Episode 5 Celebrity MasterChef

It's Celebrity MasterChef.

We've got 16 celebs all hoping to show off their cooking talent.

I'm a heady mixture of nerves and confidence.

They've proved themselves in their own profession.

Now let's see if they can cut it in the kitchen.

I'm loving it right now, the whole MasterChef experience.

I've absolutely relished what I've done so far

so I'd really love to stay in.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

These four celebrities are competing to become MasterChef Champion.

This was a lucky break for me. I was bored of my cooking.

I was looking for inspiration and I'm finding it.

The competition, so far, is a lot tougher than I thought.

The learning curve is so huge, so huge on this.

When I agreed to do this, I thought, "Yeah, I know how to cook.

"That'll be quite good fun."

But I found the experience rather nerve-racking.

I want to win, I wouldn't have entered this competition

if I didn't want to win, that's my focus and that's my goal.

So our celebs have been through quite a bit so far.

We've put them through their paces. It's their chance now to shine.

I think we need to push them a little bit harder,

give them a bit of mentoring, a bit of tutoring but also test them.

Today, the celebrities are being sent out in pairs

to experience their first lunchtime service in a restaurant kitchen.

Cooking to a high standard in a very upmarket restaurant...

..is terrifying.

This is the first time I'll be cooking food for the paying public.

Let's hope they want to pay.

ADE: It depends what kind of chef he is, really.

Depends what kind of chef he is, that does make it different.

Cos if he was a big, horrible,

shouty chef then it could be a really horrible day.

That's going to be a horrible day.

John and Denise are in London's financial district.

They'll be working at contemporary Italian restaurant L'Anima.

John, Denise, buongiorno. My name is Francesco Mazzei.

We're expecting a very busy service today.

The standards are very, very high over here

so I'm expecting a lot from you.

-Are you guys ready?

-BOTH: Yes, Chef.

-Perfect, let's go.

I am a chef. I've never been easy-going in my life.

If I get easy, things aren't going to work

so I'm going to be tough enough and a bit of pressure helps.

What we're doing is we're going to sear the fish

and then we finish in the oven for a few minutes, OK?

Actress Denise will be responsible for the wild sea bass

with beetroot puree, a broad bean, pea and onion salad,

pea shoots and a potato galette.

OK?

Nice.

I like my fish to be slightly pink in the middle, OK?

Just always a little bit pink in the middle, OK, just the way I like.

-Happy?

-Beautiful.

-Then beautiful broad beans and peas, OK?

Look at the colour of this dish.

And then this beautiful potato crust

and that's what I want you to achieve.

-I'm expecting you to send this dish away absolutely spot-on.

-Yes, Chef.

-Are you up for that?

-I'm up for that.

-Fantastic.

Come on, let's crack on now, let's do the mise en place.

I'm not feeling nervous, I'm feeling very, very alert.

I think the most difficult thing is going to be the timing,

getting the fish perfect and getting the plate beautiful.

You've seen my plates, I've got a long way to go.

Touch, touch how thin it has to be.

-Wow.

-OK?

-It's a paper, expensive paper. Eh?

-Yeah.

-Good, perfect.

Actor John has been put in charge of the tortelli filled with

burrata cheese, served with hazelnut and sage brown butter.

In this restaurant, we don't pre-cook pasta,

we do everything a la minute

so every single tortelli, you're going to close them by order.

-That make sense, John?

-Yes.

OK and before you stick, make sure the air inside goes out.

-If you keep some air inside, it will explode while it's cooking.

-Yeah.

-So use this technique here. Fold it and then stick it together.

-OK.

-OK?

-Easy.

-Yeah.

-You sure?

-I think.

THEY LAUGH

-It'll be three minutes. Three minutes will be absolutely fine.

-OK.

As a starter portion, three, main course portion, five,

a la minute, OK?

-Yeah.

-Good.

On a plate. Very, very, very simple.

Brown butter on top, on top.

Hazelnut, it'll be around, OK?

There you go, the beautiful tortelli with hazelnuts and sage.

-John, very simple dish. A lot's going on here and lots to do.

-Right.

-OK?

-Yep.

Please, crack on, do the filling, do the pasta and they're ready to go.

-That's it.

-OK.

It's very, very intricate and what worries me

is this is like a best seller here

so I would imagine the orders are going to come in thick and fast.

It looks so easy, but if you put too much egg on it...

..it splits.

I think John has got a tricky, tricky dish.

I mean, you have to have a kind of technique to turn that tortelli,

to roll that tortelli, and the most important thing,

they're going to be done a la minute so I think he will panic a bit.

The pasta's split so that'll leak when it goes in the pan.

That's not going to work.

Down at Bankside,

Ade and Phillips will be working at modern British restaurant The Swan.

Service will be run by Head Chef Simon Cotterill.

-Morning, gentlemen. How are you today?

-Morning, how are you?

My name's Simon.

We're going to have a busy lunch

so I'm expecting the best like I would all my guys.

