.

-So, it went well?

-Yeah, it went pretty well.

It was a really good day.

From my point of view, the mussels I was really looking at,

they're cooked bang on.

-So, you should be proud of yourself.

-Oh, good.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

-ALL: Well done!

-Cheers, guys. Thanks a lot.

Cooking for some of the best chefs...

with one of the best chefs...

feels pretty good.

It's a very surreal experience.

OK, boys, you are about to go on the main course.

This is the main thing, I need all hands on deck.

These boys are going to reheat everything else that you've cooked.

-OK.

-They won't adjust the seasoning either.

So, it's got to be bang on.

Got to be bang on.

What we are looking at doing is trying to get colour on the venison.

Flip them. There you go.

With your spoon,

give them a right good basting. That's it.

OK, Chef, two minutes. Lentil dhal, please.

Head to the pass. Off you go.

-Carrot.

-Yeah.

OK. We're going to slice it into four. Let's go.

OK.

A bit of toasted lime on top.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, good.

-Brilliant.

-Call for service.

-Service, please.

-Chief, seriously, well done.

-Cheers.

-Seriously well done.

-Thank you very much.

It was a huge amount of work to do there. Amazing!

-And you've impressed me hugely. That was phenomenal.

-Cheers. Thanks.

Thank you very much.

That was pretty tough, it has to be said.

Yeah, I'm really pleased with how it went.

I think Tom seemed pretty happy.

It's an amazing thing to be able to cook Tom's food

because you know it's at such a high level.

So I just hope those guys enjoy it as well.

The main course is seared venison

with spiced carrot, carrot cake,

game ragout, toasted lentil dhal,

lime and a venison sauce.

From the moment this dish was put down,

we knew it was going to be a serious main course.

There's so many things that could trip you up here.

The spice, the seasoning,

the level of complexity of the component parts.

To pull this off and to make it work

is actually a fantastic achievement.

The elements of the dish, the way they're brought together,

the cooking of the venison, Tom Kerridge

and whoever cooked this have brought this together absolutely perfectly.

Wow!

Each element is cooked perfectly.

And I just had to remind myself these are amateurs.

They are not professionals. This is pretty good cooking.

-Serious cooking.

-Yeah.

From the moment the plate goes down, you know, the smell hits you

and that carries right through to...to the taste.

That's a tough dish for any professional chef to get right

let alone an amateur.

It's brilliant!

What could have been a very tricky dish

and very difficult to execute,

we think you did a top job.

And I have to say I'm really, really impressed.

Thank you, Simon.

Jack, I think today is a day that has to stay with you

for a long, long time, young man,

because I'm in awe of the chefs I'm sitting with here today,

but you've been cooking for them

and you've absolutely nailed it, mate.

-Well done.

-Thank you. Thank you so much.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you, Simon.

Pull up your trousers.

THEY LAUGH

You're not that perfect!

Build him up, knock him down!

For those chefs to say those things about it,

it's just an incredible feeling

and there's no real words to describe it.

It's just amazing. Loved it!

This is like the fourth batch.

Ping has one final chance to get her tuiles right.

They look lovely. They're looking very good.

I think now it's OK.

Back on track. Just need to actually pipe the cream on.

One tuile at a time.

See if we can get seven.

Very careful.

And gently on there. Beautiful.

Should do one more for safety.

OK. Let's get your six plates up.

How are you doing with balling ice cream?

-Are you OK balling ice cream?

-I think so.

-OK.

That's how to ball an ice cream.

PING SQUEALS

Oh, no!

We'll save the day. Don't worry.

-Bloody sleeves!

-In moments of stress, it's worth staying calm.

Brilliant. A few sprinklings of the frosted malt.

These tuiles against the ice cream.

Perfect.

And the yeast tuile on the top.

Stick it in wherever you like.

Look at that! That's a work of art, Ping.

-Call service.

-Service!

When that tuile goes in,

we can start sending these three.

Thank you very much, boys.

Well done, girl.

-Thank you very much.

-Lovely food.

I know there was a scary bit at the beginning,

but the end result is fantastic.

Well done. You should be very proud of yourself.

Thank you very much. Thank you. It was great.

PING SIGHS

Don't think I ever want to do tuile again.

I thought the taste is really good.

And, you know, everything was right in the end.

So, I think I've done it justice.

And I hope I've done enough to impress them.

