0:00:03 > 0:00:07It's the first MasterChef quarterfinal.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And this week's best amateurs are back
0:00:10 > 0:00:13to face two more daunting tests.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'I'm just absolutely thrilled.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It takes me one stage further to where I want to be,
0:00:20 > 0:00:21which is terrific.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24'I'm not scared of them.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:26The fact that I'm against three male contestants,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I'm going to push myself harder.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32'You jump on that roller coaster and just keep hanging on,'
0:00:32 > 0:00:35riding it until it's either your time to come off,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38or until it finishes and you lift the trophy.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'This happens once in a lifetime.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:47So, you have to take it. Just grab it and run away with it.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52MasterChef quarterfinal, we step it up, it starts to get bigger.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Tough day for our four, because at the end of this,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57two more are going home.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10This is the palate and skills test.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And this has become one of my favourite bits of the competition.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14What dish are you making?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Today I'm cooking a jungle curry of guinea fowl
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- and a coconut and lime rice. - What's a jungle curry?
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Jungle curry comes from the north of Thailand
0:01:23 > 0:01:26and jungle curry doesn't have any coconut milk.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Don't let me stop you. Off you go.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35So, skill number one, obviously, can they joint this bird?
0:01:35 > 0:01:37That's it.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41The difficulty will be, if they cook the breast meat off the bone,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44the breast meat will be really dry.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48The curry paste is made up of chillies, shallots, garlic,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51shrimp paste, dried shrimps,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55palm sugar, fresh turmeric and galangal.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59They're going to have to have a very grown-up palate to identify these.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Unless they get this paste full of flavour,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04then the curry is going to just taste of water.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10And already, you can smell the fragrance of it.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11Whoa, that is great.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14In goes your bird, skin side down, in the oil.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Saltiness from fish sauce.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Sweetness from Chinese wine.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20Next, some rice.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And I think rice is a great test of skill,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25because so many people get rice wrong.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27You can't get rice wrong.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The coconut rice is made with a small amount
0:02:30 > 0:02:33of the thickest part of the coconut milk.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35So, the rice onto the heat.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Never lift that lid.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44All the water is gone.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Disappeared. Evaporated.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- There you go.- Well done.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03The flavours in this curry are immense. Absolutely immense.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06As a test of skill and palate,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09it's right up there amongst the toughest you've done.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10Bring them in.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I've cooked you a dish.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30Taste that dish and write down what you think is in it.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31Ten minutes.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Off you go.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40- HE SIGHS - I don't do Asian.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44It's not me. It's not Mediterranean, is it?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50'I knew I'd find this quite a challenge.'
0:03:50 > 0:03:52This is what I was worried about, definitely.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56There's so much going on in there.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58I've never cooked food like that before.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I'll give it me best.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06Ladies and gentlemen, one hour, 15 minutes, let's cook.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10The ingredients have been separated onto four trays.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14The protein tray contains a guinea fowl and a duck.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18The others are for the paste, garnishes and rice.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31One thing I'm really pleased about, they've all gone for guinea fowl.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Holly is a young cook who you've
0:04:36 > 0:04:39identified as having a very good palate.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Now, with that great palate, she should be able to dissect this dish.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Can she be creative?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I think with John and Gregg, I've previously picked up,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I might be lacking in technique with me being only 22.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I just need to prove to them that my age doesn't mean a thing, but
0:04:56 > 0:05:01I can be just as good as the other contestants who are older than me.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Holly, what do you think the differences are going to
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- be between yours and John's? - John's meat has got the bone in.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I didn't choose to have the bone in mine, just because I didn't
0:05:11 > 0:05:14want to make a massive mess of it when I was butchering.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Only Holly and Dani are making a paste.
