Episode 2 MasterChef

Over the years,

MasterChef has discovered seven exceptional champions.

Tonight, the hunt for the next one continues.

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.

There are only 12 places in the MasterChef competition.

Last night, Shelina, Eamonn, Aki, Emma and Tom

were the first to make it through.

Tonight, the next eight hopefuls will fight to join them.

I've got an opportunity here, and I really want to make the most of it.

I can get quite fiercely competitive,

which is funny, but also quite...whoa!

This is my life, and I'm going to do it.

This is an invention test.

And we're going to ask you to cook us just one plate of food.

At the end of this, two of you will be going home.

I'm like a child in a sweetie store at the moment, because I want everything.

My mind's kind of gone blank, cos it's such an amazing choice.

Two more minutes to finish off your ingredients, please.

I'm reasonably confident about this, yeah. Hopefully I'll be OK.

All right, time's up.

One plate of food, one hour and ten minutes,

let's cook.

Each of these contestants has had to survive an audition round.

Brighton Mum, Lex, impressed

with her dish of sea bass with mussel bisque and ravioli.

There's some quality work going in there, and there's a lot of work.

That's more of a banquet than a main course.

When I was younger, I turned my house into Chez Lex,

my own little restaurant.

I'd get everyone to leave through the front door,

then come back in, then I'd present them with a menu

and cook them their three course meal.

-It's a bit messy over here, Lex.

-Just a touch.

-Tell us what you're going to cook for us.

OK, I've been quite ambitious. I don't know if I'll get it all done, but I'll go for it.

I'm going to make a little salmon fishcake, salmon tart, and bit of salmon with some beurre blanc sauce.

And how are you feeling about the fact that you've got sea trout rather than salmon?

I thought it was salmon, so it's going to be essence of sea trout.

Lex may be in a bit of a mess, but she is showing lots of different skill.

Making a beurre blanc, making a tart, making a fishcake, I love the sound of it.

You've had ten minutes, you've got one hour left.

In his audition, Charlie cooked an authentic dim sum dish.

People who do things like this are willing to push the boundaries.

I'm 23, so I'm quite young.

I have no fear, really, going into this competition.

I can just go up there and really cook and go for it.

When did you know that you loved cooking?

Well, I first cooked when I was about four years old,

with my great aunt, and I helped her out with some baked beans,

and I like to think I've progressed a bit since then.

Charlie's dish, a classic chicken kiev.

If you cut into that, and out of it comes a sauce flavoured with garlic,

it sounds lovely.

Mum of three, Afsaneh, sailed through the auditions

with her sea bass in coriander and fenugreek bouillabaisse.

That is seriously delicious.

There has got to be room in MasterChef

for a cook who cooks like this.

All my life, I've been looking after other people,

and now that my sons have grown up, this is my time.

This is what I want. I've got to go for it.

This is stuffed breast of chicken with pine nuts and apricots,

and I'm going to serve it with some potatoes inside the sauce.

Afsaneh, tell me about the food that you grew up with.

I'm from Iran, and obviously, I grew up with middle eastern cooking,

and I used to watch my mum all the time.

-Are you a mum?

-I am indeed, I've got three sons.

I hope I'm not going to disappoint them.

30 minutes gone.

Sanjay from London has already demonstrated a decent palate

with his spicy chicken thighs.

I like that sweetness that then becomes warmth and a little bit of heat.

Almost like a classic peanut satay sauce with those curry leaves.

Food excites me in ever so many ways.

I mean, it's like listening to some music

that takes you to a state of euphoria, really.

And I would love to create that sort of food.

-Sanjay.

-Hello.

Tell me why you've got a nice happy warm smile on your face. Everyone else is scared.

I've never made this before, so there's alchemy going on here. I'm cooking for you some salmon...

Uh-uh. Sea trout.

Ah! OK, that's sea trout, OK.

On a bed of fennel and courgettes, and I've got some potatoes, as well, to go with it, and quail eggs.

Sanjay, why would you cook something you've never cooked before?

That's pretty much what I do almost every day, really.

