Episode 20 MasterChef

Tonight, these four amateurs face just one challenge

for a place in the MasterChef finals.

It would be an amazing achievement if I make it to the final,

beyond, like, all my expectations.

I think I really need to stand up head and shoulders above the rest

and hopefully, that'll be enough.

The weight of the world is on my shoulders.

I have to step up to that mark.

Whoever makes the mistakes today puts himself in the firing line.

If I concentrate on getting my food right, I should remove myself from that equation.

Ladies and gentlemen, the critics are arriving.

They will never, ever cook for a more challenging room.

I almost feel sorry for them. If I was a nicer person, I would, but I don't. Just bring me good food.

I've got to send these plates, otherwise I am stuffed.

Oh!

If they don't get that right today, we might as well write their epitaph.

Today, your challenge is immense.

Out of these doors in there I'm going to be hosting a lunch

for 12 of the most feared and respected restaurant critics in the land.

That is one shockingly scary room.

OK, you four,

service.

-We've never done anything like this ever before.

-You know why? Because it's crazy.

If I come out of this alive, you're going to buy me a pint.

-Good luck, John. It's big. Best of luck.

-Thanks very much. Good luck with those crazy critics.

I am feeling absolutely crippled with nerves right now. This is the most nervous I've ever been.

It's the stage of the competition where the tasks get harder and harder.

I knew this one was coming up. I just didn't expect 12 of them!

If I make any silly mistakes, I'll be going straight home,

so, you know, I've got to just keep my cool and really push myself as hard as I can.

This is the final opportunity to stake your claim for a place in the final, so if I'm not focused,

then I'm not going to go through.

You know the deal.

At the end of this, one of you will be going home and we will have our three finalists.

Ladies and gentlemen, good luck.

Three courses, 12 critics.

Let's cook.

The four contestants have been asked to design their own three-course menu.

Saira, we know, delivers big, punchy flavours,

she delivers wonderful, tasty dishes and she cooks the food that she loves.

The chicken is just fantastic.

That is super yum.

Oh!

The question for Saira is the look of her dishes.

You can't really put your food in a paper bag for MasterChef, can you?

I came into this competition as a decent home cook.

Now I've cooked in professional kitchens to a really high standard.

Service, please!

Now, you see what you can do?

Today, it needs to be absolute perfection.

All the things that I've picked up along the way, all the criticism that I've had,

I have to take all that on board and show that I've learnt from it.

My starter is a selection of street food appetisers -

chicken samosa, chicken livers on a roti and a chicken kebab with a raw tamarind chutney.

How appealing do you think that is to a group of food critics?

They'll be small and delicate. I'm doing different shapes, so it should be appealing visually as well.

It'll taste good which is always what I aim for with my food.

-So, lots can go wrong.

-Yes, because there's lots of little bits to do to get ready.

Saira's got a very complicated menu, I think.

It could be rough, it could be jagged, but if we have wonderful dips and sauces

and small gems and jewels, then Saira will succeed.

Natalie's a fabulous cook with some lovely ideas.

She walked in here, cooked us a bowl of mussels and we realised that girl had some magic in her fingertips.

The flavour sensations in a tiny bit of cauliflower couscous dust are incredible.

As the competition's gone on, she gets better and better.

An amazing plate of food. Well done.

Thank you.

Confidence is never really a strong point.

I showed a bit of weakness in the Savoy from panicking a bit.

I'm not going to get it done. It won't go out on time.

You've done it. You've just done it, OK? Well done.

Today, the dishes I'm cooking got the seal of approval from my mum and my grandad,

so I think if I keep my cool and keep calm, hopefully, it should impress the critics.

You seem to be the most nervous you've been.

It's because it's for a place in the final, plus we've got 12 scary critics in there to keep happy.

You are cooking what for us today?

A pan-fried sea bream fillet with a langoustine,

langoustine sauce, caramelised fennel and braised fennel.

-Did you ever think you'd be doing food like this?

-Not in a million years.

-How do you think that's happened?