0:05:28 > 0:05:3215 minutes have gone. You've got a whole hour left.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Dani looks like he's got what it
0:05:37 > 0:05:40takes to go a long way on MasterChef.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52I like this. You're going from your bowl to John's bowl,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- your bowl to John's bowl...- I'm not comfortable with Asian at all.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- But I'm getting somewhere. It's eat-able.- Edible.- Edible, sorry.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04You can tell I lived in Spain, went to Spanish school.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07There is other ways of cooking out there, isn't there?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09It's not all Mediterranean.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I've got a good palate with the stuff I use.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Have I got a good palate with stuff I've not used?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18He's really impressed me. He's smelling, he's tasting.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22He's intrigued by it. Really good. That's what you want someone to be.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31It's a bit early to start cooking the rice, but not for Greg.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Greg, he comes up with some fantastic dishes.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44He also makes silly mistakes. He overcooks things. He burns things.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47He has to focus if he wants to recreate your dish. Focus!
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I like to think I've got a good palate.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57I'll probably go and really mess up if it's a taste test.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Your sauce looks a little thin.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Hindsight, already, I would have done a few different things.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Made a paste first, use that as the base of the sauce.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10On that tray, it says "ingredients for paste". It does.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I didn't see that until I'd already started cooking.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- So what have you got left to do now? - Just literally waiting for the sauce
0:07:16 > 0:07:19just to reduce a fraction and then I'm ready to plate up.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- So you're pretty much done.- I am.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29With 35 minutes left, Greg says he's finished.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32He's finished with rice which is glubby
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and a sauce which he knows is too thin.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38If you know something's wrong, why not try and make it right?
0:07:40 > 0:07:43You have 35 minutes left.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Robert is a cook with lots of knowledge, John.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54He is very flamboyant.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56I'm not sure how he's going to react
0:07:56 > 0:07:59to having to cook somebody else's food.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03I respect the judges enormously and I take on board their comments,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08but what I'm trying to do is give the food my personality.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12If at the end that means I go down in flames, then I go down in flames.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16- Are we happy?- Ish.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19A little bit too sweet, so I'm hoping that's going to
0:08:19 > 0:08:22disappear with the balance of other flavours.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Nice smells in the room.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Not necessarily the correct ones, but some nice smells.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Just lost half my sauce.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Oh, no! Don't panic now.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44You've got five minutes left.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- It's too salty. - This sauce is the best.- Urgh!
0:08:50 > 0:08:53That's too salty. It's too salty.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59There's not a lot happening over here!
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Everyone knows how to cook rice. Have you seen that?
0:09:05 > 0:09:10- It's like rice disaster... Disaster rice.- It's like rice pudding.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16I don't know why I'm grinning. I've got to eat it in a minute!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Last 60 seconds.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32That's it, I'm afraid. Your time is up.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42As far as skill's concerned, we want to see three skills.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45If you can joint a piece of poultry,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48could you make a paste for a curry, and can you cook rice?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51They're the three skills.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Can we start with Holly?
0:10:06 > 0:10:10It's quite sticky and very pungent from all those dried shrimps.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13The sauce is just coating your meat. Tastes OK.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18The rice is too heavy and too thick.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22But your curry is very pleasant. Guinea fowl is cooked really nicely.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26It wasn't on the bone, I thought it might dry out, it hasn't.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31I don't know why you look so scared because that's not bad at all.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I wasn't too bad picking out the flavours, but I hate rice.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I never cook it at home and I never eat it at restaurants.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I just don't like it.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Robert?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52I like all the veg you've got in your curry.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I like the heat from the chilli you've got in there.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59I like the saltiness. However, your sauce is too sweet.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02You should have made a paste, you didn't.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Your rice is overcooked, it's split. It's nothing like my dish.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08But I quite like the richness of it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I screwed up lots of things,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13but I ended up with a dish that they quite liked.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15In fact, if I'd gone out to a restaurant
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and been served what I cooked, I wouldn't have been disappointed.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Dani.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- What the hecky-decky is this? And it's not cooked, is it?- No.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Look at it.- It's al dente complete-o! - No, no.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Al dente is a word that should never appear with the word "rice".
