Episode 11 MasterChef

MasterChef is back.

Searching for the country's best amateur cook.

Come on.

You can't say it's got chilli in and not make it chilli.

Don't, don't, don't.

Oh, no!

Each week, 16 new contestants battle for

a place in Friday's quarterfinal.

It's a masterpiece.

Only the best will make it through to the final challenges.

Don't slow down.

Everybody! Pudding!

Absolutely beautiful.

It's an incredible piece of cooking.

They want to realise one dream and that's to become

the MasterChef champion.

A kid in a sweet shop, that's me.

Let's find the stars.

These eight amateur cooks all aspire to become MasterChef champion.

But only three will make it through to Friday's quarterfinal.

I'm a kind of have-a-go kind of girl,

so hence I'm here having a go.

I think it'll be good to have some feedback

from somebody that knows what they're talking

about, rather than a fussy husband!

I like to overachieve a lot.

To me, my goals are here

but I always want to aim up there.

It's going to be a hell of a ride.

Something I'm certainly never ever going to forget.

Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

You are our last batch of contestants

in this year's competition.

Gregg and I are confident that today we're going to eat very well.

This is the Market Challenge.

You'll have ten minutes to choose your ingredients and then

one hour and 20 minutes to cook us a great plate of food.

At the end of this, three of you will be leaving us.

Off you go.

Today's market ingredients include

venison,

lamb mince

and kidneys.

As well as scallops and langoustines.

There's also a range of cheese,

grains and pulses.

I'm feeling less happy than I was

but, fingers crossed, it'll be all right.

I'm going to go for something sweet.

I think it's the way to Gregg's heart, so I'm giving it a go.

You can see the people who cook all the time,

who just open up the fridge

and say, "Right, what am I going to make for dinner tonight?"

I thought it was lamb at first and then I realised it was venison.

I picked it up, then put it back and picked it up again and I

think I know what I'm doing now.

There's so many options of what to do that your brain shuts down

for a minute or two.

Ladies and gentlemen, one hour 20 minutes,

let's cook.

Former body piercer Jim now satisfies his creative streak as a web developer.

I'm here because previous contestants

have actually been quite inspiring.

People that have cooked at home, cooked for their friends.

By the end of it, they're creating dishes that at the beginning there

was no way they would've been able to do. I'm here to start to do that.

Jim, big smile on your face. Are you enjoying yourself?

Yeah, this is a lot of fun.

I've never had the opportunity to cook with this kind of

varied ingredients without spending a load of money.

So I am doing venison with a fondant potato,

a reduced port sauce.

Mushroom and blackberry kind of... I don't know what you'd call it,

but they go together all right.

-You've made a fondant before?

-Yes.

-You've cooked venison before?

-Twice.

-Port sauce?

-Many times.

We're in business, Jim.

-JIM CHUCKLES

-We're in business.

-Tiny loin of venison, doesn't need much cooking at all.

-No fat on it.

As long as it's well seasoned,

sealed and given a couple of minutes in the oven, it should be perfect.

Right.

Stay-at-home mum Shauna

once worked for a soup kitchen, jazzing up the food with

spices from home.

I don't stick to recipes very stringently.

I always like an element of surprise.

So if it's one ingredient that I haven't used before, or a herb,

I'll give it a go and chuck it in and usually it's noticed.

Today I'm going to make a bitter-orange chocolate marquise.

It's like a rich, dark chocolate butter pate.

That's the best way I can explain it.

With rosemary, and I'm going to do that with honeycomb,

tempered chocolate, creme fraiche and fennel fronds.

-Quite technical.

-It is, but I do like this one. It's a foolproof recipe that I have.

It does need extra time in the fridge but I'm going to chance my arm that I can prepare it.

-Fingers crossed, eh? It sounds great.

-Thank you.

Rosemary and chocolate, OK, fair enough.

There's a point of difference, as long as that rosemary is not

too heavy and it doesn't taste like antiseptic in the chocolate.

30 minutes have gone.

Recruitment manager Fiona did the catering for her own wedding

and prepared over 20 different dishes.

I'm not scared to try new things. I will push myself.

I've definitely pushed myself more than I've ever pushed

myself with food over the last few weeks.

Hopefully it'll pay off.

What are you going to make for us?

I'm doing my own sort of take on... I suppose really like a moussaka.

Big, bold comfort niceness.

Why are you here, Fiona?

Well, I have been applying on and off for ten years

so it's sort of become a habit. I want to prove something to myself.

