Episode 13 MasterChef

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Eight weeks ago,

12 contestants were given their MasterChef apron

and a shot at the title.

Are we ready for show time?

Disaster!

-Come on!

-Boom!

These are the three exceptional amateurs

who've made it to the finals.

I've been reflecting on the biggest moments of my life...

Hot! Hot!

..and this is right up there, in terms of achievement.

I am so thrilled to be in the final three.

I will do whatever I need to do to win.

Blood, sweat and tears - I think that's what's got me here.

I want it. I would love to win.

Over the next three nights,

the battle is on to become MasterChef Champion,

as they have to impress some of the world's greatest chefs.

Our MasterChef Champion is...

SOMBRE MUSIC

We have our final three.

Now is the time to raise their food to a level that they never, ever dreamed possible.

We're going to send our finalists

to, undeniably, some of the best restaurants in Europe,

the three-star Michelins,

which are the Royal Family of culinary tradition.

What I want is a little bit of that three-star magic

to just rub off on our contestants.

This will be probably the most scariest experience

but, at the same time, the one that I'll probably be most proud of.

I feel really honoured to have been given this opportunity.

To be able to say that I cooked in a three-star Michelin restaurant

is going to be brilliant.

We've done some tough challenges and cooked in some amazing places for really important people.

But this is the next step. This is as tough as it gets.

UPLIFTING MUSIC

We are sending Tom to Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester,

a famed three-star restaurant

run by one of the greatest proteges that Alain Ducasse has ever borne.

Jocelyn Herland was made Executive Chef at The Dorchester

when the restaurant opened in 2007.

After only three years, he was awarded three Michelin stars,

an acclaim held by only four restaurants in the UK.

Jocelyn takes ingredients, foods and influences from all round the world

and reinvents them in a classic French style.

It's a winning lottery ticket. You just don't get these types of opportunities.

I'm going to grab it with both hands and learn as much as I can.

Hello, Tom. Nice to meet you.

We'll do a little masterclass to start.

I'll show you a dish of Mr Ducasse.

To help Tom understand how food is cooked at this level,

Jocelyn will make his crayfish tails

with girolle mushrooms and pasta.

The masterclass dish is the spirit of the cuisine of Mr Ducasse.

A lot of good flavours, a lot of punch.

Now we prepare the crayfish.

We use the head for the sauce.

The sauce is the essence of your dish.

It is important, because it is the link between the garnish

and the main elements.

It smells wonderful.

The balance of flavours are important

and the way in which he approaches each individual ingredient.

We cook the tail of the crayfish. Hot pan, olive oil.

I'm just in awe of the effortlessness,

how easy he makes it look.

Let's do some pasta.

It's a mix of spinach pasta

and natural pasta.

Do you see the thickness? Not too thick.

Do some. Allez. Try.

You see?

As much as possible in the middle.

See the difference? It was not perfectly in the middle.

That was good. That was a little bit under.

The precision and attention to detail is phenomenal.

It's nothing I've ever seen before.

The next step is simple. I press a little bit, like that.

Make sure the shape is perfect.

Now we are ready to plate.

Now we add the sauce and the dish is ready.

Absolutely beautiful.

It tastes amazing. And like you said, with the sauce, it does bring it all together.

You taste every element.

Honestly, that was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

The amount I've learnt in the last hour is just phenomenal.

In Holland, Andrew is off to Oud Sluis

to work with wonder-kid Sergio Herman.

His eccentric approach and technical genius

led him to earn three Michelin stars at the age of only 35.

My grandparents start here in this place.

They have a restaurant.

Afterwards, my parents came in here. They have a classic style of kitchen.

And then I came in here.

In the years, it's changed

because, for me, it's important to have your own style and vision.

Three-star Michelin restaurants are the best in the world

and I've got to somehow see what they do and try and do it myself,

which is going to be a massive test.

-Hi.

-Nice to meet you. Are you OK?

-Yes, thank you.

Welcome in my kitchen. I show you one of my dishes

and give you some inspiration.

-Good inspiration to go for it.

-Perfect.

Sergio is showing Andrew

his 'sea and land'.

We have lobster, cockles,

razor clam, we have a crab roll and we have a crab cake.

We have also to make a small jelly of crab.

You put it over here.

The sea is an inspiration for me

because every week I walk on the beach.

If you walk there and smell the sea,

you think about the products -

the oysters, the crab and the lobster and you see the sand.

