Episode 10 Celebrity MasterChef

It's the Celebrity MasterChef semifinals.

After four weeks of heats, only the best eight cooks are left.

Everybody can cook, so you're up against it here.

You really are.

It will not be easy, by any stretch of the imagination.

Today, they will face their toughest challenges so far.

Come on!

Not only are they talented, but they all have the fight in them.

This competition is ramping up to be extremely serious.

The final is where my head's at now.

This is where you need to really whittle out the men from the boys

and the culling is going to be brutal.

At the end, two of them will be going home.

It's 8am and the semifinalists have arrived in Warwickshire,

the home of one of the country's most celebrated former residents.

Good morning.

Good morning!

And welcome ye to Stratford-upon-Avon,

birthplace, of course, of, in my opinion,

the world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare.

You're here at Mary Arden's farm.

Mary Arden was the mother of William Shakespeare and this year,

we are celebrating the 450th birthday of the great bard.

-You, today, are going to prepare a Tudor feast...

-Wow!

-Wow!

..for 60 members of the Shakespeare Trust.

-A Tudor feast. How about that?

-You're going to be in teams today.

Girls versus the boys.

-ALL:

-Ah!

LAUGHTER

Lunch is at 1pm. I say, get on with it.

Come on, girls.

Where is the door?

The two teams have three hours to create meat, fish and vegetarian

main courses, and a dessert, from ingredients used in the Tudor era.

The banquet will then be served in the Great Barn,

at the heart of the farm.

-Good luck, girls!

-Yeah, good luck, girls.

It looks like we've got much better ingredients than they have.

The boys' ingredients include rabbit, bacon, rainbow trout,

parsnips, eggs, pearl barley, pears and gooseberries.

-Do you know how to cook rabbit?

-I can do that.

-Oh, that beautiful trout.

-Is that trout?

-Yeah.

Oh, I think we can do these whole, actually.

The girls' ingredients include mutton, lemon sole,

oysters, blue cheese, mushrooms, figs, lavender,

pears and chocolate, which reached British shores in the mid-1600s.

Definitely the poached pears and chocolate.

-What about lavender shortbread?

-Oh! You can make that? Amazing!

-I'll try. I'll try.

-OK.

Poached pears, hang on.

'Today, I want really wonderful, delicious food.'

Food that you want big piles of, but it still has elegant flavour.

Jodie, how is it you ended up in charge?

-Is it because you're the most ferocious?

-Yeah, that must be it.

I don't know.

Everyone's working together, everyone's got a voice,

but I kind of like vote everything down.

Amanda is going to do mutton stew, with lots of lovely

gorgeousness going in.

I'm going to be doing a vegetarian pie. We've got Millie.

She's going to do like a baked-y fish,

kind of oyster-y fried something.

Argh!

And then we've got Sophs at the end,

who is going to be doing lavender shortbread, a fig pie,

-and we're going to be doing poached pears in chocolate.

-Wow!

-I'm really pleased.

-There's a lot going on.

-It does sound a little ambitious for a tent.

-I know.

But we're girls. We love to be ambitious.

The girls' menu is absolutely delightful,

but it is brave and it is adventurous.

It is very stylish, if they can do it. IF they can do it.

A mutton stew on a day like this? That's inspired.

But it's a lot more dense than lamb

and takes about four times the amount of cooking.

Just hoping you make the right choice.

I haven't dealt with mutton before. So it'll be interesting, yeah.

While Amanda gets her mutton on to cook, Millie is still struggling

to skin the sole that will be served with the baked oysters.

I'm literally wrestling at this.

Get off!

Fish is being difficult.

Because this little guy wants to hold on to his skin

and it won't come off.

And I've got loads of them to do.

-How many of those have you peeled so far?

-A quarter of one fish.

Come on!

Oh, my God! We're literally going to have to have like raw fish.

We're not going to get them all done.

-Well, keep cracking on, darling. If you can't...

-Oh, that's better.

-Yeah, you need to hold both ends with a cloth.

-Go on! Get in there!

-Yeah!

-Go on, Mills! Good girl!

Take that, silly little...sole!

Right, does anyone else want to have a go?

-Once I get this pastry done...

-No, I'm joking.

You're doing great with that pastry.

There's so much of it.

I haven't used lavender in cooking before,

but I thought that would be quite Tudory.

I'm like one of the witches in the Scottish play, aren't I? Woargh!

Bubble, bubble! Oh, don't... Don't quote it! Don't quote it!

LAUGHTER I'm not confident.

I'm hopeful, I think, is a better

place to maybe sit with this.

SHE LAUGHS

Brilliant team. The girls, here they come, yeah.

