Episode 4 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, 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.

Kid in a sweet shop, that's me.

Let's find the stars.

Eight aspiring amateur cooks.

Each of them think they've got what it takes

to become MasterChef champion.

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

'I think today is all about just'

deep breaths.

'And hopefully it's going to be'

positive comments more than negative.

'So, I'm a very competitive person by nature,'

you know, with or without cooking, I am very competitive.

'It's exciting and it's nerve-racking.'

It's almost like I'm scared to dream.

Welcome to MasterChef.

I'm very much looking forward to meeting you.

More importantly, I'm looking forward to seeing how well you cook.

This, your first task, is what we call the market challenge.

And through those doors is our market.

And in that market

there are ingredients from all over the world.

There's sweet, there's savoury.

And what we'd like you to do is

to choose yourself some ingredients and cook us one plate of food.

You can do a dessert, you can do a main course,

you can do whatever you want.

Ladies and gentlemen, off you go.

The contestants now have ten minutes to plan their dish.

But can revisit the market at any time.

Today's ingredients include pork chops,

beef mince,

pork kidneys,

bone marrow

and clams.

There's also a variety of cheese and pulses.

And a selection of fruit and vegetables.

To be given all of this, it makes your head race.

I'm going to try and make a tortilla.

I might even change my mind, I'm already basically changing my mind.

SHE LAUGHS

If they start their market challenge with a plan, they're going to be OK.

Just grabbing ingredients and hoping for the best is not going to work.

I'm just going to grab some stuff and see what happens.

That's not for you.

Mate, this is my place, it's all for me.

Some very exciting piles of ingredients upon your benches.

One hour and 20 minutes, ladies and gentlemen.

At the end of this, five of you stay

and three of you go home.

Best of luck. Let's cook.

Winchester-based Alex is a naval architect

and when not designing ships,

he's at home creating dishes.

I suppose I got into cooking at uni

and I realised that cooking for people made people really happy.

'I try to be quite creative, quite inventive. I take'

little bits of recipes and roll them into one big dish.

Alex, you're making a bit of a mess.

It's how I cook. I've got a very small kitchen at home

so I'm used to, you know, filling the space

and making the most of the space.

I don't mind the mess.

There's a certain chef behind me who may get annoyed with you.

Is that right? OK, I'd better clean up before he comes round.

What are you making for us?

A pork faggot with a root vegetable Anna,

so I'm going to use celeriac and beetroot,

to layer that up with butter and bake that in the oven.

I'm also going to have some kale crisps, some pickled shallots,

maybe some confit leek.

And then in that I've got a masala reduction,

which is pressure cooking with the beef marrow.

A good faggot is made from the lungs, the liver,

the heart and kidneys of a piece of pork.

And it's braised really slowly in a sauce, so it's lovely and soft.

But right now, he's got some pork and he's got a bit of kidney.

So my concern is we may have a dry, kidney-flavoured pork meatball.

I hope I'm wrong.

Working mum Leanne's love of food is in her blood.

Well, I'm adopted.

'When I got my birth certificate, my mum'

was like a chef and I just broke down because I was like,

"This is so amazing that I'm obsessed with cooking."

-Who do you cook for?

-Mostly my partner and sometimes my little son.

He's 15 months old.

So sometimes he eats it, sometimes he just chucks it on the floor but,

-you know.

-It's very much the same as John Torode.

Exactly, that could happen today, who knows?

SHE LAUGHS

Leanne's making us aloo gobi

with some chapatis and raita.

Well, I think that sounds really, really delicious.

I'm hoping it's vibrant

and that aloo gobi is really, really well-spiced

and not just mushed-up cauliflower with some cumin seeds.

20 minutes gone, guys.

20 minutes gone.

31-year-old Mark is a surgical registrar.

And enjoys cooking for his wife and one-year-old daughter.

There are similarities I think between surgery and cooking.

You have to prepare well for whatever you're doing

and practise the basics of everything.

I'm not allowed a scalpel, am I, in there?

HE CHUCKLES

Mark, what are you making?

I'm making orange souffle pancakes with a blueberry sauce.

I'm then going to make some little twirls

with some puff pastry and almonds.

I'm guessing you've done this before.

I've made souffles before, I haven't made this very often.

OK, Mark. If nothing else, you are a brave and hearty soul.

Thank you very much.

A pancake souffle.

This is a really risky dish from Mark.

We've seen Monica do it on Professionals.

I've never seen anybody on MasterChef do it.