The dessert is malt cake with malted milk ice cream,

an orange tuile filled with creme fraiche,

a yeast tuile and a butterscotch sauce.

If you went to any top-class restaurant,

you might find something looking just like this.

The cake is almost sort of brownie texture.

It's got a real lovely maltiness to it.

Love the ice cream. Just delicious.

The whole complexity of the dish comes together in harmony.

The thinness of the wafers.

I like the thinness of the brandy snap.

That is a real skill. And the little creme fraiche,

the way that cuts the richness of the cake... Wow!

There isn't anything on there that I can technically fault

in terms of execution. It's...it's...

I'm sure Tom would say that is exactly as it should be.

I mean, it's delicious.

It's just such a well executed plate of food

that professional chefs would struggle to do it.

Very, very surprised with, you know, the skills there.

It's good... Really, really good.

What a brilliant end to a fantastic meal.

-ALL: Hello.

-Hello. Good evening.

Wow! What a dish!

That was like a serious piece of dessert cooking.

-I mean, goodness me!

-Well done.

Amazing day. And you very much.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

I'm still on a high, actually.

I think I have to pinch myself...

Yeah, that just happened. Yes.

What an amazing day. Four amateur cooks.

A huge amount of learning. And what an honour, what a privilege.

But they've got a take all they've learned now

and fight for their place in the final three.

One of them is going to go home.

Who's it going to be? Because these four are strong.

This is a big day.

We have two tests for you.

After this first test,

two of you will go straight through to the final.

The other two will have to cook off against each other

for the remaining place.

At the end of this, we will have found our final three.

This is your first test.

An invention test.

Reveal your ingredients.

That's right...the humble chicken.

We want you to cook for us one dish

using that chicken and some of the larder.

We want skill. We want flavour. We want texture.

We want something delicious.

One hour.

Ladies and gentlemen,

let's cook!

This is a brilliant test,

but the end bits of the, you know,

two go through and two have to cook against each other...

that is...that's harsh.

Just got to focus and get it right.

Get it properly right.

I'm really, really scared, truth to be told.

You've put so much into this competition,

this is a tough round, isn't it?

Right now, a lot rests on that chicken.

So, I'd better crack on.

You are halfway.

Halfway to going straight through

or halfway toward a cook-off.

None of us expected this, so yeah, it's a tough one.

Definitely, but I think you've just got to go for it,

get stuck in, and that's what I'm trying to do.

Ten minutes to finish off your dishes.

How do you feel?

I'm extremely nervous.

I've never been more nervous about anything in my life.

I really want to get through at this stage.

I don't have to cook again today.

We've only got three minutes, please.

Crikey, it's tense.!

Stop. Time's up.

Well done. Well done.

Luke has made chicken and mushroom gyoza cooked two ways,

crispy and steamed,

with stir-fried vegetables

and a hot and sour soup.

What's the matter with you? Look at your face. What's wrong?

Well, this matters a lot, doesn't it, you know?

I'm very impressed.

I like the density of the dumplings.

They are light enough.

What I really like more than anything is

the quality of your soup.

It's meaty. It's got like a flavour of ginger, a flavour of chilli.

-That, I think, is wonderful.

-Thanks.

Good flavoured broth you've got there, Luke.

I like the sourness of it from the vinegar

and I like the sharpness and spice from the chilli. I really like it.

It's got viscosity as well as it's got depth of flavour.

It sort of sticks to your lips and it's lovely.

Thanks a lot, guys.

It went OK. It went OK.

And I got pretty good feedback, you know?

It was...for an invention test, it's pretty good.

I just hope it's enough. I don't want to have to cook again.

I don't know if I could take it.

Ping's dish is pan-roasted and poached chicken

with butter garlic rice,

bok choi,

chilli sauce and a chicken jus.

There's not a great deal of complexity going on here.

I'm used to getting surprises from you.

I'm used to getting elaborate dishes from you.

Nicely cooked chicken, soy, ginger, little bit of chilli.

It's good...

it's not remarkable.

Rice is cooked beautifully.

Your sauce is wonderful and salty.

Your vegetables are lovely and succulent.

I just feel like it needs...it needs something else to make it majestic.

It's a bit...OK.

Thank you.

I'm really disappointed, um...

because it just didn't hit the mark really.

So I'm probably cooking in the cook-off.

Jack has stuffed a chicken leg

with chicken livers, pancetta and tarragon.