That was, for me, the inspiration to make a dish.

The combination is also with Zeeland oyster.

I think it's one of the best products from here.

A little bit sushi vinegar.

Add some Chinese vinaigrette.

Put some on.

Now we go for finishing the dish.

The chips are seaweed, to make it sexy and nice.

Then we make Chinese crackers of oysters.

This is the effect of the sand.

-You have also the look and feel of the sand. You understand?

-Yes.

We finish the dish

with frozen seaweed and lemon.

Of course it's a match,

because the combination is wonderful.

If you want to taste it, you'll have a very good impression of my food.

If you eat it, it's very nice. You have cold, a little bit warm,

you have the crunchy effect in your mouth.

That's also my kitchen - to taste all the elements in your mouth.

That's our style of cooking.

It's spectacular. It's all the tastes and textures of Zeeland.

The food was beautiful, it was intricate, complex.

It's like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but in savoury food. It's amazing.

Shelina has travelled to Bruges in Belgium.

She will be working at De Karmeliet,

a world-renowned culinary landmark

that has been opened for 30 years

under chef patron Geert Van Hecke...

..the first Flemish chef

ever to receive three Michelin stars.

I'm here first in the morning.

I close the restaurant in the evening at 12, one o'clock.

Since 30 years, I think I never missed one service.

Not one.

Geert is a classically-trained chef who has worked for decades

perfecting his art.

He's taken that culinary heritage of Belgium,

but includes world influences.

In a kitchen like this, there isn't any time for error

and whatever you do has to be perfect.

That does make me really worried and nervous.

-Hello, Shelina.

-Hello, Chef.

-How are you?

-It's a great honour to be here. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-We are going to see the kitchen.

-OK.

Follow me.

Chef Van Hecke is making his legendary marinated mackerel

with fennel salad and sea urchin.

I was the first one in Belgium

who brought the mackerel in the three-star restaurant.

In Belgium, all fish was expensive.

The mackerel was not expensive and you can make something beautiful with it.

All restaurants now are working with the mackerel.

-And that's it.

-Lovely. Nice fish.

The mackerel is marinated with an infusion of lemongrass, ginger and chilli.

Then put some tomatoes,

some radish...

Lovely colour.

-We finish with this.

-Yes.

-And that's it.

-Wonderful.

It's very lovely.

Mm!

That's delicious.

I hope I do justice to the dishes. I really, really do.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Cooking in the world's finest restaurants is a privilege.

And tomorrow, the three contestants will have the chance to do it.

But first, the chefs have set them a test to see if they're good enough.

In Holland, Andrew will have to recreate

Sergio's West Flemish barbecue beef 'back in the pasture'.

Every day I drive at home...

..and I see the cows in the meadow.

And one day I saw them

and I have my inspiration.

The beef is served with caviar of aubergine and courgette,

tapenade of mushrooms, pickled butternut squash

and emulsions of artichoke and basil

and beef jus with lime.

It's just an inspiration from nature,

translated to a beautiful dish.

It's very important that you make it with my philosophy. Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-See you later.

-OK.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

I'm a bit bewildered. There's so many ingredients to cook with.

It's very complex. Very complex.

One of his biggest challenges will be making the barbecue onion jelly

to form into the shape of barbed wire.

I'm bringing it to the boil with agar jelly, which I've never used before.

I've got to make sure it all gets dissolved without clumping.

It'll be interesting to see whether my jelly comes out on the plate.

The important thing is to make the barbed wire...

..perfect in shape on the dish.

This is one of the trickier bits I think.

The jelly seems to have set.

The main thing is the beef, so I want to cook that perfectly.

It's so hot that the, er, baking tray's warped.

It's not as rare as I wanted it.

-I think the meat is cooked too much.

-Yes.

-I think you was nervous a little bit.

-Yes.

The dressing is very nice. Good flavour, good taste.

The barbed wire - my compliments about that.

Also, the presentation is very good.

The bad points are, of course, the meat. Timing is very important.

You are a good cook. I help you and bring you to a higher level.

I'm disappointed. I think he saw some elements of a good cook

and someone who loves food in me.

But that's no good to a head chef. He needs people that he can rely on and be quick

and I haven't shown him that yet, so there's lots to do.

I see him tasting, thinking... it is good.

Service is another level. You must be good.