If he gets this right

then I'm going to be mightily impressed.

24-year-old Jheryl grew up having to improvise in the kitchen

and is now set on a career in food.

'I was brought up by my mum with my two brothers.

'We didn't really have a lot and it was a case of'

what was in, you kind of made the most of.

So I think when it comes to invention tests,

I can just throw something together.

-What are you making?

-I'm making a carrot and raisin cake.

It's going to have an orange drizzle and a pecan brittle on top.

Served with a coconut custard.

Are you happy you've chosen a cake?

I am now that it's in the oven.

I was worried that I wasn't going to get it in on time.

I think I'm going to be very on the line for getting it out.

A carrot cake is a lovely, lovely cake

and usually takes long, slow cooking.

I just hope he's given himself enough time.

Since recently discovering a love of cooking,

LA-born Sharon bakes weekly for charity.

My history with food starts with me in my 20s,

where I ate breakfast cereal out of a bowl with cold milk

for three meals a day.

'About a year ago, I decided I was going to learn how to do'

a number of different things, expand my horizons,

and I just keep wanting to learn more.

Do you have a style of cookery?

I like combining a lot of things from a lot of different places

as long as they harmonise well.

I mean, who says the tastes of Thailand cannot mix in some way with

the tastes of Persia? They can.

I think you have a fascinating

approach to food.

-LAUGHING:

-And that could be a very bad thing!

Sharon is right out there with her ravioli.

And the ravioli's filled with bone marrow and mushrooms and apple.

She's serving it with a spinach puree,

which I think is really, really lovely

and then also a blue cheese sauce.

You see, I think that Sharon might be just pushing it

a little bit too far.

Oh, watch your hands.

Sports enthusiast James loves playing rugby

and dreams of owning a food truck.

My biggest fans and supporters are my rugby team,

so I generally feed them a lot.

And then also my boyfriend,

he's been calling me a feeder in the last few months,

especially while we've been getting ready for this.

What are you doing here on MasterChef?

So, I want to... I basically want to work in food,

I want my future to be in food.

What sort of cook are you now?

I'm a meat and two veg, I think. I'm a meat and two veg.

I like big bits of meat, big chunky vegetables.

I'm going to cook the pork chop, I'm going to puree some carrots,

I'm going to slice some carrots really thinly

and grill them underneath.

I'm going to use the cider to create a little sauce with that.

James, looking forward to it.

Brilliant, thank you.

I'm very excited about his pork chop, if he gets it right,

because he's smothered it in garlic and sage, which looks fantastic.

And if he actually scores the lovely piece of fat and makes crackling,

it's going to be wonderful.

26-year-old Edmund has been cooking since he was six years old

and loves to experiment.

Food is very much at the back of my mind throughout the day.

As soon as it gets past lunchtime

'I'm thinking about what I'm making that night.'

So I'm excited and nervous,

probably in equal measure.

Edmund, are you a frustrated chef?

Possibly. Yes. I do something very different indeed.

-What do you do?

-I'm a recruitment consultant.

-If that wasn't bad enough, I recruit estate agents.

-Ah.

So it is the perfect storm

with the two most despised professions, really,

so I probably should have said I was a traffic warden.

What did you decide to make?

I'm making a moussaka with couscous cakes

topped with toasted nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Right, have you made these before, Edmund?

-Yes, yes, I have.

-Fine.

The couscous cake sounds very interesting.

But it's the combination

of the moussaka, couscous cakes and pomegranate...

I could be wrong, but I think it sounds weird.

Northumberland-based Faye loves to entertain,

cooking regularly for up to ten guests.

I like cooking for people.

Everybody comes to our house to eat cos food makes people happy.

'We've got a huge, big kitchen,'

everybody comes round and it's just sort of a,

almost a free-for-all.

-Faye, are you from the north-east?

-I am, yes. Near Newcastle, little,

little place on the Roman wall, in the middle of nowhere.

Sheep and heather, that's all there is where I live.

-That sounds heavenly.

-It is, it is, yes.

What are you making for us, Faye?

I'm going to make a vongole pasta.

Are you? You're making your own pasta?

-Yes.

-OK, I might actually just hang out here at the bench and listen to

you talk because I love, I love your accent.

The secret to a great bowl of vongole is using the juice

the clams are cooked in and the water you cook your pasta in.

And all that sauce wraps itself around the pasta

and it becomes something delicious.

For those of you making pasta, you have tre minuti.

