0:00:04 > 0:00:06It's knockout week on MasterChef.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Over four weeks of heats,
0:00:10 > 0:00:1340 amateurs have fought for their place in the competition.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Come on, come on, come on!
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Oh, for crying out loud!
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Only the best 14 remain.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28I keep on pinching myself to say, "Am I living a dream here?
0:00:28 > 0:00:29"Or is it reality?"
0:00:30 > 0:00:33The competition definitely starts now. I've got to up my game.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37You've got to cook your heart out. That's what I'm going to try to do.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42I need to be absolutely perfect, or else it's game over.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49The first time these 14 cooks are going to look into each other's eyes
0:00:49 > 0:00:52and understand that one of them is going to be our champion.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to knockout week.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21This is truly exciting.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26You are our 14 best cooks.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30We're going to split you up, make two groups of seven.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Red aprons, you will be cooking first.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Once you've both finished cooking, John and I will then decide
0:01:39 > 0:01:42who we believe is good enough to go through.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Word of warning - at least three of you will go home.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Right, blue aprons, off you go. Wait your turn.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04You've all been given the same brief,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06to cook us one dish
0:02:06 > 0:02:09inspired by a family favourite,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11or food from your childhood.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Ladies and gentlemen, one hour, 30 minutes.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Let's cook.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Jacob - crazy, disorganised,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but could be an absolute genius.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44He can deliver some amazing flavours
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and I've never seen anybody get through that amount of work.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Today there are a lot of things.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Hopefully they will think
0:02:53 > 0:02:56they go together. I'm being a bit stubborn
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and not just putting three things on a plate.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Jacob, we know what sort of cook you are.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06By the looks of the bench, it's going to be crazy again.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Yeah, I've tried to actually scale things back a bit,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11believe it or not. Gone for a dessert today.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14I'm doing a blackberry chocolate brownie
0:03:14 > 0:03:16with a blackberry and elderflower sorbet,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20chocolate cylinder with a blackberry mascarpone mousse,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22some elderflower jelly,
0:03:22 > 0:03:27- a blackberry tuille, and this spherified bramble cocktail.- No way!
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- You can't get all that done in 90 minutes.- Er, we'll see.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32What childhood memory inspired you to cook like this?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35End of every summer, I used to love going blackberry picking.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37We'd come back with a glut and not know what to do with them all.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39We'd make lots of crumble and jam.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43How many times have you actually made this dish as one dish?
0:03:43 > 0:03:44- As one dish?- Mm.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- Um, less than one. - Less than one.- Yep.- So never?- Never.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Jacob's cooking us a plethora of blackberry and chocolate.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59What can go wrong? Well, probably everything.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I can't see how he'll get it all done,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04but I've said that about Jacob every single time he's cooked in here.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Jane's food is stylish, it's knowledgeable,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14it's got technique and it's exciting.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22My best moment is when Gregg said to me, "You can cook, girl,"
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and I was like, "Yes! I can cook."
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Food is just so central to everything I do in my life,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32so, yeah, it really is all-encompassing. I can't tell you.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40- Hey, Jane.- Hiya.- That's a proper trout, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I fish. My husband and I, we both fly fish,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44so during the summer we get a lot of trout.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- You fish with flies with your husband?- Yeah.- Wow.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He's teaching one of our boys as well, who really wants to learn.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55So I wanted to use it because it's an ingredient that's really
0:04:55 > 0:04:59- precious to me.- Jane, tell us about your dish.- I'm doing a picnic.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01I think picnics are just family, aren't they?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03The idea of eating outdoors and everything else.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I'm going to cook a Scotch egg using the trout tail.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11I'm going to make a trout and watercress tart,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13and a piece of poached trout.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I've got this far and you seem to like what I'm cooking,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17and hopefully that will see me through.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- And I can learn more along the way. - Good luck.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Thank you very much, Cheers, guys. Thank you.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28I'm not quite sure of the trout Scotch egg. I just...
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I've never had a fishy scotch egg.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31There is a huge amount of work to do.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33She's making pastry for tarts, a tart filling,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37a Scotch egg outer, make sure the egg's cooked properly, a mayonnaise.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46The comments that I've had have been incredible.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47It's fantastic.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53- I love it.- I feel like I'm learning so much and so quickly.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56So hopefully the best is yet to come.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Annie, a dessert?
