MasterChef is back...
Boom!
..with 45 of the country's most ambitious home cooks.
Ah!
Stressing.
Each week, nine will battle for a coveted place
in the quarterfinal.
Oh! Oh, my God.
Stress. Stress. Oh!
I can't believe it!
Chronic!
I absolutely love it.
Eh! Dib dab. That's fab.
Only the strongest will make it to the final challenges
and the culinary adventure of a lifetime...
It's all about the speed now. OK?
Phwoar! It's a piece of art.
Cheers.
Whoa!
We need to pick up the pace, please. ..as they compete for the title
of MasterChef Champion 2023.
We want passion, drive, ambition.
We want beautiful food.
Let the culinary battle commence.
It's early morning, and the first nine home cooks in this year's
competition arrive for their MasterChef audition.
I'm full of excitement, nerves.
I've dreamed of being in the MasterChef kitchen since,
I think, I was 11 years old.
I don't know how I'm going to be able to sort of cope under pressure.
But we'll see. I'm here for it.
I'm very competitive. I love throwing myself into the deep end
and testing myself.
That's when you learn more about yourself.
You grow.
So, yeah, I'm taking this competition seriously.
Hello. And a warm welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.
Who knows?
This could be the start of an amazing adventure.
Your chance to show us your culinary genius.
This we call the audition round.
You've all brought in your own ingredients, and we've asked
you to take a family favourite and make it MasterChef worthy.
You'll be cooking for Gregg and I, but we will not be watching you.
We'll be in the dining room tasting your food.
We can only judge you on that plate of food.
When John and I have tasted every dish,
we will choose our three favourites.
And the cooks of those dishes will get themselves an apron and go
straight through to the next round.
The six of you that are left will have to cook again
for four remaining aprons.
You'll have 1 hour and 20 minutes to cook your dish.
And our MasterChef floor manager will be keeping you to time.
We wish you the very best of luck. We'll see you soon.
Wow.
This is crazy. Absolutely crazy.
I'm very much looking forward to this. Yeah, me, too.
What do we got? Exciting.
Breathe, Vanessa. You all right? Yeah. Breathe.
Essentials, you know?
LAUGHTER
I think there's a few nerves in there, but nervous energy is good.
There's a lot of emotions running around.
My hands are shaking a bit.
I just want to get stuck in.
This is very much like a restaurant experience.
All we care about is the plate that's delivered in front of us.
I'm fairly confident.
I would never say I'm overconfident.
I've got four daughters saying, "Come on, Mommy!"
Mate, seeing the aprons in real life,
I could literally walk away with one of those today.
Crazy stuff. Absolutely crazy stuff.
The contestants will cook in groups of three and have
one hour and 20 minutes to make their family favourite
MasterChef worthy.
I'd rather go later than first, I think.
Yeah, me too.
Oh, no, I wish I was just first up to get it all out the way.
Yeah, absolutely.
I'm feeling a bit nervous, but I'm good.
I'm ready to cook. I'm good to go.
First up will be 30-year-old accountant Terri from Warwick,
who grew up in Northern Ireland and found a passion for cooking
at a young age.
I first started getting into cooking when I was about five.
My dad was a chef, so, yeah, he first taught me how to cook,
making pancakes on a Saturday morning and that kind of thing.
But, yeah, he died when I was quite young, so I've never had the chance to cook for him.
But I spend a lot of time kind of cooking for, you know,
for my family, for my partner.
It's, you know, it's a big part of our life.
Terri's got crab tortellini with a fish and saffron veloute,
served with chive and parsley oil, garnished with rainbow trout caviar.
That's a family favourite? Wow.
So a crab pasta is something I eat with my family on, like,
a Friday night.
It's very much, you know, a shop-bought pasta with a tin
of crab on top. So, hopefully, this will stand miles apart from that.
This is a very ambitious dish.
She's got to make sure that her pasta is really fine
so that when the ends of the tortellini join up,
they're not too thick. I'm not a pasta master.
It's a bit of a risk, but hopefully it'll pay off.
It's most certainly a skill.
This isn't working at all, is it?
Ah!
I've got my pasta stuck in the machine. Just trying to get
it out now before I can start again.
Stress. Stress. Absolutely.
Fingers crossed we will have pasta.
Are you all right, Matthew? Yeah, not too bad.
Trying to do as much as I can as possible within the time
that we've got. How are you looking?
It could be better. You've got this.
33-year-old Matthew is an IT project coordinator
from Wolverhampton and comes from a Caribbean family
where Jamaican flavours are at the heart of the household.
When you taste a certain Caribbean food, it's nostalgia.
So it just gives you that memory of being a young kid,
having the family around. It's a party in my mouth.
I just feel it in my soul. Like, "That is it,
"I can taste it."
What we've got here is a real Caribbean classic.
We've got ackee and saltfish. It's a dish that's close to my heart.
