Episode 3 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.

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

cooking does not get tougher than this.

Bring it on!

So far this week, 16 determined amateurs have been fighting

to earn just 12 MasterChef aprons.

Nine talented cooks have already claimed theirs.

Tonight, the last eight

battle it out for the remaining three.

This competition means a hell of a lot to me.

Winning it would be a dream come true.

I've always enjoyed competition.

It gives you that drive and that edge.

They say life begins at 40.

I hope MasterChef does that for me.

Welcome to MasterChef. Your job today is simple.

All you have to do is cook well enough

to cement your place in the competition.

On that note, come up and select your ingredients.

There's that much to choose from. Do you change your mind, do you not?

It's difficult to pin it down to one dish,

but you've got to go with your heart, really.

Just two minutes left. You've got two minutes.

I'm trying to stay calm. I think once I work out

what I'm going to cook, I'll be a bit calmer.

But at the moment it's very overwhelming.

That's it, everyone. Time's up.

One hour and ten minutes, one plate of food.

And at the end of this, two of you will be leaving us.

Let's cook.

To get here, each of these contestants had to go through

an audition round.

32-year-old Andrew

cooked gurnard with a broad bean and olive risotto in his.

When I see food like this, it does actually make my heart

beat a little bit faster.

Wow!

My wife, Gemma, thinks I'm a little bit crazy.

But she knows I love food, I love cooking.

She's totally behind me doing MasterChef.

Andrew, what are you making for us now?

I'm going to do roast pigeon with cauliflower bread sauce

and a fruity dressing with mushroom duxelles.

And do you have a cooking dream, Andrew?

I'd like to have my own restaurant. Something quite casual.

Pigeon with cauliflower bread sauce, fruit and duxelles.

Doesn't sound very casual to me, Andrew.

I'm trying to impress you today. And, yeah.

I'm trying to impress you today.

Andrew's intriguing.

He is taking a pigeon breast, serving it with a bread sauce,

which is flavoured with cauliflower,

and then a sweet fig and blackberry sauce.

How he's going to bring that together, I have no idea.

Bethan from East Sussex made a chocolate fondant and Calvados cream

that was original enough to get her through.

I feel enveloped by the flavours.

I'll run with whatever ideas I get.

There's no point in playing it safe.

-Bethan, it looks like you're making a pudding.

-Yes.

I'm making a lemon and white chocolate meringue,

with a raspberry sauce and white chocolate drizzle.

Is pastry your joy, your passion?

I love making pastry, it's just cos I like to do things that are pretty on a plate.

Tell us why you're in love with food.

I've been working from home, so I've been cooking more and more

as a distraction from doing actual work.

If that pastry collapses,

we're going to end up with lemon, white chocolate and meringue puddle.

Er, guys, you've had 20 minutes.

20 minutes has gone.

40-year-old Jay impressed

with his roasted rack of lamb.

There are little details in here

that point to a very, very dedicated cook. With a decent palate.

I've worked in the security industry since I was about 18.

And now I'm getting to the age of 40, I want cooking, my passion,

to start being my living.

Tell us about your love of food, Jay.

I've always had a love of food.

I used to cook with my dad.

He passed away when I was 12, and I just carried on the cooking.

I started off with bits and pieces, you know, scrambled eggs, Sunday dinners.

What are you cooking for us today?

I'm going to do pan-fried sea bream, roasted fennel,

sweet potato and thyme stack.

I'm doing a cream white wine sauce and finish it off with the clams.

How did you go from the scrambled eggs and the roast dinners to more elegant stuff?

Well, that was 16, I'm 40 now.

I've been cooking a lot of years, and it's a lot of trial and error.

Sweet, sharp, aniseed, and then a creamy sauce and the fish. I've got high hopes for him.

25-year-old Sai won her place

with pan-fried sea bass in a cream and herb sauce.

It's delicious.

Sai, what are you going to make for us?

I'm going to do pork with rosemary and thyme,

and a mushroom sauce and potato dauphinoise.

And where does this wonderful love of cooking come from?

When I left home, I sort of cooked what I enjoyed cooking,

and Thai food, it's the stuff that I really enjoy.

So, if you go further, will we see some Thai food from you?

Yes, definitely.

That is definitely one dish that I would order.

As long as she keeps that pork chop moist

and there is loads of liquid and flavour and garlic

coming out of her dauphinoise.

30 minutes left,

ladies and gentlemen, just 30 minutes left.