Tudor stylee.

Ooh!

-Two-and-a-half hours to lunch, ladies and gentlemen.

-Two-and-a-half hours!

Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring!

Across the field, the boys are already hard at work.

Biggins, you strike me as a natural leader,

only in so much as you'd hate to be told what to do by someone else.

You're absolutely right. But today, we've elected Charley

because Charley is doing the main course.

He's doing the rabbit.

-We've got trout with almonds. And we've got...

-Pear tatin.

-You're doing what?

-Pear tatin.

-Pear tatin.

-With an amaretto custard.

-With an amaretto custard.

I'm doing the vegetarian options.

I'm doing a red wine risotto, but barley risotto.

And then I'm doing an egg and vegetable pie.

-Is it going to be completely encased in pastry?

-No, not completely.

-Only the top.

-Fine.

-Just do pastry on the top.

And then you'll dig in and you'll get lovely vegetables and eggs.

I think eggs are somehow... Eggs are a very Elizabethan thing.

I don't know why I think that. But it's quite good, I think.

Good, good, good!

Some eggs, some leeks and some potatoes in pastry. Wow!

Something I've never seen before, but it's going to have to have

some sort of sauce with it to make it lovely and rich.

Perhaps just an ordinary white sauce.

Yeah, well, certainly parsley, or something like that kind of sauce.

-Yeah.

-Parsley sauce.

Yeah, yeah.

Team leader Charley is halfway through butchering the rabbit.

Rabbit can be quite dry, so the idea is to take this middle bone

out and then stuff it with the liver and the kidneys of the rabbit.

A little bit of butchery just takes so much time.

It's one of those kind of things you wish you hadn't started.

As Charley ploughs on, JB is stuffing the trout with lemon

and onions, ready for roasting.

I've seen JB undercook and overcook before.

And today, he's got a very delicate fish.

There are quite a few of us using the ovens today,

so we'll have to make sure that it's at the right temperature and so on.

-Something's burning! Something's burning!

-Oh, no!

-Oh, no! Dear, dear, dear!

-Oh, nuts!

-It's cos I was focusing on...

-No, you can do it.

-Have you got any more left?

-Yeah, yeah. I've got loads.

Well, then, just do it quickly. And just make them all flat in the pan.

Just very quickly. Where are the plugs?

While the rest of the team press on,

Wayne is starting to make the pastry base for his tarte tatins.

Oh!

I think I should have churned the butter up more.

That's not worked. That's not worked.

Biggins? This is disaster!

Ha-ha!

-Butter's too hard.

-Yeah, butter's too hard.

-I'd start again.

-Yeah, I'll start again.

-And put the butter in slowly.

Yeah. I'll do it.

APPLAUSE

In the farm grounds,

celebrations for Shakespeare's birthday are under way.

We cannot fight for love, as men may do. We should be wooed.

I think Shakespeare would be very pleased to know

that his mother's farm here was serving as the place for a

lovely banquet for lots of people and I think he loved his food too.

Sure, yeah. COW MOOS LOUDLY

Ooh!

Hour and three quarters, guys. That's it.

Millie has been skinning the sole for over an hour.

I think I'm about halfway through.

And it's not getting easier cos all the fish are as stubborn

as each other.

I think if I get to a point where I'm really running out of time,

then I'm just going to have to get on with the oysters

and I'll just do as many fish as I can.

With the veg for her pie slow-cooking, Jodie has found time

to help Sophie, who is working on her next labour-intensive dessert.

Sophie is just awesome. She's just made the most incredible shortbread.

Now, we're making a sweet pastry for the fig tart

and then we're going to make a pastry for the vegetarian.

I was just thinking then, I heard you say pastry a few times

and I thought, have we overdone on the pastry?

Although I think that's Tudory.

-Yeah. I think just the look of a really nice pie...

-The look of it.

-There's so much pie.

-I can do like a little bird.

-Yeah.

I'll make a little bird.

-Is that all the figs we've got?

-I'm afraid so.

OK, let's do a plum one as well, then.

Cos that's not enough.

At the back of the tent,

Amanda's sealed off the mutton for her stew and roasted off the legs

in the hope that the bones will give the stew a more intense flavour.

Is that all all right there?

Looks fantastic, doesn't it?

I don't know what to do with these!

John, what am I going to do with these?

Just put them on the top, that's fine. Just seal it. That's fine.

Make sure you've got enough liquid to cover the whole mix, so that's fine.

-All right.

-That lovely flavour of those bones...

-I'm just going to add the pearl barley.

-Quick, quick, quick!

-Got at least an hour-and-a-half to cook.

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Where's the pearl barley gone?

-Have you got my pearl barley?

