Episode 16 Celebrity MasterChef

'It's the final week of Celebrity MasterChef.'

Once you get on this train, you just don't want to get off.

You just want to make the end, particularly when you're so close.

You want to be in the last three.

I'm really taking the competition seriously now

because I would love to get to the final.

That would be a dream.

I'm not going to do something unless I do it 100 percent.

If I'm going to commit to something, I'm going to prove I can do it well.

MasterChef so far has been like climbing a mountain.

Now I feel like I've got to the little shoulder before the summit,

it seems ridiculous to not run it.

'But to reach the summit, they'll need to make it through their most daunting challenges yet.'

NO! No, no!

Spot on. I loved it.

I would be happy to pay for that.

Finals Week, and now the competition really starts to hot up.

Today we lose one of our final four.

We will have, finally, our last three.

'Four celebrities remain in the running

'to take the MasterChef title,

'but at the end of today, one of them will be going home.

'To prove they've got what it takes to stay,

'they'll need to show they can combine creativity

'with precision.'

'They're travelling to One Aldwych in Central London,

'home to some of the city's most well-crafted patisserie.'

We do a very modern interpretation of afternoon tea.

We still like to keep it a little bit traditional

but we like to throw in some modern, contemporary touches to what we do.

We need consistency, it needs to be on time,

it needs to fit with the atmosphere of the beautiful space,

but it's about, ultimately, the food tasting wonderful.

I think an afternoon tea is a wonderful challenge

because it's complicated and it's got to be eye-catching, it's got to be pretty.

There is very little variable in pastry.

It's got to be absolutely exact!

-Morning.

-ALL: Good morning.

-I'm Dominic, executive chef here.

-Nice to meet you all.

-How do you do?

-Hi. How are you all doing?

-Good.

Here's a selection of what we're going to be doing today.

You've got just under three hours, so you might think you've got plenty of time, but that will go quickly.

Keep calm, relax, focus on it and you'll be fine.

'Chef Dominic has set each of them the task

'of replicating two of his complex recipes,

'one savoury and one sweet.'

Traditional afternoon tea.

Here, in a restaurant like this,

it will be a little more minimalist and fine and delicate,

so I think that is probably the biggest challenge.

It's something completely different and quite interesting

and we'll learn a lot, which is great.

I'm slightly nervous about having to do fiddly decorations and stuff like that.

You do get nervous and you hands start to shake,

so it could be quite difficult.

I'm really worried I might have to spend hours making a cake the size of a marble!

I mean, if I'm going to make a cake, it'd better be a big one.

'Brian has been asked to make the rhubarb macarons

'and mini Scotch eggs.'

'His first job is to make the vanilla cream

'for the macaron centre.'

I think the macaron is probably the trickiest.

There is a real art to it, apparently.

I guess you've got to get them absolutely right

so you get softness in the centre. That's the tricky thing.

There's a nice, calm atmosphere here.

We'll see if that changes!

This is supposed to thicken.

Come on. Thicken, thicken, thicken.

Ooh, hooray! It's beginning to go!

-That's probably about right.

-Yes? So I'll transfer that now.

'He then has to pipe out the rhubarb mixture

'for the macaron shells.'

The most important thing is, we need it nice and even

because when you make the macaron, you put the two sides together.

-So you don't want one that size and one that size.

-Right. I see.

Just a nice, even squeeze.

Try and keep it... Try and keep it up if you can.

That's a bit of a problem, isn't it?

That's it. You need a bit more gap.

-Just watch your hand there.

-I can't do it!

That's better.

All right, Brian, it's not brilliant

but for a first go, it's not too bad, all right?

-Yes. They're very homely!

-They are very homely.

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-OK.

'Les is making a modern take on a tomato gazpacho soup,

'a clear flavoured jelly, topped with foam.

'His sweet element is Battenberg cake.

'His first job is to chop the vegetables for the gazpacho.'

It's just a question of making sure you follow the recipe.

I've got to start the savoury first

because that needs to get in a muslin for two hours, so I'm doing that first.

All this is going into a blender, so I don't need to chop it too finely.

How is it, Les?

-What's your feeling?

-It looks a nice colour.

-I just tasted it and I think it may need a little more salt and pepper.

-OK.

The important thing is, get the seasoning in there

-and leave it for a couple of hours.

-OK.

'He leaves the puree in the muslin

'so the clear gazpacho juice will filter through.

'Next, he gets to work on his Battenberg cake mix.'

I always wondered how you got it into those four different colours.

I'm going to find out!

I love Battenberg. I think it's a lovely cake.

Real old-fashioned English cake.

Well, it doesn't sound like it's English, does it?

It sounds like it's probably German!

'Janet is making mushroom-filled brioche

'and chocolate-coated blueberry parfait lollipops.'

Afternoon tea means

big fat bum.