Let's have a good day. Let's go, follow me.

-Just get it soaked down about three or four minutes...

-Yeah.

..and then we'll put it in the oven.

Triple Jumper Phillips will be responsible for the duck breast

served with kale, baby turnips, cubes of quince,

duck hash and a red wine sauce.

And with the duck, straight down the middle.

-This is the pinkness I need it at.

-OK.

-So I expect this every time, OK?

Get your kale.

And with the duck, sit that one like that. Basically, on and around.

This is how I expect it every time otherwise I'll give it back to you.

OK?

I'm looking forward to it.

It was so easy for the chef, it just comes naturally.

He knew what he was doing, a couple of minutes in there,

throw the duck in the oven, it just... You need six pairs of hands

to be able to keep everything going at the same time

but I want to do a good job, I really want to do a good job.

This is a real test.

HE FEIGNS SOBBING

No tears today.

Season the beef fillets.

-OK. Straight on the grill.

-Do we time that?

-It depends how the customer wants it.

-Yeah.

-OK?

They have it medium rare, medium, well done,

however they want it, we give it to them.

Comedian Ade will be in charge of the fillet of beef

topped with bone marrow,

served with black cabbage, potato dumplings, beetroot cubes

and a beef sauce.

And the marrow will melt in the pan, OK?

So we have to get it before it melts.

Yeah, and not forgetting about your beef fillet either. OK?

This one, at the moment, is just over rare.

You got your cabbage, OK, toss it off.

Yeah, that looks easy(!)

-And that's your dish.

-It looks lovely.

How fast do the orders come?

-How many can you be doing at once? Ten?

-How long's a piece of string?

More? Oh, right. I wonder whether I should have clocks out.

I've got a timer. If you want a timer, that's no problem at all.

-A few so that I know which one's which.

-I've only got one.

-Have you?

SIMON LAUGHS

-Where's the nearest...

-Exit.

-..clock?

"Exit."

THEY LAUGH

I've never cooked a piece of beef that big before.

This is enormous, so getting it warm to the middle is quite a feat.

And to learn that you can do that in only eight minutes.

My mum would be surprised, she'd have it in for an hour and a half.

The calm before the storm.

OK, winter salad, due caviar,

le crouton... due tortelli large.

Yes, Chef.

John's first up, and he must now make and cook his tortelli to order.

It's gone, ah.

OK, guys, we're rocking now.

-Two small tortelli, one veal, one sea bass.

-ALL: Yes, Chef.

Come on, John, come on, Denise, we're running.

-No, you see, it's going.

-John, how are you there?

-It's OK, it's because that...

-This is no good.

-No, that's no good.

-This is no good. You break that?

-That's the pasta splitting.

-Right, you know why? Because it's too dry.

-OK.

-It gets too dry.

Start again, start again.

You're going to eat that later, start again.

John, come on, easy, easy, yeah?

John, you should put your hands on, yeah? Come on, come on.

While I'm doing so you can learn. Come on, come on.

Yeah. Turn it.

Right, OK, that's it.

So two more by yourself.

Get the paper and do it. Nando, keep an eye, please.

Chef's not happy because, um...

See, look.

Start again.

Just back to the drawing board, really.

It's just this big one here.

I've got five sea bass on order.

Two for one table, they've got to look identical.

Yes, brava. OK, go in the oven now, go in the oven.

-Sauce, more fluid and a little bit less, OK?

-Yes.

-Well done.

I'm starting to feel a lot more pressure now. It's all very real.

-Are you ready in two minutes, Denise?

-Two minutes, Chef.

-Two minutes, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-Spot-on.

Pea shoots, darling? You got pea shoots there coming?

-Pea shoots are coming.

-Good.

OK, cool, brava. So far, I'm happy. OK, good. OK, let's go.

46, one roast potato, two sea bass, come on.

OK, darling, you've got a few more to prepare for me, yeah?

Don't rest, don't rest, don't rest.

He said it was OK.

The heat's on now.

Denise is on a roll, but John's still not got his dish out.

-John, how long for that tortelli, John?

-One minute, Chef.

I want my tortelli here now, come on. Come on, John.

Cheese underneath, cheese on top and then brown butter, OK?

Is it starter or main?

It is a main. Large tortelli, five, five.

Some more cheese on top, cheese on top.

-What have you missed there?

-The hazelnut and the sage.

OK, cool, go, go.

OK, listen, less butter, look at that.

-OK.

-Less butter, OK.

-Right.

Chef said it was OK, but I'm going to hopefully improve it this time.

Over at Bankside, the restaurant is full,

and Ade is inundated with orders for his beef fillet.

I've got, um... What have I got?

I've got two medium rare, one medium and one medium well.

Medium well?

Check on, two duck breast, both medium rare,

one beef fillet medium, two chips.

ALL: Yes, Chef.

I'm far too panicked now.

And I've lost all thread.

In the few minutes his beef takes to cook,

Ade still has to fry his dumplings and bone marrow.