That's why I made two, because I was afraid they'd open

and I think they both have but...

..we'll deal with that.

Everything else is ready, I'm just waiting on the cake now.

-See how it goes.

-HE LAUGHS

It could have raised a bit more, slightly burnt around the edge,

but overall not too bad.

Come on, guys, you're running out of time.

Time is up.

Thank you.

Well done.

All right?

First up is James.

His dish is a roasted garlic and sage pork chop

served with carrot puree,

baby fennel, kale, baby turnips and a cider sauce.

I love the autumnal colours, I love the autumnal flavours.

The pork chop flesh is cooked well.

The puree that sits underneath, I like.

There's a little bit of finesse about it.

Very good dish.

I don't like the uncooked fat on the top of the pork

and that's where my criticism finishes.

I think that's a yummy dish.

Well done.

Really great comments.

I knew I'd made that mistake around the scoring of the meat

before it had gone in. But, yeah, I'm really pleased.

I'm really happy, really happy.

-Well done.

-Thanks. Thank you.

That was tough.

Edmund has cooked beef moussaka

with a couscous cake

topped with toasted nuts and pomegranate.

I like the flavour that you've got going on in the midst of the

moussaka but I'm chomping down on bits of undercooked onion.

-Right.

-The aubergine itself isn't cooked,

it's not a particularly fine moussaka.

I've never seen a couscous cake before

but I think it's a very clever idea for a leftover.

I don't believe these things all belong together.

Pomegranate's sharp and sour

and starts to curdle the milk.

Well, it didn't go quite so well. I think I knew I hadn't put the

moussaka in the oven for long enough. It's annoying obviously

because it's something I've made countless times at home.

Mark has cooked an orange crepe souffle

served with a blueberry coulis,

mascarpone, lime and Amaretto,

an orange sauce and pastry almond twirls.

The good news is I really like your souffle pancakes.

The twists aren't cooked all the way through.

I don't like lime, cream and Amaretto.

You're showing us you can do lots of work

but I think it looks a bit of a mess.

I would have loved to have just seen the grand souffle crepe

on a plate.

Little bit disappointed, I mean,

you always dream of, kind of, walking in and nailing it.

There are lessons to be learned, you know, in future.

Leanne's dish is aloo gobi - a potato and cauliflower curry -

served with a mint and coriander raita and a chapatti.

-It tastes great.

-Thank you.

I like the fact that the potatoes are soft but the cauliflower's still

got a crunch. I think it's really well-spiced.

-I'd eat the whole lot.

-Thank you.

I like the amount of garlic you've put in the raita.

Your bread could be lighter and a bit fluffier.

However, I'd dip it in your raita all day long.

Thank you.

I'm happy but there's always room for improvement.

I think that they might see that I've got more to prove, hopefully.

Sharon has made bone marrow, mushroom and apple-filled ravioli

with pickled vegetables,

a blue cheese puree, a spinach cream and radicchio.

There are many things on there I like but I have to say,

I don't like them all together.

You've got an interesting palate

because everything's seasoned very well.

There's definitely power to everything you do

and you know how to make pasta.

But I think Gregg and I both agree on one thing -

they don't all belong together.

It could have gone so much worse.

I want to look on the positive side,

it could have gone so much worse and it worked.

That was good.

Alex has made pork faggots served with a vegetable Anna,

a beetroot and celeriac layered bake

with crispy kale, confit leeks,

morel mushrooms and a pickled apple puree.

There's a lot to be admired about

the way in which it's been presented.

Your pork meatballs, or your faggots,

aren't cooked all the way through

and your vegetables in your vegetable Anna,

your celeriac in particular, is not cooked.

However, I love the flavour you've got in the meatballs

and I like your confit leek. I think you've got skill.

-Thank you.

-If you can design a boat, you should be able to design a dish.

I think there were some good things, but, you know,

there were quite a lot of bad things,

so it's bit of a disappointment.

Faye's dish is vongole fettuccine with yellow courgettes

served with garlic bread and a tomato and parsley salad.

Warms my heart, makes me smile.

You've given me a lovely chilli warmth to the back of my throat.

Delicious.

Pasta made by your fair hands, a great bowl of food.

Thanks, Faye. You've made my day.

Oh, good.

Very, very tasty bowl of pasta.

I believe right now that you have skill and a very decent palate.

I was so nervous about what they were going to say and they just,

they liked it and so...

Blown away.

That's great.

Wow!

