0:00:03 > 0:00:1016 celebrities are battling it out to win the coveted MasterChef crown.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14I don't want to be out early on. That would be embarrassing.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19These celebrities have already reached the top of their profession.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22But can they cut it in the kitchen?
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I don't quite know what to expect yet.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I just want to do well for myself.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We all produce food at home and stick it on the table,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32but you have to go up a notch on a show like this.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53These four celebrities are taking on the challenge to become
0:00:53 > 0:00:56the next MasterChef champion.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58But at the end of this week,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02only the best cooks will go through to the semifinals.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I'm a proper mum cook. I do a nice curry.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09And eggs, chips and beans, you know.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Simon off Something For The Weekend, the chef there,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16hopes I've learned something off the show.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The reality is, I haven't really been listening to a word he's said.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm vegetarian, so no meat, no fish.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I have never cooked meat or fish, ever.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30One of my fears is that I'll be the one
0:01:30 > 0:01:32plating up on the floor.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I feel the nerves even thinking about it.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Four celebrities who think they can cook, and we're about to find out if they can or not.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44In today's programme, they will be set three challenges
0:01:44 > 0:01:48which will test their grasp of the essential foundations of cookery.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52I think it's really brave to be known on telly
0:01:52 > 0:01:54and come on and show everybody your cooking.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56That's incredibly brave.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01This is the skills test.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03The first time they get to meet us,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07and we'll ask them to make ravioli, to fill the ravioli up,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09cook it with a sage butter in ten minutes.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14- First thing, a bit of olive oil in your water.- Why?
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Because it stops the pasta from sticking to anything.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Decent spoonful of crab filling placed at regular intervals
0:02:21 > 0:02:26down the centre of our pre-rolled-out pasta, leaving enough space
0:02:26 > 0:02:29that when we cut it, we have an edge on the outside, and we can seal it.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Doesn't matter how much they put in there,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35as long as they can seal it and cook it.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38You need lots of egg, lots and lots of egg.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Simply take your piece of pasta, and fold it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45You've got to be able to be clever enough now to leave it
0:02:45 > 0:02:49not quite sealed. Then you push the air out of each one,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52because with heat, air expands and they pop like a balloon.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Take a bit of semolina, because now you're going to touch the pasta.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Water at a rolling boil, really important.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Olive oil in, and then drop them in gently.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09To make sage butter, cold blocks of butter into a very hot pan.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Not just melt the butter, you've got to get the browning colour.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Absolutely right.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Then add your sage, and a squeeze of lemon.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24And now our raviolis are cooked. Two minutes, that's all it takes.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32- That's it.- This is a great test, because everybody knows pasta,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34but not everybody's cooked it.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- Shall we get the first one in? - Let's get them in. I can't wait.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40First up is TV presenter Aggie MacKenzie,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44famous for her domestic know-how in How Clean Is Your House?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I'm nervous about my nerves taking over.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It doesn't matter how often people say "Relax, enjoy it".
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I can think that, but that's not what I'll be feeling.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00We are going to ask you to make us three crab ravioli.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04We will then ask you to finish that off with a sage butter sauce.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07You have just ten minutes to do it in. Go for it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Of course I'd like to do well, otherwise I wouldn't be here.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27It's not like being on Total Wipeout,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30where you want to be out in the first round, thank you very much.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32This is slightly different.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- How much longer have I got? - Two minutes left.- Right.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Got any kitchen roll?
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Time's up. Done?
0:05:33 > 0:05:39Well, crikey. Your raviolis, or big dumplings...
0:05:39 > 0:05:44as they've have hit the water, because of the air inside,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46they've come to the top and the top of that pasta
0:05:46 > 0:05:48has never gone under the water.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50So we've got raw steamed pasta sitting on top.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I think you've been lucky, actually. I really do.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01How you got these onto the plate, I'm not quite sure,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05because all the rules of cookery have been broken.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Why you threw away the first sauce,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I have no idea, because it was really lovely and nut-brown.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Little bits of sage. You'd seasoned it and spent time on it.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I thought it looked burnt.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I was worried about it, yeah. I panicked.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- It hasn't split open. Could do with a bit more buttery sage sauce.- Yes.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- And they're too big, Aggie. - They are, they're massive.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51I thought it was a case of identifying potatoes and carrots,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53but it was making ravioli.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56It could have been worse. Could have been worse.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01Father-of-twins Tim Lovejoy has co-written two cookery books
0:07:01 > 0:07:05off the back of his TV show, Something For The Weekend.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I'm looking forward to the pressure of cooking in the MasterChef studio.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- I can either do it or I can't do it. - Three pieces of ravioli, ten minutes.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Right, ravioli. What does that look like?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23I've spent so much time around chefs recently
0:07:23 > 0:07:26that I just think, "I wonder if I can do this?"