Hertfordshire-born Lee also made his mark

with his pan-fried fillet of sea bass

with potato and chervil bon bons.

The best thing on the plate are these little potato bon bons.

That's really tasty.

I lost my job and I split up with my partner,

but this gives me a massive opportunity

to really change my life.

Um, Lee. What are you going to cook for us?

I'm going to do a pan-fried fillet of sea bream.

I'm going to do that with a potato and chive risotto.

Is cooking your main passion in life, Lee?

Yes, absolutely. There was something there from an early age.

I've just strayed from the path.

Are you trying to find yourself at the moment? Is that the point, Lee?

No, I know who I am.

I know I love cooking. This isn't just some experiment.

I like the idea of Lee's dish.

He's frying the bream

and he's serving it on what he calls potato risotto.

Then he's flavouring that with chorizo.

That's really quite different, I'm excited about it.

Lancashire mum Margaret's blackberry souffle with sorrel ice cream

was one of the standout dishes of the audition.

That is brilliant.

We have definitely found ourselves a good cook.

I think the world's changed.

Just because you're 54 doesn't mean

you should have your slippers on.

It's a new start, of a new period in my life.

Margaret, what do you do? What's your job?

-I don't work. I've retired.

-You're too young to retire.

Oh, I love you!

-Retired from what?

-I was in fashion retail.

Many years ago, started when I was about 16, and a size 8,

and I ended up aged 52 and a size 20!

You've boned a chicken. What are you going to make?

Stuffed chicken breasts with a tomato and wine sauce

with butter beans and courgettes, and herbs.

Margaret's taking her chicken breast and she's stuffing it.

But she's got nothing to protect that delicate flesh on the outside.

Will it still be moist or will it dry out?

15 minutes separates you from food immortality.

I used to work for a large telecoms company,

I don't want to work in an office.

I want to be able to do what I love doing.

Ian from Nottinghamshire stood out with his fillet of beef

with fondant potato

and a mushroom pie.

I think there's quite a bit of skill involved here.

What do you do at the moment, for a job?

Hardest job in t'world. I'm a housewife.

-You got kids?

-Four.

-Four kids.

Yeah, with a face like this, how about that?

Do you have a grand dream, Ian? Yeah, I want to win.

That's it. I want to win,

and I want to be able to, at 39 years old,

change my life to be able to cook for a living.

What are you cooking for us?

I'm cooking sole with clams

on crushed new potatoes, with pancetta.

In a room with such stiff competition,

that dish has to be amazing.

That fish has to be cooked absolutely perfectly if he wants to survive.

Guys, ten minutes. Last ten.

Peckham-based Jonathan impressed with his guinea fowl breast

on spinach, with sausage and an onion puree.

We've found ourselves a proper cook.

I can't paint. I don't draw.

I don't sing. I dance badly.

Cooking's definitely my creative outlet.

What are you going to cook for us?

Ballantine of chicken with puy lentils and a mustard sauce. Hopefully.

Hopefully. Yeah, you've given yourself a lot to do.

Chicken, lentils is reasonably simple.

So it's just trying to lift it a little bit.

Should you dare to dream of winning MasterChef, what would you be doing?

I like the idea of doing something with my brother.

We like the idea of him growing stuff and me cooking it.

Jonathan is doing something actually quite skilful.

He's making a ballantine of chicken and he is stuffing it with meat he's taken off the leg.

He's got to make sure those lentils are packed full of flavour.

Three minutes left.

Just 60 seconds.

That's it! Finished. Stop.

Andrew's made pigeon with game chips,

cauliflower bread sauce,

mushroom duxelles,

and a port and fig puree

with beetroot topping

and blackberries.

It makes my head spin in a really good way.

Your pigeon is cooked beautifully, it's beautifully moist.

Your mushroom duxelles beautifully seasoned with its herbs,

and the taste of cinnamon in the background.

I really like it.

Thank you.

I love it. I mean, I absolutely love it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Andrew.

Thank you very much.

That's fantastic.

Ian has chosen the sole, and cooked it with clams,

a potato and pancetta stack,

spinach, and a parsley butter sauce.

I really like your flavour combinations.

That subtle, sweet fish,

the smoky bacon being linked with those little clams,

and the herby butter.

But then there's the detail.

Your fish has gone slightly over,

and then this big stack of potatoes

with the peel on them and the rind of the bacon left on.

Pluses and minuses there, Ian.