In London, if Tom wants the chance to cook in service,

he will have to perfect Jocelyn's steamed langoustine,

langoustine-stuffed spinach ravioli

and a spicy consomme.

I feel under immense pressure.

He is such an inspiring man.

You don't want to let yourself down

and have him think you're incompetent.

Tom's first job is to prep the langoustine.

The important thing is to make sure the langoustines are cooked well,

without any shell.

Next, he starts on the consomme.

He blends the langoustine legs with chilli, ginger and egg whites

and adds to water.

So it's very, er...

As the egg-white protein cooks,

it should remove all the impurities so that the consomme is clear.

You're almost ready for the next step.

I think the most difficult is the thickness,

for the only reason, if it's not thick enough, it'll break when he cooks it.

If it's too thick, it's just like a big, thick pasta.

It's definitely not interesting.

The pasta is stuffed with a langoustine and tomato filling.

Now it's simple. Boom. Move, move, move.

These are ready now. I've got to get on with the rest of it.

If you simplify, it's a soup.

But there's so many complexities - how to dress it perfectly, perfect cooking.

To make sure the guests will feel that,

there's a lot of work on it.

All the fingerprints you got on the side,

-I can see them.

-OK.

In a three-star restaurant, these kind of details are very important.

-That makes the difference.

-OK.

The seasoning is perfect.

The langoustine, you've got the moisture inside and it's not overcooked.

The consomme is very nice.

The thickness of the ravioli is very good.

The punchiness inside - very strong. It's perfect for the plate.

-Very, very nice.

-OK.

Just a few bits, which are important and make the difference.

-OK?

-Yes.

-We'll see you tomorrow?

-Love to.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome. Thank you.

I think he's talented.

The fingerprint is a mistake,

so tomorrow, there won't be any fingerprints on the plate!

Tomorrow's a massive day.

The faults I had today I can't afford to have tomorrow, because the food won't go out.

In Belgium, Shelina will be making Chef Van Hecke's sole Colbert,

a dish which has been on the menu for 30 years.

I look forward to tasting your dish.

-Thank you very much.

-I'll see you in one hour.

-OK!

Oh, goodness!

It looks so simple, but it's very complex.

It's three-star Michelin cooking.

I'm nervous. I really want to impress Chef.

She starts prepping the sole by removing the skin.

For the dish to work,

the fish needs to hold its shape when it's fried.

These are techniques I've never attempted or used before.

Her next job is to make the bearnaise sauce.

I've never attempted a one-star bearnaise,

let alone a three-star bearnaise!

I'm worried about it burning.

Quite nice! I'm pretty chuffed with that.

Now the fish.

Erm...

This is the crucial part.

If the fish isn't cooked perfectly, the whole thing is ruined.

Now Shelina has the delicate task of filleting the cooked fish.

It feels like I'm absolutely going to massacre this in a minute.

It kind of looks similar, but it's about the taste, isn't it?

Hopefully the flavours are there.

Perfect.

Really, it's, er...

-..amazing.

-Really?

-You did a good job.

-Thank you!

-I think your bearnaise is very good. The acidity is perfect.

-Thank you.

-I like it.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-I'll see you tomorrow.

-Definitely. I'll be here.

It was really good. It was perfect, yes. She did very well.

I can't believe that!

I wasn't expecting Chef to think that my food was perfect!

I really, really hope that today wasn't a fluke.

These contestants have worked hard to prove themselves.

But for amateurs, there is nothing as challenging

as cooking during service in a three-star kitchen.

For our three finalists, it's an absolute honour.

They have to absolutely perform.

I've learnt a lot, it's been a brilliant experience.

But this is the test now. This is where it could all go wrong.

In terms of reputation, there's a lot banking on today.

I really want to make sure that Chef's proud of me.

Sergio's very direct. That gets the most out of his chefs.

SERGIO SHOUTS

I'm fully expecting him to tell me like it is,

just like I was one of his full-time staff.

CHEF SHOUTS ORDERS

Andrew has three orders for his dish,

Zeeland oyster smoked in hay,

with a Champagne mousseline and hay infusion.

-We have very important people for lunch.

-Yes.

I hope you do the job well.

You open some oysters? You can do that?

Yes.

I'm rather nervous that I'm going to be preparing three-star food

and the customers won't know, unless it's wrong and I don't want to get it wrong.

Andrew begins by prepping the hay infusion...