Jheryl has cooked a carrot and raisin cake

served with a coconut custard and a pecan brittle.

That cake doesn't look cooked.

The flavour of your coconut custard I really like.

The carrot cake is more dough than it is cake, very, very heavy.

The carrots themselves as well

should be grated rather than just chopped up.

Your pecan brittle is on the edge of being burnt

-and it's gone a bit bitter as well.

-Right.

Devastated, to be honest.

Yeah, I just, I didn't make my mind up quick enough.

I just yeah, I just haven't performed well enough at all.

Today, I think, was a really interesting group.

We've definitely got a handful of good cooks.

Yeah, absolutely.

Faye's vongole - really very good.

The most flavoursome dish here.

I think Faye has real promise.

James, the pork chop, I thought was going to be a bit dry and tough,

but actually, the plate was fantastic.

Bold, gutsy and honest.

I want to see James cook again.

Leanne and her cauliflower and potato curry was really tasty,

it was presented well.

I liked eating Leanne's dish, it was nice.

Well, that's fair enough, I suppose, food you want to eat.

-I tell you who should go.

-Go on.

-Jheryl.

You know, you bake a cake, the cake doesn't work.

Yeah, no, I think he had a really tough time.

I'm with you, I think he goes home.

Let's talk about Edmund. That's not a great moussaka.

John, the aubergines weren't cooked, the onions in it weren't cooked.

Edmund's got to go.

Jheryl and Edmund are going home.

There's one more person leaving us.

Sharon gave me loads of really good-flavoured bits.

They didn't all along together.

She just put too many things on a plate.

Alex's dish,

I was picking up decent flavours on there and I liked his presentation.

But Alex didn't cook his meatballs properly,

they were raw in the middle,

and he didn't cook his vegetable Anna properly.

Mark, I really enjoyed that pancake souffle.

But put an ill-flavoured mascarpone cream with blueberries and Amaretto,

which meant there was a clash on the plate,

then made a twist of puff pastry which wasn't cooked properly.

I'm here to try and cook as well as I can do and hopefully to progress,

so I would be, you know, upset to go home at this stage.

I want to show John and Gregg

the food that I've been practising at home

and what I can do. So, yeah, I really hope I go through.

Thank you very much for all your hard work.

The first person leaving the competition...

..is Jheryl.

Cheers.

The second person leaving the competition...

..is Edmund.

-Good to meet you, sir.

-Cheers.

-Thanks very much.

-Thanks very much.

The third and final contestant leaving the competition...

..is Mark.

-I'm sorry, Mark.

-No problem.

-Thanks, Mark.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-JHERYL:

-'The overall experience has been positive'

and I'll carry on cooking and progressing as a chef,

so it certainly wouldn't put me off that.

'Disappointed but I was expecting it, to be honest,'

but I've enjoyed the experience and it's been worth it.

-EDMUND:

-'Go home, make dinner.'

Probably not a moussaka.

But, yeah, I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

Now you have a chance to cook your own dishes,

not just to John and me,

but to three guests we've invited here today.

In fact, the final three from MasterChef 2010.

Alex Rushmer.

Tim Kinnaird.

And, of course, the champion - Dhruv Baker.

Your job today is to cook two courses, four plates of each course.

At the end of this, two of you are going home.

Let's cook.

Once you've got that first step out the way...

'I'm shocked at how much it makes you just want to go on.'

I really, really don't want to go out at all.

Your two courses, Faye, are?

I'm making a crab ravioli, a little sauce to go with it.

Then I'm making guinea fowl with a stuffed leg

and some braised fennel.

How important is MasterChef to you, Faye?

It's the thing that I've dreamt about for years and years and years.

But I actually just don't think that I had the right confidence,

but now I do.

The food that Faye is promising us sounds truly delicious.

They might sound very simple but there's a lot of work in them.

'I think it's really exciting to cook for'

people who have done it before

because they will have that element of compassion for you.

Hopefully they'll be kind to me.

Is that a chocolate fondant you're making by any chance?

It is an attempt of one, yes.

So many contestants have messed up with a fondant.

Does it not make you nervous?

It does make me really nervous

but it's better to go out with a bang.

Once again, we are meat and fish-free.

-Is that right?

-It is.

I'm doing a mushroom risotto.

Does it show a great deal of skill?

I think so, yes, because there's been many a bad risotto.

I'm worried for Leanne that her main course of risotto isn't challenging

enough but her chocolate fondant is too challenging.

The dishes that James is cooking sound very, very classic.