Nine away, 22 now, guys. Ade, that's you. Yes, Chef.

PANS CLATTER

Oh, that's a mistake, isn't it?

What do we do with that? It hit the floor.

All right, get some fresh ones on.

Everything was working very well and working to plan

so now it's just, um, just complete panic now.

Well, obviously, that's going to put him behind because he's got

quite a few checks on, so he's going to have to get a move on.

While Ade starts from scratch,

Phillips is juggling five duck orders.

Phillips, how are you getting on?

-Doing all right, I need to pick it up a little bit.

-Yeah?

You got all your components working? You got your ducks on?

Got enough ducks on?

All right, I need one, two, three...four, five.

All right, so you're all over it, good.

-OK.

-Thank you, Chef.

I'm under control now. I've got everything on, so I think I'm good.

Phillips, how long table one? Two duck breasts, medium rare.

-Um, two minutes, Chef.

-Two minutes?

Ade, can you do table one in two minutes? No, Chef.

You two need to talk to each other cos otherwise his meat's

going to be ready and you're not going to be ready

and his meat's going to be overcooked, OK?

-Table one, we need about ten minutes on that.

-You need ten minutes?

-Yeah.

OK, you two need to talk to each other, yeah? Yes, Chef.

ADE: Table two, I'll be ready in about two minutes.

Come on, turn over.

-Phillips! Yes, Chef? Are you ready on table two?

-Are you ready, Ade?

-Table two?

-I'm practically ready.

-That's it, sauce it. On and around. OK, on the tray.

-Yes, Chef.

-Let's get it out.

-Ow, ow, ow.

-Ade's ready.

-Ready, Chef.

-That's it.

Looks good.

Brings it back from dropping all three on the floor before.

-OK, Phillips.

-Yes, Chef?

-That's OK, but we can get better on that, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-Right, service, let's go!

Right, main away, table one!

Fast pace, boy. I'm used to working at speed, but this is ridiculous.

Back in the City, it's an hour into service

and John is plating more of his delicate tortelli.

Right, fine. Cheese.

I need one tortelli to go with that sea bass, yeah?

Quick, quick, quick, quick.

-How long the tortelli, John?

-Er, 30 seconds, Chef.

-Wow. Are you sure?

-Er, no.

-OK, good, so tell me the right time then.

-Er, one minute, Chef.

-Good. Don't waste my time.

It's gone.

-What's going on there? What's happened?

-It's split.

-Oh, no. For the VIP table?

-Well, I've put three more in.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah, yeah, three in.

-What do we do with this then?

It's a disaster here. What should we do here? OK, three more, come on.

-There's three in, Chef.

-No, leave it. I'm not giving that.

Come on, let's do again. Where is your butter?

Are you burning your butter there now?

Look, it's not even boiling, this water.

Look, this one is boiling, this one is not boiling.

-Why you put it there? OK?

-OK, Chef.

Three, four, five, six, that's it.

Don't touch it now.

Nothing can prepare you... for this maelstrom...

of craziness, really.

Across the kitchen,

Denise is trying to manage the timings of five sea bass.

OK, five minutes, 43 and 31, and six minutes, 73. Yes, Chef.

I forgot to put the timer on so I'm going to have to do it by eye.

Look, I didn't start the timer. I will check them.

-Denise, how we doing there? All good?

-Yes, Chef.

-Good.

There is a lot of sea bass selling today

so it's a lot going on and to keep the timing, two, three, four,

five, six minutes, it's not easy, so I'm actually quite happy.

I'm not going to help you, darling.

-Are you happy with this?

-I'm not sure yet.

-I'm happy.

-Thank you.

-Good.

Denise, this the best you did so far, OK? I'm happy. Brava, brava.

Thank you.

Well happy.

Only 45 minutes of service remain,

and Phillips and Ade are trying to clear their mountain of orders.

Gentlemen, how long for table one and table four?

Um, medium rare.

How long, guys? Give me a time.

Er, I can do that in about two or three minutes.

Is that OK for you, Phillips?

Two duck breast, medium rare, in two minutes?

-I'm waiting on the duck, Chef.

-So how long?

-Give me five minutes.

Five minutes so, Natasha, can you give Phillips a hand, please?

He's obviously going down a little bit over there.

PHILLIPS: This needs more time.

They both do.

That's cooking really slowly in there.

-So which is which, Ade?

-The one here...which one are we looking for?

One medium, two medium rare.

-Yeah, these are the two medium rare and this is the medium here.

-OK.

Right, let's go.

-Ade, that's much better.

-Thank you, Chef.

When you're in your own kitchen at home, there isn't a load of

other people running around getting in your way

and it's up to you to decide when the food is ready.

When you're here, you don't really have power over anything.

-Make these ones good ones, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-Keep the plate tidy, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-Phillips, this is much better.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Let's go, service.

I was rushing a little bit

so my presentation on the plate wasn't that tidy,

I just wanted to get the food out, but last one was a little bit better.

