Episode 7 MasterChef

MasterChef is back, searching for the country's best amateur cook.

Come on!

HE COUGHS

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.

These eight amateur cooks all aspire to become MasterChef champion.

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

Being here on MasterChef is pretty awesome.

I can be very competitive.

Bring it.

Right now, I feel absolutely petrified.

But I'm also raring to go.

I think I'm very good at my cooking. Very good.

And that's the reason I'm here.

I push myself very much.

Now I'm here,

I just can't wait to get cooking.

Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

Your first test is the market test.

You'll have ten minutes to choose your ingredients,

and one hour and 20 minutes to cook your one plate of food.

Ladies and gentlemen, to market.

In today's market, the fish section

includes prawns, salmon and mackerel.

And in the meat section, chicken legs, quail and lamb rump.

As well as a wide selection of fruit and vegetables.

Thinking of something on the spot, under pressure,

is freaking me out a bit!

But, I don't know, we'll see what happens.

Bit of a plan in my head,

and the rest of it I'll make up as I go along.

I've got something.

It's a bit risky, but I'm going to take the risk.

I think I'm going to do some sort of prawn pasta.

I'm going to make the pasta myself, and hopefully all goes well.

Um... Oregano!

If they can hold their nerve, they're going to be absolutely fine.

But I tell you what, this is a nerve-racking round.

Without good choosing,

there's no decent doing and there's no great chewing.

I'm happy with what I've got.

Hopefully it will all work out good.

Yeah, I can do this. It's easy. It's like cooking at home.

I think I'm OK with this one.

I'm just worrying about the time, already.

This round is really important,

because, at the end of it, three of you will be going home.

One hour, 20 minutes, one plate of food.

Let's cook.

50-year-old Richard works for an energy company,

and loves to cook for his wife and three children.

I can fillet fish, I can do meat, I can do veg.

Desserts aren't a huge strong point, but I do cook them.

So, yeah, I think I've got the skill set to sort of cope with this.

Richard, why are you here on MasterChef?

I guess my kids put me up to it, particularly my daughter.

She reckons I cook the best pizzas in the world.

She said, "Dad, you should do it, you should do it!"

-So here I am.

-What are you making?

I am going to make Moroccan chicken

with home-made harissa sauce, flatbreads and spiced couscous.

I want to eat this, mate. Well done.

Cheers.

Richard's chicken with couscous and harissa sounds pretty tasty.

I'll be impressed if he can make harissa without a recipe...

..his own flatbreads without a recipe.

But presentation from Richard is going to be quite difficult.

How is he going to make it look wonderful?

HE COUGHS

Well, you can't say it's got chilli in and not make it chilli.

Leicester-based Visha was born in Tanzania,

and gets her love of food from her Indian parents.

Indian cooking is where I'm very, very strong.

The flavours, I know them down to a T.

I can cook it blind if I have to.

And I know the results will be amazing.

I am making you a chicken leg with a garlic and Scotch bonnet paste.

I'm serving that with lentils in a tomato sauce, with lime on it.

I am going to use a paste

of cinnamon, coriander seeds and star anise.

And I'm going to put that in butter and make potato fondants.

Visha! Big flavours.

-Can you balance them?

-Of course I can.

Taking a potato fondant and spicing it,

I think it's actually quite clever.

It could be really lovely.

But star anise and potatoes?

Crikey!

46-year-old Lindsey...

..lives in Newbury,

and started cooking from a young age with her parents and grandfather.

I'd say I'm very competitive.

Not just with other people, but with myself.

I compete against myself all the time.

If I'm not happy that it's the best, then I'll start again.

Lindsey, what are you making for us?

Some lamb with fennel and garlic,

mashed potato with sage and Parma ham.

And cauliflower cheese.

-Watch that pot!

-Yeah... Oh.

Ha!

That's what happens, you see, when I get distracted.

Are you OK? You look slightly nervous.

I only get nervous around good-looking man.

-LAUGHING:

-Oh, no!

Lindsey, the pot, for a second time!

Oh, dear!

Shall I go home now?!

Lindsey has got all the flavours of a Sunday roast.

There's a lot going on on that plate.

But how is she going to make it look vibrant and exciting?

30 minutes gone, guys.

Lawrentino grew up in a large Filipino family,

and has been cooking since he was four years old.

I think my food is great.

I've got the belly to prove it, so...!

Lawrentino, cos he's cooked the prawns whole in their shells

in a sauce of coconut milk with lemon grass, ginger and chilli...

..it may not be the prettiest dish in the world,

but I think it's going to be really, really tasty.

-Lawrentino, interesting name.

-Thank you.

Are you an interesting cook?