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Can't be that hard, can it?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36I'm making luxury ravioli, big ones.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- It's a sage...- Butter.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45OK. Right.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Sage...sage and butter.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I'm a little apprehensive here.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10OK. What's confusing me here is the egg.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I imagine it goes in the sauce.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19You've had four minutes.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26What is that that you've put in there?
0:08:26 > 0:08:31I imagine it's some form of polenta-style thing.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36It's not... It's not flour.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40You're halfway, Tim. You've have five minutes.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02TIM LAUGHS
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- Oh!- That's massive.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11- What?- That's huge.- It's luxury. - No, no, no. Ravioli, little parcel. One little mouthful.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Every time you eat it, you pick up the sauce.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Semolina and butter together is just that - semolina and butter.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- It's horrible. - Thanks very much for that.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25- I've got to put it in my mouth. Yes.- I want to taste this sauce.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26It's not good.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31- No.- No?- No, no, no.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38You've got raw, powdered semolina, coated in a thick, sticky butter.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Not nice.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41- Good luck.- I'm scared.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49- Good?- The top of it's raw, which is a shame, so I don't want to eat that.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- The butter sauce has grains from the semolina running through it.- OK.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- Tim, put it behind you. Move on.- All right.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Thank you.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09I'm disappointed, but I can only get better now.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12I can't do any worse than that!
0:10:13 > 0:10:20Next is Indian-born actress Shobu Kapoor, a lifelong vegetarian.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23This is worse in terms of nerves than any acting job I've ever done.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28Here, it's me. No masks, no characters, me. And it's food.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Ten minutes. Off you go.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39OK.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47First, I want to be able to cook it. Secondly, I want it to be eaten,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and it should taste OK and nobody dies. That would be good.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I've messed this up completely already.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58I would normally actually use something to stick it, but I don't know what.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Ah, the egg would be to... The egg would be to put those together.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- It would have done a great job, yeah.- Would have done a great job.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16- Do you normally talk to yourself while cooking?- I do! You are looking shocked.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18Uh-oh.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24You've had five minutes. You're halfway.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Stuff's starting to leak out. That's not very good, is it?
0:11:30 > 0:11:31This is...
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- It's terrible! Oh, my God.- OK?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Shobu, John asked you to do three ravioli.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Where's the third one?
0:11:46 > 0:11:49It, um...disintegrated in the pan.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Yeah. Oh, God.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00It's crab dishwater with some melted butter.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10You are the first person, I think, ever in history of the world
0:12:10 > 0:12:13who's tried to seal ravioli with a knob of butter.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Butter will melt, which will probably make it even worse.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21- Shobu, it's the first test. We understand that.- Put this behind you, move on, please.- Sorry.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It wasn't a difficult task.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I had to put a filling in something, boil it,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34melt some butter, put a bit of sage on it - what could be simpler?
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Last up is actress Margi Clarke,
0:12:39 > 0:12:45famed for her roles in Letter To Brezhnev and Coronation Street.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I'm not a bad cook but I put something in the dish every time.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51It's the secret ingredient...
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And that's love.
0:12:54 > 0:12:5610 minutes. Off you go.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59One's going to be a little bit bigger than the other.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02You give that to the greedy person in the house.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I can't wait to get going for them. I might be able to seduce them, mightn't I?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I like Gregg and I think that he's fair.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I think that he's given some great tips,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15so he's the one I really want to get to.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Would that be about the right amount or is it too much?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21We can't help you, you're going to have to work that out for yourself.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Okey-doke. Well, we'll give it a go.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Press round.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Give it a little bit of decoration.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37You've had about three and a half minutes so far.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43So they are under way.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- How are your ravioli going? - I think they need to come off now.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- What do you reckon, Gregg? - I can't tell you.- Can't help.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04It's not fair, it's cheating.