Trying to get better, learn new things, as well.

Good, good.

Retired IT worker Selwyn once appeared on Mastermind

showing off his specialist knowledge of regional cookery.

I'm often coming up with new ideas and things and sometimes they

definitely don't work.

Vanilla and lime beurre blanc

was a case in point, yes. No.

Selwyn is making something quite unusual.

Ceviche with scallops, so raw scallops.

Served with a hot langoustine, pickled carrots and turnips with

some mushrooms, and he's not quite sure what to do with the potato.

Is that a plate of food that belongs together,

or is it just things on a plate?

I love scallops, I love seafood but I must admit I'm not the best

at cooking them so this is a bit of a risk.

Why would you choose to cook seafood if it's not what you're best at?

Um, good question.

Possibly mental aberration but also possibly because you can get it

done relatively quickly so you've got a little bit more time to think.

Halfway.

Let's go.

22-year-old Komal hopes to one day open an Indian gastro-pub.

My love of food just stemmed when I met my partner.

He is such a big foodie.

After recently getting engaged, we've actually planned our honeymoon

to travel around the world just so I can eat at different places.

Komal is making us a lamb ragu with pasta.

I think about beef ragu and pasta, that works really nicely.

I don't think about lamb very often.

But who knows?

This is what you would cook at home for the big family?

Most of my family is vegetarian and a lot of my dishes are veg.

I wanted to showcase that I can actually cook meat and

understand my flavours.

You're using palm sugar?

-Yeah.

-In your ragu.

-In my ragu.

All my relatives use palm sugar and I like the natural sweetness that

comes from palm sugar, as opposed to the one from normal sugar.

I would have thought tomatoes and lamb was sweet enough.

Let's see, give it a go.

Why not?

26-year-old Brodie is a trained architect

and hopes to one day build his own restaurant.

It sounds pretty ridiculous but my flatmates and girlfriend always

give me a hard time for playing the reduction game,

which is basically where I just leave food to simmer down and intensify in flavour.

It usually means we eat at about ten o'clock.

Hopefully on this I'll be on it.

Brodie's promising us rogan josh made with lentils and kidneys.

Rogan josh, as far as I know, is a lamb stew,

spiced lamb stew.

I've never had a kidney and lentil rogan josh before in my life.

I'm about to have my first one.

What do you do for a living?

I work for a lingerie company.

As a store designer.

Is that what you wanted to do when you were at school?

Er, no.

Not necessarily.

I studied architecture and ended up getting this job

instead of doing proper buildings.

25 minutes left, OK?

25 minutes.

26-year-old Louise works around the clock as

a farmer in the Yorkshire Dales.

We farm roughly 225 acres.

We live, like, a 20-minute drive from the nearest shops.

I'm quite good at thinking on my feet to crack out a meal.

Venison, celeriac puree and savoy cabbage.

However, there is a difference here because she's coated

the outside of the venison with cocoa and she's serving the whole

thing with a chocolate sauce.

It could be great, it could be really lovely.

As long as the chocolate is just a back note.

-You're a farmer's wife, a mum with a young family.

-Yeah.

-Why MasterChef as well?

-I love to cook.

-My husband said, "Just go for it."

-So if it goes badly,

-we blame your husband?

-Yes, definitely.

Essex-based Cassie regularly cooks for her friends

and supplies the neighbours with any leftovers.

My mum and dad are both really good cooks and I learnt

a lot from my mum and just over the years experimenting in

my own kitchen and every now and then ringing my mum up and saying,

"Help, I've made a mess," or, "This doesn't taste right, come and rescue me."

-Cassie, you've got a tonne of chocolate on your bench.

-Yeah.

-Are you a bit of a pastry chef?

-No, I never do desserts.

I just went into blind panic when I walked into that room.

This is kind of from memory from a few months ago,

chocolate brownies.

Cassie seems quite nervous.

As a result we've got ourselves a chocolate brownie.

A chocolate brownie could be a fine, fine dessert.

It's gone wrong.

Crispy on top, soft underneath.

Yes, please, that'd be lovely.

Four minutes left.

Just four minutes.

One minute to finish up.

One minute.

That's it! Time's up. Stop.

Jim, up you come.

First up is web developer Jim, who's serving his venison with

a fondant potato, sauteed blackberry and mushrooms,

apple, fennel and tomato salad,

beetroot crisps, pickled radish and a port sauce.

I really like the way you cooked the venison,

really like the sweet port sauce.