He's serving it with crushed potatoes, leeks,

wild mushrooms and a tarragon sauce.

I've got this sweet crunch of the thigh meat,

which is wonderful and rich.

I've got that lovely flavour of that stuffing with the rich chicken

and a little bit of liver in the background of it, which is wonderful.

The skin is a bit flobby, but that's OK.

And a lot of work in here, Jack, a lot of skill and a lot of work.

It tastes great, mate.

Tarragon, leek and chicken is wonderful.

Your leeks are nice and soft and plenty of pepper, which I love.

It does taste good.

I feel relieved, actually.

I was really worried about that.

Obviously, very disappointed with my presentation

and I knew it didn't look good. I just rushed at the end, so...

So, yeah, there's some good things and some bad things,

but I think probably for me at the moment

the good is outweighing the bad.

Angela has cooked chicken with tarragon and wild mushrooms

accompanied with mashed potato

and a white wine and chicken jus.

It looks like someone's cared about it

and it looks infinitely munchable.

I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Today, you've got your presentation absolutely right,

but you've forgotten the seasoning, Angela.

The chicken needs more seasoning.

The mashed potato needs more seasoning.

The mushrooms need more seasoning.

And the sauce needs to be more vibrant with tarragon.

And I don't know what's happened here,

but it seems to have just disappeared.

I'm sort of quite shocked by it. I'm quite surprised

because it's not cooked that well.

I completely agree with John.

Where has the flavour gone?

Your taste buds have deserted you for 20 minutes.

Very, very annoyed with myself.

Lack of seasoning, I think, is...

..the crime of cooking, you see.

Yeah, I'm really...

I'm very annoyed with myself. That's all I can say.

Two of you will be going straight through to the final three.

Two of you are going to have to cook off against each other

for that third place.

Right, let us do what we've got to do and make a decision.

Thank you. Off you go.

What do you reckon?

You've got to say, the boys deserve their place in the final three.

The boys were the ones that really went for it. Really went for it.

Yeah, absolutely right.

The girls, I don't think they were very ambitious.

I really don't. I think they played it safe.

A tough decision.

The two cooks going straight through to the final three are...

..Jack and Luke.

Well done. Well done, boys.

Gentlemen, congratulations.

Ladies...

..the fight's on.

One hour to cook that dish

that's going to secure your place in the final. Off you go.

-What are you cooking for us, Ping?

-It's called dinner at home.

Basically, it's a tribute to my mum and what she cooks for us.

So today we're going to have pork and liver soup with ginger

and salted egg fried chicken

and a braised gai lan

with pork and prawns two ways.

-Are you going to fight for that place?

-Yes, definitely.

I'll give it a good go.

Ping looks like she's gone back to her classic self.

We've got three little bits of one main mini banquet.

The issue for me is the strong flavours that are in this dish.

Liver soup...

I've never had it before. Really?

I tell you what, if I saw it on a menu, I'm not sure I'd order it.

You are halfway.

30 minutes left.

Ladies, down to you.

-Not all is lost, Angela.

-I know.

-That's what you've got to do.

-Yeah.

-Dust yourself off and away you go.

-Yeah, yeah.

-What he wanted to cook for us?

-I'm cooking, um...er...

-A very good question.

-Brilliant!

You're the only one who knows, Angela.

I'm cooking fillet of gurnard with crispy squid,

samphire with brown shrimp

and also some saffron potatoes.

Have you brought a bag of flavour with you?

I can't believe I left the flavour behind.

So, I really hope so, yeah.

Angela's dish could be beautiful

if she can get the different fish cooked perfectly.

Presentation is really important

and it can't look like a fish has fallen in a puddle.

All those ingredients, they're gorgeous things.

They should be celebrated, not just chucked together at the last minute.

Just five minutes left. Five minutes left.

That's it! Your time is up.

Angela, could we have you, please?

Angela has made pan-fried gurnard

with deep-fried squid,

saffron potatoes, samphire,

brown shrimps and a spicy shellfish sauce.

Your gurnard is cooked brilliantly.

It's just so soft. Your squid is crispy.

There's a hint of saffron in your potatoes.

Honestly, I'm happy. I haven't got any criticism at all.

Really, really happy with that.

-Thanks.

-And so should you be.

I am. Thank you.