0:14:05 > 0:14:11- Oh, my word.- You wouldn't want to serve this up, would you?- No.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- It's terrible.- I know.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Are you done?
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Margi, it didn't work, they are now full of water because you didn't
0:14:26 > 0:14:30seal the two layers - the top and bottom of the pasta.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- Waterlogged, isn't it?- That's going to taste of cooking water.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39That's going to be nasty. I'll taste the pasta and a bit of the sauce.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49The pasta is cooked, too much sage.
0:14:49 > 0:14:55OK. I do have to try it, it's my job.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Thank you.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04So much sage, all I've got is the flavour of that sage.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08A little bit of crab water washed around the outside.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I don't know what to say really, I really don't know what to say.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- It hasn't quite worked for you. - Thanks, lads.- Thank you.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16See you soon.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Feel really red in the gob.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31You couldn't get worse than that, that was a proper fail.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Nil points.
0:15:34 > 0:15:40- Disaster. Oh, John. - They've made mistakes, all of them.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43But some of them are really going to have to prove themselves.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I'm not ready to write anybody off yet, there's lots more to come.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55With their first challenge behind them,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00the celebrities wait to find out what their next test will be.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Well, I'm hoping to up me game.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I want to improve on that and not panic.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I'm no longer going to be cocky, that's for sure.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I'm going to take a different road.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16Hopefully I don't completely crack under pressure.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Today the basic recipe is a wild-mushroom risotto.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26It's going to test their organisational skills, presentation, knife work, their palate -
0:16:26 > 0:16:31everything that you need to become a good cook. Good test.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The first thing they need to do is take a decent handful of butter
0:16:38 > 0:16:43into a pot, and then into that pot I'm going to add dried mushrooms.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Right now I'm making the basis for the actual rice itself.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Half my shallots, two cloves of garlic
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and then I turn my heat down to sweat that off.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57So nice and slowly. Now we add our rice.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And this is where we need to take a bit of time.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04And now we start the process.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Two or three good ladles of stock, and turn it down.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12And we can start to see it going a little bit starchy.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15If I keep on cooking that now at a really high temperature
0:17:15 > 0:17:18it will become too starchy.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20This is when the next lot of stock goes in.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23You've got to feel, you've got to taste, you've got to smell.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25You've got to become a cook.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Whilst that cooks away I need to cook and prepare the mushrooms.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33They should be decent hunks of mushroom floating through the risotto.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38Just lay them on top of those shallots.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40And let the heat just cook the mushrooms.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45It's also a question of getting that rice absolutely on the money.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52To me, that's cooked. The last couple of bits to go in at the end.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Parmesan cheese inside the risotto
0:17:54 > 0:17:58so every single mouthful you take is pre-seasoned.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Now all the bits and pieces get stirred in,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06once you turn the heat off. A decent handful of Parmesan cheese.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11A couple of knobs of butter in there.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15And then just gently fold everything together.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Now the last bit.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Free-flowing, lovely bits of mushrooms running through it,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27the smell of butter and cheese.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41You can make a risotto but it's not easy to make it brilliantly.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44So many things can go wrong with this.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59The basic recipe today is a wild-mushroom risotto.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05If you do this well you will have yourselves a lovely plate of food.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Let's face it, we need to step up from where we were with the ravioli.
0:19:09 > 0:19:1035 minutes. Let's cook.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19I think anyone who can read can cook,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22because if you can read you can follow a recipe and then,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26as long as you've got the apparatus you can do it.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35You've made plenty of risottos then, Aggie?
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I wouldn't say plenty, I've made a few.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39It's a really tricky thing to get right.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44- What sort of cook are you? - I wouldn't say I was a great cook
0:19:44 > 0:19:48or a confident cook. I'd like to be an intuitive cook.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I rely on recipes a lot actually.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53That's good, you'll be all right today then.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02I've been rattling the pots for ages, haven't I?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Learning a recipe is like learning a script.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09You used the same tools to retain it in your memory.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- Is this competition hard, Margi? - Yeah. You're cooking under pressure.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22You're in a place you've never been to before.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24And you're going to be judged.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Your kids don't judge you, do they? They just eat it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30- Do you really want to do well here? - Of course I do, yeah.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34I'd like to bring the cup home for Liverpool, the cooking cup.
0:20:42 > 0:20:49Cooking skills - oh, God! I really feel like I'm at point zero at the moment.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Shobu.- Hello.- Mushroom risotto, wild-mushroom risotto.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- Ever made it before?- No. I made rice but not risotto.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04How much do you want to make a good dish here today?
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Completely, more than 100%. Of course I do.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Why would I be here if I didn't?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14I thought you might have got lost and wandered in.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19- I feel like that sometimes.- Shobu, thanks, honey.- Thank you very much.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28You've got just five minutes left, five minutes, guys.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33I'm going to take my time, think it through, choose perfection.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Or I'll panic again.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Tim, it's a bit of the state, mate, you've got it all over the place.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51I feel out of my depth. I've never cooked risotto before. To be honest, I don't really like risotto.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Does risotto bore you, is that what it is?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Yeah, because it's just big, heavy carbs. One mouthful's fantastic.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Ten, you're like, "Oh! What's for dessert?"
0:22:05 > 0:22:08You've got about two minutes left, guys. Two minutes.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10We need some food on plates, please.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Time's up. Stop, stop, stop.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Risotto, you eat with a fork.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49If I've got to now pick up this mushroom
0:22:49 > 0:22:50and try and eat that...
0:22:50 > 0:22:54I mean, I've got a big gob, Shobu, I know that, but it's not that big.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02The rice itself is cooked really well,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05it's got real deep flavour coming from that stock.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08The mushrooms aren't cooked enough, the ones that you've folded through.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11But worse, the onions that you've got in there,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13the shallots, are really hard, still crunchy.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Just don't panic so much.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18OK.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Big chunks of onion
0:23:23 > 0:23:26and big chunks of mushroom is not what we're looking for.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Those sorts of things are the difference
0:23:28 > 0:23:32between good and average food.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33I'm exhausted.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38You know, I haven't been doing this for very long or very much
0:23:38 > 0:23:41and I think a lot of it is emotional exhaustion.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45But, you know, I'm also really happy cos I'm learning a hell of a lot.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Pleased with your efforts, Tim?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It's OK-ish, but I didn't know how much to season
0:24:00 > 0:24:03all the different aspects when you bring it all together.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Well, I tell you what, that's a cook talking, Tim.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I think your mushrooms... cooked well.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22Rice needs a little bit more time and you finished early so just relax.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The seasoning is absolutely spot on.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35The mushrooms are cooked really well, love to see them
0:24:35 > 0:24:39just broken up a little bit so that they can be eaten with a fork.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41At the same time as you eat a mouthful of rice,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43you get a different type of mushroom.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46You end up with something different every time.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Something that you pointed out about risotto,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52you don't like it because you think every mouthful's the same.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The concept is that every single mouthful is slightly different.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57But you've got a really good palate.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- Good job. I really like it. - Thank you.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04I think the judges basically told me I'm quite good at eating food.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10I don't have the skills to make it but I'm quite good at tasting it.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I have to point out the mistake.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20In the recipe, it asks for a quantity of rice.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22That rice should have been weighed out.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Instead, there was a container of rice and you used the whole lot.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It's such a shame because your seasoning's really good,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38it was just too much rice in that pan.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40It means that the rice isn't cooked
0:25:40 > 0:25:45and it's too crunchy and it's become like a big solid lump.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51It's too dry but it's not far off
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and just the right amount of Parmesan cheese in there as well.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Little chunks of mushroom, perfectly clean. Oh, Margi.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01If you'd have weighed the rice out, that would have been champion dish.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I ate risotto once in Magaluf
0:26:04 > 0:26:07and I've never had an opportunity to make it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Time to concentrate, Margi.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Okey-doke.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13If I'd have got that measurement right,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I would have produced a much better dish.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32You've let that rice absorb all the flavour of that stock.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37It's a very, very well flavoured deep risotto.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38That's pretty good.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Woody, almost beefy flavour coming from those chunky mushrooms.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Really deep flavour coming from the stock, which is a great thing.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Well-seasoned, a good amount of pepper in there.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00It's a good, tasty risotto.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Aw, mate, come on. You're all right.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- You're all right. Come on. You're fine.- I just...