-I've just grown over the competition

and I've just force-fed myself as much information as possible.

Natalie, I think, has a fantastic starter.

The critics will expect something very classic, very French and she's got to produce a brilliant sauce.

Your first 25 minutes have gone.

Two hours of preparation left.

Larkin has been really impressive in this competition.

The flavours in there are extraordinary enough without the citrus zing. You clever boy!

It's a very clever thing and you should be really proud.

But he has had a worrying dip in form.

-You're serving a souffle in a mango?

-Yeah.

Oh, no.

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to taste that. It's just not good enough.

Your oven wasn't on, you've still got to cook them for half an hour and they've got to cool.

We need to get the clever, brave Larkin back soon.

I genuinely think I'm going to be going home today if I don't perform.

After the scathing comments from Marcus Wareing, I feel like I've got a point to prove.

What happened to your confidence when you got savaged?

My confidence took a dent, but I think it was a good thing

because I think I just forgot what food was all about and it's making people enjoy the food.

It's not about messing around and showing how clever you are or whatever,

well, as it turns out, how unclever you are!

-Let's talk about your starter.

-Asian, smoky confit salmon with caviar.

Very, very "Asiany" type of flavours and cherrywood smoke to go with it.

Timing will be key. I'll have to shout out to the other contestants to see where they're at,

-so I can put the smoke in at the last moment.

-I'll be doing the shouting.

-OK.

Larkin's first course, confit smoked salmon, is intriguing.

If Larkin presents something really beautiful and delicious, I think those guys will be really impressed.

Dale has been really ambitious throughout this competition.

You've done a huge amount of work here, Dale, and you've got really big, bold flavours

and really interesting ideas.

It's a work of art on the plate and I adore the smell.

I think I've coped well with most things that have been thrown at me,

but at times the pressure's got to me and I've made mistakes.

It's as far away from fine dining as North Pole, South Pole.

The fact that it has affected you the way it has affected you, it shows passion, and you can't buy passion.

The bar's raised every round, not just by judges and critics,

it's raised by yourself because you expect more of yourself and you really push yourself to your limit.

For starter, we've got Dover sole and clams en papillote with julienne of fennel, leek

with a Thai basil pesto.

-Baked in paper?

-Yeah.

-How will you know whether your fish is cooked right or your clams are right?

It's something I've tried, tested, got right.

-If the oven's the right temperature, I know how long it takes.

-Great.

Dale is cooking a Dover sole, one of my favourite fish in the whole world.

A beautiful seafood dish, but he's doing it en papillote.

In a paper bag. He's making it harder and harder for himself.

Just to let you know,

the critics are arriving.

For almost a decade, MasterChef has tested contestants

by exposing them to the country's four top critics.

Those people have put themselves forward and said they're brilliant cooks,

so I'm expecting them to be as good as their word.

I don't think anyone's ever been up against most of Britain's toughest critics on one day in one room.

If I was a chef, I wouldn't want to be cooking today.

The person who really holds their nerve

and does what they know they're good at is the person that will do well today.

I think it's a lot of nonsense worrying about how difficult it might be to cook for one person or another.

The standard should be such that whoever you're cooking for, you do your best possible job.

One hour and 15 minutes gone. You are officially halfway.

The main course presentation will be influenced by what I saw at Benares. That's Michelin-starred Indian food.

If they can do it, then I'm sure that I can make something that looks presentable as well.

-Main course?

-Is lamb rezala which is a lamb loin with a rezala sauce,

which is kind of a tamarindy, hot and sour sauce,

with crushed new potatoes, green beans and gooseberry chutney.

Rezala, I believed, was thickening of cashew nuts and using yogurt?

-Is that right?

-I thought that too, but that's not, you know... Sorry, that's not what my mum calls it.

-So, this is your mum's dish?

-It's my mum's dish.

-Elegance on a plate?

-The lamb should look beautiful. I'll serve the sauce separately.

-Are you serving all the sauce separately?

-You'll not put a bit of sauce on the lamb?