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I like the fiery spiciness on the back of my throat from your curry.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Your meat's cooked well, but the sauce is a little bit too salty.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52That guinea fowl is cooked brilliantly. Absolutely brilliantly.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Well done.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I should be able to cook rice by now. But I did OK.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Greg.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11You didn't even think about making a paste.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Now I've got salty water, flavoured with a few bits of chilli
0:12:15 > 0:12:16and a little bit of sugar.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Your rice is overcooked. I'm disappointed in this,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- I've got to say.- OK.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26With 35 minutes to go, you said you were pretty much done,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28but you didn't like it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Pick yourself up and fight. We will appreciate the effort.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Don't give in.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40I can't give up. I want it too much now. I'll just give it my best.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41That's all I can do.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Well, that's over. Palate and skills test done.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50We're in the quarterfinals of MasterChef,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53- we should know how to cook rice! - I hate rice!
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Now, for these four, one more test before we decide who stays
0:12:57 > 0:12:59and who goes.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03To give them a taste of what lies ahead, we've asked restaurant
0:13:03 > 0:13:08critic William Sitwell to come in and taste with us.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Now, William's not the sort of man you want to present shoddy food to.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Tell you what, if they cook rice for the next round, like that,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18they're definitely out.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I've been a food critic for about 12-15 years,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28but I'd be lying if I said that food was in my genes.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31My family were writers and poets, scratching around,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33trying to find a good meal.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39I think the critic needs to be someone who the audience can
0:13:39 > 0:13:42empathise with, who they believe and they trust.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I'm here to serve the people
0:13:46 > 0:13:49because there's such a plethora of places out there.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52If you haven't got oodles of money, you don't
0:13:52 > 0:13:56want to waste an evening or a lunch on a place that's not good enough.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02And so if I can try and shine a light on the wonderful
0:14:02 > 0:14:06things in food, that's what makes me happy to wake up in the morning.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15You have 80 minutes to make one exceptional dish.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Ladies and gentlemen, good luck.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Let's cook.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- What is it you're making? - Some venison loin.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I'm baking it with truffle oil.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Making a parsnip puree, crispy kale with flaked almonds,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43and a pomegranate reduction.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46We think you've got a good palate, we think you're a good cook,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50but do you have the skill to be able to fight your way through MasterChef?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I'm a fast learner. I think that comes with being quite young.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I've got sort of a fresh head on me.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Yeah, I'm hoping that will get me through.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06I've seen Holly cook successfully with daring flavour combinations before.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10But venison, parsnip and pomegranate
0:15:10 > 0:15:13is a very difficult combination to balance.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I've practised it so many times,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19nothing can particularly go wrong today.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Greg, what are you making for us?
0:15:32 > 0:15:34To hopefully try and stay in this competition,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36I'm doing black and white lobster ravioli
0:15:36 > 0:15:39in a pink lobster sauce with white truffle oil.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41It sounds lovely to me, Greg.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I let myself down in the last round so if I'm going out,
0:15:44 > 0:15:45I'm going out on a bang.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Greg has an opportunity to do something really exciting here.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Because he has two lobsters, some truffle oil and squid ink.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Now if he can't make a great dish out of those,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03he doesn't belong on MasterChef.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I've made the lobster sauce twice.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I've made ravioli once.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I've never cooked it all in its entirety.
0:16:16 > 0:16:1840 minutes gone. You're halfway.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Right, what are you making for us?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Lamb cutlets with a Rioja and port jus,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34celeriac puree and green pepper Padrons.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Mostly all the ingredients I'm using are Spanish.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Why the obsession with all things Spanish?
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Because I lived there for 23 years.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Every dish I've done, it's had a part of Spain in it.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48It's done me justice. Hopefully it'll do the same in this one.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04It's all getting rather technical from you, Robert.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I'm doing a variation of something called a hotchpotch
0:17:07 > 0:17:11which comes from a recipe from 1913 that I found in an old recipe book.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Basically, the original recipe was lamb cooked in a mutton stock
0:17:13 > 0:17:16with lots of root vegetables and pearl barley.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I mean, it's really more of a restaurant version of that dish.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Where's the flamboyancy in this dish?
