Episode 10 MasterChef: The Professionals

Only an elite group of chefs hold two Michelin stars.

-Michel Roux Jr is one of them.

-Two of them now!

Now he and MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace are

on the hunt for Britain's next culinary superstar -

a professional with the talent to cut it in the world's top kitchens.

10 professional chefs have faced their first challenge -

to prove to Monica Galetti that they can cook at the highest level.

Now, they've been split into two groups.

Today, five of them will face the final test to decide who

is good enough to cook for Michel Roux Jr.

At the end of it, one of them will be going home.

I'm really determined to cook for Michel.

I'm going to have to really step up the game today and show my best.

I think the pressure today's going to be intense,

but I'm really looking forward to it.

I can't wait to get back into the kitchen.

I need to do my best. If I don't do my best, I'm going home.

Bring it on.

What are you going to get them to do?

Today, Gregg, I would like them to pluck this wood pigeon,

removing the feathers from the breast,

trim it down, remove the innards and tie it up, ready for roasting.

I really want to see how this is done.

I'd like them to start plucking from the breast.

You want to pull the feathers away from it.

If they're going to make a mistake, it'll be that they tear the breast.

Exactly. Treat it with respect, because it will tear.

You're being very neat here.

-There are hundreds of feathers, they could go everywhere.

-Easily.

If they keep calm, they should be able to do it like I'm doing it.

So next, remove the head and the wings.

On the joint.

And also remove the feet. Now we're going to remove the sac in its throat

where it's got all its food.

Going to take the wishbone out of the bird, as you do with a chicken.

Down either side.

Why not leave the wishbone in?

Because if you go to carve the meat with that wishbone there,

it's going to stop you cutting all the way through the meat.

So now get inside the bird and take everything out.

Lungs, livers, heart.

Especially on the back of that bird -

they will be stuck against the back of that bone.

So its feathers, head, wings and feet off?

-Then its wishbone out, then its innards out.

-That's it.

Now we just want them to tie it up, ready to go in the oven.

I expect them to know how to do this.

The string by the thighs.

Then just straight over the back and tie a knot.

And there we have it ready for roasting.

-Ready, Chef?

-Let's see what they're made of.

First up is Harley, whose ambition is to open his own patisserie.

In the first round, he wowed the judges

with his almond-brittle custard tart and caramel sauce.

I haven't just come on this show to mess around, I've come on this show to win it.

I've always wanted to be a chef

and managed to get the chance when I was 13.

I took it and worked hard and here I am. Hopefully it will pay off.

We're going to give you 15 minutes to pluck

and prepare that pigeon for roasting.

Right? Off you go.

Halfway. You've got seven and a half minutes left.

-Right. All done?

-Yes, all done. Yep.

-Did he do a decent job, Monica?

-No. You didn't.

The whole bird is not good enough.

When you started plucking, you ripped away from that, you see.

We wanted to protect this as much as possible.

Also, with your scissors you were trimming away as you were working.

It would have been easier to see once you'd plucked the bird

where the joints were to trim.

You've left the lungs,

which are attached to the back of the bird there.

And you also need to remove the wishbone.

-Have you ever tied a bird for roasting?

-Yes.

OK, because we did ask you to prepare it for roasting.

OK. Hence the string. It would have been good to see that.

Well, it didn't look like I saw it when Monica did it. Off you go.

I forgot everything, so I just went for it.

If I'd had more training, I could have done a bit better.

I gave it my best. That's all I can do.

Pastry chef Jon made a toffee-apple crumble in the invention test.

The poor presentation was saved by its excellent flavours.

For me, staying in the competition is really important.

My aim is to have my own place by the time I'm 35.

I've got five years to prove myself and find somewhere that

I want to make my own.

15 minutes, Jon. Get that pigeon ready. Off you go.

Halfway, Jon.

-Done?

-Yeah.

-How do you think you did, Chef?

-I think I did OK.

-Jon, I think you did OK as well.

-Thank you.

The skin is all intact and that is wonderful.

Especially for roasting a whole bird. This is very important.

However, just little things that would have made this perfect

was if you'd taken this wishbone out.

Right.

It's not necessary to keep washing the bird.

All that flavour is in there. You're washing it out.

-Overall, you've done a pretty good job.

-Thank you.

-Bet you're pleased you came now.