My grandad always used to make it.
This is the ackee, and it's a fruit, and this is what makes the dish.
With coconut and lime rice.
Going to need a dustpan and brush here.
HE LAUGHS
Fried dumpling. Hmm!
And mango.
It just screams Caribbean sunshine.
I like to incorporate a bit of spice. Sweet tomato.
The judges will be dancing after this, or going Carnival.
HE LAUGHS
Next up is 41-year-old Malaysian-born Woei...
I'm sweating at the moment.
MATTHEW LAUGHS
..who works as a supermarket manager
and lives in Bristol with his wife and daughter.
My daughter is my biggest food critic.
She's, like, very honest.
And if she would say, "Oh, it's very spicy," I will cook it again
to get the flavour and the balance right, until she say,
"It's good, Daddy."
Woei's dish sounds to me like a deconstructed curry.
Turmeric and chicken roll, served with a tomato sauce and basmati rice
and tempura curry leaves.
Never had that before.
It's a dish I cook a lot,
but it's very rustic, very, very comfort food, as well.
What I'm trying to do is just take everything apart and make
it like...fine dining.
You roll up a piece of chicken - that means in the middle's
got to be cooked all the way through.
This should be awesome.
We will see.
Getting somewhere. Sorted out my pasta machine issues, hopefully.
Terri, you've got 15 minutes.
A little bit up against it for time.
Just trying to get the right amount to fill in so they can taste it.
So I just need to get them on the plate now and I'll be happy.
Terri, that's time.
Oh, good luck. Thanks, guys.
Oh! That looks incredible. It looks amazing.
Hello! Hello.
Whoa.
Accountant Terri's audition dish is crab tortellini,
served in a fish and saffron veloute,
with a parsley and chive oil,
garnished with cress and rainbow trout caviar.
Your pasta is thin.
The filling of the crab inside is good.
And those salty trout caviar are lovely.
But you can be a bit bolder here, I feel. OK.
Definitely that sauce needs some more seasoning in it, but I think
a lot of skill in here.
I like your ambition a lot. I really do.
Thank you.
I like the mellow flavour of fish that's coming from your veloute.
And also a little bit of subtle saffron.
I think this tastes very good.
Terri, it's a good start. A really good start.
Thank you. Thank you. Cheers.
That was intense.
I'm feeling a bit like this is all an out-of-body experience.
Elated. Emotional. Yeah, everything.
I hope John and Gregg appreciate the effort I'm going to
to make these fried dumplings.
HE LAUGHS
Matthew, you've got five minutes until you need to serve up.
Perfect.
Well, not perfect, but...
HE LAUGHS
For Jamaican cuisine, it is posh.
You've not seen anything like it.
Matthew, that's time up.
Yep.
Whey!
I can't actually believe I'm actually here.
IT project coordinator Matthew has served ackee and saltfish
with coconut and lime rice, fried dumpling
and an onion tuile,
finished with mango and coriander puree.
Matthew, that is the prettiest and the smartest ackee and saltfish
I've ever seen.
That tastes fantastic.
Coriander, chilli, the saltfish, the ackee is slippery and beautiful,
but it's that almost sweet dumpling biscuit at the base that holds
it all together.
And then you put a little bit of that mango on there, as well,
giving it almost like a ketchup sweetness.
There is absolutely nothing would stop me demolishing that plate
and asking for another one.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm really impressed.
Your rice is cooked beautifully in the middle.
You've got the sweet red peppers and sweet onions running through it.
This is the best ackee and saltfish I've ever eaten.
Oh, my gosh.
Ever.
It's fantastic.
I do not know what to say. I do not know what to say.
Like, I've dreamed of moments like this.
Thanks, Matthew, very much indeed. Thank you very much. Cheers.
Oh, my gosh!
Early days, I know, but I'm desperate to see what else
he can do now.
I made the best ackee and saltfish ever on MasterChef.
That's made my year. Absolutely made my year.
I'm happy. They're holding in to the shape.
I'm going to pan-fry it and do a skin that's crispy.
Woei, you've got five minutes. Under control. Don't worry.
The sauce is done.
Hopefully don't blow John and Gregg away with the heat.
HE CHUCKLES
There's the rice with the butterfly pea flower water,
which is like a natural blue colour on it.
Woei, mate, you've got 30 seconds. We need to move, please.
To win an apron,
supermarket manager Woei has cooked chicken marinated in turmeric,
served with a tomato and chilli sauce,
blue basmati rice and tempura curry leaves.
I love that sauce.
Rich and buttery, sweet with tomato, nice chilli heat running
through the back of it. That's great.
The thing with the curry leaf, it's nice and crispy,
but because they are curry leaves, they stay quite greasy.
Your rice is wonderful.
It's really light. It's really fluffy.
I have issues with this chicken.
There is a pink tinge inside my bits of chicken,
which are putting me off.
They're undercooked.