Could do better on that dish. I'm sure I can display it,

should I progress.

You really want this competition.

More than anything. More than anything.

You don't get a chance that often to change your life.

And it just happens to be one.

Bethan has made a white chocolate and lemon meringue tart,

with raspberry coulis and a white chocolate sauce.

I do like the sharp lemon flavour you've got in here,

and I do like the sweet sauces to go with it.

But it hasn't quite worked. The pastry's undercooked,

and because of that, the filling's starting to seep through the pastry.

And I sort of want to love it, but I can't say I do,

because it's just not right.

I've never cooked pastry that badly before, to be honest, but...

Yeah. I don't know...

where it went wrong.

I honestly believe that girl bakes.

Otherwise why do something so risky?

Or so badly?

Lee has cooked pan-fried sea bream, with potato and chive risotto

and a chorizo and orange dressing.

The fish, chorizo, potato? Lovely idea.

The orange as well?

It's just one thing too much.

Not my cup of tea, I'm sorry.

I like the fish. I do like the fish.

Orange juice is pretty out there, Lee.

Explain to me. Are you inventing as you go along?

I haven't tried it before,

I wanted to try something a little bit different.

It's like dipping a chorizo in your orange juice. Would you do that?

I just want to have another go, cos he cooked the fish all right.

No.

Jay has made pan-roasted sea bream,

with a sweet potato and thyme stack,

and clams in a garlic cream sauce.

I love it.

I really, really love it.

Well-cooked fish, the salty clams, the strong fennel,

and that sweet, sweet potato is great.

-Really good. Thank you.

-That is lovely, Jay.

I mean, that is proper grown-up food.

-I can't tell you how pleased I am.

-OK. Don't let it go to your head.

I won't do.

You know, they say that good food puts a smile on your face.

That's put a smile on my face.

Sai has gone for pan-fried pork

with potato dauphinoise,

cabbage and bacon,

and a thyme and mushroom sauce.

I love the flavour of garlic coming through the dauphinoise.

For me, we have a texture issue, in the whole thing is too dry.

I really like all those herbs on the outside of your pork chop

and that creamy mushroom sauce.

But it doesn't make my heart jump out of my chest.

Why should we give you a place in MasterChef, Sai?

There are a lot of things that I'm hoping to cook

a lot more exciting than pork, potatoes and cabbage.

Why, then, with all those wonderful ingredients out there

did we end up with this?

Erm...

When put on the spot,

my first type of food is to go for sort of European, English cuisine.

Jonathan's made a chicken and bacon ballantine,

on a bed of puy lentils

with a mustard sauce.

The chicken itself with the bacon and the stuffing is really tasty.

The lentils, sweet with the vegetables, are good.

The dish tastes good. It doesn't look right.

There are things about it that I'm not happy with.

Hopefully it's good enough.

Finally, it's Margaret.

She's cooked stuffed chicken breast

with butter beans

and a tomato and red pepper sauce.

It's seasoned really well.

And I really enjoy those butter beans

with that sweet, almost sharp, pepper and tomato sauce.

But the sauce itself is just not giving

enough moisture to the chicken.

So the whole thing tastes a little bit dry.

I am cross with myself. Because I can cook really good food.

Well done. John and I now have to deliberate.

Remember, two of you will be leaving the competition.

Thank you.

That was one serious roller-coaster ride.

Some really exciting cooking, and some pretty average cooking.

Dish of the day has to come from Andrew. Lots of skill.

-Extraordinary flavours.

-Beautiful stuff.

The other cook that's got to go through,

which is obvious, is Jay.

Ah! Honestly? The presentation,

his lightness of touch, his seasoning.

Brilliant.

Andrew's through, Jay is through.

And after that, my mind is a muddle.

My number three choice is actually Ian.

He understands flavour, John, and he's got a decent touch.

Jonathan did a huge amount of work. Completely boned that chicken, roasted the bones, made the sauce.

He kept that chicken really moist.

That leaves us with

Sai,

Bethan,

Lee,

-Margaret.

-And Margaret.

So, let's talk about Lee for a second.

Potato risotto with chorizo

and well-cooked fish, I think is decent.

Just the orange was bizarre.

LEE: This is about me, and my wanting a new direction.

I really hope I'm still here.

I want to be here.

JOHN: I had real high hope for Margaret.

Chicken was cooked, sauce was good.

But it was all a bit dry.