'Having made the bread mix for the brioche...'

So that's half an hour. Right, OK.

'..she starts on the mushroom duxelle for the centre.'

Brioche is not something I've made before.

I love mushrooms. I do a lot of cooking with mushrooms because I pick a lot of wild mushrooms.

The thing about mushrooms is, they've got a lot of liquid in them.

A surprising amount of liquid comes out of them.

It's coming out of this one now.

'Janet now begins whisking egg yolks for her parfait lollipops.

'She has to heat a sugar syrup and add it to the egg.'

-118. It's important you stick at 118, you know that, right?

-Yes.

-If you start going more than that, you'll have a problem.

-118. It's getting there!

Agh! It's done it!

Ah. Right, now, get a...

We make bread at home, and that's quite precise,

and cooking roast meals is quite precise,

but cooking these little ditsy things is a bit...

Oh, sorry, Chef!

-Little ditsy things, Janet?!

-Don't take it personally!

Mini brioches. If you were round my house, they'd be jumbo!

-You get a big loaf of brioche, do you?

-Exactly.

'Ade is making the Welsh rarebit.

'First he has to make the topping, starting with a cheesy roux.'

It's just too dry a mixture to melt all this cheese.

I started off with that tiny amount of roux and I'm adding the cheese slowly.

-I don't want to burn the cheese.

-You can take it off. You can add...

-Add everything?

-Yes.

'Next, he adds eggs, breadcrumbs, mustard and Worcester sauce.'

'The secret of a good rarebit is balancing all these ingredients.'

I've never made a cheese sauce with eggs in before.

It's important you don't give that heat because you'll get scrambled egg.

-You just need to take it off and melt it all through.

-OK.

-It needs to be warm enough to melt the cheese, but not hot enough to cook the eggs.

-Good idea.

'He also makes a start on his sweet element -

'a mango delice -

'mango mousse layered with raspberry sponge

'and topped with raspberry glaze.'

I'm not a cakey man in the kitchen.

I used to have a cake I used to make for the cricket team.

I always made the same cake,

cherry and almond, which was very easy.

Whack all the ingredients together and stick it in the oven - that kind of baking.

So this is much more complex.

'He begins by baking the sponge base.'

Ade, I hate to ask you when you're in the middle of concentrating,

-but what are you making?

-Mango and raspberry delice.

-I love a delice!

-I've learnt a lot about this kind of pastry,

about aerating it with a lot of...

There's no raising agent in this, as you can see.

-How many of these have you got to make?

-12.

All precise?

Well, that's the hope, isn't it?

-What's this, like a mango mousse?

-Yes.

-And you've got to make a jelly?

-There's no jelly in it!

A glaze, we call that in the business! It's not a jelly.

It's a glaze!

'He then adds a mango mousse layer to the sponge.'

Ade has got one of the most difficult sweets to do.

That mango delice has got to be precise mousse,

light enough to make it stunningly beautiful,

heavy enough so it stands up,

and it's got to take a topping, as well.

-How satisfying is that, Ade?

-That's lovely.

-This is going to be a good party!

-It's going to be a good party.

-When are the kids arriving?!

'The diners for the traditional afternoon tea are a group of Pearly Kings and Queens,

'the London charitable tradition

'devoted to raising money for the capital's charities.'

We're like a family

and we love going out in groups,

and we all love surprises.

I'm really looking forward to my tea today.

We usually go locally, but this is a real treat.

One hour 20 minutes, OK?

Completely finished, on the pass, one hour 20 minutes, OK?

Four celebs, and between them we've got macarons,

parfaits, delices and Battenberg cake.

I'm really impressed with our four. They're thinking about what they're doing,

they're a bit confused because they're having to follow recipes, but they're learning.

'Brian's macarons are ready.'

-What do you think, Brian?

-They've got much more even now!

-You're lucky they spread out!

-Yes!

'Next, he turns his attention to peeling the quail's eggs

'for his mini Scotch eggs.'

This is a very delicate task.

It's incredibly tricky, I have to say.

I'm sure there's a knack to this and I don't have it.

I've only got six to do, I've been here about half an hour.

-Are you making 12?

-No.

-I'm only making six halves.

-Oh, I see. Cheating!

Well, that's the recipe.

'With the eggs peeled,

'he has to wrap them in sausage meat.'

Oh, no, that's broken!

Good job I've got a spare! Cor, that just shows you...

This really is unbelievably delicate. I can't believe it.

It's a very tricky operation. I've never done anything like this before at all.

But it's a lovely idea.

'Les is making the yellow and pink sponges

'for his Battenberg.'

That looks nice, doesn't it?

Now it's got to go in to bake for 25 minutes at 168.

Les is getting on quite nicely,

but the key for him is when he rolls the Battenberg and cuts the sponge into squares.

So he's still got another technical element to come in about another 20 minutes.

'His gazpacho juice is now ready

'but it will still need half an hour to set.'

You need to get this in the freezer.

Les, that needs to be passed again. The gelatine hasn't melted.

It needs to be completely clear.

-You've got a bit to do in half an hour.

-OK.

-Are you going to be ready in time?

-I don't know. I don't know, Chef.

'Janet now pipes her blueberry parfait mix

'into lollipop moulds.'

Twice in a week I've had to use a piping bag.

Even on my wedding cake, I never used a piping bag.

-SHE GROANS

-Look at this.

Oh, God, it's so hard to control!

SHE GROANS

Janet's got quite a complicated little sweet,

a blueberry parfait, which is in a cylinder with a stick in it,

and then once it's all set, you've got to dip it in chocolate so it coats the outside.

Difficult. Really difficult.

'She can now turn her attention back to her brioche

'and begins filling them with the mushroom duxelle,

'a mixture of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and butter,

'cooked down to a paste.'

They look fabulous! Why are you getting in such a tizz?

Because you've got to plait it!

-It is like an artwork, isn't it?

-It's only a duxelle, isn't it?

It might only be a duxelle to you, it's half a day of my life.

-Are you up to speed at the moment?

-I don't know.

-I'm not thinking like that.

-How are you thinking?

I'm thinking, "Let's get through it.

"Let's not lose it. Let's be calm under pressure.

"Let's imagine I'm editing a newspaper,

"not folding a bit of dough."

OK, so we need half an hour.

-OK.

-That takes us to quarter past one.

-All right -

Then they take eight minutes to cook.

-So you're going to be just on time.

-Quarter past, yes.

'Ade prepares the bread for his Welsh rarebit.'

It's going quite well.

I've changed my glasses!

'He tops the delice with the raspberry glaze,

'allowing it time to set.'

Is that enough on top?

It looks good. Just one final thing - we're going to blow the top to get rid of these air bubbles.

-So, a blowtorch gets rid of bubbles?

-Yes.

Sounds like my kind of fun!

Just gently. That's it. See the bubbles disappear?

Wow, that's fantastic, isn't it?

-That's going to give us a kind of...

-A nice shine.

-That's enough.

-Is that enough?

-That's fine, yes.

I'm a bit worried about that cable going in it so I'm going to put it up there.

Ohh!

Don't you dare drop that.

Thank you. Just!

That was so close!

You didn't want to start that again, did you?

Welsh rarebit. I love Welsh rarebit. Bit of HP Sauce on it, lovely!

I do like mini Scotch eggs.

As an old wartime soldier, a bit of Battenberg is good for you.

'Les's big challenge now

'is to construct his Battenberg.

'He needs to level it off

'and then create the distinctive coloured quarters.'

-How are we doing, Les?

-OK, I think.

I don't want to put too much jam on.

You need to go a bit quicker or you won't be ready in 15 minutes.

-You've got to get your tomato jellies on, as well, now.

-OK.

Les, don't squeeze it, saw it. No pressure on it. Just saw it.

-That's it.

-Thank you.

'He finishes by wrapping it in marzipan.'

They look OK now, but there's still a lot of work to do.

All of this has to be finished off and have excellent presentation.

That doesn't come in seconds.

I'm coming your way.

'Janet's brioches are ready.'

They look lovely! SHE SIGHS IN RELIEF

-How satisfying is that, Janet?

-It's good.

Probably better than giving birth.

They smell delicious.

They look brilliant, don't they?

'Ade is now finishing off his Welsh rarebits.'

Don't get stuck together, you fools!

You're all individuals!

'And it's finally time to see if his mango delice has set.'

Hey!

Hey! Look at that!

-How cool is that?

-That's not bad, is it?

Guys, you've got five minutes before we need to serve.

Five minutes before we need to serve.

That one was too near the edge.

Oh, I hate this.

Why don't they just stand up?

That's the way to do it, serve them like that.

'On the other side of the kitchen,

'Janet's about to find out if her lollipops have set.'

-Just.

-Just.

-Just.

'Now she has to dip them in the melted chocolate.'

Is it...? Right, I've got it.

Ahh! I've lost it.

-I've got it.

-Dip it. Then you want to stand it in that.

Oh, no!

They're not set enough. The chocolate's set on them but they're not set enough.

They're just sliding down the stick.

I'll put them back in the freezer.

'Meanwhile, Brian's deep-fried his Scotch eggs.'

This is the moment of truth,

hoping that they're soft-boiled in the middle.

So here we go.

Ohh!

HE LAUGHS

Oh, look. I didn't know how it was going to run.

They run, my goodness me!

Oh! Look at that!

Wow!

You need to fill that onto two... two plates.

Nice, nice, nice.

-So, just gazpacho to go, Les?

-Yes.

Right...

'With seconds ticking away, Les has to master the art of the syphon gun.'

-Give it a good shake. Upside-down.

-Upside-down.

-Upside-down.

We do that on each one.

Oops.

Good job, Les.

Oh! Damn!

NO! No, no, no, no! CHEF: Were they filled up enough?

I can foam it up.

-Quick, quick, quick, Les!

-OK.

-Are you done, Les?

-Yes, I think I am, yes.

'Service is due to start, but Janet's still having problems.'

It's not set still.

Look, it's not set.

We've got everything, we're just waiting on the parfaits.

-How long are we going to need for them?

-Another ten minutes.

Ten minutes? OK.

I think we need to send this and then come out with the parfaits at the end.

Lovely, lovely. Well done. Well done.

Right...

That's it.

OK, stick 'em in.

-Is that enough?

-That's it. Lovely.

Please don't slide down the stick!

Right, I've only got seven because the rest wouldn't set and everything else has gone in,

but these are worth the wait.

They're special. They're like my little chocolaty children.

'Les's sweet dish is a Battenberg cake.'

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

I love Battenberg.

This is homemade, obviously.

I usually buy mine at the shop, but this is homemade and so it's special. Really nice.

'He's also made a gazpacho jelly,

'topped with a gazpacho foam.'

Mm! It's very tasty. Yes, very, very nice.

It wasn't too strong a tomato taste.

Sometimes that can be overpowering, I'm not a lover of tomato soup,

but that was really tasty. I enjoyed that.

'Next up are Brian's mini Scotch eggs...'

Thank you. That looks good.

It's very nice, very tasty, this Scotch egg.

It was delicious! I didn't realise how lovely it could be!

That was really, really tasty. Beautiful!

'..followed by rhubarb macarons.'

Very nice.

Absolutely gorgeous.

The macarons are just nice and crispy,

but you've got that lovely, soft, creamy rhubarb flavour. It's really nice.

'Janet's savoury dish is mushroom-filled brioche.'

It's gorgeous!

The mushroom is in the middle.

The lightness of the pastry is quite amazing.

Of course, we're all curious to know why and how you get the mushrooms in the middle,

but it really is delicious.

I'm going to eat all of this. Finish the whole one off!

LADIES: Oh, Harry! THEY LAUGH

Mm!

'She's also made blueberry parfait lollipops,

'coated in dark chocolate.'

-That's gorgeous!

-That looks delicious.

-Mm.

-Ooh, gorgeous!

And that bitter chocolate on the outside...

Absolutely beautiful.

-It really is delicious.

-Gorgeous. It is, isn't it?

-It is!

'Finally, it's Ade's mango delice -

'mango mousse, layered with sponge and topped with raspberry glaze.'

Mango and raspberry delice,

and that is delicious!

That is absolutely beautiful.

-That's her second helping.

-No, it's my third!

She's now put on four pounds.

-I think you've been spoilt, Doreen.

-I am indeed!

What a treat this is!

'He's also made Welsh rarebit.'

I've never had it look like that before!

-It looks good.

-It does, doesn't it?

I'm very impressed with whoever done this.

I'd like to find out how they do it so I can do it myself!

Very cheesy

and very tasty.

The chefs that have done it,

ten out of ten.

Five star, mate. Five star. Brilliant.

This has been a lovely treat today. It's been smashing.

What more could you ask for than an afternoon tea?

We got there in the end! It was a little bit tight.

They could've pushed a bit harder for the first hour or two,

it would've made it easier at the end.

We got everything up, apart from the parfaits from Janet.

The ones she served were very nice. Everything else was just about up on time.

For their first go and the style of food we do,

I think they did pretty well.

That was great. I really enjoyed it. I do feel like I learnt a lot today.

To make a Battenberg cake, it's like doing a cake and a jigsaw puzzle all in one go.

So, yes, absolutely renewed respect for the afternoon tea.

It was one of the best days because we learnt so much.

It was quite tricky, but I really enjoyed it.

It was immensely tiring!

I can't tell you, I feel so...

I feel like I've been in a fight.

When I lifted the mould off the delice, it was fantastic.

Very good. Very satisfying indeed.

The making of the mousse was easy, I've made loads of mousses,

but I've never had to make a mousse defy gravity!

For God's sake! I can't believe it!

What planet are these chefs on?

A great day, and our Finals Week has started with a real bang.

Our four have learnt a huge amount today.

Back to the MasterChef Kitchen. You and I are going to have one hell of a judging job.

We're going to lose one of these and I can't see any one of them tripping up at this point.

'The celebrities have had an intense masterclass,

'but now they need to demonstrate what they've learnt

'if they want to secure their place in the final three.'

To still have a chance of going through to the final is great.

There is a lot riding on today. We all want to be in the finals.

I'd love to go on the final hurdle. I really would.