-There's an aubergine puree. I forgot that. Sorry.

Saira's main course, a lamb rezala...

She's serving it with crushed potatoes and green beans, quite anglicised,

but then we've got gooseberry chutney and an aubergine puree?

It's a strange cacophony and I just hope all those things belong together on one plate.

I think I need to show John and Gregg that I can think for myself

and I can be organised and come up to that pass and present it pretty, get the cooking bang on,

but just also be a little bit original, you know.

For main, I'm doing rabbit loin wrapped in serrano ham

with cockles, a cockle vinaigrette and cauliflower puree.

Inspiration from what?

I wanted to cook rabbit and rabbit and cockles is a bit of an unusual combination on an English plate,

-but the Spanish do use them in a paella.

-What could go wrong?

The rabbit loins are a bit smaller than what I used in practice at home, so I'm going to test one out.

I think this is a very intriguing dish for a main course from Natalie.

It's either going to be absolutely wonderful or a complete disaster.

The risk with the main is I'm messing with a classic.

I have completely just changed it, so it might not go down well,

but if it does, then it is a new take on it.

It's my version of beef and black bean sauce with asparagus fried rice.

Beef and black bean sauce? I love it because we know you're going to do something extraordinary.

There's nothing like a beef and black bean sauce.

I wanted to do something that would seem quite light-hearted, but I will put a twist on it.

Are you going to reassure me today that you're not winging any of these dishes, that they're practised?

To...to an extent, they are practised,

but I've got a few ingredients I've never used before. I'm going to taste them and see what they taste like.

So you haven't finished these dishes off in your mind yet?

Not yet, no.

Larkin actually is looking really confident because he believes the food he's cooking is good.

If he gets it right, it will be delicious,

but at the same time, he does divide the crowd.

-Your main course?

-Pork fillet with ginger, crackling, roast potatoes, spiced cabbage, salt-baked carrots.

-What is the advantage of salt-roasting something?

-Once you eat them, you realise what it does.

-The natural flavour of the carrot is transformed.

-Tell me about the ginger crumb.

-It's just a seasoning.

Ginger nut biscuit, ginger powder, spices and salt.

It's used on a plate for the guests to put spicing on the pork itself.

-Your ginger crumb is an optional seasoning?

-Yeah.

The main course of pork loin with roast potatoes, John, it's like a posh roast dinner. It's brilliant!

-I think it's too many ingredients on one plate.

-Nah!

The regular MasterChef critics

have been joined by eight other renowned food experts.

I'm not comfortable in this room and I'm not cooking.

Only MasterChef could gather together

as many scary people as this.

This is a chef's nightmare, this room.

I almost feel sorry for them.

If I was nicer, I would, but I don't. Just bring me good food!

At this level of the competition, they should conquer their nerves

and bring the food out on time and looking good.

30 minutes of preparation left and that's it, then we start moving into service mode

and Johnny Torode turns into a completely different beast!

-What are you cooking?

-A fig and frangipane tart with an orange mascarpone cream.

I've gone for flavours that I like. I like almonds, I like figs.

-And as you probably know, I love an orange, so...

-Yeah.

I thought altogether it would be quite nice.

-Small tarts, big tarts?

-I'm doing little individual tarts.

-You'll have to get a move on.

-I will.

Natalie's got a possible crowd-winning dessert, you know.

A fig and frangipane tart could look a bit like a housewife's favourite

and she's got to make it look restaurant-smart.

One hour's prep time, guys.

The dessert is rhubarb and custard.

It's a baked egg custard with roasted rhubarb, rhubarb syrup and ginger nut crumbs.

When you say baked custard, do you mean a creme caramel type thing?

Sort of, but there's no caramel. It's my grandmother's recipe.

She used to make it in her village in Bangladesh with a wood-fired stove.

-That would've been an amazing celebration dish because you've got eggs and milk.

-Yes.

Eggs, milk and sugar which was very valuable.

The sugar was used very sparingly, so this was done for special occasions.

It's one of my dad's favourites, a childhood memory.

-Three places in the final...

