Episode 1 MasterChef

Over the years, MasterChef has discovered

seven exceptional champions.

Tonight, the hunt for the next one begins.

Let's see what we discover this year.

They're going to have to get through it. As we know,

cooking does not get tougher than this.

Bring it on.

Last summer, MasterChef through thousands of applications

to find the country's most talented amateur cooks.

The short-list were invited to audition

by creating just one dish for John and Gregg.

What on Earth is that?

For me, yuk.

Next.

From this blind tasting, they selected their top 24 cooks.

-Mmm.

-That is seriously delicious.

They're in.

Now the competition begins.

Over the next three nights,

the 24 will fight for just 12 MasterChef

Tonight, the first eight commence battle.

This could be life changing for me.

If I didn't believe I could do it, I wouldn't be here.

I have never experienced this level of nerves in my life.

Welcome to MasterChef

We've tasted your food, we think you've got real promise.

Now is your chance to prove it.

This test is an invention test

and you can cook whatever you like

from this wonderful set of ingredients behind us.

The contestants now have ten minutes to choose from a huge array

of ingredients.

From Dover sole and surf clams,

to rabbit and rump steak...

Confident, but nervous.

..as well as selection of vegetables,

larder foods, herbs and spices.

I'm not 100% sure yet. I just need another couple of minutes to figure it out.

Just one minute left, guys. One minute.

I can see it's going to be a tough fight.

But at the end of this, two of you are leaving us.

You know the rules.

One plate of food, one hour 15 minutes.

Ladies and gentlemen...

let's cook.

You can't practise an invention test.

You've either got it or you ain't.

29-year-old Shelina got through the auditions

with her Mauritian street food.

I love it, love it, love it.

For me, it's about changing my career now.

I've given up my job.

Some people would say I've lost the plot, maybe,

but I just know that if you're passionate about something,

It will work out. I've got a good feeling about this.

Shelina, why are you here?

I want to try and bring my Mauritian influences here today.

I honeymooned in Mauritius.

-Really? Did you like the food there?

-I loved the food there.

-It's French, it's Dutch, it's Spanish.

-They call it a melting pot

of flavours because it covers so many continents.

-OK, you're going to bring the sunshine of the Indian Ocean?

-Absolutely.

She's got chillies over there, she's got saffron over there.

If that girl can handle those big flavours,

I'm in for a big yum lunch.

Father of two, Eamonn,

just failed to get through last year's auditions,

but his tarragon chicken with a bread and mussel sauce

has now secured him a place.

There's a classic form to it and a big, bold flavour.

Mmm.

I'm going to be cooking food I love

and crossing everything that John and Gregg agree with me.

Hello, baldy, I recognise you.

Now then, baldy, I recognise you.

Eamonn, how does it feel to be cooking in the MasterChef

It's a real thrill.

What are you going to cook for us?

Pan-fried fish with a fennel sauce with chanterelle mussels

and cockle clams. Very simple.

Doesn't sound at all simple to me, Chef. Sounds lovely.

He's got a very thin piece of bream, very strong and sweet sauce.

I think that balancing act is something he has to make sure

he gets absolutely right.

You've got one hour left.

Tom from Yorkshire's chicken served three ways

was a standout dish of the auditions.

I think this is one of those rare occasions

where we have a natural cook. Some with a natural touch.

All three bits of chicken are perfect.

Tom, can you define your style as a cook?

I get a lot of my inspiration and different skills

-from traditional French cooking.

-So are you saying you have aspirations

-to be a fine French chef?

-I have aspirations to be a fine chef, full stop.

-What do you do at the moment?

-I'm a plasterer.

So you're a Yorkshire plasterer with a taste for fine French food?

That's true, yeah.

Tom, d'you know, I have no idea what you're cooking.

It's a garlic crostini with goat's cheese, mushrooms

and roast sweet potato.

Mushroom crostini, mmm, delicious, but with goat's cheese

and sweet potato and a white wine sauce?

Really?

29-year-old Emma impressed

in the audition with her unusual lamb dish.

Making a eucalyptus foam in place of mint sauce.

Decent design, clarity, technique,

yeah, I think you've got to see more of a cook like that.