I like your fondant. I really like those beetroot crisps.

Your salad of apple and tomato, yeah, it might be nice somewhere

but not on a warm venison dish.

Look, there's some decent ideas here.

You can make a pickle, that's for sure.

You can make a sauce, that's for sure.

As to all the things on the one plate,

I don't think you need to do it, Jim.

After doing this now,

I want to go as far as possible.

I found it exciting, exhilarating.

I found it nerve-racking and I found it hugely rewarding.

Stay-at-home mum Shauna's dark chocolate marquise

has been served with honeycomb, chocolate shards,

chocolate soil, orange creme fraiche

and an orange and rosemary coulis.

Your chocolate marquise is really well made in the fact that it's

not too heavy, too dense.

It sort of melts away in your mouth because it is lusciously smooth.

You've got orange in there, flavoured with a hint of rosemary.

You've got little orange pieces, you've got honeycomb, but the

whole thing lends its support to that beautiful chocolate marquise.

That is a stunning bit of work.

Thank you.

Now that I've got one recipe behind me and such great comments,

I'm like, "Yeah, I'm happy."

IT recruitment manager Fiona's made lamb stew with carrots,

tomatoes and cinnamon, topped with aubergine crisps

with a parsley and lemon zest gremolata

and garlic sourdough.

It's very sweet, your stew.

There's not a great deal of contrasting flavours,

it's quite sweet and it's almost got, like, a cinnamon feel.

I'd like to see a bit of process, even the bread being made,

rather than just toasting the bread to go on the side.

You had plenty of time to do other bits.

A little bit disappointed.

Considering how long I've been applying.

I certainly don't want to go home yet.

That was a grilling.

Retiree Selwyn has made scallop ceviche,

served with sauteed langoustines,

fondant potato, fennel puree,

chanterelles in a Madeira butter,

pickled turnips and carrots.

I love the flavours on your scallop ceviche.

There's a little bit of heat to it,

as well as a sweetness, sharpness.

I like your fennel puree.

I like the buttery flavour of your potato fondant

but I really wish you'd have had one finished plate idea.

I think you've got a good palate, cos everything's seasoned well,

it's cooked really well, there's some really interesting flavours,

but raw seafood on the same plate as cooked seafood...

-Yes.

-A bit of an odd one.

It could have gone slightly better.

It could have gone an awful lot worse.

Part way through I decided the ceviche was probably a mistake

but, on the other hand, it did showcase a different technique, yeah.

Paralegal Komal's tagliatelle

is being served with a ragu made with pancetta,

lamb mince, tomatoes,

rosemary and palm sugar.

Topped with a parsley crumb and Parmesan.

It's quite different from anything I've ever eaten before.

It's so sweet, because you used palm sugar in your sauce, and then

that finishes with a really chilli heat in the back of my throat.

I'm not quite sure whether I'm ready for it but your pasta's

made really nicely.

The big problem I've got is a ragu is just throwing things in

a pot and stirring it.

I'd really loved you to have done something a bit more complicated.

The fact they were intrigued about my flavours,

if that's a positive then hopefully that's enough.

Store designer Brodie's dish is kidney and lentil rogan josh

served with basmati rice

and a lemon and pistachio yoghurt.

It starts off sweet, gets a little bit salty

and right now it's filling my mouth up full of spice.

I like that.

I also like the kidney, the strong earthy kidney I get with it as well.

-I like that.

-Great.

I really don't like it at all. I'm really sorry.

The sauce is over-reduced and acidic, I don't like

the flavour of the kidneys running through the whole lot.

-Sorry, Brodie.

-It's all right.

Rarely does this happen like this.

You've split us completely down the middle.

I feel a little bit shellshocked.

Yeah, I just hope I have another opportunity to prove to John

that I can cook food that he does like.

Look at the size of that!

Is that for one?

Yeah, my portion's too big. I need to cut back on that.

Farmer Louise dusted her venison with cocoa and served it with

carrots, celeriac puree, roasted cauliflower,

savoy cabbage, pickled blueberries and a chocolate sauce.

The basis of it is very, very good.

The cooking of everything is fantastic.

I really like the way in which you cooked the carrots and the potatoes,

the cauliflower and the venison.

You can afford some butter.

You can afford some pepper.

You can afford a bit of spice on there and make it

a little bit richer, a bit more opulent.

Your chocolate is bitter, it's got that cocoa flavour to it, and

it's a perfect, perfect match for a piece of venison.

Well done.