I try to be.

What sort of cooking do you do at home?

Combination of everything. My family are originally from the Philippines.

I do a lot of Filipino cooking.

My grandparents taught me everything that they know.

You've been brought up with really good food -

I'm just beginning to get really excited.

Pretty much. So I'm quite optimistic of what I'm making now as well.

22-year-old Nathan works as a dog handler,

but dreams of becoming a Michelin-starred chef.

I work all day and then, as soon as I get in, I'm cooking all night.

I've cooked for few different people now, a few friends.

They've said it tastes as good as it looks, so...

I'm pretty confident in my cooking.

Nathan, what are you cooking?

A minted crust lamb, fondant potatoes, Madeira sauce.

I'm going to do some shaved truffle

and I'm going to put it with the lamb. A bit risky, but...

Mate, for a self-taught young cook, that's very ambitious.

-Hopefully it works!

-Look forward to it, mate.

-Thanks.

Nathan's put crust across the top of that lamb.

But the crust is sitting on top of fat.

So when the lamb is sliced, you'll have a layer of crust - delicious -

a piece of lamb - delicious -

and in the middle, a big lump of fat...

..which is not delicious.

-Argh!

-Such a great game. Use your fingers.

Quick, get the flour round the side.

Get it round the side, get it in there.

Just wash your hands afterwards.

Bosnian-born Ilda discovered a passion for food

when she moved to the UK seven years ago.

I am naturally competitive.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

I never give up.

I would love to get as far as I can.

But the competition is tough, so we'll see how it goes.

Ilda's promising us a butternut squash ravioli.

Inside she has got paprika, nutmeg and cumin, all together.

I hope it works.

One hour's gone!

You've got just 20 minutes left!

Leeds-based Danielle was taught to cook by her dad...

..and dreams of one day owning a street food truck.

I feel like my nerves potentially could get in the way.

I'm going to have to sort of channel them

and try to just stay calm.

Take some deep breaths - five, four, three, two, one -

and just go for it and see what happens.

I'm doing some sort of, like,

Asian inspired mackerel flat bread wraps

with some pickled onions and some crispy kale.

I haven't eaten anything like this.

-I don't think anyone has!

-But you interest me.

Oh, gosh. All right, OK. Thank you.

It could be a fish taco...

..and that could be wonderful!

I hope the dish works for her

otherwise we'll have a mackerel and pickled onion sandwich.

22-year-old Will is a fundraiser for the law faculty

at Cambridge University.

Normally, I do like to plan out my recipes,

I like to have an idea of what I'm going to do.

I think I'm able to pick myself up if things go wrong

but I do like to have a plan at the beginning at least.

What are you making right now?

Well, I'm going to do a ricotta and spinach ravioli

and that's going to be served with a tomato sauce

and deep-fried prawns.

Fine, OK. I've never had... Listen, I've had a fried prawn.

I've had ravioli. I've never had those two combined.

Well, who knows? It might be delicious.

-But you don't know yet, do you?

-No, no idea.

I don't make ravioli very often, I don't make fried prawns very often

so it's all an experiment.

You're not filling me with confidence.

Do you want to sell it a bit bigger?

It's going to be delicious, Gregg, you're going to love it.

-Thank you, Will!

-Thank you very much.

Couldn't find any breadcrumbs so I'm doing oats on my deep-fried prawns.

Will says he's experimental.

Fantastic!

But the first round of MasterChef, you're experimenting, that's a risk.

I hope that's a calculated risk, for his sake.

I am feeling a little bit pushed for time

but I think it's plausible that I might get it done.

Guys, listen up, you have just five minutes.

Too rare. Too rare.

Yeah, my presentation's not the best, but we'll see.

I'm very happy.

I hope the flavours are exactly how I expect them to be.

90 seconds to finish up!

Doesn't look pretty but it tastes, well...

Ladies and gentlemen, that is it, that's time up.

Well done, everybody. Well done, everybody.

(Can we eat the leftovers?)

Lawrentino, up you come, my friend.

London Underground worker Lawrentino chose the tiger prawns

and cooked them in coconut milk, ginger and garlic,

with boiled rice and sliced mango.

There's something missing off that plate, which I'm really sad about.

The sauce you cooked the prawns in, I tasted in the pan.

It is delicious, and it's gone.

Rice is nicely cooked, prawns well cooked,

your flavour balance is great.

My issue is there's not a great deal of process and cookery skill

there to judge you on.

You're cooking is sound but the sauce is now gone

which is a real shame cos I want that sauce with my rice.

First round was pretty intense.

I got the flavours right.

It's just all about showing them more of what I'm capable of.