We've got a piece of pork which has a stuffing with it,

a sage sauce, a fondant potato and some Swiss chard.

And the last thing I want is jelly-like raw pork

in the middle with my stuffing.

I like the sound of James's dessert.

I love a poached pear on a ginger crumble.

I think that sounds delicious.

And then soft Italian meringue across the top of it.

I hope it's not too sweet.

Dr Tim, one of your guests today, has now made his name famously

by using egg whites with macarons

and marshmallows and Italian meringues.

-How does that make you feel?

-It really makes me really nervous.

Because it's my own food and it's my own preparation, it's my own design,

it feels so much more...

nerve-racking. It really is making me nervous about what's going to be

said and what are people's thoughts.

I had so much fun doing the first round.

'It was a blast. And hopefully, it can'

continue being fun. And so yes,

bring on the quarterfinal. If I'm good enough, I want to be there.

Sharon, loads of stuff all over your bench.

I kind of expected that after the way you cooked in the first round.

Can you tell me what it is you're making for us, please?

It's actually pretty simple,

I'm doing duck breast with a plum and clementine spiced compote,

with lotus root crisps.

Then for the second course, I'm doing a layer cake,

rose and cardamom, with rose cream

and a little bit of ground pistachios

and rose petals to decorate.

-How good can a cake be for dessert?

-Oh.

Well, the way I make it, it'll be wonderful.

Sharon, you seem confident. Are you?

I should be more nervous

and that's probably going to count against me.

The main course, that duck has to be cooked beautifully.

Lovely and soft and moist. And if she's going to serve the skin with

it, the skin's got to be crispy

and the fat's got to be rendered down.

I really like the sound of these dishes.

It's all now to do with the skill of the cook.

Bring it on.

What are you making, Alex?

I'm making miso smoked mackerel with some black rice,

fresh cucumber salad,

a Japanese dashi broth

and also some pickled radish for on top

to add a bit of tang.

Dessert, Alex, is?

I've got a pear tart.

I'm serving that with a cardamom custard,

some toasted pistachios and a bit of dark chocolate.

Fine. How do you feel cooking for people

that got all the way to the final?

It's massive and I've even got Dhruv Baker's book at home,

I cook his prawn curry once a week.

So it's really, really quite scary for me.

His two courses today, to me, sound really very, very exciting.

However, those Japanese flavours that he's trying to balance

are big, John.

It's fingers crossed for him.

30 minutes have gone.

My life is unrecognisable from my life pre-MasterChef.

'Cookery book and now cooking for a living,

'so really when Gregg says this'

could change your life, it's the understatement of the decade.

I've now had my own place in Cambridge for five years

'and it's been an incredibly rewarding,

'fulfilling, terrifying experience'

for the whole of that.

'My life now is,'

it's not like proper work, really.

'It never gets boring, it's exciting every day and it's...

'You know, I get to cook'

every single day and that's my job, which is a real privilege, I think.

It's a huge opportunity, so I hope they seize the moment.

You need to get those pasta made, young lady.

-Yeah, I'm going to do it right now.

-Yeah, right now.

Faye's starting with a crab ravioli with prawn sauce.

I think she's got to not fall into the trap

of really thick, heavy pasta

which would kind of overpower everything.

It sounds lovely and I'd be really happy with that

if she executes it properly.

-Faye.

-Yes.

-You have about five minutes to get this food on your plate.

-Lovely.

-Come on, Faye.

-Thank you, John.

Oh, look at them.

Oh, get you.

You're a cook, mate. Come on.

-Smells good.

-All done?

-All done.

-Go, Faye.

-Thank you.

-Come on.

-First hurdle over.

-Thank you.

-Get back for your main course.

Yes.

Off you go.

Superb. Good effort.

-Hi.

-Hello.

Thank you.

Today, I've got a crab ravioli for you with a prawn sauce.

-Thank you.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Looks great, smells good, I'm really looking forward to trying it.

-Yeah.

It's really good, it is punchy.

Really well-made ravioli.

The flavours in the ravioli itself are great.

There's a satisfying amount of butter in that sauce

that makes it really rich and I would be more than happy

to have had that as a starter or have had five of them for a main.

I think this is excellent cooking. I'm thoroughly enjoying eating it.

Tell you what, that's great, isn't it?

That's what you want to eat.

A real triumph.

Well done, Faye.

-Faye, you've got eight minutes.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-Are you on time?

-Yes.