The oysters don't need to be open right at the start.

..which is made by simmering chicken stock and cream

with smoked hay.

If the taste of the infusion is too much,

-it kills the taste of the oyster.

-Yes.

Next, he must make the second sauce,

a Champagne and egg-yolk mousseline.

I've never made one before. Bit scary!

Not too high because then you have omelette.

I don't want to rush it because it won't be perfect.

The guests are waiting. The oysters are open?

I'm going to open them now. Next.

Be careful! Be careful, please!

Come on!

Give. It's not good.

Have respect for the product.

I'm crying if I see this.

-Andrew.

-Yes?

-Clean all this mess here.

-Yes.

-And push!

-OK.

-Five minutes. The guests are waiting.

-I'm going.

Come on. Do it!

Now we must push, otherwise the oysters are cold, OK?

Think and finish.

Good, good, good. That's good. Come on!

You can do it.

Do you have cream?

Service!

Sorry about that.

That wasn't good enough. That wasn't good enough.

-You did your best, man.

-I know.

-It's not easy, I know.

-I know.

It's not, no. It's not easy. Not easy.

But I could've done better, that's why I'm annoyed.

It was exactly as the food I normally eat here.

The oyster with Champagne and a little bit of truffle, it was really nice.

The only thing, maybe it could've been a bit warmer.

The oyster was a little bit cold.

I really enjoyed the dish and I love oysters,

so this is a really good combination of all the flavours together.

But I agree, it should be a little bit warmer,

then the textures would be a lot better.

I think it was not easy for him today.

He had a little stress and...

But I think he's a positive guy. He do his best and do a good job.

The taste was good.

It was very difficult, actually. Very difficult indeed.

I was so off the pace. It still annoys me that I am slow.

Shelina.

-HE RECITES ORDER

-Yes, Chef.

In Bruges, Shelina has two orders for the 90-euro starter

of scallops with black truffle

served on pomme puree, savoy cabbage and a truffle jus.

I think this is quite an expensive dish!

So, er, I hope I don't mess up. That's the main thing.

The scallop and truffle must be sliced to the exact millimetre,

before being delicately stacked

and wrapped in a fine layer of pancetta.

-We are going to put this in a steamer for four minutes.

-OK.

While the scallops steam, Shelina has just four minutes

to make perfectly smooth pomme puree.

Put a lot of butter in it.

It's not hot enough.

One minute! HE LAUGHS

This is like the ultimate mashed potatoes.

-That's OK.

-OK.

Shelina, you can go. That's OK.

-You have two sides, inside and outside.

-Oh!

So this is wrong, as well, then.

Perfect.

-OK, perfect.

-OK?

Service, please.

It's incredible how much precision goes into a place like this.

The cabbage leaves, for example, I accidentally turned them the wrong way round.

It's really professionally presented and cooked.

I'm really impressed. It's marvellous.

It was simply brilliant. Thank you.

I think she is very motivated to do this job.

She learned very, very fast. She was very good.

I hope she wins!

It's incredible. I loved doing that. I really, really enjoyed myself.

It's a brilliant feeling in this kitchen!

HE SHOUTS ORDERS ALL: Yes, Chef!

In London,

service is in full swing.

CHEF SHOUTS ORDERS

-One langoustine to follow! Two halibut.

-Oui, Chef!

Tom is making Jocelyn's simmered halibut,

served with celeriac teardrops, squid and a jus mariniere.

As soon as the fish goes in, I've got four minutes, roughly,

to get all the other elements perfectly cooked

so that the fish doesn't dry out or overcook.

The worst thing is the cooking of the halibut.

It could be overcooked.

I just want to have a look at the temperature of my fish.

If you burn your lips, it's over already.

It's very strong fish and it's difficult, very difficult to cook.

-How long to dress?

-Four minutes.

Take care with your fish.

That's broken over there, so we can't send that to the guest.

One is good, one is broken.

I broke one of the fish so it can't go out.

I wasn't being delicate enough. I didn't have things close enough at hand.

My own fault. I've got to start again.

-How long? One minute?

-One minute, tops.

CHEF SPEAKS FRENCH

You need to push.

Put it on the pass. You will clean over there. Allez.

With the vinegar, take out all the fingerprints and every single drop of this.

Go, guys. HE SPEAKS FRENCH

I'm disappointed with the fish.

It had to be started again.

I put it right.