I very rarely follow recipes, and most of the time it puts a smile on my face and my partner's face,

so I'm hoping it'll put a smile on yours.

-Let's hope so.

-Yes.

-HE LAUGHS

Sanjay has got the sea trout, fennel,

and some courgettes, potatoes, and a quail's egg.

I have no idea what it's going to taste like,

and I'm worried that Sanjay hasn't either.

Guys, you are halfway. 35 minutes left.

Forensic scientist Rachel stood out at the auditions

with her lamb with home-grown vegetables.

-It's like a walk along a country lane.

-That's the best lamb dish we've eaten so far.

Rachel, what are you going to cook for us?

-Pork loin stuffed with apples and dates.

-Very neat and tidy.

-Yeah!

I like to be systematic and methodical. It's the scientist in me, I think.

-Are you a scientist?

-Yeah, I'm a forensic scientist by trade.

Unfortunately, I was made redundant earlier on this year,

they closed my laboratory down, so I'm hoping to use my science skills

into possibly a career in cooking.

To win a competition like this after six months of being unemployed

would be a fantastic achievement.

It would really give me confidence to, sort of, use it for good things.

Guys, you have just 20 minutes left.

Norfolk engineer Matthew

made a deconstructed chicken and mushroom pie in his audition.

It's really good to see somebody cooking honest food,

thinking completely differently from anybody else.

-Wow, they've impressed you.

-Yeah.

-Really impressed you.

It's like my grandad said when I was young,

if you're going to do something, do it well or don't do it at all.

Matthew, brave enough to take a whole rabbit and skin it, what are you going to cook for us?

I'm doing rabbit legs with a sauce, then there'll be a pigeon breast just on top.

A bit of a game, sort of, dish, really.

-Yeah.

-And you say that's slightly game.

HE LAUGHS

That's very much game, but my granddad's a gamekeeper, you see, and he taught me a lot about meat.

-Do you have a food ambition?

-I'd love my own restaurant.

To be honest, I go to restaurants all over the place, and I'm like,

"This ain't right, that ain't right."

It'd be nice to have a restaurant and do things the way I like.

-So when you're an old man in your chair, you can say, "I did it my way."

-I did it my way!

-HE LAUGHS Good luck, Matthew.

-Thank you very much.

Undoubtedly, he is cooking two dishes,

but if he cooks that rabbit and that pigeon well, I will forgive him,

because he's the boldest cook in the room.

Supply teacher Emma's dish of rhubarb and custard doughnuts

was an audition hit.

That is rhubarb heaven.

This person's a serious contender.

My current job is all about pressure,

so nothing really fazes me.

I might, underneath, be panicking, but I always appear quite calm.

-Emma, what are you cooking for us?

-I'm doing roast bird with some sort of gravy -

I think I'm going to put some blackberries in there, and a bubble and squeak cake.

Gamey meat, fruity sauce - John, that could be an absolute winner.

Finally, it's London doctor Ashvy,

who secured her place with saffron-infused haddock

on a courgette and runner bean biryani.

Mmmm.

I absolutely love that fish with the saffron, I really love it.

I've spent ten years working as a doctor,

and I still don't wake up thinking, "Yay! I'm going to work."

I think, right, at 7:00pm I'm going home, what am I going to make?

What are you going to cook for us, Ashvy?

Roasted sea trout, and then I'm making a bit of braised fennel with some beetroot with a salsa verde.

Why MasterChef, Ashvy?

I absolutely love cooking, would like to learn, want to progress,

cos I don't have any critiques in my family - they're always really complimentary.

-Big family?

-No, just me, my brother and sister, two parents...

-Are you the...

-New husband.

-How new is he?

-Two months.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much!

-Did he fall in love with your food?

I hope it's a bit more than just my food, but the way to a man's heart and all of that,

-so, yeah, there was a bit of that going on.

-SHE LAUGHS

The fennel and the salami I get with the fish, but the mint - there's the difficulty.

I really think she may have gone an ingredient too far.

Final six minutes, everyone, just six minutes left.

Time's up. Stop!

