Episode 2 Celebrity MasterChef

We've got 16 celebrities battling it out to win the MasterChef crown.

It's a bit overwhelming, but excited, yeah.

These celebrities have already made a name for themselves

in their own professions.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

Do you really need all of them?

-Yes, go away.

-You've got to leave some for us.

I didn't quite realise just how much you need to do.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

So far, these celebrities have been pitting their skills

against each other in the MasterChef kitchen.

But at the end of the week,

only the best cooks will make it through to the final eight.

Some have done well, some have struggled.

I think we just need to up the ante a little.

Today, the celebrities must face

their first major cooking challenge in the outside world.

I feel very apprehensive, actually.

Nobody is letting on

anything about where we're going,

so it's all going to be a huge surprise.

I just got a wave of nerves.

-Ah.

-It's like, it's like pre-race.

Stressing me out.

I thought I worked well under pressure. I don't.

I'm going to have to re-think how I'm going to deal with it today.

Welcome to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

There are 1,400 staff and students in this building.

Today, you are preparing their lunch.

We're going to split you into teams and the two teams are

Jamie and Anne

and Steve and Javine.

-Good luck, sir.

-Oh, thanks.

Each team today will need to cook 40 meat dishes, 40 desserts

and 30 vegetarian dishes.

110 portions of food.

Remember where you are.

It would be really embarrassing

to have an outbreak of food poisoning here at the school.

Have fun. Good luck.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

was founded in 1899.

It has gone on to lead the world

in research on infectious diseases

including HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

In charge of the kitchen is Kerry Karlane Ovrett.

Good morning. In front of you are all the ingredients

that you'll need today.

Each team will do a meat dish and a vegetarian dish and a dessert.

Expectations are very high. Service is at 1:30.

And I don't want to be let down.

-OK.

-OK.

The teams have two and a half hours

and must use the canteen's ingredients,

including one tray of chicken, one tray of mince,

mushrooms, peppers,

tomatoes, aubergines,

herbs and fruit.

Marmite Crisps and Wheat Crunchies to start.

Well, I once cooked for seven people

and that was pretty tough.

So there's a few more than that today.

-Er, rocket.

-Oh, yeah. If we do a salad, we can throw some of that in.

Actually, no, I might, oh.

It's 110 dishes in two and a half hours, it's quite a tall order.

What's this bad boy?

I'm worried and it's a bit overwhelming, but excited, yeah.

It's like a worst nightmare, ever.

I mean, the only upside is I'm with Javine.

It'd be great to beat Jamie and Anne as well. Grrr.

-Do you really need all of them?

-Yes, go away.

-You've got to leave some for us.

-THEY LAUGH

-Oh, I'm nicking one.

-Go away.

-I'm nicking one.

Oh, what's he like?

So what menu are you doing?

I'm going to do a chicken pasta,

chicken and mushrooms with a cream and white wine sauce.

-Mmm, that sounds wonderful.

-Hmm.

-And I'm going to do a vegetable curry.

-Yup.

And I'm going to do syllabub with fruit as dessert.

Yeah, that sounds good. That sounds good.

Can you let me know what you're doing?

Chicken Thai curry, then we're doing

a lovely, very tasty veggie lasagne.

-Right.

-Yeah?

And then we're going to finish up with an apple crumble and custard.

You're going to have to change your menu

because these are already doing chicken and pasta,

so you're not going to have enough,

so you're going to have to use the mince.

We've got the chicken, Kerry.

Jamie, how do you feel about changing your chicken to mince?

-What?

-Snooze, you lose, buddy. Chicken's here.

-I thought I was doing the chicken.

-You can't both do chicken.

Well, I can't do a mince pasta, can I?

Let's toss for it, dude. That's the fairest way.

-Come on then, swimming boy, let's bring it on.

-Fair enough.

-Here we go.

-Heads I get the chicken.

-Heads you get the chicken.

Haaaa!

-We've got to reload, they get the chicken.

-All right, that's OK.

That's OK, we can do this.

Ho-ho-ho-ho, ho-ho. Yes.

That's mine. Look at that beautiful chicken, Steve.

Oh, look at the chicken, Steve.

-Mmm, mwah.

-Tasty chicken.

-Hee-hee!

They're killing us here.

What about chilli con carne, do you know how to do that?

It's just, it's just a bit boring.

If you want, you can get some more veg into that,

you can get some peppers.

Hey, it's gone, it's gone. Come on, come on. We're back in the game.

Jamie and Anne have to deliver a really good chicken dish

cos they've taken that chicken away from Javine

and Javine's angry about it.

-After that little turmoil.

-Yeah?

-Just to refocus, are you doing the veggie lasagne?

-Yeah.

You're going to prep all that. And I'll prep all the chilli con carne.