Well done, guys. That's a good end to the day.

You've done a good service

-so let's clean down and that's it. Well done.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Really enjoyed it.

-OK, last order, guys! One sea bass, one tortelli large.

-ALL: Yes, Chef.

John, you and Denise communicate now. Yes, Chef. Go, come on.

-John, sea bass ready.

-Sea bass ready, right.

Come on, John, quick, quick, quick.

-OK, good. I'm very happy about your last dish, OK?

-OK, thank you, Chef.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Are you happy about that? Do you feel confident about that?

-Yes, I do, Chef.

-Good, well done, I like it. OK, let's go, 41, please.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

It's been a tricky service, yes.

John, we give him a very difficult dish

and overall, the guy did a good job.

Today was incredibly tough. A lot tougher than I imagined, actually.

That pasta is a nightmare.

Denise, she was impressive.

The cooking of that fish and 12 of those, it was spot-on.

I have had a wonderful time. I have no voice left.

I've been praised, which was way beyond my expectation.

I think it helps being a woman in an Italian kitchen.

Ade seemed a bit muddled at the start.

Obviously, him dropping the food on the floor did send him down a bit,

but he pulled it back and done a good job.

I'm not sure whether I impressed the chef today.

He didn't get too cross so I'm taking that as a compliment.

Phillips did look a bit lost with his communication

and his timings but in the end, you know,

he pulled the last table through and done an OK job.

In at the deep end, a professional kitchen,

it's going to be fast-paced with mayhem and it was.

Such an adrenaline rush and that is amazing,

it's such a great experience.

Service may be over, but there is no let-up, as the celebrities now

return to MasterChef headquarters for their next challenge.

Three very important lessons that I learnt from the outside challenges -

teamwork, communication and, most important of all,

the timing, so I'll try and bring that into the MasterChef kitchen today.

I'm feeling quite happy.

I won't say resigned to fail and I won't say confident of success,

I'm sort of in the middle of those two things.

Although I've failed at some things,

I'll just have to put that aside and move on, really,

but I have really put a lot into this and I hope it shows.

My heart's pumping really hard every time I go out

and face a new challenge but I love that.

It's a world apart from what I do on a day-to-day basis

and it's nice to go out there and kind of have to think on my feet.

Welcome back.

We've now got for you a good, old-fashioned MasterChef invention test,

but you are working in teams

and we need to see that you are making progress.

We're going to ask you to make for us one main course and one dessert

from the set of ingredients you've got in front of you.

You'll have ten minutes to plan your dish.

We want style, we want elegance, we want sophistication.

Off you go.

Right.

How are you on desserts?

-I'm not good with desserts.

-What have we got there?

Their ingredients include - guinea fowl, chestnuts, cider,

wild mushrooms, carrots, cabbage,

pumpkin, shallots,

cranberries and puff pastry.

-Is this chestnuts?

-Yes.

-Pumpkin and chestnut tart for pudding?

That sounds gorgeous.

Thing is not to get too many ingredients

so then they can't taste what it is.

-We could make a sauce out of the cranberries, possibly.

-Yeah.

Oh, what about a chestnut and potato mash? Would that work?

I've never done that.

-DENISE:

-Are we agreed that we're going to pan-fry the breasts?

Two breasts. Why don't you...?

You could stick the leg in as well, give it a bit of flavour.

We can use this as part of a sauce, can't we?

Absolutely, it'd be a shame to waste them.

I would tend to do them with cream, that's what I would do.

Yeah, well, that's the obvious choice, let's go a bit different.

I don't know, I say stay down the line.

OK, ten minutes are up.

One hour. Ladies and gentlemen, something delicious, please.

-Let's cook.

-Talk to me all the way through the prep.

-ADE:

-How are you feeling? I'm feeling quite happy about it, actually.

I'm quite confident with the guinea fowl breast,

I know it doesn't take long.

-Do you know what? Can we not go for leg?

-Yeah, do you want to go for leg?

-Do it with the leg.

-Yeah, leg's better.

-Yes, do it with the leg.

What are you doing?

I don't know, I've never butchered an uncooked bird before.

I'm trying to get the legs off.

-I'm used to working with rubber ones.

-What have you done to that?

One of the things I've learned from the outside catering

and the restaurant experience

is working at speed, communicating, listening.

If something goes horribly wrong,

correcting it as quickly as possible.

I'm a bit chaotic and it's part of who I am

but there's no room for any chaos in the MasterChef kitchen today.

-What are you going to cook for us, guys?

-We're going to do...

My idea and I think we're still working on it,

we're pan-frying the guinea fowl.

We've gone for the legs, not the breasts.

We're going to make a sauce using the mushrooms.

-And dessert, what is it?

-Pumpkin...

It's a pumpkin and chestnut tart.

Oh, it's a tart now, not a pie?

-It'll be open.

-OK, it's a tart.

Then we're going to experiment with what flavour goes with it

cos I would say that it'd be quite dry

so I've done some cranberries to try.