Stop, please.

First to face the judges is 23-year-old Charlie.

He's made chicken kiev and mashed potato

surrounded by bacon lardons, shallots, apple and leeks.

-Not exactly oozing, Charlie, is it?

-No.

It's nice, smooth mashed potato, it's nice chicken, crispy outside.

I think you've demonstrated some skill, Charlie.

You took a whole chicken, and you made your own breadcrumbs, but I would have loved, you know,

-lots of butter just over the top.

-Yeah.

Even with butter finished off around the outside with your bacon and bits.

It hasn't quite worked out, but it's tasty.

-I'd eat it.

-Well, I'd eat the whole lot as well.

-Yeah, so would I.

-Yeah.

Lex picked sea trout, and has cooked it three ways -

sweet potato fishcakes with lemon and pepper mayonnaise,

a spinach and trout tart with chives,

and pan-seared trout with a beurre blanc.

Your sea trout and sweet potato fishcake,

crispy on the outside and a little bit of sweetness, I like that.

I also like the way you've cooked the piece of fish that you are serving with your beurre blanc.

But I don't like that tart very much,

because you lose the flavour of the fish.

The seared sea trout with the beurre blanc -

Good.

The fishcake, mayonnaise - good.

The tart in the middle - egg and sea trout?

Difficult combination to get right.

OK.

Rachel has cooked pork wrapped in bacon

and stuffed with apples and dates, accompanied by cabbage and bacon,

mushrooms and a fondant potato.

The whole dish is a little dry. I don't believe you got the presentation right.

But your cabbage and your wild mushrooms are nicely cooked.

The filling is very, very sweet.

It's almost becoming overpowering.

I need to prove myself to you both. Next time I sit here, if I get that opportunity, I'll do that.

Not quite.

Emma is serving pigeon with bubble and squeak and a blackberry sauce.

That pigeon's still lovely and pink.

What is very good is that sour sharpness,

but sweetness, of those blackberries, with your stuffing.

The bubble and squeak, as tasty as it is, mashed potato and blackberries?

Don't know.

Good cooking of the bird, some good ideas.

-Thanks, Emma.

-Thank you so much.

Thanks, Emma.

You are now eating the whole dish, Mr Wallace.

-Well...

-Which signifies something.

It's one of the best dishes I've eaten so far.

Ashvy has made sea trout on fennel, salami, beetroot and shallots,

topped with a parsley and mint salsa verde.

This dish looks a lot better than I expected.

-That's good.

-It's quite attractive.

The sweetness coming from your beetroot, the freshness of your fennel,

a little bit of dill running through it, it's intriguing me.

Salami and fish? Yeah, I'll go with it.

I can happily go with the whole lot.

Afsaneh has made breast of chicken stuffed with apricots and spinach,

accompanied by caramelised onions, pine nuts and roast potatoes

in a citrus and apple sauce.

Everything is seasoned nicely, it has individual flavours,

but it is a little bit sticky and a little bit messy.

I've never tasted chicken, onion and apple stew.

For me, it's a little muddled.

I was hoping for better comments.

This is my dream, and I want to just follow my passion.

That passion does not resemble the food on the plate.

No.

Matthew has served his rabbit legs with pigeon breast,

sauteed potatoes and a tomato, fennel and date sauce.

It is a bit tough, it is a bit chewy.

The potatoes are a bit soggy,

and the tomato sauce is a little bit overpowering of those lovely little mushrooms underneath.

It hasn't quite worked out, but I still like your enthusiasm,

and I still like your point of difference.

This dish does not live up to its billing.

But some of the preparation is very, very good.

Finally, it's psychotherapist Sanjay.

He's made star anise-spiced sea trout with fennel and courgettes,

and served it with quail's egg, potatoes and sliced tomato.

For me, an absolute game of two halves. The fennel and the fish, brilliant.

And then you go into this mish-mash of ugliness,

not just in the way it looks, but also in the way it tastes.

-Not for me.

-Mmmm.

Some of the spicing, like the ginger and the star anise with the fennel, works very, very well with the fish.