I would be elated if they turned around and said,

"We're going to give you another chance."

Big promise from Bethan. But the delivery?

Soggy pastry, the meringue not cooked enough,

the sauce looking as though somebody may have sneezed over it.

I've got this far, to have that chance taken away

would just be so disappointing.

-Sai cooked us a pork chop.

-Decent dauphinoise.

But if you're going to do pork chop, potato and cabbage,

it's got to be really good, John.

If I went home, I'd feel like I hadn't been able to show my flair.

The room is completely divided, with the very, very good,

and the people who made lots of mistakes.

Two of you are going to leave us.

Jay...

..Andrew...

..congratulations. You're staying with us.

Your food today was simply fantastic.

Ian...

..Jonathan...

..you're staying in.

We like the taste of your food.

So that leaves me, really, with you four.

Margaret...

..Sai...

..Lee...

..and Bethan.

The first person leaving us...

..is Bethan. Thank you.

The second person leaving us...

..is Sai.

Well done, guys.

But we expect you to step it up.

Which is why we are now sending you

to do a service in a professional kitchen.

Get away!

It's tough. It's hot. It's busy.

You've got to look, you've got to learn, you've got to focus.

You've got to take on all the lessons.

Jay, Ian and Jonathan are being sent to cook Indian cuisine

at La Porte Des Indes, under executive chef, Mehernosh Mody.

Nothing moves out of that kitchen unless it's perfect.

You make a mess twice, I move over and I do it myself. That's it.

Jay's in charge of the tandoori seafood dish, with salmon,

prawns and scallops.

To get started with the fish, you go with the prawns,

and you go with the scallop.

Jay's got one of the most difficult parts of the three of them today.

Tandoori takes years and years of skill.

I really want to be pushed, so I'm really looking forward

to a fast and furious service.

Jonathan's responsible for tamarind duck, with spiced rice.

We like to serve the duck absolutely nice and pink and rosy.

Timing's going to be difficult, just making sure it's all ready together.

I'm going to try and get on top of that.

Ian's cooking Karaikal beef stir fry with spiced potatoes.

How simple does that look?

But it's not, is it?

Further south, Andrew, Margaret

and Lee are en route to London's Bankside.

I am really worried about, if I have a popular dish,

that it all goes a bit mental, if you like.

They'll be cooking at the Swan At The Globe,

a restaurant serving traditional English dishes

designed by executive chef, Kieren Steinborn.

The standards are high

because the clientele that come here know what they're getting.

So I can't let anything go out of that kitchen that isn't up to scratch.

Andrew's cooking grilled mackerel,

with runner beans, radish

and a tomato and herb sauce.

Probably give it a minute on the stove,

and another minute and half under the grill.

-ANDREW:

-I can't believe how quickly he cooked it! I hope I can do that.

Margaret's dish is roast pork chop, with braised cabbage and bacon,

and an apple and mustard sauce.

-Two minutes now, like that.

-Yep.

Flip it over.

Once it goes over, 30 seconds.

In the oven. Four to five minutes.

So I expect the pork to be medium. Not medium-rare, not medium-well.

Lee's making roast chicken with pearl barley risotto

and a chicken sauce.

You can't take the bird out unless you know it's cooked.

Cos once you take off the bone, if it's raw, there's no going back.

-Stressed, cool?

-Cool.

-Fantastic.

It's midday, and both restaurants are filling up.

The calm before the storm.

All ears, and keep listening on as you're going.

I'm worrying that I haven't got everything ready.

-Everything ready out there?

-Yes, chef.

On order, one chicken, one pork.

- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.

Lee's first to face the heat with orders for his chicken.

Let's go with the chicken, up the top, here.

No wetter on that risotto. That's as wet as you want to get it.

It's hot, it's quick, it's fast-paced.

It's everything I expected it to be.

On order, two pork chop.

Yes, chef. Two more?

Oil, oil, oil.

Yes.

Margaret, in one minute you can start dressing your pork chop

on a vintage plate.

Yes, chef.

-Oh, dear.

-Service!

-Yes, chef.

Hang on, hang on, hang on. Right.

That pork isn't cooked.

Get it back in the pan, get your garnish off the plate, start again.

It's a bit overwhelming.

So I'm now lagging behind.

Three ratatouille, one salmon,

and a mackerel.

Right, give me a time on that, Andrew.

-Two minutes.

-Two minutes?

Er, what's next?

Right, give me the ratatouille up.