It went out of his kitchen, which means the chef was happy.

If the food's going out, I'm happy and I'm doing my job.

I've just eaten halibut.

Beautiful presentation,

fantastically executed by the kitchen.

It was delicious. Very light. I enjoyed it.

The cooking of the fish was perfect. The temperature was perfect.

A little accident for the fish,

but he moved on

and was able to do more portions, so that's no big issue.

I think he has a good future in this industry.

Far and away the highlight of my MasterChef experience.

It's just been excellent.

I couldn't have asked for any more out of these two days.

I couldn't have learnt any more and I couldn't take any more from it

so it's everything I wanted and more.

I'm feeling hugely inspired.

It's made me think differently about the way I want to present food, what I want to do with my food.

It's up there as one of the best experiences of my life.

I've absolutely loved being there. Just to see service

and how they put such beautiful plates out so quickly is such a buzz.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Obviously, at this stage, it's serious.

Every time I cook from now until the end, it's massively important.

Now I'm in the final, it's all about delivering your best,

cooked to perfection.

It's absolutely vital that I get it right today.

It's just been incredible.

All the things that I'm learning is definitely going into my food.

Welcome back.

You have had an experience of an absolute lifetime.

We want to see how you've been inspired.

We want to see the direction your food is taking.

We want you to reach for the skies.

Exciting times. Your two dishes. 90 minutes.

Impress us!

Guys, let's cook.

HIGH-ENERGY MUSIC

They fought their way to this stage of the competition.

Now, one of them has to fight their way to the front.

This is clash of the titans.

I've proved that I can cook. I think I've proved I've got the skills.

There's serious cookery skill here. This is a woman who knows what she's doing.

For the finals, it's more about becoming a cook

that's true to themselves.

Shelina, what are your two dishes?

My first dish is a spicy soft-shelled crab,

an apple and lime compote and a coriander chutney.

My main is red snapper with green papaya,

a rougaille, which is a Mauritian reduced tomato and chilli sauce, and a spinach cake.

What did you learn, in a nutshell? What did you learn?

You've got to love what you do. That's what I got from Chef.

He loves everything he puts on the plate. He wouldn't put it on there if he didn't.

That is cool. That is really cool.

-Shelina.

-Yes.

-How does it feel to be one of the final three?

It's incredible. It's the best feeling ever.

It's taken ages to sink in and even when I say it to myself I'm like, "I can't believe I'm here."

I'm chuffed to bits. I just want to keep on impressing.

Shelina, love what you're saying. I can't wait to see it on a plate.

She's starting to believe that the food she loves, the food that she ate growing up

is good enough to turn into restaurant-quality food.

For me, that's the epiphany.

There's always risks with cooking, particularly when you're using lots of spices.

Soft-shell crab is a very delicate crab

and I'm putting lots of flavour into it.

Both of these dishes just need to be perfect.

-We're halfway!

-45 minutes gone.

I want to continue experimenting I want to continue being creative...

It's one of the ambitious dishes today. It's very skilful.

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

..but I don't want that to be to the detriment of the competition.

This, for me, is a classic example of somebody trying too hard.

When you put them all together, it just doesn't work for me.

For me, this is very much to show John and Gregg

beautiful flavour combinations but with restraint.

Hopefully it'll be interesting and not too complicated.

You've got an incredible set of ingredients here.

You've got chervil root, sorrel, black cabbage,

lecithin, soy sauce, nashi pear,

ingredients that may not go together.

So, what are your two dishes?

My first dish is fillet of zander with a zander pate

and tempura crayfish with pickled daikon.

My second dish is loin of venison with chocolate, beetroot and orange

and a chervil-root puree.

The Andrew I'm talking to doesn't sound a lot different to the Andrew that went to Holland.

Neither do his dishes.

How has the food changed?

My food is going to be colourful and simple, and the flavours are going to work together.

That's where I've gone wrong in the past.

Andrew, I feel like a crack has opened in the cloud and a ray of sunshine's come through!

Well, I hope you agree when it's cooked.

How does it feel to say, "I'm a MasterChef finalist?"

It's a very strange thing. Before, it's been a way-off dream

and now, to think that I could be joining that hall of fame,

that really fills me with pleasure.

-Are you truly inspired today?

-Yes, and I hope it's going to show.

Andrew has to prove that he has got flavour at the forefront of his mind

and it's not just about the appearance of his food.