But other bits don't work.

I would put myself through.

-But then, I would.

-HE LAUGHS

I've got to remind you that two of you are actually going to be leaving the competition.

John and I have got that judging to do.

Off you go.

Whoo!

I'm quite surprised by the food today, because we know how good they can be,

and it was up to them to prove that they can keep up to that standard.

Emma, Charlie, Ashvy and Lex did very well.

And that means we've got to lose two out of the other four.

For Afsaneh today, it was a true challenge.

There were some nice touches, but it was a little too sweet.

More than anything in my life,

I want to go through, and I want to do it again and again and again.

I was really excited about Matthew. He took the rabbit, and he was game enough to skin it.

He promised a lot. And actually, well and truly under-delivered.

To get this far is good, but that ain't quite good enough.

Hopefully I've done enough. Hopefully.

Rachel, watching her technique, I had real high hopes.

But it was out of proportion, it was all a bit dry,

and it needed a decent sauce.

I just hope I get another chance to prove to them that I can cook.

-Sanjay.

-Aah.

-Not good at all.

-I don't really understand what he was doing.

I just hope this is not curtains for me now.

That would be a shame.

Out of these four, which two have the promise?

We believe that four of you

have cooked well enough to stay in the competition.

But we have doubts about the other four.

Emma...

..Charlie...

..Lex...

..Ashvy...

..you're staying in the competition.

So that leaves us with Matthew...

..Sanjay...

..Rachel...

..and Afsaneh.

The first person leaving us...

..is Sanjay.

And the second person leaving us...

..Rachel.

(Thanks.)

You may have thought that was tough.

You're now going to work in the fast,

white-hot heat of a professional kitchen.

Don't let us down.

This is one of the things I always, always wanted to do.

You either sink or swim, and I'm a good swimmer.

I can't wait. I really want to get stuck in.

Afsaneh, Matthew, and Lex will be cooking at London's Imli,

where the service of authentic Indian street food is

overseen by executive chef Samir Sadekar.

All I demand is consistency, quality, and perfect timing.

These three things. I don't need anything more.

Lex must master the complex balance of spices

on a dish of masala grilled chicken with cumin and turmeric mash.

You've got the chicken, which is marinated in tamarind,

garlic, salt, green chillies.

-Tamarind, garlic, salt, green chillies.

-Excellent.

-Got it.

Matthew will be responsible for the seafood Malabar stew

in a coconut sauce.

-This is how it's going to look every single time.

-Yes.

-Right.

Afsaneh will take charge of a dish of stuffed paneer

served with a tomato rice.

Obviously common sense,

because while I'm making my rice, I have to keep watching the paneer.

I don't want to burn that. If I do, I have to start it all over again.

-I hope I can do it as well as...

-Do all this.

In the financial heart of the City, Emma, Charlie,

and Ashvy will be cooking at Prism, where head chef Daniel Sherlock

invokes his British influence on modern European cuisine.

It doesn't matter that they've never been in a kitchen before.

It's our reputation as a restaurant.

If it's not right, they'll do it again.

In service, Emma will be making the grilled fillets of plaice,

crushed potatoes and yellow courgettes

in a brown shrimp butter sauce.

You're looking for a nice, slightly pink inside, a little bit moist.

You make it look easy.

Ashvy's dish is the roast saddle of rabbit, violet artichokes

and rainbow chard and carrot and nutmeg puree.

Little bit like surgery. Parts of it are. OK.

-Is that the day job?

-Yeah, kind of.

I'm a bit worried about plating up.

I've just got to be careful, not heavy-handed,

which I can be, sometimes.

OK, so, just...

Charlie is making the seared red mullet with oven dried tomatoes,

sauteed baby squid, sea beet, and saffron aioli.

It has to be perfect. So, it will be... hopefully.

It's almost midday,

and as London's workforce breaks for lunch,

both teams are about to get their first taste

of life as professional chefs.

-OK, we've got our first order. I want two grilled chicken.

-Yes, Chef.

-One stuffed paneer.

-Yes, Chef.

