Episode 7 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.

I can cook, I will cook,

and I will fight for my place within this competition.

I like to see other people doing well,

but then also quite like to beat them.

It's really contradicting, isn't it?

I'll be very disappointed if I do any less than get to the final.

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.

20 minute test, this is your one.

Looks like it's something sweet, Marcus. What is it?

It is. It's a fruit dessert made with Italian meringue.

-Mmm.

-Mmm.

-Lovely.

What is the difference between a French and an Italian meringue?

An Italian meringue, like Marcus is making,

the sugar is cooked like a syrup before it's added to the egg whites.

The French meringue is raw sugar.

It's just been added once the egg whites have been whipped up.

It's a great test.

I think an Italian meringue, all chefs should know the difference.

Once they've got the meringue right,

then they can start to step into this area

and start getting a little bit creative,

a bit of flair, imagination.

Whatever fruit they choose,

I'd like to see it cooked in some way.

But that's the fun bit. The serious bit is right here,

and they need to get this right before they can even think

of getting down that side of the bench.

Right, well over to you, chef. 20 minutes.

First of all, they've got to get the sugar into the pan.

Personally, I think a little bit of water is really important.

It gets the sugar dissolved before we start getting

to the caramelisation process.

If they don't add water, the sugar will crystallise and it won't work.

I'd like to think they know it's cooked.

But to what temperature do they cook the sugar?

That's the real key element here.

You don't get that sugar cooked enough, the meringue won't come up,

it won't stay stiff.

If it's overcooked, it just won't work, it will split.

This is about precision.

You need to take it all the way up to 120 degrees C.

So, 108. I'm going to start to put my egg whites in here.

And then we're going to start those turning just gently,

and bring them up to a soft peak.

That's sugar, with a little bit of water,

that's got to get up to 120 degrees.

As it starts to get to temperature, start to beat the egg whites?

Yes. OK, we're now...

There we go.

OK, we've just come up to 120.

I'm guessing the hot sugar cooks the egg whites, then as that's cooling,

the whole thing is setting firm, right?

That's right.

I'm getting the hang of this!

Now the sugar's inside, it's all mixing together,

we're just waiting for the meringue to come down in temperature.

You know how you test a good meringue?

You stick your finger in it and put it in your mouth.

-No, you don't.

-No, you don't, right.

You hold it over your head.

-Ah!

-Someone else's head!

Why are you looking, don't you trust me?

You don't trust me, do you?

So, basically, this is the core skill,

a really good Italian meringue.

-That's great.

-It smells good, too.

-That's great.

-So, the rest of my dish,

I'm just having a look at what I'm going to be choosing.

My favourite with meringue has always been apricots.

I'm going to caramelise them with some honey.

But I would like the fruit to be cooked.

I don't just want to see some raw fruit with some Italian meringue.

It's got to be cooked.

Fresh thyme.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Lavender.

Bringing hard herbs into it, I think, is a nice touch.

I've got some serious anticipation over this dessert.

-OK, so shall we dress it?

-Yeah.

Very pretty. Very pretty.

Some creme fraiche.

-Honeycomb.

-Mmm.

Biscotti biscuit for some texture.

A little bit of lavender.

And the spice I'm going to use is a little bit of grated star anise

on the plate as well.

First thing I want you to get from this is the aroma.

-There you go.

-Cor, the fragrance is absolutely incredible!

So that's my Italian meringue,

cooked apricots with honey, creme fraiche,

a little bit of almond, and some amaretti biscuit.

-Can we?

-Absolutely.

That is delightful.

What is particularly clever, actually, I think,

is the use of lavender and the use of thyme.

But the meringue is the star on this plate, isn't it?

It's so smooth, just lightly crisped off there.

Oh, it's perfect.

If they can make an Italian meringue, the rest is easy.

It's just about having some fun and enjoying it.

That's it, it's having some fun,

and just marrying some fabulous ingredients together.

Shall we get our chefs in, see what they're capable of?

Absolutely.

First up is 25-year-old Bradley,

who's a junior sous-chef of a hotel restaurant in Portsmouth.

There wasn't ever a specific moment I wanted to become a chef,

it was just...

It sounds silly, but it was like a natural feeling.

For me, this is a career, it's been my life.

A kitchen is kind of like the only place I've really felt like

I've belonged. People ask, "What's your main goals?"

And I think I'd love to go and play with the big boys

in the Michelin-starred kitchens and, you know,

really find out what I'm made of.

Bradley, I'd like you to make us a dessert,

with cooked fruit and Italian meringue.

All right? You've got your Italian meringue ingredients weighed out

in front of you.

Have you done desserts before?

-Not specifically.

-You've not done pastry?

No, not specifically. I did only a year, just to kind of get a feel,

but it's not been my strongest point.

It's kind of a thing, like most chefs, we kind of avoid it a bit.

Good to know, Bradley!

Inspired me, you have!

Cooked dessert with fruit, Italian meringue, 20 minutes, off you go.

Do you know what temperature you want the sugar to be?

About 118.

Righto.

Why are you whisking the meringue by hand?

I'm just trying to start to incorporate a little bit of air.

The second the air goes into it,

the sugar has already got like a starting point.

-Doesn't the machine do that?

-Yeah.

I've just put some of the lavender into the sugar,

just to infuse that a bit for the meringue.

Are you a creative chef, Bradley?

Yes, I think the problem I've actually got is maybe being

a little bit too creative.

Sometimes I get a little bit out of control.

But I've been able to create sort of a bit of a reputation,

where I can kind of be trusted to do what I do and get along with it.

Does having all these ingredients inspire you to create them?

It's definitely inspiring, but it's also a little bit overwhelming.

I think, like, you sometimes think you've got to try

and use everything in one.

Right, apricots. What are we doing here?

So once I've finished with the pear in the pan,

I'm just going to roast the apricots as a half.

Just in, like, the juices that are left over from it.

Seven minutes gone, chef, you've got 13 minutes left.

How does that look?

It's nice and shiny, it's kind of held itself, hasn't split,

so I feel pretty good about it.

-You all done, chef?

-I am indeed, thank you.

Bradley added lavender to his Italian meringue,

and served it with caramelised apricots,

honey-roasted pears and amaretti biscuit.

The key skill, making the meringue, I think you've got there OK,

and you left it on the machine which was great,

so you allowed it to cool down and got a lovely light,

glossy looking meringue.

The apricot is half cooked.

It's cooked on the bit that was on the pan, the other bit isn't cooked.

The meringue is a decent meringue.

It's not bad. There's something about you here,

and I'm looking forward to seeing what you're going to bring

to the signature round.

-Thank you.

-See you in the next round, chef.

-Thank you.

-Off you go.

Nerve-racking, definitely, yeah.

Like, the first time you come out face-to-face with them...

I think I just kind of, like, maybe wanted to play it safe,

or, you know, just get it right first time sort of style, but...

..no.

21-year-old sous-chef Craig

works in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Maidenhead.

My passion started from a young age.

I remember sort of cooking, baking cakes on a weekend with Mum at home,

sat up on the table top licking the spoon, that sort of thing.

It really clicked when I went to secondary school, cooking, like,

once a week in class.

Being a chef is not an easy job.

It's a lot of stress, day in, day out.

You have to put up with a lot.

But it's all worth it.

Obviously when you're cooking, you know customers are happy,

it's a real buzz.

Have you ever made an Italian meringue?

I have, yes.

That's a good start.

Cooked fruit dessert, Italian meringue, 20 minutes -

-off you go, Craig.

-OK, cool.

Craig, do you know what temperature the sugar should be?

I'll take it to 118.

What's the plan for your dessert?

Amaretti biscuit and pistachio,

-with a lavender meringue and some honey peaches.

-OK.

-You've had five minutes, Craig.

-OK, perfect.

Where did you learn your pastry, Craig?

Most of my pastry, I learned at a Two Rosette, where I started out.

I worked for a good head chef, so he taught me quite a lot of pastry.

Chopped lavender inside?

Yeah, hopefully it doesn't give a bit of a...

Too much grit.

So, what's your plan now, chef?

Caramelise these peaches up, Amaretto.

Crumble, creme fraiche.

Is this a dessert you've done before?

I've had to do a dessert before with a lavender-roasted whole peach.

So, why not the whole peach today then?

Obviously to cook it in 20 minutes perfectly, just cutting it small.

-Craig, you've got eight minutes left.

-OK.

This looks like it's coming together, chef.

Yeah, yeah, done.

You have five minutes to spare.

OK.

Craig added lavender to his Italian meringue,

and served it with honey and Amaretto roast peaches,

amaretti pistachio crumb, and a lemon and vanilla creme fraiche.

I've got to say, I think you've done a very, very good job there, Craig.

I think your approach was professional.

You obviously knew how to make an Italian meringue.

You took it up to 118, mine was 120,

but you're almost in the same ballpark.

And the presentation, for your first dish in this kitchen, looks really,

really good.

Well done, Craig.

Thank you.

For a 21-year-old chef, that's a great dessert.

That's delicious.

-I think you've done great.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, chef. Off you go.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

That's confidence, because he's been in a pastry section.

Quite refreshing.

I'd like to think it's a good start to the competition.

I mean, I got a bit of praise, so hopefully it continues.

Next up is 34-year-old French head chef Alan,

who started his professional career

working in a Michelin-starred kitchen.

I was very lucky to step in a Michelin-starred kitchen,

and in a way I was very unfortunate, because when you're a 16-year-old,

you're not prepared for this kind of environment.

But it builds character and gives you discipline.

It's definitely made the chef I am now.

-How are you doing, Alan?

-Very good, thank you.

-Good, good.

Alan, I would like you to make us a cooked fruit dessert

-using Italian meringue.

-OK.

-Confident?

-Oui.

-Got a plan?

-Yes.

-All right, then. 20 minutes, off you go.

-Thank you.

What are you actually doing with the peaches?

I've just messed up.

I'm going to poach the peach first.

How long will your meringue take you?

I just need to get the sugar on for the meringue,

and then once the syrup is 220 degrees,

I'll pour it in the egg and make it cool down.

-Did you say 220?

-120.

-100. Oh, OK.

Do you like pastry, Alan?

Yes, I do like pastry.

It's an exact science, it's chemistry.

So, follow the recipe and it should work out.

-Is it burnt?

-Yes.

Can I start again?

You have six minutes left, all right?

-Yes.

-You've got to get this meringue made,

you've got to get it on a plate.

Here we go.

Three minutes left, Alan.

Meringue OK?

Probably not enough syrup, I would say.

You've got a minute left.

OK, last touch. Done?

Yes, sir.

Alan's Italian meringue has been served with poached peaches,

Amaretto crumb and pistachios.

You looked very confident at the beginning,

and just watching you trying to cut up the peaches and it not coming off

the stone, sort of, really got you a little bit.

The caramel, you went for dry caramel,

which is fine if you're making a normal caramel.

You're making a meringue here, it needs to be made into a syrup.

It's one of those things, once something's thrown you,

once you start, everything else sort of goes to pieces.

The meringue isn't right, it's fluffed up egg whites.

I've got warm peaches and soggy biscuit.

Put this behind you,

give us a knockout dish in the next round, please.

-Yes.

-See you soon. Thank you.

Obviously, I think they were a bit disappointed with what I gave them.

I would be disappointed if someone gave this to me.

But, no, I'll cook as best as I can for the next round,

and show them what I can do.

Private chef Lee is 33,

and currently works onboard a superyacht in the Mediterranean.

It can be quite hard, because there's no-one there just to

kind of bail you out.

I've had one guest that wanted a tasting menu of ten courses,

and then at quarter to ten at night,

he went actually, "Don't worry, I just want the buffet."

And then 20 minutes later, he goes, "Actually, I'm going out."

So, yeah, that was a good day!

20 minutes, off you go.

Lee, tell us what you plan to do, please.

I'm just going to make the Italian meringue,

and then try and get these off of the stone.

Just pan-fry them nicely.

I can't get it off...

I'll try another one, a bit more...

So, you're going to fry them?

Yeah, toast some nuts to go with them,

then caramelise them in a bit of honey,

maybe some pistachios and star anise, just make a little caramel.

You've got a plan, chef.

-Yeah, hopefully.

-You've got a plan.

So, you've given up on the peach, have you?

-Yeah.

-So what're you using now?

Just this apricot, doing the same sort of style.

What temperature are you taking the syrup to?

About 115 degrees.

-Six and a half minutes gone.

-Thank you.

So, Lee, what's the most challenging thing about working on a boat, then?

Trying to get supplies.

It can be quite rough as well,

so trying to make sure you don't burn yourself with pans.

-How's that going, the caramel?

-Yeah, it's just there now.

You're halfway, Lee, so you've got ten minutes left.

-What have you got there?

-I've heated up some cream to melt

the white chocolate, then just added a little bit of creme fraiche.

Are you happy with that meringue?

Yeah.

-Are you done?

-Yes.

-You've got about four minutes left.

-Oh, sorry.

-No, no. If you're finished, you're finished.

Lee's Italian meringue has been served with

Amaretto glazed apricots...

..with chopped walnuts and white chocolate creme fraiche.

I like the way you caramelised your apricots, that was nice.

Bit of sugar in the pan, then a little bit of the Amaretto

was a really nice touch. But you've got to let that meringue whip,

and stay on that machine until it's nice and cold,

and it will just get lighter and fluffier.

I think you've just taken it off a little bit too soon.

You can actually see the meringue starting to deflate.

I don't think you did too badly, to be honest.

But it's very sweet and it's very rich.

The white chocolate sauce underneath makes it really rich and too sweet,

even for me.

It was actually a good start to the meringue,

but I just think once you've added the syrup, you switched it off,

where it needed to aerate a bit more.

Not a bad start, but there are things there that you

-really need to work on, Lee.

-Thank you.

Yeah, didn't go too well, to be honest.

I made some silly mistakes.

I think nerves just got the better of me.

Things that I really do know, but obviously the nerves hit.

33-year-old Chris is a senior sous-chef at a leading law firm

in Canary Wharf.

I chose to go into corporate hospitality

because I knew I could still cook amazing food,

I could still cook restaurant standard food,

but have a far better work-life balance, and work nicer hours.

The challenges are going to be pastry, for me.

It's not something that I'm strongest at,

but I know it's something I'm going to have to do

if I want to do well in this competition.

So it's certainly going to keep me on my toes.

-Ready for action?

-Yes.

Dessert, Italian meringue, cooked fruit, 20 minutes, off you go.

What's the plan, Chris?

So I think I'm going to do some roasted plums with

some of the amaretti, some honey.

I'll also do a bit of a crumble with the biscotti,

and maybe some pistachios.

How long have you been cooking for, Chris?

Since I left school.

I went straight to college, so that's 17 years ago now.

-Still enjoying it?

-Yeah, I love it.

I don't think it's a job I could do if I didn't enjoy it, to be honest.

How do you know when that sugar's ready?

You're meant to use a sugar thermometer,

but I'm not entirely sure what the temperature is meant to be,

so I'm just going to hope that I've got the right temperature.

You've had five minutes. 15 minutes to go.

Are you happy with your meringue, Chris?

I think so.

Consistency-wise, it looks OK.

I hope so.

I think it's OK.

-No need to panic, you've got five minutes left.

-Yeah.

I meant to do that!

-All done, chef?

-Yeah.

Chris chose to serve his Italian meringue

with honey and vanilla stewed plums,

amaretti biscuits,

caramelised walnuts

and roasted pistachios.

I think it's a shame you didn't know the temperature of the caramel.

-Yeah.

-Because everything that you've done, you've done a really nice way.

I think the stewed plums are a really good idea,

something a little bit different.

I'm not sure why you put oil in the pan, though.

No, me neither.

Chris, the meringue clearly is not cooked enough.

It's not holding properly.

Once you go to eat it, it's almost runny in texture.

And you know why that is -

you haven't taken the sugar far enough,

and should have let it whisk through.

You've got some very nice flavours and there,

those soft plums that are sharp yet sweet with the sugary meringue,

and also the crunch of the nuts is nice.

Not a bad attempt, Chris.

-Thank you.

-Off you go.

-Thanks, Chris.

I think he really enjoyed that challenge, it was nice,

and the plums were delicious.

Yeah, I'm really happy. Really happy. Relieved it's over.

That's the hard bit done, the rest of it's a breeze now, isn't it?

Last up is 30-year-old head chef Stephen.

-All right, chef?

-Brilliant, yeah.

A former winner of Northern Ireland's Chef of the Year.

I remember we were driving past this hotel, me and my mum,

and we've seen a chef obviously wearing the checked chef trousers.

I asked my mum, "What's that, what's he wearing them for?"

She said, "He's a chef." I said, "What's that?"

She told me and I couldn't believe you could get paid for cooking.

So I asked her to go in and we went in and got a job, £2.75 an hour.

I've been cooking most of my life now. I wouldn't do anything else.

I want to be one of the chefs that Marcus, Monica and Gregg remember.

You know, I don't want to blend into the background.

-You've got 20 minutes to do this.

-OK.

-Off you go.

Stephen, have you done much pastry?

Yeah, currently I'm making all the pastry in the restaurant

-that I work in.

-OK, well that's good.

I know you're a bit nervous, Stephen,

but I'd like you to try and settle and enjoy what you're doing.

-OK, thank you.

-OK.

Right, you've had five minutes.

-Yeah.

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

-OK.

Stephen, these guys know, but I don't know, I'm not a chef -

what are you doing when you're putting your fingers

in the water and in the sugar?

Once it starts reaching a certain temperature, it'll go to

a soft ball, I'll be able to ball that there in a soft ball of sugar.

So when the sugar's the right temperature,

-it'll form a ball in the water?

-Yes.

-Righto.

I could use a thermometer,

but it's been a long time since I've made an Italian meringue,

I can't remember the exact temperature to bring it to,

but I know this 100% works, this method.

What's your preparation been like coming on the show,

what have you done to get match fit?

I've taken a week off, worked in a butcher's, worked in a fishmonger's.

I've watched every single episode of MasterChef that there is.

I'm surprised you're not sick of the sight of us!

No, I'm excited and happy to be here.

Good man.

So that's the soft ball I'm after there, Gregg.

-Ten minutes left. Plenty of time, right?

-Yeah.

You're doing OK, all right?

Calm down a little bit. Relax.

You're doing OK.

-Are you done?

-Yeah.

Stephen chose to accompany his Italian meringue with roasted plums,

orange segments, caramelised walnuts and mint.

Really interesting to see you do the soft ball,

and do it with your fingers. I wouldn't call it 100% perfect.

I think a thermometer, without a doubt,

gives you exactly what you need.

You cut those beautiful plums down, you just cut right down the side,

bypassed the stone, which makes the whole thing a lot smaller.

And you can see, it just disappears and disintegrates.

You were very nervous,

possibly the most nervous of the six we've had in.

You've got lovely flavours on there,

and I just need bigger segments of plum.

-Yeah.

-And the meringue's not quite firm enough,

it's still a little bit wet.

As long as you can take control of your nerve,

I believe you can do it.

Thank you.

Nervous wreck.

Absolute nervous wreck.

I don't think I left a good impression at all.

It's tough, it was tough, the nerves got the better of me.

There is one standout chef for me today,

possibly the youngest that was in this kitchen.

The other five have got some ground to make up.

Personally, I think we've got some talent.

I think you are going to be delighted in the next round.

Let's hope so.

Chefs, welcome back.

Now it's the signature dish round. This is all about your food.

This is your opportunity to really show us what you're made of.

At the end of this, three of you will be going home.

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

Off you go.

Bradley, how do you feel about being in the signature round now?

-Ah, I'm much more comfortable.

-Yeah.

-Much more comfortable.

-So, what are you doing?

-Sous-vide duck breast.

It's going in at 60 degrees, and it's got no skin on it.

There's going to be a barbecue glaze to go over the duck,

it's also going to go with an orange citrus salad,

with some of the heritage carrots and the edible flowers.

Is this your creation, is this your thinking?

This is, like, it's my creation, it's my dish.

It's just something that's just a little bit different.

-Have you eaten this dish?

-I have, yes.

Never cook a dish to send out that you haven't tried yourself.

Right.

Sort of a duck a l'orange with a barbecue sauce flavour.

I can't really picture what the dish is going to look like,

but the ideas and the combinations sound interesting.

This is Bradley's dish.

It's his techniques, I'm really curious whether it works or not.

I don't think this is my full creativity.

Like you should never, like...

Like, have all your champagne bubbles in one go.

But I think this is definitely more of a show to her,

"This is what I can do, this is who I am,

"this is the creative side you're looking for."

15 minutes have gone.

You've got an hour left, but 15 have gone already.

I've entered MasterChef for a lot of reasons.

Thought I'd just go for it and challenge myself,

and see how good I am and prove that all private chefs

aren't as bad as what the people think.

A lot of restaurant chefs don't think we're very good.

They think that's why we go private,

because we can't handle it in the kitchen.

Tell us about your dish there, Lee.

So, I'm doing sous-vide beef fillet, with smoked pancetta dashi

and a herb emulsion, black garlic, mashed potatoes

and then just some charred tenderstem broccoli.

And all these Asian flavours, where are they going?

Into the pancetta dashi.

I've got kombu in there, I've got shiitake mushrooms,

I've got the pancetta, obviously,

and then some bonito flakes as well.

-Tuna flakes.

-Tuna flakes, yeah.

-Is this your usual style of cooking?

-This is you?

-Yeah, yes, it is, yeah.

I lived in Japan for a while.

-Ah.

-I love the flavours they have.

And so I'd like to try and mix it up a little bit

and try and use countries that I've lived in

into the inspiration of my dishes.

One concern for me with Lee is that the dashi broth doesn't overtake

the flavour of the beef.

It's got to work together.

But Lee has travelled quite a bit, lived in Japan,

seems quite confident, so I'm looking forward

to trying something wonderful.

My food, compared to a lot of other chefs,

probably could be a little bit simple,

but very much on the flavours, big, bold flavours.

If it says something on the menu,

I want it to taste of what I've written on the menu.

Chris has got a saddle of lamb for his signature dish.

There's a goat's curd, which he is going to deep-fry

once it's set in the freezer, there's lots of texture in there.

Goat's curd, lamb - perfect.

Asparagus, and a lamb vinaigrette.

I like the sound of Chris's dish.

Tell me about the marinade that you've got your lamb in,

because it's got a very interesting smell to it.

-What is it?

-So it's got caraway seeds in there, fennel seeds,

and a little bit of smoke liquid, and then salt and sugar.

Bring that here, I want Gregg to smell it.

I'm hoping it's in there long enough for the flavour to come through.

That smells good.

That smells smoky.

That's liquid smoke, it's going to.

-Nice.

-It's lethal, that stuff.

It's what they use in barbecue sauces as well,

it gives it that smoky flavour. It's very good.

Chefs, you are halfway.

You've got 35 minutes left, please.

Stephen is making for us a roast breast of chicken.

He's done it in a ballotine, he's got spring greens, potato fondant.

He's got a sweetcorn and vanilla puree to go with it,

as well as a confit egg yolk.

A bit unsure on the sweetcorn and vanilla puree,

but if it works, I'll be happy.

The fondant slightly concerns me.

The butter is the key ingredient in a really good, tasty fondant.

What I'm seeing is a potato that's been lightly coloured

and is just being boiled in the chicken stock.

I'm going to be really interested to see what that tastes like,

and whether it compliments the chicken.

Stephen, why this dish?

I had a feeling I was going to be nervous at the start,

which I was in the skills test.

I'm not as nervous now, I'm fine now.

I just thought that I would do chicken,

because it's slightly more forgiving than the likes of lamb and fish

and stuff. So I thought I would go for chicken in the first round.

Well, there's honesty!

And I've practised it time and time again,

so I'm hoping I can get it perfect for you.

You don't think you put yourself under a little bit

too much pressure, do you?

It's MasterChef.

You need to put yourself under pressure.

I think I'm bottom of the league at the minute,

but I think if everything goes to plan with this dish,

it'll definitely get me through to the next round.

It's very quiet in this kitchen.

Our six chefs have got their heads down and are just focused

on their cooking.

To impress the judges again would be amazing.

Obviously, it can show what I'm about,

and I'm just going to do what I do.

I'm going to focus on myself and not let anything faze me.

You got off to a very good start with Marcus's skills test.

What do you feel you have to do now?

Again, just stay focused, do what I do, cook this dish,

and hopefully you'll like it.

-What is it?

-Cannon of lamb, and then I've got some baby artichokes,

a salsa verde puree, sea fennel, caramelised onion, and a mash.

Why this dish, why lamb?

I love it, I think I can cook lamb quite nicely.

It all ties together, it's sort of like a Provencal sort of flavour.

Just sort of light and sort of enrichened, along those lines.

The combinations, I love.

There's nothing much here that I've never seen or heard of before,

but I'm going to be looking for a really good sauce,

and a very, very well cooked cannon of lamb.

I've seen what this young chef can achieve in 15 minutes,

what's he going to give us in an hour and 15?

You have 20 minutes left, OK?

I find my inspiration in museums,

looking at art, looking at paintings,

looking at the sea with the shapes of the waves.

Lots of the things I would do or think about is something that will

translate into food.

So we've got a salt marsh loin of lamb with a pearl barley,

samphire and wild garlic risotto.

We're going to have some simple glazed carrots,

a jus, some mint pickled beetroot, and a samphire tuile.

Are we going to see any French influence in your cooking?

Maybe. I mean, sauces and jus,

that's going to be as French as it's going to get,

but mostly I think it's going to be a bit more of a twist

on English food. I think there's fantastic produce in England,

and we need to showcase them a bit more.

It's real hard sometimes when you've got a pearl barley

on the dish to try and make that something quite refined,

but I like the flavours, and I like the idea of Alan's dish.

I'm really intrigued by this samphire tuile, though.

I like new ideas, if they work.

Guys, you have just four minutes.

Time's up.

First up is Stephen,

who has served his ballotine of chicken

with the wings and crispy skin,

alongside a fondant potato, confit egg yolk,

quenelle of spring vegetables,

sweetcorn vanilla puree, and a chicken sauce.

That chicken is cooked really nicely.

I got a little bit of that sweetcorn,

not anywhere near enough to make a difference to the plate.

I'd really like to taste more of that.

The yolk has a lovely colour,

but I think it's just maybe something that's not needed on here.

When I hear the words "spring veg", I think of light, fresh,

lovely, spring vegetables.

I don't expect them to be cooked down to oblivion.

The fondant lacks seasoning,

and you've not brought a great deal of flavour to it,

cooking it in the chicken stock.

I think you, Stephen, as a chef, could probably do better.

Obviously I would have liked everybody to have loved it,

but it's exactly what I intended to put up,

and I did what I wanted to do, so I'm happy with it myself.

Craig's signature dish is cannon of lamb,

served with salsa verde puree, pomme puree,

artichokes, onions, tomatoes,

and a lamb jus.

Beautiful green salsa verde colour.

And the shine on the sauce is exceptional.

Presentation, superb.

Flavour, just as good.

The lamb's well cooked,

the potato puree has got the right texture to it for my liking.

The sauce is a little bit bigger than you'd probably want with lamb,

but it works very well.

The salsa verde underneath and the artichokes are very well cooked.

For a 21-year-old to be so confident in the kitchen,

and deliver really great excellence all over the plate,

I'm very, very impressed with you.

Cheers.

It's just a delicious plate of food.

You've caught my attention, and I'd like you to just keep going.

You know, where you're strong, get stronger.

Craig, I don't know where you're going to end up,

but I'd like to book a table, because that is lovely.

Thank you.

Wow.

That was pretty intense, but I pulled it off.

Amazing, amazing.

Honestly.

Alan sous-vide his salt marsh loin of lamb and served it with

samphire pearl barley risotto,

glazed carrots,

pickled beetroot,

garlic puree,

samphire tuille,

and a lamb jus.

It can't escape the eye how undercooked this lamb is.

I normally don't mind a lot of meats which are under,

but lamb, I guess, is one where I draw the line at

where it's almost rare.

Pearl barley risotto, me personally, I don't enjoy it,

and I think the pearl barley could be more cooked,

and maybe pour your sauce over it, because it can take that moisture.

It's screaming out for it.

The tuile doesn't bring anything to the dish, your beetroot is raw,

and the carrots don't look like they've been peeled either.

But I can't take my eye off that lamb.

Cooking meat, we've got to allow a little bit of personal preference.

I wouldn't send it back, but there's no way I would order it again.

-I'm sorry, Alan.

-It's all right.

Obviously I think I could have done a bit better.

Well, the comments, they are what they are.

I mean, they're professional chefs, so, you know, I'll listen to them,

and then I'll work on it.

Chris's signature dish is saddle of lamb

served with grilled and raw asparagus,

charred Roscoff onions,

crispy goat's curd,

smoked crispy lamb belly

and a lamb vinaigrette.

I like the flesh of the lamb.

However, I'd like this fat rendered down a little bit more, please.

I feel I'm missing a sauce.

I almost want to wipe my lamb in something.

It's a little... I think I'm missing a sauce.

I feel I'm missing a sauce.

I like your ideas, I love the asparagus,

the goat's curd works very, very well.

You just need a lot more of that vinaigrette, Chris.

Oh, and I can't taste the liquid smoke in the belly at all.

It's not there.

Which is a shame, because I was looking forward to that.

Some issues here, but I think it's not a bad first dish from you.

You know, it gives us a clear picture of who you are as a chef,

and you're pretty good.

Thank you.

I feel like it went well. There were a couple of errors.

If it's just a bit more vinaigrette and they were happy with the dish,

then that's good enough, I suppose.

Lee's fillet of beef is resting on a black garlic emulsion

and morel mushrooms,

served with a potato puree,

charred tenderstem broccoli,

a herb emulsion made with parsley, chive and spinach,

and a pancetta dashi made with mirin, soy, kombu, a dried seaweed,

and bonito tuna flakes.

The beef fillet is beautifully cooked.

The pomme puree's beautifully made, nice and smooth.

The herb puree, for me, just lacks flavour.

I was expecting a much bolder flavour.

It looks great, but it's not coming through as strong as I thought.

Your dashi sauce, I think, goes really well with the beef here.

I love the saltiness, that it's quite gentle at the same time,

a soy sauce flavour coming through.

If you get that black garlic when you find it at the end of the dish,

which I didn't know was there until afterwards, and the mushrooms,

they actually marry very well.

You've got good technique.

I find some of those combinations challenging.

Dashi, and I'm thinking, like, Japanese,

and then I've got a buttery, creamy mash, that's a clash for me.

That's the clash.

It was all right, I just... I don't know.

It doesn't suit some people, I guess.

I think the marriage worked well.

But people have got different opinions, I guess.

So...

Last up is Bradley,

who is serving duck breast coated in barbecue sauce,

with braised duck legs,

crispy duck skin, alongside orange segments, white carrots,

and a selection of wild flowers and herbs.

The barbecue sauce, there's a sweetness coming through it,

it's quite spicy as well,

and that's what I'm enjoying as well as the smokiness.

I just think there's just so much of it that you're losing

this lovely duck breast underneath it.

I like the orange. Duck and orange goes very well,

and actually I don't mind it with the barbecue sauce.

I never thought I'd enjoy a salad this way.

Is it a salad? I don't know.

LAUGHTER

Your duck leg has got a sweet sour taste like grapefruit!

I don't know how much more of it I could eat, because it is strong.

But you've cooked the duck really well,

and you have flavour combinations that I've never tasted before.

I'm struggling to identify what the dish is,

because it doesn't really have a place.

Where do you put it? What part of the menu do you put it on?

Where does it sit?

I don't know, I'm slightly confused.

Maybe I just need to sleep on this one, Bradley.

You know, I'm hoping they'll remember that dish,

because it divided them all.

There were some bits, like Monica said, she'd never tried before.

So to get them to try the food is, yeah, it's an achievement in itself.

I'm happy when we can see possibilities within the kitchen.

There was one chef that really caught our attention

from the beginning, and I'm really pleased

that he carried on, on that high.

Craig's lamb dish was absolutely exceptional.

What more can I say?

This chef packed everything into that dish

and delivered it absolutely brilliantly well. Almost perfect.

And obviously he's going through to the next round.

Oh, yes.

It's a shame for Alan,

because I really thought he was going to come back strongly

in the second round.

But he disappointed for the second time today.

Regretfully, Alan leaves the competition.

Yeah, absolutely.

Stephen, very nervous.

In the first round, he had a point to prove,

and we expected him to step back in this kitchen and show us

what he's made of, and unfortunately it didn't go according to plan.

It won't help him if he moves forward, it'll just get harder.

Absolutely.

There are three more chefs we need to discuss,

and we have two more places.

We have Chris,

Lee and Bradley.

There are bits of their cooking that we like,

but you can't say in all honesty that one of them

really blew us away.

I'm relatively confident.

There's only been a couple of errors.

Hopefully, those little errors don't end up

with me leaving the competition.

There was mixed reviews for my dish,

so I've no idea where I'll be, to be honest.

To go home today would just be the worst feeling.

But, you know, I'd be glad that I got this far.

You know, I've dared to be judged, and to go through,

it would mean everything.

Undoubtedly, there are six passionate chefs in front of us.

It was great to see.

Three of you staying, and three of you going.

The first chef leaving us is...

-..Alan. Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you very much.

The second chef leaving us...

..is Stephen. Thank you, chef.

The third and final chef leaving us...

..is Bradley.

-Thank you very much.

-Bradley, thank you.

I definitely could have done so much better, I could have pushed harder,

been a little bit more braver.

That's what happens under the pressure of it all.

I've definitely learned that I was not as good under pressure

as I was supposed to be, or thought I would have been.

I'm very disappointed, but I was happy with the food that I cooked.

Just Marcus, Monica and Gregg weren't.

You can now call yourself quarterfinalists.

Well done.

I'm really excited, but kind of a bit shell-shocked at the same time.

That was more nerve-racking my wedding day!

Getting into the quarterfinal sounds great,

and I'm really looking forward to it and worried about it as well.

I wasn't ready to go home.

I'm happy, really happy.

I'm just going to stay focused, and continue to do what I do.

Just cook, just cook.

Tomorrow night, another six chefs compete for a place

in the quarterfinal.

Look at that! That's what we like.

-It's all about the pain, Jack.

-You've got to go through pain.

It's all pain.

One or two of you are in a bit of trouble here.

I admire the dish that you've put together.

You should be very proud of yourself.