I think I'm good at cooking, I just need some other people to see it

rather than just me and my mum.

-Where have you leant to cook, Emma?

-My dad wasn't a very good cook,

in fact, I still remember the frozen fish fingers even though they'd been in the oven.

So he encouraged me in the kitchen and together we learnt to cook.

What are you making for us?

-A lemon tart.

-That's brave.

-It is brave, isn't it?

-Are you confident in your cooking?

-Can I answer that later on today?

-Sure you can.

Emma, I think, is the bravest cook in the room.

She is giving herself a classic lemon tart.

And she's only got one hour and ten minutes, that's pushing it.

Ladies and gentlemen, you have got half an hour left.

Alec, from Stevenage, showed promise in the auditions

with a roast rack of lamb and a risotto

made from potatoes and vegetables.

It's all the flavour of a roast dinner

just delivered in a different texture. I really like it.

Hopefully it's the start of something bigger.

First thing I've got to do is get a hold of my nerves.

Keep calm and carry on.

What sort of cook are you besides, right now, being a very nervous cook?

Erm, I was born is Switzerland, my mum was English,

-I was brought up on meat, cabbage and potatoes.

-Brilliant!

What are you going to cook?

I've got a steak, port and wild mushroom sauce

in a very simple plate of food.

I've just got to make sure I don't murder it.

I'm not worried. If he does it well and it's seasoned well, fantastic.

But he's worried about it.

Christine, from Durham, impressed in the auditions

with her goat's cheese ravioli

served with a basil foam on a chilli tomato salsa.

It's beautiful and, technically, it's wonderful.

I so would love to see this cook again.

I've got a slight obsession with food, kind of.

Eating and feeding people

is the thing that I want to do for the rest of my life.

What are you going to cook to make us smile?

It's pan-fried plaice - I hope it's plaice, anyway -

with crushed potatoes with a parsley and butter sauce.

Christine is cooking a sole, she thinks it's plaice.

She's never filleted a flat fish before.

She got herself two bits of fish off there and they're very thin indeed.

I just hope she doesn't overcook them.

You have just 15 minutes left. 15 minutes.

London-based Aki shone in the auditions...

Hey!

..with her Japanese bento box including caramelised aubergine

with miso and five spice.

That aubergine may be the best thing I've tasted today.

Tell you what, if there's not room for this cook, I'm leaving.

Being an experimental physicist,

every time I cook, I calculate what I do

and it's all very premeditated.

So, I don't know what's going to happen on an invention test.

I think it's going to go bonkers.

Erm, Aki, amongst this terror of a bench of yours,

this absolutely frightening mess you have everywhere...

-You haven't seen my room!

-I'm probably never going to, I think.

-That is not going to get you in to the next round.

-Definitely not.

It was worth a try.

Aki, erm, what are you cooking for us?

I'm doing a trifle.

Usually I cook traditional Japanese

because that's what my mum taught me how to cook, however

I think British puddings are the best puddings in the world,

so I thought I'd give it a try

and show that I can do something different.

-Aki, I've got to go, I'm feeling dizzy.

-See you later.

Finally it's Ross from East Lothian in Scotland.

He survived the audition process with roast loin of pork,

served with sweet and sour toffee apple sauce.

I see food like that and I get really excited.

I think that's clever.

Cooking, I just adore.

It's a bit showy-offy.

Saying to people, "Ta-da, this is what I've done."

Just seeing the reaction is a huge ego thing. It's brilliant.

What are you going to cook to impress us?

It's a riff on fish and ratatouille.

But...I'm terrified.

I don't think, for one minute, you cook this nervously at home.

No, no, I've got AC/DC cranked up in the background

and, erm, just rocking on.

-This obviously means quite a bit to you?

-Oh, yeah.

Life-changing, hopefully.

I think Ross knows exactly what he's doing.

It's sounds really, really good as long as you can taste

every individual part. It's all about flavour.

Guys, last two minutes.

No added pressure.

Guys, you've got just 60 seconds left.

Stop.

Time's up.

First to face the judges is Shelina.