INDISTINCT

Yeah, that was tough.

NHS project manager Danielle's pan-fried mackerel

with pickled onion, spring onion, chilli, crispy kale and yoghurt

is served on a flat bread.

It's beyond my powers of description.

I've never seen anything like it.

-It's fish on a flat bread with some crispy cabbage.

-Oh, God.

I don't mind it at all. You've cooked the fish OK.

There's raw spring onion in there which gives heat,

and chilli that gives heat.

Some of your crispy cabbage has gone so crispy...

What's that? Burnt.

-It's burnt.

-Yeah.

You know how to make things but you've got to find a different way

-to put them on a plate, Danielle.

-Yeah.

And I'd suggest probably not from the top of a stepladder.

It looked really random. As I was plating it up, I was, like,

"This is a mess! What are you doing?"

But, yeah, we'll see. We'll see what happens.

Oh, my God.

Thank God it's over.

University fundraiser Will has served ricotta and spinach ravioli

with a tomato sauce

and prawns coated in crispy oats.

Prawn in oats.

-Oh, yes.

-That classic combination.

I have never had a plate of ravioli with prawns on top.

Me neither.

Struggling to get on with this one, Will, I'm afraid.

Prawn and oats,

I'm struggling with,

cos I feel like someone's dropped some crustacea in my porridge.

The ravioli itself is lacking in flavour.

It's lacking seasoning.

The combination of ricotta cheese and prawn,

which has been coated in oats,

I find quite disturbing.

Cheesy oat custard porridgey prawns with tomato sauce,

it's just not right.

I don't think I've really shown my full potential.

I think I'm certainly capable of more.

Psychology student Ilda has also made ravioli.

Hers are filled with spiced butternut squash

and served with a red pepper and butter sauce.

I like the buttery sauce with the sweet peppers across the top

but there isn't a great deal of flavour inside that ravioli.

I feel they must have split and water rushed in.

Your butter sauce is tasty but the filling for the ravioli needs to be

more generous, and across the top of that you need salty Parmesan cheese.

Housewife Lindsey chose the lamb rump and served it

with sage and Parma ham mash,

cauliflower cheese flavoured with mustard, olives and a port sauce.

Your cauliflower cheese is cooked really nicely.

I like the mustard through it.

Your potato with the sage and ham is good.

Your lamb is cooked quite nicely.

You know how to make a sauce.

Olives on the plate, they're really not necessary in any way whatsoever.

OK.

Far, far too much going on on that plate.

However, all of those bits tasted individually,

taste very, very good indeed.

I will never ever sit on the sofa at home again

and pass comment on what the guys and girls cook.

It is so much easier from your own front room.

Company director Visha's dish is chicken leg

rubbed with a garlic and scotch Bonnet paste,

lentils with coriander,

and spiced fondant potatoes.

Your flavours...

are lovely. I think your use of star anise,

giving those potatoes an aniseed flavour,

is nothing short of inspired.

However, that whole thing is going to be ruined if you serve us

an undercooked chicken and raw lentils.

There's flavours on this plate that I really like.

The execution?

Ahh...

But the flavours? Yeah, yeah.

You know how to flavour food, that's for sure.

Ever since I've been cooking, I've never had undercooked chicken

and that's just really annoyed me.

So, yeah...

Energy company worker Richard has served Moroccan spiced chicken

with couscous, flatbreads,

home-made harissa sauce, and coriander raita.

Is the chicken dead yet?

I just wanted to make sure it was cooked.

There are ways, I'm sure you know, of checking whether a chicken

-is cooked, without actually hacking at it.

-Agreed.

I don't know what you've used on the chicken skin but it's delicious.

Your flatbreads are really tasty,

your harissa has got a good bite of chilli on the background,

your flavours are good, Richard.

Mate, you're not the finished article

-but you may well have the foundations.

-Thank you.

Presentation is always going to be a weakness with me,

and it's something I'm going to have to work on.

But to say the flavours are nice and it all married together,

just amazing.

Last up is dog handler Nathan.

His lamb rump has a mint and basil crust

and is served with fondant potatoes, roasted carrots, beetroots,

and finished with a truffle and Madeira sauce.

That crust that was on the top of the lamb now looks like

some weird kind of stuffing mashed potato.

You can't put crust on top of fat because the fat won't render.

Your crust itself is really highly seasoned.

It tastes to me of basil rather than of mint.

I like your carrots, I quite like your sweet sauce,

your fondant's cooked very, very nicely.

The fact you got a truffle on there makes me happy

but I think technically there's a few issues here.

That sauce is too sweet, even for me.

However, there are things on your plate I like.

I like the meat. I like the potatoes.