0:27:12 > 0:27:18- Come on.- My son said to me, "Do MasterChef, but promise me you won't cry."
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Everyone cries on MasterChef!
0:27:20 > 0:27:23We won't give anybody the title who doesn't cry.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27I'm surrounded by boys who are amazing cooks and the past few years
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I've taken a step back and I feel that I can't cook any more.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I want to tell you something. You can.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38It just touched a nerve. It's that thing about confidence.
0:27:38 > 0:27:47I felt that I didn't have it and there's John, who's a chef, saying,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49"You can cook." It was like oooh!
0:27:54 > 0:27:58I want somebody else to cook for me for the rest of my life!
0:27:59 > 0:28:03I'm really pleased to see the nerves are disappearing,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06cos thinking of the ravioli, it was disastrous.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I was fearing the worst with this basic recipe.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09I think they're doing OK,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13and the mistakes are silly and small, which is good.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18They're all more than capable and it's a step up from where we were with the ravioli.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22You couldn't step down from the ravioli.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28We got a big round coming up next.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33If they don't concentrate and get rid of these little problems, it's going to be chaos.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55This is the Mystery Box Round.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Reveal your ingredients.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07What's that?
0:29:07 > 0:29:10The main ingredient in today's Mystery Box is a whole cooked octopus.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Oh.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18The other ingredients they've been given are rice, potato,
0:29:18 > 0:29:24chorizo, Romero pepper, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and watercress.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30This is really going to test your inventiveness and creativity.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33One dish, 50 minutes. Let's cook.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38An octopus is very versatile,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41but if you never handled one before, it could scare you.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45It either has to be fried very quickly
0:29:45 > 0:29:48or stewed for a long period of time.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58As I'm vegetarian, the worst would be meat or fish because I don't know anything about them.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00I wouldn't have a clue what to do.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05I'd have to go home, I think.
0:30:10 > 0:30:16Shobu, can you approach this like you would a vegetarian dish and then just add the octopus?
0:30:16 > 0:30:20That's what I'll have to do because that's all I know how to do.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23You've got all your bits and pieces chopped up.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28It looks like you've got a plan. At home, are you creative or do you follow recipes?
0:30:28 > 0:30:31I've started trying to follow recipes. I never have.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I haven't been particularly creative, either.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36I've got my masalas and things.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Because I know what ingredients I have, I tend to chuck them all in.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41What are you cooking for us?
0:30:41 > 0:30:46Octopus curry? I don't know. I don't have the spices.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Whatever this turns out to be, I thought I would put it on the rice.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Shobu says she's going to make some curry. She has no spices at all,
0:30:57 > 0:31:02which means we aren't going to get that depth of flavour she's used to in Indian food.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06But just then she's put milk in her curry as well,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09so we'll have milky octopus and rice. What's that going to taste like?
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Ten minutes gone, 40 minutes left.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18I don't invent dishes, I cook from recipe books.
0:31:18 > 0:31:24I make ingredients up sometimes. If I don't have them I put whatever in and think, "It tastes all right."
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Are you enjoying this, Tim? You seem to always be smiling.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37I am! I'm really enjoying it. I was so nervous of this and this might taste awful.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42But I'm enjoying the idea that I'm making it up as I go along. If you say it's all right, I'm happy.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46You want us to say, "It's all right. I'm glad you're aiming for mediocrity."
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- That's fantastic.- OK.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55Tim's bench is such a mess. There's stuff everywhere. It frightens me.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00The way he's cooking frightens me more cos you can't just throw everything together.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03I don't want to eat things that frighten me.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05You are halfway.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07Halfway to octopus heaven.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11The term "invention test" makes my stomach turn over,
0:32:11 > 0:32:15so I'm just going to try and relax.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23- Aggie, have you cooked an octopus before?- No!