She chose the chicken and stuck to her Mauritian roots

by making a spicy ladob

with saffron and coriander rice

and a pineapple salsa.

May I?

I do like the little bit of heat and the fruitiness that you get

from the salsa.

It's not very smart looking, but I like it.

I think it tastes good, it's got sophisticated spicing to it.

Doing street food is a wonderful thing, but it always looks

a little bit shambolic because that's what it is.

I want this. I want this more than you can imagine.

The challenge for me is going to be making my food

look like restaurant-standard food.

Eamonn used the sea bream

and pan-fried it with wild mushrooms

and clams, served with a marsala and fennel sauce.

For me, very tasty, well cooked, well thought out, well delivered

-and a very pretty plate of food.

-Thank you.

That tastes every bit as good as it looks, and that's a good-looking dish.

Wow! Where were you hiding last year, Eamonn?

You a bit choked up, Eamonn?

Yeah!

There is a man who has worked hard for the last 12 months, and it shows.

Yorkshire plasterer Tom has invented a goat's cheese, garlic

and mushroom crostini, served with roasted sweet potatoes,

pancetta and a white wine sauce.

Let's have a look at this.

When you first told me what you were going to cook, I thought, really?

It shouldn't work. But it does. It's very, very, very clever.

After this nervous plasterer explained to me what he was cooking,

I came away and I thought, that's it, he's out.

I am gobsmacked at the dish I've got in front of me.

Tom...

..this is fantastic.

Thank you very much. I don't know what to say.

So, as you are sort of plastering away, is this what you think about?

Well, yeah, exactly. There is no creativity in what I do.

Many hours of many days to think of what I'm going to cook.

-Plastering's loss, eh?

-Hopefully!

He is very, very exciting.

Oh, yeah!

Emma has made a lemon curd tart, served with a raspberry coulis.

It's a pretty looking thing.

You have crisp pastry and you have a nice texture with the filling.

However, it is not quite brilliant,

-because it doesn't give you the...

-SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH

It's not a classic lemon tart,

but in the amount of time you had, good on you.

-John, she cooks.

-Oh, yeah.

Unfortunately, so does everybody whose food we've eaten so far.

Engineer Alec has pan fried rump steak and served it with carrots,

new potatoes and a port and wild mushroom sauce.

You've cooked that large piece of steak very, very well.

It's as tender as you like.

However, we could do with a little more fruity flavour in the sauce.

It's a good dish, a comforting dish. It makes you feel really at home.

It is quite basic.

I tried to be honest and do something that I like.

HE SNIFFLES

I don't normally even cry at funerals!

I don't know why I'm crying for a bit of food,

but it means a little bit to me.

-Sure, Alec.

-You've done a lot better than most people do at home, mate.

-You do a lot better than most people do in restaurants!

-Absolutely true.

Now, Alec,

do you have the repertoire

to produce food which is more sophisticated?

Yes.

Christine chose the sole, thinking it was plaice, and served it

on crushed new potatoes with roasted cherry tomatoes and parsley sauce.

The fish, because of the way it's been filleted, is dry and overcooked.

Very highly seasoned, very strong on herbs,

-and that means that I've lost the fish.

-Mm-hm.

I think the potatoes with butter and spring onions

and sweet tomatoes is a lovely thing.

-Unfortunately, not with that fish.

-Yes.

Quantum physicist Aki has veered away from her Japanese style

to make a fig and orange jam trifle,

layered with a ginger-infused custard and brandy syrup,

served with cinnamon dark chocolate and cinnamon bark.

What we have here, Aki, is not a classic trifle.

But what we do have is promise of a very good cook.

You made your own sponge, you made fig jam, you made orange jam.

Then you made your own creme Anglaise.

You are intriguing as a cook. Your mind is obviously

all over the place,

and there is definitely skill in your hands.

She has the makings of a brilliant cook.

Finally, it's Ross.

He chose to pan fry the sea bream and serve it with ratatouille,

surf clams and a caper and white wine reduction.

I like it, it's moist, flavoursome, slightly fruity, well-cooked fish.

-I like it, Ross.

-Thank you.

Your fish is nicely cooked. I like the saltiness

of the clams with the sweetness of your pepper sauce.