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I'm making a midnight feast.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Myself and my dad used to have midnight feasts when I was little.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I'd have really bad nightmares. He'd make jam sandwiches and hot milk.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So I'm making Victoria sponge, blackberry jam, butter cream,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18milk jelly with freeze-dried raspberries on the side.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21That is worth having a nightmare for.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26If I can do it all in time it will be like a nice dream.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33We've also got toffee apple, popping candy
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and an iced tea flavoured with raspberries.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38I'm fascinated to see what Annie is doing.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40For me, the complex bit for Annie is the presentation.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Jack's an exciting young cook who takes a classic idea
0:06:50 > 0:06:51and he turns it straight on its head.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55He's got talent and he finds the fun in cooking.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58For William Sitwell he took coriander
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and turned it into a dessert.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I think that's ingenious.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05It was a real highlight of the competition, so I'm hoping to
0:07:05 > 0:07:08channel some of that positivity and really bring it out today.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- Jack, a big day today.- Big day, yeah. You're not kidding.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20I'm going to do fillet of beef with deep-fried bone marrow,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25crispy roast potatoes, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27You've got a roast beef dinner.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28It's inspired by Sunday lunch,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31but really the focus is that moment at the end of a roast dinner when
0:07:31 > 0:07:34you get that last Yorkshire pudding, which was always my favourite bit.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Me and my brother used to fight over it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39We've all had our own best Yorkshire puddings, our best gravy,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41our best roast beef.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- Haven't we? - Up until this moment, maybe.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48The problem with Jack I see is this.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51You have to move away from a traditional roast dinner
0:07:51 > 0:07:52to make it sexy.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The further you move away from it, the more dangerous it becomes.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58But we've seen Jack change things really successfully before.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Time is flying! You have one hour left.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Pedro is either brilliant or bonkers.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16I've got to say, he intrigues me.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Pedro digs deep into the Portuguese food that he grew up with,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23and, John, at its best, it's absolutely stunning.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The final 14 is definitely something I can be proud of,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31but I want to oust some people out and stay in this competition
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and keep fighting, so that's what I'm going to try to do.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41What's the inspiration today, Pedro?
0:08:41 > 0:08:44So I've called it Mum's alternative Christmas dinner.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46A Portuguese family would never have a turkey.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49You have little plates of everything, and you just eat it,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and it all works cos everything's been cooked with love and care.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Pedro, what's the dish?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56I'm going to make for you a spiced duck, glazed carrots,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59mashed potato with spring onion running through there,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01a little bit of an onion jam with some baby pak choi.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I'm doing a raspberry port reduction for the sauce.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06So there's a lot of things going on but it has to be perfectly balanced.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08It has to all come together on one plate.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- Your flavours have worked very well so far. Very well.- Thank you.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16It's a very eclectic mix of ingredients
0:09:16 > 0:09:20going on in Pedro's dinner. Mash with spring onion is Irish.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Spiced duck is Asian. The sauce is European.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Pedro's cooked like this all the way through the competition, though.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29He's always brought different things onto one plate,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and he has done it with success in the past.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39The competition so far has been brilliant.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It empties your wallet when you're practising
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and gives you sleepless nights. There is an element of nerves
0:09:44 > 0:09:47but I think that's me wanting to do well, so...