-And one seafood Malabar.

-Yes, Chef.

Matthew begins by making the garlic, ginger,

and green chilli base for his stew.

That's too hot. Should have had it on a lot lower heat.

That just burned instantly. First attempt, not good.

-I burned the garlic.

-Yes.

-I burned the garlic. That's not good.

-That's not good.

-Let's do it again.

-Yeah, please.

While Matthew starts again,

Asfaneh is having problems with her stuffed paneer.

They are too brown.

Put the fresh ones, please. Fresh ones.

Quick, quick!

This is what I mentioned to her.

When you're making the rice, keep an eye on the paneer.

And she didn't.

You make mistakes and you learn by it.

So, I can pick it up and carry on.

That's all I can do now.

One seafood Malabar, Matthew.

Matthew's seafood stew is finally ready to go.

Chef!

-Yes, that's good.

-Thanks, Chef.

-Thank you.

Just got to try and keep up, now.

-OK, there are two masala chicken working.

-Yes, Chef.

Lex is next to plate up.

Masala chicken, Chef.

-Lex, you see all these marks out here?

-Yes.

-No good.

-No good at all. Has to be a work of art.

-Absolutely.

-Thank you.

Next time, Chef. Better next time.

I know what I've got to improve, I've just got to improve it.

Mucky puppy.

Over at Prism, service is also in full swing.

-One mullet away, yeah? 21.

-Yes, Chef.

-Four minutes, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-Let's go.

The only one I have a little reservation for is Charlie.

At the moment, a little bit shaky. A little bit too timid.

Let's go, come on.

It's been five minutes, now. You said four minutes.

Now it's five minutes.

-Yes.

-You need to start moving. Toss that over. OK. Now start plating.

-See how that's all squiggly?

-OK.

-Best get another plate.

Strike.

Let's do that again. Come on.

Relax, stop shaking.

There we go.

OK, let's go. Faster, faster.

OK, let's go, let's get them fast.

-OK, lovely. Next time, faster.

-Yes.

-Faster, please.

-Yes. Yes, Chef.

Ashvy's first rabbit dish is next to the pass.

Let's do that again. Let's get it smoother. Too wrinkly. Look at it.

Let's sauce that rabbit.

-Too heavy-handed.

-Not on the edge of the plate.

-Sorry.

-That's very messy.

-Sorry.

-Yeah?

Let's keep it nice and tight and neat.

-You're slowing me down.

-Sorry.

I'm a bit annoyed that I've let Chef down,

but this time I've got to get it right.

I don't want to anger Chef again.

How many plates have you got in order? Can you tell me?

I've got one coming up. Two for the next table, then one,

-for afterwards.

-Thank you.

Let's get that potato on the stove. Soon as that's cooked, we can go.

Looking good. Looking good, yeah.

Pretty good, just a bit messy on the plate.

-Let's try and keep this plate nice and clean.

-Yes, Chef.

Just got to keep track of what I've got coming up next, now.

Back at Imli, the orders keep coming in.

Four portions of stuffed paneer, and four of masala chicken.

-On its way, Chef.

-Thank you.

But Lex is still struggling to plate up her masala chicken.

The chicken, we need to slant the chicken. One on top of the other.

-OK.

-Not a haphazard way.

-OK.

I've got probably the most orders out of everyone today.

But I just need to slow down a little bit to make them perfect.

-I'm running out of stuffed paneer.

-OK. We need to make some more.

OK.

So, start again. Right from the beginning.

-Perfect presentation. Well done.

-Thank you. Thank you, Chef.

This is the last portion I'm serving, and I don't want to go.

I could do it another day or two, at least.

-Matthew?

-Yes, sorry.

-How long for your seafood Malabar?

-Five minutes.

-I do apologise, Chef.

-Thank you.

I wanted to do it fresh, but I've got one sitting up there,

but that's been sitting there a while.

-Matthew, can you plate it for me, please?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

What took you so long?

Well, I wanted to make a fresh one, because that had gone a bit...dry.

So you should have let me take the decision.

-Yeah, sorry, sorry, Chef.