It is tasty. It just seems to be a little bit flat.

Next time, I'll make a tapenade and dress it with that.

-You're getting a next time, are you?

-Certainly hope so.

You've done your bit, we've got our bit of judging to do.

Need to remind you that two of you will be leaving us today.

Thank you very much.

-I don't like waiting.

-No, it's the worst bit.

If today is the benchmark of MasterChef in the first round,

we are in for a great competition.

True, that!

12 months ago, we could see

that Eamonn had issues. He's come back in here,

he has fought his way to make sure he's got a place on MasterChef

A proper, grown-up, sophisticated dish. Looked like a restaurant dish.

It's not language that a 47-year-old uses, but I'm psyched!

Eamonn's in.

-For me, the dish today that made my heart thump was Tom's.

-Yeah.

Because I didn't expect it to work, and it did.

-That was heart-stopping stuff.

-It's everything to me

and I just hope I've done enough today to take it further.

Good lad.

Little Aki, I can't think that anybody else actually

went through more processes than Aki.

She is one well worth having another look at.

I desperately want to go to the next stage!

I can't... You know, I really want to.

It's so much fun, I don't want this to stop yet.

Technically, Ross is very, very competent indeed.

The way the dish looked was modern, it was exciting,

it was thought-provoking.

It can't stop here. It can't. I've got too much to prove.

Shelina, we both agreed it tasted good, but I just

couldn't think it looked very smart.

She doesn't have the finesse, I agree. But her seasoning, perfect.

The way her food tastes, for me, delicious.

Considering what I had in front of me, I was able to stay to my roots, really.

But it's still nerve-wracking!

Now that leaves us with Christine, Alec and Emma.

Christine had some nice flavours on that dish,

but a question mark over her palate.

It was all a little bit over the top.

I've not come on this competition thinking I know everything,

because I really don't.

I want to learn and improve and do better.

Alec, cooked a beautiful piece of meat.

Is a piece of steak enough to get you through MasterChef

That steak was superb, just didn't expect to be emotional about it.

Emma promised me a lemon tart.

Tart au citron.

The danger of promising a classic dish,

if it's not delivered as a classic,

then it becomes very difficult to judge.

It's just whether John and Gregg give me the chance to do that again.

The reason we debated these three like we are,

is because there's been five very good cooks before them.

We have to lose two.

I have to say, if this is the quality of food

that we're going to see throughout this competition,

we are in for an absolute beauty.

Eamonn.

Tom.

Aki.

You're staying.

Alec.

Unfortunately today, Alec, the dish wasn't enough.

I'm really sorry, mate.

Thank you.

Ross.

Shelina.

You're through.

That leaves Christine or Emma.

The second person to leave the competition...

..is Christine. I'm sorry.

-Congratulations.

-Well done.

You may have thought that was tough, you've got no idea.

It's going to get tougher, a lot tougher.

Now, we're sending you to the absolute pressure

of a professional kitchen at lunchtime service.

Nothing more ferocious you've ever, ever seen.

You're going to have to work with people like him.

Learn, listen, because when you come back in here next time,

it has to be fault free.

How would you feel if someone sent your plate back?

Shelina, Tom and Emma will be working at The Living Room,

where head chef, Mark Dransfield,

has been honing his modern British menu for the last ten years.

You need a cool head, concentration,

attention to detail and very good time management.

OK, Tom, you're doing our haddock dish today.

Yorkshire plasterer, Tom, will be in charge of the pan-roasted haddock

with clams in a cider, parsley and ham broth.

The haddock, it needs crisp skin on the one side.

If it goes overcooked, you'll have to start again.

29 year-old Shelina is responsible for the roast rump of lamb

with a carrot puree, fondant potato and a port and redcurrant jus.

Emma will be cooking the spiced pork fillet with turmeric risotto,

apple puree and crispy crackling.

It'll be hard to get the timings right and not get it all messed up.

Fingers crossed.

A couple of miles north in Camden, Ross, Aki and Eamonn,

are about to discover their culinary destination.

-Gilgamesh!

-Oh, my God!

-No way.

We're going to get our ass kicked.

