Episode 19 MasterChef: The Professionals

Only an elite group of chefs holds two Michelin stars.

Michel Roux Junior is one of them.

-One lamb, two fish.

-ALL: Oui!

Now he, Gregg Wallace and Monica Galetti are on the hunt

for Britain's next culinary superstar,

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

Perfect.

It's the semi-finals.

These six professionals already are amongst the best in the country.

So far, they've been pitted against each other

in some of the UK's most prestigious restaurants.

-One more chance.

-Yes, chef.

-I can't send it out like that.

22-year-old Oli has become the first to make it through to the finals.

Tonight, 27-year-old Ross

and 32-year-old James...

..will be battling it out for the next place.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

I don't want to go home. I want to hear my name going into the final.

I think it's still up for grabs for anybody.

It will be a massive day, a massive challenge for James and myself.

A tough showdown.

Midday.

Ross and James are heading to Cambridge.

Tonight, they'll be cooking at one of the most inventive restaurants in the UK -

Midsummer House,

run by the talented Daniel Clifford.

Midsummer House is personal to Daniel.

He has built it up from nothing. It is his life.

Can I have some better fennel, Johnny, quickly, please?

Daniel was only 25 years old when he took over at Midsummer House 15 years ago.

It was awarded its first Michelin star in 2002,

followed swiftly by its second three years later.

-Let's go. Two amuse-bouches away. Let's pick this up now!

-Yes, chef!

I was a naughty boy at school. I didn't have a great childhood.

I was, as normal back in them days, pushed into hospitality.

Very luckily, because I would have been useless at anything else.

When you start off as a young chef, you have a dream, you have an ambition of where you want to be.

This is exactly what I wanted.

I've had to give up a lot. There's been loads of sacrifices.

I've lost a lot of friends. I don't see my family.

It takes everything out of you, but it gives a hell of a lot back.

Right, this one can go.

Daniel's style of cooking is classic combinations, but using modern cooking techniques.

You put your heart and soul into the place -

the food, the wine list, the staff.

It's constantly got to get better because you're only as good as your last meal.

My expectations are... It's military precise.

I like everything in a line. If one thing is wrong, it won't go out.

It's been a long time since I cooked in a service. 12 years since I was last in a kitchen.

Working on my own in houses, this is going to be hard today for me.

They expect excellence and nothing else and I'm just hoping I can deliver that.

I'll be like a hawk. I'll be their worst nightmare today.

Hello, boys. How are you?

Very well, thank you.

Welcome to Midsummer. I've spent 15 years building this restaurant. It means everything to me.

It's got to be perfect. If it's not perfect, it will be binned and you'll have to start again.

If that keeps on happening, the boys will step in.

I hope you've got your cooking heads on. Tonight will be a tough one. I'll show you what we're doing.

During service, Ross and James will each cook one dish

that is part of the restaurant's ten-course tasting menu.

Ross will be making quail

which is poached and roasted,

served with confit legs wrapped in wild garlic and potato string

on a pea puree,

picked peas and spinach,

sauteed morel mushrooms,

garlic oil and a quail and Madeira sauce.

The first bit of the dish is the quail. This needs to go in here for three minutes.

The reason we pot-roast everything we do is because it keeps the moisture in the bird.

The next bit is we put the potato in that way.

This is your quail leg. This has been confited and it's wrapped in garlic leaf. You start at the top.

Your leg goes into the fryer.

So now your quail's coming out.

Now you have to season it. If you season it too late, the salt won't penetrate it.

So the quail is a challenge.

The idea is you keep the breast moist and you keep basting it in butter. That'll be a hard one.

The butter can't burn. It needs to be at noisette, so it's giving it a beautiful coloration.

The most important thing is to keep touching it. When it starts to firm up, you'll know it's cooked.

Then it's going to need to rest for at least five minutes.

This is why as soon as you hear "quail", you've got to get the bird in.

If you work in a system tonight,

as it gets called away, you'll need to know which one to pick up, or you'll be picking up a raw bird.

Right, your garnish, you've got a pea puree,

sauteed girolles,

and some fresh spinach.

Some picked peas at the last minute.

All the sauces get finished with lemon juice because, for me, lemon juice has changed everything.

In there, there's four bottles of Madeira reduced right down.

Right, now we'll start dressing.

The dressing must be precise. I'm not somebody to see things going out in a different way.

Now we put the spinach on. Give that a gentle squeeze to get rid of all the excess moisture.

My food, if it's not on the plate properly, it looks like roadkill.

'It needs to be absolutely perfect.'

Take your quail off the bone.

Trim that line there.

That's the garlic oil. This is exactly how I expect it to be.

I've been promised that we're going to sell at least 40 of these.

If you want to make any changes, tonight is not the night.

I think I can remember where everything goes.

I just need to concentrate, get my head down and get through it.

He's taken 15 years to build his business. I don't want to be the one that lets him down.

James's dish is poached and roasted squab pigeon

with a pigeon pastilla, a crispy parcel filled with confit leg meat,

chickpeas, raisins and Savoy cabbage,

an onion and raisin puree

and baby onions served with a pigeon sauce and camomile oil.

James, the pigeons we buy direct from France. They're about 550-gram birds.

That gets cooked for four minutes.

The pigeon straight out...

-Yeah.

-You've got to get the salt on now. That's a crucial, crucial part of it.

When you start to get some colour on the bird, drop your butter in.

Right, feel that now.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-So it's just giving way. For me, that's perfect.

Now that needs to rest. Most important, pour that over there. That's where the flavour is.

They've both got the same technique where they're poaching birds,

but the pigeon's got a slight Moroccan influence to it.

The garnish for this is chickpeas. You've got raisins poached in a camomile syrup.

You've got some caramelised baby onions cooked in a papillote bag with thyme and garlic.

-As you can see, they're really quick to cook.

-Yeah.

That's the cabbage juice.

The cabbage is raw, so we just braise that down slightly.

The sauce is made out of all the carcass. All I want is a really gamey pigeon sauce.

Inside the pastilla you've got white wine, shallots, raisins.

You don't want to overheat it because it will burn.

Normally, it's done by five boys. It's all right. You're laughing on your own(!)

All right, plates.

Very expensive plate. That one's about 65 quid, so please be careful with the plates.

The chickpeas go in.

The pastilla is cut in half.

So straight down the backbone, push through the winglet.

That sits on it like that.

So just put a few drops of camomile oil around the outside - dish done.

That's hard enough for me,

-so how you're going to do it, I don't know, but good luck.

-Thank you.

Yeah, I am worried, getting all the little bits on time together

without forgetting one thing and overcooking...

The onions take seconds to cook. Yeah, concentration all the way.

We've got 50 people coming. That's a minimum of ten plates a person. That's 500, 600 plates we'll serve.

With that amount of food going across the pass, everyone has got to do their bit on time.

If one person messes up, it's going to affect the whole restaurant.

My worst fear is being taken off service.

When you get in that kitchen under that pressure, it could all go pear-shaped, so fingers crossed.

To be given an opportunity to work in a kitchen like this is once in a lifetime.

It's a very tight kitchen, it's very hot as well. It'll be hard work.

-All right, boys, service is just about to start. Is everybody ready?

-Yes, chef.

-Yeah?

OK, let's make this a clean fight and enjoy it, yeah?

Boys, first check of the night. Two tasting menus, so that's two quail, two sea bass, two pigeon.

- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.

-Remember we talked about butter?

-Yes, chef.

-Right, that's away. One quail - how long?

-A minute and a half, chef.

-Really?

-That's a minute left.

-Yes, chef.

-How long for this quail?

-Just coming, chef.

-That needs to be cooked a bit more. That's raw.

-Service, please!

Taste that.

Put the Madeira in it.

-The Madeira and a little bit of lemon juice, yeah?

-Yes, chef.

Towards me. No, the point, the point.

Painful.

OK, a bit more jus.

Lovely, well done.

I need to speed up a bit though.

-You're up next, chief, yeah?

-Yes, chef.

-Let's go, one pigeon away.

-Yes, chef.

-Four minutes on the pigeon, chef.

-Lovely.

-That's a long old four minutes, chief.

-Yeah.

-What do you think?

-A little under?

No, I think it's all right.

Season the meat.

-Yeah.

-Season the meat.

A little bit over the breast meat. That's it. Oil.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yes, chef.

-Well done. I mean that. If they're all like that...

-Yes, chef.

Nerve-wracking start. Just got to keep it like that and get it on the plate.

It's all going to go well tonight, hopefully.

I think they've both nailed it. I'm very surprised.

But it's early days. We've still got 14 more tables to come, so we'll see.

-Check on - two tasting, two celery, two scallops, two quail, two pigeon.

-Yes, chef!

-Check on - three celery, three scallops, three quail and three pigeon.

-Yes, chef!

-Ross, you're going to do three quail next.

-Yes, chef.

-I'm really waiting for these three quail now.

-Yes, chef.

It's getting messy, that, innit?

You've got to get these into three little piles because it's spreading all out. Let's do them again.

Make sure it's drained really well.

Look, look, look. I'll be honest. You've got to start to work cleaner.

-Do you understand that?

-Yes, chef.

-I'm serious now. It's going to start upsetting me. Do it again, yeah?

Do the whole lot again.

OK, take that away.

More spinach.

-Yes, chef.

-We really need to go on four quail now.

Ross, he's a bit shaky at the present moment in time.

He needs to start working cleaner. He's driving me absolutely mad.

Table two, please.

-It's hard. Very hard.

-Boys, you're going to get busy in a minute, so make sure everything's ready.

Three?

-Check on - two bass, two pigeon.

-Yes, chef.

Boys, we need to pick it up now. I need two veal and two pigeon.

There's a lot of checks on the board and not enough action.

-That's two more pigeon away, yeah?

-Yes, chef.

That's three away, so I need pans out.

I need to start again.

I've done the cabbage again.

-James, you've really got to sort it out.

-Yes, chef.

-Right, your pastillas first, yeah?

-Yes, chef.

That one's going that way. That one's going that way.

Quick! You really need to go quickly!

I'll be honest with you. This is killing me. Very slowly, but killing me.

Good. Go.

Clean down, get yourself reorganised. You're about to get a lot busier.

I think the pressure is starting to show, panic has started to set in and they've become a bit messy.

Let's see which one can push through the pain barrier and finish the service with a smile on his face.

Check on - two tastings, two quail, two pigeon.

-Yes, chef!

-Four amuse-bouches, three veal and a quail, then four mullet, three scallops and three quail.

Yes, chef!

-Let's pick this up now, yeah?

-Yes, chef!

-I'm serious now. There's 12 checks on the board.

Ross, listen to me. You should have two whole quails cooked.

-Have you got that?

-I'll be... In one minute, I'll be there.

-Can you just work on your cleanliness, please?

-Yes, chef.

Just take this as a bit of advice. You see the way he's working? They're all nicely put on there.

To me, that's really important.

Just take your time, yeah?

That's mullered now, isn't it?

Take a look at that one.

The thing is, you've cut it too deep.

-You're cutting it too much on the angle. It needs to be more there. You understand?

-Not really, chef.

If that's your breast there, it needs to be cut more there.

-Yes, chef.

-You're cutting it here, yeah?

OK.

Well done.

Chef demands excellence.

It's very precise and it's a lot of work, a lot of work.

James, three pigeon. Focus now and get it really, really nice.

-Try and make it, so you're coming to the pass and you're ready to go. OK?

-Yes, chef!

-Three pigeon away.

-Yes, chef.

-Quickly, focus on the pigeon, James. Focus on the pigeon. Nothing else, just the pigeon.

-Yes, chef.

You need to pick up your speed, chief.

Right, do your cabbage, do your cabbage.

-A little bit more.

-Yeah.

Yeah, and oil.

Very nice. Go.

-What you're doing is brilliant.

-Thank you, chef.

-Listen, listen. But you've got to work on your speed.

Yes, chef.

It's a confidence boost to be told I'm doing well. I just have to pick my speed up.

-Are you going on two quail, Ross, yeah?

-Yes, chef.

Please!

Ross, this is your last dish up.

Make sure it's absolutely perfect. Let's finish the night on a high, yeah?

Well done. Let's go. Service.

Well done tonight. Your cooking skills are phenomenal. You've got a beautiful palate.

It's the finer details of getting the plates clean, everything's perfect before it goes on the plate.

-Apart from that, you've settled in really well. You should be proud of yourself.

-Thank you very much.

Roasted quail served with pea puree.

I've been to a few restaurants in my time and the quail was one of the best I've tasted. It was superb.

It tasted absolutely delicious. I couldn't have faulted it at all. It was lovely.

-Right, James, two pigeon away, yeah?

-Yes, chef.

Onion is ready, cabbage is ready, sauce is ready. Straining...

-I'm ready on four.

-Make sure the last two are absolutely perfect.

-Yes, chef.

You are very, very particular. I do like that.

-Thank you, chef.

-You just really need to buy yourself a watch.

OK, chef?

That is beautiful. Absolutely.

You've done a blinding job tonight.

-You've put everything into it.

-Thank you, chef.

Rusty definitely, very rusty.

It was starting to come back to me towards the end.

I'd forgotten how good it was.

The pigeon dish I really loved.

The pastilla combined with the pigeon was just lovely.

The pigeon dish was the favourite dish that I've had at this restaurant in probably a very long time.

It's been a big challenge for them, but also a challenge for me

because there's been some nail-biting bits tonight.

They both finished on a high. I feel very happy. They've given me 100%. Tomorrow is D-Day.

Yeah, it was hard. I found it difficult in the middle when I got a few checks on.

I managed to get myself out of it, so I'm quite happy with it.

I could have done better. Little things, little things. I burnt the cabbage quite a bit.

But I'm happy enough.

12 years, walking straight back into a two Michelin-star kitchen, having to do that. I'll sleep well tonight!

Ross and James will now have to recreate Daniel's signature dish...

..rosemary-smoked rump of lamb,

courgette and basil puree,

piquillo pepper puree,

confit tomato and a courgette and yogurt dressing.

It's a dish that I've worked on over 14 years, one that's been developed, developed, developed.

It's a flavour combination I absolutely love.

It's a rump of lamp that has been poached in a water bath,

but then it's finished by putting fresh rosemary in,

so you get a beautiful aroma around the lamb.

It's got two purees. One is a courgette and basil puree,

which if you overheat, it will lose its colour.

The other one is a piquillo pepper one with a bit of spice. There's a lot of things to bring together.

If one thing overpowers the other, the dish will be a car crash.

Seasoning is a key point,

the cuisson on the lamb,

the courgette, whether it's been griddled properly.

The yogurt is another one. The acidity should cut through the lamb.

I can go on all day, but at the end of the day, it's... Good luck to them.

A huge amount of pressure. It's his signature dish.

It means a lot to him, so he'll be looking for every detail to be perfect.

I paid a lot of attention last night. I watched the dish going out, asked questions.

It's his dish. It's his baby.

For me, the worry is just getting it all right,

getting the flavours, the seasoning, getting the meat cooked just right.

Presentation is very important at this level, so that's what I need to concentrate on, I think.

I just need to show Chef that I can work neatly and tidily and I've got attention to detail.

It's a fantastic opportunity.

I've just got to keep my head down and see if I can pull the dish off.

Ross, I think the dish looks absolutely beautiful.

You've got the seasoning right, the technique right.

The smokiness on the lamb is not overdone. It's perfect.

The courgettes are just cooked, so they've got that bite to them.

Yeah, it's a phenomenal plate of food.

You're a bit of a surprise box of tricks, you are, aren't you?

You don't show much emotion, but you cook with so much finesse and it tastes absolutely stunning.

-Thanks very much.

-All right.

-A pleasure.

It's definitely been some of the most positive feedback I've had.

It means a lot, especially when you're cooking his signature dish.

I don't think I could have asked for any better.

So, James, the presentation, I think you've absolutely nailed that.

You've kept the colour on the courgette puree. The courgette ribbons look phenomenal.

-I'm missing the yogurt.

-It's sat on the side of the pass.

You've caramelised the lamb beautifully,

a beautiful crisp on the outside, but also the taste of the lamb.

It's just beautiful. It just oozes that beautiful summer lamb, spring...

It's got that... It's everything that I would want a dish to be.

-I think it does miss the yogurt.

-Yeah.

But you should be very proud of yourself. You've come into a two-star kitchen and nailed that.

It's exactly how I'd expect my chefs to cook it, so, you know, you've done a brilliant job.

Thank you, chef.

I left off the yoghurt. It's a criminal offence in a two-Michelin-star restaurant.

But I've had some great comments.

If I can impress Daniel, maybe there's a hope for me yet.

Yeah, it's tough. It was tough for my chefs. For two strangers, it was a tough experience for both of them.

Ross is a chef. His ability in the kitchen is very strong.

I think his palate is on the money. He needs to work on his confidence issues.

Cooking here at Midsummer has opened my eyes a lot, I think.

With the next challenge coming up, I'll show a bit more confidence,

take a few things that he's taught me over the last two days.

Yeah, should make a massive improvement.

Technically, James is a brilliant chef.

He's got speed issues. It's that simple.

If he could take a deep breath just before he dressed, he'd nail it.

He's a phenomenal chef. He just needs to work on his speed.

I haven't been in a serious professional kitchen for 12 years now and I loved it.

It was just like riding a bike. Chain was a bit rusty, but I want it more than ever now.

It's down to the head to head. I'll have to cook my heart out - and then some.

It's been a rollercoaster, it's been hard work, but they were better than I expected.

I hope they take something away from this and they go further.

There's a lot riding on this!

It's the semi-finals, so I need to execute everything perfectly.

If I don't, it'll be me going home.

Today is massive. That place in the final is so close, but at the same time a long way away.

I'm going to give it everything I've got and hope for the best.

We have given you a chance of a lifetime to experience cooking at its best.

You now know what's needed.

You now know what it takes to be one of Britain's best chefs.

Now we want to see that from you. Now is the time to deliver.

One main course, one dessert.

One hour and 45 minutes to prove your calibre.

Best food gets to the finals. Off you go.

Ross is a chef's chef. He has precision, very good timing

and there is elegance and style to his food. He's got the passion, but he has a confidence issue.

Hopefully, Ross's experience at Midsummer House will have given him that boost of confidence.

I've definitely improved. Going to a two-Michelin-starred restaurant helps you as well!

Today I've just got to keep calm, be myself. If I be myself, I can be happy at the end of the day.

'He's a great chef, Ross.'

He works every hour God gives. Dedicated, passionate. It's going to be hard.

James is passionate about his food. He loves all that is British and seasonal. He's a true forager.

He has got such an energy, such a desire.

But he's not been part of a serious kitchen for a long time. He has to watch his timing.

When I'm working in private houses, I've got all day really.

I try to push myself, but it's nothing like having an hour and three-quarters.

25 minutes are gone!

If I nail these dishes, then I've got every chance of getting through,

but even if I get the dishes right, there's another chef out there who can cook just as well as me.

'James is a talented guy. He's passionate about what he does.'

His food is very different from mine, so it's hard to say.

Whoever produces the goods on the day, I think!

This is a true semi-final. This is what it's all about. Two great chefs, mutual respect.

Totally different styles of cooking. We're in for a feast.

-Ross, what are your two dishes?

-I've come back to basics on my main course. Something Gregg might like.

We've got organic chicken with smoked mash, girolles, fresh peas and fresh broad beans.

-It's essentially chicken and mash, but very modern.

-Can you make that smart?

-I can make it very smart.

-I'll take a little bit of what Daniel showed us, so it looks and tastes the part.

-What's for pudding?

I've went a little bit savoury.

Goat's cheese cheesecake, almost. With pink peppercorns for fieriness.

And then I'm rolling it in granola, toasted it in Scottish oats and butter,

with honey and maple syrup in it and balsamic strawberries with it, for the balance.

-Forgive me. Is there enough skill going on in this dessert?

-There's a lot of skill in this cheesecake!

Look at his face! It's lighting up.

-What happens when you start talking about food?

-It's what I love. It's why I'm in this trade.

Food is my life. It's everything I want to do.

Scotland's probably one of the best places to be brought up - great produce all around us.

I was lucky my mum was a chef. We'd a home-cooked meal every night.

-Does this matter to you?

-It certainly does.

It's been tough. Tough competition. Nobody wants to go home.

-Don't want to go home now, do we?

-No, not at all.

Ross is cooking the crown of the chicken,

the two supremes on the bone in a sous-vide bag, vacuum-packed, in the water bath.

It's going to have to go back in the pan to get that skin crispy

and give that wonderful flavour of roast chicken. He's serving confit wings, slow cooked in goose fat.

They should be laden with fat and delicious.

Ross is serving a smoked mash. He's using smoked butter to flavour his mashed potato

and adding some smoked hickory essence. That is extremely strong.

I just hope he's easy-going on that because that can kill the flavour.

I'm a little bit concerned that his main course will not be smart enough, elegant enough.

I could be completely wrong, but it sounds remarkably...cafe.

My biggest concern is time, I think.

There's a lot of work to be done. If I'm not careful with my time, it'll just run out.

Ross is preparing a dessert of goat's cheese cheesecake,

but pink peppercorns are very, very fragrant and quite strong.

Let's hope it doesn't overpower it.

And he's made his own luxurious granola.

It sounds absolutely divine.

He's marinated some strawberries in white balsamic vinegar.

White balsamic is very sweet and very fragrant.

It should be a perfect accompaniment for strawberries.

The dessert is almost savoury, quite different.

I need these at 160. Come on.

I'm trying to do an isomalt tuile, so it should come out like a clear bit of glass. I hope this works!

-I've only done it once before.

-That shows some great skill.

I just hope Ross can make a really thin sugarwork tuile.

If it's too thick, it'll be breaking on our teeth.

It will work. It will work.

45 minutes have gone! You've got one hour left.

-James, impress me. What are you making?

-Venison, greens,

pearl barley, dandelion and mushroom powder, with a soubise sauce

and a simple red wine, crab apple and rowan jelly sauce.

-What's powdered?

-Powdered dandelion root for a little bit of bitterness to cut through.

-It's another indication of how much you love to frolic in the undergrowth.

-There's lots to do!

What's the soubise sauce?

Soubise is basically an onion sauce sweated off in butter, a little bit of cream, pureed.

Then I'm doing strawberries with rose geranium cream.

I'm doing the strawberries fresh, compressed, with strawberry jelly

and a strawberry sauce and puree.

But how is it going to appear on a plate?

I've taken lots away from working at Midsummer. I asked questions, got stuck in, took on what I could.

-Without losing that special James passion and ingredients.

-It's there.

Presentation should be there, flavour. Still got my little, slightly unique twist to it.

Roast dandelion powder says it all, I think.

So your experience at Midsummer House has, if anything, spurred you on to even greater things?

I was terrified of being kicked off that pass. I didn't have a plate sent back.

-That lifts the confidence sky-high.

-It's quite important you reach the final now.

Yeah, I entered this to see if I could still cook. I've had some great comments from you.

If I can get to the final, even better. Now I better get cooking!

James has taken a saddle of venison, boned it out and is cooking it vacuum-packed.

So sous-vide and then cooked in a water bath.

He's then going to roast it and roll it in dried dandelion root,

which gives a real bitter flavour.

And some dried mushroom powder, so that should give it that lovely musky flavour from the forest.

James is serving a soubise,

which is a French classic sweet white onion sauce for the venison.

It sounds delicious.

He's also serving a beautiful wild mushroom called jelly ears.

They're the shape of an ear with that jelly texture.

But when you fry them up, they've got the most delicious meaty fragrance.

Typical of James, he's not just cooking the cabbage leaf,

but he's also braising the stalk, which most chefs put in the bin.

The technically-challenging part of this dish is just plating it, getting it all together on time.

BEEPING

Timing, speed. I know I've got slower over the years.

I need to work on that, really push. The main course will be last minute.

I'm going to start plating in the last ten minutes and go from there.

James's dessert is basically a strawberry heaven.

He's got a custard flavoured with rose geranium.

He's got a crumble on top of that, then four or five different kinds of strawberries.

Raw strawberry, strawberry coulis, strawberry jelly,

strawberry compressed. And some cooked strawberries. Strawberry overload!

With my dessert, the custard might not set enough,

I might burn the biscuits, might not get it plated on time. Just lots of little things.

But for me it's all about the presentation at the end.

I have tweaked my menu since cooking at Midsummer, so hopefully the dishes will go down a storm.

Final 15, please, guys. Final 15 minutes.

You've dressed up well in advance.

-How are we doing, James? Nearly there?

-Just about.

-Oh, those jelly ears are popping like mad!

Whoa!

James is running around like a true, demented, foraging chef.

It's going to be tight.

Your final five minutes!

Time's up!

Ross has butter-poached and then roasted his chicken

and then served it with a hickory-smoked mash,

confit garlic, confit chicken wings, peas and broad beans,

a broad bean puree and a Madeira butter sauce.

I like the look of your plate, Ross.

It looks very neat, dainty. It's not symmetric,

but everything has been put on the plate beautifully.

It's the colours of a roast dinner, it's comforting, it's appealing,

but where on earth is my mashed potato? You're not seriously giving me three forkfuls?!

Oh!

Mm. There's some really warm, lovely flavours in there.

The confit winglets, I'd have liked them crispier,

but the chicken is cooked beautifully. It's moist, tender.

It's got a lovely, good, buttery taste to it and crispy skin.

There are hidden treasures in here as well. The confit garlic,

it's lovely and sweet.

The sauce is deep and rich and very velvety and buttery, as it should be.

The smoked mash potato is smooth and buttery and taken to the limit of smokiness that it should be.

Any more smokiness and it would have been gone, far too much.

This is cooking of the highest order.

On a MasterChef semi-final, I'm going to take the perfect cooking of chicken for granted.

That's got to be right and it is. It's those taste combinations you've got going on there

that are stunningly brilliant. That sauce, sweet and deep with Madeira, but still meaty, is lovely,

but the bit I really love is fresh pea against smoky, buttery mashed potato.

That mashed potato is a joy, but there's not enough of it.

If you do something as good as that, at least give me enough to eat.

For dessert, Ross has made a goat's cheese and pink peppercorn cheesecake,

rolled in honeyed granola, served with strawberries in white balsamic vinegar,

strawberry puree and an isomalt clear sugar tuile.

That's not very elegant and I think that's because we've got one main quenelle cheesecake

that is looking a little blob-like now.

I can see that the tuile looks very, very thick. It looks like a really hefty shard of sugar there.

It's unusual. It's clever.

But what it is not is comforting and yummy.

What you get is a sweet strawberry, oaty toastiness, which is lovely,

and then the sourness from the goat's cheese, which is fine.

And then it finishes on hot pepper. The pepper at the end is quite harsh.

This is a dessert that challenges your palate, rather than comfort it.

I'm going in again because I'm not sure about this.

Ross, I'm not a fan.

I like the idea of the goat's cheese as a dessert because it's quite mild,

with just a hint of goatiness there. It works with the granola

and the strawberries in white balsamic are divine, delicious.

But the pink peppercorn has got quite a kick at the end

and it's leaving almost a bitter taste in my mouth.

It's not very agreeable. I don't like it.

'I went quite classical on my main course,

'but I went quite wacky on my dessert.'

It's backfired a little bit, but, yeah,

it's just one of these things. You've got to gamble sometimes and go for it.

I'm still quite happy with what I produced.

James's main course is saddle of venison, rolled in dandelion root and mushroom powder,

served with pearl barley, jelly ear mushrooms, cabbage leaves and stalks,

a soubise white onion sauce

and a red wine crab apple and rowan jelly sauce.

James, the presentation to me looks like it's been thrown on the plate.

I mean, you looked a bit rushed in the last five minutes there.

I don't know if that's got something to do with it, but it doesn't look as neat and tidy as I expected.

Very well cooked and seasoned venison loin.

The sauce is good and it's got a lovely sweetness and fragrancy from the rowan berries

and the crab apples, which is nice. The soubise, or the classic sweet white onion puree,

is delicious and it works perfectly with the venison. The barley's lovely. I love barley.

It's been cooked really well.

It's a good dish, but I don't find it refined enough.

I do enjoy the flavour of the slight bitterness and pepperiness around the outside of the venison

and the really lovely sweet sauce.

Pearl barley, venison, wild mushrooms. It's got all the big comforting flavours there.

Elegant flavours? I don't know.

It's country tweeds, rather than pinstripe suits.

For dessert, James has made a rose geranium custard with fresh and compressed strawberries,

strawberry jelly, wood sorrel,

a hazelnut biscuit crumb

and a strawberry and sparkling wine sauce.

I like the presentation of the lovely strawberries and berries poking out of this crumble.

It is very pleasing visually.

It looks to me like it's got hidden treasures.

That's what it looks like to me. I'm really intrigued.

I love the fact that the cream has only just set. I was a bit worried that the rose geranium

would be overpowering

and take away from the delicate flavour of the strawberry, but it hasn't. You judged it just right.

The strawberry jelly is delicious, sharp and refreshing, yet sweet.

The compressed strawberries have got almost a fizz, champagne-like, to them as well.

The wood sorrel adds a bit of zing, which is really nice.

The only let-down for me is that crumb on the top. It's not crispy, not crunchy.

It needs to add a texture.

Your food is unique to me and some of the flavourings you put with it are quite special.

Sweet strawberry, you've got cream in there, an almost floral finish, then you've also got toasty nuts.

That flavour, everyone is going to love it. That is comforting, soft, lovely.

Really happy with the dessert. "Unique" is always good.

Hate to be a sheep. Good comments mean you've nailed it. Bad comments are the ones you have to listen to.

I think I'm most disappointed with my main course. One of those dishes that just didn't work for me.

We now have to decide which of you goes through to the finals. Off you go.

Good semi-final. Very good. Two very different chefs.

I love so much about James's food, apart from the appearance. That venison was food I love to eat.

Soft pearl barley, a really nice sweet sauce with well-cooked venison is British food at its best,

but it lacked style.

-Finesse.

-Yes!

I liked James's dessert. The cream was very well set,

not bouncy. It had the right texture. And I really enjoyed the geranium flavour there.

It left a little floral note. Well-judged.

That was a winning combination. Strawberry, strawberry jelly, strawberry sauce,

that nice set custard, still soft. Very good flavours.

I liked Ross's main course of roast chicken. It was really well cooked.

It was juicy, moist, well seasoned. His smoked potato mash was really unctuous, buttery,

and had been taken to the limit of smokiness. It worked beautifully with the peas and vegetables.

I really liked the confit wings. They could have been crisped up, but showed a different technique.

He was showing off a few skills. It was a really solid, good main course.

But I didn't like Ross's dessert. It was just...not right for me.

Not great at all, actually. It looked like a splodge on a plate

and the idea of cream cheese and pepper with the strawberries could have worked with more balance,

but the strength of pepper at the end was ferocious. Ferocious.

I'd love a place in the final. It would be a great challenge and great experience.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The chance is there. We've got to see what the judges say.

It's the last hurdle to get to the final. It would be crushing to go home now.

If I'm lucky enough to get through, then there's more to come.

Only time will tell.

We have to think very carefully, Gregg.

How do we split them?

We're talking about the finals here.

There's so much talent in the pair of them. They've got so far, but there are errors there.

It's who can smooth out their errors quick.

I'm torn.

I don't know.

To be honest...

I know who I'd have.

Semi-finals are never easy.

But I applaud you for the effort, the hard work and your cooking skills.

We have made a decision.

Our finalist is...

James.

Ross, very sorry. Very, very sorry.

The whole experience has been incredible. Ups and downs.

The travelling's nearly killed me!

Very proud to make it as far as this. It's a great achievement.

I think it was the right decision. James shows great potential.

He's really passionate about what he does and I hope he wins it.

-Good work, Chef. Are you all right, son?

-Shocked!

It's absolutely amazing. Yeah. Wow.

It's proving that ten years in the wilderness as a bit of an odd man obviously works!

I'm really going to have to lift my game now.

I've been given a chance to shine and I'm going to have to shine.

Tomorrow night: Anton and Keri will battle it out for the last place in the finals.

Just relax a little. Leave it.

A few little shakes there, Anton.

Only the best will make it through.

Look at them go, Gregg! They are giving it 100%. I'm loving this!

There are times when I have dishes like this where I'd consider giving myself over completely to gluttony.

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