Not all of it, but enough to make me uncomfortable.
A lot of stress in there. So, yeah, I'm glad it's all done.
You have to learn how to take criticism, as well.
Resilience is the most important part of life.
Back in the kitchen,
the next three competitors are under way with their audition dishes.
Ooh! Watch your eyebrows.
Perhaps I should watch mine.
SHE CHUCKLES
Mum-of-four Geva is a local government councillor and lives
in the Scottish Highlands with her husband.
Right, that's that.
My love of cooking really began when I met this very tall,
6'7" man with blue eyes who was to become my husband.
And he told me he liked puddings and cakes.
And I thought, "Right, well, I've got to learn to cook."
And that's what I did.
Geva is definitely taking us to Scotland with this dish.
We've got haggis, neeps and tatties. Rather than the traditional
neeps and tatties,
I'm going to give Gregg and John a present.
So it's going to be in a parcel, wrapped up.
And then it's going to be served with a hollandaise sauce.
That could work for me, because I like a sauce with my haggis.
When the children were younger, I did cook this dish quite a lot.
And then one night I woke up and I thought, "Actually, I know
"what I want. I want hollandaise sauce to cut through the richness."
My husband said, "You can't do hollandaise sauce with haggis."
I said, "I can."
And here we are...
..hollandaise sauce made in the microwave.
Right. 600ml.
Also competing for an apron is 36-year-old anti-piracy manager
Vanessa from London, who grew up eating different foods
from all over the world.
My cooking is really inspired by life experiences, so born
to Goan parents,
I've travelled to sort of 50 countries now, and I take bits
from places I like and put it all together.
I am doing a pineapple crumble, not as you know it.
So it's heavily spiced with tamarind, red chilli, ginger,
cloves, a coconut crumble topping, and then a lime leaf
and coconut milk. Creme anglaise.
Who doesn't love a crumble and custard?
This dish is a family favourite, mainly because my dad came
to this country at the age of 12, and at school was really the first
time that he got to experience British classic puddings.
He loves an apple crumble.
Mm. That's got a kick.
This is a pretty eclectic dish, isn't it?
Hopefully this is a crumble on another level.
I definitely want to taste those spices and flavourings.
I mean, this could be really delicious.
Given that a blitz. That should be good. Yeah.
31-year-old Jonny works as a product trainer for a technology
company and lives in Hebburn in County Durham.
It's not the cleanest job in the world.
Jonny - roast chicken ssam served with ginger
and spring onion sauce, ssam sauce, kimchi and cucumber salad.
The word ssam is Korean and means "to wrap".
So this is basically the combination of my favourite things,
which is Korean flavours, which are super funky, super fresh,
combined with classic British cooking.
I don't know how Jonny is going to serve the roast chicken,
but I'll tell you what, right now, it's actually making my mouth water.
John and Gregg are going to literally get a whole chicken.
They're then going to get the lettuce cups.
They're going to get the kimchi and all this separate
and make their own lettuce cups and eat them how they want.
The reason I'm doing it in a pressure cooker is,
first things first, we have a time constraint,
but the pressure cooker itself
will keep it moist. It'll keep it flavourful.
Street food is absolutely what I want to do, and I think
it just shows a more playful side to food that's out there.
Wrap it all up. Smash it in. Class.
Mm! Delicious.
That kimchi has to be strong and sharp.
Ssam sauce should have a good chilli kick to it.
Jonny, how are you getting on?
Panicking a little bit.
Chicken's not come up to pressure yet, which is a little bit worrying.
Because I need 40 minutes in here...
..once it's come to pressure.
So I'm hoping that'll be enough time.
The hollandaise is just not working.
It's turned into scrambled eggs.
Geva, you've got five.
Yeah. Can I have another egg, and I'll start again very quickly?
I think the microwave might have been too hot.
Helps not to put the shell in there.
Turn that right down to low this time.
I better start plating.
Geva, you've got one minute.
We'll grab the hollandaise on the way round.
Still hasn't worked.
It's just not thickening.
I'm just going to try and present it as pretty as I can and hope
the flavours are there.
Let's get it out, please. Thank you.
Well done, Geva. Well done.
Hi, Geva. Hello.
I've brought you a present from Scotland.
JOHN CHUCKLES
Government councillor Geva has made haggis wrapped in filo pastry,
served with swede duchess potatoes and a hollandaise sauce.
I love that haggis.
It's peppery.
And there is a hint of smoky whisky about it, as well.
Your duchess potatoes are nicely made.
They are creamy
and you've managed to get a crust on the top of them.
The hollandaise is a disaster.
If it hasn't worked, don't serve it. OK.
Your filo pastry is crisp on the outside.
And then when you have it with the neeps and tatties,
you have the flavour of a really good pasty.
But we cannot ignore the fact the hollandaise hasn't worked.
They enjoyed my food.
And, you know, from two people like John and Gregg,
that's a hell of a compliment.