This 300-cover restaurant,

is owned by infamous head chef, Ian Pengelley,

whose menu reflects his fiery passion

for the very best of South East Asian dishes.

Put it like this, they're coming into my kitchen,

they're going to be cooking for my guests.

I want them to do what I tell them.

If they don't do it, they can bugger off.

OK, so here we go. Stir, stir.

Today, Ross will be cooking spiced lamb served with new potatoes,

creamed spinach, shiitake mushrooms and a kohlrabi puree.

This is one of my favourite dishes and also one of the tastiest.

If you don't do it right, I'll be down on you like a ton of bricks.

I swear to God.

Aki will be in charge of the tea smoked trout

and sour green mango salad.

-Make sure there's no fingerprints on the bowl.

-Yes, Chef

Fingerprints, I hate fingerprints.

Eamonn will be cooking the Beef Bulgogi,

with a sweet soy glaze and served with chive mash or chips.

I'm trying very hard to remain calm. I really don't want to let Chef down.

It's midday and both restaurants are booked to capacity.

Bloody hell, see how many people are out there?

The six amateurs are about to get their first taste

of what life as a pro is really like.

I've just heard that we're doing between 80 and 100 covers today.

I'm absolutely petrified.

-Are we ready?

-Yes, Chef.

-Are we ready?

-YES, CHEF!

-First check on. Two haddock special.

-Yes, Chef.

-Lamb, Bulgogi, trout, second course.

-Yes, Chef.

Pressure, pressure my friend.

Aki's trout starter will be the first dish to go out.

Aki, trout salad. Coming?

Aki, come here.

Look at your hands, look at your hands.

The plate must be clean.

Go and wash your hands, now.

Don't ever come to the pass again with hands like that,

otherwise you'll be out, understand?

I can't believe I'm telling a grown woman to wash her hands.

On the opposite side of the kitchen,

Ross is struggling to juggle speed and perfection.

-How long for the lamb, please?

-Coming now, Chef.

-Hurry up.

-Come on, quickly.

-Coming now, Chef.

OK, listen, it looks like someone's barfed on the plate.

Redress it, go back.

You need a nice little line.

Made a bit of a mess.

Redressing now to Chef's standards.

Both Aki and Ross have failed to impress.

Now, it's Eamonn's turn.

-On the pass, please.

-Yes, Chef.

You've got to get it right.

If you don't get it right, you're toast.

Beef, Chef.

-Where's the salt? Where's the salt?

-The salt is on the beef, Chef.

Service here please.

Eamonn seems on top of it. A bit nervous though, he scares me.

In central London, service is ramping up at The Living Room.

-One pork, one dauphinoise.

-Yes, Chef.

Emma's feeling the pressure to get all three elements of her pork dish

cooked perfectly and ready at the same time.

I think I know what I'm doing.

It's getting the right consistency of the risotto.

We need that next pork fillet up the window now, please.

Where's my crackling?

-Crackling is there, keeping warm.

-All right.

There's far too much liquid on that plate.

We need to get a new plate and start again.

If you're not happy, don't serve it.

-Check on. One lamb, medium.

-Yes, Chef.

You've got a lamb well done on order. Two pink on order.

Yes, Chef.

-How long on that first lamb?

-For the first lamb, one minute.

Third lamb is in the oven now.

-Plating up on the lamb.

-Beautiful.

Just a little bit more around the edges. That's enough.

Thank you.

Same again for the next dish.

She seems to be holding it.

We'll see how we go if a few more come in.

72, go, 72.

Back in Camden, the heat is well and truly on at Gilgamesh.

-Aki, how long for trout salad?

-Two minutes.

Come on, move those little legs.

I have to do two in, like, negative ten seconds.

Aki, come on, sweetheart.

Why is that one big and that one's not? That looks bigger than that.

-Yes, Chef.

-OK, well, fix that one.

It's so obvious when I gave it to him... They're different sizes!

Looks a little bit more majestic, I'd say.

Aki, Aki, at least the plate's clean!

SHE LAUGHS

-OK, waiting on that lamb, please, Ross. Ross?

-Chef.

Come on, Ross. Come on. The customer's waiting.