Faye's main, guinea fowl's tricky.

It's so easy to overcook it and make it dry.

I think it's OK.

A few alarm bells. Has she got enough time to get

as much flavour out of that carcass for the sauce?

If she gets the taste right and the technique right,

it could be absolutely delicious.

-Right, you've got a couple of minutes.

-OK.

Faye, you do a fair bit of cooking, look at you.

It looks fantastic.

Yeah, come on!

Yeah!

Hi.

Thank you.

You've got roasted guinea fowl with a stuffed guinea fowl leg

with wild mushrooms and some braised fennel.

-OK, thank you.

-ALL: Thank you.

-It does look good, doesn't it?

-It does.

The sauce is lovely, packed full of flavour,

really kind of accentuates all the other flavours,

it brings it all together.

She should be applauded, this is lovely food.

The breast is moist, it hasn't dried out, the stuffing's delicious.

I think it's a really, really good dish.

I think this is probably the best thing I've tasted in this room ever.

-Oh, that's bold.

-Bold.

This is elegant. Small, dainty, well cooked.

That lady really understands her art and her touch is magnificent.

I was hoping that this challenge would come up

because they know how we feel in there.

They are three success stories of MasterChef

and you're almost scared to dream,

well, you know, that could be me, I could do that.

-Leanne, you've got about eight minutes left.

-OK.

I do have slight concerns about Leanne's ambition with this menu.

Maybe she's playing it a little bit safe,

risotto I think you could probably do from scratch in 25 minutes.

Leanne, you've got under four minutes.

OK.

-Are you panicking here?

-Just slightly.

-Why?

I just want it all to come out great.

-Have you got truffle to go on there yet?

-Yeah.

-Well done. You're done, you're done.

-Off you go.

-Come on.

-Thank you.

-Get back for your dessert.

It smells good.

-Hi.

-Hello, there.

-There you go.

-Wow, thank you.

Today I have made for you mushroom risotto with some truffle oil

and Parmesan crisp and some black truffle shaved on top.

I really hope you enjoy it.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Thank you.

For me, I think the rice is a little bit underdone.

It's a bit chalky still.

I'd cook it a bit more.

I don't mind the texture of the rice.

I quite like there to be a bit of bite to risotto...

..but there's something sweet,

something that's kind of distracting from that lovely deep richness

which I associate with a mushroom and truffle risotto.

It's really close.

Is it enough in the allotted time? I'm not so sure.

I think the dessert's going to have to be really special.

It's getting a bit sticky,

and it's a little bit chalky on the background.

I think that risotto would divide the crowd

on the rice being cooked enough.

-ALEX:

-Her pudding, chocolate fondant.

It's got to be amazing.

We all know what the pitfalls are of making a chocolate fondant

that is a chocolate sponge that holds together

just enough to stop the liquid centre from running out.

The suspense...

..is killing me.

Well, as long as the fondant doesn't kill you that's all that matters.

You have a point.

-Oh!

-Oh, God!

-Oh, for crying out loud.

-Will they firm up if they cool?

-Don't, don't...!

-They're busting open.

-Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't!

Oh, no!

Come on, let's go!

-Come on!

-OK, running.

-No running.

-Not running, not running!

Your fondant's running!

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I've made for you chocolate fondant with an orange whipped cream

with orange liqueur.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Thank you!

It's not a technically perfect fondant.

It was a little leaky - but I really like it.

I think it's delicious.

The orange cream's a bit wrong.

It's a bit over whipped - and it's an OK chocolate fondant.

Undercooking it is better than overcooking it,

so, you know, I can see why you'd do it.

It's rich and it's sweet and it's chocolaty and it tastes great -

however the texture, it needed to cook a little bit longer...

but she was running out of time.

I just can't believe I made it to the end.

The time just flies by -

it is so quick when you're in that situation

that it feels like I'd been in there for 15 minutes.

I can't believe it's over.

James, eight minutes on your first course, please.

Perfect.

Is that pork cooked?

I'm just going to have a check. It's nearly there,

probably needs a couple more minutes.

Well, get it in the oven, then turn your heat right up, mate.

I wonder if what James is trying to do here

is a slightly more refined version of a Sunday lunch.

The pork has to be cooked properly, it can't be too dry.

If the centre of that is undercooked then that's, I think, unforgivable.

It's a no-no, isn't it?

-Feel better?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Cooked?

-It's...

No.

Oh...

You're going to be over time, but you can't serve raw pork.

No.