I think that harissa in the sauce

and the spiciness is a wonderfully clever thing

because you get smokiness as well as the sweetness of the shellfish.

As a dish, the flavours are great. That's the Angela we know.

We've still got this presentation of finesse issue.

The fish itself could probably be a little bit more symmetrical.

The whole thing probably just a little bit tighter,

but flavours - great.

-We've found our flavour back again.

-Phew!

-Thanks, Angela.

-Thank you.

-Well done. Well done. Well done.

Feeling really relieved.

Relieved that the flavour was back.

Who knows if I've done enough, really?

I... You know...

I hope so.

But if I haven't, at least I go out on a high,

which is good.

Ping, could you bring your dish up, please?

Ping's dish is pork and liver soup,

salted egg fried chicken with curry leaves,

braised gai lan with pork and prawns

and rice.

Very, very lovely.

Very elegant.

It's incredible, all the different flavours

and the different textures and all the things that are going on.

Your soup is light as you like.

It's like a consomme and it's got a little bit of the liver background,

but the flavour of pork and the really fresh flavour of ginger.

Your chicken is crispy and soft in the middle with the salty duck egg

and the vibrance of the curry leaves around the outside I absolutely love.

The gai lan and the pork and prawn... nice.

I like it.

Everything is cooked really beautifully.

Everything is seasoned really beautifully.

For me, I think it's really exciting.

I think it's really interesting. And I love the effort.

Your soup is a new one to me.

If I see it ever again on a menu, I'm going to rush to order it.

You constantly throughout this competition have given me surprises

that I haven't tasted before

and presented in such a beautiful way.

You've done it again today. I think that soup is incredible.

Thank you.

Thanks, Ping.

Ladies, thank you very much. An emotional day.

We now have to make a decision.

Probably one of the most difficult decisions

we've had to make in ten years.

Thank you very much indeed.

Give us a chance and we'll get you back in

as soon as we can tell you what's happening.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

I see you're all smiling again now. It's good.

Well, you know, I... It's over.

Thank you.

Well, both those ladies put their disappointment behind them

and cooked up a storm.

I mean, both cooked brilliantly.

This is why this decision is now so hard.

Angela's food was lovely, meltingly lovely.

When it just works, it was great.

As far as presentation and flavour goes,

she got it pretty well right with her own dish.

A little bit more finesse, maybe, but there was lovely flavours.

It's horrible being up against one other person.

It's like...hideous.

It's not a nice feeling at all, but, you know,

I really would love to have that place.

Ping... What do you say about somebody like Ping

who just keeps on coming up with surprise after surprise?

You said it.

The presentation, the work is just incredible.

The food looks beautiful.

And the soup was absolutely delicious.

I'm so stressed out,

but, you know, if I don't get through,

I suppose, you know, that's just life,

but I'll be really heartbroken.

This is where we are. Two great cooks.

The question for me is who can keep on pushing

and battle it out against the two boys?

Well, I know it doesn't mean much to you right there,

but we really struggled with this.

We really, really found this hard.

The contestant through to the final three...

..is Ping.

Well done. Well done.

Well done.

Well done.

Thanks ever so much.

No, no, no problem.

I'm disappointed, of course.

It's like...

..look at what you could have won.

Everything comes to an end.

But when I look back and think about all the things

that we've done and I've got to experience, I mean,

the most amazing things

that I never ever thought I'd have the chance to do.

Yeah, it's been fabulous. Really, really, really good.

-Well done.

-Well done, Ping.

I can't believe I'm a finalist and I got through.

So, it has been a horrendous day,

but at the end, I think...

I think it's amazing that I'm a finalist.

And I'm really happy. I'm really chuffed.

I am a MasterChef finalist.

I could never have imagined when I entered this competition

that I'd get to this stage. So I'm absolutely thrilled to be here.

I haven't thought about the possibility of winning,

but over the next day or so I'll have to start thinking about it

and what am I going to have to do to take it to that next level

cos I'm going to have to

because Jack and Ping are incredible.

I think you can afford yourselves a small celebration.

Don't relax too much because next...

we're taking you to Barcelona.

Tomorrow night,

the finalists will embark on the culinary adventure of a lifetime.

Over two days in Barcelona,

they will be immersed in the legacy

that changed the food world.

Our three are going to be pushed into a world that questions food.

It was perfect.

They are going to meet the people that dared to push those boundaries.

And see things that are absolutely going to blow their minds.