Get that out of there, it's overcooking.

Your garnish should be on your plate by now, yeah?

Go on the mackerel. I've burnt the skin, I've burnt the skin.

-Eh?

-I've burnt the skin.

Bring me the fish up the top, here.

Lovely. Very nice.

Service!

I thought I'd burnt the mackerel, but he said it was lovely, so...

I'll try and do that again.

In central London, the restaurant's also full at La Porte Des Indes.

One more duck on order for the main course.

You shouldn't have dished out the rice then, that's going to get cold.

Come on, come on, Jonathan, you've got to move fast, now.

Dish out the sauce and put it out, straight.

Jonathan.

When you do the sauce,

because there will always be

some of the duck fat surfacing out of the stock,

just give it a little bit of a stir, and do that. OK?

Sauce was a bit, hadn't quite mixed it properly the first time,

but I've got it now, so...

One more duck, one more beef on order. Time yourself with...

With the duck?

Everything's last minute. It's all got to be cooked extremely quickly.

Two chilli beef, chef.

I didn't ask for pick-up. It has to come with that.

-Oh. You not ready?

-He's not ready with that.

Over on the tandoor, Jay's juggling multiple orders

for his seafood dish.

I've got four seafood grills that have just come into order for main course.

Tandoori oven's a killer. Absolute killer.

HE GROANS

No!

Two seafood up, chef.

Jay. Do you have another piece of salmon?

This one's pretty much flaked out.

It's a nightmare, it's just breaking.

If I put it long, it holds the meat better together.

-Then you'll have less breakages.

-Yes, chef.

Jay, you've got to move it.

OK, that's much better. Much better than the other one.

Back at The Swan, service is just as hectic.

Right, three mackerel away, then.

Four pork chops on order, two away.

And I need one of them yesterday.

-How long for the pork?

-I'm not sure, chef.

-Well, check.

-Chef, I need some help. I've lost the plot.

-Jose?

-Yes, chef.

Come on to the passing, please.

Get that out. Give it a minute. Dress it.

-Let's have that pork. I need it now.

-Yes, chef.

That's not the one I just cooked, is it?

-This one?

-It's not the one I had.

That's the one I just took out of the pan. That's raw.

Get it back in the oven.

I'll get there. I'll get there. I won't give up.

-Right, Lee, you've seven chickens.

-Seven chickens.

You should have seven on order. One away now.

-So, is that the chicken?

-Yes, chef.

As service draws to a close, Lee continues to impress.

Spot on.

Thank you, chef.

Got the chicken out and nothing's come back

so I'm going to take that as a thumbs-up. Plus.

All the orders came so quickly and that completely threw me,

really hard work, really hard work.

This experience is just an amazing buzz and I'm still on a high.

I just love the adrenaline of it.

It ain't no walk in the park, mate. It really isn't.

No dish has come back so that's good.

I've learnt a great respect for the guys that work in these kitchens.

You've got to be together.

Fantastic. If this is a taste of things to come,

I want to be here till the end.

We only have three MasterChef aprons.

This is where it counts. Your own food.

One hour and ten minutes.

Let's cook.

We know the benchmark, we know the standard,

we know what they've got to do to make it through.

What will not make it through is safe.

To be given a MasterChef apron today would just be so exciting.

I really want it.

Margaret, what are you going to cook for us?

It's a plum frangipane tart with a rose and vanilla ice cream.

Why are you doing us a dessert today?

I've not had a great start. I've got it all to play for.

This is a lovely dish and I want to impress you.

Plum and frangipane tart. And a rose-flavoured ice cream.

John, right now, I'm in love with her.

I think, if I get it right, this dish is good.

And I think it's got a bit of wow factor in it.

-Jonathan, what are you going to cook for us?

-It's pigeon en croute.

Pigeon en croute, so pigeon wrapped in pastry

in one hour and ten minutes.

I figured, given that the pastry is so integral to the dish,

I had to give it a go and make it myself.

That's impressive. Do you feel like you've got a lot to prove?

Yeah, I feel like I dodged a bullet last time, definitely.

And I'm hoping to improve today.

I've got to say, I am really excited.

As long as that pigeon is lovely and pink inside

and that puff pastry crisp on the outside.

He's given himself a lot of work to do.

This competition now means everything.

It's taken over my life and I hope that I can handle the pressure.

Ian, when you started cooking, you had two lobsters, a watermelon,

a cantaloupe, some squid.