0:17:21 > 0:17:22It's got vibrancy there
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and hopefully a bit of showmanship in the presentation.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Robert seems very, very confident in his own dish.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32He's got really interesting techniques
0:17:32 > 0:17:34because he's poaching his lamb.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37He's vacuum sealing some of his vegetables.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38He's got all sorts of techniques going on
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and that's really interesting.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46All the great chefs have a personality in their cooking.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48I want to have a distinctive personality about my food
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and hopefully that becomes memorable.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52I want it to sing like a choir.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55It may end up being a cacophony, we'll find out!
0:18:00 > 0:18:04I want to see simple food that just looks and taste good.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08I don't like too many things put on a rectangular plate.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Plates need to be round and white.
0:18:18 > 0:18:1915 minutes left.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- Is that your first lot of ravioli?- Yeah.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- And you've only got 15 minutes left?- Yeah.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Disaster.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34Just ten minutes left.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42I've had enough.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45You have got three minutes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Time's up, stop.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55GREG SIGHS DEEPLY
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We are bringing in a guest to help us taste.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Someone who strikes fear in the hearts
0:19:07 > 0:19:10of the best chefs in the country.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11(Oh, no.)
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The food critic, William Sitwell.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- A very serious look on your face, William.- Well, I'm hungry.- Good.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Holly has cooked loin of venison,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42served on crispy kale with parsnip puree
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and a pomegranate reduction.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49I think the way that you've decorated it looks quite professional.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51But I see a lot of square plates in restaurants
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and rectangular plates and it does get to me, but anyway...
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I think your use of pomegranate is very original
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and I've not seen pomegranate matched with venison.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11- And it's quite a pretty idea but the venison is overcooked.- OK.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13That's a shame.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- Even though you've cut it nicely, that, to me, is a bit tragic.- OK.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21I like the crunch on the kale and the iron flavour it gives,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24I like the sweetness of your pomegranate sauce and your parsnip puree.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- However, that venison is overcooked, Holly, I'm awfully sorry.- OK.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32The venison is overdone,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37but what I'm really pleased about is your ability to get flavours right.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Because you got fresh pomegranate, you squeezed it,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41which just brings the palate alive.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I think it's a very, very tasty thing.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47'Getting comments from a food critic is pretty scary.'
0:20:47 > 0:20:51At least he said some good things and didn't absolutely rip me apart.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Dani is serving lamb cutlets on celeriac puree
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and garlic spinach with baby carrots
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and Spanish Padron peppers,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05asparagus on a red pepper swipe
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and a Rioja and port reduction.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I think that's a really, really great plate of food.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19You know how to cook your meat.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22You've kept the cutlets pink and they are very delicate.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Your gravy is the most extraordinarily intense,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28deep, rich creation.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31I've never had pimentos de Padron with cutlets.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32I think that's really clever.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The only thing I would caution you about is this completely pointless,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39reckless smear which smacks of amateurism
0:21:39 > 0:21:41and makes me almost want to throw the plate at you,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45not just the fact that it's rectangular, which we'll forgive.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I wish one day I could see a round plate of food.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50But if I was sitting in a restaurant or a gastropub
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and I got fed this, I'd be very happy.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54Wow.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00I love it for lots of different reasons. Really, really good.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03At this stage of the competition, Dani, good job.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06For a restaurant critic to say that he would be happy
0:22:06 > 0:22:10with my food in a restaurant is a pretty good feeling, innit?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13He'd pay 20-odd quid for that and he wouldn't send it back!
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Greg has made black and white lobster ravioli
0:22:21 > 0:22:24with cream lobster sauce and white truffle oil.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Only the fact that I'm supposed to eat this made me eat that
0:22:34 > 0:22:36because appearance-wise,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I wanted to run in the opposite direction quite fast.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44And I suppose the tragedy of this is that the flavour
0:22:44 > 0:22:46is as terrible as the appearance.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48The pasta is too rubbery.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I'm not getting a really powerful feeling of lobster.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The sauce is OK but if I ordered this in a restaurant,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57I'd be very disappointed.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58It's a disaster.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02With 15 minutes to go you went into panic mode
0:23:02 > 0:23:05and this is why this dish looks as rough as it does.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07However, I'm really sorry, William,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09but I don't agree with you on the flavour of your dish.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14I get some really nice heady truffle oil, and the sweetness of lobster.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I don't like the texture of it because the pasta's too thick.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21What we've got is a dish which you've been overambitious with
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and at this stage in the competition, you don't have the skill.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Yup.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26'It wasn't the best.'