I like your crust. Like your carrots.

It's not bad.

Disappointed, still.

I did a couple of things that I knew I shouldn't have done.

I feel good as well cos, you know, I can learn from it.

We tasted some good food today but, on the way,

we also tasted some experimental stuff

and some stuff which was quite adventurous.

Richard presented me with some really strong flavours.

In fact, I'd go so far to say Richard's was the tastiest dish

in the room today. And I'd like to see Richard go through further.

Lindsey, with her mustard cauliflower cheese,

her piece of roast lamb,

too much put on one plate. However, a good cook.

Lindsey interests me enough for me to want to see her cook again.

I like Nathan. Nathan with the lamb.

Classic cooking. I think he's got real promise.

I'm going to put a vote of no-confidence in for Will.

Oh, mate, what was he thinking?

I've learned something today - don't coat prawns in oats.

It doesn't work.

We have Will going home.

We have Nathan, Lindsey and Richard going through to the next round.

-Good.

-And that now leaves us with the other four

to work out who stays and who goes.

Visha...

..Lawrentino...

..Ilda...

..and Danielle.

We said at the start of this that we'd only take five of you through

to the next round, and that means three of you will be going home.

The first person to leave us is Will.

-Will, thanks very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

The second person leaving us

is Danielle.

Danielle, thank you very much indeed.

The third person leaving us...

..is Ilda.

Thank you.

-WILL:

-Obviously gutting to go out first but, you know,

that's what happens when you don't cook the food you should be cooking.

-ILDA:

-Sad, obviously, that I'm going

but other people were really good, like, other contestants.

-DANIELLE:

-I'd like to think I can do better.

Bit disappointed but, yeah, I can relax now, have a glass of wine.

You now, of course, get a chance to cook your own food.

You're cooking for me, John, and a place in the quarterfinal.

Do you know who else you're cooking for today?

Two of the finalists from 2011,

and the winner...

..Tim Anderson...

..Jackie Kearney...

..and Sara Danesin.

Your job today is to cook two courses in one hour and 15 minutes.

Four plates of each course.

We have three places in the quarterfinals to give

which means, at the end of this, two of you will be going home.

I wish you the very best of luck.

Let's cook.

These dishes that I making today,

they have to be really good because

every Filipino knows about these dishes.

If they end up not being that good,

I might not be able to get back into the Philippines,

if ever I go to visit.

The two dishes I'm going to be making for you both

will be lumpiang Shanghai,

which is a spring roll that's made with mince.

The second course is chicken adobo,

chicken that's been marinated in garlic and soya sauce

and cooked in vinegar.

Why these two dishes?

We always serve them in family gatherings.

They your go-to, will work, everybody loves dishes?

Pretty much. I'm going to attempt to make the wrappers from scratch.

Wow. You're actually going to make the spring roll wrappers yourself?

-Yes.

-Never had both of these dishes before.

I've had a spring roll in my life, so I'm intrigued.

I'm looking forward to you guys trying it.

A chicken adobo sounds to me to be marinated chicken on rice.

So I'm hoping it's got huge, zingy flavours, John,

because it's going to be chicken on rice.

What Lawrentino wants to do is show us some skill

by making the spring roll wrappers himself.

That, I think, is really risky.

Come on, come on, come on.

Oh...

You have to make a decision soon.

Just going to go for the back-up.

So you've got some spring roll wrappers just in case?

-Yes.

-Perfect.

There we go.

Are you going to serve us up another culinary first,

like diced chicken on the bone?

Or are we going to have some decent presentation today?

Surely it can only get better.

What are you going to make for us?

Pan-fried sea bass on chorizo potatoes

with a salsa verde dressing.

And your dessert is?

Vanilla panna cotta with a strawberry sauce

and a strawberry shortbread.

What about a place in the quarterfinal?

Oh, that would be incredible.

I think because they are relatively simple, I think I have to nail them.

I can't afford to cook the fish wrong.

It lives or dies by that.

And the same with the panna cotta.

I like Richard's menu.

Quite classic dishes

but what he's got to do now is present them beautifully.

I feel like it's more important for me than anyone who's here.

I am young, I haven't really got a direction at the moment,

I don't know what my plan is,

so I'm hoping this is where I find my path, where I'm going.

What are you making for us?

Pan-fried king scallop,

which is going to be on butternut squash and honey puree.

To go on top of that, it's going to be a black pudding crumb,

that's going to be served in a bit of a theatrical way, some dry ice.

For the main, I'm going to do crusted lamb again.

Hopefully, this time, I'm going to do it perfect.

Quarterfinal place, Nathan, what would that mean to you?

Everything. I want to go home and know that I'm coming back.

