Highlights 6 Celebrity MasterChef

16 celebrities are battling it out

to win the coveted MasterChef crown.

I suppose it's the ultimate test, isn't it?

These celebrities have already reached the top of their professions.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

I'm about to walk into battle without half the ammunition that I need to win the war.

Everything inside me is shaking! It's not right!

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

Last time, Sharon, Danny and Justin

got their first taste of life in a busy restaurant kitchen.

I've got the scallops, I need my tortelli, please.

How do I know if it's cooked? Will somebody check?

I'm nervous.

Four starter! Four asparagus, my friend! Two - no eggs.

Quick, quick, quick!

I need the octopus in three minutes at the pass.

Danny, come here. Look at the beans! They're dry! They're no good!

-Do it again.

-OK.

-Quick.

Now they're back to face two more challenges

before one of them is sent home.

I've put in quite a lot of effort over the last few weeks

and I think it would all be in vain if I got kicked off now.

I've had a lot to learn. I didn't realise!

I was really in shock!

I didn't come here to prance about in front of the camera. I came to learn something.

I want to be in charge of my own cooking destiny.

Welcome back. I hope you had a great time in the restaurant kitchen.

This is an invention test.

On these benches there are a set of ingredients,

an extraordinary and beautiful set of ingredients.

Come and select your ingredients, please.

They must invent two dishes from ingredients including:

red snapper, pork sausages,

pork and beef mince, Parma ham,

tomatoes, peppers, porcini mushrooms,

Arborio rice, cheese and chocolate.

I'm going to tell you the truth. My mind's gone completely blank. Completely blank.

Two minutes, please.

Right, guys, here we go. Back to your benches, please.

It's time for you to truly impress. One hour 15 minutes,

your two dishes...

Let's cook.

Today is all about inspiration and creativity.

Who can step up and give us something very professional,

give us something very classy?

Justin started this competition throwing things at a plate,

hoping that all those bells and whistles would make his food better, and it didn't.

Inside, we have lamb sausage, beef, mushrooms, aubergines,

cheese, pasta, salt, pepper, milk.

-And bacon lardons.

-Bacon lardons!

-Indeed.

-Brilliant.

But now we're starting to see Justin refine his food,

get excited by the competition and understand his true potential.

I really loved that. Honestly, that is lovely.

There's not a sparkler or an umbrella or anything silly to spoil it.

Well done.

My question for Justin is, can he keep that momentum going?

I think I perform best under pressure,

and today's the invention test.

This is potentially an area where I can do well.

Justin, you're missing something.

-I'm missing Colin.

-How are you feeling about that?

When he was in the contest, I wasn't enjoying it because I didn't want to be competitive.

-Now that Colin isn't in the contest, I feel much more competitive.

-Good!

-What are you cooking for us?

-Fish pie and ratatouille.

I'm doing a dessert with boudoir biscuits and peaches, figs and orange, drenched in Marsala.

You are really pushing yourself today, aren't you?

I want to show you that I can actually perform under pressure.

Justin is making a fish pie served with ratatouille,

a mixture of courgette, peppers, onions and acidic tomato.

Acidic tomato and fish pie? Really?

I do like the idea of the dessert he's making us.

That could be absolutely delicious,

if he can make it look elegant and pretty.

You've had 30 minutes! 30 minutes have gone!

Danny is a renowned musician and he's a bit of a character.

I've watched his food grown and it is seriously good.

That souffle was as close to perfection as you're going to get.

What do I say about it? It's a raspberry souffle. Bit of raspberry sauce...

Faultless. Absolutely faultless.

I need to know whether Danny was just a flash in the pan.

He had a bit of a wobble in that kitchen, with all those people screaming orders.

Today, he's got a lot to prove.

I feel a bit more apprehensive.

My confidence was a bit higher and I've taken a bit of a knock.

Smash it up!

-Danny, what are your two dishes?

-I'm cooking sausage and mash with an onion gravy

and an open fish ciabatta Italiano.

-A fish sandwich?

-No. Open fish ciabatta Italiano.

-Sausages and mash and a fish sandwich, inspired by your time in an Italian restaurant.

-Yes.

I'm trying to be inventive. It's a different sort of dish.

I'm not 100 percent sure what I'm doing,

but I think maybe that's how you learn.