One lamb, behind.

Look at it! It's supposed to be in a nice line and neat and tidy.

That's embarrassing. I'm going to have to help you, man.

OK. You see how neat that is?

It's not that difficult. You've just got to slow down, calm down and focus. Door.

Carnage. It's great though, isn't it?

OK, listen. One, two, three, four beef, five beef. Pick up now.

Eamonn, I need five beef, right?

Erm, I've got some under the heater there.

Listen, if you leave it under there, it's going to overcook, so put it underneath the shelf, all right?

Table 64, been on 20 minutes.

It goes on like this, I'm going to have to take you off the section.

-Yes, Chef.

-The customers are waiting. I don't want complaints in my restaurant.

Come on.

Help, Chef. The steaks are well done, totally my fault.

Schoolboy error, under the heater.

You mucked up, you overcooked the beef, I didn't.

I have to go out now and apologise to the customer.

Just get them on, Eamonn. Get them on. Come on.

So, the beef that we're going to use is going to take another 20 minutes.

The customers will wait 40 minutes.

Table 29, they say if the main course is not ready, they prefer to cancel.

OK, guys. Listen up.

Cancel the beef, cancel the lamb, the customer doesn't want it.

What a nightmare.

-These are your last plates, OK? So let's finish on a good note. Make it nice, all right?

-Yes, Chef!

Let's go.

The last two salads are the best salads you've made. Well done.

Thank you! Thank you!

Let's have a look.

-You eventually got there.

-Thank you, Chef.

-It's not easy, is it?

-No, Chef.

-Beef on the pass, Chef.

-Listen, look at that.

Beautiful. Why couldn't you have done them all like that?

-Another two or three services, you'll be all right.

-I look forward to it.

Back in the heart of London, lunch service at The Living Room is no less frantic.

-Mains away on the four pork.

-Yes, Chef.

I'm trying to get the risotto just perfect this time.

Is that all right?

All four, perfect.

OK, guys. The next table is mains away. Two haddock.

Yes, chef.

Need to be a little bit quicker on these.

The fish is really well cooked, brilliantly presented,

-just a little bit more speed on the actual plating.

-Done, Chef.

-New check on. Seven lamb pink.

-Yes, Chef.

Shelina has had more orders than any other contestant today.

This is pretty much as frantic as I thought it would be,

but I wasn't expecting seven lambs all in one go. All pink. Now.

Seven we're looking to get up now. And she's still got another four on order.

So if she gets these seven up, she'll have done really well.

I'm plating up on the seven lambs.

-Right Chef, they're ready to go.

-OK, that's really well done, yeah.

To be honest, I don't know how I've managed to plate the food to time.

Maybe it was a miraculous moment of madness,

or it's actually part of my character, which is surprising.

The first time in a professional kitchen in this environment, it's exhilarating.

What I've learned today is never, ever take your eye off the ball.

cos you'll get kicked for it.

I ripped my hands to shreds, but bizarrely, I think this has made me hungry for more.

Right now, this test is about your own food.

We have just 12 MasterChef aprons to fight for.

And we will only take the best cooks with us.

Ladies and gentlemen, one hour and 10 minutes, one plate of food.

And it's going to have to be brilliant.

Let's cook.

If I was given a MasterChef apron today, it's mine to lose.

So once I've got that apron it will be getting tied on tight.

I am going to do a spiced salmon fillet,

mash made from kidney beans, green pesto, an avocado mousse,

lime jelly and chorizo butter sauce.

-That's a bit nuts, all that Tom, isn't it?

-A little, yeah.

My whole future is resting on it.

Now that I have got this opportunity I don't intend letting it go.

-Guacamole, fried beans and a margarita.

-With the fish!

Yes! Hot, cold, sweet, sour - it's so exciting!

I've never cared more about something.

I really want the apron. I really do.

I will show you today that I can cook well.

Really, really classic, elegant, restaurant Japanese food.

-How should it taste?

-It should taste complicated but fresh,

and healthy and clean. Even when there are so many things going on.

That's the beauty and Zen of Japanese food.

35 minutes left.

If I'm sent home now, it's going to be wholly down to my food.