0:32:23 > 0:32:25I have eaten it but I've never cooked it.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28I'm sort of attempting a paella and I've never made one before.
0:32:28 > 0:32:34- So I'm just kind of...- Winging it. - Yes, that's the word.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36And how is your confidence in this round?
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Well, I don't know, ask me in 10 minutes' time!
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Aggie's making paella, and for me,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51the octopus seems to be an afterthought.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53It's not part of the dish.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55I would like the octopus to BE the dish.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04It's going to be another intimidation. I've got to get my head together for it.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07And hopefully not come out with something too mad.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Margi, what are you going to cook?
0:33:13 > 0:33:17I want to get a Mediterranean feel, because it comes from a warm climate.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21So these peppers are warm, and so are the chillies.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25So that might naturalise it. I'm doing sauteed potatoes with it.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29Rice is optional, in case anyone wants rice.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32- Margi, we're going to leave you alone now.- Okey-dokey.- Thank you.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37Can I just ask your opinion? It wouldn't need salt if it's come out of the sea, would it?
0:33:37 > 0:33:39- Taste it, Margi. - I don't like the look of it, lad.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43SHE LAUGHS
0:33:46 > 0:33:48I like Margi's originality,
0:33:48 > 0:33:52I like the idea of frying the octopus with some potatoes.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Right now, it looks like it's going to taste good. Well, I hope so.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Well, come on, last three minutes.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Finishing touches, please.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16That's it. Finished. Stop.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Shobu has made an octopus curry,
0:34:29 > 0:34:34served with a tomato, olive and feta cheese salad.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43I think your rice is cooked really well.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Your octopus is cooked really well. It's just a little bit bland.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Just get hold of some paprika, throw that through it, get more tomatoes in there.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01The octopus is beautifully soft.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05It has lots of sweet pepper, the flavour of the oregano
0:35:05 > 0:35:08and the really well-cooked rice underneath it.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12I think it's great. Why, then, you've got to go and throw milk in it,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14I have no idea.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17You obviously got bored and decided to make a salad.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27Great salad, salty feta, sweet tomatoes, loads of oregano,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30sharp, sour and bitter at the same time.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33That with some shredded, fried octopus on top of it
0:35:33 > 0:35:35would have been absolutely delicious.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Oh, OK.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42'I am enjoying it, yes. It's a kind of petrified enjoyment.'
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Terrified enjoyment, yes.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Aggie has cooked a salted-octopus paella,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53accompanied with a green dressed salad.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06I think the octopus through it probably could have been fried just a little bit more
0:36:06 > 0:36:09to give it a little bit more texture, a crispier outside.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13But for the rest of it? Aggie, I'm sorry.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- It's delicious.- Oh! That's good.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24Mm. Your paella is heavily flavoured.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Unfortunately, your octopus is slimy.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32It hasn't been cooked long enough. Flavours, great.
0:36:32 > 0:36:39Textures, all good until you get to your octopus. Quite good though, eh?
0:36:39 > 0:36:41I'm not too unhappy with it, yeah.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45'I think I was less nervous for this one, actually,'
0:36:45 > 0:36:47so maybe I'm getting into the flow.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51But, you know what, the thing is, when you get too comfortable,
0:36:51 > 0:36:52that's when...
0:36:57 > 0:37:01Tim has made a spicy octopus jambalaya and a Greek salad.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15You've got paprika, you've got pepper.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19You've got nice seasoning, you've got the sweetness of tomato,
0:37:19 > 0:37:20all really good ideas.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24The rice, you've cooked for too long. It's a bit watery.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32The octopus is nice and soft.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34It is still a little bit slimy on the outside,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37it could do with a little bit more frying to give it
0:37:37 > 0:37:39a bit of a crisper texture on the outside.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44The whole thing's a bit wet. It's a cross between a rice soup and a baked rice dish.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47And it defies all description as a dish.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50It is definitely Tim's invention.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53'I had no expectations to win this.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56'But I'm very competitive, so I'd like to do as well as I can.'
0:37:56 > 0:37:59I'm not sure I've got enough experience to draw on.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03So I might let myself down a bit as we go on.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Margi has cooked her octopus with chorizo and peppers,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13serving it with a tomato and garlic sauce,
0:38:13 > 0:38:15potatoes, rice,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18feta cheese, and watercress.