-How can you take the decision?

I should have asked the chef first.

In the kitchen, I'm very much a schoolboy.

-Let me just taste it, first, let me taste it.

-Yeah, is it good?

Please, good. Please, be good.

-Well done, Matthew.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Good job, good job. Thank you.

With service drawing to a close,

Lex has one last chance to get her dish right.

Two grilled chicken ready, Chef.

-This is how it should be, well done.

-OK.

-You've done a good job. OK?

Thank you very much.

Back at Prism, the pressure is on for Charlie.

Charlie, let's have that red mullet, table 17, straight up, four minutes.

Yes, Chef.

There's a lot to remember. It's hot, and it's quite stressful in here.

But hopefully, I've got a bit better, now.

I think I can get presentation right this time.

-Thanks very much, Charlie.

-OK.

Each one you do

keeps getting better. And a little bit faster. Which is pretty good, thanks.

Ashvy still needs to prove she can plate up her rabbit dish perfectly.

-Is that better?

-Stop, stop, stop, stop!

-You're cooking it for too long, yeah? So it's drying out.

-OK.

So, let's get a little bit of cream in there.

-Lovely, thank you.

-Phew!

It's a lot tougher than it looks.

-Two more plates, straight up.

-Yes, Chef.

As service comes to an end,

Emma needs to impress with her final dish.

-Let's make this last one your best one, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-Beautiful, yeah?

-Thank you.

-Nicely presented. Nicely cooked

-That's it. Service is done. All finished, yeah?

-ALL: Thank you.

Today's shown me that I've got the potential. Who knows?

Maybe I can become a chef for real.

Keeping your mind on it, constantly, that was really difficult. Yeah.

It was just non-stop, but loved it. Absolutely loved it.

I feel like I handled the pressure, just about.

In general, I'm quite proud of myself.

It's fantastic. Where are we going tomorrow?

This is your chance, now, to cook your own food

and secure yourself a place in the competition.

At the end of this, the weakest cooks go home.

One great dish, your own food, one hour and ten minutes.

Let's cook.

It feels scary that everything is down to this one dish.

I've practised it, I've agonised over it, to show skill,

but not be too flash, today.

-Lex.

-Hello.

-Dessert. What are you doing?

A twist on something I've made all my life.

Lemon curd and cream cake, served with a coconut parfait,

and ginger honeycomb.

-Woah!

-I think it's going to taste good.

Once again, Lex, a huge amount of work.

If you can deliver, I'll have a big smile on my face.

Come on. Come on, Lex.

Guys, 15 minutes have gone.

I want to show the judges, more than anything, that I just know about

taste, and I think, in essence, that is what a good cook's about.

-Ashvy, how are you going to impress us?

-Well, I've gone Indian.

It's called a meat-lover's tasting platter.

Pork kebabs with chicken tikka and soured lamb chops.

Have you thought about how you are going to present this?

I've plated the dish up about five times at home,

taken pictures of it and had a look,

so I have thought about it, and I hope you guys like it.

-Ashvy, looking forward to the meat-fest.

-Good.

-Thank you.

After my experience in the professional kitchen,

I realised this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Afsaneh, your dish, what is it?

It is trio of desserts.

Saffron and cardamom ice cream, Baklava,

and fig fritter with ginger syrup.

Are you comfortable cooking desserts?

To be honest, doing dessert is not my thing,

I thought I have to push the boat out,

take myself out of my comfort zone.

I want this so much. I'm going to do it.

Three little jewels of Persia sitting on a plate.

That could be a magic carpet ride. That really could.

This dish is medium to high risk on the risk-ometer.

But I think, at this stage,

if you don't take a risk, then there's not much point.

Charlie, what are you cooking for us?

Loin of venison on a leek, potato and ginger mash.

Haggis and venison bonbon.

-And this used to be a pear.

-Yes. To go alongside the venison.

-Bold!

-It's a bold one, yes.

-Have you done this before?

-Yes.

-Have you?

-Yes.

I've done these combinations.

-All of them together?

-Yes.

-Really?