I'm a Yorkshire lass that likes a good plate of food

that tastes good and there's plenty of it.

You don't want to go home hungry from my house.

So, yeah, I got my message across.

Last up is business manager Cassie,

whose chocolate brownie has been accompanied by

chocolate-dipped strawberries and a mixed berry coulis.

-Cassie, your brownie mixture has split.

-Mm-hm.

And as it's cooked, what happens, the fat has come out

and all those bits of chocolate now have become

very, very hard and quite bitter.

It seems to be lacking sugar, as well.

It's not sweet in any way at all.

The texture is all wrong.

It's dense, really dense like a big heavy fruitcake.

It's not what you intended to serve.

No. No, it's not.

It's obviously a complete disaster.

I kind of expected the feedback.

They could have been meaner, to be fair. I think I got off lightly!

Out of these eight we're looking for the stars, the rising stars.

I have to say, I think we've found a few.

There was one here, John, who was an absolute superstar.

Who looks just head and shoulders above the others.

That's Shauna with her chocolate dessert,

that was absolutely outstanding.

Outstanding.

For me, another cook in the room who's got great, great promise,

and that's Louise.

It was food to feed you but she did show

a number of very good techniques.

Cassie is disappointed, really disappointed.

I'm disappointed for her but that chocolate brownie

simply was not good enough.

I feel Fiona didn't really demonstrate enough skill.

It didn't tell me very much about Fiona as a cook.

I think Fiona has done her dash.

I like Selwyn, I really do.

I think the man has proved that he has ability.

Yes, he didn't present us with a finished plate but, John,

he did enough technique without faults.

Jim did exactly the same.

Both Selwyn and Jim put lots of things on the plate that

don't necessarily go together because they wanted

to demonstrate what they can do.

-Yeah, all right, I accept that.

-We put Selwyn and Jim through.

One more place in the next round.

Komal or Brodie?

Just one dish, like, meant so much.

I don't know how I'm going to do later on but

it's just so important I can't put it into words.

Obviously, I'm not going to go straight through with John

hating it quite so...

I hope Gregg will fight my corner.

-You know how I feel.

-Yeah.

You know how I feel, I'll leave the rest to you.

Three of you are leaving the competition.

Fiona,

Cassie,

I'm afraid you're leaving us. I'm so sorry, ladies.

Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Good luck, guys.

The third and final contestant leaving...

..is Komal.

Komal, I'm sorry.

There's pitfalls and downfalls at every stage but it doesn't

mean it knocks you back.

It just makes you want to work for it even harder.

Going out in the first round is horrible but I feel blessed that

I've actually been here to start with. So, yeah.

That's that.

Ten years to an end.

Never mind.

Welcome back.

Now you've earned the right to cook your own food.

You're not just presenting your food to me and John today,

you are going to cook for three people that really understand

what MasterChef is all about.

Finalists Juanita Hennessey,

Daksha Mistry

and, of course, winner of MasterChef Shelina Permallo.

You are going to have to be at your best.

You have got two courses in one hour and 15 minutes.

That's tough.

We wish you the very best of luck.

Let's cook.

I'm much happier to be cooking my own food this round.

I feel like it's strong.

If it's not strong enough and I cook it to the best of my ability

than I can have no real qualms with that.

I am making a devilled crab,

lightly spiced crab with cream,

Parmesan and breadcrumbs.

For the main, butter chicken

and home-made bhajis.

I didn't anticipate cooking back-to-back curries for you

but it's a totally different curry.

Butter chicken curry, I like the idea of that,

but then I liked Brodie's curry in the last round.

Shauna, you wooed us with a dessert in the last round.

What are you going to try and woo us with this time?

I am doing a starter of a chestnut apple soup

with a Calvados cream,

and I'm accompanying that with a pistachio nut,

prune and goat's cheese cake.

Followed by a risotto nero with some pan-seared scallops and

a gremolata and, if I have time,

I'm going to attempt a squid ink tuile.

What do you want us and those guests to think about you in these dishes?

I think I'd like them to think I'm a little bit experimental and I

know tastes that complement each other.

And visually I'd like them to be standout, as well.

Shauna's been quite daring, she's right out there.

Look, a steaming bowl of soup and bread is a lovely thing but

apple and chestnut soup with a prune and goat's cheese cake(?)

I believe the French like to have cake in a more savoury fashion.

It really works well with the soup so I'm hoping they think it's

a risk worth taking.

Selwyn's menu sounds absolutely delicious.