If I get knocked out today,

I'll go home, I'll bake a biscuit that looks exactly like Gregg

and then I'll stab it all over with a fork

and I'll feel fantastic.

I think it's a very level playing field.

Once you've built up this amount of steam,

it would be very disappointing to go today.

Good to see you back here in the MasterChef Kitchen.

We want you to make two tarts and an ice cream.

Here, a wonderful set of ingredients...

Please come up, have a look and be inspired.

'The ingredients include a range of fruits and berries,

'nuts, wines and liqueurs,

'and spices and essences.

'They've also been given a recipe for shortcrust pastry

'and a basic ice cream.'

I live with someone who makes perfect tarts, so I don't do it.

As for making the ice cream, I've got an ice-cream maker.

I've never used it because life's too short.

The pastry side of it,

I've kind of got a little better at, I hope.

I've never made ice cream so I've got to go and study.

When I was a kid I loved strawberry tart,

so I'm thinking soft fruits, maybe strawberries and raspberries together.

Simple. But I've got to make it look decorative.

Ah, yes!

Calvados... That's what we'll use in the apple tart.

Time to get down to business.

I hope you've planned well.

At the end of this,

one of you will be leaving the competition.

Ladies and gentlemen,

two and a half hours...

Let's cook.

Most of us see sweet things as something that's fun,

but it is the most skilful and the most artistic bit of the culinary repertoire.

Science meets art. It's got to be beautiful,

but every single measurement has to be perfect or it just falls apart.

It's too dry.

Janet has read the recipe for shortcrust pastry incorrectly

and only put one egg in it.

Now she's had to go back and put another egg in it.

Les doubled up the pastry recipe but didn't double the butter.

He couldn't quite understand why it wasn't coming together!

It was very shortcrust!

I've done it again. I think I've got time.

I'm trying not to panic. No, I'm not panicking. I'm fine.

30 minutes have gone!

You've got two hours left!

I'm OK at the desserts I know,

but as these are desserts that I don't know, it's a blind alley.

Hopefully, I won't get stuck in it, I'll get out again.

Sweet things are really your thing, aren't they?

I love desserts, I really do.

Until I got to this competition, I ate them but didn't cook them.

Can you do us something really amazing?

I'm going to make you a chocolate and strawberry tart

and a very simple lemon and lime tart.

I'm adding the two citrus flavours and hoping that it works.

What about your ice cream? What's that going to be?

Because I haven't made ice cream, I'm not trying to be adventurous. I'm loading it with vanilla.

-Have you ever made a lemon tart, Les?

-No!

I've never made any of these tarts before.

I've never made ice cream before!

-Are you going to make the final three?

-I'm hoping to. I'm enjoying the competition now.

When I first started, I was competitive with myself,

and I've beaten that competition, so I want to go further in THE competition.

As good as Les has been, we now know

that he has never made a fruit tart and he's never made an ice cream,

so he really has got to have his instincts firing.

You're right. But watching him work, he's very gentle with the pastry,

his pastry cases are lined very well.

It's going to be time for Les.

Setting the chocolate, making a lemon and lime tart -

the filling has to be made, then it's got to be cooked

and it's got to be cool enough so we can take a lovely slice.

If he can hold his nerve, he's going to be OK.

The only way you can get through this competition

is to make stuff that tastes good.

It doesn't have to be actually over-complicated.

Make sure the things you choose go together really well

and make something taste lovely.

-Ade, what are you going to make for us?

-An apple tart.

Apple puree with Calvados, and apples fanned out on the top.

Going back to what we were doing in the last challenge,

making a version of whatever I made, the mango mousse...

-Mm!

-..to put inside a tart.

-What are you going to top that with?

-I'm going to do strawberries on top as a decoration.

-What's your ice cream?

-My ice cream is cinnamon and honey.

Whaay! Nice.

So, you're not at all scared of this round?

I've basically got to beat one of these three.

I'm looking at Brian!

-How's it going, Brian?

-Oh, you know! Really calm and collected, actually.

-Damn!

-Les is looking flustered.

-No. John likes him. Keep looking.

-Janet's gone quiet so she must be in trouble.

-She has gone quiet.

That's the first time in the competition. You're absolutely right!

Ade seems chirpy. Ade seems confident.

I love the idea of a mango mousse inside a tart, with strawberries.

I like the idea of the apple and Calvados with apples on top.

But it'll be the finish - the clean lines on the pastry, the glaze on top of the strawberries,

the apples have to be soft enough - everything has to be right.

Now, do we think that cinnamon ice cream goes with mango and strawberries?

I don't know. It's very rich and very sticky

and maybe a little bit too much.

Women are a bit in two minds about desserts,

because once you get hooked, your backside's going to get bigger and bigger,

so I tend to not cook a lot of desserts,

I really don't.

You seem a little bit more stressed than usual.

I'm juggling a lot of things at once.

I've never made ice cream before, I've got to make two different tarts

and I haven't made the filling for one of them yet.

Tell us, what are your two tarts and what's your ice cream?

One of the tarts is a fruit tart with a creme Anglaise on the bottom,

and the other is a treacle tart that I'm putting pineapple into.

Pineapple and treacle tart. And your ice cream?

Toasted hazelnuts and brown bread.

-Brown bread ice cream? Yum!

-I like that.

Do your pineapples go on the tart or in the tart?

They're mashed into the treacle tart.

-I'm loathe to say this...

-Yes?

How do you bring elegance, style and appearance to your tarts?

-To a treacle tart?

-Mm...

-You're doing that funny face, Gregg.

It's rough and tough, you know. It is elegant in its own way.

A fruit tart is... Basically, I'm doing that as a sop to you.

It's a shameless piece of crowd-pleasing, you know...

-It's like window dressing.

-I'm pleased.

Are you under pressure? Are you worried about going out?

I don't want to go out because I don't want a final with no women in it.

-So -

-I'd feel I haven't just let me down,

I've let 51 percent of the UK down - women!

-Janet, love you, love your tarts.

-Thank you!

Right, where's my golden syrup gone?

We've got treacle tart coming from Janet,

treacle tart with pineapple, and I think that could work

as long as that pineapple is stewed down and soft, like a compote,

and not big and chunky.

HE GROANS

Oh, my God!

Me and tarts are not very good!

I have made one, two in fact that have been pretty dreadful!

In fact, some of the most dreadful tarts the show's ever seen!

Tell us, what are you going to make for us?

-A treacle tart...

-Right.

..and one with a creme patisserie filling.

-What are you going to put on the top?

-A mixture of fruit.

-What ice cream are you making?

-Strawberry ice cream.

-And that's churning?

-That's churning. I'm hoping to put the reduced compote

and hopefully get a nice swirl in there.

Whoa! Because that would be lovely if you can.

Right. Why these two fillings?

I'm going for simplicity.

I'm going for the look and the taste as opposed to doing anything fancy.

If I get a chance to do something fancy, I will try my best.

Timing, Brian... You've still got treacle filling to make.

I'm just doing that now.

-How long's it going to take to cook?

-Half an hour.

-You better move on, mate, because you've got about 35 minutes left.

-OK.

-Good luck.

-Thank you. Thank you very much.

Brian cannot hide the panic behind that charming smile.

The treacle tart case has got whacking great holes in it

so it's going to need a really thick filling to go in.

He said that he's made a creme-pat inside the other tart.

Well, that is the wateriest and wettest creme-pat I've ever seen!

Brian's ice cream sounds delicious - rich vanilla ice cream

and swirled inside, strawberry and rose water.

Absolutely wonderful! It goes beautifully with fruit tart and treacle tart.

If, of course, we get tarts...

Guys, don't forget, this is about elegance!

Presentation is paramount!

Teatime! Come on, everybody, two minutes! Where are those tarts?

That's it! Your time's up.

(Please set before they eat it!)

'First up is Janet.'

Janet, I want to say one thing to you...

Hallelujah. You have arrived.

I am absolutely ecstatic

by your presentation of these two tarts.

They look brilliant, they're elegant, you've got a sense of humour.

Good on you. I love 'em.

'Janet's first tart is treacle and pineapple.

'She's also made a brown bread and nut ice cream.'

It's not a treacle tart as I know it.

It's more of a nut and pineapple tart flavoured with golden syrup.

I like the texture and I even like the sweetness of the pineapple,

but it is really, really sweet.

I mean, that is as sweet as it comes.

I like your pastry. It's crumbly and crisp. It's all wonderfully even.

Erm, yes, it's an interesting tart, flavour-wise.

-Technically perfect.

-Thank you.

Technically very good, but I don't like it.

I don't like the pineapple in it.

It makes it too sweet, slightly acidic,

and I don't believe a treacle tart should be tropical. I don't think it works.

Otherwise, we've got a lovely treacle, nutty tart.

I love this tart. If you don't like it, you know...

You're getting emotional. Is that because -

I'm getting emotional because that's a really, really good tart

and you're nit-picking!

That is a fabulous ice cream!

Brown-bread ice cream, I really love.

What it does, the sugar crystalizes within the bread,

it doesn't go soggy,

so you've got crunchy bits of sugar with brown bread and nuts and it's absolutely delicious.

Love the vanilla in the background. Very, very good indeed.

Thank you. It's the first ice cream I've ever made.

Considering you've never made ice cream before, good on you.

'Her second tart is filled with creme patisserie and creme fraiche

'and topped with berries.'

I just want to show you something.

That, my friend, is fantastic!

I can pick up a piece like that,

that means the base is wonderful and solid, it's filled with cream.

It's an absolute beauty.

As they say in Australia, Janet, that's ripper!

Your pastry is perfect -

thin, crisp, golden, biscuity, buttery and sweet.

Your filling is a mixture of custard and creme fraiche.

On top of that, there's lots of sweet and sour berries,

all exploding in your mouth, covered with icing sugar.

It's lovely, it's not too sweet and it's the sort of thing that I want to eat.

I think that's great. I don't have a criticism of that tart at all.

That is lovely. You've got sweet berries.

The filling surprised me.

Because it's slightly sour, it gives the whole thing the taste of like a cheesecake.

Janet, I love that! I love that.

All we've got to do is get the silly pineapple out of the treacle tart

and you've got a perfect ten.

I was really pleased with my ice cream

and the pastry came out really well.

I'm not bothered what they said about the treacle tart. I think it's great.

'Next up is Ade.'

Wow! Good tarts!

Lovely-looking pastry, really neat.

Look at the symmetry, look at the colours. Beautiful.

'His first tart is made with apple and Calvados brandy,

'served with cinnamon and honey ice cream.'

Lovely light pastry,

nice and sweet,

-but slightly too sharp.

-Is it?

Slightly too bitter.

I love the thin, crispy, buttery pastry.

I don't taste the Calvados and I'd like a bit of warmth from that.

I agree with Gregg, I think it's a little bit too sharp.

But take that with a spoon of your delicious ice cream,

with that apple tart together,

and, my friend, it's like a kiss from a beauty queen!

Cor, that ice cream is fantastic. That is fabulous, Ade!

It's got cinnamon in it, it's nice and sweet and creamy.

That is lovely.

'His second tart is filled with mango mousse

'and topped with strawberries.'

Nice crunch, nice crack of pastry.

GREGG CHUCKLES

What delicious flavours -

light mango and then juicy strawberry.

In no way oversweet but well sweet enough.

Very refreshing.

The inside of that is heavenly.

I really like the pastry and the strawberries.

I like the texture of your filling, but it does need to be firmer.

My issue is, it's not prominent with mango.

I do like your tarts, Ade, and I love your ice cream,

but I do particularly like the combination of your apple tart and your ice cream together.

I think that's absolutely delicious.

I am pleased with how it looked.

I thought it looked OK.

Not 100 percent there but fairly positive, I thought.

'Les has made a lemon and lime tart.'

What we need, as you well know, is a clean, yellow finish.

-This looks a little untidy.

-Right. OK.

You've got a real zing of citrus there.

It takes you almost to the edge of sharpness,

then brings you back down into comforting sugar.

-I'm happy with the texture of your filling.

-Mm.

It needs to look better

-and your pastry needs to be crisper.

-Yes.

I love the flavour of it. There's a wonderful sharp lemon,

but also that refreshing lime in the background, which I really like.

-But what you've got here is a very, very inconsistent tart.

-Right.

-This piece here...

-Yes.

-..is beautiful.

-Right.

Your filling has set, your pastry is wonderful and crisp and absolutely beautiful.

On this side over here,

we've suddenly got a completely different story!

'His second tart

'is filled with chocolate and strawberries.'

The appearance of whole strawberries

-sitting point-upwards is wrong.

-Right.

It is like a moonscape, isn't it?!

Like a child, I find a real delight

in just dipping my spoon into pastry and oozy chocolate!

It's a pleasure and a joy.

But as a judge, I have to say your filling's not right.

-It isn't.

-It's not firm enough.

I don't like the combination of strawberries and chocolate.

It just doesn't work for me, it never has.

For some people, it does.

It's like a really thick chocolate milkshake,

served with some strawberries and some biscuits on the side.

OK!

'He's also made a vanilla ice cream.'

Let's try this ice cream, shall we?

Nice vanilla ice cream, creamy,

but there's little lumps in it and I don't know what they are,

almost as if you've got bits of clotted cream in there.

-What is it, John?

-It's curdled.

-It's curdled.

-Oh, has it?

-Only just very, very slightly.

You've got little lumps of egg,

and you're absolutely right, it tastes like clotted cream.

-I like the flavour of it but I don't like the texture.

-OK.

I know that the flavours were good, I know that some elements worked,

I just don't think it's enough to get me through. But who knows?

'Brian's first tart is made with treacle

'and topped with chopped pistachios and a caramel shard.'

It's bereft of filling. It's a wafer-thin treacle tart.

The pastry's toasty and good. Nice flavour of treacle.

-Have you put something citrus in here, like lemon or orange?

-Orange.

Really nice idea!

It needs smartening up,

but it tastes great.

I do like the flavour.

I like the golden syrup and the orange with the pistachio nuts,

and your little bit of praline across the top is really lovely.

What you've got here, though, is a bit of an issue.

You've overworked your pastry, so when it's gone into the oven it's shrunk very quickly.

This one had holes in it, as you can see.

You can see the different layers of pastry here,

a sort of patchwork quilt.

'His ice cream is strawberry.'

I've never tasted an ice cream like it.

It tastes almost like fruity toffee.

-Oh.

-It's a really nice-flavoured combination.

Your ice cream base, with the strawberry jam running through it,

tastes to me like I've got a big plateful of cold strawberries and custard.

I think that's delicious.

'Brian's second tart is filled with creme patisserie

'and topped with berries.'

We seem to have more of a sort of quicksand effect going on.

Yes, the fruit has sunk.

Look...

GREGG GROANS In French, they call this...

..a soupe de fruits - fruit soup.

Oh, mate, I'm sorry.

I don't know what to say to you really.

It's slightly nutty, it tastes of vanilla, very creamy, little bits of fruit.

There is no question mark at all over your palate,

however, the execution of this fruit tart is ghastly.

Brian, I don't know what to say, mate!

It's times like this I want to run around

and give you a big hug and say it's going to be all right,

but I can't promise you that right now. Erm...

I don't know what you've done to your custard. By the looks of it you haven't got the eggs out,

which means it hasn't set.

Even if that custard had set underneath,

it needed fruit on top to be decorated

and make it opulent.

I think I could well be home

just because of that tart,

and it feels pretty gutting.

Thank you very much indeed.

A roomful of nervous tension.

Four great cooks...

Gregg and I have to make a decision of who stays and who goes.

Thanks very much. Off you go.

-BRIAN: Oh, God, the stress!

-JANET: The stress level.

I like these four.

They've come a really long way. They've worked really hard.

I'm a little bit sad we've got to lose one of them today.

I think the quality of Janet's work today was sublime.

That fruit tart was beautiful.

The ice cream was delicious.

The treacle tart was beautifully made, a wonderful filling.

I really didn't like the pineapple in there.

No! It was lovely!

Ade, I think, showed his true colours

and showed just what a quality cook he can be.

I think Ade's done very well today. A really, really good job.

The work he did was complicated and he delivered it with aplomb.

So Ade and Janet push themselves through to the final three.

-Absolutely.

-OK. Good.

That means we've got a discussion to be had between Brian and Les.

Les's inexperience showed today.

The chocolate wasn't thick enough to sit in the pastry,

the lemon and lime tart

was a little bit shabby,

but both tarts, I think, tasted great.

Technically, not a very good job from Les,

but you're right, his food tastes good.

If I was to get through, I would be absolutely thrilled,

very surprised but, you know, final three would be amazing.

It really would be amazing.

Brian didn't have a great day.

The, erm, treacle tart, the pastry was crumbling everywhere,

but saying that, it tasted great.

His fruit tart was a disaster.

I was really disappointed with both of Brian's tarts.

His ice cream, however, I loved.

It's particularly hard when you get down to the last few,

so it feels horrible that someone's going to go

and, erm, it feels slightly worse if it's going to be me!

This is a massive decision.

Our final three...

Thank you very much indeed.

I always thought this was going to be a very tough challenge.

I want to thank you not just for what you've done today,

but for what you've given to the whole of this competition. It's been a real pleasure.

Whatever the decision, you should be very, very proud of yourselves.

A tough decision.

A really tough decision.

The person leaving us...

..is Brian.

Thank you.

JANET: I'm sorry.

Thank you so much.

-Thanks, Brian, very much.

-Thank you so much.

Naturally, very disappointed,

but I knew that I did make a pretty big mistake.

But it's been fantastic. I've so enjoyed it. It's just been marvellous.

I can't believe that I got into the last four.

It's horrible to go out, but lovely to have got this far.

Congratulations, you three! You are our final three!

And a fabulous final three, can I add?

Well done!

I didn't think I was going through because of the mud pie,

the chocolate pie, that didn't go with the strawberries.

I'm just absolutely thrilled and gobsmacked.

I'm really dead chuffed!

I feel slightly emotional!

I think Les triggered it because he was sort of on the verge of tears there,

which makes everyone get a bit... No, it's very exciting.

I'm really happy about the result.

I ought to be humble, but I can't be because I worked my arse off

and I did do two really great tarts.

'Tomorrow, the three finalists will be launched into the world of fine dining.'

My food has to be spot on.

The moment of truth...

-This dish is the equivalent of building the Eiffel Tower!

-Ssh!

Hurry up! Just hurry up.

-How are you doing, Ade?

-I'm under pressure!

-You're loving it, though, aren't you?

-Not at this precise minute!

I'm not happy to serve these.

-Come on!

-Stop it! I'm trying to get it right!

That's a disaster.

This dish was phenomenal.

I would be happy to pay for that.

I'm glad that's over.

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