-Yeah.

-How do you feel about yourself now?

I feel very proud of myself that I've got this far and I think... Sorry.

It's all right, love. You won't be the only one today.

I'll do the same. It's going to be a tough day for all of us.

I've had so much fun and I don't want to go.

I've done the food I love and that's what I'm doing today, so I hope the critics like it.

I love her emotion today. I think that's what really counts.

Saira is cooking food that evokes memories of her childhood,

but the thing now is making sure that it looks beautiful.

For my dessert, a chocolate souffle with vanilla cream.

Fighting for a place in the final three and you're cooking a souffle?

The last time we saw a souffle from you, it was a disaster.

You were savaged not by just one person, but by three of us. Why are you taking the risk of a souffle?

I want to redeem myself doing a souffle.

Had I known there were going to be 12 critics, I probably would have made a different decision.

On that pass, those orders are going to go out table by table.

He can't send out one lot of souffles which are beautifully risen and the next lot which are flat.

He'll be the one telling everybody else when the desserts leave this room

or he just doesn't serve his souffles and they don't work.

It's a very refined dessert.

It's eye-catching, but the depth of flavour is the star of the show.

You've got rich chocolate truffle cake with a honey and milk ice cream,

orange zest and hazelnut brittle. Lots of things I don't normally do.

But you're fighting for a place in the final.

-When I say it's not something I usually do, it's just not an everyday dessert.

-So why do it?

We're at the semi-finals of MasterChef and you've got to show you can do more than what you do at home.

-How much do you want it?

-It's difficult to put into words.

If somebody got inside my head, they'd see how much I wanted it,

but probably wouldn't understand it because it's consuming my life.

As far as I can see, he is back and I'm loving his menu.

I hope he holds his nerve, gets it out right and the critics are as enthusiastic about it as I am.

The menu today is made up of four starters, four mains

and four puddings.

Wow!

It's up to each critic to choose what they want.

I do generally look for the dishes that read as car crashes.

There's nothing better than seeing a disaster on a plate because there's something to write about.

Here, I'm battling with myself. Does the milk of human kindness win out

or do I let them hang themselves from a very short rope?

-Can I take your order?

-I'll start with the salmon, please.

I'll have the Dover sole.

I think it's the plate of chicken appetisers to start.

Could I have the sea bream with the langoustine?

-I'll go for the sea bream.

-I think I'm going to go for the sea bream.

Ladies and gentlemen, your first orders are in.

Table one - two bream, two chicken, one sole, two salmon.

Table two - one bream, one chicken, one sole.

25 minutes, guys, on the pass, please.

-I can't hear you!

-Yes, chef!

Yes, John!

For my starter, I've ordered the pan-fried sea bream with langoustine.

There's a lot of potential for very expensive ingredients to be misused, so I'm quite intrigued by that.

-Natalie, how are you feeling about getting the most orders?

-Under pressure.

-Under control?

-Yeah. I've got my caramelised fennel here. It's sitting on some parchment paper.

I need to take this fennel off now, otherwise it'll end up burning.

What happens if you get the most main course and dessert orders?

Then I'm just going to have to work my butt off.

To start with, I've got the Dover sole. The way it's cooked, which is kind of in an envelope,

it can be overcooked and it can go really, really kind of mushy.

So, yeah, I'm curious to see how it's going to turn out.

-How many have you made so far?

-One.

-How many have you got to make?

-Four.

-How long are they going to take, Dale, in the oven?

-Eight minutes.

15, guys.

Actually, 14.

I ordered the plate of chicken appetisers.

I'm hoping that I'm going to get some fragrant spices there,

I'm hoping that it's going to be a really nice, light dish.

Indian starters with chutney - can you really screw that up? Probably.

Why are you in a muddle?

Er...um... Oh, I haven't done this yet.

-Why are you in a muddle?

-I'm just trying to make sure

that I get one thing out, because I'm not even convinced I'll do that, before I think about the next thing.

-I'll leave you alone.

-I'll get it out.