A loin of lamb, pistachio crust, a plum sauce,

sauteed potatoes and a timbale of courgette and tomatoes.

So courgettes on the outside, inside a little case

and then tomato on the inside and he turns the whole thing out.

Then the dessert.

Frangipane tart with plums across the top and plum compote

with some Chantilly cream.

Mmm...

The promise is so good.

-Selwyn, how are you feeling about the task?

-Nervous.

-Because?

It's relatively simple,

but it requires fairly exact timing

and I'm already behind.

Too late to change my mind.

Everything has got to be perfect,

so if you let the nerves get to you, that's a sure-fire way for disaster.

You've just got to try and stay calm and focused,

difficult though it is.

Halfway!

Time is really my main problem.

If everything goes well, and I don't need to remake anything,

I should be just fine.

If I need to make one component, I'm in trouble.

If I need to remake two components, that's...that's it. I'm out.

Main course is a pigeon breast with a roast sweet potato,

a beetroot gel and wild mushrooms

and the dessert is pear compote on

a granola base with a blue-cheese ice cream.

HE CHUCKLES

-Right, have you made a cheese ice cream before?

-Yes.

-And you fed it to your mates?

-Yes.

-What did they think?

Some said it was lovely, some said it tasted like an old sock.

Right. Right. I thought that might be the case.

I am yet to taste a blue-cheese ice cream I like.

Today may be the day.

Louise is making us grouse, followed by fillet of beef.

Wow, that girl loves to feed people.

I mean, a grouse is a majestic game bird

and she is going to serve, as a starter, breast of grouse,

game chips and plums served with a raspberry vinegar

in little tiny spheres.

-As a busy mother of a young child and running a farm...

-Yeah.

..where do you find time to do spherification?

In the evening, at about 11 o'clock at night.

You know, I love, like, molecular cooking,

but this is, like, my first proper attempt into that, so I'd like

to grow that element of my cooking if I get further in the competition.

The main course is a fillet of Dexter beef

because she breeds Dexter.

Beautiful, beautiful meat.

And she's serving that with celeriac, carrots,

a port sauce, sprouting broccoli and a fondant potato.

For me, it's all about maximising flavours for Louise

and getting a little bit of style into her cooking.

I'm not too worried about the main course, that's one of my favourite

things that I cook regularly.

So, yeah, I'm quite confident with my main, she says.

SHE CHUCKLES

-Has it not worked?

-They've blobbed.

-This oil's not cold enough.

-They've blobbed.

-They've blobbed.

Last year, I opened my restaurant in Southampton. It's been amazing.

Very, very hard work.

I don't think anyone really understands how hard opening

a restaurant is, but you know what? It's just an amazing feeling.

Four years down the line,

I've managed to do all the things I really never dreamed of.

2006 finalist Daksha Mistry

now runs her own gourmet catering company in London.

Cooking is a very big part of my life.

I mean, I'd be lost if I wasn't in the kitchen every single day.

I dream food. After the family,

it's the most important thing for me.

As well as cooking at festivals and pop-up restaurants,

2016 finalist Juanita Hennessey has gone on to become a food columnist.

I've got my stretchy pants on today,

I'm ready to eat and I just want some good food.

Welcome, Juanita. Nice to see you on the table with us.

Nice to be on the other side of the table.

LAUGHTER

How am I doing for time?

Four minutes left, young Brodie.

So to start with, Brodie is making devilled crab with Melba toast.

That's right up my street. I absolutely adore crab.

If he keeps it simple and he gets the flavours bang on

and he doesn't try to over-complicate it or show off,

I think he can't really go wrong with this dish.

Nice to see they've curled up the way they should do.

-Thank you.

-Brodie, off you go.

-Go on, son.

-Hello, everyone.

-ALL: Hi.

So, I've made for you devilled crab with Melba toast.

Cheers.

I think the flavours are really lovely, however,

because it is devilled crab, I understand why he's gone heavy

with the chilli, but I kind of feel that the crab is a bit lost.

If you're going to put crab on the menu, you want to taste the crab.

I'm a real chilli-head, so, for me, I think the heat is just right, for myself.

He's done a really good job. I liked it.

He's not shy in coming forward with a bit of heat. I like that.

I like the salty cheese across the top, cos that, for me, makes

that crab feel richer.

Curry time, curry time. Come on, Brodie!

-Do you want me to get you some kidneys?

-Absolutely not.

-No? OK.

I never want to see a kidney again in my life.