0:23:26 > 0:23:29It was one of the worst dishes I've ever produced.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Finally, it's Robert's hotchpotch.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Poached cannon of lamb on a pearl barley risotto
0:23:38 > 0:23:42with seven individually cooked root vegetables,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45a Parmesan crisp and a red wine jus.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49You've used a round plate.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- I've used a round plate.- Amazing!
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Congratulations.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03There are some dishes that are historical and that's great,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05but some dishes should be left in history.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I'm not sure that your reinvention is really bringing this dish alive.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11The component parts are fine,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but it's too disparate and it just leaves me cold.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I was afraid it was going to be a bit dry and it is a bit dry.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Saying that, there's little things in there which sing to me.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Your pearl barley is nutty and that, with that lamb, is really good.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I can still see the cook that I know you are.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31I can't agree with Will completely, put it that way.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I think you've cooked everything on here really, really well.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37'I've enjoyed every bit of this.'
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I even enjoyed being mauled by the critic.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42That's part of what it's all about.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Obviously, I'm disappointed that I got mauled
0:24:44 > 0:24:46but you know, he's a food critic, that's what he does.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Thank you for bringing your expertise to the table. It was very insightful.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Take care, William.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Our four must be exhausted.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Two really tough tests, but you know,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07it's been an extraordinary heat week and this is it.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10This is where it really counts because two of them
0:25:10 > 0:25:12are going to go through to the next round.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Greg, already behind, actually didn't recover.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19And his was the worst dish in the room.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21We didn't like it, Will didn't like it
0:25:21 > 0:25:25and I think Greg knows already that his time on MasterChef is over.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28It was awful, absolutely awful.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30There is somebody in here, Gregg,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- who just goes straight through to the next round.- Dani.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Yeah, absolutely. He's interesting,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37he's exciting, he's making good food.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40That lamb dish, I liked it, you liked it.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44William actually said it was good enough to be served in a restaurant.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Now that's praise indeed.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50If I got through, I don't think I'd be serving pints any more.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Hopefully I'd be serving gourmet food.
0:25:53 > 0:26:00This is now between flamboyant Robert and good palate Holly.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05What I do like about Holly is her conviction. She sticks to her guns.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08That pomegranate, both of us thought, whoa, is that going to work?
0:26:08 > 0:26:09And it did work.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Her jungle curry was really quite tasty.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15But we all agreed, you, me and William,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18that she'd really overcooked her venison.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I really don't want to go home.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I want to prove that I can actually make a perfect dish.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Robert, we know, has got experience. We know he's got knowledge.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32His lamb was cooked well. His pearl barley was cooked well. So were all those root vegetables.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36He's playing with fire and he gets it wrong sometimes
0:26:36 > 0:26:39but when he gets it right, he gets it really right.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41It's lap of the gods.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45They both have strengths and they both have weaknesses.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Who do we take the risk on?
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Two of you will be going through to the next round.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Two of you, unfortunately, will be leaving the competition.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09The first person going through
0:27:09 > 0:27:10is Dani.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19The second person going through...
0:27:27 > 0:27:28..is Robert.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38'I know I can cook better than that.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42'I've let myself down but I'm fine with that. I was a quarterfinalist.'
0:27:44 > 0:27:48'I'm not particularly surprised. I know I messed up with my venison.'
0:27:48 > 0:27:51I'll definitely look back on MasterChef as a massive experience.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I'm just really, really pleased, really, really chuffed about it.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58I've just got to improve what I'm doing,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02keep working at what I'm doing and let's see what happens next.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06I never thought I was going to get this far.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I'm doing something right, so, you know what, yeah, I can go further.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Bring it on. Yeah, I'll be ready, ready and fighting.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Next week, another 12 hopefuls will fight it out
0:28:22 > 0:28:25for a place in the quarterfinals.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27That is knocking on the door of delicious.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30I think it's a really good dessert, like really good.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34- Eurgh!- You're joking?