Two minutes over. Turn the pork over.

I think I'm good to go.

Good to go - come on! Let's go.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah.

You're only four minutes over - mate, well done!

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Sorry I'm a bit late.

-Thank you very much.

Today I'm serving you a stuffed tenderloin of pork

with rainbow chard and fondant potato with a sage and onion sauce.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Thank you.

I thought it was meant to be stuffed.

-I can't see any stuffing.

-Mm.

There's the foundations of a really good dish here,

but the whole thing is just a little watery.

I'm not getting any sage flavour.

The fondant needs a little bit more cooking.

The idea of it was great,

but the execution, sadly, I think, was lacking.

The problem is, because he fried the pork,

all the stuffing of cheese and lemons has gone.

It's real shame, because we know that James can cook -

but this has just gone wrong.

You know you've now only got 15 minutes for your pears?

Yeah.

I think his pudding sounds delicious.

I love the combination of pear and ginger.

Italian meringue is a bit fiddly.

When done well, it's lovely and smooth and glossy.

Are we going to get a meringue?

I think so.

A minute and a half.

Ooh...

Full blast.

-Happy with that?

-I think so. I think it'll work for this.

Well done. Happy?

-Yes.

-OK, off you go.

Take the pear! Let's go.

I'm not sure about that meringue.

-Hi.

-Hi, there.

What I have for you there is poached pears,

a ginger nut crumb and Italian meringue.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

The pears are poached quite well, actually.

There's a little bit of texture in them.

The whole thing is cloyingly sweet.

The crumble element, I actually really like.

It's got chewy bits, it's got crunchy bits.

I think he's worked hard and I applaud him for that.

I think a big dollop of kind of virginal white Italian meringue,

that's a component in something else.

Touch it with a blowtorch or something

just to pull out some of the bitterness

and the more complex flavours.

I love a poached pear,

and it's been poached till it's soft and it's juicy.

That's really where my enjoyment ends.

It was absolutely rubbish.

Completely messed up my timings.

Overall really, really, really horrendous!

It's going surprisingly well.

I just keep thinking I have totally forgotten something.

Sharon is making us a duck breast,

plum and clementine compote and lotus root crisps.

Sort of makes your...

eyes blink.

What have you done to that duck?

Yeah, I had to strip it.

-Why?

-Because it wasn't crispy.

-The skin.

-Oh, I see.

Sharon, you have four minutes.

Okey doke.

Get you. Come on.

I'm going to leave that piece off.

Right, let's get the duck out.

-Hello.

-Hello, gentlemen.

Thank you.

I've given you a duck breast

with a plum and clementine spiced compote,

a fresh salad

and some lotus root crisps with a sweet and salty sumac-y seasoning.

-Enjoy.

-ALL: Thank you.

There is quite a nice balance in the sauce.

There's not enough acidity in the salad,

that's not fresh and zingy enough.

The duck breast, I think it was cooked on the skin

and then for some reason the skin taken off.

I do quite like these little crisps, though -

but to me it doesn't feel like a coherent dish.

It just feels like a collection of ingredients.

Mm! Mm.

Sharon's cooked very well.

That duck is great.

Her lotus root crisps are addictive and very, very good.

All of them together, lovely.

15 minutes till cake time, yeah?

-Here we go.

-Let's go.

I'm a massive fan of rose flavours in dessert.

Big flavours, but balanced well and done well,

I think that could be an absolute belter of a pudding.

Sharon, we need to see some plating very soon.

-Is that it, you're all done?

-Yeah.

Hello, gentlemen.

Thank you.

I've made for you a rose and cardamom cake

with rose cream and ground pistachios

and rose petals to garnish.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you.

It's lovely that she's been very, very generous with it,

but I honestly think it could have been half the size

and maybe would have delivered more in terms of the aesthetic.

Mind you, that said, if it's...

if it's delicious, I'll be quite happy!

I like it. It's an OK sponge.

The rose cream, she's got a nice amount of rose water in it, for me,

but I quite like rosy stuff.

What it really needs is a nice big mug of tea to drink with it,

because it is the sort of thing that I love to eat

sat on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon watching...

an old black and white movie.

It looks quite alarming,

but, actually, it's a well-made cake.

Very, very nice indeed.

I'd like to say it was stressful, and it wasn't.

It's odd how... I can't emphasise enough how fun it was!

-Nine minutes on your first course, please.

-Thank you.

Miso is a really strong flavour, and he's got smoked mackerel,

so he's got to get that spot on.