I really want to see that he actually is paring it down

and he is focusing on what is important in a dish.

You've had an hour! Hour gone!

Between now and the end,

I need to show John and Gregg that as well as being creative and ambitious

I can control that,

rather than pushing myself to do a lot of things.

Loads of work, but I can't quite understand what Tom's trying to create here.

That looks like somebody's made a tart and dropped it.

I don't always pull everything off first time,

but I'm always striving to improve.

Tom, your two dishes today are?

I'm doing a fondue of duck eggs with black pudding and smoked bacon.

How do you make a fondant out of eggs? It's got to be melted cheese.

There's a little bit of parmesan.

I cook the yolks to a certain temperature and they become viscous but also runny, so you can dip in.

-And your other course?

-Fillet of turbot, mussels,

a classic butter mariniere sauce with celeriac and fennel.

So your first dish is about creativity and technique

and your second is about technique and execution.

-Yes.

-Do you think that is what you learnt,

that you learnt the true building blocks of great cookery?

There is a massive element of that. I got the best masterclass of my life.

It was more the method of cooking that I learnt, more than ideas.

I've always had ideas, but I got the techniques to put the ideas onto a plate.

You're in the zone, son, aren't you?

I know the past three winners but not the runners-up.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

The head chef at The Dorchester was inspirational

and so is the food.

I'm doing turbot. The most important thing is to look after the fish.

If it's not cooked perfectly,

it doesn't matter what's on the rest of the plate.

His main course - poached turbot with mussels and a white wine sauce,

absolutely fantastic! A complete classic!

Which means he's got nowhere to hide.

HIGH-ENERGY MUSIC

Five minutes left.

Final three minutes.

Final 90 seconds, guys.

That's it. Stop.

HIGH-ENERGY MUSIC STOPS

ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC

Tom's first dish is duck-egg fondue served in a potato cup,

with pancetta-wrapped black pudding,

smoked bacon and a potato leaf.

-It's knocking on the door of spectacular, Tom.

-Thank you.

It's beautiful!

Rich, creamy, almost iron-y crispy potato,

salty bacon and then earthy black pudding.

It's lovely. It's absolutely lovely.

Every single flavour defined.

Beautiful presentation. This is the stuff, mate.

Maybe your best dish so far in the competition.

Thank you very much.

When a dish is as beautifully presented as your duck-egg fondue,

it has to deliver subtlety of flavour, but at the same time be quite addictive.

And that's exactly what it is.

It's clever cooking, because it's small, precise, elegant

and near-on perfect.

You should be a very proud man indeed. Really proud.

I think that is exceptional.

His second dish is fillet of turbot

on top of fennel strips and a celeriac puree,

served with a butter mariniere sauce.

I think your dish is presented beautifully.

It's elegant and also understated,

because the flavours are bold and brave.

But looking at that fish, to me, it doesn't look like it's been introduced to any heat

and it is still quite translucent.

-Is that the intention?

-It shouldn't be like that.

I got my timing's wrong. Simple as that.

If that piece of fish had been cooked well, it would've been wonderful.

-But that piece of fish has let the dish down.

-I totally agree.

Bugger, Tom! Absolute bugger!

The flavours here are magnificent.

But doing this fish in the water bath,

I don't believe is the best way of doing it.

It's almost sashimi, this fish.

-Thanks.

-Thanks very much. Cheers.

What a shame.

I'm absolutely gutted I undercooked the fish.

It's the thing I said before I went in - "I need to cook my perfectly."

I didn't do it and that could've cost me the competition.

Andrew's first dish

is a roast zander with a zander and nashi-pear pate,

tempura crayfish, slices of pickled daikon

and a sorrel mayonnaise.

I've got one small complaint.

The skin on your zander is soft and rubbery.

-I don't want to eat soft, rubbery skin. I want it crispy or off.

-Yes.

That is my only complaint in an otherwise quite knock-out dish.

I mean absolute knock-out.

The most subtle dish you've given us so far

and hallelujah!

It looks clean, crisp.

It is drop-dead beautiful.

Bloody fantastic. Like, really, really fantastic.

Your pate with the pear is just absolutely delightful and soft and rounded.

That is proper cooking.

Lots of ingredients, lots of hard work,

on a plate in a sophisticated manner.

Andrew, I think it is absolutely stunning.