I'll probably not get an apron because of my hollandaise,
but I'll just keep battling on.
Vanessa, you've got five minutes. Great.
So I have the pineapple ready.
The crumble topping is good to go.
And my creme anglaise is ready.
I'm autistic, so I like things that are very structured.
I like to stick to timings, I like routines.
So, at the moment, it's all going to plan and it's great, but please
don't throw any curveballs at me.
There we go.
All right, let's go.
Anti-piracy manager Vanessa's pudding is pineapple spiced
with tamarind, cardamom, chilli, ginger and cloves,
topped with coconut crumble and served with a yuzu gel and coconut
and lime leaf creme anglaise.
This has the makings of something quite majestic. Lovely, soft fruit
cooked really, really well with a lovely, crumbly top
which is not too sweet.
And the two of those coming together is great.
This creme anglaise with coconut milk and lime leaf is stunning.
I think it's exciting.
I admire what you're doing, but I wouldn't mind
it being a little more subtle so that I got more pineapple.
But you've got great ideas.
I'm feeling really relieved.
I'm just very happy that I didn't crumble under pressure.
Excuse the pun.
So my chicken actually did come up to pressure.
Hallelujah.
Oh. Oh, my God. That looks good.
The relief. It is good. It is ready.
I'm hoping that by putting it in a pan with the butter and basting it,
very much like you would do with a steak, it will brown it up.
Come on. Heat, heat, heat, heat, heat!
Jonny. Yes. Two minutes. Let's finish plating up.
We should be good to go.
Whoa!
All right? How's it going?
Brilliant!
I don't know what I expected, but I did not expect that.
So the idea is that we wrap it, is that right? Yes.
Technology product trainer Jonny has served a lime and spring
onion buttered chicken...
Shall I pull it apart, Mr Wallace? Go on, love.
..in lettuce wraps with kimchi and a pickled cucumber salad,
served with ginger and spring onion sauce
and a Korean chilli ssam sauce.
Oh, Jonny. Is it pink? Oh, yeah. Oh, dear.
The breast is edible. That's fine.
Your red sauce here has got a sweet smokiness.
A little bit of chilli, as well.
The kimchi is not quite as powerful, but you still got a little bit
of almost salty fizz fermenting on there. That's good.
But that chicken, in parts, is a little too pink.
We're eating it, but we're picking around there.
It needed more cooking.
I like your cucumber salad.
I think that's lovely, and a good proper whack of just grated ginger
with that spring onion, really nice.
Your chicken's not cooked enough.
But I think it's a really nice idea. Thank you.
I felt pretty confident all the way through. And then for the chicken to not be fully cooked,
there's no other word for it - it's gutting. It really is.
It's now down to the final three auditionees
to impress John and Gregg.
I cannot believe I'm actually in the MasterChef kitchen cooking.
26-year-old technology startup manager Zoe from Aberdeenshire
is inspired to cook by her mum.
Whenever I'm up on the Isle of Skye visiting my mum, we always go out
and catch fish or fresh langoustines and cook for everyone.
So our time in the kitchen is really special.
Zoe's up next and we have got festive lobster risotto
topped with lobster emulsion and a truffle sauce.
My partner is Italian and this is his favourite dish
and this is the dish that we get out at Christmas time.
So definitely a decadent dish for sure.
Who doesn't love lobster and truffle, you know?
Served in a lobster bisque.
So I just want to get, like, all the amazing flavour
from the lobster heads and everything into the bisque.
In an hour and 20 minutes, making a lobster bisque and truffle sauce
and doing a risotto -
Zoe is going to have to work really quickly.
A lot of skill here, if Zoe can pull it off.
So far, so good.
JO: Who doesn't like garlic?
Apart from Dracula.
56-year-old Jo is an award-winning CEO
of her own recruitment company
and lives with her partner and children in Huddersfield.
Recruitment is very, very fast-paced. It's really pressurised.
So I started cooking to kind of wind down and it made me relax
and I just got into it and I loved it.
If this is Jo's family favourite, then some of her family
may come from Yorkshire and some of them may come from India.
Everybody in West Yorkshire loves a curry, so I thought I would make
a champaran lamb handi curry with rice.
Champaran, as far as I know, is very, very hot and I love that.
The handi is pastry that goes across the top of the curry dish.
The dough will seal the pot
and therefore the meat will be even more tender.
I've been using Indian flavours for years and I've invented
a flat, spicy Yorkshire pudding instead of a naan bread.
Spicy Yorkshire puddings. Now, there's something I haven't seen.
So in the batter I've added coriander, cumin, garlic, chilli.
I know they both like a bit of spice.
This should be absolutely bursting with flavour
and I hope enough chilli to bring a sweat on my brow.
It's gone down a storm each time, apart from once
when I put too many chillies in and somebody's lips went blue.
Oh.
Muy rico!