Alex, if it tastes like it looks, we're all in for a treat.

Yeah, I agree.

-Can we go?

-Happy?

-Yes.

Well done.

Yes! Let's go.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I've made miso smoked mackerel with a cucumber tartare,

black rice, a wasabi mousse,

pickled radish, and that's served with a dashi stock.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

I think it looks great,

and I'm actually really excited about eating this.

-The mackerel's really nice.

-Mm-hm.

I think he's got the right amount of miso on it, it's not overdone.

It's splendidly nice, to be honest.

I would like a little bit more heat from the wasabi,

and possibly a hit of lime juice or some -

some bolder flavours.

I mean, I think the fact that he's got this fish smoked

and all the elements done in an hour, he's done very well.

The miso smoked mackerel is truly delicious.

It's a well-cooked dish,

but the flavour doesn't quite live up to the expectation

of the presentation.

You have just five minutes, Alex.

So, Alex's dessert sounds lovely.

Caramelised pear tart, cardamom custard,

dark chocolate and toasted pistachio.

I think the dark chocolate might be a step too far.

You do pretty food, mate.

-Thank you.

-Is it going to taste as good as it looks?

I hope so.

Go on.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I've made for you a caramelised pear tart with dark chocolate,

toasted pistachio and a cardamom custard.

-Thanks.

-Thank you very much.

You know, what really made me smile

is, as you cut into that,

you've got that layer after layer of very, very soft pear

and then you hear that crunch of the pastry,

and so the pastry has still retained that wonderful texture.

And the chocolate element in this is genius -

it is so dark and it tastes really brilliantly bitter and mature.

I think this is really, really good cooking.

For me, it's the dessert of the day.

The flavours I'm OK with.

The bitter toffee, then bitter chocolate

and the sweetness of the custard,

-I think I'm all right with.

-The chocolate's too powerful for it.

The other flavours are superb.

It's really, really tough. It's really hot.

I really hope the flavours match the presentation.

If they don't, then there's no point, really.

John, some of the food we had here today was wonderful -

really, really, really good.

For me, today, the standout two courses come from Faye.

Very impressive work from Faye.

She absolutely captured the confidence and smartness

of damn good cookery in simple style.

I'm really disappointed with James.

His two courses on this round, I have to say, did not work, really.

The fillet of pork wasn't cooked the first time,

so it lost all the flavouring of the stuffing.

As for his dessert, I'm really sorry,

it just didn't work for me at all.

James today failed to live up to the promise that he showed

in the first round, and I think this is the end of James.

I totally agree.

Alex - I think the fella has got cookery skill.

I think he presents dishes beautifully.

Alex has got some very, very good ideas.

Yes, I think he needs to emphasise flavour as well as appearance, John,

but he's exciting.

That means we have to make a decision between the two ladies.

Leanne and Sharon.

We've got Sharon, who's very international,

very different.

If I were to make it to the quarterfinal

I think my competitive juices

might start kicking in like adrenaline.

Leanne, if you like, is quite conservative.

She needs to be a bit braver and a bit bolder.

I really just don't want to leave. I'm not ready to leave, so...

They are two ends of the spectrum, here.

Which way do you want to go?

Our first quarterfinalist...

..is Faye.

Thank you.

Wow!

Our second quarterfinalist...

..is Alex.

Thank you.

The last quarterfinalist...

..is Sharon. Congratulations, Sharon.

Leanne, James, I'm really sorry, but you're leaving us.

Thank you so much.

Really sad not to be going to the quarterfinals,

but I couldn't have asked for a better experience,

and a better bunch of people.

-JAMES:

-It's been an enjoyable experience.

I'm sure I will not be watching this episode with my rugby boys

but I will hear a lot about it!

Quarterfinalists, congratulations, that's brilliant.

I don't think this is real, OK?

Can you all prove that you're actually real

and not in some dream of mine?!

-ALEX:

-I really thought I wasn't going through,

so I was completely caught off guard, it was amazing.

-FAYE:

-I can't wait to tell my mum.

Oh, bless her, she's 83

and she doesn't get out very much, she can't really walk.

She's just going to be so over the moon.

Sorry.

She's going to be chuffed to bits.

Tomorrow, eight more amateur cooks battle it out

for a place in the quarterfinal.

It's a buttery plate of yum.

You don't have to experiment with me and Gregg,

honestly, you really don't.

That skin is so good.

-Mm.

-Mm!