Butter chicken with masala and onion bhajis and rice.

Hope the standards are there.

I'll be looking at careful playfulness with spice to make sure

it's not too powerful, that it's balanced right.

Smells good. Come on!

You should be serving that, Brodie.

-Can we go?

-Yeah, absolutely.

So I've cooked for you a butter chicken masala with basmati rice

and an onion bhaji.

Enjoy. Thanks.

The chicken is cooked well,

but I think it requires a lot more butter, a lot more creaminess.

Everything just needs a lift.

I'm not sure that he really cooked out the spices enough

when he was cooking the curry.

I can really taste, like, a raw garlic and ginger

at the kind of background.

It tastes nice. Like, I could finish it, but I'm not really wowed by it.

The sauce for the curry wasn't...as good as I've done in the past.

But I really hope I've won John over today.

-It's an OK curry.

-Yeah.

It's not an elegant curry in any way, shape or form. It's a curry,

rather than being a lovely soft gentle curry.

I've never had cake and soup together,

but I'm not saying it won't work...

It's interesting. If it was on a menu would I order it?

Yes, I would, because I would like to see how it's done.

Two minutes, Shauna.

-Very nice.

-It is nice.

Very, very nice.

A drizzle of Calvados at the very end cos I don't think there's enough in it.

OK.

Go on, kid.

-There you go.

-Very nice.

ALL: Hello.

Thank you.

And, ladies, these are to share.

Today, I have a chestnut and apple soup with a Calvados cream

and to go with that, pistachio, goat's cheese and prune cake.

-Enjoy.

-ALL: Thank you.

I was just expecting a bowl of soup,

but this is more than a bowl of soup.

The flavour component is fantastic.

You know, everything is married together.

Actually, the overriding flavour I'm getting is the Calvados,

the apple, which is really beautiful.

And then the chestnut sort of comes through as an after-flavour.

It's beautiful, it's quite complex, actually.

The cake I'm not sure works with the soup,

but as individuals, they are really delicious.

I think she knows how to play with flavours, though, for sure.

I don't know where she's come from, but right now, her food is better

than a lot of chefs' food that I'm tasting. This is superb!

Risotto nero with scallops and gremolata,

so that sounds really delicious.

I think gremolata's a really nice addition at the end,

just to give it a bit of a zing and freshness.

What's in there?

Oil, flour, squid ink and water.

-Shauna, you have three minutes on your main course.

-OK.

-Are they your tuiles?

-I'm not going to serve those. But let's see.

-Why are you not going to serve them?

-It's a garnish.

-Why won't you serve them?

-Yeah, we'll see. I will.

-Yeah.

-OK.

There's a good smell coming off of this stuff.

Wow!

-Are you happy?

-Yes.

Go, go, go, go, go.

Come on, Shauna.

Splendid. Splendid!

Wow, thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Thank you.

This is a risotto nero with pan-seared scallops.

You have a gremolata garnish with some salmon roe and

-a little squid ink tuile for a garnish.

-Thank you.

The risotto for me is cooked perfectly.

I just probably would have liked some more gremolata.

I only got, like, a very small sprinkling.

-So she could have packed it on for me.

-Maybe a little bit more caramelisation would have actually

lifted the scallop, but to me the flavours are absolutely lovely.

She's a talented lady. I think she might be one to watch.

I'm seriously impressed with what she's put up today.

I like the scallops and I particularly like that tuile.

I'm not convinced by that risotto.

It's a little thicker than I'd want it to be.

Well, I've got to beg to differ.

I like the richness of it, but it's that aniseed,

all those liquorice flavours with the scallops and the rice I love!

I'm elated. My heart is, like, really pumping.

I feel like I want to cook again!

So, yeah, it's powerful stuff. Powerful stuff.

-Selwyn, this should be going out in four minutes.

-I know.

-But you're not going to be ready, are you?

-I'm not going to be ready.

Loin of lamb with pistachio and sumac crust,

courgette and tomato timbale and saute potatoes.

So these flavours are just a marriage made in heaven for me.

-GREGG:

-Your time's up now. You should be sending your food.

-I know.

Can we serve the lamb?

One more minute.

I think particularly with loin of lamb, I just want to make sure

that it's nice and pink in the middle and evenly cooked.

-JOHN:

-Can you put anything on the plate while you're waiting for the lamb to cook?

-Yes.

-Are you OK?

-Urgh...

-We've just got sauce and potatoes now, yeah?

-Yeah.