-What are you making?

-Lobster salad.

-Lobster salad from all that?

-Yes.

And some tempura squid, some cantaloupe and basil caviar.

Little balls of basil and melon, how do you make that?

-It's an alginate mix.

-Have you made these little balls before?

Not as often as I would have liked to.

Watermelon, lobster and basil with cantaloupe. Wow.

Sounds like the fishmonger's crashed into the fruit and veg shop.

20 minutes gone already. 20 minutes gone.

There's a lot of pressure today. You have to be in the top two or three to be safe.

Andrew, what are you going to cook for us?

I'm cooking stuffed saddle of rabbit.

I'm doing that with crispy polenta, butternut squash puree and a leek and lovage fondue.

Cos of the success of your last dish,

have you given yourself a tough act to follow?

I have but I want to keep that standard up.

I want to show you that I can really cook and it wasn't a one-off.

There are so many processes, so much to do but I'm excited,

-I'm really excited.

-This could be very good.

35 minutes gone.

You're halfway.

I'm not thinking about anything going wrong.

Because you start thinking about things going wrong and they do.

Tell us what you're making today.

I'm doing pan-fried duck breast with celeriac and shallot puree,

some broad beans, baby carrots and a red wine and redcurrant jus.

It should come together as a well-rounded dish.

You enjoying this?

After the tandoori, you can put me in anything.

It's got to be right on the money.

I'm going to give it my best shot for you, boys. You know, I'll try my best.

I'll try my best, that's all I can do.

Classic dishes are beautiful dishes, John, but only if they are executed to perfection.

Last 15 minutes, please.

Being here kind of really makes you realise how much it means

cos the thought of going out today would be truly, truly devastating.

Lee, tell me your dish.

Pan-roasted loin of venison, red onion puree, celeriac fondant,

spinach and a chocolate and stout sauce.

I've tried and tested this, I think I've got it.

-You're fighting for this, aren't you?

-I can't remember the last time I've fought for anything this bad.

Lee's got some interesting flavours with his venison.

He's still being slightly unusual but, thankfully,

not a single orange in sight.

Three minutes left.

60 seconds.

Right, that's it.

Stop.

Ian's made lobster salad with roast watermelon,

tempura squid and basil and cantaloupe caviar.

Very nicely cooked lobster.

And I love that with the sweetened watermelon.

-This, I do really enjoy, however...

-Oh.

-..I feel, tempura, lettuce, melon and lobster is too much.

-Right.

-For the poor lobster.

-For me, a very daring dish.

Your lobster is cooked beautifully but not quite balanced properly.

The herb spherification hasn't worked, which is a shame.

I've not done myself justice again.

I'll be really upset if I don't make it through today.

Andrew's made sweetcorn-stuffed saddle of rabbit

on a bed of leek and lovage fondue with polenta cakes

and butternut-squash puree with cobnuts.

Rabbit's cooked really well. Still wonderfully moist.

And the sweetness of the butternut squash puree

is also lovely.

The rabbit is lovely and tender, the way it's been poached

and your filling, the sweetcorn, delicious.

But the leek is, like, boom!

The leeks are overpowering everything else which makes me sad.

I'm feeling nervous.

Because to go out on a really small error would be so disappointing.

Margaret's cooked a plum and frangipane tart

and a vanilla and rosewater ice cream with plum syrup.

Lovely, nutty, marzipan-like frangipane.

Light, sticky and sweet.

However, we need to be stronger with this rosewater.

-We need to be strong with the plum.

-Right.

He's left me some, thankfully.

It feels as though you've just held back a little bit

cos you've been a bit nervous. And it tastes like that.

In hindsight, I didn't push myself enough.

I have to wow them and I'm not sure that I did.

Lee's cooked loin of venison on a bed of sweet and sour red onion

with celeriac fondant, spinach and a chocolate and stout sauce.

Your venison is cooked really well and still lovely and pink.

The woodiness of your celeriac,

the bitterness of your sauce is really good.

But the sweetness of that red onion puree

is knocking away any flavour of venison at all.

My mate's absolutely right, it's too powerful for the venison.

The flavours are getting there, it's just, you know,

a couple of little things here and there just let me down.

I don't want to go home.

Jay's made pan-fried duck breast with thyme, celeriac cream puree,

baby carrots, broad beans and a red wine and redcurrant jus.

I get earthy sweetness from the celeriac,

slight hint of bitterness from your sauce,

very moist, very sweet, very lovely duck

with a hint of thyme. All without fault.