That's terrifying.

But it's also so exhilarating.

Cannon of lamb that I'm cooking sous vide, confit pumpkin,

pickled Asian pear, pea and pear puree,

a roasted garlic puree and some barley risotto.

Why all this trickery?

I want you to look at the plate I give you and say, "I'd be happy paying for that in a restaurant."

I've worked for a long time to get to this stage.

And I'm not going to blow it by letting emotions get in the way.

I'm going to let my emotion come out on the plate.

Eamonn, you were in the waiting to go in a professional kitchen. What was it like?

It was just full on.

I really did want to see if I could hack it. At 47 and never having been in a professional kitchen before,

there was a worry that I may have gone, "My word, I can't do it."

-But I can.

-Nice stuff. Tell me what your dish is.

Lincolnshire red fillet of beef with a horseradish pommes puree and bone marrow dumpling.

Mmmm...

Just 12 minutes left.

I'm going to try and please you and wow you with the presentation.

So I'm really having to think about how it's going to look on a plate, thinking about colours,

I'm thinking differently about this now, trying to be creative.

-You're thinking about this competition a lot.

-I am.

Being in a professional kitchen was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.

I've never felt anything like it, so it's confirmed to me that this is what I want,

and I'm going to do whatever I can to impress you

and make sure that my food is damn good.

I think it's impressive that she's pushing herself,

but I'm worried that the presentation's the concentration,

and actually not the dish itself.

You invest so much into it that your emotions go all over the place.

Excited, nervous, scared,

all rolled into one, right in my gut.

Emma, what are you making for us?

Scallops, cauliflower puree, spicy caramel and a cumin sauce.

Do you have a really sweet tooth, Emma?

Do you know, I wouldn't say I have a sweet tooth, but I just...

Maybe I do!

I think what Emma's doing is actually really dangerous.

That dish is going to be really sweet.

There has to be an edge somewhere, and I can't see where that edge is.

Two-and-a-half minutes left.

This is your final 60 seconds.

That's it, guys, stop.

Shelina is hoping to impress with another dish influenced by her Mauritian roots -

pan-fried yellowtail snapper served with drops of coconut curry,

coriander foam and a mango kulcha or pickle.

I'm really, really, really, disappointed that I didn't put enough curry sauce on.

I wish I could just get my pot and bring you my coconut curry,

but obviously I can't.

I actually really like the way your dish looks.

The flavours of that dish, I think, are simply stunning.

It is rich and it's vibrant.

But I want my curry sauce that's in your pot.

Mmmm... Mmmm, those flavours are lovely.

I would like some more, but you've got rid of them

in trying to dainty your plate up.

Tom has cooked a spicy salmon fillet,

served on a red kidney bean and potato mash

with avocado mousse, a lime jelly, green pesto and tomato salsa.

He failed to serve his chorizo butter because he ran out of time.

I like what you've demonstrated, it's a really interesting dish,

I think your mind works in a really interesting way,

but for me, the dish is missing something which should be joining it up,

and that has to be that chorizo and the butter sauce.

Bugger.

Tom, this is good cooking.

I don't want you to stop experimenting,

-but today, you failed to deliver the flavours you said you were going to.

-(Yeah.)

'If I go back to the day job tomorrow,

'then that'll be it for the next, you know, 15 years.'

It all rides on the judges' decision.

-Do you want to unstack Pandora's Box for us?

-Sure.

Aki is offering a bento box

filled with tempura kara-age, or fried beef, a dashi poached egg,

handmade udon noodles and a selection of Japanese herbs and pickles,

served with a jug of dashi sauce.

Listen, I think this is wonderful.

It's so precise, it's so clean, it's so elegant, look at it.

It's lovely, you could sleep in it.

Mmmm...Mmm.

Mmmm.

The flavours are quite sensational.

It's like a beef consomme, like an oxtail soup,

but cleaner, sharper, with some Eastern spicing.

What I do love is the detail and the precision

of everything that you're doing.

Aki...

You can cook.

Ross has made cannon of lamb, served with pickled Asian pear,

breaded sweetbreads, pearl barley risotto,

a green pea and pear puree,

sous vide confit pumpkin and a Manchego and onion cheese crisp.