We've sweetened some cranberries, just in case.

-If you're not sure, don't do it.

-Good advice.

I fear the cranberry because it kind of...

-This is going swimmingly, isn't it?

-No.

-No.

As yet, I would say we're out of our depths.

Let's see if we can come up with something.

Would it be fair to say that you might have a bit of an issue

with teamwork cos you're not quite sure how the team works?

Well, we seem to know, we have a kind of a psychic thing

going on, you know, I think it's almost like we're telepaths.

It's like aliens cooking.

You're not wrong there, it is like aliens cooking!

-DENISE:

-Can you tell me what you're doing there?

I'm getting all the moisture out of it cos it's way too wet.

John and Denise are not communicating at all.

He says they're communicating through telepathy. Yeah, right.

Actually, what that means is they're not actually speaking to each other.

I'm not sure how they're going to do it or how it's going to finish.

-What's in here? Cabbage?

-Yeah.

-Well, then cook it in this. Yeah?

-No.

-No?

We have got Denise however cooking legs of guinea fowl with

a mushroom sauce, some cabbage and some lovely baby carrots.

It could be a really delicious main course.

That isn't acceptable, John.

It's just not acceptable and it's not going out.

I'm not putting my name to that.

I'm going to make a few brick ones, I'm going to put them on the top...

No, it'd be awful though. It's not a pie any more, is it?

No, but you haven't got a pie dish and that is not going to make a pie.

Teams, you're halfway! You are halfway!

-That better?

-Yeah. It's just got a little taste of it.

Working as a team is different from being an athlete.

I'm on a runway by myself, I'm jumping in the sandpit by myself

and it is literally me against the measuring tape

so it's a new experience and it's enjoyable.

-JOHN: You seem to be getting on quite well, you two.

-Yeah.

We're working well as a team, eh? Aren't we? Well, I thought we were.

Ow!

Never do that to an Olympic athlete.

I think I'm a very...confident, proficient cook.

Nothing will be overdone, nothing will be underdone,

I can do all that.

It's on the flavours that I could fall down.

You two actually look organised and it's surprised me.

-Why?

-Is that a backhanded compliment?

Well, you actually seemed to have...get an idea pretty quick

-and get on with it. Is that right or...?

-We're most of the way there.

So what are your dishes?

Well, the dessert is easy to explain,

that's a kind of tarte Tatin but with blood oranges.

And then we're doing, um...

a pan-fried guinea fowl breast

with a chestnut and potato mash.

Interesting combination. Chestnut and potato...

We've never done that before but they just taste so nice.

How are you dividing the labour? Who's doing what?

Straight away I wanted to get involved with the fowl

and it's a good start so far.

I'll most likely do the mash as well.

Have your competitive instincts sort of clicked in now, Phillips, or...?

Yeah, definitely. After the last couple of days in the kitchen...

-We're going for gold.

-Yeah, that's it, that's it.

And I'm using what we've learnt

so hopefully we just want to put a nice dish on the plate for you guys.

Hey! Sounds good to me. Thanks very much.

JOHN: Ade and Phillips, absolutely committed,

committed to their ideas, really serious, really focused

and watching Phillips have confidence

and bone that guinea fowl was a brilliant thing.

You can see how he's changed and evolving as a cook.

However, the idea of a chestnut mashed potato is

hideous in the absolute extreme.

If you leave the chestnuts with bits, you're going

to have crunchy bits inside smooth mashed potato.

If you puree them out, you're going to get a grey mashed potato.

It's ghastly.

I like it...but the texture.

And I know it's cos of the...

Yeah, but then you want the texture in there

because that proves to you that the chestnuts are in there.

You've got just over 15 minutes left.

-DENISE:

-Get it in the oven, just put it in the oven.

What have you done?

Take that out.

-You have to blind bake the pastry.

-No, you said to put it in.

SHE SIGHS

-Let me clean that out.

-Don't worry about it, just pop it in.

-ADE:

-I think that's probably done. Oh, that's done, that's cooked.

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Let's bring that out.

Five minutes left.

Your time's up. Stop.

Stop.

-Not bad, man.

-We made a dish.

-Not bad. Oh, you're tall.

THEY CHUCKLE

Ade and Phillips have made breast of guinea fowl

with a chestnut mash, braised cabbage,

and a cranberry and cider sauce

followed by a blood orange tarte Tatin with Madeira cream.

I'm impressed. It's the best work I've seen you two do.

Fantastic teamwork.

Love the guinea fowl, that's beautifully cooked.

-Really soft and moist, very good job indeed.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

I was not at all convinced that chestnut mashed potato was

going to work.

I was wrong. I think it's a lovely combination.

-No, you were right.

-You don't like it?

-No. No, don't like it.

It's weird, it's grainy and it's a bit strange

because those chestnuts are a bit chalky.

But hang on, let me just say, I think

-chestnut mashed potato would divide any audience.

-Yeah.

-PHILLIPS:

-Yeah, us two as well.