We are getting there.

Come on, Selwyn.

Are you OK?

Breathe.

You've got lamb with pistachio and sumac crust,

courgette provencale, some saute potato with bacon and thyme

and a red wine stock reduction, spiced with pomegranate molasses.

I hope you'll forgive the delay and I hope you like it better than I do.

-Aw! Thank you.

-Aw! Thank you.

Oh, the poor man. I feel sorry for him.

-Raw.

-Can take a bit on the edge.

First of all, the lamb's, like, completely raw.

Like, it literally has barely had any heat. There's no searing.

It looks like it's been broiled. It's gone that kind of brown colour.

Courgettes are not cooked. I think he's just cut them and put

them in and put some sauce on the top.

There was supposed to be sumac on top of here. I can't taste sumac.

My heart breaks for him really.

He's just had a really bad day, bless him.

Poor Selwyn. He's just attempted far too much.

He's realised he can't get it done in time and this is what happened.

I love frangipane, although it's quite difficult to cook,

so he needs to get the timing right.

You don't want to be too soggy in the middle.

Cinnamon creme Chantilly.

Cinnamon's quite a potent spice,

so you've got to be careful how you put it in.

-You have got about four minutes.

-Yeah, I know.

15 seconds and they come out.

Come on, Selwyn.

-That is, thank God, it.

-You pulled back a bit of time, mate.

You're only about three minutes over. Well done.

You've got a plum frangipane tart, spiced with cinnamon,

plum compote and a cinnamon creme Chantilly quenelle.

I hope it tastes better than it looks. Thank you

-very much for your patience.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Selwyn.

The flavours, you can see how they would work, but, sadly,

it's just let down by undercooked pastry and raw frangipane.

The cream is curdled and the cinnamon is quite strong, for me.

Again, bad day at the office.

The plum compote I really like, but the plums inside the tart are raw.

It's a shame, you know, because I think his ideas are good.

HE GROANS

I hope that he cooks this pigeon breast beautifully.

It doesn't need long.

You want it to stay nice and pink in the middle,

otherwise it can taste really iron-y.

I don't get why there's fluid gel. Just give me some beetroot.

He wants to try to make it, you know,

all fancy-dancy for us, so if the flavours are there, not a problem.

-Yeah, I like it. Do you like it?

-I do. This is coming out nicely.

-Now what? Sauce?

-Sauce.

-Great-looking plate, Jim.

-Very good-looking plate, I agree.

-Good effort. Go on, young Jim.

-Back for your dessert, please.

-Hello!

-Hi!

Sorry, I can't see. My glasses are foggy.

We're over here!

Today, I've made you pigeon breast with a roast sweet potato,

beetroot fluid gel and wild mushrooms with a reduced port sauce.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you!

I love the pigeon.

I think some people might find that a bit rare,

but I think it's cooked to perfection.

That beetroot gel works really, really well and, actually,

I'm quite surprised cos it's got a beautiful beetroot flavour.

It's really fresh.

The only thing is we needed a bit more salt over the pigeon

and I just needed sauce. I reckon if there was more sauce,

it would have brought everything together.

We haven't got a very good port sauce. It's a little bit liquid.

Do you know what? I'm pleased.

I think it would have been one sweet thing too many.

It's a tasty, tasty dish.

Caramelised pear compote and granola base

with Sussex blue-cheese ice cream.

Blue cheese...

I'm sorry, I don't like blue cheese.

Jim, how are we getting on?

-It looks all right.

-Good.

Right. Hey, it worked, Jim.

Just about.

-I'm good to go.

-OK.

-Go on, then, Jim.

-Well done.

Thank you.

I've made you guys a pear compote on granola base

with a blue-cheese ice cream.

I'm not getting any blue cheese and I was really excited about that

so I'm not getting the balance of sweet and savoury.

The pears themselves - gorgeous.

With the granola, it's really beautiful flavours,

but I think it needed the saltiness just to really elevate it.

I can tell there is blue cheese in there, but the compote is delicious.

The whole thing is nice.

He's got potential, he has got potential, minus the blue cheese.

I really like the heart of that dessert.

I love the pear and the crumble underneath.

I love the taste of cinnamon, I love the cooling ice cream.

I don't like the blue cheese.

-I like it!

-Oh, go away!

No!

I don't think I could have done anything better

and that is my limit as a cook right now.

Seven minutes you've got on this grouse.

Grouse breast, stewed plum, game chips and raspberry vinegar pearls.

Here we go - "pearls".

-Have your pearls worked this time?

-I hope so.

I'm just wondering if it's literally going to be vinegar

that's going to be in a pearl and if it is,

it's going to be really powerful and may blow away every other flavour.

-So, are you on time?

-I hope so. I don't think they've worked, though.

-They don't look like it, do they?

-No.

-They got too hot.

Yeah, it's hot in here.

We've got grouse, we've got plums, we've got game chips.

Yep, but we've got no vinegar pearls, unfortunately.

-Off you go.

-Nice.

I've made you grouse breast with panko breadcrumbs,

which is seasoned with sage.

I've made you game chips and stewed plums.

-Unfortunately, my vinegar pearls didn't work.

-Thank you!

Thank you, Louise.

The grouse is cooked perfectly, for me,

and the plums are cooked very nice indeed.

I love the flavours, a real saltiness with the game chips

cut through the richness of the meat and the sourness of the plums.

I'm so happy she didn't put the raspberry vinegar pearls on there

cos I think it would have ruined it. I think she's done an excellent job.

That bird is cooked beautifully.

I mean, that's got a real gamey flavour, John, that's strong.

I don't like that plum. It's not sweet enough, for me.

We are having one of those days where we disagree.

I love the sour, sharp plums with that grouse.

I think it's a good dish.

-Louise.

-Yep.

-Ten minutes on your main course.

-No problem.

Fillet of Dexter beef with forest mushrooms,

fondant potatoes and port jus.

That sounds gorgeous.

There's nothing worse than a hard fondant potato.

You just want to be able to slice through like butter

and have all that kind of juicy goodness.

Right, let's do it.

Mushrooms.

Thank you.

Nice.

Well done - on time.

I have done you a fillet of Dexter beef, which is what I farm at home.

We've done some wild mushrooms, pan-fried celeriac,

fondant potato, tender stem broccoli,

heritage carrots and a port jus.

-I hope you enjoy it.

-Thank you.

I love my meat and she has cooked this to perfection.

The fondant potato is literally just falling apart.

I could eat it with a spoon.

It tastes hearty, it tastes warm. It tastes like she's cooking with love.

I think that says something.

She's found the butter, which is really good.

Some of the veg could do with a little bit more seasoning.

However, that sauce and the beef were seasoned very well indeed.

I'm a bit disappointed that some of it didn't work out,

but I'm pleased that I could just get on with it regardless

and keep going.

I liked today. I thought it was really good.

I thought there was a lot of skill on show.

There was the odd bit of kerfuffle, the odd panic.

Look, look, we both know and I think Selwyn knows

that he had a little bit of a meltdown.

He'd given himself too much to do

and it resulted in two not very good dishes.

The rest of the guys, they all had little niggles.

There wasn't a perfect ten today.

There was a very close perfect ten and that was Shauna.

Shauna's done enough so far in this competition to go through.

-Shauna's class.

-Oh, yes.

Louise has had a decent round as well.

And she actually found the butter

and she found a bit of salt and pepper.

Shauna and Louise are through, Selwyn's going home.

That leaves Brodie and Jim.

You justify one of these guys leaving the competition.

I honestly couldn't have done anything more.

I've done all I can to stay for the quarterfinals.

It sounds like a massive cliche,

but the more that you're in the competition,

the more you want to stay.

I have to say, so far this year, the standard has been very, very high.

You didn't disappoint.

Our first quarterfinalist...

..is Shauna. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Our second quarterfinalist...

..is Louise.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

The first person leaving us...

..is Selwyn. Thanks, Selwyn.

Not really surprised.

I mean, I knew I made a mess of it

so I wouldn't have put me through so I don't see why they should.

As you know, we can only take the best cooks with us.

Brodie, Jim...

..you're both quarterfinalists.

Congratulations.

Why does it have to be between me and you?

'It feels great to be a MasterChef quarterfinalist.'

I'm really happy that both Jim and I are going through.

Whoa!

That was ridiculous! I had no idea that that was going to happen.

This is really cool.

Bucket list ticked, I tell you. I can't believe it.

It's on my CV forever.

I just don't know what to say! I hope I can keep going.

We'll see, won't we?

Tomorrow night, it's the last quarterfinal.

Louise, Shauna, Brodie and Jim

will join Fumbi, Lorna and Natalie

to fight for their place.

That's not what I'm supposed to do!

Cooking for one of the country's top restaurant critics.

I know I could clean a plate of this very, very easily.