Last to Audition is 31-year-old delivery driver Nickolas,
who enjoys cooking dishes from his heritage
for his fiancee and five-year-old daughter.
I was born in Caracas. I came over when I was one,
and Venezuelan cooking was always something that was in the house.
And I just want to champion that and sort of show John and Gregg
the real Latin flair - full spice, full flavour, full passion.
Hopefully they're going to love it.
Venezuelan corn-fed chicken
on a bed of black beans with pancetta,
roasted yellow pepper and jalapeno puree
served with lemon and coriander-infused rice.
Wow.
This dish I started since I was eight. So my mum had two jobs,
so I had to cook dinner by myself.
So this has been in development for a long time. I'm not going to lie,
when I was eight, it wasn't that good.
But I think I've got to a point where I'm proud of it, you know?
So better get it right.
Jalapeno puree. I'd like it to have a little bit of a whack.
Oh, it's a lovely colour. That's worked out well.
# La-la-la-la, la la la! #
Look at that. Whoo, baby! Let's see how it turns out.
How much longer have I got? You got ten minutes.
That looks amazing. My bisque isn't quite as good as it is at home,
so I'm a bit annoyed with that.
I'm going to bribe them with truffle.
Technology-startup manager Zoe's dish is a lobster risotto
topped with a lobster emulsion,
chives and samphire,
drizzled with black truffle sauce and served in a lobster bisque.
Your lobster's cooked beautifully. It's not tough or chewy.
I think your risotto rice is cooked very, very nicely.
The issue here is that we've got two very classic dishes,
a bisque and a risotto.
And, actually, they don't belong together.
Putting risotto in a soup, it's going to turn to soup.
Your bisque, you are getting there.
You're getting that almost sweetness.
You're getting a little bit of the smokiness,
but it needs more work. It probably needs more time.
But I am really impressed by your knowledge and your ambition.
I was really annoyed with my bisque
because it always tastes so amazing at home.
But hopefully that's enough to bag that apron. So we'll see.
Right, here we go for the Yorkshire pudding.
If it's a little bit crispy, with it being a batter, it's much nicer.
OK, Jo, this is the last minute.
The curry is looking good.
I hope they get all the spices. That's what I hope.
Recruitment company CEO Jo
has cooked a champaran lamb handi curry
served with spiced Yorkshire puddings, green basmati rice
and a cucumber, tomato and onion Indian kachumber salad.
I am loving putting a little bit of that lamb inside your slightly
spiced Yorkshire pudding and dipping it into the curry sauce,
I am loving it. In fact,
nearly all the lamb's gone and the Yorkshire puddings are gone.
Well done. Thank you. Well done. But the rice is undercooked.
It's hard and it's also watery.
The Yorkshire puddings,
I really would have loved those to be big and puffy,
but they seem to me to be more like a pancake, a flat pancake.
And because of that, they're going slightly greasy.
Jo, I think the concept of this dish is wonderful,
but the execution is not quite there. Thank you.
I know how to cook rice. I'm so cross with myself.
I think it's easy to make mistakes when you're under such pressure.
Mate, five minutes.
Itchy bum... No, squeaky bum time. Sorry.
We don't want that.
Sensational. Really good. Happy with that.
I want one of the Gregg Wallace, like, trademark grins.
That would be great. There's a feel-good factor in that.
Done. Yeah. Service.
Hello, gents. Hey.
Delivery driver Nickolas has made roasted Venezuelan chicken
cooked in a chilli tomato sauce
with lemon and coriander-infused rice, black beans and pancetta
and a yellow pepper and jalapeno puree.
Big lumps of garlic in there. Oh, no.
A bit of star anise. Yeah, I was looking for it.
I thought it was still in the pan.
I really like your flavours. I get a little bit of chilli,
a bit of sweetness of tomato, smokiness of the beans.
I'm getting a little saltiness from the ham, as well.
Really like the chicken skin being so crispy,
but we've got to bring a bit of refinement to it.
Not leaving a lump of star anise in there,
not leaving chunks of garlic as big as your thumb in there.
That yellow pepper jalapeno puree, I really like.
That's the star of the show. Rice is cooked very, very well.
The tomato sauce - a bit more, please. But I like it.
I think it tastes good. Thank you.
Oh, honestly, the adrenaline is just, like, running through me.
I think they really loved the Latin and Venezuelan vibe
that I had going on. It makes me really proud.
HE EXHALES
Personally, I've loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
And I think we've got some brilliant cooks.
Nobody's shying away from flavour, that's for sure.
This is really promising.
But there were errors on dishes here that were impossible to ignore.
A split hollandaise.
Undercooked rice.
And undercooked chicken.
There's one person that really, really impressed.
But as for the rest, who do you reward?
Because those four are good cooks, all of them really ambitious.
We had some great food.
We also had a few issues,
but we think this was a pretty decent standard.
Well done, all of you.
We have just three aprons to give.
There was one cook today who gave us something quite individual.
An outstanding dish without faults.
Matthew, congratulations. You got yourself an apron.
Well done, man.
Ackee and saltfish like no other.
One other person really stood out for Gregg and I.
Huge amounts of process.
Terri, congratulations. You've got yourself an apron. Thank you.
Good on you. Really good.
There was one person who really dared to be different.
The only person to cook a dessert.
Vanessa, congratulations. You got yourself an apron.
Matthew, Terri, Vanessa, please come and get your MasterChef aprons.
Oh, my gosh. Guys, you did it.
I am buzzing. Well done. High five.
How does it look?
I can't believe it, to be honest. I mean, this is the whole reason
we came here but I still can't believe I'm in an apron.
It's magical. Oh, it's amazing. It's an amazing feeling.
Well done, guys.
We understand that you may well be disappointed.
That's OK. You have another chance.
Show us what you're made of. Show us your skill. Get yourself an apron.
This is a MasterChef invention test.
Behind us, there is a plethora of ingredients.
And from those, we want you to cook for us one dish.
It could be sweet. It could be savoury.
It could be whatever you want it to be.
Just make it delicious.
There are only four aprons, which means, of course, two of you,
sadly, will be leaving the competition.
Ladies and gentlemen, come up and get your ingredients.
There must be something you really want badly.
Scary.
I'm used to picking ingredients at home, but this is MasterChef,
so it's a bit different.
With the ingredients laid out on these tables,
their benches can take us to anywhere in the world.
I'm shaking out of my skin!
HE LAUGHS
But I've got a game plan.
They've got mackerel, prawns.
There's some mince, fruit, vegetables, spices.
And if they want to go sweet there's even chocolate and pastry.
The problem is, can they control their nerves
and concentrate and get one great dish?
Oh! I'm feeling terrified.
I'm just a little bit worried about the time but I'm just going
to get everything I need, run back to my bench and try and smash it out
as quickly as possible.
Right, you've chosen your ingredients. 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Get yourself an apron.
I'm not going to lie.
Like, an invention test is absolutely terrifying.
But making stuff up on the spot is a good strength for me
because I'm a dad and I've got to feed my girls.
So, fingers crossed, really.
When we said come and get your ingredients,
you actually ran to the bench. I was ready to barge people, to be fair.
HE LAUGHS
Um...I want this so bad. What's your dish, please, my friend?
So I'm going to do pan-fried prawns with a prawn bisque
and sauteed samphire. Wow.
But I want to show that I can cook with French technique.
And if you want to be a really good cook, you've got to have that down.
Are you putting yourself under a bit of pressure here?
To succeed in life, you've got to put yourself under pressure.
Otherwise you won't get anything out of it. Nickolas, I love the passion.
Nickolas has chosen the biggest, most beautiful prawns ever.
He needs to make sure those prawns
are completely cooked all the way through.
The bisque, lovely flavour of the shells, the prawns
with shallots and garlic, and that's wonderful.
But Nickolas is being really brave here cos we've only got three things
on our plate and those three things have to be absolutely perfect.
HE LAUGHS
I just want John to smile and say that it's OK, and I'll be honoured.
What are you making for us, Jo?
I'm making meatballs with chorizo in a red wine spicy sauce.
And I'm going to serve that with some rainbow carrots
and some garlic roast potatoes.
You run your own company, right? Mm-hm. Are you competitive?
It's not about taking part. It's about winning.
And I used to get told off by the teachers at school
when I used to say that to my children. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Wow.
You've got to go for it, haven't you, Gregg?
I love meatballs, but I still think of meatballs going with something
like pasta or rice or mashed potato.
How are we going to take up that sauce from those meatballs
with roast potatoes and roasted carrots?
I think it's a fine line between playing it safe
and showcasing your skill set.
So I do believe that simple dishes that taste fantastic
get a lot of people through.
Desperate for that apron.
Zoe's making Sicilian dumplings.
We've got a pasta dough not made with eggs
but made with water and olive oil.
And then inside that, she's got mashed potato with goat's cheese
and Parmesan cheese, chopped-up basil and mint.
Amazing.
Served in tomato sauce, lots of tomatoes, shallots,
with some olive oil. This is really exciting from Zoe.
Good? Yes. Just a little bit more salt and then we're there.
You are staying with this Italian theme.
I'm a huge fan of Italian food. It's definitely my favourite cuisine.
Whenever we go over there - which is a couple of times a year -
we always starve ourselves beforehand so we can just gorge
out on everything.
You're over halfway.
You've got about 30 minutes.
I'm going to push it. Certainly going to push it.
I definitely feel like I've got something to prove.
It's a chance for redemption.
This round, I just smash it out and give them the very best of me.
I'm giving you a tahini pecan dark chocolate brownie
and brown sugar ice cream. Wow!
So, usually, I've done these with miso, to give a real savoury punch.
There is no miso for us today, so I figure if I go for tahini, it is something that's going to give me
that nice flavour profile to go with it. How much do you now want an apron?
More than anything. Like, not to be harsh to these guys,
but I want to beat each and every one of them. Sorry, guys.
Jonny's got a brown sugar ice cream. Wonderful.
But Jonny is right up against the clock.
His first sort of custard to make ice cream was curdled,
and he's going to have to start all over again.
Took my eye off it for two seconds and it boiled.
I just hope he's got enough time for it to churn.
The ice cream's got to go in the churner...
Well, it's meant to go in for 30 minutes. I've got 23 left.
It's going in for as long as it can.
Jonny's using tahini to make his brownie.
He said he's used miso before.
They might taste similar, but they're completely different things,
completely different textures, made in completely different ways.
If it works, fantastic. But it's a big if.
Woei is making for us an Asian broth
with rice noodles and a piece of mackerel. Fabulous.
He filleted that mackerel perfectly, took all the bones,
all the trimmings and made a lovely stock.
And to that, he's added a mixture of galangal, chilli, lemongrass.
They're big, big flavours.
Getting that balance right is really difficult.
Woei, your bench smells fantastic. Oh, thank you.
This is what I grew up with. It's part of your DNA, right? Yeah.
Like salt and pepper is to me, ginger and garlic is to you.
Well, yeah, you can say that. Do you visit Malaysia?
Have you got family out there? Yes, my mum and my brother, sister,
they stay in Malaysia. I miss the food over there.
The food can bring you back to your comfort zone where you are,
where you used to be.
If your food tastes as good as it smells, we're in for a treat.
Came here 20 years ago with luggage. Left the family behind.
It's tough, but I'm really proud of myself to be in here.
I'm feeling quite nervous still.
It's my last chance.
Geva, tell me, please, what it is you're going to make for us.
I'm going to make pancakes with apple and pear,
with caramel sauce and whipped cream
and hope that leads straight to your heart, Gregg,
cos I know you like sweet things. Why pancakes?
Because pancakes are something that we just love at home,
and it's quite an easy thing to do -
she says, who messed up her hollandaise.
But everybody loves them.
For Geva there's nowhere to hide.
Pancake's got to be lovely and thin, not doughy.
The fruit's got to be cooked just so, it can't be crunchy.
Not too sharp, not too sweet.
It could be lovely.
But does it show enough skill?
I hope it tastes as nice as I want it to. Time will tell.
We've got, like, ten minutes, something like that.
So I'm hoping that'll be enough.
Make sure you got something to put on the plate, OK?
Um... I'm not going to do that. I'm going to use a bowl. Yes, yes.
That's a portion, isn't it, hey?
Yeah, you're a big man. Thanks, mate. Appreciate that.
You have five minutes.
Maybe a bit soft, maybe a bit soft. We'll give it another minute.
Because my broth is not spicy enough, so I make, like, a sambal,
if they like more spiciness or punch of flavour in their broth,
they can add a little bit on to it.
You have a minute. You have 60 seconds.
Come on, guys. 60 seconds, please.
Yeah, almost there. We're a little bit soft, but we're good.
Finishing touches, pl... Jonny!
Now! Finishing touches on the plate. Now, now, now, now, now.
That's it. Time's up. Stop. Stop.
Good work, guys. Whoo!
Oh, my God. My word. Come here.
Are you all right?
Honestly, I feel like I could cry after that.
Nickolas, please come and join us.
Delivery driver Nickolas' dish
is pan-fried prawns
served in a prawn bisque with sauteed samphire.
You are getting really good flavour from that bisque,
but you've overseasoned it. Oh!
It's really salty, which is a shame.
However, you said you wanted to show more refinement in your food.
You've done that. Thank you.
Your prawns are beautifully prepared, beautifully cooked.
If you're going to promise us samphire, two bits is not enough.
But the essence of this is good. Thank you.
A little bit heavy handed on the salt.
I was flapping and I was a bit panicked.
But I'm growing as I go on with this competition and, like,
I'll never make that mistake ever again.
To win one of the last four aprons,
technology-startup manager Zoe has served Sicilian dumplings
filled with mashed potato,
goat's cheese, Parmesan and mint in a tomato sauce.
Inside those dumplings - the smoothness of mashed potato,
saltiness from Parmesan cheese
and the acidity that comes from the goat's cheese.
The addition of mint - bold, dangerous, and really interesting.
I like it a lot, Zoe. Thanks.
It's yummy. It's like a soft gnocchi inside a pasta parcel. Yeah.
And across that, you've got a sweet tomato sauce.
I'm impressed with you.
Oh, my gosh. I'm just so relieved
that they liked it and enjoyed the flavours.
I'm on a high after that, for sure. Yeah.
Recruitment CEO Jo has cooked meatballs in a chilli,
paprika, chorizo, tomato and red wine sauce,
served with roast potatoes and roasted honey-glazed carrots.