I've got the salmon confit

with caviar and a sort of smokiness.

Smoking is quite difficult even for a professional kitchen

because it's very, very easy to over-smoke.

-The lighter's not working.

-You've got to turn it on. That's why.

You've got five minutes, yeah?

-Five minutes.

-I've got four... Three.

OK.

-Dale, is your first fish going to be ready in three minutes?

-Yes, chef.

-Yeah?

-Exactly three.

-Three minutes on the first table, please.

-Three minutes?

-Three minutes.

Let's send these restaurant critics into raptures.

Table one - two bream, two chicken, a sole and two salmon.

I need a blowtorch. This is too hot.

60 seconds, guys. First plates to the pass, please.

-Larkin, what's happening with this smoke? Why is it not going in there?

-I think it's the gun.

Let's go, Larkin, please.

-Is there much smoke in there?

-I'll put a bit more in there.

Take it back. I don't want to see it until you've got it in there.

Guys, I should be seeing this stuff now.

Thank you.

Very good.

Right, Dale, two, please. Let's see 'em.

OK, service, please. Let's go.

Right, next table - two bream, no chicken, no sole, one salmon.

The pressure is still on for Natalie who has the most orders.

Come on, Nat, let's go.

-I'm waiting on you now, Natalie, please.

-Coming!

Thank you. Back for the next two, please.

Watch your plates. They're getting muckier and muckier. OK?

OK, guys, let's go. This is the last table.

Thank you.

I'm waiting on you, Natalie.

-Natalie...

-Coming, chef.

-Come on, come on, come on!

Right, thank you.

Guys, I'm really impressed. If you do the main courses like that, I'll be very happy.

OK, service, please! Let's go.

That looks good.

I'm going in.

Dale plated three orders of his Dover sole

with New Zealand littleneck clams and Thai basil pesto,

cooked en papillote.

The Dover sole is fine.

When you cook something en papillote, what you want is for all the flavours to come together.

That hasn't really happened. There's some nice flavours here, but it doesn't come together as a dish.

The sole was maybe a bit overcooked, a bit firmer than it should be, but it was really good.

Saira has served four plates of her appetisers -

a chicken cake,

chicken livers on roti

and a chicken samosa with tamarind chutney.

The chutney was bright and vivid and really zingy. I could have had a bath in that with a friend.

Next to that was a crisp samosa which was still crisp and warm. Great.

The little chicken livers were overcooked and then there was the little chicken cake

which was dry and dusty and sad.

The elements of this dish taken singly are pretty sound.

Why have they been miniaturised and served as it were in a restaurant?

I don't want a postage stamp of bread.

This dish is a total shambles.

The little chicken cake is really dry.

The livers are dry, the samosa was really dry.

So you look for some comfort from the chutney and it's so acidic that it slaps you across the face

and, basically, tells you off for ordering it in the first place.

Larkin made three portions

of his Asian, smoky confit salmon with caviar,

a black fungus garnish and a soy and mirin dressing.

This is surprisingly good. I was worried that the smoke effect would be too strong.

But in fact, it's quite subtle.

The salmon that has been cured had a very, very nice taste, so that was good.

The salmon is difficult to pull off technically.

It's lovely and fatty, it's got a nice texture. I would have liked more seasoning, so it tastes more punchy.

This salmon is a lovely dish, slightly salty from the soy, it's got smokiness in there as well.

It is really light and really moreish.

Natalie's pan-fried sea bream fillet with langoustine,

braised fennel, caramelised fennel and a langoustine sauce

was the most popular with six orders.

The sea bream was a perfectly harmonious dish.

It was a perfectly good way to sort of start off a meal and there was skill.

Fennel, langoustine, sea bream... You can't go wrong, right?

And it's very, very good.

Whoever made that, I'm in love with them already. They can come and move in.

Hmm! Hmm, that sauce...

That's creamy. Oh, well done.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ladies and gentlemen, main courses.

I'll have the lamb rezala, please.

I'm going to be honest.

I'm not sure what a rezala is.

A lot of people in this room don't know either.

I'll have the fillet steak and black bean sauce for the main course.

If you're going to win MasterChef, you've got to cook a steak perfectly, so I'm keen to see how that pans out.

The ginger pork fillet.

Look at that wonderful, warming dish. He's putting lots of warming spices into that whole menu.

They're going to have to be careful that those spices and that ginger

doesn't overpower the meat and the vegetables.

Rabbit loin wrapped in serrano ham,

cockles, cauliflower puree,

samphire and cockle vinaigrette. You don't have to write all of that down!

Table one - one rabbit, one pork, two steak and three lamb.

You have 30 minutes from this point.

I'm really excited about the rabbit dish because I think cockles are just so underused as an ingredient.

How they'll work with rabbit, I have no idea.

Watch your rabbit. You've still got 25 minutes left. How long have they been cooked for already?

-Five minutes.

-And how are they?

That's perfectly cooked after five minutes. Have you got any more?

Whilst Natalie has to start her rabbit again...

..Dale is also getting his timings wrong.

-Still a while to go, Dale. Hold back here.

-It's going to take a while to... OK.

They don't want cold food.

But it's Saira who's up against it the most.

-How many lamb are you doing?

-I've got to do three loins.

-How many portions for each loin?

-Two.

-How many orders have you got?

-Six.

-You've got the most main courses. Does that worry you?

-No, I'm kind of happy.

-OK.

-I think I'll do another lamb, now that you mention it.

-Yes.

-The potatoes aren't done.

-The potatoes aren't done?

-Yeah.

-You'll need to start plating in a minute. You've got three lamb.

-Three.

-Four minutes left.

-Oh, my God!

Four minutes on the pass, please.

-Hello!

-ALL: Yes, chef!

Saira, you'll slow everybody else up, mate. Everyone else is getting their food on their plates.

You've got the most dishes on that order. You've got to shimmy, mate!

-Have you got plates hot, Saira?

-They're in the warming oven.

-You'd better get 'em, my friend.

Saira...30 seconds to get your plates up for me, please.

-I'm going to be late, then, Chef.

-No, you're not!

-I am.

-You'll have to move really fast.

Hurry!

Larkin, let's go, please.

Thank you very much. Interesting. It's beef and black bean sauce.

-Thank you.

-Yes, Chef.

Saira? As you can see, my pass is full of food and that food is going cold. Saira?

-Yes, sorry, Chef.

-How long?

Em...about one minute.

Don't even think about plating up, mate. The first one hasn't gone yet.

Thank you. Service, please.

Next table up, please! I need one rabbit, two pork, two steak, two lamb! Straight up, let's go!

-How long, Larkin?

-30 seconds, Chef!

-Pork?

-One minute, Chef.

-Rabbit?

-Coming now.

-Thank you.

Saira?

Just the sauce and the chutney. Two seconds. Well, not two seconds, obviously.

-Thank you.

-Sorry.

-Waiting on you again, Saira!

-Just coming, Chef. I'm sorry.

-Come on, mate! Everybody else's food is going cold.

Oh.

I forgot my garnish.

-I've got to send these plates or I am stuffed.

-Coming right now.

Thank you. Service, please.

Well done, guys. Thank you very much.

Saira has served five portions of her lamb rezala,

served with crushed new potatoes, smoked aubergine puree,

green beans and a gooseberry chutney.

The curry sauce just really worked beautifully. It was a really well-balanced sauce.

I think I was sold a pup. I thought I was getting a curry.

What I got was a nice piece of cooked lamb with a curry sauce,

rather than a lovely piece of lamb infused in the curry sauce, which is what I was hoping for.

The curry is in a pot and has been held in there, captive.

They needed to release that curry!

I don't want to be mean, but it just wasn't very good.

Larkin served four plates of fillet steak

with a black bean sauce, pak choi

and asparagus fried rice.

I don't know what to say about this. It's a smear with a dead thing.

Lots of things have died, including my hope.

It's a decent bit of meat. It's not something to write home about.