Nathan has just covered his scallops in salt.

He pan-fried as those scallops with that salt on,

they are going to be salty.

And I mean properly salty.

Main course of crusted lamb?

It's very similar to the dish he cooked in the first round.

Didn't get the crust right. It fell off and it burnt.

So, hopefully, he can correct those mistakes now in this round.

Really happy to be here...

especially after the last round I had.

That was just horrendous.

But I've had a word with myself and today the food will be good.

Actually, the food will be excellent.

Visha, what are you going to cook for us?

Tilapia fish in coconut curry, Basmati rice,

poppadoms from scratch.

Along with that, you'll have a coriander and tamarind chutney.

-And then for dessert?

-A traditional Indian kheer -

it's basically a rice pudding - and a pistachio wafer.

Have you honestly... Have you timed this?

I will be fine.

Visha is promising us a piece of fish in a coconut curry,

Basmati rice with lots and lots of sesame seeds,

a kachumber and poppadoms.

There is so much work going on there with Visha's main course,

I'm worried she's not going to get it done on time.

However, if Visha gets all that right,

we are in for an Indian feast.

Look at that!

Somebody's made their own poppadoms.

-Mad, right?

-That's amazing!

The competition is high...

..and, therefore, I'm not leaving anything to chance.

I keep wondering why I feel like

I'm going to fall over then I think, "Oh, breathe!"

If there wasn't any panicking, would it be MasterChef?

Right, Lindsey, what are you going to cook for us?

Pan-fried duck breast with a crispy chicken liver

and a cherry and port sauce, pureed parsnips,

roast potatoes and cavolo nero.

Dessert is a raspberry souffle with iced berries,

hot chocolate sauce and a shortbread.

Why are you doing so much?

Because I'm only here once.

If it goes right, fantastic.

If it goes wrong, I walk away saying I did my best.

This means a hell of a lot to you, doesn't it?

It does, it means everything.

-Why?

-Because...

I've gone a bit quiet in life for the last few years

and it's time for me to show and shine again.

Lindsey's menu was really ambitious...

..and I'm still concerned she's throwing too much at the plate.

40 minutes gone.

Well, since MasterChef, my life has changed a lot.

I'm a chef consultant, I do recipe development,

I run my dining club in York.

All is well, really.

It's been a long time since I was in MasterChef now.

I'm still cooking my street food.

I do a lot of events.

Last year, I published my first vegan cookbook.

I can't even remember my life before MasterChef.

I've got the restaurant open, it's been open for about a year.

It's really tough.

On the other hand, it's great

and it's really nice to see the place full of happy customers

eating ramen and drinking beer.

-Cheers!

-Cheers!

-Cheers!

Glad to be back!

Lawrentino, you've got five minutes.

OK, Lawrentino's starter is lumpiang Shanghai.

I guess it's kind of a spring roll thing.

I'm hoping they're going to be nice and crispy

with a really distinguishable filling.

I don't want any of that indescribable mush

going on in the middle.

-GREGG:

-You've got a little parcel of spring rolls.

-It's like a present.

-Just a little bit.

-You're done, yeah?

-I'm done.

And your timing is superb.

Thank you.

Well done. Mate, that's good. I like that.

-Hi, there.

-ALL: Hi.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Today, I've made you a dish called lumpiang Shanghai.

It's another version of spring roll but is made with minced pork.

-Awesome, thank you.

-Thanks.

Looks great. It looks exactly how I hoped it would look.

I can't taste very much out of this.

The seasoning isn't there.

I like the vinegar dip

cos that's the only thing that's got a real punch.

Also, I think he should have used

a fattier mince cos the pork's a bit dry.

The dish needs a kick, I think.

It is missing oomph.

They're quite tasty, aren't they? Those little lumpiang.

I love the sharp vinegar dip.

I don't care much for the burger sauce one.

It actually tastes like a cheap burger sauce

you'd get from a burger van.

Mate, listen, love the look of the starters.

Can you do the same with your main course?

-Fingers hope...

-Come on.

-Fingers twisted.

Then Lawrentino is making chicken adobo.

Oh, no!

-Filipino dish, right?

-Yeah.

I haven't had it in a long time.

I'm looking forward to it just cos I haven't had it for so long.

-MOANING:

-Not happy with the crispiness...

-What did you say?

-I'm not happy with the crispiness.

Are you sure you want to serve them if you're not happy?

I won't have time to re-fry them.

Don't you? Two minutes.

-Two minutes?

-Yeah, go on.

-Get them back in!

-Yeah, fry them.

-Is it sizzling?

-It's sizzling now.

-Is that crispy?

-Crispy enough.