0:09:47 > 0:09:48We'll see how it goes.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Mike loves process.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54He's inventive and his combinations are really interesting.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57His flavours are great.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- What are you making, Mike?- I'm making sticky toffee apple pudding.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I'm doing that with a cinnamon ice cream and hopefully,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09if I get time, a little bit of sugar work as well.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Inspired by what memory? My early Army career.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14When I joined the Army I was only 16,
0:10:14 > 0:10:15so I was still essentially a kid.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18And in the ration packs that we had, they used to give us
0:10:18 > 0:10:20these highly calorific and ridiculously sweet
0:10:20 > 0:10:24sort of desserts, but it was just a fuel boost to keep you going.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26I used to swap mine for breakfasts because for me,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29waking up at 4:30 and stuff, and having a cold packet
0:10:29 > 0:10:32of sticky toffee pudding for me was better than having cold beans.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I agree with you. If I had to wake up at 4:30 every morning
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I'd be eating sticky toffee pudding.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I think it's an indication of just how much ambition's in this room
0:10:43 > 0:10:45when Mike tells us
0:10:45 > 0:10:48he's doing a sticky toffee pudding with apple, and that sounds safe.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Guys, listen to me. You have 30 minutes left.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01You have half an hour to bring that food memory onto a plate, please.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Half an hour left.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The reason I like Julie is her food is generous.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16She's got the skill. Now what she needs to do is demonstrate
0:11:16 > 0:11:18the little bit of polish.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I've cooked previous meals where I felt fairly safe.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Now I'm having to push the boat out slightly, challenging myself.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27I think I need to.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Julie's smiling, as always.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- That nervous smile?- Yes, I know.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Scared rabbit.- What are you making?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Pan-fried pheasant with a little pheasant Scotch egg,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45- stuffed Savoy cabbage and a cider and mustard sauce.- Why this dish?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48My grandparents used to cook pheasant a lot.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51This year my grandfather showed me how to pluck a pheasant,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55how to gut a pheasant and how to truss a pheasant.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59So that's what it's been homage to, to my grandfather, who's 94.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00That's lovely!
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Julie is probably cooking the most traditional dish in the room.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10She's got to make sure the presentation on this is superb.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12It's got have no errors at all.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18You have just ten minutes.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Only ten minutes! Please, come on.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28I'm peeling an egg. I'm having a nightmare.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29I've not done them enough.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Right, I'm going to do another one.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I can do this in time. I've done this before. Yep.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Five minutes - that's all you've got. Five minutes.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43- Jane, you can't cook that in five minutes, can you?- Oh, I can.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45If I can get it in and it's whole, I can.
0:12:52 > 0:12:5560 seconds. Come on! Get them on a plate.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Stop. You have to stop. Time is up.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Phew!
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Jack, come on. Up you come.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Jack's dish has been inspired by his mum's Sunday roasts.
0:13:38 > 0:13:44He's cooked a fillet of beef with roast potato crisps, celeriac
0:13:44 > 0:13:49and star anise puree, carrots, kale,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52deep-fried bone marrow,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56a Yorkshire pudding and an onion gravy.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07I love the crescent shape of goodies. I think that's lovely.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23You, Jack, are a serious talent,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26because that is absolutely delicious.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28It's all the flavours you'd expect of a roast dinner.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It's very soft beef. It's a really good gravy, a good sauce,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36plus the bone marrow - it's stunningly beautiful.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Jack, that, to me, is a beefy triumph.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43You know what's great about it?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46It's comforting and clever all at the same time.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50The comfort of Yorkshire pudding and gravy and roast beef, little bits of
0:14:50 > 0:14:55carrot, the aniseed running through from the star anise in your puree.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Lovely, lovely, lovely things.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Thank you so much.- Thanks, Jack. - Cheers, guys.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06HE SIGHS
0:15:08 > 0:15:11When you get feedback like that, it makes the stress really worthwhile.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13So yeah, really pleased.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Jane's dish is a celebration of fly fishing with her family.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28She's cooked trout three ways -
0:15:28 > 0:15:31a trout and watercress tart,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35poached trout, and a smoked trout Scotch egg,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39served with a watercress and lemon mayonnaise and pickled vegetables.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55The flavours are good and they're sound.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Your fish with that mayonnaise,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00slight little bit of lemon in it, is just lovely.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02The way you've pickled the vegetables,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- it's a sweet pickle, it's not sharp. - Yeah.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08But there are mistakes on here, which is a shame.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- This egg white isn't cooked. - Yep. I know.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- You know what you've done wrong. - I do, 100%.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- You've bitten off a lot here.- Yep. - You've taken on a lot of work
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and you've tried to do a picnic in an hour and a half,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22which most people would probably take 4½ or 5 hours
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- on a Saturday morning putting together for their family.- OK.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29I am frustrated with myself.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33I know I can do better than that.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I'm angry with myself. But also, you want to do your best.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Inspired by blackberry picking as a child,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Jacob has cooked a blackberry and chocolate brownie,
0:16:56 > 0:17:01a dark chocolate cylinder filled with blackberry mascarpone mousse,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04blackberry and elderflower sorbet,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06a blackberry tuille,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10elderflower jelly and a spherified bramble cocktail.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17It sort of reminds me of walking through brambles,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21sort of getting lost on them, trying to fight your way out, you know?