Danny is doing sausages and mashed potato,

which, in a way, might be OK because he's reached for those dry porcini mushrooms.

We might end up with some lovely porcini mushroom gravy.

But is it enough?

He wants to do some fried fish, on bread, with tomatoes!

It sounds a bit muddled to me.

15 minutes left, guys. 15 minutes!

Sharon is an actress on stage and screen.

Her food is decent. It shows a decent touch.

It's all very light and fresh, but still big on flavour.

I don't mind telling you, I really like that.

But it hasn't wowed. It hasn't thrilled.

It's nicely made. It tastes nice.

It needs something else and that something else is a sauce.

I want better than nice from Sharon.

My confidence is restricted only by my knowledge,

and my lack of knowledge is what freaked me at the beginning.

-Tell us your two dishes today.

-I have absolutely no idea.

-I'm literally doing it as I go along.

-Oh, no.

But it's growing, like a snowball running down the side of a snow-covered hill.

That was very poetic.

If your food can be as poetic as your prose, that'd be brilliant.

If it could be, yes!

You've got to decide exactly what you're going to do and make sure you deliver it.

-Sharon, thank you.

-Thank you.

Sharon's cooking some mince and she's going to bake that with some potatoes.

And then she's completely unsure what her second dish is going to be.

She's going to cook some fish, but she's also roasting some peaches. That slightly concerns me.

Four minutes to give us something impressive!

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Just 60 seconds to finish off your dishes, guys.

Stop! That's it. Finished.

Justin has cooked a fish pie with ratatouille,

followed by a dessert of stewed peaches and figs,

topped with Marsala wine, cream and sponge fingers.

I really like the creamy mash, it's glazed really well.

I like the rich mushroom sauce. Well seasoned.

But for me, the acidity of that ratatouille with the cream

is a very strange texture,

almost like it's curdling on your palate.

Right.

Mm.

-I like your fish pie.

-Thank you.

-It's thick and creamy.

I don't want to eat that ratatouille with your fish pie.

It doesn't match.

From fish pie to dessert...

Instead of it looking absolutely beautiful, which I think it could've,

it looks a bit cheap.

Justin, what is in that glass is, in essence, a perfect flavour combination.

What its outcome is, is quite a mushy,

indescribable mix of things.

That's a real shame because I was really looking forward to that.

That is mostly cream and chocolate.

You can taste fruit in the background,

and it's all a little bit wet.

You seem to throw things at a plate and it becomes a bit heavy.

Lighten yourself up a little bit

and free yourself of that burden of feeling as though you've got to do more to impress.

You don't need to.

I don't know if today actually took me that much further than I was already at.

How sad! Gutted!

Sharon has made baked fish, with peaches wrapped in Parma ham,

with a rocket salad and a white bean puree,

followed by a vegetable and minced beef traybake.

I'm surprised that I don't really dislike the peach and the fish.

What is difficult here is the texture,

all that chewy, salty ham and dried fish.

That is an issue.

The addition of a stewed peach with fish...

-It doesn't quite work. Sorry.

-That's OK.

That was your fish. Let's try your bake.

My bake!

This isn't right. I don't know how it ever was going to be.

-You've got to have a clear idea of where your food's going.

-Yes.

No, not at all.

You get water off the courgette, meatiness, potato and cream.

It doesn't feel right, it doesn't taste right.

-Don't worry.

-OK.

For me, it doesn't work, Sharon.

You know it doesn't work. It's not there.

I'm not feeling destroyed because I know where I failed.

But I also know what I was trying.

I really wanted to try today, to try.

I have no desire to fail,

but I'm not sure how much I've got left in me, in terms of stamina.

It's painful! It's really hard!

Danny has cooked red snapper on ciabatta,

followed by bangers and mash with a wild mushroom gravy.

The fish sandwich, it's creative, it's interesting, it's individual.

It's definitely one in a million. It could work. Who knows?!

Your fish is cooked absolutely beautifully, seasoned really well.

You've got that sprinkling of pistachio nuts, which has got a nice background.

But the whole thing does just taste like a toasted tomato sandwich.

Because the tomatoes and onions and the garlic and the basil

sitting underneath that fish is so powerful,

it's overpowering the fish altogether.

It's not a write-off. It's not at all a write-off.

The fish is nice. Fish and tomatoes is nice.

Tomatoes and the bread is nice.