-Barley was on our table.

-You can't use barley cos it was on our table.

-No, we had it too, though.

-Oh, no. You haven't lost it, have you?

-Yes!

-I didn't steal it. Did you steal the pearl barley?

-Why would I steal?

You know? I had plenty of barley on my table.

I've deboned all of these and then I'm going to stuff them

-and then lay them on here.

-Let's go, then.

-Cos you've only got just over an hour-and-a-half.

-Yup.

-OK?

And what you're better off to do is having these cooked

and see around, somewhere nice, so they stay warm,

rather than actually rushing through with it.

-OK, boss.

-Chef.

-Thank you, chef.

Biggins' egg pie is almost ready.

His last job is to do the pastry topping.

-You've got a hole in it.

-I know.

All the stuff will be able to come through.

Oh, God!

Oh, no!

Hang on, layers. It'll be layers. Don't worry.

Elizabethans always had a sort of patchwork effect.

The pie's ready to go in the oven,

but Wayne's tarte tatins aren't even close.

-You need to get your tarts on pretty fast, mate.

-I know.

-Is that your pastry, ready to go?

-Yeah.

-So your pastry's ready to go. Just the tarts to make, yeah?

-Yes.

-Right.

-And the caramel.

Yes, caramel.

Once you've done that, I think

you need to help Mr Sleep get his caramel and tarte tatins done, OK?

Otherwise, as the leader, you're going to fail in your task.

Cos this doesn't quite go into three,

-shall I put it in a smaller pan?

-No.

-If there's three, I'd get them on.

-Shall I add some plums?

-No, just get them on.

-Pear. Just get on.

-Just get them on. All right, then.

Pie, pie, pie!

With the pressure on, Charley makes a start on the caramel,

while JB tackles the custard.

So what are you doing now?

You pour half of that into there, then you put it back into the pot

and then you cook it out until it goes thick.

Shall I roll out my pastry now?

-It's getting lumpy at the bottom.

-I've taken it off...

Yeah, take it off completely.

We want it to be thick, but obviously, you don't

-want it to be lumpy.

-Maybe we put too much corn in. Cornflower.

-Do you think?

-No, I think it's good. I think it's nice and thick.

It's got more serious now cos we're under pressure cos of timing.

I mean, whether we get this done in time, we don't know.

I need more rolling pins.

Is that going to roll that up?

Rolling pins.

You've got about 15 minutes till a whole group of people in doublet

and hose turns up.

Guys, as many things as we can get done

and then we can just warm them up at the end will be great.

I have no idea what this is going to be like, but anyway, there we go.

-Right, are you under control to get that...?

-And then shall I...?

Shove it in. I'm going to leave that up to you.

The time thing really baffles me.

It seems to me that in a kitchen, you know,

even a minute can be quite a long time, or a really short time.

I can't work it out.

There's only 30 minutes left

and Millie's still shucking oysters, which she'll then need to bake.

-Why did I choose to do this?

-Keep going.

-OK.

Keep going, babes. We can do this.

Time's also running out for Wayne.

Can you help me take this over?

-Right, now do it nice and go round and cut it.

-I know what to do.

No, no!

-Sorry.

-No, no. Just...sorry.

-It's got to look like that, look.

-Right.

-Right, can we put them in now?

-Yes, yes! 100%! Get them in!

They should have been in five minutes ago!

Just hope for the best. It's in the hands of fate.

We don't panic, boys. We leave that to the girls!

-How are we doing, girls?

-Look at them! Ha!

Right, all hands on deck to get fish in.

-OK, this oven's free.

-Right.

Go.

We'll get them all in this oven. How do you turn the oven on?

Wow(!)

Just keep going with the oysters, babe.

Millie, you've got ten minutes. Get them in.

-Can you put this on top?

-Do you want this on top?

-Yeah.

-OK, babes.

They look amazing!

How long do you expect them to be in the oven?

-Like, a couple of minutes?

-A couple?

-Five, maybe?

The oysters are very delicate.

You don't want to cook them for very long.

Millie, you are right to the wire. Come on, love, hurry up.

If they're raw, they'll be fine, cos you can eat them raw anyway.

-That's a fair point.

-That's my thinking.

-That's a fair point. OK.

-In the middle?

-Yeah, all in.

I'll hold it open.

There is half of Tudor Stratford lined up right now,

waiting for its lunch.

God help us all!

Just see if these are done.

-That's done, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah, beautifully. Beautifully done.

-OK.

-How's your fish?

-Just want to check.

Are you done yet?

Think so.

-Those two are done.

-I'll take these out, then?

-Yeah, take those out.

-Now we've got to turn it over. Are you ready?

-Yeah, which way?

-This way?

-We're going that way.

-Right.

Ah! That's all right.

-That looks great. That looks lovely.

-Not bad.

-Wayne, are you in for the next one?

-Yeah.

One, two, three!

LAUGHTER

What did you do?!

-It's akin to a Carry On film in there.

-What did I do?!

-You slid it.

The comedy value of a Biggins and a Wayne Sleep is incredible.

But as a culinary team? Question mark.

-What a disaster!

-Oh, no!

-Oh, no! Poor you!

-He missed it.

-I missed it?!

-You did! You...

We both missed it. OK, let's slide it over. Let's do half at a time.

Get the other half.

They'll never know, they'll never know, they'll never know.

Are you OK there, guys? I'm just going to take this through.

-Yeah.

-We're OK.

They now have just minutes to get the hot food

transferred to the Great Barn.

Just so you know, the boys are actually moving up

with their food already. You need to think about getting up there.

-Look, that comes off really nicely.

-That's lovely.

I think they're cooked and they're going to keep cooking

-in their own heat now.

-Sorry!

OK...

OK, get another one.

Come on!

-I think it's a bit quicker to go this way.

-Oh, thanks, Charley!

She's been going around the long way!

Oh, God, that looks gorgeous!

It smells good!

The boys are offering a choice of rabbit leg stuffed with liver

and wrapped in bacon, served with pearl barley risotto,

roast trout in an almond and parsley butter with asparagus,

and an egg, leek and potato pie.

The girls' mains are mutton stew,

lemon sole served with baked oysters topped with breadcrumbs and bacon,

and turnip and sweet potato pie.

Sides include mushrooms topped with stilton,

chive and cheese mash, and parsnips.

-Good afternoon!

-So we've got vegetable pie...

That's vegetarian pie.

Hi!

The rabbit.

Lovely!

What would you like? The rabbit? Oh, very good on the rabbit.

The rabbit's done well.

The rabbit, it's quite tender. It's rather nice.

I'm not sure if it's stuffed with something,

but the stuffing is very nice.

Mmm.

There's the flavour of liver and inside the stuffing,

the saltiness of bacon. That leg has stayed moist.

Paired brilliantly with that red wine pearl barley.

The deep flavour of wine giving fruitiness to that lovely rabbit.

That's a good dish.

-Do you think this is going to be...

-The dish of the day!

-OK.

-And did you do this on your own?

-I did!

-Yes, we did.

-What's special in this then?

-Taste it and you'll find out! Move on!

I would say a little bit more seasoning.

But apart from that, I think it's very nice.

It's nicely cooked, the potatoes are nicely cooked,

and the egg still resembles egg.

I honestly say it myself, it's very tasty. I'm really pleased with this.

The pastry's cooked, even though he had holes in it

and he was sort of... It was more like a patchwork quilt

when he was making it.

It's held together with a nicely-seasoned bechamel sauce.

Erm, that's OK! That's actually OK.

-Great.

-Lovely bit of trout.

More trout.

I don't think I can eat that at all. It just... It tastes like raw.

It's more sushi than, erm... anything else.

-What would you like?

-The trout looked lovely, but I'm afraid it's

-not at all cooked.

-Oh!

-Oh, no!

Oh, I'm so sorry. Could we try...

-Would you like another one?

-Yeah, course she would.

-I will try another one, thank you.

-I'm so sorry about that.

-Can we check it's cooked this time?

-Oh, yes, it's 100% cooked that one.

-Is that better for you?

-Yeah, that looks better.

-I'm so sorry about that.

-Would you like asparagus with it?

-Yes, please.

Just so frustrating cos the rest of the trout is beautifully done.

-Can I have some of the pie instead?

-No problem at all.

-That's not great.

Don't worry. It's fine.

You can have two if you'd like.

Across the barn, Amanda's mutton and mushroom stew is proving popular.

That's a meaty, spicy, hot delight.

It's a big brown bowl of stew, and as far as a Tudor feast's

concerned it's probably done in fitting.

It's very nice.

It's a memory from my childhood cos nowadays you just don't buy mutton.

Is anyone for the lemon sole? You can have it with mash.

Sorry, mind your fingers. Would you like parsnips or mash or anything?

Millie's baked sole and bacon crumb oysters also has plenty of takers.

Maybe filleted fish would've been nice, cos it is very bony.

Lemon sole is very appropriate and very tasty for a Tudor feast.

Good flavours, the fish is cooked really well.

The oysters are lovely and salty, the mashed potatoes wonderful and creamy.

Can't say better than that.

-Do you want some mash?

-Yes, I do. Pie and mash.

Thanks to Sophie's good pastry-making, we've got a great top.

The inside, however, is a bit stewed veg and gravy.

A bit sloppy and a bit sweet.

Shakespeares! Mistresses! And ye common folk! Come forth!

Pudding is served!

CHEERING

For dessert, Wayne has made a pear tarte tatin,

and a gooseberry coulis, served with the boys' saffron custard.

We have loads, which is enough, I think.

The girls are offering a choice,

which includes Sophie's poached pears dipped in chocolate,

lavender shortbread, and fig and plum tarts with a rosewater cream.

What have they made over there? I'm sorry, but what is that?

Nice presentation, guys, OK?

We've made a lot more food.

Look at the quality of our puddings, I'm sorry, your puddings,

and the quality of theirs.

That just goes to show where men are not strong in the kitchen.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Tarte tatin over here with custard! If you want custard, come over here!

-Tatin Andronicus!

-Yes. It's got saffron in it.

-Oh!

Wayne battled away and battled away and got to this,

his pear tarte tatin.

I'd have liked the pears cooked a bit more, but doing gooseberries

and a pear tarte tatin from scratch in a tent in three hours,

I'm impressed.

I think it's a tatin, is it? Delicious.

I know my custard, and this is lovely. It's very yellow.

With so many desserts on the girls' menu,

the diners are spoiled for choice.

-What would you like, madam?

-Everything!

-You look brilliant! I love that outfit.

-I'm wasting away.

You're wasting away.

-These pears are nice.

-They are really nice.

-The pears are good.

-That's got a crispy bottom. It's lovely.

-Has it got almonds on it?

Oh, rosewater cream. Mmmm!

That is really, really delicious.

I love rosewater. Oh!

What would you like now?

This is all the work of Sophie. She has done a huge amount of work.

I love each and every one in equal measure.

She's gone all out to make the best desserts she can.

Well done, Sophie. Really well done.

Girls are very, very good at pudding, aren't they?

I can't believe it! Towards the end I was getting so panicky!

You did so well!

-Yeah, whatever!

-Well done!

-Well done!

Our eight celebrities successfully today absolutely smashed this task.

Now we go back to the MasterChef kitchen.

One more test and two of them are going.

The celebrities now face their next challenge,

and to begin with they have been asked to randomly pick a work bench.

Welcome back to our talented hard-working eight. Good to see you.

Under each box are the ingredients

and a recipe for a classic British dish.

Eight different ones.

Reveal your ingredients.

The recipes range from a sticky toffee pudding

and cod in parsley sauce, to a Liverpool Tart and Stargazy Pie.

So there you are.

You now know your dish.

These are classic recipes, but recipes do evolve.

If you want to put your own twist on it, that's up to you.

Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of this two of you are going home.

One hour 30 minutes.

Let's cook.

A British classic.

Today I want our celebs to cook them with real grace and style.

But for them, the task is even tougher

because today we've also invited a guest judge - Rosemary Shrager.

The recipes that the celebrities are cooking

are very quintessentially British.

If these are not done correctly, they can be really disgusting.

I have to be professional about this, and I have to be also honest.

If you were to ask me whether I was a tough judge, I would say yes.

MasterChef - it's amazing. Beyond anything I would've imagined.

Sophie's got for us the Apple Charlotte.

Stewed apples, sweet and full of spice,

encased with bread all round the outside.

It's actually not that complicated.

She's just got to get her head around how that casing gets crispy

and those apples are lovely and sweet inside.

I suppose today we need to show John and Gregg that, you know,

we've progressed and we respond to whatever challenge it is

in a creative way.

This makes me think of my gran, Granny Annie, my dad's mum,

for some reason cos it's very English and traditional.

She was in service and used to cook for farmers

and it makes me think of her.

So the minute I saw it I thought, "Aw, Gran, come to me."

-What about going through and staying in the competition?

-Oh, don't.

I'll weep in me doo-dahs. I'll get all actressy and emotional.

-What, if you go out or go through?

-Both.

I'm just completely blown away that I've made it this far.

It's just been such a... Such a rollercoaster.

Jodie's got the Liverpool Tart.

Shortcrust pastry tart, first baked blind and the filling,

which is made from boiled lemons and loads and loads of butter and sugar,

and then you cook the whole lot together again.

Jodie, you're smiling.

Thank goodness there's a list of what

I have to do cos this is my idea of a nightmare, is doing a pastry.

You're not really a pud girl, are you?

-No, but I'm just going to go for it as usual.

-Good luck, Jodie.

Thank you.

I've never made a Liverpool tart, personally.

But that's all about texture. The pastry's got to be crispy.

Pastry's really important for me with this one.

You've had 20 minutes. 20 minutes are gone.

I'm quite tough on myself,

so I feel lucky to be here cos I think I have made some mistakes.

I'm learning so much at this point I just really want to stay.

-Millie, what have you got to do?

-I am making...

..Cullen Sink.

-Do you mean Skink?

-It's Cullen Skink and soda bread.

It does look quite simple.

It's like a fish stew served with freshly-made bread,

so I think if it's done right it'll be really nice.

How would you feel if you didn't go through?

If I didn't go through today after doing a dish which I think

is quite simple, I'd be really upset.

Aah, Cullen Skink. I love Cullen Skink! Now this is my area.

It's all to do with the texture, and I don't like it too thin.

I have had a revolting Cullen Skink, believe me.

It can really be horrible, so they've got to get it right.

For me, the learning curve is the most wonderful part.

I'm like a bit of blotting paper when John and Gregg talk to me.

I'm just absorbing everything there is.

I will take the knowledge of cooking these dishes away with me

till the end of my life.

What have you got to do?

I've got to make the Queen of Puddings...and shortbread.

-Have you made shortbread before?

-No.

-Have you made a Queen of Puddings before?

-No.

And I've never made jam before.

I've read through the recipe, and I'm doing it step by step,

following it like a Bible.

Are you fond of eating British classics?

Yes, yes, love shepherd's pie, I love all the English food.

And you can probably remember when most of them were invented, Wayne.

Thank you so much for that! Shall I put myself in the pot and roast it?

-That'll be next!

-Thank you, Wayne.

-Thanks very much.

Oh, dear. Right, here we go.

So many people over the years have asked me what is a Queen of Pudding.

It's literally custard with bread on the base,

with then the jam on the top and then meringue on the top of that.

Right, now what?

It's terribly important that you have to get the base right.

It has to be soft. You don't want it too hard.

You're halfway. Halfway.

I don't know if it's cooked. It's meant to be moist in the middle.

It's soda bread.

In a way you don't need recipes, because if you know the basics you

can do something and you can add, you can put your own Biggins-ness on it.

I'm doing cod today in a parsley sauce.

-Does this recipe hold any fear for you?

-No. It's easy.

I've done sauces before, I've fried fish before.

I think it's going to be fine. I have every confidence.

You know the trick about parsley sauce?

You have to put your herbs at the end,

because otherwise the flavour goes out of it and it's not the same.

I think it would put it mildly to say that I'm just really

loving cooking so much now.

Today John and Gregg will be expecting a very high standard,

maybe a few tricks up one's sleeve.

There aren't any there.

Amanda's making faggots with gravy, mash potato and cabbage. Fantastic.

A faggot is a wonderful rich rissole really made with offal,

including liver and mince, lots and lots of onions,

lots and lots of herbs and highly seasoned.

You cook them really gently in the gravy.

If you cook them too fast, they fall apart.

If you fry it too quickly, they blow up like balloons.

They just - boom, go.

-Amanda, you are working hard today.

-We have to.

-Why?

There's no slacking. Got to get the faggots done.

And what about if you go through to the final six?

That would be amazing. Whoever goes through will be incredible.

You know, I'd just feel really happy for the people

cos we worked so hard.

But you're not just working hard at it, you're excelling at it.

-See, I don't think that.

-You don't, do you?

-No.

-Why?

There's always a way to go is the way I've always lived my life.

With your work ethic, there is absolutely nothing you can't do

in this competition.

Well, thank you. I'll bear that in mind. I'll have it tattooed.

I was always hopeful that I'd get this far.

For me I think you should always aim for the highest, aim for the top.

I think now the stakes are a lot higher.

JB's got Stargazy Pie.

It is a pie made from pilchards with a sauce made from fish stock,

which JB had to make,

covered in pastry with the heads sticking up outside, proud.

-What bothers you about this?

-Uh, just the fact that I've never done

it before. I've never made a pie and I'm really under the cosh with time.

I struggled a little bit trying to fillet the fish.

So once I can get this in and baked we'll be happy.

We've got 15 minutes left.

We all need to challenge ourselves every so often.

To see what we can do

and it's amazing what you can do under pressure.

-What is your recipe?

-Mine is a sticky toffee pudding...

-Oh!

-..with vanilla ice cream.

-What worries you the most about this dish?

The ice cream, the sticky toffee pudding and the sauce.

CHARLEY LAUGHS

I'm taking it for granted that a fellow such as yourself wants

-to go further in the competition?

-Sure. Yeah, of course.

I'd like to...

Sure, I'd like to go and stand on that top podium, you know?

I'm a racer at heart.

Is this sticky toffee pudding going to wheelie itself over

the finishing line?

-Let's hope so. Let's hope so.

-Good luck, mate.

-Thanks.

I love sticky toffee pudding.

And toffee sauce, of course. I'm looking forward to it all.

I want a nice, light pudding.

I don't want it heavy, I want it light.

Last five minutes, guys. Please, five minutes left.

-Fantastic, man.

-That is unbelievable.

You've got 60 seconds left.

Ah!

That's it. Time's up. You've got to stop.

Oh!

This is an important day. You know that.

We've invited somebody in to help us judge.

Somebody who truly loves and understands British classics.

Ladies and gentlemen...

..Rosemary Shrager.

-Hi, Rosemary.

-Hello.

-Good day.

-Hello.

I told you it was a big day.

Amanda, your turn, please.

Amanda's classic is faggots made with mince

and offal served with mashed potato, cabbage and onion gravy.

Right, well, I'm going to be completely honest with you.

I'm not a lover of faggots. Did you put the heart in, as well?

-And the liver?

-I put the liver in. I liquidised it.

-Good, good.

That's really the right way to do it.

We've got disparate parts here. Sauce separate, faggot separate.

I like your mash, I like your cabbage.

-The faggot and the sauce should be one.

-The actual faggot itself

is quite moist. And actually I can taste the liverish in it.

Which is a good thing to come through a little bit

but it didn't overpower it either. I was a little worried about that.

So that is quite well balanced.

Yes, OK.

I like the offaly flavour of your faggot.

I love the butteriness of your mashed potato.

I am perturbed by the fact that it's scruffy

and the faggot is falling to pieces.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

The faggot was the best part of the whole thing

to be quite frank with you.

I enjoyed it today, even though it was a bit of a crumbly disaster.

Um, I just really enjoyed it. I can't say more than that, really.

Loved it, actually.

Biggins, your turn, please, sir.

Biggins has made the cod in parsley sauce with sauteed potatoes

and spinach puree.

I think the fish is beautifully cooked. Really well cooked.

It's nice and milky inside.

It sort of falls apart in the pieces, which it's meant to.

It does exactly the right thing.

But the sauce. Did you put the parsley in at the last minute?

Um, no, I didn't actually.

Because I thought I'd get the parsley sauce ready.

It's just got nothing there. It doesn't do anything for me.

Your parsley sauce, to me, tastes sweet. It's very odd.

-I've no idea why it tastes sweet.

-Because I made it.

Biggins, your sweetness is pouring out into your food.

The cod's cooked beautifully. I like your sauteed potatoes.

I think that puree is lovely.

Funnily enough, I'm very good on sauces.

I thought my sauce was going to be fantastic

but as it turned out they didn't like it.

I did.

JB has made a Stargazy Pie filled with pilchards in fish stock

topped with pastry and served with baby carrots.

The pastry...

-..on top. That is pastry, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Looks like mashed potato.

But the pastry, it's not cooked, at all.

Not at all. And all this butter around it, where has that come from?

That's the butter I made to put on the carrots.

This pool of butter is a mistake. It's a mistake.

And your pastry is not cooked.

However, your sauce is beautifully seasoned.

You spent all the time filleting those fish, 3/4 of an hour you spent.

And that put you behind.

You pie didn't go into the oven until there was only 25 minutes left.

Everything's such a shame on this plate because you've got something

that could have been delicious to something which is a disaster.

That's probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to

do in my life.

It was just so difficult, so hard.

Millie's dish is Cullen Skink stew made with smoked haddock,

potatoes, leeks and milk and served with soda bread.

Normally you don't have piles of haddock and I love that

because I love the smoked haddock and the potato.

So it's a really hearty dish.

But underneath all this is quite a thin sort of soup.

-Um, and it doesn't quite work for me.

-OK.

-It's insipid.

-OK.

My issue is the bread, Millie.

And the issue is you took the bread out after about 15 minutes.

-It wasn't going to be cooked.

-It's so funny. It does it for me.

Nice and peppery. I can taste the smokiness of the fish.

Chunks of cooked potatoes, bit of leeks in there sweetening it up.

I'd finish it. I'd happily, happily finish it.

She called my sauce insipid. That was it.

She said it was insipid.

I don't know if insipid will get through to the next round.

Wayne had to make the Queen of Puddings.

A custard, breadcrumb base layered with jam,

topped with meringue and accompanied by shortbread.

-There is far too much jam on there.

-Oh, is there?

-I mean, far too much.

-OK.

-The actual pudding is right. The actual custard base is right.

And, actually, it's not too sweet.

Wayne, I'm really impressed.

Oh, wow. I really am impressed. You worked so hard.

I think you really care.

And I'm really pleased because it tastes good.

You've done it. You've pulled it off. How do you do it, Wayne?

Follow the rules, basically. Cos I have nowhere else to go.

-Well done, well done.

-Thank you.

OK, bye.

Feeling fantastic.

HE LAUGHS

I don't know if I'll stay but I will go out...

..beaming because they seemed to find it edible.

Charley's made the sticky toffee pudding with caramel sauce

and vanilla ice cream.

The sponge is a little bit heavier than it should be.

I like it a little bit lighter, a little bit softer on the palate.

But I can see the technique you've got in there. You've got that right.

Which is what I've been looking for.

I would eat it.

Your pudding is really nicely cooked.

I like your sauce, it's not too sweet. It's dark.

Well done, Charley.

That is a competent and easily munchable sticky toffee

pudding with ice cream.

I want some more.

-Thanks, Charley.

-Thank you, very much.

Thank you.

It went OK and I didn't get crucified as much as some of the others

so I'm happy.

Sophie's classic is an apple Charlotte.

Bread casing filled with stewed apples, served with vanilla custard.

The bread is lovely and crispy.

You've got the lovely apple beautifully sweetened. Just right.

And I think it's absolutely stunning.

I think that's a good, accomplished dish.

Thank you, Rosemary.

The whole lot comes together as a really lovely,

classic British pudding. And that's what it should be about.

Fantastic.

When you get that vanilla, sweet creaminess over that crispy

sharp, sweet Charlotte, it's delicious.

It is absolutely delicious.

I really tried to channel my two grans today.

Granny Annie and Granny Megsie.

-And I feel they came through.

-Jodie, please.

There we go.

Last up is Jodie. With her modern version of a Liverpool Tart.

A lemon filled pastry served with sliced peach and a brandy cream.

Do you know what? I love that.

I'll tell you why.

I love that strong flavour of the zest, the peel.

Everything's in there. It's bitter, it's sweet.

-It's got everything coming through. Really good.

-Thank you.

Your pastry's lovely and thin. You doubted it.

You blind baked your tart really well.

I like the flavour in the cream but the cream is overwhipped and split.

You have overworked the cream. Who cares? That is delicious.

Proper, big grown up tart with boozy cream.

-That's good. I love that.

-Wow, thank you.

Thanks, Jodie. Thank you very much. Thank you.

She liked it. Blooming hell. My first ever tart.

And Rosemary Shrager liked it. I can't believe it.

Now you've got a problem on your hands, haven't you?

We have got a big decision to make.

I have to remind you two of you are leaving the competition.

Thank you so much. Off you go.

-Thank you for having me.

-Thanks, Rosemary.

-Thank you.

I just watched a big gang of lovies turn into ferocious competitors.

The way I see it is quite simple.

The fact is, I think the puddings did well.

-And the savouries struggled.

-Well, I agree with you.

I totally agree with you.

Four cooks at risk. Who stays, who goes?

I'd be happy to be one of the top six.

That's all I'm going to say. Even if I come sixth out of that top six.

No-one wants to lose out but, you know,

it's an inevitable thing that's going to happen.

So you just have to take it in your stride.

And just smile.

Whatever's meant to be will be.

But I better stay.

I've done what I could today.

Lap of the gods.

The first person leaving us...

..is JB.

Thanks, JB. Take great care.

The second person leaving us...

..is Millie.

Thanks, guys.

'I'm sad to be going

'but everyone else here has really shown themselves today and they should'

definitely still be here so, you know,

'it's a tough one. It's a tough competition.'

I'm proud of myself. I did the best I could do.

'I used every single ounce of culinary knowledge that I had.'

And it didn't happen to be good enough.

I can't believe it. I mean, from 20 to six. I can't cope.

I just find it so over-emotional.

'Really thrilled to be still in the competition.'

I'm going to have to work really hard.

'Wait till I phone my mum.'

She's going to freak.

'I'm going to enjoy it now.

'Go back to my kids and have a little cuddle and then'

panic tomorrow.

'It is just going to continue,'

getting tougher and we're going to have to galvanise ourselves and get on with it.

But how brilliant to have that opportunity.

That has encouraged me so much.

Now I feel, "Oh, you wait, things will start rocking."

Next time it's the last semifinal where the contestants will

face a brand-new challenge.

This is a relay invention test.

BIGGINS LAUGHS

-I haven't got a clue.

-This is quite horrible.

-They'll think I've gone mad.

-Next up, it's afternoon tea.

-It's all going wrong already.

-This could be disastrous.

They're a very fair crowd but they won't pull their punches.

Only four will make it through to finals week.

The first person leaving us is...