-Yes.

-All right, he has.

Charlie is going for it, all guns blazing.

There is a young man who is trying to push the boundaries.

I know it doesn't sound quite right, but I'm excited by him.

You're half way. 35 minutes left.

Emma, you got some nice things on this bench.

-You going to do them justice?

-I hope so. I really hope so.

It's a peach and pecan tart, with the raspberry ripple ice cream.

Are you a little bit too chilled?

Not inside, I'm not.

This is just a calm exterior.

To leave your last career and to do something you absolutely love,

I mean, you're putting yourself out there, aren't you?

You want to come out on top.

Mainly, I'm worried about the ice cream setting.

If the pastry crumbles, then I've had it.

Pretty much every element could go wrong today.

To get a MasterChef Apron, that's a hell of a thing to get, you know?

It's like getting a black belt in tae kwon do, you know?

Matthew, what's your dish?

I'm doing a lobster linguine with a scallop tartar

and butterfly prawns.

You are attempting a huge amount.

I know. I'm always racing against time,

cos I've always got so much to do.

-Why are you putting so much into this competition?

-There's not many chances in your life

where you get to do what you want to do.

And this is one opportunity I've got,

and I intend to make the most of this.

Matthew has just turned himself into Neptune,

and he's just delivering us

some of the best seafood you can possibly imagine.

Now, how it all comes together, I'm not quite sure.

Seven minutes, just seven minutes.

That's it, stop. Stop!

Ashvy has made a meat platter of pork, pistachio

and spring onion kebabs with plum chutney, mango lamb chops,

with beetroot and yoghurt raita,

and chicken tikka with a mint chutney.

I feel it's a plate that I've come back from a buffet with.

-And not something that's been served to me at a table.

-Sure.

There is a limey pungency, real big kiss of spice,

going on in that chicken.

Kebabs are nice.

I like the crunch of the nut,

and the sweet tang than you've got with your chutney.

The middle, for me, I really enjoy the sourness of those lamb chops,

with that dried mango powder,

but the creamy thickness of that yoghurt

with that sweet beetroot in it just doesn't fill me with joy.

But at the same time, I have tasted something

I've never tasted before, which is that wonderful spiced pork with the pistachio

and the plum chutney. And I think that's delicious.

Thank you.

I'm kicking myself because it was just too much meat.

Lex has made a lime and cardamom sponge with lime curd,

served with coconut and lime parfait, and ginger honeycomb.

You have a mixed bag, here. You have a well made parfait.

Doesn't taste of coconut.

You have ginger honeycomb which doesn't have the texture that it should.

But you do have an absolute knockout lime sponge.

The contrast of that very, very sharp lime

with the coldness of your parfait,

and the softness of your sponge is lovely.

I think the curd, though, is a little bit thick.

I am feeling frustrated with myself.

I didn't perform as well as I could have done today.

Charlie is serving loin of venison with leek and ginger mash,

parsnip crisps, poached pear, haggis and venison bonbons, beetroot,

and a red wine and pear jus.

The first thing I get is rich vanilla. A little bit of pear.

Then the iron richness of that venison

and the sweetness of the beetroot, and peppery, hot haggis.

And I like it.

I really like it. It's slightly bonkers, Charlie.

I like the way you've cooked, and the skill you've used,

and I like the amount of work you've gone through, but I'm struggling to like it altogether.

-Thanks, Charlie.

-Thank you. Bye.

Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers.

They had a new experience. It made them perk up a little bit.

So, I'm quite happy, actually, overall.

Afsaneh's trio of desserts includes syrup

and nut Baklava pastries, fig fritters with a ginger syrup drizzle,

and saffron and cardamom ice cream on crushed pistachios.

Whoop, whoop! That looks stunning.

Absolutely love it.

If it tastes as good as it looks, I might even kiss you today, you know that?

Thank you, I love that.

Afsaneh, pucker your lips, you're about to get a big kiss,

cos that is just delicious.

Those little Baklava, really sweet and sticky.