You just lose the fish with all that bread and tomato.

I think you've got the makings of something good. Just needs a little bit of work.

Your sausages are cooked well. So they should be.

But the sausages are full of fennel

and that means it's difficult to match them

-with those flavours of onion gravy and potato.

-Yes.

The flavours are nice. The mashed potato is really smooth.

There is sweetness from the onions and a little bit of earthiness from those mushrooms.

It's well made. It tastes good. I'd happily finish it all.

You seem a bit down and I don't know why you're down.

I'm disappointed that I did sausage and mash

because you need to do something more creative than that.

I think it shows you as a cook, and when you get frightened,

you revert back to the things you like, which you find comforting and you know.

That's not a bad way to go.

After today, I'm going to have to cook really well, I think.

I think there's a lot banking on the next task.

We sent you to that restaurant because we wanted to see what you'd learnt. Now we know.

There were a couple of mistakes here in the room.

It's OK, as long as we move on from those mistakes.

Thank you for all your hard work. Off you go.

I think that Justin today has understood what he needs to do,

and that's just a little bit of refinement in his food.

He's done it before, he's made the massive leap.

He's taken away all those weird things he used to decorate his food with.

Now what he needs to do is think about the heart and soul of each individual dish.

Not completely successful today from Justin,

but I'm happy that Justin's going in the right direction.

I hope that Sharon's learnt that she has to plan before she starts to cook,

because she can cook well.

But that is what happens if you don't plan.

Sharon is a good cook at heart.

Her food is always crowd-pleasing, it's always well seasoned, it's always well cooked.

Today it was confused, as Sharon was.

The creative side of Danny came out today with his fish sandwich.

It was a great and interesting dish in the making.

Danny shouldn't be so hard on himself.

-He wants to create masterpieces every time he comes in this kitchen.

-I think Danny's a good cook.

In fact, I think all three of them are good cooks,

but they've got to prove it.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Throughout this week, these three celebrities

have faced a series of arduous culinary challenges.

But after today, only the best can become semi-finalists.

Today, there's just one challenge -

the perfect three-course meal.

We've had some up and downs with these three, John.

Today is about consistency. Today is about turning it on.

For me, really exciting to see what these three can pull out the bag.

Today, you have to show us that you've learnt throughout this competition.

Everything you've done has to culminate in the here and now.

You are cooking today, not just for John and I,

but for three cookery judges from the WI.

Those ladies from the WI are formidable.

Your three courses, one hour 45 minutes...

Let's cook.

The contestants have just one hour and 45 minutes

to cook a three-course menu of their own design.

Today's three diners are all prominent cookery judges

from the Women's Institute.

One of the WI's national cookery judges,

popularly known as the "queen of Aga cooking",

is Amy Willcock.

I'm looking for a "wow" factor.

I don't want anything that isn't 100 percent fabulous.

Jill Brand is one of the WI's top authors,

specialising in the baking of breads, cakes and biscuits.

I'm looking for some interesting flavours that fill my senses,

and that when I leave the table, I think, "I want to eat that again."

Chair of the WI, Ruth Bond

has been a member for over 30 years.

WI standards are very high.

I hope that the celebrities will reach those high standards.

There have been moments this week

when musician Danny has shown absolute brilliance.

Faultless.

Absolutely faultless.

That's accomplished cooking, mate. Really accomplished.

Lovely mix of ingredients. The whole thing is done very well.

That is absolutely delicious.

But he doesn't always hit the mark.

-Danny, come here! Look at the beans. They're dry!

-OK.

They're no good!

We just lose the fish with all that bread and tomato.

I'm not really that competitive.

I was the kid at school that did the 100 metres with his hands in his pockets,

whistling a tune and getting told to have an early shower.

But I guess it's kind of building up a bit now and I am really wanting to do well.

Danny, what are your three dishes?

The souffle and the fish was fairly poncey

and I'm doing a slightly more farmhouse-y cooking for this one. Go slightly more rustic.

I'm doing a scallop and chorizo salad starter.

And then I'm doing a pan-fried liver on caramelised onions

with a crumbled mash.

Dessert, I'm doing Pearl's lemon cake

with stem ginger cream and some caramelised peels.

What on earth is a crumble mash?

It's like a smooth mash, but we make some breadcrumbs with some parsley and butter

and then bake it with the breadcrumbs on top.