Yeah, you do that, yeah.

-OK, hun.

-Try and win this.

-Oh.

Yeah, it'd be great to get one over on Jamie now.

-Imagine his face when we're winning with chilli con carne.

-Steve?

-Yes.

-Sorry, darling, we need to get going.

-Yup.

Javine starts to chop the vegetables for her lasagne.

While Steve grabs the only industrial fryer

to begin browning the onions for his chilli.

Leaving Jamie with a frying pan to cook 40 portions of chicken.

Whilst Anne starts preparing an old favourite.

I have made vegetable curries often because I'm pretty much vegetarian,

but I've not made them in this quantity before.

Ouch, I've cut myself already. Got a band aid, anyone?

Oh, man down, we've barely started.

You've got to hand it to Anne.

She's cut her finger quite badly, while the doctor is bandaging

her finger, she's chopping vegetables with the other hand.

Well, at least none of it got in there, vegetarians don't like blood.

BUZZER SOUNDS

Oh, what's that?

-Does that mean that Anne's lost another finger?

-No.

-Good.

-Mind your fingers on that grater.

-I will.

They're probably used to cooking for two people.

But when you're cooking in volume, it's a whole different story.

G'day, Jamie. You seem to be approaching this

as if you were doing a dinner party for four.

Yeah, unfortunately the other team bagged the big, cooker-fryer thing.

-Bratt pan.

-That's the one.

I didn't quite realise just how much you need to do.

I'm going to need about eight of these.

With 45 minutes gone, Steve's chilli is well underway.

What is this? Is this meatballs?

Interesting.

Oh, don't tell me it's shocking.

I've never known mince be able to go back together again.

-I'm just breaking it down now.

-Are you? With what?

-With this.

-With a big stick.

His stress, stress levels.

How are you getting on there, big fella?

My mince is a bit chunky.

Steve's chilli's looking a bit suspect.

You've had an hour already, you've got about another hour to go.

And we need to start really cracking on.

We've got a lot of work to do.

I'm very worried, although I probably don't look it, but I am, yeah.

I'll have a bit of that.

Garlic, garlic.

As the teams push on, morning lectures are in full swing.

We've got staff and students coming from all over the world.

It's really like the United Nations

inside this building.

Food is important for the morale of people

and also, of course, they need a lot of energy

because studying here is quite tough sometimes.

Standards of food here are high. It's excellent food.

And so the contestants have a real challenge on their hands.

-Javine?

-Yes.

-Can you taste this for us, love?

-Yeah.

-Ooh.

-Just getting you a spoon.

-Well done, you.

-I think it should be hotter maybe.

-That looks good, hun.

More chillies or not?

-Yeah, a little bit more.

-All right.

Steve, as long as he gets his spices right and it cooks OK,

that'll be fine. Javine, she needs to work a bit faster,

she's got to get that prep going.

-What can I help with?

-You can get a pan for the apples to put in.

-Pan for the apples?

-A pan for the apples.

-Javine?

-Yes.

-Do you want brown sugar or...?

-Brown sugar, yes.

Brown sugar we want, I think.

I think we both know that probably I'm a stronger cook,

I cook more at home and he's quite happy for me to take charge,

so there were no qualms there.

Whilst Steve and Javine are working together,

Jamie and Anne are concentrating on their own dishes.

How are you doing with the syllabub?

-I've only got, I need cream.

-Right, you need to start getting that...

I will, indeed.

-Is Jamie still cooking chicken?

-I think so.

Or maybe it's mushrooms now.

I don't know, I haven't taken much notice, I've been too busy.

Aren't you supposed to be working as a team?

Yeah, but he's doing one thing and I'm doing another.

Anne, it's going to curdle, love. Turn it off.

I just have very little confidence in the combination

of Anne and Jamie.

They're not talking to each other, they're not communicating,

they don't know what each other are doing.

You've got to start getting moving now.

I need to see stuff in the oven soon.

-Crumble's on the way.

-Yeah.

-Your lasagne's not in yet?

-It's not, no.

I haven't got enough sauce there, I think.

OK, I'm starting to get tetchy now.

All the mains are progressing, but with only 45 minutes left,

both teams must crack on with the desserts.

Come on, let's move it.

You can start to feel the atmosphere changing.

The smiles are disappearing, the laughter's going

and they realise it's becoming quite serious.

I'm really not good with mechanical objects.

-And you've got to give it some welly, Anne.

-Ha-ha.

Ah!

Now I can't get the thing out.

Help. Oh, mamma mia.

This is not 30 portions. There's nowhere near enough apple in this.

I did everything.

We're going to have to improvise and change it slightly.

Steve decides to supplement the apple filling with tinned pineapple.

That's it.

While Anne adds lemon juice, white wine and brandy

to her whipped cream syllabub.

