Episode 2 MasterChef: The Professionals

48 chefs from across the UK are putting their reputations

on the line in a bid to become

Professional MasterChef Champion.

Tonight, six more hopefuls compete to impress judge Gregg Wallace,

renowned chef Monica Galetti

and two Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing.

It's MasterChef The Professionals.

Yeah, obviously it would be great to win. I'd love it.

I'm quite quietly competitive.

I can't wait to get in the kitchen and cook for the judges.

You don't enter a competition to go out early on.

Everyone's going to be pushing hard to prove a point.

This is a massive opportunity.

I can't wait to see what they're going to produce.

They're going to have to come in here and show us something special.

Monica, 20-minute test.

They're all going to do your test.

What are you going to get them to do?

Today, I'd like our chefs to come and make us a fruit souffle of their

choice, and a garnish, using any of the ingredients on their bench.

-Uh-oh.

-You know, our chefs have got to be all-rounders.

We're not wanting a chef who can just cook on the savoury side,

they have to be able to do pastry and desserts as well.

It's quite a simple, skilful thing to achieve.

And it's just the understanding that I think we're looking for

from our chefs. 20 minutes.

Beautiful light, fluffy souffle.

Come on, show me.

So the first step in getting a souffle right is to make sure they

butter the mould and get them into the fridge as soon as possible.

I didn't know you have to stick the buttered mould in the fridge.

The butter needs to set.

If it's already melted,

it's going to mix with the egg whites instead of helping that

grease come up. Got some pistachios.

And I'm just going to use it in my souffle mould

-to give it a bit of texture.

-I do think with a souffle, though,

that our chefs would also need to think that they do need to put

something else on the side of that mould.

You could put sugar, you could put chocolate, you could put nuts.

You could put herbs, if you like.

It's whatever the chef wants.

Got the sugar as well, just want to make sure it's coated

all the way round.

It's complicated already and they haven't even

stuck anything in there yet!

So the next thing I need to do now is to make the base of my souffle.

There's rhubarb, mango, passion fruit and strawberry.

I am going for the strawberry.

The next thing I need to do is to thicken this base

and to do that I need cornflour.

So you're not going to be making a creme patissiere?

Giving them a simpler option here.

For me, the creme pat takes much longer to make.

But if they can do that, yes, be impressive.

You need to cook out the cornflour.

Don't want to taste any of this cornflour in the mix.

So now I'm going to put it on to a tray to cool.

You've got to get the right consistency here, haven't you?

It's very important.

So I'm going to put this into the freezer just for a couple of minutes

to cool it down quickly.

So now it's time to make my meringue for the souffles.

So, egg whites in the bowl.

So it's really important that the egg whites are brought up to

a stiff peak before we start adding the sugar.

You add the sugar too soon, and the egg whites will just drop.

For our chefs, though, I am going to give them weighed-out egg whites

and sugar. Just to make it easier.

It's almost there. So one more for luck.

So I've got my moulds and my puree that's been set out of the fridge

and now is when you need to work quickly.

You take some of your puree, and it's just a little bit of egg white.

OK.

If this puree was not cold or room temperature,

this would destroy the meringue.

So hugely important that it's cold and you keep the air in it?

And it's ready to go.

It's really essential that you gently get it in

the mould without knocking too much of that air out.

I'm watching really closely.

I'm fascinated.

I've never made one.

Now I've watched you, I think I'm never likely to!

So, for me, just to sort of help it rise out,

I just run my finger along the edge.

So that's ready, and into the oven.

That should take about six to seven minutes.

So now they've got about seven minutes to create a garnish.

I think it's ample time to make a sauce or some kind of decoration to go with it.

I hope it's not just going to be chopped up fruit left on the side.

So, I'm just making a little bit of crumble to go on top of the souffle.

Well, they're rising!

I'm going to make a light mix of strawberry and clotted cream to put on top of mine.

Lovely, strawberries and cream.

-Monica, your seven minutes is up.

-Brilliant.

-Nice!

-Crumble on top.

Get in there! Look at that!

And then I'm putting my strawberry and clotted cream,

-just for you, Gregg. There you go.

-Ah!

And that is my pistachio and strawberry souffle

-with clotted cream and strawberries.

-Look at that!

That is a lovely, risen, light souffle.

-How long was that in the oven? Seven minutes.

-Yeah.

-Perfect.

Happy? Why are you not smiling?

This is not a time for frivolity.

That is divine.

It's a colossal challenge.

Time is against them.

The skill and technique is really important here.

I just want to see some great pastry skills.

Make us a simple souffle, if that's all you can manage in 20 minutes,

-I'd be very pleased.

-Right!

Shall we get the six chefs in?

One by one. Let's see who's up for it.

The first chef to face Monica's skills test is Jamie.

A 27-year-old sous chef working in east London's Shoreditch.

I've always worked in quite contemporary restaurants.

Basically, like the whole team gets to work on whatever they want,

basically. You never have a day that's exactly the same

as the day before. There's always a reason to keep doing

something new and something different.

The things that I can't prepare for

are the things that worry me the most.

Monica, she's got quite a famous facial expression.

I'd hate to look up from doing the skills test and see her

looking at me like that! I'd just know - it's game over!

Jamie, relax!

-As best you can!

-I'll try.

So, the 20-minute test that I would like you to do is to make us

a fruit souffle of your choice.

-OK.

-The egg whites and the sugar has been weighed out for you

-for your meringue.

-Perfect.

Have you made a souffle before?

-Not recently.

-When did you last make one?

Probably about two years ago.

Oh, that's not too bad.

-That's not too bad.

-You've got 20 minutes.

We want a fruit souffle. Off you go.

Cool.

What flavour puree are you going to do?

I'm going to go strawberry today, Gregg.

-Strawberry?

-Yeah.

Jamie, what made you be a chef?

I spent a lot of time in kitchens in my childhood.

I learned to walk in my grandma's kitchen while she was cooking,

getting in the way, getting underneath everyone's legs

and stuff. I've always just had a passion for it.

You've had five minutes, Jamie.

You seem all right now you're in the groove.

What are you looking for with this egg white mix?

Stiff peaks, basically.

All of the sugar nice and dissolved.

No graininess. Good body, nice and velvety.

So, what's the plan, Jamie?

I'm just going to beat a little of the egg white that's whipped into

the base to incorporate it, keep it as nice and light as possible.

You're halfway, Jamie.

Ten minutes left. How long do you reckon that'll take to cook?

Between six and eight, I'm hoping.

Got to get it in pretty sharpish.

Now what are you thinking, Chef?

Garnish. Souffles are quite sweet

so I'm going to bring in some acidity, so just more strawberry

and I've seen some nice looking balsamic vinegar over there.

So you've got a nice, like, sweet-and-sour,

balance it out a little bit.

It's rising. It's coming up, mate.

Jamie, you've got everything that you want for your garnish?

Yeah. Quite simple, but just keeping nice flavours, nice balance.

Nothing overcomplicated.

-All done, Jamie?

-All done.

-Great.

-Well done.

Jamie, it hasn't come up as much as I'd like it to.

You've made the meringue, you made your base,

thickened it with the cornflour.

You took your time about it, you didn't rush.

The garnish leaves a lot to be desired.

You had a lot of time on your hands

to make something a bit more exciting.

Jamie, good effort. Great attitude, lovely clean bench.

A couple of things. You need to really take more attention lining

your moulds. Get the mould into the freezer.

It's the butter around the outside that allows a souffle to rise.

And you need to be very careful with your meringue,

it's slightly over whipped.

But a good effort, nonetheless.

-Looking forward to your signature dish.

-Thank you.

Well done, great effort, Chef.

Listen, we understand you're going to be nervous.

That's a lovely flavoured souffle.

We'll see you in the next round. Off you go.

Thank you very much. Cheers, guys.

I like him. I like him.

He's good.

Reasonably pleased with what I managed to produce.

And relieved at the same time that it's done now.

That's the first hurdle,

it's cleared.

It's on to the next test now.

Next up is 30-year-old Tim,

who's been a head chef at a care home for the past two years.

I've been a chef for 16 years now.

I worked at Michael Caines' restaurant in Exeter.

Worked in all Rosette restaurants.

This is the first care home I've ever worked in.

Hopefully we're different from any other care home.

We have a five-star hotel.

I haven't changed the way I cook from working in restaurants to coming here.

And we're aiming for gold standard in everything, really.

MasterChef is the biggest competition,

if you win MasterChef it's like

winning an Oscar if you're a film producer or something!

Hello, Tim. You OK?

Yeah, a bit nervous.

Of course you are.

So Tim, what I would like you to do

is to make us a fruit-based souffle

served with a garnish of your choice.

All right.

20 minutes. Off you go, Chef.

So how are you approaching this challenge?

Trying to make a creme pat base first.

Get the fruit base ready.

-OK.

-And then combine the egg whites and cook it.

So you're making a strawberry fruit souffle using creme patissiere?

Yeah.

So you work in a care home?

The home approached,

saying they wanted to do five-star food in a care home.

-Wow.

-That environment.

-That's nice.

We got recognised, winning an award last year.

Yeah, I'm hoping to take it to the next level.

-I must check in there!

-Yeah, can you give us the name, ready for Gregg!

-I wasn't meaning Gregg!

-Yeah, we've got five restaurants there.

-Wow!

-Wow.

-Five dining rooms on three floors.

So the idea here is to?

Line the moulds so when it rises it will have just some pretty red

strawberry lines around the outside,

gives it a bit more of an attractive look.

Tim, you're halfway.

-Yeah.

-You've got ten minutes to go.

You're going to have to work quite quickly.

Yes, it's nine, ten minutes to cook.

-That's all you've got!

-Yeah, I know!

You've got eight minutes.

Eight minutes? So I can do a little garnish.

So, you must have a pastry department, right?

No, because we've got quite a small kitchen,

and I've always worked in every area, and I quite like it that way.

I can move around and you learn all the aspects of the kitchen.

How's your souffle?

-It's coming up.

-Two minutes.

Fingers crossed for you, mate.

That's it.

-All done?

-All done.

Well done.

I like that you've buttered the mould properly

and given it time to set in the freezer.

You've got it cooked in time,

it's risen up, it could do with a bit more cooking.

You do have this sort of raw texture in the middle from it.

Your meringue did not have enough sugar in it

and it wasn't whipped enough.

Good working methods, great attitude, but certain skills,

and the errors in those skills show up in that souffle, unfortunately.

Yeah, that's pressure.

Tim, it could do with being a little bit lighter.

You probably wanted another three minutes in the oven, didn't you?

But I'm actually impressed by how you work.

I reckon there might be a decent chef in there, Tim.

Off you go.

It could have gone better, but I got a souffle out.

It had risen, so I'm kind of happy.

Silly mistakes, they said, but hopefully in the next round,

the signature dish, I know what I'm doing and I can improve.

Indian born Suresh has lived in the UK for ten years

and is now head chef at a Sri Lankan restaurant in London.

I love cooking every day.

Ten years ago I feel it's a job, but now it's my life,

so cooking is my passion.

I want to show my skills to the world,

that Indian food is equally important

than any other cuisine, or better.

Service!

-Hello.

-Hello, Suresh.

-You look happy.

-Yes.

Right, Suresh, we would like you to make us a fruit souffle.

-OK.

-Have you made a souffle before?

-No.

-Have you eaten a souffle before?

-Yes.

-OK. Amaze me.

Suresh, you have 20 minutes to make your first-ever souffle.

Actually, I've never made a souffle before

-and it's first time and I am...

-So you have no idea how to make it?

OK. So, Suresh, what you need to do, you need to butter your mould,

get that cooled. You have the ingredients

to make a meringue and you need to make a fruit base.

About seven or eight minutes to cook.

OK.

-What are you going for? Mango?

-Yes.

-Mm.

You've made a start. Come on, Chef.

Your puree's on, your egg whites are on.

Don't rush.

You've got 12 minutes left.

Yes.

Have you ever studied pastry?

-No.

-You've never done pastry before?

I did it while training in the hotel about 15 years ago.

OK. So you have done a bit?

-Yes.

-Cool.

You've got six minutes left.

You've got to get it in the oven.

Come on.

You have one minute.

All right, think about how you're going to serve this plate. Yes

-All right.

-Time's up.

-Time's up. Time's up.

I bet that was the longest 20 minutes of your professional life,

-I should imagine.

-Yes.

Now, clearly, this is not the type of cuisine that you specialise in.

I tried to guide you along the way.

It hasn't worked.

There is too much puree to the amount of meringue.

And you just kept beating it and knocking the air out of it.

I'm looking forward to seeing a little bit about who you are and

what you enjoy cooking, because this was obviously not your forte.

I'm hoping your food in the next round is very, very good.

Thank you.

Honestly, I didn't make a souffle before,

that's why I just made whatever I can.

I'm not worried about now.

It's gone. It's gone.

I'm a bit confident now I can show better things in the next round.

28-year-old sous chef Daniel

currently works in a fine dining country pub

in Gloucestershire.

My mum's actually a food teacher, so I saw a lot of things growing up,

and when I started doing cooking at middle school

it just hit it off for me. It is a tough job.

I had a lecturer at college who said the money's rubbish,

the hours are long, but if you've got a passion for it, you'll go far.

I'm not one of these people who wants to just take part.

I think if I can get past the first three rounds,

I can definitely get to the finals and potentially win it.

What we'd like you to do is make us a fruit-based souffle.

-OK.

-And we'd also like you to serve it with a garnish of your choice

using anything on that table there.

-OK.

-20 minutes.

Off you go, Chef.

What sort of souffle are you making?

I'm going to go with passion fruit and pistachio.

Nice. When did you last make a souffle?

Probably college. That's about ten years ago now.

Oh, dear.

-12 minutes left, Daniel.

-Yep.

So, the idea, what are you making there?

Cream together the sugar and the egg yolks

and then I'm going to fold it into the egg whites.

Have you ever worked in a kitchen that has had souffle on the menu?

-No, I haven't.

-No. You've never seen it in production?

-No.

-You've got about eight minutes,

-you'll have to get that in the oven.

-Yeah.

-So where are you, Daniel?

-The souffle's in the oven and I'm just

going to make the pistachio garnish

and I'm just going to toast off some coconut as well.

Chef, you've got two minutes.

How's that souffle looking?

-Yeah, it's getting there.

-OK, we hope it's got there,

because you've got about a minute and a half.

-All done?

-Yeah, all done.

-Well done.

Daniel, clearly you've not made a souffle since college.

No.

You tried to get the base of the souffle right,

but I've never seen an egg yolk

folded through the meringue like that.

We've got quite a bit of SOU, but not a lot of FLE.

HE COUGHS

Have you tasted this? Can I ask you to take this spoon?

-What do you think is in there?

-Salt.

Exactly.

You've salted your souffle as well.

Salt, sugar. Any chef making any dish, you should always taste.

It's not the end of the world,

you're not going out on the souffle,

but you're really going to need cook well

in your signature round, Daniel.

Oh, my word.

Oh, my word.

Probably one of the worst things I've ever cooked, to be honest.

Yeah, just confusion and just nerves.

Mixing salt and sugar is such a rookie mistake,

I shouldn't have done that.

Next is 21-year-old junior sous chef, Chris,

who works at a two-Rosette hotel restaurant

in the heart of Liverpool.

I've been a chef for the last seven years now, since I left school.

I started off in a one-Rosette restaurant,

working my way up to two, three and four Rosettes.

I've done various stars around the country as well,

one and two Michelin stars.

I think that's where I got my passion for the more fine dining,

and the higher end of catering.

I'd definitely say that Marcus is one of the biggest inspirations.

When you've got a two Michelin-starred chef tasting

your food, it's the next level.

Chris, today, I'd like you to make us a fruit-based souffle.

-OK?

-Over to you, 20 minutes, off you go.

Thanks.

You know what you're going to do?

I'm going to do a passion fruit souffle

with a little strawberry and raspberry compote to go with that.

Just roast a few of the nuts off and use them as a candied garnish.

OK, that seems a lot of work.

Chris, you've only taken four minutes, all right, you're doing OK.

-Yeah.

-All right? Try and relax a bit, if you can.

-Yeah, yeah.

-You're doing all right.

Why did you become a chef, Chris?

To be honest, all my family are chefs.

My mum is a chef. My brother is a chef.

Out of your mum and your brother, you're a better chef, right?

I don't think they'd like me saying that, but I'd like to say so, yeah.

You've had ten minutes, Chris.

-You've got ten minutes left.

-Yeah.

What's the plan with the moulds, then?

I'm just going to butter them and fill them a bit with sugar,

-just for sweetness. Then we'll just fill the souffle with it.

-OK.

Right, you got him in.

-Yeah.

-Well done.

So you've just got to pretty up your plate, right?

Yes.

Three minutes left, Chris.

-It's going to be OK?

-Yeah.

Chris, 90 seconds. How's that souffle?

OK.

-All done, Chef?

-I think so, yeah.

-OK.

-Well done.

Souffle-making, for me,

the most vital part of getting this right is getting your mould

buttered correctly, chilled.

What you can see there clearly is where it's starting

to catch and break throughout the souffle.

Unmistakable, tropical, sweet acidity of the passion fruit.

Listen, you'd want it to be lighter, fluffier, but, Chris, honestly,

under this sort of pressure, I'm quite impressed with you.

You know, you've made an effort to make a garnish, which was good.

Your working methods were excellent.

For such a young chef, not a bad attempt, Chris.

-Not bad at all.

-Thanks.

-Well done.

-Chris, looking forward to seeing you in the next round, mate.

-Thanks.

-Off you go.

-Cheers.

It was probably my worst nightmare, to be honest.

I didn't think souffle would come up, but it did.

It's not my biggest strength,

but I gave it my everything and I got a dish up in the end.

The final chef to face Monica's skills test

is 37-year-old chef patron, Ryan...

..who owns a two-Rosette restaurant in the Lake District.

My dad is a chef, my grandad was a chef,

my great grandad had a pie shop in Blackburn.

Me and my brother decided to open a restaurant together,

and three years later, we've won a few awards along the way and we're

very happy with how things are going.

It's just about not making myself not look too stupid, and if I do,

I just won't go out for a drink with any other chefs

for the next 20 years.

What I would like you to make for us, Ryan,

is a fruit-based souffle.

-OK.

-OK.

-20 minutes, your souffle, off you go, Chef.

Thank you.

Ryan, when did you last make a souffle?

I made a souffle on New Year's Eve,

and hopefully can remember something similar.

You've had five minutes.

-OK.

-All right, Chef, you've got 15 minutes to go.

-Yeah.

Ryan, tell me why have you come to MasterChef?

As a chef patron, why are you here?

I have no idea!

I feel like I need to challenge myself.

If you say, "Oh, I've got my restaurant, and that will do me,"

you become complacent.

You've got to get this in the oven, you're going to run out of time.

Have I still got eight minutes?

You've got nine, Chef.

Oh, I'll be all right, hopefully, he says.

That's not nerve-racking!

Sorry, mate. You're absolutely right.

Absolutely right. Souffle is coming up.

-You've got just two minutes.

-Two minutes, OK.

-All done, Chef?

-Do I have ten seconds left?

-OK.

-All done?

-Yes.

Well done.

Ooh!

The souffle, you've made it the right way.

It's light, it's got a wonderful flavour of the passion fruit.

Yeah, I think it's a very good first attempt here, Ryan.

Thank you.

Ryan, that is a light, fluffy,

proud souffle and very sharp with the passion fruit and sweet, yeah,

pretty good, mate. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-You obviously know what you're doing.

Thank you. Thank you.

Good-flavoured souffle, it tastes of passion fruit

and it rose really nicely. Best souffle of the day, that one.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

What can I say? Very well done, Ryan.

And I look forward to seeing

what you're going to cook in the next round.

Off you go, Chef.

I was really not looking forward to that. I actually really enjoyed it.

I don't think I was meant to, but I did.

There were varying techniques of how to make a souffle.

Some worked, some didn't.

But to me, and what's been impressive, is how they've worked throughout.

We only had one contestant that didn't manage a souffle.

Everybody else managed.

And we had one that was very, very good indeed.

I think they've all left the kitchen with us thinking,

"I can't wait to see what you're going to cook on the signature dish."

Now it's your signature dish.

This is your recipe, your ingredients.

A great opportunity for you to show us, A,

what you are made of, and a little bit about your own personality.

At the end of this,

three of you will stay and three of you will be leaving.

One hour and 15 minutes to show just how talented you are.

Off you go.

I'm excited to see what the guys think of the food

that I'm going to produce for them today.

Maybe it's not some flavours they would have had together.

When you eat it, that needs be the bit where someone says,

"Well, it makes sense now."

So, what's your signature dish?

So, I'm doing a fillet of pork, which is going to be with kimchi,

cauliflower and harissa.

You're serving kimchi from Asia and harissa from North Africa?

Yes. It's all about the flavour.

Whether it's from Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Tangier.

So do you cook like this because it's a trend,

or is it actually something you enjoy doing?

It's something I enjoy, definitely.

My research never stops, really.

I love finding out about all these fantastic things

that places have to offer all over the world.

Exciting.

Chef Jamie, I think the most important thing for him to remember

is that pork loin is quite a delicate flavour

and what you put with it,

such as kimchi, which is a pickled fermented cabbage, harissa,

has to be balanced correctly for this dish to work.

I don't use a lot of kimchi myself.

Do I enjoy eating kimchi? Yes, I do.

I am quite young, and this is quite a technical dish.

It does a lot of different timings on the cooking of the rabbit,

and the garnish. It means everything, getting a good feedback,

which is why I put so much on the line for this dish.

Chris, what are you cooking for us?

So I'm doing a rabbit dish.

I'm making a ballotine with the chicken mousse,

making a ravioli with the leg,

and then I'm serving with that a tarragon and mustard jus,

heritage carrots, pickled carrot puree, some girolles,

broad beans and a little bit of spinach as well.

Forgive me, Chris. You know you've got an hour and 15?

Yeah. I found ways around to do these things quickly,

and to the level that we're looking for.

I hope you can get this all done, young man.

Thanks.

Chris has got to get everything on this dish right.

He's got ravioli to get right,

that chicken mousse has got to be smooth...

Those legs, as well and try and get a flavoursome sauce

within an hour and 15 minutes.

This chef is throwing the kitchen sink at this dish.

Wow. I like the bravery,

and I hope that Chris can really bring it all together

and make it work.

My skill test was not up to the mark so I need to make sure that

my next round is excellent.

If you cook something from your heart

then someone eats and gives a good feedback, it makes you happy

and makes you proud, as a chef.

-Suresh.

-Yes.

-Hi. Still smiling.

-Yes.

-It smells amazing on your bench.

What are you making for us, Suresh?

I'm making a pan-fried hake, with a green mango and coconut sauce,

and curry leaf mashed potato, and a samphire pachadi.

Pachadi is made out of yoghurt and spiced with asafoetida.

This is asafoetida?

That is as pungent as you like.

Where does your love of cooking come from?

-My mother.

-Can you make it as good or better than Mum?

Ah, my mother makes better.

Your mum makes it... She's not going to be screaming at the TV, saying,

"Suresh, don't put that in it!"

What's your mum's name?

-Radha.

-So this has got to be as good as Radha's?

-Yes.

-All right, fingers crossed.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Good luck, Suresh.

This whole kitchen smells of Suresh's spices.

It's strong, its fragrant, it's spicy in here.

I am going to be looking for accuracy in the cooking of his fish.

I want it to be flavoursome, moist,

and I would like to be able to taste the fish itself.

I don't just want to have a burning curry heat sensation in my throat.

This is my food. It's personal to me.

It's the food I believe in and I serve to customers every day.

I'm very comfortable with the dish,

I'm very comfortable with all the elements. I just hope they like it.

Right, Ryan. Tell me, what are you cooking?

I'm going to cook a piece of brill, cauliflower and some potted shrimps.

And then the key element to it is my sauce, made with spice,

so a curry mix and some mead.

Why mead? Ancient of British drinks, fermented honey.

Yeah. For me, it's worked quite well with the shrimps.

So this whole plate of food is based around Morecambe Bay.

Down on the estuary, you'll find all the herbs that I'm using.

Obviously potted shrimp's a famous thing in the north-west.

We catch brill in the bay.

Anybody rooting for you, back at home?

My wife and my children, I would say.

The last thing my wife said to me is "Don't embarrass me," so, yeah,

no pressure.

Mead sauce with brill -

you have to be very careful with the sweetness of this sauce because

too much sweetness and you'll kill the lovely flavour of brill,

but he's going to counterbalance that with some curry flavours.

Really looking forward to this dish.

Chefs, you have just 30 minutes left - just 30.

I want to show how good I can actually cook.

I have to try and put this morning out of the way,

and just try and focus on what I do best,

give it my all and just go for it, really.

Daniel, have you checked the salt on your table?

Yes, I have. It's the first job I did.

-It's not sugar?

-No, it's not.

Good. Good.

-Tell us about your dish.

-So I'm doing rack of lamb.

Doing a herb crust for that. I'm cooking that in clarified butter.

I'm doing baby onions cooked in beer,

confit tomatoes in balsamic vinegar,

-and I've got crispy sweetbreads as well.

-Why this dish?

It seems quite an earthy dish.

It's quite colourful, it's quite seasonal,

it's going to look really good on the plate.

I think if it looks good, it's going to taste good.

Obviously I've got to get every element working perfectly together.

I'm intrigued with this cooking method of cooking the lamb rack

in clarified butter, almost confit-like.

I'm not too sure whether or not there is any colouration

on the lamb. I hope there is.

I love the use of the ingredients that Dan has chosen.

It's all about getting the perfect execution.

Everything has got to be right, and he has a point to prove.

Chefs, 20 minutes to go, please.

20 minutes to go.

Thank you very much.

I'm quite quietly competitive.

I feel I'm quite good at pressure, quite calm and collected.

Obviously Michelin star chefs, I'm happy to take their feedback,

and if they love it then I'll be amazed.

-Tim, what is your dish?

-Roast cannon of lamb with a smoked almond mousse

on the top, with charred asparagus, confit potatoes in the lamb fat,

Madeira jus, and a crispy sweetbread on top.

Mate! That sounds divine.

Fingers crossed. The pressure doesn't get to me.

Tim, do you feel you've got a point

to prove because you left restaurants

and you're working in a care home?

I do, yeah. I want to prove to myself and to everybody else that

I'm still a good cook, and we can do good food in a care home.

Of course you can.

Tim, I really do like the sound of his dish.

He's using a cannon of lamb and he's wrapping that in

a smoked almond mousse. I hope that works,

and I hope the flavours of the almond comes through as well.

He's got broad beans, peas, asparagus.

He's also got some long confit potatoes.

I like that style of garnish.

By the sounds of this dish, if he gets everything right,

he's onto a winner.

Chefs, you have 15 minutes left.

Come on!

You guys have got just three minutes to finish this off.

Three minutes!

OK, time is up.

Stop.

-Tough, that one.

-How was it for you?

-That was horrible.

-It went so fast.

-It did go fast, actually.

First up is Ryan, who has cooked roast fillet of brill

on a bed of potted shrimps, almonds and mead-soaked raisins,

with marsh samphire,

roasted cauliflower, and cauliflower puree with sea coriander,

and a spiced curry and mead veloute.

It's a vibrant looking sauce, but the plate looks great.

For me, the fish has been cooked perfectly.

It's still very moist.

You haven't dried it out.

The samphire's still got a bit of body to them -

it will bring the saltiness to this dish.

The roasted baby cauliflower is always a winner, for me,

because it's just delicious.

For a first dish, it's an exciting one.

You know, you've done well.

The combination, the cauliflower, the mead, the vegetables,

the green sea herbs and the brill,

they all work together really, really well.

Overall, there is a lovely harmony throughout this dish.

I like your ideas.

Good job, Ryan. Very, very good job.

Thank you.

I love that sauce. That sweetness and that bitterness from the curry

sauce, that to me is matched by the bitterness and sweetness of

the cauliflower. I love that!

Ryan, well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done.

The comments, they liked where I was going with the dish.

It was great to get that feedback from them and, erm,

hopefully we can improve from here, and get better.

Daniel has made a herb-crusted rack of lamb...

..with crispy sweetbreads,

potatoes, confit tomatoes,

charred baby onions cooked in beer, a pea puree,

and a red wine jus.

That lamb looks...almost raw.

I'm a little concerned.

Ooh. There's so much that could be right with this dish.

But I find the cooking of the lamb in butter that's not boiling hot,

it's not been coloured, it's just sat.

So it doesn't have that searing, for me, that's needed.

There's not a touch of seasoning on there.

The sweetbreads are under.

It's almost still going baa.

The sauce is far too sweet for this dish.

You just don't put sweet sauces with lamb.

It's a combination that doesn't work, Daniel, unfortunately.

And you've got some vegetable garnish that just lacks

all flavour and seasoning.

Daniel, if I saw lamb and sweetbread on a menu, I would've ordered that.

And then if it comes up like this, it's disappointing.

Thank you.

It's just annoying for me because I've done my lamb before like that.

And it's worked and been beautiful.

It's not what I want to do and not how I hoped it would happen.

Suresh's dish is pan-fried hake

with a green mango and coconut sauce...

..masala mashed potato, samphire pachadi, and a coriander oil.

The sauce is so rich and the flavours,

the smells of the spices and the coconut, the curry,

for me, is wonderful.

-Thank you.

-But the fish is a bit on the overcooked side,

and I kind of want a bit of texture.

Something like a paratha to eat it all up with.

The fish is overcooked, but without a doubt, you've got flavour here.

You've got spices, you've got a good sauce.

You are building layer upon layer upon layer of flavour.

It goes almost sweet, then slightly sharp with lime, then it goes spicy.

Your flavours, sir, I find incredible.

Thank you, sir.

Obviously, I'm disappointed.

They only liked my flavours.

Only I should've then put a bit more focus on my fish.

Chris has cooked rabbit two ways.

A rabbit ballotine stuffed with chicken mousse...

..a braised rabbit leg raviolo...

..heritage carrots,

pickled carrot gel, girolle mushrooms,

and broad beans...

..with a rabbit sauce flavoured with tarragon and mustard.

I'm just amazed that you got it done,

Chris. Like a Herculean task, so, well done.

The rabbit is cooked nicely.

It's not too dry.

The sauce with the mustard, it's a nice flavour.

I think your tarragon mustard worked great with rabbit.

Carrot gel? Ooh, no.

That is a slimy texture.

A chef of your age shouldn't be using gel in anything, OK?

Yes, Chef.

The pancetta bring that beautiful bacon flavour to this.

The carrots are nicely cooked.

Unfortunately, the tortellini, the pasta is too thick.

The meat inside is a bit on the dry side.

I commend you for trying to impress,

but I feel you've possibly given yourself too much to do

in an hour and 15.

Chris, it's hugely ambitious.

I admire you for that.

There are faults on here.

There are also things on here that are absolutely lovely.

It's probably the toughest thing I've ever done.

I think the judges' comments were fair.

Everything they said, I agreed with.

If I could do it again, I'd simplify it a lot more.

Tim has cooked cannon of roast lamb,

topped with a smoked almond mousse...

..with crispy sweetbreads,

confit potatoes, crispy onions...

..pea puree,

broad beans, and a mint oil.

Finished with a Madeira jus.

The colours of the plate are coming through very nicely,

but the dish just looks like it's been slightly thrown together

and all clumped up.

The lamb is undercooked.

It's not quite cooked enough there, you can see.

I'm not really getting the smoked almond coming through.

The sauce complements the dish.

It could've had a little bit more seasoning, the sauce itself.

This dish should work, but it doesn't quite come together.

Tim, there's a fair amount on that plate that I really enjoy.

I like the buttery potatoes.

I particularly like that mousse you've got over the lamb.

However, I would like a sprinkle of salt across the lamb

and across the potatoes.

Absolutely on board with Gregg.

It lacks a pinch of salt here and there.

The crispy sweetbreads - definitely got the crispy bit,

unfortunately, once you cut into it, it's slightly under.

You know, it's just a little bit of love to finish that dish.

Yeah, I'm frustrated by the little mistakes.

I just need to focus on the little details

and hopefully get perfection next time.

Last up is Jamie...

..who's served a roast fillet of pork...

..with roasted romanesco cauliflower,

roast cauliflower puree, chilli syrup,

pickled cauliflower,

crispy cauliflower leaves,

a fermented cabbage kimchi and harissa mayonnaise,

roast yeast powder,

and a pork sauce.

Jamie, I really like your presentation.

There's not a lot on here, but what you have is done so well.

It's beautiful.

The balance of the kimchi is just right.

The sharpness in there,

the yeast which you roasted off, brings malt flavours to this dish

which go very well with the roasted cauliflower.

Really disappointed you've undercooked that pork.

Silly mistakes like that really can cost you.

Everything has got to be perfect.

Thank you.

The kimchi is there almost instead of seasoning.

There's a slight sharpness to it and a saltiness to it.

It's a flavour that I very much enjoy.

I like the bitter notes of one cauliflower,

I the sharper, sweeter notes of the other one.

I like it. I can't eat that pork.

It's too undercooked for me.

It's far too undercooked for me.

I'm really sorry.

Balance, sharpness, sweetness, bitterness, come through really,

really well. I think your ideas are dangerous,

but I think they're very clever.

Just that pork, come on, Jamie.

I'm going to kick myself all the way home about that pork.

I genuinely thought it was OK or I wouldn't have put it on the plate.

And as soon as he sliced into it, I could see Gregg's face...

We need to make a judging decision.

Three of you are staying.

Three of you are going home.

Thank you, chefs.

There were some very good dishes,

but I think all our chefs had errors and some more than others.

I'll tell you who had a good day from start to finish,

and that was Ryan.

Ryan made us the best souffle,

came into here in the second round and I think gave us the best dish.

Without a doubt, he was the standout cook in the kitchen today.

There was one chef that struggled.

Daniel had a weak round with the souffle.

He had a point to prove. He really had to get everything right on

his dish in the signature round and that did not happen.

I'm not sure whether or not the skills test just took the wind out of his sails.

The remaining four, I think this is difficult because out of those four,

there are things that I liked about all of them,

and there were errors from each of them.

Suresh didn't know how to make a souffle.

That was obvious, so he had a lot to do here with his signature dish.

The hake was unfortunately overcooked,

but I loved the flavours in that curry sauce.

For me, today, Jamie was the most creative chef,

but the pork was undercooked, without a doubt.

-You can't take that away.

-Careless to let something like that happen,

but the skill it took to create this plate of food makes me think that

there is a definite possibility for this chef.

Chris attempted so much, and I think he attempted too much,

and there were mistakes on his plate.

I think we have a very talented young man. Good cookery, good ideas,

but didn't quite pull it off.

We've had young chefs come through and sort of go 100mph,

and I don't know if Chris can be sort of pulled back a bit.

Tim, with the signature round, he had the ingredients,

and he had the idea.

Just didn't quite execute it the way I think he wanted to.

I love the ideas of the lamb with the smoked almond mousse,

but the lamb was undercooked.

There were still issues on this dish.

It wasn't faultless by any means, but it was decent.

I suppose the question is, is decent enough?

Right, which two stay and which two go home

from Jamie, Tim, Suresh, or Chris?

Just being here one day shows you how good it is and how much

you can learn. And I'd just like that to carry on in the future.

I'd be gutted to leave this early, I've tried my hardest.

So hopefully I live to fight another day.

I believe I can go through next round and fingers crossed.

I hope they've seen I've got enough to go through to the next round

and then maybe I can show them a little bit more.

Well done. There's six hard-working, passionate chefs here.

That's obvious. It's actually quite close, this.

The first chef leaving the competition is...

-..Daniel.

-Thank you.

Thank you, Daniel.

Our second chef leaving the competition is...

-..Suresh.

-Thank you, Suresh.

Thank you.

And the third and final chef leaving the competition is...

..Tim.

Gutted. Yeah, I hoped I got further,

but there's some strong competition in there, some really good chefs.

I did my best.

I was very disappointed about the way I cooked.

I've done a lot better than that, but unfortunately,

it's down to the day, isn't it?

I feel disappointed.

Sad to leave, but it's a good experience.

I'm taking some positive energy from here.

Chefs, congratulations.

You are our quarterfinalists.

Getting through's a massive achievement for myself.

It was more tough than I thought it would be today.

I'm going to give my all in the next round and hopefully I can progress.

I'm feeling over the moon.

Happy, excited,

a whole handful of things I can't put words to at the moment.

It feels great when you get really positive comments.

Today's been a good day, but I'm already worrying about

the quarterfinal and getting things right and ready for that.

Tomorrow night, it's the quarterfinal.

And the week's best chefs return to prove they have what it takes.

I think it's an absolute triumph.

Only the best will get to cook for the critics.

I think that you two are the reason that no-one likes us.