But what is going on with these bits of vegetables? Why would anyone put that on a plate?

Well-cooked piece of beef. Nicely-cooked rice with the strength of asparagus,

but look - it's not going to set anyone on fire.

Dale has four orders of pan-roasted ginger pork fillet,

roast potato,

mulled cider sauce,

salt-baked heritage carrots,

spiced cabbage and ginger crumb.

It's really nice.

There's some fabulous things here. A really nice lump of crackling.

And some really good ginger that goes with the pork really well. Maybe the best red cabbage I've had.

-It's marvellous.

-Fillet of pork tenderloin is a very dull piece of meat.

So saying, it was quite nicely cooked and everything else on the plate was really good.

Crackling was really good, cabbage was good, the potato was good.

I think this is a good dish.

Natalie has cooked three plates of rabbit loin wrapped in Serrano ham

with cockles, samphire, cauliflower puree and a cockle vinaigrette.

I'd be lying if I said I'd had rabbit and cockles ever before, but there's no reason not to work.

The cauliflower puree was well executed, the rabbit was tender, the ham crisp.

It belonged in a restaurant.

It's a beautifully-balanced dish. He or she has a very good understanding of what works together.

The flavours harmonise really well and I'm really enjoying it. It's very memorable.

All those puddings look so fab. I think I'm going to go for the...rhubarb and custard.

I think I'll have the fig and frangipane tart, please.

Let's try the chocolate souffle.

-And the chocolate truffle cake to finish.

-Excellent.

I'll be the judge of that.

Guys, your desserts are on.

Table one - two fig, two chocolate, two rhubarb, one chocolate souffle.

-Table two - two fig, three chocolate cake, one rhubarb, one chocolate souffle.

-Yes, Chef!

Thank you very much.

Rhubarb and custard - an absolute classic, but a few little details tell me they'll put a twist on it.

Hopefully, it will be a good twist.

Is this for your old man, is it? Size-wise?

It's quite thin.

-Think about getting those tarts in, Natalie.

-Sorry, Chef?

-Get those tarts in or they won't be ready.

My dessert - fig and frangipane tart. If you're going to do a pastry-based thing, it's got to be done perfectly.

Getting the balance of a chocolate truffle cake right is really hard.

You can make it too rich and then you don't want to finish it. Or it can just fall apart.

I've ordered a chocolate souffle and vanilla cream. If it's a hot souffle, it's really very difficult.

If it's a cold souffle, it's really very nice, so I can't lose.

It's got mango written all over it.

Ten minutes to first plate, please.

Two minutes on the first desserts, please.

-How long, Larkin?

-30 seconds, Chef.

-I'm impressed.

Eh?

Not bad.

Last table, two minutes to pass, please.

Three chocolate cake, two fig tart, one rhubarb custard, one souffle.

Let's go on these, then, please.

What's happened, Larkin?

-It's... It just collapsed.

-Got to serve it, mate, sorry to say.

Chocolate now.

Where are you, Larkin? Come on, mate. Let's go.

Souffle!

Come on! Souffle, please. Let's go.

-Larkin...

-Yes, Chef.

-OH!

Oh, God!

I'm sorry. Souffle was dropped, but can we offer you a truffle cake?

-No, I'm OK, actually.

-OK.

Oh...what was that?!

They better have enjoyed that, I tell you.

It's got a nice, fluffy texture to it.

It's bitter enough, the chocolate, to take the custard through it.

That chocolate is very lovely. That's a plate licker.

That impressed me about the souffle.

Gone. All of it.

Saira served three portions of her baked egg custard

with roasted rhubarb,

rhubarb syrup and ginger nut crumbs.

The rhubarb - not very much of it, about five tiny pieces, and incredibly sour.

Really let down what actually would have been a winning dish, I think.

It's a lovely egg custard and I'm very impressed,

but if I was paying £10 for it in a restaurant, I'd be disappointed.

Natalie's dessert was the most popular as she's served five plates

with her fig and frangipane tart with an orange mascarpone cream.