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's really wild, Jacob!
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Mm.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41There's loads of work on there to admire.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43You're obviously a really accomplished cook.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I like the sphere because it tastes like I've got a little bit
0:17:46 > 0:17:49of light vodka with a blackberry flavour. I really like that.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51The brownie, because it hasn't cooked,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53because it's too soft inside,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55you've had to put it on there and splodge it on.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58And, of course, that's spoilt the look of the plate.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I really like it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01I really like it.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I like the fact that we've got textures and flavours
0:18:04 > 0:18:07of blackberry mixed in with textures and flavours of chocolate.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Your blackberry and elderflower sorbet is fantastic.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I don't mind the brownie, cos actually I think
0:18:13 > 0:18:17that soft inside with crispy bit on the top is a good thing.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19I like the dish. I like the fun of it.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I'm glad I took the risks.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Hopefully they can see through the fact that
0:18:26 > 0:18:27I just undercooked a brownie.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30It could have been improved but, I mean, it tasted good.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Annie's cooked a midnight feast.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50A Victoria sponge, blackberry jam and buttercream sandwich,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53toffee apples with popping candy,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57milk jelly bottles with freeze-dried raspberries
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and a raspberry iced tea.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02It's very clever.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05I'm always really nervous when I see things theatrically made up,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09cos it's got to be about what's inside it.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23I really, really, really like this.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I fell in love with this as soon as I had the toffee apple.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Really good toffee with sweet, sharpened apple.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31When I'd finished it all,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34the popping candy started going off in my mouth like a firework show.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Your Victoria sponge jam sandwich is exactly that.
0:19:38 > 0:19:44What I love is this fruit-flavoured iced tea, which isn't really sweet.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- That, to me, cleanses the palate.- Thank you.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Things are made very, very well. Things taste really good.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55How you slept after all that sugar, I have no idea.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Cos my kids would be running, bouncing off the walls.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- Annie, thank you very much. - Thank you, thank you.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06I don't think I could have done any more.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09I threw everything at it and it worked, and that's good.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I didn't have any disasters, thank goodness.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Thank you!
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Mike, please. Up you come.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Mike's cooked an Army ration-inspired
0:20:26 > 0:20:30sticky toffee apple pudding
0:20:30 > 0:20:34with caramelised apples, pecan brittle,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38apple compote, cinnamon ice cream
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and a toffee sauce.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53I really like the flavours.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57The sponge is soft, you get a bit of sweet, light relief with apple.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59However, I feel like I actually haven't got a dessert.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I've got a sponge cake with extras.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Flavours? Can't argue with that.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Presentation? And the work?
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- It leaves a couple of question marks from me.- Right, sure.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13There is so much treacle, thick treacle,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18across the top of that pudding, at first it's just sugary and thick
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and gets the back of your throat.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23If your inspiration's a ration pack cos you needed
0:21:23 > 0:21:25lots of calories to give you grunt, I tell you what -
0:21:25 > 0:21:28there's enough sugar in there to make you run for about 3½ hours.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34I think a mixed bag of critique.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35They liked the flavours,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38but I don't know if it was a bit overload on the sugar.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39So overall happy, yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I suppose what will be will be, for use of a better phrase.
0:21:51 > 0:21:59Inspired by her 94-year-old grandad, Julie has pan-fried pheasant breast
0:21:59 > 0:22:04and served it with a Scotch egg made from the leg meat and a quail's egg.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07With stuffed Savoy cabbage,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11a celeriac cream, cider pearls,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15crispy bacon and a cider and mustard sauce.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- Julie, I may sound like a broken record here...- Right.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- I think it could probably be a little bit smarter.- OK.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26You're going to have to get some books out
0:22:26 > 0:22:28and have a look at how plates can be smartened up.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41You can taste the richness of that pheasant,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and then your sweet but sharp cider sauce.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47You get that tang that comes from the apple cider.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But on here we've got bits chucked on, things thrown around,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54and I've got a carrot which was once round...