His second dish is chocolate-encrusted venison

with chervil-root puree, black cabbage, roast chestnuts and pickled beetroot

served with a beetroot and orange sauce.

I love you.

Sweet, bitter, sharp, sour, rich!

It's beautifully presented, beautifully cooked and it's beautifully seasoned.

You've got to do one thing, though, son.

You've got to continue to deliver at this level,

because now we know how good you can truly cook.

This is...

..top end, high-quality dining.

This is perfect.

-Andrew, well done, bud.

-Thank you.

Well done.

It felt like they were going to give me a cuddle and say "Well done, you've done it."

I just wish that was the final!

Shelina's first dish is spicy soft-shell crab

served with a tamarind sauce, a chilli-coriander chutney

and an apple, lime and aubergine compote.

It's a true Shelina creeper.

It takes its time and slowly evolves on your palate

and becomes something truly delicious.

I love the texture of the soft-shell crab.

I love the sweetness of your apple and the sourness of your tamarind.

And that chutney, rich with chilli, is absolutely beautiful.

I love the way it smells, love the way it tastes.

Good on you.

It's great. I mean, it really is lovely.

Soft compote, crispy bits of crab. Lovely textures.

You've got acidity, you've got warmth from spice,

you've got a little bit of heat, as well.

It's true to you. It's highly original.

It's beautiful and tastes fantastic.

Thank you very much!

Her second dish is red snapper, topped with deep-fried aubergine,

served with green papaya chutney, rougaille,

spinach cake and a lemongrass foam.

When you cook the food that you really love,

the flavours and the sensations are completely individual to you.

That's why I love you as a cook. This is the food that I'm talking about from you.

This is the food that makes me smile

and, at the same time, quite emotional.

In there and around there, the flavours are incredible.

You start with really sweet, sticky tomato

and then beautifully cooked fish

and rich iron spinach and coriander seeds and cumin.

Just beautifully flavoured and beautifully cooked.

You've come home. I'm really, really proud of you.

Thank you!

This is an innocent-looking plate of food,

but it really packs a wallop, a serious, serious wallop.

The fish is beautifully cooked,

but the sweetness and garlic

and the heat I'm getting is quite sensational!

Quite sensational.

That's beautifully seasoned, beautifully spiced.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Shelina.

Really nice.

Really, really nice.

We wanted you to learn, pick up a few tricks,

we wanted you to impress us,

and that's exactly what you've done.

Thank you very much indeed. A real, real honour today.

Well done. Off you go, guys.

SOFT MUSIC

-SHELINA: Well done, guys.

-Well done!

I'm really pleased for them,

but it doesn't make it any easier for us, as judges, to make a decision

on who is going to be our champion.

Tom was a sous-vide fish away from a Michelin star.

Absolutely beautiful. Brilliant flavour combinations. Classic food.

But he didn't cook his fish for long enough.

On such things, reputations are won and lost.

Tom, buck yourself up, mate. Your food is now brilliant.

Don't let a mistake like that happen again.

I know where my food's going and I know what I can achieve.

I just need to balance that with cooking my fish next time.

Andrew wanted to keep the complex techniques, the processes that he uses,

but he wanted to simplify and harmonise the flavours.

Well, he absolutely nailed it!

I fell in love with that today from Andrew.

Sterling, sterling work.

It'll be tough to match the comments all the way through the final. There's still a long road to go.

Shelina absolutely blows me away

when she cooks the food that she loves.

She has promised herself, from here on in this competition,

that is all she's going to do.

Her spicing is incredible, her flavours amazing,

the way it comes at you in waves and, boom, starts to explode in your mouth.

And it keeps on coming and coming and coming.

Little layers of spice and chilli

and allsorts of wonderful sour, bitter flavours!

It is beautiful, beautiful food.

I loved Shelina's flavours.

No-one can spice food like Shelina. I love it.

Feedback from John and Gregg today has given me that little boost.

I'm very happy today!

They have set the standard, now they've got to beat it.

What's next?

Tomorrow night,

Tom, Andrew and Shelina

cook the ultimate dinner

when their mentors return

to see just how far they've come.

Just nail it, yes? ANDREW GROANS

It's been thoroughly awful so far.

You need to get it tidier than that. We might have to dress that again.

This is cooking at its best.

For an amateur to execute at this level

is actually phenomenal.

On Thursday night, one of them will be crowned

MasterChef Champion.

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