-You ready to go?

-Yes.

Thank you.

Thanks, Lawrentino.

-SARA:

-Thank you.

The next dish I'm serving you is chicken adobo,

Thai jasmine rice served with nice, crispy garlic on top.

Hope you enjoy.

ALL: Thank you.

Oh, no.

That's not gone well for him, has it?

I hope it tastes good because it certainly doesn't look good.

The chicken's nicely cooked.

It needs more sweetness from the onions,

more salt from the soy sauce,

it needs more acidity from the vinegar.

He just needs to really not hold back with those flavours.

This rice is cooked to despair.

I think Lawrentino's had a bad day at the office here.

I can see the old family recipe in there

but I suspect he's not done it justice.

That chicken dish from Lawrentino, the crispy skin is all greasy.

The rice has been overcooked and I think the chicken's dry.

That was very scary.

Definitely very scary.

Went quick, so quick.

-Richard, three minutes, yes?

-Yeah.

-Is your fish not on yet?

-No.

-Fish is going on now, three minutes to go.

Whoa, you are pushing it to the wire, aren't you?

-TIM:

-Richard's cooking pan-fried sea bass...

-Not quite.

-Patience, patience.

..with chorizo potatoes and salsa verde,

which sounds good.

I mean, it sounds like flavourful, good food. But it is simple.

He needs to nail those flavours with this

and he needs to cook all that really well.

-GREGG:

-Very good. Bright green.

-Off you go, Richard. Good job.

-Well done, well done.

You know, nice things but his presentation's non-existent.

What I've served you today is pan-seared sea bass

on chorizo potatoes with a salsa verde.

-ALL: Thank you.

-Hope you enjoy. Thank you.

Some parts of it are cooked very nicely.

I think there's a nice balance, actually.

It's kind of rich, it's kind of sweet, it's kind of acidic.

It's the burnt pieces which I find really surprising,

which is a real shame because, actually,

that salsa verde tastes pretty good.

Nicely cooked fish, really well made salsa verde.

However, he's burnt some of his chorizo

and his presentation still leaves a lot to be desired.

15 minutes for panna cottas, yeah?

Yep, yep, yep.

I hope there's going to be a nice wobble there.

-TIM:

-I think this is actually going to come down to presentation.

Cos it can either look elegant and lovely...

Yes, yes, yes!

..or it can look very sad and boring, in a way.

You've got 60 seconds.

Come on, my friend, off you go! Good effort.

I don't know what's shaking more, the panna cotta or you.

At least it's shaking!

-Thank you.

-I've cooked for you vanilla panna cotta

with a strawberry sauce, strawberry shortbread biscuit

and strawberry decoration.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

There's a good wobble.

Wobble, wobble, wobble.

-Oh, yeah.

-Yeah?

The texture is there.

He set it right,

but there is no sugar.

If you get a really nice bit of strawberry

and not too much of the panna cotta, then...

..the sweetness is there.

It's not sweet. He's put no sugar in.

He's forgotten the sugar.

Shattered. That was intense.

It was just unbelievably intense.

I know exactly what went wrong, however it went wrong.

-Nathan...

-Yeah?

-Four minutes.

Nathan's got a taste of the sea.

Scallops, butternut squash, black pudding crumb.

Looking for good ingredients

presented well on a plate there, aren't we, really?

90 seconds.

It's all going off, Nathan.

The sound of moving dry ice.

Yeah. It's magic!

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Off you go.

That's so cool.

-Wow.

-I've cooked for you pan-seared king scallop which is sitting

on butternut squash puree and black pudding crumb,

some dry ice for theatrics.

Thanks very much.

- Hope you enjoy. - Looking forward to it.

Definitely very theatrical.

The scallop's overcooked. Mine's so tough I can barely cut into it.

That squash puree, it doesn't work.

That's not a flavour I like.

I think he's trying to be too clever too soon perhaps.

I think overall the dish...

it doesn't really come together, not from me, anyway.

It looks so good. It's so clever the way it's been presented.

The issue is the salt around that scallop

has made it hard as a bullet

and that butternut squash puree's got way too much honey in it.

Rack of lamb, macedoine potatoes - never heard of those -

carrots, parsnips, rosemary and red wine sauce.

Absolute classic French plate of food there.

I hope the rack of lamb is cooked to perfection...

..and well rested.

I certainly don't want to see blood on the plate.

Your crust is better, isn't it?

Three minutes, Nathan.

Not serving them? No?

-They're not good enough.

-Your sauce?

Yes, happy?

-Ready to go?

-Yeah.

Well done.

I've cooked for you a minted, crusted rack of lamb

and deep-fried macedoine potatoes with carrot puree

and a rosemary and red wine sauce.

I apologise because there was supposed to be some parsnip on there

but I didn't feel it was good enough to put on the plate, so...

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

This is the weirdest presentation I think I've ever seen.

The lamb is...cooked all right.

The crust is minty-ish flavour.

The carrot puree, very plain.

The lamb is beautifully cooked

but it's let down by everything else on this plate.

I think he's got great ambition

but this main course isn't working for him.

It's under seasoned and that lamb's not cooked enough.

I'm glad I've done it but I'm not happy.

I wanted a faultless dish

and I think both of them weren't quite perfect.

Two minutes.

Oh, Visha's first course,

lots of elements.

We've got Tilapia coconut fish curry, sesame seed rice.

-GREGG:

-Cooked?

-Yes, cooked.

-Yeah!

Kachumber - yum.

And encapsulated tamarind chutney.

That sounds interesting.

It sounds really good.

It sounds like a lot.

-Can we go?

-Yes, we can.

Thank you.

So today I'm serving you tilapia fish

cooked in a coconut curry sauce,

served with a home-made poppadom.

-I hope you enjoy it.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

The fish is lovely and moist.

It's the flavour that needs to sing and, boy, it sings.

This is delicious. It's really, really good.

The poppadom is really crunchy and substantial,

the rice is nicely cooked. And the curry - the curry's great.

-It's got bags of flavour.

-This girl knows what she's doing.

There's nothing subtle about that, is there?

That is proper lip-smacking, tingling-of-your-mouth,

cracking-your-teeth type curry, that is.

Not good to take your eyes off something!

Visha, you have four minutes, OK?

I'm hoping that my wafer is going to crisp up.

I think it's gone a bit spongy.

You OK? You're putting yourself under too much pressure here.

This means everything to me, that's why.

Why don't you serve up the rice pudding and everything else?

-OK, and I can wait for that.

-All right?

Visha's dessert is saffron-and-cardamom-infused rice pudding

with pistachio wafers and saffron syrup.

I love rice pudding.

I'm really hoping that this is really over the top.

Like, I want it to be really creamy.

How are we doing?

It's not crispy. I'll have to serve it.

Do you really want to serve it, then, if it's not right?

Um...

no.

Very nice! Are you ready? Visha, take it out!

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

Thanks.

-JACKIE GASPS

-Gorgeous.

So I'm saving you a traditional Indian kheer,

which is literally rice pudding.

I am so, so sorry that I wasn't able to serve the wafer,

it just didn't crisp in time.

-So I hope you enjoy the pudding.

-ALL: Thank you.

I really like this. It's super-creamy,

GORGEOUS level of flavour of cardamom and saffron.

I think this is delicious.

The flavour is great, but a little bit more sugar

would just sort of lift everything.

It's beautifully spiced, and I like the saffron.

However, it's not very sweet.

That's the second dessert I've had today

where the cook's forgot the sugar.

That was immense.

It's nothing like cooking up at home for a party, is it?

This is different. This is no playing about.

Lindsey, you've got four minutes on your main course.

I've just got to dish up everything. All the elements are done,

-I just need to put it on a plate now.

-Right.

Pan-fried duck breast and deep-fried chicken livers

with cherry and port sauce, parsnip puree,

roasted potatoes, shallots and cavolo nero.

It's a lot. Probably too much.

Right, you've got 60 seconds now, Lindsey.

I'm worried about her getting it out on time and doing everything

to a quality that she's happy with.

Right, this is actually, officially, time up.

-Right.

-OK, let's go.

You're breathing like Darth Vader!

LINDSEY LAUGHS

You're lucky I'm breathing at all!

We're now two over.

You've given yourself too much here, haven't you?

Three minutes over, that's all. Do take a breath. All right?

-SHE EXHALES HEAVILY

-Do you know what won't work?

You fainting on the table in there.

Let's go, let's go. Take a breath.

It's a nice-looking dish.

Come on, off you go. Go on, Lindsey, it looks lovely.

Smile at them.

Hello. Firstly, I apologise for being slightly over.

-It's all right.

-JACKIE:

-It's all right.

JACKIE LAUGHS

I have served you pan-fried duck

with crispy chicken livers

and a cherry and port sauce. Enjoy.

ALL: Thank you.

I think of all the things we've eaten today,

this one looks the best.

There is something really strange about this meat.

-I'm not entirely sure.

-I totally, totally disagree.

I think the only thing this dish really needs is salt,

and the roast potatoes are great.

-Look...

-It's really soft.

Who complains about soft meat?!

-I don't know, I'm not eating it!

-Would you prefer it to be chewy?

Would you rather have duck jerky? What's wrong with you two?!

JACKIE LAUGHS

Nice, soft, really well cooked duck.

Lovely, sweet puree, good, sweet sauce,

crispy potatoes - get in there, the Linds.

I'd like the whole thing to be seasoned just a little bit more.

Saying that, it's the dish of the day.

15 minutes now, for your souffle, your biscuit

and your iced berries and white chocolate sauce.

I've done that wrong.

-Have you put sugar in there already?

-Yeah, I know, I've messed it up.

I've gone and put the sugar in before I put the raspberry in.

-Right, so what are you going to do?

-I need some more eggs.

-Is everything else ready to go?

-Everything else is ready to go.

I think doing a souffle on MasterChef is actually quite brave!

Dangerous.

Very dangerous, but awesome if she does it.

Oh-ho, too high!

Yeah, I know. I'm trying to move it down.

Do you know what they call this?

-Panic.

-Correct.

It smells good, Lindsey.

-Thank you, John.

-Are they ready?

-They look good to me.

-They're about four-foot-high, look at them!

Go, Lindsey!

You're done, right?

Very, very, very, very impressive.

-Lindsey, you're our new MasterChef hero. Off you go.

-Go.

I've made for you a raspberry souffle with iced berries,

hot white chocolate sauce and a shortbread biscuit.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Oh, yeah!

It's not sinking.

A very accomplished souffle.

Really light, really sweet.

-Big raspberry flavour. It's great.

-The girl done good.

That lady gives herself far too much to do.

Puts herself under far too much pressure.

However, she is a decent cook.

SHE SIGHS WEARILY

Exhausted!

I feel a bit emotional, actually.

Finding getting it all out is just, yeah, quite emotional

when you actually put it down in front of the previous contestants.

Phew. Yeah.

One of those days. Ups and downs of MasterChef,

and our invited guests had a few criticisms about the food,

and I think fairly so, as well.

However, there was also a lot of good old-fashioned hard work

going on in here today.

The cook of the day was definitely Lindsey.

She was struggling with her timings.

However, her food was very, very tasty.

Lindsey, I think, is the standout cook, John,

and she should go through to the quarterfinal.

I think Visha's disorganised, but I like her food.

I like the fact it's bold.

It's spiced highly, it's seasoned really well.

She goes for it. She does big food, ambitious food.

I like her.

We had real high hopes for Nathan.

Great ambition, but unfortunately, it didn't work for Nathan today.

There is no point doing dry ice and presenting your dish

with such a fanfare if you haven't got the balance of flavours right.

That now leaves us a discussion about Richard and Lawrentino.

I don't know what to do with Richard,

because we had lovely sea bass and a really lovely salsa verde,

but he burnt the chorizo and the potatoes.

We then got a perfectly made panna cotta

that he really took a lot of care over

and forgot to put the sugar in and sweeten it!

I mean, these are really silly errors.

I think that Richard can do things,

but he just seems to get little things wrong along the way.

Lawrentino's first course, these little spring rolls,

the little vinegar sauce I liked a lot.

The main course left a lot to be desired.

The chicken was dry and was just flavoured with soy.

Very, very disappointing.

Not only did I not like it,

you didn't like it and neither did the guys in the dining room.

If I go home after this round, I'm going to be little bit upset,

but at the same time...

..it's been really rewarding so far.

I think I could have done a lot better.

You can only do what you do and I've done the best I can.

I'd be very disappointed to go now.

Who's got the skill?

Who's the better cook?

Who can go further in the competition?

I've got to say, I think you know the answer.

Our first quarterfinalist...

..is Lindsey. Congratulations.

-VISHA:

-(Well done.)

Very, very well done.

The second person going through to the quarterfinal...

..is Visha.

Congratulations.

The third and final quarterfinalist...

..is Richard.

Congratulations.

Lawrentino, sorry. Sorry, Nathan.

Slightly disappointed,

but really happy for the other contestants that made it through.

It's been a great experience.

Disappointed, obviously, but... nothing I can do.

You're quarterfinalists. Very, very well done.

I'm just unbelievably astounded that I'm still here.

Quarterfinal! Quarterfinalist! Unbelievable!

I could almost just do a dance

and punch the air and go absolutely mental.

It is now just going to be me, full force all the way.

You've got to be in it to win it, as my nieces and nephews tell me,

and I'm planning on going all the way.

Tomorrow, eight more amateur cooks battle it out

for a place in the quarterfinal.

Go. Go, go, go.

Squeeze of lemon away from absolutely unbelievable.

-It's kind of weird.

-What?!

I can't remember anything this daring

this early in the competition.