Oh, thank you, darling.

-That worked.

-Come on, we've got half an hour.

Perfect. It's perfect. Right, there you go.

Steve's chilli is ready so the bratt pan is now free for Jamie to use.

Jamie might actually get his chicken pasta done,

but, literally, he's still cooking chicken and mushrooms.

Two hours it's taken him to do chicken and mushrooms.

This is great.

Love it.

Ooh, ooh, ooh.

You've got 20 minutes to go.

I want it all out on the pass in 20 minutes!

With service fast approaching, Steve turns his attention to the custard.

-Ah, it's lovely. That's lovely.

-It's not thick enough.

-That's gross.

-Gross?

-That's not even going to cook out.

-OK.

-That's disgusting.

-I thought it was lovely.

You've got custard powder and milk. How can you mess that up?

Kerry's also got concerns about Javine's lasagne.

I'll take it out right at the end.

She didn't put enough sauce in the pasta,

therefore you're almost cooking raw pasta, which you can't do,

so it's not working. I'm hoping, five more minutes,

I'll be able do it and it's going to bubble and cook a bit more.

If it doesn't, I don't know what I'm going to do.

She's proper scaring me now.

That's not custard.

Steve's persevering with the custard, bless him.

We have to get this out soon cos they're going to be here

in ten minutes.

Come on, let's move it.

I've got customers starting to queue.

# Ah! #

-Is it thickening up?

-It's thickening up.

-Yeah, it is, OK.

Are you going to be able to pull it back?

-Yes?

-Yes, chef.

-Yeah. You sure?

-No, chef.

-Right.

Oh, you're joking! I can't send that, dump it, now.

It's absolute rubbish, I wouldn't give it to the cat.

It's quite nice.

-Got any cream?

-Right, fast, fast, fast. Chop, chop, chop.

With five minutes to go, Anne and Jamie are finally working together.

Do you think I should get this out now?

-Yeah, I want it out now, two trays.

-OK, I'll let you carry.

-Just give that one more minute.

-OK.

-Just one more minute.

We need the crumble out. We need it now.

Leave those in. Give it a bang, give it a bang.

Mind your backs, mind your backs.

I want everyone by their stations.

Thanks.

Jamie and Anne have made a chicken and mushroom pasta

and a vegetarian Thai curry.

Steve and Javine have made chilli con carne with rice

and a Mediterranean vegetable lasagne.

Hi. Good afternoon. Chilli con carne and rice and then vegetable lasagne.

-I'll have the chilli con carne.

-Brilliant.

Anyone want the chicken pasta?

Lovely. This is a beautiful Thai vegetable curry.

-The Thai curry, please.

-Good.

Steve's chilli and Javine's lasagne are both being snapped up.

-And what would you like?

-The lasagne.

-Which one did you make?

-I made this one.

-I'll have that one.

-Oh, thank you.

-There you go, sir. Enjoy that very much.

-There we go, sir.

In a white wine and cream sauce.

Vegetable lasagne made by Steve and Javine.

For me, the tomato sauce has reduced a little bit too much,

there's not enough moisture with the pasta,

so the pasta itself is a little bit tough.

It's soft in the middle,

the cheese has gone a little bit crispy on the top, I like it.

I chose the lasagne, which I kind of had to because I'm Italian

and, I have to say, it's really great.

It's delicious. Nice and cheesy and really tasty.

The vegetables are really nice.

The top of the pasta was a bit overcooked.

Nice, tomatoey flavour to it as well and the cheesiness came out

quite well, so I was really quite impressed by that.

This is what it is, you cannot pretty up a chilli con carne.

We've all had lots and lots of chilli con carnes,

there's nothing wrong with this one, it's cooked,

he's got a fair bit of spice in there, he's seasoned it.

Not bad.

I think Steve's learning. He's trying really, really hard.

It's seasoned OK, but, in my opinion, that should be a lot more chilli.

It should have that real oomph to it.

Sometimes you get a chilli con carne that's a bit mild and disappointing,

but this had a really good extra kick.

I've got the satisfaction of the post-chilli con carne sniffles,

so it definitely had the flavour.

I'm a big fan of chilli and it's often quite hard to get

a decent one when you're in a restaurant or a refectory.

And this is very good, it's got a nice kick to it.

-That's lovely. That one's spectacular.

-I'll have the pasta.

-OK!

-Jamie's chicken pasta is also selling well.

-Can I get the chicken pasta, please?

-Yes, you can, absolutely.

But Anne's vegetarian Thai curry is lagging behind.

This is Jamie's two-and-a-half-hour, chicken, tarragon,

white wine sauce pasta dish.

With the amount of time he had, he could have sliced the chicken,

rather than great, big chunks.