That saffron and cardamom ice cream, soft and creamy,

and with those pistachio nuts underneath, delicious,

and then going into those sticky, sweet, syrupy figs, honestly?

Delicious.

I just...love it.

I mean, I just love cooking and if somebody compliments me

on this, it's just, just the world to me.

Argh!

That may be the best ice cream I've tasted in a long, long while.

I haven't got a single negative comment.

-I think that's a beautiful dish.

-Thank you.

-She did OK.

-Yeah. It's all right.

I was waiting for John to kiss me. He didn't, maybe later.

Emma has served a peach and pecan tart

with raspberry ripple ice cream and raspberry sauce.

This seems to be falling apart a little bit, here. Ah!

Your pastry's nowhere near cooked enough.

Creamy, vanilla-ry, raspberry sharp, sweet ice cream is a knockout.

I very much like the peach and pecan combination.

However, we've got soggy pastry.

I love the ice cream, love the peach, and I especially love the combination

of those caramel sweet pecan nuts with the raspberry and the peach.

The tart itself is nothing short of a disaster.

It's as if I'm eating Play-Doh.

It's not showing what I can do. I'm just a bit gutted, really.

Matthew has made lobster on handmade linguine with tarragon

and chervil sauce, accompanied by scallop and mascarpone tartar,

topped with salmon roe and prawns in a garlic and parsley butter.

Love your tartar. Love your lobster linguine. Love it.

But I do question the cook's brain that put them both together.

A whole lobster tail

sitting on top of a pile of pasta is not quite right.

Chop it up! Mince it.

Scallop tartar, soft scallop, creamy sauce, but it's under seasoned.

Your lobster, itself, beautifully cooked.

But there is just too much on here, Matthew, you're trying too hard.

HE ROARS

I know you've got real work ethic, but this is just wrong.

Worried I wouldn't do enough, when really I was doing too much.

Hopefully that won't cost me.

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

Off you go.

Oh, come here. Bless your heart.

-Well done, it was amazing.

-Well done.

-I think it's a big round of applause.

-Yeah.

We can only take the best cooks, and, right now,

that's going to be a difficult decision.

Afsaneh is a serious talent,

who has just captured the exotic flavours of the Middle East.

Her deftness of touch, her detail, and her definition of flavour,

I think, is just outstanding.

-Afsaneh is in.

-Oh, yes.

The others, it is up for debate.

I really have to go through. There's so much depending on this.

I really, really hope they can just think this was a blip, today.

I've got it in me, now, to really, really fight for this.

I am on the fence. I hope that they see enough potential.

Please, God, let me get through.

Decision time, John.

Who has what it takes to line up against the cooks we have so far?

We've made our decision.

We are only going to put people through who we think are as good as the five already chosen.

Afsaneh...

..no doubt, you're in.

You're staying in the competition.

Charlie,

venison, pear, haggis, and mashed potato?

It was a risk, Charlie

And you're a risk we're prepared to take.

Well done.

Emma,

today it went wrong for you.

I'm really sorry. You're leaving the competition.

Thanks, Emma.

Lex, the sponge pudding was very good,

but it's too many errors, Lex.

I'm sorry.

Too many errors.

Very sad, very sad.

I am kicking myself. I wish I could have done a lot more.

But it was the right decision.

Ashvy, your plate had no veg on it.

It did, however, have some very clever spicing.

We're willing to give you another go, Ashvy. You're staying with us.

Matthew, hot and cold fish on one plate together doesn't work.

But we think you've got promise.

You're staying with us.

Thank you.

It feels so good. I'm so proud that I'm wearing this.

I'm not going to take it off. I'm going to go to bed with it!

I'm really, really happy.

And I really want to show them, now, that they made the right choice.

The further you go, the more you want it, and I want this so badly.

Over there, in my sight, is that title.

And now, there are nine.

This line-up is truly exciting.

Tomorrow night, the final eight battle for one of the last three places.

I love it.

It's like dipping a chorizo in your orange juice.

The leek is like...BOOM!

Who will have what it takes to line up with the nine who have

already made it?

Schoolboy error. That could send you out of the competition.

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