I was like, "I'm not sure about the texture" but...

But you know, you've got big, bold flavours

and I'm really pleased you brought them to the fore.

They're individual, they're exciting and they're interesting.

-I'm really pleased for you.

-Let's have a look at this pudding.

Oh, I like that. I really do like that.

Your pastry's cooked, I love the creaminess of it

that gives it that yummy texture and you've got the taste of marmalade.

It's sweet and bitter blood orange, it's a marmalade tart.

For somebody like me with a sweet tooth, that is great.

I really like that for the simple reason that you've got that

sweetened Madeira cream and it's really good

because you've got the warmth of alcohol on the back of your throat,

you've got the sweetness of the cream,

it's cooked well, it's well thought out.

It was really interesting to watch you guys work as a team.

You didn't separate dishes, you actually did stuff together

and I think the result's great.

-That was good.

-Not bad.

-See, it all worked.

Denise and John's main course is guinea fowl leg

with braised cabbage, carrots, and a mushroom cream sauce.

To follow, they've made a pumpkin

and chestnut tart with a cranberry coulis.

I think your guinea fowl's lovely,

I love the crispy skin of the guinea fowl,

your meat's wonderful and soft, it's all seasoned really well.

Your vegetables around the outside are lovely.

Almost there, Denise, not bad at all.

Great cooking on that guinea fowl, I mean that's luxuriously

melting flesh inside a really crispy skin, that's lovely.

-Let's move on from guinea fowl to this.

-Yeah.

-Ugh!

-Eww, nice(!)

What the heck? What have you...? O-M-G.

I think your intention is good.

Pumpkin pie is a wonderful, wonderful thing

-but you've got no idea how to make it.

-No.

-It needs to cook for about 40 minutes.

-Yeah.

That's a nightmare, that's a pumpkin soup on undercooked pastry.

That is an absolute write-off. You've got to reach a decision.

You can't bicker your way through it, that's the outcome.

-(Sorry, mate.)

-It's all right, it's all right.

You've got to laugh about it.

-(And learn.)

-Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, I won't be making that again.

Thanks very much, off you go.

Considering the beautiful array of ingredients,

I'm slightly shocked because we have just encountered probably

one of the worst desserts you and I have ever been asked to taste.

I've got to say, you see what happens when teams don't play together.

I agree.

Credit to the main course has got to go with Denise

cos she cooked that bird brilliantly.

I was terribly pleased that the pan-frying was commended.

I confess, I feel that they were being gentle.

-But that dessert was an absolute nightmare.

-I feel that...

I'd attained...

I did all right so far,

at a level where I wanted to be in the competition,

and now I feel that I've just taken a massive step backwards.

Ade and Phillips worked really well together as a team.

They put everything together, their ideas, they were calm,

they were focused and it was nice to see. Their main course was bold.

Bold, big flavours.

I am really, really impressed with Ade and Phillips today.

Really stepped up to the challenge, good on 'em.

Coming up with stuff as a team and dividing the labour

and it all kind of worked really naturally, it was very pleasant cos

we're both kind of quite laid back

whereas the other two are quite laid forward.

-PHILLIPS:

-Me and Ade have both come a long way since the first challenge

and it's nice that them guys have noticed that.

This round, for me, has just thrown the competition wide open.

That's it, and their own food and at the end of that,

one of them's going to go home.

Over the last two days,

these celebrities have faced some extreme challenges.

I don't want to alarm anyone but there's a queue of students waiting to be fed outside.

I've really cut myself badly.

Oh, that's a mistake, innit?

But now, only one test stands between them

and a place in the quarter final.

Now it's your turn to really impress. This is YOUR food.

It's time for you to shine.

Cos at the end of this one of you is going to go home.

Ladies and gentlemen, one dish, one hour. Let's cook.

I know that if I don't learn from the mistakes I've made so far

in the challenges, and I recreate those mistakes,

that's a massive black mark against me, and that'll be...

-You had a bit of a rocky start to the day, haven't you, really?

-Yeah, terrible really.

So what are you going to do to redeem yourself?

My dish is scallops with chorizo on an apple celeriac rosti.

I wanted to lose something different with a potato. I'd never made rosti.

So I thought, I'll have a go, cos I really like them when I eat them.

You've got some really lovely ingredients, John.

-Are you going to do them justice?

-I would like to think so.

Everyone in this group is a strong cook, so I've got the fear.

But I don't want to go home. I'm enjoying myself too much.

-Get rid of the fear.

-OK.

-Use the energy.

-Put a smile back on your face and enjoy it.

-I will.

If you're not enjoying it, John, there's an issue.

I tend to maintain a general expression of worry, but that's just the face I was born with.

-Thanks, John.

-Well done, mate. Thanks.

John's looking a bit down in the mouth.

I think all he's got to do now is actually believe in himself again.

20 minutes gone. That means you've got 40 minutes left.

John and Gregg are very hard to read, cos they keep themselves very closed.

And I'm never quite sure whether they absolutely hate me

or just love me a little bit.