-Definitely.

-Well done.

-Cheers.

I was a bit nervous going in, but once I got my hand stuck in,

I did the best I could do.

That's all I can do, so only time will tell.

Corporate chef Matt was taught how to cook by his French grandparents,

who owned a restaurant in the northeast of France.

Last time, he showed technical flair with an excellent blue-cheese tortellini.

I'm very passionate.

I'd be surprised if you find someone more passionate than me.

It's my life.

I just want to win this competition,

so it's going to have to be pretty bang-on for me today.

-Ready?

-Ready.

-Off you go.

Halfway. Seven and half minutes left.

-All done?

-All done.

Matt, you started plucking the bird well, but where you needed to be

most delicate - as you know - is on the breast.

Which is a real shame, as you just ripped that all off

and continued to do so when it came to the legs.

You tried to get the innards out from the bird,

but you've left a bit inside there as well.

The tying is not the best.

The whole reason we tie birds

when we're cooking is to hold its form, keep the juices in there.

-Yep.

-OK. This is not something Michel would be happy to see.

This is an absolute waste for us in the kitchen -

we could not cook that as a whole bird.

-Matt, thank you. Off you go.

-Thank you.

I'm kicking myself a bit, but I've never plucked a bird in my life.

I really want to go through and show them what I can do.

Chris is a former Junior North Wales culinary champion.

But in the invention test he over-complicated his dish

with too many sauces.

Cooking to me is my life. It's all I can do, it's all I'm good at.

All I want to do is cook day in, day out.

Nothing's going to stand in my way.

Go on, Chef. Quarter of an hour, show us what you're made of.

Halfway.

Chris, I have to say that this is the best one I've seen so far.

You did a great job.

I mean, you've got most of the skin intact,

which is what we want to see.

You took the innards out, you removed the wishbone as well.

The only thing, I was wondering why you rinsed it which is

not necessary.

Otherwise it is a great effort

and I commend you for keeping your nerves together.

Good attitude.

Thank you.

-Not bad, Chris.

-Thank you.

The pressure is IMMENSE. I was shaking, I was shivering.

It was horrible.

But I got through it and I did well.

Hopefully it can get me through.

Finally, it's Leah, who's been a professional chef for four years.

In the last round she proved to the judges she had creativity.

But she was criticised for having too many flavours.

I'm feeling more nervous than last time

cos obviously someone has to go home.

Hopefully Monica will be able to say, "Yeah, Michel Roux Jr would like her.

"Let's put her through."

By the look on your face, you've never done this before.

Nope.

15 minutes. Prepare that bird, ready for roasting.

Off you go.

Halfway. You've got 7½ minutes left.

All done, Leah?

Yes, all done.

Leah, it would have been much better had you left the skin

on this pigeon.

As it is, if we were to roast that we could not use it.

You make sure you get everything out.

If I can feel in there I know for sure

there's going to be...these, OK?

Getting the lungs out from the back of the bird is very important.

The wishbone is still in there, as well.

It's not necessary to rinse the bird.

Your inexperience has shown here.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

My reaction when they asked me to do the bird, I was going to run away.

I was like, "God, what am I doing?"

But I think I actually did quite a good job for my first attempt.

There were a number of things they had to do there.

Get the feathers off. Get rid of the head, the wings and the feet.

Get the insides out and keep the skin intact.

Oh, and the wishbone.

And no-one managed to do all of those things.

But one or two I think did a fair job,

considering they'd never done this task before.

Jon, by far, stood out today.

He treated that pigeon with the respect it deserved.

He took his time and plucked it very well.

The end result was a pigeon with the skin fully intact.

It looked fantastic.

I think Jon's done very, very well and I think Jon should go through to the next round.

Chris showed us on of the better birds today.

He was very careful not to tear the breast...

And he took the wishbone out. The only one to remove the wishbone.

I was actually very pleased to see someone do that today.

Because of that he deserved to go through.

Harley does not know how to prepare a pigeon.

I'm willing to forgive him

cos I loved the pastry work he did in the last round.

I think he was the strongest in that first round

and this has been his saving grace for today.

Yeah, I agree.

Which then brings us down to Leah and Matt.

Matt pulled the feathers off that pigeon with such ferocity,

he took all the skin off the breast.

Wishbone left intact, innards in there.

He attempted to tie the bird up but...it was a rubbish attempt.

He has issues.

Just gutted, really. Silly mistakes again.

I'd be devastated if I went out. I think I've got more to give.

Leah is young and her inexperience showed today.

I mean, she was scared of that pigeon.

She freaked out.

Didn't know how to tie it properly

and she rinsed it with the feathers on.

There's a lot of issues here with her.

If I do go home then I'd be pretty gutted

but I know that I did my best with that bird.

Hopefully it'll be OK. Hopefully!

Matt showed skill in the last round.

Leah showed imagination in the last round.

But who are we going to take forward?

Gregg, I think I know who we're going to risk putting through.

We know that's a nervy round. Believe me, we understand.

What is obvious is that no-one here regularly plucks a wood pigeon.

The chef leaving us today is...

..Leah.

I am proud of getting this far

but it is disheartening knowing that they didn't get to see the real me.

I know that I'm a good chef so I'll soldier on through.

Guys, you now go through to cook for Michel.

But you really need to step it up and stand out.

There are classics that should be part of every chef's repertoire.

And Michel Roux Jr is looking for chefs who aspire to cook them

at his 2 Michelin star level.

The classic recipe for our chefs to cook today is calamars farci au riz sauvage.

So calamari or squid, stuffed with wild rice.

This complex Mediterranean classic consists of squid stuffed with

wild rice, served with mussels, squid tentacles

and a lobster and mussel sauce.

First job the chefs have to do is drain this wild rice

and then cook it like a pilaf rice, that's with chopped onion,

but I'm going to add some peppers to that and some saffron.

And then I'm going to add our lobster stock.

Into the oven, there we go.

Mussels.

Steam them in just a little bit of dry white wine.

They're cooked. Put them on the side.

The rice has been in the oven 20-25 minutes

and has absorbed all that liquid.

To the wild rice we add the egg yolk.

The egg yolk is there to bind it, to help set this rice in the squid.

It's vital that it's like this and not too wet.

If it's too wet, it won't hold.

Next job, the squid.

Take the head out...

..and the innards.

Then pull the membrane off.

This is a job that a chef should know how to do.

And now we take the squid

and we're going to fill it with the wild rice.

You have to be patient and push it in without damaging the squid,

without making any holes.

And then seal...there we go.

Lobster and mussel stock.

And our lovely squid goes in there.

It's going to take no more than about ten minutes.

So this is the head of the squid. The lovely tentacles.

I want the chefs to use this

and not discard.

Fry these little tentacles here. If they spit, that's the idea.

Whilst they're cooking, I want to take out the squid

and leave that to drain and rest

and just firm up that lovely egg yolk and rice, before I cut it.

The final garnish for this dish are the mussels.

And just toss them in a little bit of garlic butter.

We are now ready - the moment of truth, cutting the squid.

The moment when they're hands will be shaking, in fact I'm shaking.

It's...it's that time.

Hmm, that looks good. It's holding...

Still holding...

..and one more slice. Always the most delicate slice.

That looks very good. Very pleased with that.

OK. Time to plate up.

Tentacles.

And that...for me, sings of the Mediterranean. It's got class.

I just hope the chefs will be able to do this justice.

It means a lot for me to cook for Michel Roux Jr.

To cook for somebody of that standard, it's just mind blowing.

It's going to be intense in there.

I'm going to try and focus and not let it get to me.

For me to cook for Michel Roux Jr is going to be a dream come true. It'll be immense to cook for him.

You may think we've tested you so far...we haven't even stated yet.

Your first test is to cook one of my classic dishes.

Calamars farci au riz sauvage.

Stuffed calamari with wild rice.

This is a dish that's very dear to my heart.

I remember cooking this dish for my daughter's baptism

50 portions of them to a very demanding audience.

My family and my wife's family.

This audience here is equally as demanding, if not more.

Don't mess it up.

This is the first of two classic recipe tests today,

and at the end of those challenges, one of you will be leaving the competition.

1 hour and 10 minutes, off you go.

I think that Michel Roux will see the passion and drive that I've got.

He's twice as sharp as Monica, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Right, Jon. Have you trained in the classics?

Not as such, no. I'm more modern British I would say is the camp I would fall in.

Where in the world has got the best produce?

Wales, of course. It's got to be Wales.

-I'm biased, I'm a Cardiff boy.

-You've got quite a poker face

and then when I talk to you about food, your face lights up.

It just excites me. It's something I love doing, it's my hobby.

I get to do it everyday and get paid for it so I'm one of the luckiest people around.

-I can see on your face you mean it.

-I do, Chef, I do.

-Really nice talking to you.

-Thank you.

Jon says he has a love of modern British cuisine

and this is not his style of food.

But it's the techniques that we're looking for

and he certainly has got that. Or at least he says he has.

20 minutes gone already.

I think my classical training will help me rise to the challenge and impress Michel.

How long have you been in a kitchen?

Six years, no, seven years, this September. Seven years.

-How old are you now?

-20 years old.

-You were in there at 13?

-Yes.

I was more interested in the kitchen than school.

I liked finishing school, getting my whites and getting to work.

Good lad, Harley.

Have you worked with squid before?

-Not much.

-So this recipe's a bit daunting?

-A little, yes.

It's the first time I've done it, so...

Most chefs like the savoury side of the kitchen. Are you the opposite?

Yeah, I love doing the pastry bit.

-Can you do justice to other tasks that aren't sweet?

-Yes, I can.

-Good. Keep at it, Harley.

-Thank you, thank you.

Harley seems more qualified in pastry than in the savoury part of the kitchen.

Er, I think it's showing.

We've still got a squid full of guts

and he didn't steam the skin, which is not very pleasant.

You're halfway.

You are halfway.

I'm confident in my classics. My dad's a French chef.

He knows his classics.

I'll just hopefully follow something that I have done before.

-How long have you been cooking?

-10 years now, so...

-So, you started early?

-Left school, and knew what I wanted to do, so...

How would you describe your style of cooking?

I would say modern-ish, I use a very French influence in my cooking.

Parents and grandparents are French.

-You've cooked seafood before?

-Yeah, I've cooked calamari.

-I think I've got it all under control.

-Good. Excellent.

-Matt, keep it up, well done.

-Thank you.

Matt has got a French heritage.

He should understand this great French classic.

I'm expecting a very good plate of food from him.

I hope he doesn't let me down.

Guys, 20 minutes left.

Just 20 minutes.

To impress Michel, and achieve the next round,

I need to really work hard, but I see them going harder, and more intense.

Right, Chris. Do you understand this classical recipe?

I read it over and over, until it stuck in my brain, so I understand it step-by-step.

What about your background and training?

I'm in the Welsh culinary team.

-You've done competitions?

-A few, yes.

-Why competitions?

-Well, more pressure, and I enjoy competing.

Where do you want to go with this? How far you want to take it?

-Get a Michelin star, and go all the way to the top.

-He's competitive.

-Very competitive.

-I like that. Let's see.

Chris has got that competitive edge. He's used to competitions.

He's used to the stress, and you can see it.

Last five minutes.

You've got 60 seconds!

That's it, that's it, stop. Stop!

HE EXHALES

We asked you to cook my classic recipe

of Calamar Farcis aux Riz Sauvage, calamari stuffed with wild rice.

The squid should be perfectly cooked. Not chewy.

The rice should be tender and not crunchy.

The mussels, sweet but not overcooked.

And not overpowered by the garlic butter.

Jon, we'll start with you.

You've chosen to present your food in a bowl,

which is very difficult to present with elegance.

This particular dish, if you want to take it to the highest level,

to fine dining, it needs to be presented on a plate,

with precision, to make it look elegant.

The squid is a little bit chewy,

and the wild rice is very, very undercooked.

Very crunchy, it's not nice to eat.

The mussels are well cooked, but completely overpowered

by the garlic, and I've just found a great, big lump of garlic there.

That's the kind of mistake I didn't expect to see you make.

Mussels are nicely cooked, your sauce here is nice,

but there's too much garlic.

There's things that I could've done better.

Michel, he's got eyes like a hawk, so he's a tough man to please.

Matt, your turn.

The rice is too hard, but your squid and mussels are delicious.

Delicious! But it deserves to look better than this.

You gone the bowl route as well. It does look a little messy.

I do like the fact that you cut it into three, and you can see

the lovely, dark wild rice and beautiful, white rings of squid.

Your squid is very tender. You've taken great care cooking it.

The wild rice is ever so slightly undercooked, but almost there.

Presentation aside, this is a very good dish.

Thank you.

I'm actually pretty happy, to be honest.

I did as well as I can do, I know what I did wrong.

So, the next time, just got to eliminate the silly mistakes.

Chris, let's have a look at your one.

Chris, I like the presentation. It looks neat.

You prepared the squid really well. I can see you've done that before.

The squid is actually very well cooked.

The rice is slightly underdone.

But it's holding together.

In the mussels, just the right amount of garlic.

Overall, you've done a very good job.

And watching you work shows that you are a professional chef,

and you have a good understanding of the classics.

-That was good praise, Chef, wasn't it?

-Very.

There is a deep-sea saltiness,

a little bit of natural sweetness in there, a hint of garlic,

all very juicy, very lovely, but, the rice is a little too hard.

Otherwise, I think we'd have been bordering on perfect.

Oh, man, awesome. I feel high now, really confident in the next round.

Harley, your turn.

Harley, first off, presentation, it really has no elegance.

It looks as if it's been thrown on the plate.

You have not removed the skin.

You didn't take out the guts.

You left the head attached, with still the beak in.

The squid itself is very, very chewy,

and has got a rather unpleasant taste,

because it's got that skin on, and because it's still got the guts in.

The mussels are good, the squid is a write-off.

The squid is bitter, and the rice inside isn't cooked.

I think I've come off the worst from that challenge.

Hopefully, I will get this next dish right

and make sure I stay in the competition.

No matter how you've done here, you're only halfway.

After this next round, one of you will be leaving the competition.

You now have to cook your own choice of classic recipe.

Showing off your skills.

I expect it to be perfect.

You have one hour. Off you go!

My dish is my favourite classical.

It's got a lot of classical processes in it,

and hopefully, Michel's going to like it.

Right, Chris, what classic recipe have you chosen?

I'm doing seabass escabeche, with cod brandade and a sauce mousseline.

-All dishes that you've done before?

-All done before, yeah.

-Tried and tested and practised?

-Over and over.

Three classic recipes, but I've never seen them all together before.

Just playing with different ideas, and this dish, I came up with.

Escabeche is a pickled fish. You're using seabass, which is great.

Brandade is normally made with salt cod,

but you're using fresh cod, and then you're serving that

with a sauce mousseline, which is like Hollandaise finished off with cream.

Seems quite rich to me.

Is that all going to work?

-I hope so.

-I am looking forward to this.

-All right.

Three very different recipes, showcasing skills galore.

I hope he can bring them all together as one, in harmony, on a plate.

You've had 15 minutes, all right?

15 minutes gone.

Michel Roux's going to like my classic dish because, hopefully,

the flavours will take him back to France, and his childhood.

Right, Matt, what's your choice of classic recipe?

Stuffed chicken leg ballotine, petit pois a la Francaise,

and turned asparagus, a few morels, and girolles through it.

-So, a lot of classic skills on show, then.

-Yes.

-What does this mean to you?

-Everything.

My dad's chef, my grandfather's chef, there's a lot riding on this,

I don't want to think I'm not a good chef.

-Would you French family approve?

-Yes, it brings you back to France.

Definitely classical French flavours.

-I like the sound of this, Matt. Do it justice.

-Thank you.

Matt is cooking a ballotine of chicken

served on petit pois a la Francaise, French stewed peas - delicious!

With Matt's French background, he should be able to deliver, bang-on.

For me, he's got to show some real presentation skills,

to make that look more than just a stew.

You've had 25 minutes. You're almost halfway.

I really need to get this right, and work hard and concentrate,

and not mess anything up.

Everything has to be perfect.

-What classic recipe are you cooking?

-Beef Wellington.

-Excellent.

Well, that is a great classic. What's it showing off?

Pastry work, cooking a nice bit of fillet beef, showing that I can make a sauce.

-What sauce are you serving?

-A red wine jus.

-Why aren't you making us a dessert?

-I don't want to risk it.

But that's your passion and your strength.

I've been talking about desserts, too much.

I'd like to show I can do something different.

How important has this dish become?

Very important. It's to keep me in the competition,

so I need to really crack on and do it.

-How confident are you, Harley?

-Ten out of ten.

-Well done.

-Thank you, Chef.

Harley is attempting a beef Wellington in 60 minutes

which is a big ask.

But I've seen him cutting it very small which means it should cook

well under 60 minutes.

You've got 15 minutes to go.

I'm confident I can make my dish perfect. I've practised it a lot.

You only get this chance once

and I want to make sure I can show him what I can do.

-Jon, what a classic recipe have you chosen?

-Coq au Vin.

It's a recipe close to my heart.

I did it for my GCSEs in school and it got me a B.

We're looking for an A.

It might give me one.

Coq au Vin is a great French classic, steeped in red wine

and serving a lovely creamy mashed potato.

This is a real, gutsy classic.

How you going to take it up to the next level?

The way I present it, it should be nicely placed in a bowl

and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Do you think you got a point to prove now, John?

I think I've got to show that I can refine my cooking

and my presentation. Hopefully with this dish I will do that.

My grandma used to cook Coq au Vin for me,

-she was pretty good at it, I must say.

-I've got a lot to live up to then.

-Oh, yeah.

-There's a lot at stake with this Coq au Vin, Jon.

-Indeed.

-Keep at it.

-Thank you.

Coq au Vin is a country-style dish. It's not a fine dining dish.

I just hope Jon can pull it out of the bag.

Two minutes, just two minutes.

You've got 60 seconds left.

That's it. Time is up.

Jon has cooked his version of the French classic, Coq au Vin,

braised chicken with red wine sauce, mushrooms, onions

and mashed potato topped with bacon and a crouton.

I'm really impressed by how moist the chicken is,

really like the flavours.

It's never going to be a smart dish but it's a very good tasting one.

Coq au Vin is hearty food and possibly not very dainty.

You've managed to make it look dainty. I like it.

The chicken isn't dry which is good.

The sauce is ever so slightly too salty

and it hasn't got the depth that you'd expect from a Coq au Vin.

It's not quite right.

The mashed potato is very smooth

but I think it could have done with a bit more cream.

This is a good Coq au Vin. It's not the best I've ever tasted.

Saying that, you've shown that you know how to cook

great French classics.

This competition can open a lot of doors for me

and do wonders for my career.

I just hope I've done enough to get through.

Matt's classic dish is chicken-leg ballotine

stuffed with a tarragon and chicken mousse, served with a French

classic, petit pois a la francaise and baby vegetables

with a pomme puree.

First off, Matt, beautiful colours. It's very appetising visually

but petit pois a la francaise are stewed peas.

They should be wet.

The chicken ballotine, I was very worried it was going to be dry

but it's very moist.

The stuffing has kept it moist as well.

I love the tarragon in that stuffing.

The vegetables are beautifully cooked. The pomme puree is lovely.

It's just let down by the peas being dry and too crunchy.

Mm, that's just lovely. Absolutely lovely.

The chicken is beautiful and soft.

Creamy, well-seasoned mashed potato. That's a delight.

I'll even forgive the hard peas, I'll happily eat it all.

-Mate, I'm really happy with it.

-Thank you.

To hear them say they love my food is amazing.

It just makes me want to focus and do good food again

and get more great comments.

Chris has cooked sea bass escabeche with cod brandade

and a sauce mousseline.

The escabeche is lovely, a little bit of sweetness and sharpness.

The whole thing looks nice and tastes very nice as well.

-Well done, Chef.

-Thank you.

-Chris, I like your presentation.

I think it's very modern, very delicate.

This plate of food shows an eye for presentation.

Your sauce mouselline is delicious.

Beautifully balanced, it's just the right amount of acidity

and seasoning in there.

The fritter or beignet of cod for me is lacking seasoning.

Brandade is classically made with salt cod

so it's an intense fishy flavour which this doesn't have.

Your sea bass escabeche is undercooked.

It has not been pickled enough.

The flavours though are great.

I was definitely worried with you bringing together

on the same plate sauce mousseline, escabeche and a brandade

but the way you've done it, it actually works.

Cooking for Michel has been absolutely phenomenal.

Both dishes, he liked them both, so I can't be that bad at cooking.

Hopefully I can do my fritter in the next round.

Harley's classic dish is a beef Wellington,

served with honey-glazed carrots,

parsnips puree, onions and a red-wine sauce.

This doesn't look like a traditional beef Wellington.

You've made a lattice out of the puff pastry.

I think it looks nice.

The rest of it's been...

sort of placed on the plate but it's not precise.

Not as precise as it should be.

Mm.

Your beef is rare which is lovely.

The red-wine sauce has got a very, very sharp taste of red wine.

In fact, far too sharp.

The carrots and the onions are slightly underdone.

I don't mind vegetables al dente.

In fact al dente is great but that's bordering on raw.

I really like the look of your plate, I really

like the sweetness of the vegetables and the honey with the beef.

But I can't ignore what Michel had said.

It's important to stay in this competition for me

because it's my career and it's my passion.

I made some mistakes so I need to learn from those mistakes.

I think we've had some good food today.

We've got four very keen, eager young chefs.

Some of them have issues but on the whole, I'm very happy.

The best squid dish served up to us was that of Chris.

Good flavours, nicely cooked squid.

What impressed me was the way he presented it, with finesse

and elegance.

Looking at Chris's own dish today, I thought it was really intriguing.

It wasn't a salt cod brandade which was a disappointment,

but that boy can cook. I can see a lot of promise in him.

Best squid dish and a very interesting fish dish of his own.

I think we can safely say that Chris should go through to the next round.

I don't want to go home yet.

I've still got a lot to prove and a lot to show.

Matt approached your classic dish in a different way.

He served it in a bowl and it was more like a stew.

-I found the whole thing delicious.

-It was almost perfection.

It didn't look as beautiful as it should have

but the taste was superb and his wild rice was the nearest to being cooked.

Yeah.

Man's choice of his classic dish, the petis pois a la francaise

and the ballotine of chicken, I thought looked beautiful

on the plate.

My one disappointment was the peas were dry and hard

and there wasn't enough sauce.

That young fellow can cook.

There's a question mark over whether he can do presentation

but he's food is the best tasting food here.

I think Matt has got to go through.

Yeah, I'm not getting my hopes up, but judging on that plate of food.

I think I got a reasonable chance of going through.

Good, we're happy.

We've got Chris and Matt through to the quarter-final.

Here's where the trouble starts.

Now, I really like Jon. When he talks about food

his face lights up, but his squid was not very good at all.

There were huge chunks of garlic mixed in with the mussels

and that ruined the palate.

It was heavy-handed. The rice was almost raw.

There were lots of mistakes in that dish.

Jon's own choice of classic dish, the Coq au Vin,

I thought was very good.

I expected gutsy flavours from Jon and he delivered.

But at the end of the day, he's getting to the quarter-final

and is making a Coq au Vin. I don't know.

The brief is a classic dish. He hasn't gone out of the brief.

-He's delivered us a true French classic.

-Yeah.

For me to stay in the competition, it would mean getting

the recognition from my peers and people like Michel Roux Jr

that yeah, this lad from Wales can cook.

Harley simply didn't know how to prepare a squid.

He didn't know where to start

so we ended up with squid that still had the skin,

still had the beak in the head and still had all the guts in it.

It was cumbersome, heavy, scruffy, terrible.

Harley's own dish though, the beef Wellington, I thought was very good.

But it was let down by the sauce and the vegetables.

Carrots and onions were severely undercooked. It's not good.

It's my career, my passion and I don't know

if I'm good enough to stay in the competition right now.

But I will find out.

I promise you he's done good pastry before

and we've both like his approach to beef Wellington.

But Jon made mistakes,

but he does know how to capture a bit of flavour.

Which one do you see little bit of promising?

Which one are we going to choose?

I know which chef I want to go through to the quarter-finals.

Three of you'll be going through to the quarter-finals

and one of you'll be going home.

And the chef leaving us today is...

..Harley.

Very disappointing that someone had to leave

and I was one that made the most mistakes.

It was only fair.

I've had a really good time. It's been really fun. I've learnt a lot.

Yeah, it's been good.

Well done, guys.

Wow, that's amazing being in the quarter-finals.

An incredible feeling.

Means everything to me. I can't wait to phone my dad, phone my mum.

Yeah, so happy.

I could bounce for joy. I can't stop smiling. I'm really, really happy.

Tomorrow, the remaining chefs are back to be tested.

Complete and utter rubbish.

It's a challenge and a half, that.

Before Michel Roux Jr sets them their first classic recipe.

This is where the cooking really starts.

I am expecting great things.

I can't really judge it because it's not cooked.

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