0:38:18 > 0:38:19What have we got, Margi?
0:38:19 > 0:38:23- We've got an octopus in love. - In love with what?
0:38:23 > 0:38:28It loves knocking around with the "cheerio" sausage.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And it's quite friendly with the nice red hot pepper.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36I cooked the rice because I thought, well, you might like rice.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38But then I thought you might like spuds.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43You've got a number of dishes here. You've presented us with a mezze.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45You're not supposed to be giving us a buffet.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47You should decide what you think is right.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50You can't give us loads of options to mix in what we want,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53otherwise you'll never make a plate of food.
0:38:58 > 0:39:04I love your chorizo, octopus, tomato, garlic, oregano,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06I think that's lovely, lovely.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09And I'd happily eat it with the rice or the potatoes.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14But not both, and most certainly not with feta cheese and watercress.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Okey-doke!
0:39:22 > 0:39:27That tomato sauce is great. Loads of oregano, lots and lots of garlic.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32Sweet tomatoes going really well with that crispy octopus.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35I think that is brilliant. And I wish that's where you had left behind.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39Do the things which are beautiful, like your sauce and octopus
0:39:39 > 0:39:41and your potato, do them really well.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Your personality doesn't come into this.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47You can't fall back on your old tricks.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51It doesn't butter any parsnips with the judges.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54It's got to be that the food's lovely.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02We're getting there. Well done.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Time for you to leave us, have a little break. Off you go.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17- Well, well, well. - I don't know.- What's next?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Overall, a really tough day for our four celebrities,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22but I also think quite a tough day for you and I.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Because it didn't start well.
0:40:25 > 0:40:31All you could ask of any contestant is that they learn and grow,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34and that is true of Shobu. Her ravioli was awful.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37The risotto got better, till in the end, her octopus was good.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42The question has to be, does Shobu have a repertoire?
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Does she have enough recipes that she knows to succeed in this competition?
0:40:46 > 0:40:49I am so exhausted, I can't begin to tell you.
0:40:49 > 0:40:55I'm doing a lot more than I've done ever in my whole entire life.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Aggie was nervous making the crab ravioli,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02but it wasn't that bad, if you compare it to everybody else.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05She finished the dish off.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08She put herself under pressure, but she delivers good flavour.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14Aggie just needs to believe in herself, just believe in herself.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18They asked me in there, what about the next stage? Are you ready?
0:41:18 > 0:41:22No, no. I'd be terrified again.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Tim did quite well with his ravioli, he did very well with the risotto,
0:41:27 > 0:41:32but give him a dish which he has got to invent in his own mind, and it becomes chaotic.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38I'm really enjoying it. Bring it on, let's see what I can do.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42I like Margi, I think she's got the makings of a great cook.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46She's got the touch, she's definitely got the palate.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47She had a shocking start.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51The ravioli fell apart, the risotto, she put too much rice in,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53she didn't measure up her recipe.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59Then it came to the octopus and we saw some natural ability.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02I think she's finished the day on a high.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06I've made mistakes, but at the very beginning, and I'm not a chef yet.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10I'm on my way to being, but I'm not there yet.
0:42:10 > 0:42:16Next for these guys is something they have never, ever dreamed of.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18They will have to work really, really hard,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21together, to make sure they succeed.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29Tomorrow, the battle continues. In teams.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32I'm not an expert. Just because I've been cooking curries all my life
0:42:32 > 0:42:36- doesn't make me an expert.- It makes you more of an expert than me, so...
0:42:36 > 0:42:4050 grams or 500, Agnes?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42If they get it right, we could be in for a treat.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46You could be wheeling me out of here in a wheelbarrow.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Then the pressure is on at their first mass catering challenge.
0:42:50 > 0:42:51Geez!
0:42:54 > 0:42:57It is frightening. Really frightening.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Aaah!
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I don't know how to make crumble!
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Aaargh! How do you work like this?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Crikey, strewth.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09This is an ocean liner heading for an iceberg.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Oh, my God!
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Oh, wow. That is seriously burnt.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20It is carnage.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:37 > 0:43:38E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk