Episode 5 Celebrity MasterChef

Brand-new celebs, in this kitchen.

We're about to find out whether they can cook.

I'm doing MasterChef because I love cooking, but I want to win it.

Some of them think they can cook, some of them know they can't cook,

some of them are just delusional.

I'm churning in my stomach.

All we want is just a little bit of promise,

a glimmer of hope.

I want to do well in this competition.

You can act, you can sing, but can you cook?

These five celebrities are taking on the challenge to become

the next MasterChef champion.

But at the end of today, only the best cooks will make it through.

Today, for me, is like the first night of a brand-new

show in the West End, but having been through that pressure before,

I hope it is going to come in handy today.

If I'm on my A-game, I've got a pretty fair to middling

chance of them saying, "That tastes... edible?"

I do actually wish I were a better cook.

I want to learn and to hopefully enhance the basic skills that I have.

My friends are really nice about my cooking,

but they may just be being nice.

I don't know whether I'm nervous or scared, but I'm excited, yeah.

Welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

This is the start of your cookery adventure.

We don't care what it is you do outside.

What we care about is how you cook in here.

You have in front of you a box and we like to call it a mystery box

because in there are a set of ingredients,

and from that set of ingredients, we want you to make for us a pizza.

WAYNE: Oh, no, no.

That's it. A delicious, beautiful, flavoursome, wonderful pizza.

Ladies and gentlemen, you now have 15 minutes,

reveal your ingredients and let's cook!

The contestants have a wide selection of ingredients to

choose their toppings from.

Do we have to use it all? No. No? Good.

In fact, we'll be really scared if you do.

They've also been given some pre-made pizza dough.

We know that these celebs have all eaten pizza in their lives.

But can they make one?

For me, with pizzas, less is more.

Pick on three, maybe four, quality ingredients. Do not overload it.

Inside your ovens, guys, there is a pizza stone.

Please be careful. It's very hot.

Ex-EastEnders actor Alex Ferns was born near Glasgow

but moved to South Africa, where he lived for 17 years.

I went from mince and tatties every day to different

kinds of food, steaks and prawns.

Maybe that's what inspired me to cook.

You know, it's very difficult to get inspired

when you're getting a plate of mince and tatties every single day.

Alex, you appear pretty comfortable.

I'm not comfortable. No.

I've never made a pizza sauce before,

so I'm just making a sauce that I usually make for Bolognese.

Who do you normally cook for, Alex? The family. Wife, kids.

I've got two rugby-playing boys and they need lots of grub, you know.

Are you the cook at home? I'm the cook at home.

My wife can't cook to save her life. Sorry to say.

Jen, I'm really sorry, but she can't cook.

It's terrible.

Mate, I'm looking forward to this. Good. I hope you enjoy it, mate.

Get stuck in. I will, mate, I will.

Alex is off to a really good start, I think.

The way he's talking, he understands how a pizza comes together.

What we're going to do now is hope that that pizza is thin

and lovely and crisp and cooked all the way through

20 minutes gone already!

And you've got pizzas to deliver.

Actor, Leslie Ash, is best known for her performance in the

'90s sitcom Men Behaving Badly.

My boys actually say that I'm a good cook.

But they will be the first people to tell me that it's rubbish.

Leslie, it's hard to tell where the mess stops and your pizza begins.

I know. I suddenly thought,

people are cooking things, and I've not actually cooked anything,

I've just put it straight on the dough,

and I forgot that it has a tomato base,

but it's too late now, because it's all on there.

You've got plenty of time, you know. I know.

And I'm going to pop it in the oven in a minute.

Leslie, you used to own a restaurant. I know.

I know because I ate in it on a number of occasions. I didn't cook.

What did you learn from having a restaurant?

Never to have a restaurant again.

Leslie seems to be making a loaf of bread

with a few toppings on top.

Whoa! She couldn't even see the rolling pins to roll out

the dough, all she did was push it out with her hands.

You just have to roll it out, Leslie, and make it thin.

Television presenter, Tania Bryer, has spent her career interviewing

everyone from Tom Cruise to Bill Clinton.

In my work, I am used to dealing with very high pressurised situations,

whether it's appearing on live TV, or interviewing a former president,

but none of that compares to what I'm up against here.

Tanya, forgive me, you look a little nervous. My hands are shaking.

I love pizza. I just don't know how to make it.

Do you cook at home? Er...Very basic.

Very simple cooking for my daughters.

And they never complain, you see, they just have to eat what's given.

See, they don't complain because they love you. Yeah.

John and I will only love you if you give us something delicious.

Oh, OK.

I want to see you make a nice pizza. I know you can.

I'm glad you think so. Thank you.

Tanya? All she's done is just straight tomatoes on top of

the pizza, and actually, that dough hasn't been rolled out.

Who knows what it's going to be?

Chelsea socialite, Millie Mackintosh, inherited her

love of cooking from her mother.

I have done some preparation.

I've done, like, a two-day crash course with my mum.

Like, shucking oysters. She made me cook a kidney.

But I feel like I might forget everything.

Millie. You look perfectly happy and really calm. Are you?

I'm trying to be calm,

but pizza has kind of thrown me off-guard a little bit.

And the topping, that's what I can't decide. Are you a cook, Millie?

I cook at home quite a lot. But I haven't made...

I made this with my mum once, we used to have friends over

and do a pizza party.

And we'd make our own pizzas, but I was about 10.

Millie seemed very calm

until she realised she had to try and get the pizza off the tray

she assembled it on and get it into the oven.

I'm not sure how I'm meant to get it on to the stone.

Can I just cook it on this tray?

You're halfway.

Still! 25 minutes to go.

Wayne Sleep was a Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet,

and in 1998 was awarded an OBE for his services to dance.

I've toured all over the world with the Royal Ballet.

We've been to China, we've been to Japan, we've been to South America.

So some of them were fantastic new ways of eating.

Unfortunately, tasting is different than cooking it.

And I wouldn't have a clue how to cook one dish I've ever eaten.

This is becoming a disaster!

Is this more fun than dancing with Princess Diana?

Er... no.

Do you cook at home? No. You don't?

No, I haven't cooked in about 30 years.

So this is going to be a bit of a challenge for you,

isn't it? Yes, but it's the right challenge,

and thank you for having me, because I'm going to learn so much.

Good luck, mate. Thank you very much.

Wayne, at least, is battling his way through it.

He has no idea what he's doing. He's an amazing dancer.

As to being a cook, I'm not quite sure.

You've got just 15 minutes left.

Now, all the pizzas are in, and it's the waiting game.

You've got three minutes left. Three minutes.

That's it.

Time's up. Time's up.

First up is Alex.

His pizza has a tomato base with chilli and garlic.

It's topped with pepperoni, mozzarella, mushrooms,

peppers, olives and rocket.

Alex, well done! Looks like a pizza to me, sir.

Good seasoning in there. Lots of garlic, fair bit of chilli.

I like that. However, your tomato sauce is a little sweet.

I think you may have been a bit heavy-handed with the puree.

That's not a bad attempt, Alex.

Thank you.

Alex, I really like your flavours. I love that big punch of chilli

and the saltiness of the olives, the sweetness of the peppers,

and that, sort of, real richness that comes with pepperoni. Yeah!

You knew what you were doing... Thank you.

..and you've delivered something pretty good.

Yeah, I'm really pleased with their reaction. They seemed to enjoy it.

It was good feedback, you know. Learning something.

Leslie's pizza is topped with sliced tomatoes, blue cheese,

mozzarella, goat's cheese, Parma ham, rocket, anchovies,

mushrooms, and fried asparagus.

It would have been nice to have a nice, thin pizza,

wouldn't it, Leslie, don't you think?

It's rustic. Not half!

I can't believe you're tasting my pizza!

Cheese, ham, and tomato. Wonderful combination.

The blue cheese, in my opinion, is wrong because it's too salty. OK.

Your pizza is going little bit soggy in the middle.

The asparagus in straight lines across the top is wrong.

OK.

A slice of raw tomato contains a huge amount of liquid.

As that tomato cooks, the liquid comes out,

and in here, you see, it's like a dumpling, it's like boiled dough.

As far as a pizza is concerned, it's

a pretty long way away from a pizza.

I put far too much on it. I was panicking.

I just wanted it to taste nice. Oh, I just wish I had done better!

I'm annoyed with myself.

Tanya has made a tomato, ham, goat's cheese and basil pizza.

Right.

Good luck.

You don't know how to make a pizza,

but you do know which ingredients work together,

because the tang and saltiness of that goat's cheese,

sweet tomato, and salty ham is, of course, a wonderful

combination, especially with basil.

Because the centre is so dense, with that goat's cheese

and tomato and ham, it is raw. You've got to make sure

that a pizza is thin enough that it cooks all the way through.

Your tomatoes should be a sauce,

and the basil needs to be scattered across with a little bit of elegance.

I kind of let myself down, I was so nervous

that everything became a blur.

Millie has made a tomato sauce base for her pizza

and topped it with mozzarella, anchovies and capers.

I think it's not a bad attempt, at all, Millie.

I think you could probably go a little bit thinner.

But, actually, not bad.

I'm pleased for you because we've got a lovely flavoured sauce,

the saltiness of the anchovies, the sharpness of the capers,

a little bit of mozzarella cheese, it's not bad.

If you owned a pizza shop, I probably wouldn't order from you again,

but I'd probably eat it all.

OK, I'm very happy with that. Thank you.

The pizza could be a bit crispier, but your choice of ingredients,

your flavour combination, for me, is spot on.

Thank you. Well done.

I feel quite relieved that they liked my pizza. They didn't hate it.

Yeah, overall, I'm pretty pleased.

Last up is Wayne.

His pizza also has a tomato puree base, topped with basil,

mozzarella, tomatoes, capers, red peppers, onions and garlic.

Growing up, most of the pizzas I ate were round.

What I'm pleased about here is that you've made

a relief map of Australia in honour of John Torode.

Thank you.

JOHN: I'll hold it, you saw.

It's too big. It's too heavy.

What I do like, however,

is the addition of the peppers that make it sweet.

I like that.

The pizza dough is too thick, so it hasn't cooked,

and the raw tomatoes are a mistake.

Right.

The practicalities, Wayne, aren't right, but the flavours aren't bad.

That's fantastic, coming from you!

I feel a bit of an idiot because I've had so many pizzas in my life,

and they're all flat and much bigger and round.

Why? I built it like a mountain.

Ridiculous.

Thanks very much for all your hard work.

Some very interesting results.

I suggest you get some rest, because what comes up next is tough.

Off you go.

We had a couple of successes. Two successes. Three big lumps of dough.

Now, the ones who got it wrong - Tanya, Leslie and Wayne -

have to just prove to us that they can actually cook.

It's 8am

and the celebrities are heading out to experience their first

lunchtime service in a professional restaurant kitchen.

Wayne, Tanya and Leslie are on their way to Eyre Brothers,

a modern Spanish and Portuguese restaurant in Shoreditch.

In charge of service is executive chef, David Eyre.

Hello and welcome. We've got quite a busy lunch ahead of us.

We've got 50 or 60.

Now, I don't expect you to be particularly competent,

but I will get cross if I feel that you don't care.

Let me show you the kitchen.

Service is in three hours time, and the contestants will each be

cooking one dish from the a la carte menu.

OK, Tanya,

your dish today is seared scallops with morcilla, which is

a type of Spanish black sausage,

some sauteed girolle mushrooms, and some little fried cubes of potato.

Your scallops.

Drop them in. And the secret is... Yes?

..Don't move them for the first minute. Now for the mushrooms.

Half a lemon. Squeeze. To one side.

Now, we want to fry the potatoes for two minutes.

In they go. And then we can plate.

Try and put everything in the middle of the plate.

The scallops. Yeah. So all about big flavours.

Potatoes.

There you are.

You'll be doing that about 20 times. 20 times? OK.

Great. It'll be fine.

It's a real juggling act, this dish, it really is.

I'm feeling a bit nervous. The pressure's on now.

That's it. There we are.

Leslie will be in charge of the Portuguese mixed grill,

which consists of Iberian pork loin with thyme and garlic,

Madeiran spiced beef rump, lamb chop, chorizo sausage,

and a side of potatoes fried in garlic, bacon and rosemary.

The first thing to do is

your enormous piece of alcatra, the Madeiran beef.

Now, obviously just one big nice slice.

And what I like to do is just whack it quickly back onto the grill,

just to cook the cut side.

A chorizo that's been cut into two halves.

That will take about three minutes on one side.

Two or three minutes on the other side.

On the hottest part of the grill, the lovely Iberico pork.

Then we'll plate it.

Lamb Chop.

The Iberico pork.

Three slices.

A bit of beef. Two yummy spicy sausages.

LESLIE: Wow.

OK, And finally we've got the yummy patatas verdes. That's it,

and then pass it over to me on the pass, and it's ready to go.

Yeah. I feel quite relaxed, actually.

He's explained it really well.

But, you know, it's pretty straightforward.

Wayne, the first thing is get a nice piece of liver,

be generous with the pepper, be less generous with the salt...

Wayne is cooking a main course of calves' liver with smoked

pancetta, sage, button onions, and a potato olive oil and garlic puree.

So the first thing to do is we get our pancetta

and just drop them in there. Olive oil.

And some sage leaves. Yes.

Immediately follow with your liver. Yes.

Sweet and sour onions. Yes.

Half a dozen, 10 onions. Right, yeah.

And then we will plate it. Potato puree's here.

You grab your liver. Yeah.

And then gently just pour those over there. Yes.

Bacon, nice fried sage leaves.

That's it. Brilliant.

A lot to remember.

And I'm trying very hard to keep calm.

But it really is nerve-racking.

Alex and Millie have also come to East London

and are arriving at the celebrated Indian restaurant

Cafe Spice Namaste in Whitechapel.

Running the pass is executive chef Cyrus Todiwala. Hi.

Hey, Millie. Cyrus. Hello, chef. Hi Alex. How you doing?

We've been here 19 years. We have a very strong following.

The idea is to get it right so that the customer doesn't notice

that you are cooking the food and we are not cooking the food.

Lots of work to do. I will lead the way. Come on in.

I'm going to show you, Millie, what we are going to do during service.

OK. You pick up your batter, check that the consistency is OK...

Millie will be making dosas, a traditional Indian pancake

filled with potato bhaji, a side of sambar, or lentil soup,

and a coconut chutney.

..Pick up a spoonful.

On the griddle.

Just like that.

And then from the middle,

we start to spread the batter out.

OK.

Just a bit of melted butter.

So what we do next is we take our bhaji,

and we put it just off-centre...

Yep.

..We break it down on the dosa...

..And then that's your dosa. Yep.

The important thing is not to crack it, not to break it.

That is delicate work. Yep.

It looks very delicate. I want to try and make one now.

She wants to make one.

Bang in the middle, pour it all in, one time. No delays.

Other spoon in the middle. Bottom.

And gradually work your way out, push it. Keep pushing.

Oh, no! Don't worry about that. Keep pushing, keep pushing, don't go back.

Oh, no! Oh, right, that's it. Too late now.

You got scared and what you did was you raised your spoon up

rather than keeping it flat. OK.

So you've got to be confident with it.

Can I have another try? All right.

Brilliant! It's working very well, go for it.

Oh, no! Too fast... Don't worry, get the rest off, get the rest off.

Is this too big? That's it.

Is this big enough? No. But it's going to be fun. I can see that.

My anxiety levels are pretty high.

I keep getting little moments where I'm like... MAKES PANIC NOISE

I'm trying to just keep my cool.

You know, I messed up my first one, I messed up my second one,

once the customers start ordering

I can't afford to mess any of them up.

So, Alex, today you're going to be the tandoor man. OK?

And you're going to cook chicken tikka.

I'm just going to show you how it's done. OK. OK? So, the bottom.

Fold it over. Pierce it twice. Bring it down.

Right, sir, you take a piece as well. Fold it. That's it.

Don't go too much to the edge or you'll crack the chicken.

So, now, let's go to the tandoor. That is roughly 350, 340 degrees.

All right? OK. So when you open it, you just put it there in the middle.

And you rest it on the side. Go for it, sir.

Like that? That's it. You rest it.

Pull the lid over, sir, with your clean hand.

Your tikka should cook between six and eight minutes.

So, now we have our chicken ready,

and then with the back of your knife,

you pull them out.

Right, sir? Yes, got it, Chef.

It looks stunning.

First is a starter. So only three pieces.

OK. Got you.

When you get a mains order, it is six pieces.

OK.

And that's what the customer gets. A steaming bowl of rice,

hot lentil dahl, little bit of salad, and your lovely chicken tikka.

OK, Chef.

I love the dish. I just think it's stunning. The spices...

It's just perfect. I'm raring to go.

It's 12:15, and over in Shoreditch,

the lunchtime rush is about to begin

for Tanya, Leslie and Wayne.

I'm feeling like that. A bit streaky in the brain.

It's about to kick off. I've seen people coming through the door.

Here we go. Help!

First order please! Two scallops.

Followed by one mixed grill

Tanya is up first.

Her whole dish needs to be cooked in just minutes to avoid

ruining the delicate seafood.

Turn that one. Yup.

There you are. There we go. Now look after your mushrooms.

OK. Thank you, Chef.

That's looking pretty good.

Oh! Oh my goodness.

OK.

How are those scallops coming?

Yup. They'll be ready in about one minute, chef.

You need to try and work as quickly as you can,

because they do cool down ever so quickly.

OK.

OK, Chef? Two plates ready to go.

Ready? We've got two scallops here for table 41.

There we are. Thank you.

Not bad, not bad.

She needs to work a little bit quicker, though.

Bit snappy.

You know, when you're cooking the mushrooms, the fire comes up, it's

just trying to contain everything, but at least I've got two out.

With the first starters served,

it's now Leslie's turn to get to grips with the grill.

Right. Hear me, please! Clear. That's table 43.

One mixed grill, medium.

Got a flare-up?

That's all right.

I don't know what went wrong.

Move them all out the way, move them all out the way.

Just don't leave things on the grill unattended. That's all that happens.

Sorry, that was me. That's all, it's fine.

Leslie has to start her first order again.

See what you do, when you don't watch it,

what happens when you don't watch it.

I need that grill on the pass!

Yes, Chef.

Just remember there's four different things. That's fine.

I'm not too fussy about which order you put them in.

Yep.

Now you need to put your potatoes into your bowl.

Good. Quickly.

Well done.

That looks... That looks just fine.

Do that every time and I'll be a happy boy.

Thank you.

Away please. VIP table. Three liver. Two are medium,

one's medium rare. Yes, David.

Three!

Wayne's dish requires high heat and fast cooking.

Now plate your livers, please. The three livers.

That's good. Right.

Now, doing one by one by one.

This piece? Yes. On top?

Just shake your drips dry before you carry it over to the plate.

I'm sorry. Next time, don't worry.

Is that enough?

Quickly. I've got it. I'm sorry I have to take over here.

Right, OK. It's making me panic.

That's good, apart from mucky fingers.

Right, OK. Let's get it out before it gets cold.

This is the one for 63, please.

BELL RINGS

Service!

Wayne, that's great. That's fine.

Back in Whitechapel, service is under way

and orders for Millie's dosas are already flying in.

One original dosa!

Oh, no! OK. That one's gone wrong.

Oh, again!

Why is it breaking?

Right, so I've got to make another one.

What's happening here? This one didn't... It's getting

too hot for you. It didn't go so well, that one.

You've got to get them wider. OK. Bigger.

Yeah. When you feel the panic coming, relax.

If I don't do this quickly enough, it's going to burn.

OK no panic, now. No panic.

Where's the plate?

OK, plate's there. Quickly, before the other one gets burned, yes?

This one broke. OK.

Should I take it out? No, no, no, no.

Make a quick one.

A bit disappointed in myself so far.

I really don't want to let the chef down,

and they're not all coming out perfect at the moment, so...

..fingers crossed the next one is a good one.

Alex? Three chicken tikka main. One no rice.

Chicken tikka main? Yes, sir. Yes, boss.

Hey, chicken tikka starter, please. One chicken tikka starter. OK.

Two more chicken tikka main. OK, Chef.

Orders are coming in thick and fast, so it's getting a bit tricky now.

Fold it, fold it, fold it, so you don't mess it up. Yeah, that's it.

With the tandoor oven at almost 400 degrees, Alex has to time

the cooking of his chicken tikka to perfection. Mr Alex? Yes?

Now, three chicken tikka plating up. Yes, Chef.

It's so hot, man.

What you didn't do is clean the tip.

Oh, right, OK. Scrape it with your knife. Sorry, Chef.

Right here, sir, quick.

Now, go. 2,4,6. OK.

Ah! Steady, steady, steady, my friend, steady.

Don't forget the first appearance is the most important.

The customer needs to see it looking good. Yes, Chef.

So, that's ready.

That was intense, working with heat like that.

Particularly an oven that goes down like that.

I was conscious that I was going to get burnt at any moment,

because it's 400 degrees, each one.

Across town, service is in full swing.

We've got a table of six coming in and others.

So whatever it's been like already,

it's been nothing like we're about to see.

And there's no let up in orders for Tanya's scallops.

OK. I need that plated in two minutes, please. Two minutes, OK.

Coming, Chef.

Ready, Chef, in five seconds.

That was great, Tanya.

But next time, twice as fast, please. OK, Chef.

OK. VIP please.

That's three scallops and one artichoke

and one revuelto de champinones

Going to do three!

OK.

Here we go.

I need those scallops, please.

Are they coming? Ten seconds, Chef!

Every one is a little bit better, Tanya. OK. Thank you.

Really, thank you.

Leslie's mixed grill is also proving popular.

I've got six to do.

I'm getting into it now.

I really am starting to understand when to put it on the grill.

How long for that mixed grill? Ten seconds.

Excellent.

OK.

Leslie, that looks great. Thank you.

You have forgotten one thing. I need the salt on it, please.

OK. Let's go. Thank you. Let's, let's go, let's go.

Table 45.

It's the last cheque of the day for Wayne.

I'm going to stand over you and watch you cooking your last three

livers. Three medium. OK. Right, OK.

You do cook with confidence, I will give you that much. Thanks. You do.

Right, OK. Now we're going to start plating.

Yep.

Watch out for drips.

Pan over the potatoes, so you don't drip it on the side.

That's it, do that.

You are using the world's smallest spoon.

WAYNE LAUGHS

For the smallest dancer!

OK. Service, please! Ding-a-ling!

Thank you. All of you. Thank you. Thank you, David.

You can all come again, but as customers.

Sounds about right!

Over in Whitechapel, service is also drawing to a close.

Millie. Two original dosas. OK.

Millie. Where is the other dosa? It had to go in the bin.

Did anyone see that pile of dosas there?

They're for your lunch.

You got to pay for that. Look at that!

I'm just worried she might bankrupt me today.

I think what's happening is the dosas popularity has just shot up

and Millie is having a bit of difficulty coping.

Millie, can you cook those two dosas for me, please?

Quite happy with that one.

Going to do another one.

Are you taking an order? Around you.

That's good.

I'm not, I'm not, I've got to keep these ones up to standard.

I'm feeling the pressure of not doing this quickly enough, now.

Come on, Millie. OK. Let's go.

So she's got it. A few uneven marks there, but she's got it.

Millie, good one. Thank you.

While Millie keeps going,

Alex is called in to help with the other tikka orders.

One sea bass cafreal. Are you up for sea bass? I'll do it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. He's allowing me to do the bass.

Fish. So that's good. We'll see how that goes.

Let me get this through the eye. The protein is a very soft protein,

so it can slide off very easily.

Careful. Oh, that's gone down.

That slid down.

Let Mammad pick it up. Move back.

You're dangerous, Mr Alex. What did I do, then? I thought it was perfect.

You're using too much muscle power.

Too much muscle power, OK. All right? After all, it's a piece of

meat, it has got to be handled very delicately.

Delicacy is not my strong point, I have to say.

Well, you've got to learn some. I need to learn. Yeah.

It's now Alex's last chance to prove he has that delicate touch.

One chicken tikka main. That is the last order of the day, yeah?

Yes, boss.

That's my last one.

I want to make it good.

Chef, are you happy with that? I mean, hopefully.

Everything is piping hot, colour's looking good,

plate's looking neat, clean, tidy. That's what food is all about.

Thanks, Chef. OK. Thank you so much. You're welcome, sir.

OK, Millie, Alex. Let's go, we're done, service is over.

As far as I'm concerned, you done a very, very good job.

If you ever fancy a career outside of your fancy career, you can come here.

Thank you very much. Good luck. All the best to you. Take care.

Good luck. Thank you. Thank you.

Service may be over, but there's no let up for the celebrities.

Welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.

You've given a lot to this competition already.

But this, now, is your opportunity to cook your own food.

You've got to do yourself proud, because at the end of this,

one of you will leave the competition.

Two courses.

One hour, 15 minutes.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

I think pressure can make you panic.

What I learned from the professional kitchen is

when I panic, I tend to mess everything up.

So hopefully there won't be too much panicking today.

Millie. What is it you're making for us? Scallop risotto

with a pea and mint foam, and then a tart with peaches

and amaretti biscuits, with mascarpone cream.

Wow.

Tell me what you're flavouring that rice with?

I've made a fish stock, so I used prawn heads, fishbones,

bay leaf and peppercorns.

Have you made your own pastry for the tart, as well? Yeah.

The trouble now is my expectation has just gone through the roof.

That is a problem.

I'm looking forward to this, mate. OK. Good.

Millie's really pushing herself and showing lots and lots of skill,

because getting a risotto with scallops absolutely perfect is

a difficult thing, to get that frangipane

done in the amount of time she's got is also a difficult thing.

I just hope she's not over-ambitious.

You've had 15 minutes. I can't believe it.

15 minutes gone.

I'm taking a big gamble, and I'm way out of my element.

I thought, well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

Let's do something exotic. It's not going to be egg and chips, love.

Wayne. You told me you hadn't cooked in 30 years. No, I haven't.

Well, looking down here, this looks pretty challenging. Well, it is!

Yeah, it is. What are you making? Tarte tatin.

You put the pastry on the top of the apple

and then you flip it onto a plate.

Mate, there is no way I would describe to you how to tap dance.

But you're standing here telling me how to make a tarte tatin.

Oh, well, I'm sorry. It's only what I've read!

What are we leading with?

Poached sole,

and I'm going to siphon the sauce off at the end with gas cylinders.

You're making a foam? Yes, I'm making a foam.

There are chefs that have been cooking for 10, 20 years

that wouldn't attempt a foam.

Really? Oops!

I did remember spraying it at the wall yesterday by accident.

What's happened to Wayne? Because I think Wayne's sent in his brother.

Two dishes. Really classic.

If Wayne gets it right, what are you going to say?

Cooking my own food today will show the sort of cook I am.

It's all the flavours I love to put together, I love to work with.

So, yeah, this will really show if I can cook or not.

Leslie, you up for this?

Certainly am!

After the ripping you gave me for my pizza, I've got to pull my socks up.

What is it you're making for us? Chilli beef ramen.

Ooh!

It's got chilli, onions, beef steak

and ramen sauce is basically the sweet and sour flavours.

You serving it on noodles? Yes.

Yes. Dessert?

A coconut rice brulee. Are these practised dishes?

This is what my family like to eat.

They love big chunks of meat

and stuff that they can eat with chopsticks.

I'm looking forward to these dishes. How confident are you about them?

Yeah, I'm really confident!

I love ramen noodles. They should be slippery and soft,

the beef should be pink, the broth should be sour

and sharp and sweet and really spiced well with chilli.

If Leslie delivers this, I will be really impressed.

You've got half an hour left.

All right? 30 minutes left.

Sorry, guys.

I like the pebble dash effect on the floor, mate.

ALEX LAUGHS

I feel like we've been in an episode of Bugsy Malone!

My menu today. I've just kept it simple,

because I don't want to do anything that I'm not sure about.

This is what I cook at home, big plates of food.

I don't do small, little, petite. I just can't deal with that.

Alex, what are you making, because there's a lot of stuff on here?

My main is the sirloin steak with warm kale salad

and a monkey gland sauce.

The dessert is a malva tart, a South African pudding.

It's almost like a sponge with a ginger syrup.

Righto. Monkey gland sauce? I grew up with it.

It's very hot, very sweet,

and it goes well with steak.

Why, when this could be last two dishes you ever

cook on MasterChef, have you chosen them?

Because it's the food I like to eat. I grew with up with it, so...

..Hopefully it's going to do the trick.

I'm looking forward to this, because I've never tried them before. Good.

Good luck, mate. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks, mate.

Monkey gland is a South African name for barbecue sauce.

Alex's dessert is a pudding from South Africa almost like a sticky

toffee pudding. I think it sounds really interesting,

but what I do like more about it, is it's inspired by his youth.

It's his time in South Africa.

I do feel a bit nervous, coming back into the kitchen,

because that's where I had a bit of a disaster the first time.

So I've got to let go of that and think this is a new day,

and I've got to try and get my confidence back.

Tanya, what are your two dishes today?

So I've got a Malaysian-inspired chicken curry, Gregg, and then for

dessert, I've got something called a malva pudding.

From South Africa? Yes! How'd you know? I love them.

Do you know where I learned about the malva pudding? Where?

Over the back with Alex about five minutes ago. Oh, you're kidding!

What about this for a coincidence?

The malva pudding, I've never had before in my life,

never ever heard of, before today,

and now there's two people out there cooking it?

What's the chances of that?

I think it's actually quite surprising

there's a pudding in the world you haven't tasted.

You've got just ten minutes left.

Ten minutes.

Whoa!

You've got five minutes.

Get it on the plates, come on!

Time's up. Stop.

Oh, my God, no. Stop, stop, stop.

Stop!

WAYNE LAUGHS

Right. Alex, up you come, my friend. Let's have a look.

For his main course, Alex has made sirloin steak,

baked potatoes with sour cream, a warm salad of kale, baby plum

tomatoes, pine nuts and feta, with a South African monkey gland sauce.

Mmm.

Love your steak.

And I love the smoky monkey gland barbecue sauce.

Although I like your feta and tomato with the kale,

I don't see that in any way matches the steak with the barbecue sauce.

Everything on the plate is cooked really well,

but as you add cream and cheese

and all those things as well it's becoming really rich.

It's just too many big things on one plate. Yeah.

For dessert, he's made a malva pudding flavoured with apricots

and a ginger cream.

Well, there's nothing wrong with that I can find!

I mean, there is a soft syrupy sponge, which is lovely,

really light, and you've got nice ginger flavour going through the

cream. First time I've had one. I'd go back for another one.

It's moreish, it's addictive, and the good thing is,

it means something to you.

And I think you've done a good job, Alex,

I think you should be really proud of it. Thanks, John.

Really, really good. Thanks for that.

Having two guys like that say that's good food,

it really gives you a boost, you know, you think, oh, what? OK...

Tanya has cooked a spicy Malaysian chicken curry with coconut

and saffron rice.

Is that the size of portion you feed to your children?

Well, when they're hungry, yes.

Wow.

JOHN EXHALES

I like spicy food, but that chilli powder has literally

coated my tongue and the back of my throat and is burning my mouth.

Yeah...

..Wow.

I really do love the saffron through that rice.

What concerns me here is the lack of ambition.

But I like the flavours.

For dessert, Tanya has also made a malva pudding

and served it with vanilla cream.

I think you know, and I can see that the centre of your malva

is not cooked, and what you have is that distinct flavour of egg.

I'm a great lover of big, thick sponges, but I think you've

really got to be a little bit more ambitious in your presentation.

The comments weren't great, and I think there were things

that I could have improved, so I feel slightly disappointed.

Can I just get one more thing?

Yeah.

This is just to go with the food.

Next time, could I have a pint of bitter?

Yeah. Thank you.

Millie's main course is a scallop and prosecco risotto.

We know there's something missing off your main course, don't we?

Yeah. It was meant to have a pea foam,

which wouldn't turn into a foam, so that is missing from the plate.

I love the scallops,

which have been poached in that rice and that stock.

Your rice could be arguably slightly under,

but I quite like it chalky like that.

I think it's a very good dish.

Thank you. Good job.

That's a lovely dish.

Sweet scallops running throughout. Excellent.

Pea foam or no pea foam,

I am seriously, seriously impressed with your work.

Millie's desert is a peach and frangipane tart with crushed

amaretti biscuits and mascarpone cream flavoured with almond liqueur.

Look at that! That is lovely. That is really, really lovely.

I think your pastry is wonderful, it's lovely and crisp.

Your frangipane and is full of that flavour of almond,

and I love the addition of the amaretti biscuits through it.

You are turning into a bit of a cookery star! I am really,

really impressed. Thank you.

I don't actually know how I feel. I think I'm still in a bit of shock.

I messed up a couple of things, but overall,

I'm really glad they liked it.

(So scared.)

Leslie's main is a chilli beef ramen,

a Japanese noodle dish, with sirloin steak in a meaty broth.

Lovely crunch of fresh vegetables, giving lots of different flavours.

Your steak is cooked really, really well.

I want more broth in there.

Loads more of it. I agree with Greg. I think it needs more broth.

The reason I say that is because I think it's all really delicious.

I think you've done a really great job. So much better than your pizza!

For dessert, Leslie has made a coconut rice brulee,

served with cream.

I've never seen anything like that before. It took me by surprise.

I didn't expect to find a soft custard top and a firm rice base.

It's delightful. It does taste of coconut. I really like it.

Leslie, I'm really impressed.

I really like your pudding, because I like the texture of it.

Honestly? You've surprised me. I'm really pleased for you.

I am happy. Really happy, because they really liked it.

I've got goose bumps.

Finally, it's Wayne, with his poached sole, spring vegetables,

and a citrus foam.

I wouldn't, at this stage, if I were you, attempt top-end posh food

decoration, until you've got the skill that goes with it.

Yeah.

I'm happy with the way you've poached your fish. Nice texture,

for me. I like your choice of vegetables.

Your sauce is a little watery.

Yes.

I love that slipperiness of that asparagus with your citrus sauce,

and I think your fish is tasty,

but in my opinion, your fish is overcooked.

Wayne's dessert is a classic tarte tatin.

Here's a dance you don't know, it's the "I love the pudding" dance.

Oh, great. Thank you.

You have got lovely apples, there,

delivering nice, sweet, slightly acidic juice,

the whole thing is wrapped up in light toffee,

and it's just beautiful!

Maybe the pastry could do with a little bit more, but hey.

I'm really pleased with your dessert, Wayne.

I'm not that impressed with the main course, I've got to say.

OK.

But, the dessert's great.

Thank you.

It wasn't a disaster, I didn't burn anything, everything was edible!

And if it was edible, that's ten out of ten to me, I tell you!

This was a good day, you've really put a decent shift in.

But now, we've got a tough decision to make.

One of you is going to be leaving the competition.

We'll call you back in once we've made

what is going to be a difficult choice. Off you go.

ALEX: You did so well! MILLIE: I think everyone did so well.

I tell you what! These guys really turned it around.

They did turn it around. I'm actually really pleased.

And, from today, I actually think we've got some really good cooks.

Millie's good. Look what she was attempting,

look at the skill level she showed.

Millie's staying in the competition, that's for sure.

I need to put my hand up for Leslie, because she's turned it around.

I think to come in here and do two dishes of style

and class like Leslie did was great.

I'm happy for Leslie to go through, I think she's

one of the better cooks, and she presented us with two decent dishes.

Alex? I think his main course was a mishmash.

But his dessert was a lovely, lovely thing.

I think Alex is good enough to go through.

I agree.

I knew this was coming.

We've now got to make a decision between Wayne and Tanya.

The mistake that Tanya made was her pudding,

but that curry was intentional. And there's my concern.

It's obvious to me that

Wayne hasn't got a great deal of cookery experience.

But it's also clear to me that he's

fighting for his place in the competition.

I think it's as simple as this.

Wayne and Tanya have both made mistakes,

but which one are we willing to push through?

We have to let one of you go.

And we've made that decision.

The person leaving us...

..is Tanya. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

I think I kind of knew deep inside it was going to be me.

I'm just happy I took part,

I'm happy that I was brave enough to take part, and I enjoyed it.

You know, it was a good experience.

I've got tingles down my arms as I speak.

Wow!

I'm feeling so happy!

It is a relief, but then my mind's already worrying

what we're going to be doing next.

I'm really chuffed!

I know it is going to get tough from now on, though.

I've got a feeling this is just the beginning.

Next time.

The four celebrities are back to fight for their place

in the semifinals.

OH!

I'm struggling a bit with this pudding.

Let's crack on. This way. This way.

GASP

Oh, God...

It's a beautifully presented, delicious dish.