It was actually a very well made dessert.

The pastry was crisp all the way through.

Frangipane could have been moister, but was good.

The pastry is a little hard. If they'd just pulled back

on the sugar a little bit,

lightened the pastry, it would have been perfect. The flavours were really nice.

There's nothing wrong with this. How can I say?

I would happily take it home, but I wouldn't take it home to meet Mum.

Dale had four orders for his chocolate truffle cake,

honey and milk ice cream, hazelnut brittle and orange zest.

Mmm.

That chocolate is so rich and dark. It's bitter. That's fabulous. I mean, really fabulous.

Very, very accomplished. Incredibly rich. You wouldn't want any more.

It was just a delight, actually.

This dessert is absolutely sensational. We've got a wonderful chocolate focus,

which is smooth and rich and full of intense flavour.

This is a triumph. 10 out of 10.

It's so intense and so rich, you can't finish it!

That said, the little bit of caramel brittle and ice cream was very nice,

but the main event, the chocolate...too much.

We are going to, at the end of today, lose one of you.

I think that's really difficult.

And I'm sorry.

Thanks very much, guys. Off you go, please.

-How was it for you, John?

-I've got a smile now it's over.

There were a couple of moments of madness, but actually, on the whole, I was really pleased.

-Dale, for me, sent the best food into this room.

-Dale's starter was really brave, actually.

I think he's proved himself to be a bit of a class act.

He's definitely got a decent touch and a good classic repertoire.

It's the most horrible wait so far. We've been in this position, waiting to know if you go through or home.

But the stakes have never been so high, so it's a horrible wait.

I wondered whether Natalie's ambition was bigger than her skills,

but I think she did very well today and came out with some very interesting food.

She's grown through the competition.

I've nearly chopped my thumb off, I've burnt myself a million times, I've cried a lot.

I've put everything into this and I don't want to go home, back to an office. I want to keep learning.

I've got to admire Larkin's courage for doing a souffle

after his mango fiasco. He got back on his bicycle there.

And that salmon was elegant.

But beef and black bean sauce, I was surprised, Gregg. I thought we'd have some extraordinary innovation.

It was fried rice in a bowl and a piece of steak!

That is a conundrum with Larkin.

There's been some rounds where I thought, "Yeah, I'll be all right."

This one I really have no idea.

We've said all along in this competition that Saira's cooked beautiful, tasty food.

Today some of those plates had things which were not quite there.

That lamb curry, it fell below everybody's expectation,

but some of the best dishes I've tasted were hers.

John, that lady can use spice.

I just want to be there at the end. Continue to learn and grow and see how much more I can do.

I think this is really tough, Gregg. I have to say from these four that I really like them.

They're great cooks, they've all got skill. And we have to send one of them home.

I think it's a really tough decision.

The first person...

..going through to the final...

..is Dale.

The second person...

..is Natalie.

Sorry!

So that means the last place in the final three is between Larkin and Saira.

The contestant leaving us...

-..is Saira. I'm sorry, love.

-Thank you.

Well done. Well done.

Well done.

You did so well. I'm so proud of you all.

Guys...

I think being part of MasterChef and getting this far will change my life.

I don't think I'm the same person that I was when I started this experience.

So I'm pretty confident that I'll be making some changes in my life after I leave here.

-You are our final three.

-Thank you.

You three are about to have the adventure of a lifetime.

Well done, boys. I'm the only bird left now!

To be in the final,

obviously is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

It's one of, if not the biggest day of my life.

It's just up there. I literally wanted to...

I...oh...

You can't get any better feeling than this.

You still think it's not real, like you're waiting to wake up from this dream. It's mad.

Well done. Finalists.

Cheers. Well done, guys.

Next week it's the MasterChef finals.

Dale,

Natalie

and Larkin

face the culinary adventure of a lifetime.

Are they cooked, Larkin?

This is their Everest.

If he goes down, the whole service will go down.

At the end of the week, only one of them will be crowned MasterChef Champion 2013.

Our MasterChef Champion is...

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