And this lemon cake?

It's my wife Pearl's favourite cake. She makes it, the kids like it.

I'm trying to vamp up her basic idea of the cake and make it sexier.

Is she aware you think her cake's unattractive?

Yes, because we talked about it last night!

I'm going try and make it look a little bit more presentable

-with a few little touches of flair on top.

-Good.

-Danny, are you confident?

-Yes.

I'm highly incomp... Incompetent!

Ha!

-Yes, I feel confident.

-Yes.

Danny's main course confuses me. Caramelised onions are sweet.

Sweet potatoes are sweet.

How sweet is that dish going to be?

Lemon cake and ginger cream...

Exciting.

But is it enough?

15 minutes for your first course.

After a tough start, actress Sharon has shown some flair.

For me, the best-cooked piece of fish in the room.

That's not bad at all. I'd eat the whole thing actually.

But last time, she failed to impress.

It doesn't quite work. Sorry.

It's not right. It doesn't feel right, It doesn't taste right.

I was trying to get away from meat and two veg.

John said to me the other day, "Don't play it too safe."

If he hadn't said that to me, I'd have gone straight into a shepherd's pie!

-Big day today, Sharon.

-Yes.

-The pressure's on.

-It is.

What three dishes are going to keep you in this competition?

Real WI dishes. I've got fried squid

with sun-blush tomatoes and rocket.

And then paella.

Then chocolate fondant with a bit of chilli in it.

-Chocolate fondant for the WI.

-Heat them up a bit.

That's a real risky thing, isn't it?

I did it yesterday and it worked all right.

Tell me about how big today is.

I've learnt a lot about strategy and preparation.

Knowledge is power.

I've been devouring information,

and I'm trying not for the panic to take over, so I've learnt a lot in that way.

I genuinely know I've done all I can do.

I think you have a lovely, lovely menu.

-What do you have to do to do that justice?

-Cook it properly.

I'm here, I'm equipped with my notes.

-Bit of love in there?

-Oh, definitely.

But I'm hoping I do a good job.

Sharon's taking a real risk today. Paella?

D'you know what? I've never had a good one.

The tenderness of the meat is a real issue.

Can she get a successful fondant out of a MasterChef oven?

Anything can happen in here with a chocolate fondant. Anything.

At times, TV presenter Justin can overcomplicate his food.

You're not going to pick up the pineapple and eat it! The pineapple's not necessary.

You seem to throw things at a plate and it becomes a bit heavy.

Just lighten yourself up a bit.

But he has shown some talent.

Looks like good food and it tastes like good food.

It's thick and it's creamy. I like your fish pie.

I've tried to strip away a lot of pomp and ceremony,

having taken on board what Gregg and John have told me.

I'm confident that I can do that.

Whether I can do it within the timeframe today

remains to be seen.

Justin,

what are you going to cook?

I'm cooking pepper and tomato soup and rosemary-scented scones to go along with those.

Scones for the WI...

This is a bit of a risk because scones for the WI are, I guess, a staple.

They've probably set their whole world around scones over the years.

So if I get these right, I can impress them.

Next course?

Pork tenderloins stuffed with sweetmeat and sausage meat.

I'm serving that with a mashed potato with parmesan and truffle oil.

And dessert, I'm doing a chocolate and hazelnut parfait

with a zabayon-esque topping.

And this is you pulling it back?!

That's correct.

Wow!

You are really throwing everything at this, aren't you?

I've taken a gamble. I'd like to impress you and the WI ladies, as well.

I didn't want to do something overly simplistic that would underwhelm.

I'm trying to find a fine line between under and overwhelming.

Why has MasterChef become so addictive for you?

I came here as a novice cook. I'm learning to be good. I want to be brilliant.

I've fallen in love with the concept of "yes, I can do it".

I'm building my opportunity with every day that I'm on this show.

Are you confident? Can you do three courses that will impress?

I'm confident. Three really lovely courses,

cooked in time, and, hopefully, tasty to the max.

Whoa! What is Justin doing, John?

He's got every possible ingredient you can think of.

Scones for the WI! Really? I mean, is that suicidal or what?

He's completely and utterly going for it.

If he leaves this competition, he's going down in a blaze of glory.

Next time, we'll see how they fare in front of their critics -

the fearsome WI.

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