Episode 2 MasterChef: The Professionals

Only an elite group of chefs hold two Michelin Stars.

Michel Roux Jr 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 a talent to cut it in the world's top kitchens.

Perfect.

Ten professional chefs have been put through their paces by Monica.

Today, five of them have one last chance

to perform to her demanding standards.

Because only the strongest can go through

to cook for Michel Roux Jr...

..one of them will be going home.

Absolutely determined to cook for Michel.

I'm motivated and focussed

and hungry. So, yeah, I've got the ingredients to do it.

I'm feeling quite nervous, you know.

In the last one. I set my bar quite high,

so I need to keep it at that level.

I believe I've got the skills to become MasterChef champion.

I can't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to,

but let's just take one step at a time.

Possibly the toughest test on MasterChef, the skills test.

What are you going to get them to do?

Today I'd like them to butterfly and cook the sardine,

serve it with a pommes dauphine and anything else on the table.

-What's pommes dauphine?

-pommes dauphine is a potato dish

made from a choux pastry and then deep-fried.

I'm scared for them in the first round

because some of them won't know what a pommes dauphine is.

The first thing you're going to do is make the choux pastry.

Here I have equal quantities

of milk and water.

I'm going to add the butter as well,

bring it up to the boil

and then you're going to vigorously stir in that flour,

cook it through for two or three minutes.

You need to take the mix off the heat

before adding the eggs. Otherwise those eggs will scramble.

Next thing you want to do is add our potato to the choux pastry.

And remember to season. I cannot emphasise enough, season as you work.

You know when they're done when they're a lovely golden colour.

Here I have a plastic bag,

just to stop the scales flying all over your lovely shirt, Gregg.

While it's in the bag I'm going to scrape the guts out.

So, to butterfly,

you're just going to turn the fish over,

gently press along the back of the sardine

as the bone then pops out.

Lovely and golden.

-And off the heat.

-That fish cooked in the blink of an eye.

That's really easy to overcook.

It's literally on and off.

I'm going to prepare a garnish to go with my sardine.

I only want a little bit of lemon in my garnish

because sardines are very delicate.

A touch of oil, salt and pepper.

There you have it, Gregg -

pommes dauphine and a cooked sardine.

If we can get anything resembling that, I'll be really happy.

We've seen you do it, now let's get the first chef in.

First up is Anna, a 25-year-old part-time pastry chef

from Lancashire.

In her first challenge she stood out

with her lemon and vanilla sable biscuits with apple puree.

What I have to do today is prove I'm more than just a pastry chef.

You're not a one-trick pony. You've got many skills under your belt

and I think I've got what it takes to handle the pressure.

This is a skills test. What we want you to do is butterfly that sardine

with a potato dauphine.

Do you know what a pommes dauphine is?

No!

pommes dauphine is a potato dish

-made from choux pastry.

-Oh! OK.

You've got 15 minutes, Anna. Good luck!

You've had five minutes, Anna.

Three minutes you've got.

You've got 90 seconds, all right? Get the rest of it on the plate.

-All done?

-All done.

Anna, the pommes dauphine, you've never made one before,

but the seasoning as you went, all done very well.

The fish was nicely seasoned.

The pommes dauphine, however, because the choux was not cooked enough,

it was still quite heavy and stodgy.

And it is soaking in a lot of the oil.

You've got loads of rocket stalk on the plate and the fish

has actually cooked the rocket leaves.

But other than that, I love the dressing

of tomato, lemon and olive oil.

Thank you.

Made some silly mistakes.

I can't regret too much.

I've just got to think positive and hope I've done enough.

Andy is a 20-year-old commis chef from Hampshire.

His first dish of pan-fried gurnard with sauteed potatoes,

vanilla and basil cream and apple puree wasn't a hit.

Facing the next challenge, yes, it is do or die,

but I am very good at handling pressure.

And my ideal test, either filleting a fish,

general fish prep, or just some butchery.

Hello, Andy.

15 minutes, off you go.

Thanks.

-You wanted it butterflied, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Andy, five minutes gone.

I've hashed this completely.

It's burnt. You're not going to put that in there, are you?

-No. Have we got more butter?

-We'll get you some more butter, OK?

Andy, get it together, yes? Sort yourself out.

Choux pastry, make us a pommes dauphine, come on.

Three and a half minutes left.

Last 60 seconds.

-Done?

-Done.

Andy, watching you today was painful, it was frustrating.

Butterfly the fish -

you went through the back, removed the backbone,

but then halfway through doing that, you realised where you went wrong

and literally gave up.

You've obviously not made a choux pastry in a long time

because you made a roux and then you added the milk and egg.

It was more of a dumpling.

The dressing is nondescript.

You can get the hint of capers, but if you chopped them up,

they'd have juiced into the rest of the dressing.

We would've had a sharp flavour. Whoa! Tough day, Andy.

-Yeah.

-Just so that you are aware, we consider this to be

the toughest and most nerve-racking bit of the whole competition.

OK.

I feel I've let myself down.

I didn't really do myself justice at all.

All of my skills went out the window because of nerves.

If I am honest,

I'm not confident that I've done enough to get through today.

Mark, from Northern Ireland,

left his career as a joiner three years ago to run his own cafe.

In the first invention test, Mark's caramelised onion,

chilli and basil tart was considered simple yet delicious.

This is probably the biggest thing I've ever tried in my life.

I've got skill, I've got ability, I just have

to shine through and hopefully the challenges will suit what I do.

We want you to butterfly and cook the sardine.

We want you to make pommes dauphine.

-Do you know what it is?

-I don't know.

-OK.

-It is a potato dish made from choux pastry.

-Off you go.

Do you know how to make choux pastry?

It's been a long time since I've made it, sorry.

OK, I will give you a clue.

Liquids first. You add the flour, the egg, cook.

Halfway, seven and a half minutes left.

You've got just thee minutes left, we need the fish,

the potatoes and the garnish.

90 seconds, Mark.

We need the stuff on the plate now. You've got 30 seconds.

Mark, you are a self-taught chef and your inexperience shows today.

The fish, you were trying to cut out the spine of the fish,

so you were losing a lot of the flesh, as well.

Choux pastry is probably basic repertoire of a chef.

Your fish is really nicely cooked,

but there is hardly any flavour on that plate.

There is no dressing over the whole thing, there is no seasoning.

Mark, thank you. Off you go.

I'm extremely disappointed about it. It was all awful.

I don't know if I've done enough or not to get through

to the next round. I hope they can see there is potential there.

And, you know, under the right circumstances,

it can be so different.

40-year-old head chef Karl works in a pub in Fulham.

In the previous round,

his roasted gurnard and parmentier potatoes

impressed the judges,

but combining it with cold squid and apple salad...didn't.

Skills-wise, overall I am very good with everything in the kitchen.

And I'm feeling really excited about cooking today.

I'm looking forward to the challenge.

15 minutes, off you go, Chef.

You are halfway. Seven and a half minutes left.

You've got three minutes, Chef.

Karl, you made a wonderful job of butterflying that fish.

You made the choux pastry without a problem and I love

the fact that you were tasting as you work,

as it should be.

Your potato dauphine is really light, full of flavour,

very well seasoned.

Your fish, matching it. Lovely, sweet tomatoes, capers -

again, well seasoned.

Karl, I reckon you might be able to cook a bit, mate.

Thank you.

To walk into that room today and be given the task that was given

and just to pull it off like that, I'm just so happy.

Last up is 32-year-old head chef Craig...

..who impressed with a perfectly cooked piece of gurnard,

but his basil mash and vanilla beurre blanc let the dish down.

I have never been more determined about anything in my life.

I'm really up for the challenge and can't see any reason why

I wouldn't get through.

Butterfly and cook that sardine along with a potato dauphine.

-You look a bit confused.

-Yes.

-What's the issue?

-Dauphine.

-Right.

Pommes dauphine is made with choux pastry.

Just 15 minutes, Craig. Starts now.

-You've had five minutes.

-Thank you.

You've got just over four minutes left now.

-OK, done?

-Done.

Craig, when you're cooking something like this in the oven,

make sure it is really hot, you know,

otherwise a piece of fish like this will just stew slowly.

Choux pastry.

Liquid first with the butter, then the flour, then the egg.

Whereas you have made a roux and then put the potato and the egg.

-It makes it very heavy and stodgy.

-OK.

The fish is cooked. I like the flavour of the salty capers,

a bit of lemon juice on there. Although, I prefer it fried.

-Yeah.

-These little dauphine

are actually seasoned, they're crispy,

they are just too stodgy.

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

-Thank you.

Why did he put the fish in the oven, Monica?

It's all right to bake it if you put it on the grill.

I can't imagine they were very impressed,

but whether or not it was good enough to get through, we'll see.

This is the hardest and most nerve-racking round, we know this.

But there was one really good, standout chef here today.

And that was Karl.

The one person that actually delivered a near-perfect dish.

Karl stood out today as the one chef who could perform the skills test

and taste as he was working.

He goes through.

After Karl, the next person who stands out for me is Anna.

I like Anna's approach. I like her perseverance.

She had not prepared a sardine before.

She had not made a pommes dauphine before.

But she gave it a good go and they were not bad.

Anna goes through with Karl.

Craig, even though he was flustered,

he still managed to butterfly the fish.

There are possibilities in him.

I think he deserves to go through, but he really needs to step it up.

Now, we have got to make a decision between Mark and Andy.

Both inexperienced chefs, that showed today.

Mark couldn't remember how to make choux pastry, but he managed it.

He didn't season his food either.

-He didn't taste it properly.

-No.

My worry with Mark, if he goes through,

he is going to really have to work hard to earn his place.

I'd be devastated if I went home today, so I would.

I didn't come just to go out in the first round.

Andy is so nervous.

Not once did Andy dip his fork into his salad to see how it tasted.

He set his butter on fire. It was burnt.

And he really lost the plot. He could not control those nerves.

If I am honest, I feel that I really underperformed

and that I have let myself down a lot.

Both Mark and Andy showed their inexperience today.

But I think I have made up my mind on who deserves to go through for sure.

The standards are high and it is only going to get harder.

The chef leaving us today is...

..Andy.

I'm disappointed, as anyone would be.

But overall, I feel it was just the nerves.

It is such an intense environment to be in.

And I know with every inch of my body, I could've done better.

-Well done.

-Well done.

Well done. Congratulations.

You are on your way.

I believe that you have what it takes to go through and cook for Michel.

Do not let me down.

Oh.

There are classics that should be part of every professional

chef's repertoire.

And Michel Roux Jr is looking for chefs who aspire

to execute them to his two-Michelin-Star standard.

Today's classic is a supreme de volaille Agnes Sorel.

This recipe was created by the great Escoffier

and named after Agnes Sorel.

Agnes Sorel was King Charles VII's mistress,

but she was also a very keen cook.

This dish is a gently poached chicken breast

served with ox tongue, chicken mousse and a beautiful supreme sauce.

To start, we prepare the chicken supreme and remove the skin and wing.

I am going to poach it in a chicken stock

because that is going to add flavour.

Poaching is such a wonderful way of cooking, but it is a skill.

Gentle cooking, that is the secret to poaching.

Next, we make the chicken mousse.

This is probably the most important part of a chicken mousse.

No bits of bone or sinew will be allowed.

Now, you want to beat this well to get a nice, light mousse.

Now, I'm going to prepare the mushrooms.

I want them to cook in a little bit of lemon juice, lots of butter

and their own juices.

The mushrooms have got just an ever so slight colour.

And now we fill this with the mushrooms.

This really is a game of patience and dexterity.

And into the oven this goes.

Just by touch, I can tell that

this chicken supreme is cooked to perfection,

and it's staying at that temperature and it will stay moist and cooked

for as long as I want it to.

The sauce for this dish is a classic supreme sauce,

which is a white wine, shallot and chicken based sauce.

It should be creamy, rich, indulgent,

but not heavy.

So, the sauce has boiled for maybe two or three minutes,

no more than that.

Perfect. Here we have some chicken jus that I want to reduce down,

boil down to a sticky glaze.

All that is left now is to plate up.

This is the chicken glaze, which I am going to use to glaze the ox tongue.

So, there you have it - supreme de volaille Agnes Sorel.

A chicken supreme cooked Escoffier style.

This is the biggest opportunity in my chefing career to date,

so to mess it up would be devastating.

There is a lot of pressure cooking for Michel.

I'm just going to put as much into it as I possibly can

and then just really prove to everyone and myself that,

you know, I deserve a place here.

I've got enough passion and drive

to deliver what this competition expects.

It is meeting the man who is

recognised around the world as one of the greats.

It's intimidating. But I'm looking forward to it, I can't wait.

For this test, I wanted you to cook supreme de volaille Agnes Sorel.

That recipe is straight out of Escoffier's classic book.

If you have aspirations to be a great chef,

you have to understand the classics,

and that is what today's test is all about.

An hour and five minutes, off you go.

I do have a bit of a lack of experience, but I hope Michel sees

in this dish that I've got some skill - I can put flavours together

and I understand ingredients.

Hello, Mark. Do you understand this recipe?

Um, yeah, I think I do.

You think you do. You sound a bit nervous.

I am very nervous.

Surely, as a chef, you are used to a bit of nerves and competition.

Yeah, but never under this pressure,

in my own kitchen, comfort zone.

Yeah, this is out of the comfort zone, isn't it?

-Yeah, definitely.

-That's good. Good, channel that.

-Yeah.

-What was your training?

-Self-taught.

-And cooking at a high level now?

-Not as high as your level,

but hopefully one day.

-Have you made a chicken mousse before?

-Never. Never before.

-So, there is a first time for everything.

-There is indeed.

-Enjoy your time, Mark.

-I will.

-And give it your best shot.

-OK, thank you.

-Well done.

-Thanks.

For me, it doesn't matter if you are self-taught. If you've got

what it takes, you can get there.

And Mark has got that look in his eye.

I do have classical training. I did my training in France.

And I really hope that my classic skills

are enough to impress Michel.

-Hello, Karl.

-Hello, Chef.

So, tell me a little bit about your background, Karl.

I did my apprenticeship in France, in 1988, so quite a few years back.

From there, I got my CAP.

A CAP is a Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle.

Which is the equivalent of your NVQ 1 and 2, which I've got, as well.

You've got as well. Well done, Chef.

Thank you. Well done, Chef. Why are you here in this competition?

I love cooking. And it is a learning curve.

And it is to take my food to a different level.

Karl was brought up in France,

so he must have been immersed in that great food culture.

But I know Karl has made

a couple of mistakes already. That chicken mousse, for example,

should have been passed through a sieve.

You've had just over 30 minutes.

I aspire to cook at the highest level possible.

I've got the skills, I've proven today that I can handle my nerves

and I can really control myself under the pressure.

So, I think that will really help draw me through.

-Hi, Anna.

-Hello.

-Have you ever cooked this style of food before?

I have cooked similar at home, but not in my place of work.

It's a bit scary.

And where do you work at the moment?

I currently work at an Italian restaurant.

So, you have had no classical background?

I have had classical background with pastry but not so much

in the larder section.

-But today is not pastry, today's chicken.

-Yes.

If you are a pastry chef,

I am guessing your presentation must be really good.

I always try to make things look quite artistic. Um...

So, hopefully, I will be able to show a bit of my flair

in the presentation today.

-Well done, Anna. Keep at it.

-Thank you.

Anna is a trained pastry chef, like myself.

I don't see any problem from going on to become a very good chef.

But the reason why I set this recipe is

that it is a certain skill to poach a chicken supreme.

Anna has gone and roasted it.

Which is totally, totally different.

I am confident that I can cook to the standards that Michel

is looking for. I've done it before.

And I've got the passion to want to be as good as Michel.

Every day, that is where I aspire to be.

-All right, Craig, how are you feeling?

-A little bit nervous.

I just want to make sure I get this right.

Are you trained in the classics?

I've trained in classics, but I've never seen this dish.

Unfortunately.

You've made a chicken mousse before,

-you have poached supremes before, I'm sure.

-Yes, of course I have.

Time and time again. But never with yourself watching me.

-Which is a big challenge.

-How did you start in cooking?

Pot wash. Just a good opportunity to watch the chefs work and then,

eventually, when they were a chef down,

got hands-on with some of the ingredients.

And then, you know, the rest is history, really.

So, you really have worked yourself up from the bottom rung to the top.

-Yeah.

-Well, good luck with Agnes Sorel.

-Hopefully,

-I won't need too much luck, but fingers crossed.

-Excellent.

Process-wise, he is doing really well, it's just his nerves.

I just hope they don't get the better of him.

Five minutes, Chefs, five minutes to go.

That's it, time's up.

For my classic test, I asked you to cook supreme de volaille Agnes Sorel.

That is a lightly poached chicken breast with the ox tongue on top

and glazed with the meat sauce.

It is served with a chicken mousse.

The veloute should be light and white.

This dish is a true French classic.

It should be beautiful and great to eat.

Anna, you first.

Anna, I like your presentation.

It has got elegance, which I expect from a pastry-trained chef.

It is not fault-free, though. The sauce should be white.

You have added meat glaze to it, it has gone brown.

Why did you decide to roast the chicken supreme?

I thought the skin was meant to stay on and be crispy

and the meat was meant to be juicy, so I got that one wrong.

I understand your reasoning behind it, but the recipe says poached.

The chicken supreme is nicely cooked, well seasoned.

Your sauce is well reduced and has a really good depth of flavour to it.

The chicken mousse could be a bit lighter,

but it is smooth, not quite enough seasoning.

It is a really good attempt at this classic dish.

I think I have shown Michel enough skill from that dish.

So, hopefully, that is going to give me something going

into the next round.

Karl, now for you.

Karl, I like your presentation, it looks neat.

But the slices of tongue are too thick for me.

That is lacking in elegance.

Everything on this plate, Karl, is beautifully seasoned.

The chicken is good. Your sauce is great, as well.

The sauce is the right consistency, the wine has been cooked through

so you can taste it, but it is not overpowering.

Unfortunately, the mousse has got sinews and skin.

It is not as light and as smooth as it should be.

-I don't think you passed that through a sieve.

-I didn't.

-Why not?

Forgot, Chef.

-Forgot?

-Yeah.

-That's not right, is it?

-No, Chef.

That's basic skills, basic knowledge.

To be a great chef, you don't cut corners.

That for me, is cutting corners.

Such a shame because this whole dish looks good, tastes great.

Spoiled by one little mistake.

Or...

dare I say laziness?

On the whole, I am just kicking myself.

It could have been a fantastic dish had I passed that chicken mousse.

Now for you, Craig.

Craig, I like your presentation. It is neat, tidy.

It has a certain elegance to it.

However, the lining of your chicken mousse could be a lot better.

It looks as if you have just hacked the mushrooms and thrown them

into the mould there.

The chicken supreme is cooked beautifully.

It really is very, very moist and very flavoursome.

But poaching chicken, normally, you would take the skin off.

Chicken mousse, it's actually really light and delicate

and really well seasoned.

The sauce has been reduced properly, has the right consistency,

but you haven't cooked the wine enough,

so it has got that overpowering wine flavour.

I think this is a very good attempt at the classic dish.

There are issues, though.

The errors I made,

I know where I went wrong and I know how

I could correct those in the future.

For this next challenge, what I need to do is get my dish 100% perfect.

Now for you, Mark.

I am not that keen on your presentation.

I think it looks a little bit messy.

It is all sort of mingling as one, the sauces. It looks heavy-handed.

The chicken supreme is nice and moist, exactly how it should be.

The chicken mousse is very light,

it has been passed through a sieve, which is good.

Lacking in seasoning.

The sauce, the wine hasn't been cooked through so it has got

that high acidity, which is not right.

Highs and lows on your plate, Mark.

But to be a great chef, the whole plate has to be perfect.

I probably could have done better today,

it's just a bit of nerves still. Now I just need to keep calm,

keep my head down and just really think about it.

You've cooked my classic,

now is the time for you to cook your own.

But it is not just about impressing me, the chef,

you are now going to have to impress the diner.

You have got one hour. Off you go.

Probably first done this dish maybe two years ago.

It is the style of food I love to cook.

It's not small plates, it is bold, big flavours.

Mark, classic dish from you. Your own food. What's it going to be?

I'm doing a French trimmed rack of lamb with a shallot puree,

roasted tomato and rosemary jus, buttered spinach, carrots and champ.

What did your wife say when you said you were giving up being a carpenter

-and were going to start cooking?

-Um, "Here we go again."

I'm very impulsive. I set my mind on something, I just go for it.

There's no, sort of, thinking about it. It's just head first.

Did she say the same thing when you told her you were coming on MasterChef?

I hadn't told her for weeks, so I hadn't.

So when I finally told her, it was, "What have you done now?"

In the last round, there were issues with your seasoning and presentation.

-Yeah.

-Are you going to nail that?

-Yes.

-I have to. It's the last chance.

-Yeah.

If you want to give me some beautifully cooked pink lamb,

you want to give me nice champ, absolutely, I'm into it, mate.

Yeah, it's very, very classical.

But, Mark has had issues with presentation and seasoning.

He's definitely going to have to up his game.

Chefs, you've had 15 minutes.

This dish is very important to me.

This is absolutely one of the first dishes I was taught,

so this has to be fault free.

Karl, tell me what you're going to cook that's going to impress me, please.

OK, so it's poached zander,

with a shallot butter sauce and seasonal vegetables.

Zander is a fish that was probably the first fish that I ever touched as a professional chef.

They were fished in the Loire just next to where I used to train, and it's a privilege to get it back.

Zander, I'm sorry to say, Karl, is not one of my favourite fishes. It's an acquired taste.

Well, I'm going to do my utmost to change your mind, Gregg.

I just love it. Look at it, it's beautiful.

It's firm, it's meaty, but combined with the butter sauce which is acid,

you know, it balances it perfectly.

Karl, as a chef, this recipe and this fish really excites me.

I just hope that you'll be able to persuade our diner.

I'm going to work on it.

I think Karl's choice of fish is inspired.

The combination of poached zander, classically cooked and prepared vegetables

and a beurre blanc should be heavenly.

It's not a hugely popular fish, and he's got his work cut out

actually convincing me that that's going to be great.

This is a dish I've been cooking throughout my chefing career.

These are all classic flavours that have been used throughout classic dishes for years.

I just feel really privileged to get the opportunity to cook it myself.

-Craig, what are you going to cook?

-Fillet steak with cep gratin,

truffle pommes puree and red wine jus.

Cep mushrooms, potato, truffles. I mean, that's big flavours.

I'm a big boy, aren't I?

So hopefully I can rise to the challenge and do them justice.

What do you think me, as a professional chef, is going to be

looking out for in your plate of food?

Well cooked fillet, well seasoned, well rested.

A nice pommes puree that's nice and smooth,

right balance of truffle, not overpowering,

and cooking that red wine out fully.

Mmm, yes.

Craig has chosen fillet of beef topped with cep mushrooms

and a truffle puree with red wine sauce.

All very strong flavours.

I'm a little bit worried that all of that is going to overpower that beef.

Chefs, you've got just 20 minutes left.

I'm sticking with my roots,

and I'm going with pastry with a tarte au citron.

I think Michel's expectations are going to be extremely high, given his patisserie background,

so hopefully everything goes to plan.

-Anna.

-Hello.

-Are you making dessert?

-Yeah. I'm doing a classic tarte au citron.

I will order a tarte citron, but it's got to be so well-balanced.

-It's got to take you to the edge of...

-Yeah.

..and then quickly bring you back again,

and that's when you know you've got it absolutely right.

Yeah. I'm going to do it with a lemon syrup,

so you're going to get a bit of extra zing,

and I'm going to do a lime cream as well,

so we're going for a lemon and lime theme,

and some candied lime zest as well, on top.

-How long have you been doing this dish?

-This particular dish I've practised a few times,

I've never done it... I've never served it as this full dish.

I know you can present food beautifully.

Is it going to be as beautiful as your other course?

It'll be more beautiful. I've got a few twists to come onto it, so hopefully you'll enjoy it.

If you're going to do a classic tarte citron, to my mind,

stick with a classic.

She's got a syrup going on there,

she's got a little bit of candied lime peel on there.

I hope she's not overdoing it.

Listen, guys, you've only got five minutes left.

Time's up, stop.

For his classic, Craig has made fillet steak

with a Parmesan and cep gratin

topped with parsley breadcrumbs,

pommes puree and red wine jus.

Presentation, Craig - I actually quite like it.

Red wine sauce on the side here, which I actually like.

As a customer, we can pour on as much as we want.

I have got issues. Two spoonfuls of ceps - crunchy.

There were stones in there, or grit or gravel.

You didn't clean them properly.

The beef, for me, as a chef, ever so slightly overcooked.

But I really can't fault it when it comes to taste. Seasoning? Bang on.

The sauce is well reduced, no taste of that raw wine.

You are really a very accomplished chef.

There are issues, though.

It does it for me, Chef.

Very good-looking dish, tastes great, great textures,

-really like it. Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

Today has been a really good day.

I'm pleased with how both tests went.

Obviously dirty cep is, yeah, a schoolboy error,

but the rest of it was very good, so really pleased.

Karl has made poached zander with a shallot butter sauce,

baby potatoes, Vitelotte potato crisps,

and turned seasonal vegetables.

It looks beautiful. Love the colours. Personally, it's very inviting.

If anything was going to tempt me into a plate of zander,

it would be a plate that looked like that, cos that is elegant.

If I could guarantee that each time I ordered a zander it tasted like that,

you'd have a convert on your hands, Karl,

because that is absolutely delightful.

Karl, it tastes as good as it looks.

You've shown off a lot of skills here, as well,

cooking the fish beautifully.

I saw you were using a thermometer to make sure that you got it bang on.

For me what brings this plate of food together is your beurre blanc, your butter sauce.

You've just added a squeeze more lemon juice in there,

and it's brought this whole dish together.

To walk out of that kitchen

and to have heard that feedback that I've had,

just gives you a massive boost.

If I'm given the opportunity to cook in the quarterfinals,

I'm sure there's plenty of other surprises which I can give to Michel and to Gregg.

Mark has made a French-trimmed rack of lamb, shallot puree,

roasted carrots, buttered spinach, champ,

and a tomato and rosemary sauce.

Mark, I'm not sure about the presentation.

It looks a little bit too heavy for me. Just not looking refined enough.

But the butchery skills are very good.

The bones are superbly clean,

I mean, you've French-trimmed the rack of lamb beautifully.

One thing I do really enjoy is your tomato and rosemary sauce.

I love that sweet tang followed by the intensity of rosemary.

But, turning the mash into champ was a mistake.

To get those bits of spring onion just seems odd.

-I don't like that sauce.

-Hmm!

It's just too strong for my liking.

Your lamb is ever so slightly overcooked,

but the fat has been crisped up beautifully and it's delicious.

The highlight for me is that shallot puree. Absolutely delicious.

Really sweet, intense, smooth. Very, very good.

Didn't do the dish justice. Could've done it better. Have done it better before.

But hopefully they've seen the potential, you know? I can cook.

Anna has served a tarte au citron with a lime cream and lemon syrup,

and topped with candied lime zest.

First off, Anna, I'd like to say it looks really nice.

It does look appealing, it looks very neat, and we can see a lot of skills on show.

Oh!

Mmm!

That's not right, is it, Anna? The pastry really is not cooked enough.

It's a shame, because I think the mix, the actual centre, is delicious.

It's got the right amount of acidity and sweetness.

What does work well is the little strips of candied lime peel.

I like the taste, but the execution is wrong.

FRUSTRATED GROAN

The flavours are really intriguing,

because I can taste both tropical lime, subtropical lemon.

Very pleasing. Really nice flavour.

Unfortunately, your pastry isn't cooked all the way through.

As a pastry chef, undercooked pastry is just, like, a criminal offence.

Not happy. Not happy at all.

It's just stupid. Never mind.

Can't do anything about it now. Gone.

We saw some great stuff today. I'm really pleased.

The one chef that really stood out was Karl. I mean, he shone.

Because that zander dish was superb. It's difficult enough to impress a diner

with ingredients and produce he DOES like.

He has completely changed my mind on that fish.

I thought his dish was outstanding.

But, when he cooked my classic recipe, I was really upset with Karl

because he didn't pass his chicken mousse through the sieve,

and it was full of sinew. I mean, that's a cardinal sin.

However, I definitely think that Karl's plate of zander was the best dish of today.

The sauce was great, and the cooking of that fish? Bang on.

And I'm prepared to forgive him for not passing that chicken mousse.

The competition means an enormous amount to me,

because I'm here to cook amazing food.

We haven't even scraped the surface of what I'm capable of yet,

so I just really want to carry this on.

I really enjoyed Craig's beef dish.

The fillet of beef with the cep mushrooms and the truffle pommes puree

is really my sort of food,

and I couldn't really see much wrong with it.

But I found grit in the mushrooms, and I was crunching on that,

and that's just not right. But I enjoyed his plate of food.

Everything was seasoned well, and I thought his sauce was superb.

When he cooked my classic recipe, his sauce was a letdown.

He certainly pulled it back.

I personally feel I can hold my head up high.

Other than the slip up with the cep I've done the best I could.

So, yeah. I'm really happy.

Mark cooked lamb.

Slightly overcooked, but you picked up on the way he crisped the fat.

It was delicious to eat.

You and I didn't agree on the tomato and rosemary sauce.

Really good mashed potato, although I didn't agree particularly

with putting the spring onions in there and making it into a champ.

The shallot puree was superb, it was seasoned to perfection.

But his whole dish actually looked a little bit cumbersome,

which was similar to the classic that I asked him to cook.

It lacked in refinement. I worry for Mark, because he's still only learning his profession.

He's only got three years under his belt.

Considering I've only been cooking three years,

I've got the ability but I just need to polish everything up a bit,

you know, without rushing at it. Sort of take my time. Bit more finesse.

Anna's flavour of a citrus tart was nice today.

She matched two different citrus fruits, lemon and lime, really well.

But massive error not cooking the pastry.

She is a qualified pastry chef. She should know better.

However, the actual mix itself, the filling was tasty.

I thought it hit the right notes,

and it has a lovely fragrance to it from the lime.

And when Anne cooked my recipe, it was beautiful,

she really presented it with such elegance.

Michel, come on -

undercooked pastry has knocked many chefs out of this competition.

I hope I've done enough to get through.

I mean, the pastry obviously was undercooked, but the taste was there.

So hopefully they'll look kindly on me.

They've all had little mistakes, haven't they?

But I pretty much enjoyed all the dishes.

Yeah, but we know how tough this competition gets.

We know what's waiting for them.

Which of them do you think is good enough to properly challenge?

And obviously, who do we get rid of?

I think I know, Gregg.

You are proof that the standard is rising in this competition year-on-year,

cos your food today was great.

Unfortunately, one of you has to go home.

The chef leaving us today is...

..Mark.

Obviously I'm disappointed. My cooking ambitions and dreams are as definitely as strong as ever,

maybe even stronger now. And I'll definitely push myself harder.

I know I have to to get where I want to be.

THEY LAUGH

Congratulations. Well done.

Cheers. Thank you.

To actually get through and get to the quarter-finals is mind blowing.

Really, really happy.

I'm really, really chuffed. It's been awesome. A great day.

Oh, goodness me!

I just feel so privileged to be here. I'm going to cry more now!

-Oh!

-SHE LAUGHS

It's crazy.

I'm just so happy!

Tomorrow, the five remaining chefs are back to be tested...

You need to step up your game, and you need to perform 110%.

It's fun.

You were in your element.

Not a complete disaster.

..before Michel Roux Jr sets them their first classic recipe.

There are certain things that we forage for

that we should just walk past.

It's exactly what I'm looking for.

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