You know, lamb and lamb sweetbreads, they just need

one or two other little things for it to be beautiful.

They don't need seven, surely.

Those breaded sweetbreads are quite chewy and tough.

The pumpkin's not quite cooked enough, but for me

the big issue is that the pearl barley is still really crunchy.

Was I a bit ambitious,

trying to do something like that in such a pressurised environment?

Possibly.

Eamonn has made pan-fried fillet of Lincolnshire red beef,

horseradish pommes puree,

a bone marrow dumpling and cabbage and bacon,

served with a red wine sauce.

I love the beef. Really enjoy the power and fruitiness of your sauce.

My one disappointment is,

I don't get any of that bone marrow flavour from the dumpling.

OK.

I actually really like it. That sauce is really strong.

Your cabbage and bacon is salty and rich.

But that piece of beef

is not strong enough for the other flavours on the plate.

OK.

Whoa, I'm not too sure. I don't know whether that went well or otherwise.

I really have no idea!

Emma has made seared scallops, served with pureed cauliflower,

a cumin froth, apple shavings and a caramel dressing.

Perfectly delightful.

It's not one of the more complex dishes here, but it tastes perfectly delicious.

For me, it's all too sweet.

I want to taste the sea as well as the sweetness, and the vibrancy

of those scallops is completely lost in all that sweet stickiness.

I didn't think I had a sweet tooth, but it turns out that I do!

I think for us now, we have a really tough decision.

For two of you,

it will mean goodbye.

Thank you.

Our six have come back in here with real energy,

real determination, and their own individual styles.

Aki - love her. That's beautiful food, John.

It's not something you see often on MasterChef.

-Aki's got to stay.

-Brilliant.

I don't think Tom quite pulled it off today,

but there is no doubting that guy's skill.

We don't need safe cooks, we need daring cooks,

and that's what Tom is.

There was one cook in this room who is starting to change,

but has an essence of a great cook already.

And that's Shelina.

John, in trying to make the dish looks smart, she got rid

of a beautiful coconut curry sauce.

But I want to see if she can get there.

I think she should stay in the competition.

That means we have to choose one person to go through

-from Emma, Ross and Eamonn.

-Whoa.

Ross today gave himself a huge amount of work to do.

He was trying to cook two or three-star Michelin food,

and he is not ready to walk.

I mean, no half-measures, he really did go for it, John.

This is such a great opportunity for me to live the dream.

I've got to do it. I can't go.

I think that Eamonn's flavours were really big and bold.

But you need a hunk of well-flavoured beef

sitting in the middle of the plate.

How much do I want to go through to the next stage?

The room's not wide enough, my arms aren't long enough.

I just hope I don't get judged on a dumping.

Emma completely split you and I.

-Yeah.

-I loved the sweetness with the scallop,

but I've got a sweeter palate than you.

It just didn't taste enough of the sea. It was lots of sweet things.

I just hope Gregg wins the argument on this one.

We can only take the best cooks through, but who's it going to be?

That is the big question.

We said right at the start that we can't take you all.

Aki, your food today was stunning.

-You've earned yourself a MasterChef apron. Congratulations.

-Well done.

Shelina...

You too have got a MasterChef apron. Congratulations.

-Does it feel nice?

-It feels amazing.

Ross...

I'm sorry, but you're leaving us. Thank you very much.

Tom...

Tom, you're staying in the competition.

-You are an exciting cook, Tom. Are you all right?

-Yeah.

Emma and Eamonn...

Gregg and I saw weaknesses in your cooking.

But we also saw real potential.

So we've decided...

-You're both staying in the competition.

-No!

All right? You OK?

-All right, big fella?

-Yeah, cheers.

I'm ecstatic at the moment. I really am. I just...

Last two, again! I've got to sort that out.

Congratulations!

I'm up for anything. Bring it on. Make me cry. Come on!

The first of this week's heats is over.

Only seven aprons remain.

Tomorrow night, the next group take on the battle.

Whoop, whoop.

Who will have what it takes to join the five who've already made it?

Aaagh!

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