There is a little bit of acidity,

you can taste a little bit of wine in there,

but it needs loads, loads, loads more seasoning.

And it needs more sauce.

The combination of the mushrooms, the tarragon, the chicken,

the white wine, is a great combination, but not with pasta.

That pasta has sucked all the flavour out of the sauce

and now it's become a bland dish. And it's a real shame

because if that had been a chicken, mushroom, white wine pie,

it would've been fantastic.

Yeah, the pasta dish is nice,

although I think it's slightly overcooked.

I prefer it a bit more al dente.

I think it was a bit, probably, too many large chunks of chicken.

Anne actually really worked hard today.

One-handed, she chopped the vegetables.

The sauce is too thick and globby. It's almost sweet, the curry.

It's all, sort of, spicy, there's no,

spicy as in cinnamon and nutmeg, that's what the flavour is.

She rushed, all of this went in together

and we've got things which are cooked, things that aren't cooked.

It's a shame really, cos it could have been really, really nice.

I chose it just cos I like Thai food and it's quite spicy, which is nice.

The Thai veg curry is very tasty,

but I wouldn't say that it tastes very authentic.

It tasted like it had cinnamon in it, so that was cool.

The teams' puddings are an apple and pineapple crumble

from Steve and Javine

and lemon syllabub with apricots from Anne and Jamie.

-Try this, it's different.

-Although she does look like a crumble lady.

THEY ALL LAUGH

OK, I'll go for the syllabub.

-Doh!

-Syllabub, lovely.

With that dish you need some apple, pineapple and raisin crumble,

don't you?

The crumble is the first dish of the day to sell out.

Here we go. Gone, chef.

Woah!

I can give you the pan to lick or you can have some syllabub.

Or you can have some syllabub.

With Anne and Jamie's syllabub quick to follow.

That's not a bad crumble, that's quite a nice crumble.

Sweet enough, sharp enough, cream's good with it.

Would've been nicer with custard.

It's perfectly pleasant.

It's a chunk of pineapple with a crumbly top.

There's nothing to dislike. I can tell them off

for not preparing enough apples, but, actually,

I admire them for getting the job done.

It was really nice.

I've never had pineapple crumble before,

so, yeah, it was very sweet and it looked really nice, yeah.

It was sweet, light and very nice, very tasty.

I chose the crumble cos the man serving it told me to.

And then I put a ton of cream on it and it was very good.

Not a huge amount of culinary skill in there, that's for sure,

but a very tasty dessert.

Sharp but sour apricots, really, sort of, rich cream,

which is light and fluffy because of the alcohol.

The alcohol's warmed the back of your throat.

Apricot and lemon syllabub dessert, not bad.

It's pleasant, it's perfectly pleasant,

but its appearance doesn't do it any favours at all.

I chose the syllabub, mainly because it was served by Madge Bishop.

SHE LAUGHS

It's fruit covered with cream, can't go wrong.

I went straight for the syllabub for the dessert.

It looked very good and tasted absolutely amazing.

Finally, the last customer is served.

-Ladies and gentlemen, well done.

-Thank you. Woo!

-Congratulations!

Well done, everyone!

-Thank you very much, that was excellent.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-So I'm glad you've tasted it and you know what it's like.

-Hm-mm.

-And you're tough, you are.

-Yeah, I've got to be.

You scared me at one point.

A really tough test for our four celebs today.

It's quite early in the competition

to face such a big, mass catering round.

John, the food went out. A few hairy moments,

I think we just got it there with a minute to go.

The three best dishes today, for me,

were from Steve and Javine, by far.

And I think that shows the benefit of team work.

Javine has got the makings

of a very, very good MasterChef contestant.

She took control of that, you know, about halfway through

and she pushed Steve and made sure they got the job done.

I can go home feeling proud and happy with myself,

better than yesterday. And looking forward for tomorrow now.

Steve may not have the knowledge,

but he's definitely got the right approach.

That guy will roll his sleeves up and just get stuck into anything.

Today felt like a massive achievement.

And I think the longer I can stay in, obviously,

the better chef I'll be, but I've got to stick around.

I think the fact that Jamie and Anne didn't work as a team

was really reflected in the end result.

Jamie spent all of the time doing that pasta dish.

I think that Jamie actually, today,

is realising how tough MasterChef is, the graft that's needed.

I'm absolutely exhausted

and I'm hoping that our next challenge won't be so tough.

Anne can cook, you know. She's just got to focus on the finer details.

Had a great day and I'm ready for the next challenge.

These four have got to know each other,

they're realising what sort of a competition this is,

that they can actually learn something.

But the next time we see them, we're going to lose one of these.

Tomorrow night, the battle to stay in the competition continues.

Oh, dear.

I am flabbergasted.

And for one of the celebrities, the dream is over.

The person leaving us is...

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd