Episode 6 MasterChef: The Professionals

'Only an elite group of chefs holds 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 the 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.'

This is the whole point of coming to do this,

to cook for Michel Roux Jr.

Being the last chance to prove myself, just got to get out there

and focus on what I've got to do.

I feel the pressure already and the challenge is not there yet.

Skills test, Monica. What are we gonna do?

I'd like them to prepare this lobster, remove all the meat

and then serve it using any of these ingredients.

This is really a test of their skill and their palate, then, isn't it?

First thing I'm going to do is prepare the lobster.

Arms off.

I want the tail off, and just need to twist, carefully. Out it comes.

Just a crack...like so.

And it should peel off.

There you have it. That's the tail.

Next is the claws.

Snap.

You want to try and pull this out,

removing that cartilage at the same time.

Using the knife, just a tap on the end.

And twist.

Ah! That's brilliant!

I'd expect everyone at this level of cooking to come in here

and be able to do that.

This is the arm of the lobster.

With the back of the knife, tap that. It's all you want to do.

Then just gently, push it out.

It deserves respect.

And there you have it, one prepared lobster, complete and undamaged.

-Now we need to make it into a dish.

-I'm going to make a mayonnaise.

-Do you like coriander?

-Not a great deal.

-Better put more in, then!

BOTH CHUCKLE

WHIZZING

-You don't mind how they serve it?

-No.

I'd like them to be creative and really wow us,

and show us what their palate is made of.

And taste.

Lovely, lovely.

We want them to use ingredients that complement the lobster,

not overpower it.

-Ooh, look at that.

-You want to remove the intestinal tract.

I'm making a salad, so I want nice chunky pieces of this lobster.

And there you have it, my lobster dish.

I can't remember seeing a lobster dish as pretty as that. Lovely.

Aw!

-I'm looking forward to this. Get the first one in?

-Let's do it.

'First up is Martin, who is a head chef of a Cornwall hotel.

'In the first round, he impressed with a decent palate,

'but his goat's cheese and tomato roulade lacked finesse.'

I used to work in an open kitchen.

People looking at you, you just learn to block it out.

When Monica just looks at me, you've just got to take it in your stride and believe yourself.

Martin, prepare the lobster. Remove all the meat.

-Use some of that meat to make us a lobster plate of your choice.

-OK.

All right, chef. Ten minutes. Off you go.

-Got all the meat out?

-Er, yes.

You're halfway.

You've got just over two minutes left.

You might have to hurry up a bit here, Martin.

-Done?

-Yes.

-Martin, prepped lobsters before?

-Yes.

-A lot?

-Yes.

-I have to disagree with you.

-OK.

If you were in my kitchen and you prepped 20 lobsters

and threw away those arms, you wouldn't be in my kitchen for long.

-There's meat in there.

-Yes.

-A lot of meat.

-Yes.

-And Gregg did ask you if you'd got all the meat out.

-Yes.

You even left the intestinal tract in the lobster tail,

one of Michel's pet hates.

You give him that on the pass, guaranteed, that plate's gonna come flying back at you.

Plate, it looks nice, it looks colourful.

I'm worried about the amount of garlic chive you have on there.

It can be very overpowering. OK?

Well done. Sweet lobster flesh. Sweet mango.

Lime zest in there is really nice, makes it come alive.

Little bit of chilli, giving heat. Good.

Your mango salsa is wonderfully seasoned.

-However, the garlic chives, very overpowering.

-OK.

OK, chef. Thank you.

I don't feel I showed my true potential at all.

If one of my chefs treated the lobster the same as I did there,

it wouldn't go out into the restaurant.

'Head chef Simon worked in a Michelin-starred kitchen for two years

'before moving to his current job.

'His goat's cheese and lentil dish was good,

'but it didn't display much cooking skill.'

'Right now, I feel nervous.'

If it's something that I'm good at, then it'll be great.

'If it's something I've never done before, I'll give it my best shot.'

Just ten minutes. Prepare this lobster and make us a dish.

-Do I have a few minutes?

-You want to write a menu?

-No.

I just want a double check of everything there.

Ten minutes.

You've got just four minutes left, Simon.

Simon, you've got a minute so, please, quickly.

-Done?

-Yep.

OK.

Simon, I hate watching you work.

It's disgusting. It's dirty. It's a disgrace.

You used this cloth to wipe your board, to wipe your hands,

to wipe the bowl, to wipe the table.

I am hoping you never work like that in your own kitchen.

The other thing, when you cut a lobster,

when it's not been cooked through, it's green on the tail,

you should lightly rinse it, do not give it a washing under the tap.

It doesn't need a shower. What you were doing was washing all that flavour out.

You haven't destroyed the plate, but that's not bursting out and singing.

It's a little watery.

Simon, it was nice to see you make something different with the puree.

I think the mango that's on there is nicely seasoned.

But because you washed that lobster,

you've ruined the key ingredient in this dish.

Thank you very much.

'I don't think I wowed them with the skill.'

I'll take her comments on board and try to work a bit tidier.

'Freelance chef Nicky teaches teenagers basic skills.

'In the first round, her peach tart won over both judges.'

At this stage, you either know what you're doing or you don't.

I work on all sorts of ingredients so I'm pretty confident.

Ten minutes. You and the lobster. Off you go.

-All done?

-Yes.

Nicky, I'm very happy to have seen someone remove the claw meat from the lobster.

Thank you for doing that.

But you have this lovely tail.

If you'd cut chunks through that, it would have looked much better

than the hat tail that you have here.

Little bit more seasoning and it's quite heavy in coriander.

But I actually like your dish.

Off you go.

'I don't know if I've done enough.'

Being really honest, I don't know.

'Sous chef Thomas had a difficult first round.

'His pureed lentil dish and potato gratin were not well received.'

'I had a disaster last time.'

So it's important for me to prove that I can do better.

It's "Professionals". You want to come across as professional.

You don't want to come across as amateur.

Thomas, have you worked with lobsters before?

-No, this is the first time.

-The very first time?

-Yeah.

-All right.

Only ten minutes, Thomas. Off you go.

LAUGHING

-You OK?

-Yeah.

You've got five minutes left.

I understand you've not worked with this ingredient before,

but I like the fact you still got the lobster out without damaging any of the meat.

However, in the arm, you've left some of the meat.

Also, when removing the claws of the lobster,

remember, you must take that cartilage out.

Your plate is not impressive.

You've hidden the lobster under this mass of leaves of roquette.

It just looks sloppy and, Thomas,

we're at a level where you want to put a plate in front of someone

-and they're going to be blown away by it.

-Yeah.

-You haven't tasted a single thing.

-No.

-You haven't tasted the dressing.

-You didn't taste those shoots or leaves you put on there.

-No.

So you're sending it out with your fingers crossed.

The juicy mango and a bit of chilli with the lobster is lovely.

But there are too many leaves on that plate, and they are strong.

Yeah, I did panic a little bit, trying to get the dish ready on time and just putting leaves on.

Thomas, that's a rubbish excuse.

Even under pressure, you have to be able to perform in a kitchen.

-You need to step it up a bit.

-OK.

'I haven't done 100% justice,'

but much, much better than the last challenge I had.

'Last up is 30-year-old Anton,

'twice-named runner-up of Southwest Chef Of The Year.

'His deconstructed peach crumble

'was one of the invention test highlights.'

'Bit nerve-racking. Monica's a hard person to please.'

She's the same as my customers, at the end of the day.

'You have to perform when you go to work, so have to do the same today.'

OK, chef. Ten minutes, off you go.

Didn't think I'd shake as much.

Mm.

You've got three minutes.

-All done?

-Yeah.

Anton, you managed to get the lobster out of the shell.

-However, you have to remove every single piece out of the arms.

-Yeah.

I like that you remembered to remove the cartilage out of the claws

before putting it on here.

I like the attempt at a dressing, which could have worked

-if you used a bit more egg yolk.

-More thicker, yeah.

The right ingredients there, mango and chilli.

And you have nice seasoning.

But because you haven't chopped the chilli up nice and finely,

you don't get chilli bite with every mouthful.

Nicely seasoned. I like the balance of lime, but I agree with Gregg.

The chilli is much too long.

Thank you. Off you go.

'Hopefully, they can see I've got a little bit of talent in me.'

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Gregg, I get very upset,

because they are professional chefs.

I expect them to deliver on this skill,

especially because they didn't even have to cook the lobster.

I don't think it's a write-off. I really don't.

Nicky didn't do bad, I don't think.

You didn't like the way she just chopped the lobster tail up.

However, she was the only one that managed to get all the meat out of the lobster.

Anton got nearly all the flesh from the lobster.

Actually, he had decent presentation.

He made an effort at a dressing

and he seasoned everything on that plate.

I actually think Martin did OK.

What really disappointed was that he threw half the claws away.

However, he did make a very nice salsa.

I'm willing to give him another chance.

That leaves us Simon or Thomas.

Now, Simon wound you up with the disorderly, dirty way he worked.

-And he washed the lobster.

-That was under a running tap.

And it tasted watery and horrible.

They are looking for the best.

Hopefully, if they give me another chance I can prove that I can do better.

But you've got someone like Thomas, who is a chef for a few years now,

and had never prepped a lobster.

And he had a very shaky start in the last round.

I can forgive the fact he's not prepared a lobster before.

However, what does bug me is he did not taste as he was working.

I would really like another chance, but we'll see the outcome.

This is your call, really.

Whichever one I put in front of Michel, it's going to be a risk.

That proved a far more difficult test than we at first thought.

There were issues from each of you.

We have made a decision.

The chef that is leaving us today is...

-..Thomas.

-Thank you.

I feel OK, actually. Yeah. A little disappointed but, you know.

People that know me know what I'm capable of.

I just wasn't lucky enough to show that here.

You get to go through and cook for Michel.

And that makes me very anxious.

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

'Michel Roux Jr is looking for professionals

'who aspire to execute them to his two Michelin-star standard.'

Today, the classic I want our chefs to cook is beignet a la creme,

little cream fritters.

Beignets are one of the first things I learnt as an apprentice as a pastry chef.

For me, they are simplicity.

They can be SO delicious when they're done properly.

'This traditional French dessert consists of creme patissiere

'deep fried in a light batter

'and served with a selection of fruit garnishes.'

First job to do is the creme patissiere because that needs time, not only to cook, but to set.

First off, the milk on to boil with your choice of flavouring.

For me... I LOVE the flavour of vanilla.

Next step, a classic creme patissiere.

Egg yolks and a whole egg.

Mix with sugar.

Then the flour.

We're then going to put the milk on top of this, the boiling milk.

Very important that this has got to boil. You must mix it thoroughly.

Otherwise, it will never get to the right consistency.

Ooh!

That's what we're looking for. It's a very thick creme patissiere.

Now, we have to work very quickly before it sets.

This must go into a blast chiller

so as to set, before we cut it.

Next step, the tempura batter.

Flour.

Cornflour and a little bit of baking powder to give it that extra lift.

This tempura batter is what's going to encase our cream

and give it that lovely crisp exterior.

Now, we have to hope that our cream has set on time.

Right, this has set.

It's cold and it should come out quite easily.

We want to cut them into the shapes before the cream melts.

I'll be happy with any shape, as long as it's precise, neat

and shows some creativity.

And works with this recipe.

Now, we need to deep fry them.

SIZZLING

We want them to be nice and crispy on the outside.

And a touch of colour, but not too much.

They should only take a matter of 30 seconds to a minute and no more.

It's crispy.

Mm! Perfect.

-There we go.

-RUBS HANDS TOGETHER

Here we have it, beignets a la creme, cream fritters.

Beautiful and refined.

Michel's standards are incredibly high. It does mean you have to up your game.

Monica's hard, but he's the boss, at the end of the day.

Yeah. Serious.

Very serious.

Well done for getting this far.

Monica and Gregg told me you have a bit to prove.

Now's the time.

The classic I want you to cook is beignets a la creme,

presented with a garnish of your choice.

Prove to me that you HAVE got what it takes.

You have one hour to cook this great French pastry classic.

Off you go.

I was classically trained, but I don't necessarily think it will give me any advantage.

It's just a matter of keeping control of my nerves, and I'm pretty confident I can get through.

-Hi, Martin.

-Hello.

-Do you understand this recipe?

I've never made this recipe but I've made beignets before.

I started working in fine dining 17 years ago,

when everything was very French influenced food.

-So, yes, that's had a big impression on my career.

-You do a bit of pastry?

I do a little bit of pastry. I started in a bakery when I was 13.

-So I understand, it's just that I don't necessarily do as much as I like now.

-Good.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

Martin's pastry cream looks a little bit lumpy.

I don't think he mixed it in properly.

That's not going to be very nice to eat.

To cook for Michel is probably one of the highlights in a cooking career.

I would love to cook at a standard where he can eat my food and say,

"I would go into a restaurant and eat that quite happily."

-Hello, Simon. How are we doing?

-Yeah, not so bad.

-You're looking a little nervous.

-Yeah, pastry's not my thing at all, so it's all new.

I've done classic stuff - creme brulees and souffles and stuff -

but all this, never done it before.

-You do look a little bit flustered.

-It's luck of the draw, isn't it?

There could have been a nice pigeon here! I've just got to do my best.

Well, to be a chef, you have to push yourself, to rise to the challenge.

-I'm going to give it a whirl. I've got the recipe.

-Good luck, Simon.

-Thank you.

'Simon is very nervous and says he hasn't worked in pastry before.

'Well, it shows.

'Simon's creme pat was badly mixed, badly cooked

'and is now liquid and full of lumps.'

It doesn't look promising.

'To cook for Michel Roux Jr now is just absolutely...'

LAUGHING: ..beyond anything! It's just fabulous.

-Hi, Nicky. How are you doing?

-Very well.

-Worked in pastry before?

-Yes. Yeah.

-You look very confident.

-Yeah. I'm feeling pretty confident.

What is it about pastry that turns you on?

It's really sad, but I really love watching things cook and work.

You know, something like choux pastry starts off as a little ball and ends up as a big puffy...

It's just something I really love. I enjoy the chemistry of it.

-Good luck, Nicky.

-Thank you.

15 minutes to go, guys.

Think about plates, presentation.

There's a pressure every time you cook for someone,

especially Michel Roux.

If I stick my blinkers on and concentrate on what I'm doing,

hopefully, I can do really well.

-All right, Anton?

-Yes, chef.

-Have you worked with pastry before?

A little bit. Got to do it myself. I've got a small gastro pub in Devon and I do every section.

We work around the kitchen every day. There's only three of us.

-It's just hard work.

-It IS hard work. Yeah.

I didn't get these wrinkles and bags under my eyes from...

-Sunbathing.

-Exactly.

One day, you will have a face like this, too.

Ten minutes. That's all you've got.

Two minutes. Where did that go? Come on, guys.

That's it. Time's up.

I asked you to cook a classic beignet a la creme.

It should be crispy on the outside, soft on the inside,

and a beautiful garnish that enhances this beignet.

Martin, you first.

First off, presentation wise, I actually quite like this.

Looks appetising. There's a lot of work on this plate.

Your beignets are slightly under-cooked, not crisp enough.

They've held well and I like the shape that you've given them.

The pastry cream inside is sweet enough

and...fairly smooth.

The sauce you've given me is very, very tart.

Not quite right but, visually, I think it's very pleasing.

With a little bit more refinement it would have been spot-on,

but we're here for it to be perfect.

So, yeah, there is a little bit of work still to do on it.

Anton, now for you.

Can you tell me what happened here? We don't seem to have a beignet.

I looked back at the recipe and I didn't put the whole egg in, so it didn't set firm enough.

We've got scraps and runny creme pat.

I will have a taste.

I'll taste the scraps.

The batter is really light and crispy. The scraps are delicious.

Such a shame that the cream inside is totally liquid.

The raspberries, a little bit tart, the mango, sweet,

the crunch of the sugar caramel there would have worked.

Such a let-down not being able to have a beignet

to dip into the garnish.

Everyone makes mistakes

and if you don't learn from them, then you never get anywhere.

I've learnt today how to make beignets, so it's a good thing.

Simon, your turn.

Simon, I really like your presentation.

A bit of flare and it's colourful.

The beignets don't look the best. They're not the right shape.

Let's hope they taste better than they look.

Your mango sauce has got the right amount of acidity and sweetness.

It's fragrant. The praline adds another texture, lovely and smooth.

The raspberry coulis is delicious, got the right consistency.

And the rhubarb has got just the right amount of sugar.

The garnish - fab.

But the beignets are not right.

There's not enough tempura to make them puff up and really crisp.

The inside, I saw you cooking it, was liquid.

Do you know what went wrong when you weighed out or...?

Um... I think the...scales kind of...sort of changed a bit when I...

Hang on a minute. The scales' fault?

-No. It's my fault.

-You messed up on the amount of flour you put in.

What should be the star billing of the plate are a let-down.

The garnish, though - great.

Dessert's just not my forte.

I think I did the best I could do today, so got to be happy with that.

Nicky, now for you.

Presentation is just a little bit simple.

You've got your beignets in the middle, little twirl of caramel

and a criss-cross of rhubarb.

-It's not singing out to me.

-OK.

The beignets are really good. The creme patissiere is smooth.

There's enough flavour in there. A hint of orange, which I like.

The rhubarb, cooked to perfection.

Absolutely delicious.

The sauce brings another dimension

of sweet and sour to this dish, that the beignets need.

Very good attempt. I would say they're the best beignets on show.

Not the best garnish.

I think my presentation needs attention pretty fast,

cos I've got to get it right for the next task.

You've had a chance to cook MY classic, now it's your turn.

But you're not just impressing me, the professional chef.

You have to impress the diner.

You have got one hour. Off you go.

It's all to play for, you know. It's all down to this next dish.

I'll let myself and people that have taught me down if I get this dish wrong.

-Simon, what are you cooking for us?

-I'm cooking roast scallops

with truffle, celeriac puree, apple and smoked haddock.

It was the first dish that I learned that everything just worked and was almost perfect.

So this combination of foods was that moment in time when you said,

-"Yes!"

-"That's my style. That's how I want to plate my food." Yeah.

-What do you want today?

-I want to have all positive comments that the food tastes and looks fantastic.

-You want a culinary hug, don't you?

-I would love a culinary hug.

It's better than a telling off. MICHEL CHUCKLES

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

This dish that Simon is cooking is simplicity itself.

There's nowhere to hide.

It has to be bang-on.

Cooked to perfection, presented with elegance.

-Anton, what's your classic dish?

-It's a take on mackerel and gooseberries.

There's a lot more than mackerel and gooseberries.

I've seen Jersey royals, pickled onions, tomato chutney, capers,

apples, breadcrumbs and...

-Marmite.

-Explain.

-The tail gets wrapped in bread.

It gets a little Marmite through the butter.

-The apple puree goes on the plate and it's got a black pudding crumble.

-How did the dish evolve?

-Where was it born?

-In a sandwich at the beach when we went fishing with Dad.

-We had black pudding and mackerel.

-Inspired by an impromptu lunch with Dad.

-Yeah.

-I love that!

-How important is it that you go through?

-It's very important.

This is my livelihood, my reputation at stake.

-Go on. Make a name for yourself.

-Thank you very much.

Anton has got a lot of work to do in one hour.

He's got to fillet that fish and cook it in two different ways.

He's got a crumble that he's making with his black pudding.

He's got stuffed Jersey royals

and he's got a tomato relish with chorizo.

If he manages to get a half decent plate of food presented to us

I'll be surprised.

I'll get that dish on the plate.

If everything isn't ready to go, I'll leave an empty plate.

And I'll leave the competition. That's how serious it is.

You're halfway.

30 minutes between you and a quarterfinal.

-Nicky, what are you cooking for us?

-Rack of lamb

with a smoked bacon and porcini mousseline with some basil,

red wine sauce and spring vegetables.

Basil and smokey bacon and cep - three very strong flavours.

-Yes.

-Have you tried this before?

-Yes.

-Hm. The mousseline, how are you doing that?

The bacon's whisked up with egg white

then poached in lamb stock, like little quenelles.

-So a lot of classic technique.

-Yes.

-And classic combinations.

-Yes.

-I'll let you into a secret. I LOVE rack of lamb.

-Mm-hm?

-Don't mess it up, Nicky. No pressure(!)

-Trying not to!

You know me, Michel. A bit of beautiful pink lamb, I'm there.

I'm sold.

But Nicky is playing with strong flavours and needs to be careful.

It's important at this stage to produce something that's good

without giving yourself three million things to do and not getting it done.

For me, it's a good, honest dish that does include some techniques,

but showing off food at its best.

-Martin, what classic dish are you cooking?

-I'm doing my take on asparagus and poached egg.

-Asparagus and poached egg?

-Yes.

-Apart from asparagus and egg, you have another 27 ingredients!

Yes! It's obviously not going to be just poached egg, asparagus.

I'm going to do truffle mayonnaise, celeriac remoulade,

-a few pickled vegetables.

-Did I not see a supreme of duck earlier?

-Yes.

Then there will be a little duck tartare.

-How much would you like your food to take you through?

-It would mean everything to me.

I may not come across as the most passionate person, but I've been doing this for a long time.

-It's all I've ever wanted to do and I'm not going down without a fight.

-Well said.

Martin's got lots of things that I want to eat.

He's got asparagus. He's got an egg. He's also got duck.

But I have absolutely no idea how Martin's going to bring those together into one dish.

At the moment, it sounds like a mini buffet.

I think this dish is good enough. It shows a lot of techniques.

I could over-boil the egg, split the mayonnaise,

but it's something that I'm quite comfortable doing.

This is your last five minutes!

Just over two minutes, so it's got to start going on the plate.

Stop!

Time's up.

'Martin's duck egg has been coated in breadcrumbs

'and served on a bed of grated celeriac

'together with duck tartare topped with micro cress,

'shavings of truffle and asparagus

'and three types of pickled carrot - white, purple and orange.'

I love it. All the little bits

paying homage to the egg god in the middle, I think is fantastic.

Really fantastic.

-You were making some mayonnaise earlier. It's not on the plate.

-No.

It split on me so, rather than panicking,

just leave it out the dish, hold my hands up

and, hopefully, the rest of the flavours don't suffer because of it.

To be honest, I think it does need that mayonnaise

to bind the celeriac together and to give it a kick.

The egg is only just cooked. There's a bit of egg white that hasn't set.

Which is...not too appealing.

The tartare needs a bit more punch.

It needs a bit of mustard or something to lift it up.

The pickles are nice. They add a crunch and a bit of acidity.

It's...a great idea, but it's lacking in seasoning and it really did need that mayonnaise.

I have to completely agree with Michel.

It doesn't deliver flavour at the real high end.

It remains nice, and you want more than "nice".

You want "superb". I wouldn't send it back.

I'd happily eat it, but it's not memorable.

I'm not here to make up the numbers.

I'd rather try things and they not work, than not try them at all.

'Simon's roast scallops have been served with truffle shavings,

'flakes of smoked haddock, apple juliennes and parsley shoots,

'accompanied by celery foam,

'celeriac puree and a beurre noisette.'

Simon, I think this plate looks beautiful. Very appetising.

Very pleasing. Very neat. Modern presentation at its best.

I think you've judged it very well.

The smoked haddock is just there as a little taste of smokiness.

The scallops are beautifully cooked.

The celeriac puree is silky smooth. It's velvet.

I like this dish a lot. Classic flavours.

Classic combinations. Well executed.

This is absolute knock-out.

Honestly, mate, that is just superb.

Thank you. Means a lot.

As a young chef, to have them comments is a big confidence boost.

As far as the previous rounds, just draw a line under that.

This is what I do and this is who I am.

So stand up and be counted, really.

'Nicky has cooked roasted rack of lamb on a fondant potato

'and served it with porcini, bacon and basil mousseline,

'asparagus, broad beans, peas and a red wine sauce.'

I love the colours. They're vibrant. They're great.

I can see, also, that you've prepared this lamb beautifully.

You've obviously got butchery skills.

I do think it looks crowded on that plate.

A larger plate would have been better.

When you roast a rack of lamb and then present it as cut chops,

you should always take off that little layer,

so it looks to the customer that they have the best part, the centre cut.

Your lamb has been well cooked. It's well seasoned.

It's pink and moist.

Pomme fondant - moist, buttery, lacking a hint of seasoning.

Vegetables, beautifully cooked, beautifully seasoned.

-The mousseline, lots of flavour in there, but is a little watery.

-Mm.

Little bit...water-logged.

In parts, you're showing off good skills, good cooking,

but I'm not sure it all works together.

Love your lamb. You've got a crack of pepper across there. Love it!

And I really like your sauce, sweet peas, sweet broad beans. Classic.

My biggest issue here is the asparagus.

There's no way you would ever serve it with a red wine sauce.

-It just doesn't taste right.

-OK.

I think you've got a mixed bag here.

You've got a mixed bag.

There were some positive comments amongst it,

but if I did get through I'd have some serious work to do.

'For his classic dish, Anton has made mackerel two ways -

'a pan-fried fillet

'and a deep-fried tail wrapped in bread spread with Marmite

'on top of a chorizo, tomato and gooseberry jam.

'He's also made Jersey royals stuffed with capers and chives

'and served with apple puree, samphire,

'black pudding crumble, relishes, pickled onions,

'pea shoots and gooseberries.'

That looks fantastic! That looks absolutely fantastic!

You've taken a humble mackerel and given it superstar status.

I hope that tastes as good as it looks, cos I just LOVE that.

As a customer, mate, that is an absolute triumph.

A little bit of apple with black pudding that gives it earthiness. Beautifully sweet.

Lovely bit of mackerel. I LOVE your jam!

The sweet jam with a little bit of smokey chorizo.

You've then got a treat of really creamy potatoes

that have got a slight citrus.

It's just lovely. It's like a box of presents, a box of little gifts.

There's a lot going on on this plate with the pickled onion,

the gooseberries, the jam, a lot of acidity.

You just about get away with it. Balance-wise, you're just there.

Textures, fantastic. You've got soft and creamy.

You've got crunchy. It's all there. It's a clever dish.

I like your imagination. I like where you're going.

It was good. It's a hard dish. I'm knackered.

I asked them to step it up and they did. That was great cooking.

There were touches of brilliance there.

For me, the best dish here today was Simon's scallops.

I mean, that was stunning.

I don't know if you noticed, but I ate it all.

-It was LOVELY!

-That was top-notch cooking.

Simon in the last round got the beignets completely wrong,

but his presentation was very good.

Not only that, but his garnish was superb.

I really liked Anton's mackerel. Where he had the bit of bread...

-LAUGHING:

-..with the tail sticking out, I thought it was great!

You were worried it was a bit acidic.

But it put a big smile on my face and I enjoyed eating it.

He needed a big round, because when he tried to cook my classic recipe,

he just fell to bits.

The beignet was non-existent and his presentation wasn't much better.

Martin gave us the most extraordinary looking plate.

It was the kind of dish you would find in a high-class restaurant.

But it was a disappointment when you got to taste it.

It needed more guts.

In my classic round, Martin did a very good beignet.

The batter was slightly under-cooked but the presentation was very good.

I'd like to think I'd go through but, realistically,

I think some of the other guys probably did better.

Nicky cooked my favourite meat.

She did a beautiful rack of lamb and cooked it with real care.

Unfortunately, red wine sauce and asparagus doesn't work.

And there was a fundamental mistake. Those mousselines were horrible.

In my classic round, Nicky made the best beignets.

They were lovely, but presentation was still too simple

and lacked a bit of finesse.

Which is very much what she did in the next round.

It would just be amazing to stay in the competition.

As you get on, you want to carry on doing more and more.

It's been a very topsy turvy day. They've all had their ups and downs.

But one of them's got to go.

One of them's got to go.

This is a tough one, Gregg but, for me,

there's one that just doesn't quite make it.

Well, I'll tell you what,

I thought your own food was absolutely stunning.

But that made our decision really hard.

We have made a decision, and the chef leaving us is...

..Nicky.

It's been really tough.

It's much tougher than it looks!

There's very few people that get through even to this stage,

or even get to cook for Michel Roux Jr.

So it's been a huge honour. It's been brilliant.

Well done. You are our quarterfinalists.

I've never felt like this before. It's a beautiful feeling.

Just over-joyed to be, you know, still in.

I feel fantastic, yeah. On top of the world.

Head down for the next stage, really.

There's way more to come from me. I'm not a one-dish pony.

'Tomorrow night, the remaining five will battle to impress Monica.'

It's difficult to watch you struggle.

It's not been done right, whatever it is you were trying to do.

'Only the best will cook for Michel Roux Jr...

'..for the chance of a place in the quarterfinal.'

There's some very clever cooking here,

but it's those tiny mistakes that the customer sees.

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