It works.

Maybe I've got a good chance. Who knows?

Well, them two do.

Finally, it's Jonathan.

He's serving pigeon en croute with confit pigeon leg,

fondant potato and celeriac puree.

For the first time in the history of amateur MasterChef,

somebody has made puff pastry, all within one hour and ten minutes.

So, you've made history, well done.

Your potato fondant's not cooked.

And, in a way, because of the way the dish is,

you didn't even need to serve it. It's a shame you did.

Cos it's detracting from the absolute beauty of the rest of it.

Love, love, love that brilliant, smoky, rich flavour

that comes from your pigeon Wellington. Love it.

Really, really good cooking.

But how does the man who makes the beautiful pigeon en croute

serve a raw potato fondant?

I-I honestly don't know. I thought it was cooked.

Er, I've just made a schoolboy error, basically.

Well, mate, schoolboy error could send you out the competition.

We have now got to make a tough decision

because, in this the room today, there are no absolutes.

We only have a few places left in the competition.

Thanks very much.

That was a good day. Really good day.

With some seriously skilful cooking. But mistakes.

-Now, we need to make the decision.

-Oh.

-Take the best cooks with us.

Those who we don't think can make it go home.

Jay had a great idea.

A classic dish, roast duck breast, redcurrant, red wine sauce.

I thought it was tender and juicy and the seasoning was very good.

Andrew is, in my mind, a cook with extraordinary knowledge

and a very clever touch.

The rabbit was perfectly moist and we had a really lovely puree.

You like Jay and Andrew.

Then we are left now with Ian, Lee,

Jonathan and Margaret.

I see a lot to admire in Ian. The perfect cooking of the lobster.

But then, you couldn't taste the squid,

the whole dish just had so much thrown at it in his want to impress.

I don't want to go home now. More than anything else I want to stop in that competition.

Jonathan cooked a wonderful pigeon en croute.

And a potato as hard as a house brick.

-I think Jonathan's a class act.

-Right.

-But, at the same time, he's making silly mistakes.

If you go home cos you made a really basic error,

then you just feel like a numpty.

I've enjoyed watching Lee develop and the textures of his dish, I thought, were beautiful.

Big, strong flavours. But the venison couldn't hold up.

I can't find the words to express just how much I want to be,

you know, in the next round.

The skill involved in what Margaret did today, I thought, was fantastic.

The frangipane, perfect. Great ice cream, beautiful syrup.

But the whole thing, unfortunately, was just a bit... HE SIGHS

Being a little bit cowardly today

may have cost me that apron which is a real shame.

Who lines up with the contestants we've already put through?

In my opinion, there are only three cooks in here

who are up to the same standard as those nine.

We believe that three of you have what it takes to join these other extraordinary cooks.

Andrew...

Jay...

..you are staying in the competition. Well done.

The first person leaving us...

..is Ian. Sorry.

I came here to win. And I've not even got an apron.

So, it's a little bit disappointing

and it's possibly time to look down other avenues.

The second person to leave us...

-..is Margaret.

-Thank you.

The standard already is probably higher than I could achieve.

So, it's appropriate that I go.

There is just one MasterChef apron left.

The third person leaving us...

..is Lee.

I'm sorry, mate.

I'm feeling pretty mortified.

Obviously, I didn't get what I wanted out of this.

So, it's kind of back to the drawing board

but I don't think this is the end.

Congratulations, guys.

I'm excited. It's going to be an awesome adventure.

I'd love to go wild, this moment in time but I've got to keep my feet on the floor.

I'm absolutely elated. I can't really put it into words,

what it means. It just means so much.

You are our talented dozen. Well done. Well done.

This is going to be one exciting competition.

The best 12 amateurs have been selected.

Next week, they face each other for the first time.

Cooking for their toughest audience yet.

Are we ready for showtime?

That's about to be their baptism of fire.

It would be terrifying cooking for this crowd. Really, really terrifying.

I need somewhere else to plate.

Disaster.

-Come on, Jonathan.

-Coming, chef.

So is Christmas, son. Let's go.

If this goes well, I should be full up with fantastic food

and you should be close to a near-death experience.

Thank you very much.

This is exquisite.

It's like tasting a mouth of fresh sea.

-It's my kind of food.

-Where's the sauce?

Is there somebody out there with a jug of sauce under their bench?

Criminal.

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