I think it's the former!

There seems to be a bit of a spring in your step now.

Well, yes there is. What I'm cooking now is something that I like to eat.

So, I'm hoping you like to eat it.

And if you don't, I should go!

So Ade, what are you going to cook for us?

I'm going to cook you stuffed lamb cutlets with a squash and artichoke salad.

And the salad is actually my own invention,

that I invented earlier this week. I've made the cutlets before.

I normally just serve them with a little bean salad,

but it didn't look good enough for you.

-BEEPING

-Just got to get these out.

-How do you stuff a lamb cutlet?

-I've, um, I've butterflied them.

So they're stuffed with Parma ham, Gruyere cheese and sage.

I'm going to bread them and fry them.

They're sort of a cross between a saltimbocca and veal cordon bleu, but made with lamb chops.

I wouldn't know but I'll take your word for it!

Ade has really come into his own.

He is cooking a beautiful sounding dish.

He's demonstrating skill, he's demonstrating knowledge,

and it's demonstrating complex flavours. All he's got to do is make sure it's cooked beautifully.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are halfway. 30 minutes gone, 30 minutes left.

Your competition's really kicked off, hasn't it, mate?

Day by day there's been a massive improvement, so...

Well, massive for me. I'm loving it, I'm enjoying it.

And just relaxing a little bit more in the kitchen, trying to just trust

what I'm able to do, and just picked up little bits along the way,

so I'm heading in the right direction.

-It's put a smile on your face, big man, hasn't it?

-Yeah, definitely.

Phillips, what are you going to cook for us?

I'm making a sea bream with tomatoes and a basil rice.

Rice is a staple of a Nigerian diet,

so, um, I know how to cook rice well.

What's your biggest worry with this dish?

I'm not worrying about anything now, cos I'm quite confident

with cooking the fish and cooking the rice.

I think it should be OK.

I'm really excited about this dish, I think it's great.

I'm just trying to work out where the cheese goes.

-Oh, don't worry about that. You'll find out.

-Right.

-LAUGHTER

-You'll find out!

My presentation is not that great,

but the dish itself should taste nice,

and that should show the judges that there's potential there.

And you've always got to harness potential, don't you?

Phillips is bouncing,

he's relaxed and he's now enjoying the competition.

And I think rice dishes don't look particularly pretty, and I've never

enjoyed cheese and fish, so Phillips has really got his work cut out.

I didn't want to consider this a competition,

but now, when push comes to shove,

I want to stay more than I can say.

Denise, by the looks of it, we're going to get a pudding.

You certainly are, sir.

So, I'm going to do two little tarts,

one with apricots, one with cherries.

I thought I'd do something sort of neat and pretty,

but I thought, "I'm not going to show off on the first one.

"I'm going to attend to detail."

You seem like you're becoming very serious about this competition.

SHE CHUCKLES

Yeah, why not?

It's a competition, I'm doing my best.

I am.

Er, I've learnt so much, and I would like the opportunity to learn more.

How good a cook can you become?

-Oh, I can get really good.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. Absolutely, for sure.

You should have seen me a fortnight ago.

She's got to make two little tarts,

not only perfect, but look like a classy dessert.

I'm worried that it's going to look more like a tea time treat.

You've got just eight minutes to complete your dish.

Just two minutes left.

Guys, that's it, time's up.

SHE SIGHS

Ade's lamb cutlets have been stuffed with Parma ham,

Gruyere cheese and sage.

They're served with a squash, artichoke and watercress salad,

and balsamic onions.

-I reckon that looks ace.

-Thank you.

Very attractive dish. Very good indeed.

Ade, the culinary term is, "Boom!"

On the money. Absolutely on the money.

Beautifully cooked lamb cutlets with a crispy outside,

with that wonderful cheese, which is rich and smoky inside the lamb.

That wonderful sweetness coming from that butternut squash,

but still earthy.

Pepperiness from your watercress.

It's very, very good indeed.

-Thank you very much!

-Very good.

I like how soft the lamb is, I love the crispy coating of breadcrumbs,

love the balsamic sweetness across the sweet onions,

but particularly like the lemon squeezed over those artichokes.

I think that's beautiful.

-Got no criticism of that whatsoever.

-I'm speechless.

I knew you could cook. I knew you were hiding it.

Trump card.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Can't ask for anything else, mate, can you?

-No, delicious.

Skill, delicious, texture.

Really well done.

It's just amazing. Really amazing.

I didn't expect it at all.

Phillips' sea bream has been topped with tomatoes and basil

and served with asparagus and a tomato, basil and cheese rice.

I like your fish a lot.

I like the fact that you've cooked it on the bone, it's cooked really well,

it's salty from the sea, but it's got sweet tomatoes

and the headiness of the garlic with that aniseed and basil.

It's a really, really nice combination.

It's promising, Phillips, really promising.

I'm really pleased we didn't have more cheese in that rice.

Because cheese and fish I don't believe works.

However, I love the fish.

Soft flesh, with fruity tomato and garlic flavouring,

and good seasoning is yummy.

Super yummy.

All over, pretty decent dish, Phillips.

Thank you, guys.

-He's coming on, that boy.

-Yeah.

I wish I'd picked something a little bit harder,

or something a little bit more gourmet-esque, I don't know.

I'm not sure I did myself justice on that dish.

John has served scallops and chorizo

with a celeriac and apple rosti,

wilted spinach and cherry tomatoes.

You've got a little bit of sweetness from celeriac

and apple in that rosti, which is well made.

You've got the very strong paprika flavouring of sausage.

And it's very difficult to discern scallop in amongst that.

I don't mind the combination, actually.

I can taste the scallop, and I think the scallop's quite prominent.

But for me, the whole thing needs a bit more spice.

It looks really good, but when you eat it, it sort of sits there

and, you know, it's a bit mellow, rather than being, "Rargh..."

-Thanks, mate.

-Thank you. Cheers.

I tend to cook for people who are a little bit afraid of heat,

so maybe I should up the ante with the heat.

Denise has made two almond custard tarts,

one with cherries and one with apricots,

and served them with a kir Chantilly cream.

That is a very pretty board you've put together there.

And you've turned it from two little tarts

into actually something very, very pretty indeed.

Nice.

Mmm!

-HE HUMS A TUNE

-Ooh.

That has got to be one of the best tarts I have ever tasted.

And I'm not joking, that is absolutely fabulous.

You've got really nice pastry that's almost snapping in my mouth,

the juice of fruit,

and then the flavour of marzipan through that nut essence.

I'm in tart heaven.

That detail on that pastry is amazing.

It's beautiful, look at it.

All crunchy and crisp, beautifully cooked,

it's really very, very good indeed.

Well done, Denise.

-They were really good.

-They were brilliantly good.

-Really good.

-Yeah, I know.

I'm so happy. I wasn't expecting their comments.

But they just worked.

And they liked the presentation, so...

It's fantastic!

Thanks very much indeed, some great cooking.

We've got a difficult decision to make.

Off you go.

Interesting day!

I tell you what, the competition really has turned on its head.

I've got to say, the star for me today, with their own food,

was Denise.

Because up until now, actually, I think she's been consistent,

I think she's been OK, but today those desserts were delicious.

Her work with John wasn't completely harmonious,

but she really finished with a flurry.

-So, Denise goes through?

-I think Denise goes through, absolutely.

I think she's great.

Well, I'll tell you who's really impressed me, and that is Ade.

John, I really like that little tarte Tatin that he made.

I thought that was splendid. And his own dish,

the lamb, with the cheese stuffed in the middle, was lovely.

Well, I agree, but also I think Ade showed skill.

-Can we put Ade through?

-Yeah, Ade's in.

-That means either John or Phillips goes home.

-That's right.

John...

I don't know, John walked in here, was really impressive,

and then today - Gregg, what happened?

Because that pumpkin thing that we got

was probably close to one of the worst desserts

I've ever seen on MasterChef.

And now we've got a scallop dish.

It didn't enthuse me, it didn't grab hold of me and go, "Lor, look at me."

I've put me absolute all into everything I've done so far,

and I just didn't know what I was doing today.

So, I hope that the points I've accumulated

from previous exercises stand me in good stead.

Phillips worked very well this morning with Ade,

and he took that guinea fowl and presented a decent dish to us.

We wanted to see progress, that's good.

The fish, although well-cooked, was let down a little by the rice.

I know Phillips is growing, I'm just not sure that he's there just yet.

What I do as a career, you kind of know straight away the results.

You land in a pit, the numbers come up and it's there,

you don't have to sit around waiting.

It's quite scary, I just want it to be over.

The question has to be, do you forgive that atrocious pumpkin pie,

cos you see the potential in John?

Or, do you give Phillips, who is a novice and growing really fast, a go?

I mean, I don't know. Who's it going to be?

Firstly, a big thank you

for all the effort that you've put in to this competition.

Tough decision for us...

but one of you is leaving the competition.

The person leaving us is...

..John.

-Sorry, John.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Cheers, see you. Thanks, bye.

Didn't expect to go home, to be honest, at all.

I put so much into it.

I just had a bad day today,

and I thought, "I'll be all right, I'll be OK," but...

..I think that pumpkin just slaughtered me in the end, really.

Fantastic!

I'm thrilled, I can't believe it.

Now I'm staying, I'm going to have to definitely up my game,

and show the guys what I can do in the kitchen.

I'm very, very pleased, and very, very worried, instantly.

Because there's more to do.

Tomorrow the celebrities battle to stay in the competition,

as they face their harshest critics yet.

Come on, then, let's go.

That's just rubbish.

Disaster.

It's like chewing a rubber tyre. Oh, golly.

Whoa!

The flavours on that plate are stunning. I think it's delicious.

I've just made an oil spill.

What is that?!

Crikey!

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