0:22:54 > 0:22:59It's now a hexagon shape and it's not cooked. It's got to look better.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Right, OK.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Your food tastes good, your pheasant's nicely cooked.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Your problem is the look of your dishes.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- We've got to do something about your presentation.- Right, OK, then.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- Right, OK.- Thank you, Julie. - Julie, thanks very much.- Thank you.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20It's just frustrating. Why can't I present things?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Why can't I present things? Oh, God.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Pedro has cooked his mum's alternative Christmas dinner -
0:23:38 > 0:23:43pan-fried breast of duck, crispy confit leg,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45spring onion mash,
0:23:45 > 0:23:51pak choi, honey-glazed carrots, a garlic crumb,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55onion jam and a raspberry and port sauce.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I had my doubts about this, but I think that's a very,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02very attractive plate of food, Pedro.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18The duck is so well cooked, and that leg is crispy.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20The mashed potato is smooth, the pak choi, of course,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22is just a brassica like a cabbage - it's juicy.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Then you've got garlic croutons across your mash,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28which give more flavour and texture!
0:24:28 > 0:24:30That's a good dish, Pedro.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31You do good food.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Thank you.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Mashed potato on a sour raspberry and port sauce
0:24:36 > 0:24:39was always going to be a clash. But the one thing you've got on there
0:24:39 > 0:24:41is lots and lots of raw spring onions.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43So those raw spring onions explode in your mouth
0:24:43 > 0:24:46and then it seems to sort of make itself all all right.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48I'm really, really impressed, Pedro.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54I definitely took some flavour combination risks.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Sometimes you've got to be a bit daring and a bit bold,
0:24:57 > 0:24:58and today it paid off.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Well done. Very, very well done.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10The ambition is quite incredible.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15There's no-one in here playing it safe. I mean, everyone's pushing it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Before we make a decision of who stays and who goes,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24we need to see the other seven people cook.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Thank you very much indeed. Off you go.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Good cooking in here today.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Very, very good cooking.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Lots of skill on show, lots of technique, lots of ambition.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51And I think Jack, for me, was the master of it.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53It was fantastic.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Just fantastic.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I love Jack and his cooking, and I tell you why -
0:25:57 > 0:26:00because it looks beautiful and I want to eat it.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It tastes good.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Do you know my favourite cook out of these seven?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08- Pedro.- Mm, I knew you were going to say that.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13That fella has got excellent touch and he understands flavours.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Cos his dish was nothing short of delicious.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18As for the other five,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I think we've got to wait for the others to cook
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- before we can really comment. - Ooh, I tell you what -
0:26:23 > 0:26:26there's a couple that I think are skating on very thin ice.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Mike actually did not deliver me a sticky toffee pudding.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I don't know where I sit in our seven,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34but I've done what I felt I could do today.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Just wait out patiently, I think. Hard, but wait out patiently.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39The other one I'm really sad for,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43because I think she's had an amazing competition so far, is Jane.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46The egg inside the Scotch egg wasn't cooked.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47She just tried to do too much.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52To some extent I've got maybe a little time to collect myself,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55and brace myself for any bad news.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I tell you the one who has to be able to right now start to get
0:26:58 > 0:27:01a bit of polish about her food, and that's Julie.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03As good as that pheasant may be,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05it needs to have a little bit more finesse.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Cos the competition is really, really stepping up.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13I don't know what's going to happen, but I need to keep being optimistic.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16All I can do now is just sit back and wait and see.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20We know how ambitious this lot were.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Let's see if the next lot can match the ambition, maybe even exceed it.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Coming up after the break, the second seven cook off...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Five minutes. Come on, guys, please.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40..before John and Gregg decide who stays...
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I think you're a genius.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43I absolutely love it.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46..and who goes.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48The three people leaving us...