Your roast potatoes are nice, your carrots are cooked nicely,
and they're sweet.
But you have a big issue in here, and that's the amount of oil
that's coming off. That's making for quite a greasy dish.
Your sauce around your meatballs has a great flavour,
but I need something to mop that up,
and it's not going to be crispy roast potatoes.
For me, that round was the one I feared the most.
You haven't got a recipe to follow and you've got all this stuff
whirling around in your head and it's not easy.
Supermarket manager Woei has served pan-fried mackerel on rice noodles
in a chilli, lemongrass, galangal ginger and turmeric-infused
fish broth with a chilli, garlic and ginger sambal.
That broth, you can taste the richness of that mackerel,
which is quite strong. And then alongside that, that lemongrass,
which is quite sweet,
galangal, which is very fragrant like ginger but softer.
And then the smokiness of the turmeric. That's really good.
Your sambal was nicely made. It's not too hot, which is great.
I think it's a good dish. Thank you.
I'm really enjoying this. The mackerel - really good.
The way you managed to really crisp up the skin.
Noodles cooked nicely. Well done.
I'm feeling great. Got a compliment from John and Gregg.
It's just so unreal and it's just, like, given me
a little bit of confidence back. So, yeah, I can't ask for more.
Government councillor Geva's pancake is served with caramelised apples
and pears, topped with a salted nut caramel,
berries and whipped cream.
Pancake's nicely made.
But because the pears and the apples haven't been cooked very much,
when you bite into them, you've got this juice rushing into your mouth,
which is washing away the flavour of the caramel.
And also that juice with the pancakes making the pancake
go slightly soggy. Across the top, the nuts and the caramel,
I think is a lovely, lovely idea. But it's really salty.
It's a nice thing to eat,
but it's not showing a great deal of knowledge and technique.
I'm feeling a bit despondent
cos I don't think I did really as well as I could have done.
I should have put more into it. But what's done is done.
Finally, it's technology product trainer Jonny,
with his tahini pecan and dark chocolate brownie,
served with a pecan brittle
and a brown sugar ice cream.
Whatever this thing is, it's not quite a brownie.
It's not quite a biscuit.
It's almost like the density of a bread-and-butter pudding.
The tahini inside it is giving, like, a peanut butter flavour.
There's lots of chocolate in there. Mate, whether you want to put
the ice cream on it or even dunk it in a cup of tea,
I'm really impressed.
Your caramel, it's so dark. It's got a bitter finish.
You put a smile on my face. I like your food. Thank you so much.
Tahini's got oil in it, so that might be the reason why
it's so dense, but, yeah, good on you, made it work.
Brown sugar ice cream.
Smooth, creamy, rich with vanilla. Delicious. Thank you.
As the invention test goes,
Jonny, I'm really pleased for you and I think it tastes great.
Absolutely amazing feedback.
Get in!
I'm really, really, really hoping it's enough to get me an apron.
I'm desperate for one. I really, really am.
I tell you what, I'm really impressed with these six. Oh! Oof!
That was... That was intense, wasn't it? Wasn't it just?
Lots of knowledge, lots and lots of potential.
Zoe gave us a dish of elegant simplicity.
It showed cookery knowledge and skill and it was delicious.
I think Zoe's got herself an apron.
Woei put a lot of work into his dish,
I think conjured up some great flavour.
It looked good. It tasted good. What can you say? Woei should go through.
I like Jonny.
We've got a brownie, we've got ice cream, we've got caramel.
This is an invention test, the guy knows stuff.
He's showing different types of skill.
Jonny's got himself an apron.
That now leaves us with Jo, Geva and Nickolas.
Nickolas wants to show refinement. He's listening.
The prawns were delicious.
He made a great attempt at cooking that bisque
but it also was overseasoned so it was salty.
Geva's pancake isn't showing a great deal of skill.
Caramel across the top - nice idea, but there was too much salt in it.
Jo made for us some meatballs. That was good. But with it,
some roast potatoes and a couple of roast carrots,
which was just unusual.
We've got a decision to make. Two of them are leaving the competition.
I don't want to leave. This is everything for me.
I've done what I can, and it's in the lap of the gods now.
I'm really enjoying the competition.
It's how you perform on the day, isn't it?
You have to not make mistakes.
You six, I've got to say, have done yourselves proud.
However, we have made a decision.
Zoe, congratulations.
Beautiful dish. Great flavours. Thank you.
Jonny. The technical know-how. Well done.
You are getting an apron.
Woei. Great flavours, perfect fish prep and cookery.
Congratulations. Thank you so much.
That leaves Geva, Jo and Nickolas.
The fourth and final apron goes to...
..Nickolas.
Yes! Yes!
Oh, come on, man!
Oh, my days! Thank you.
Jo, Geva - sadly, you are leaving us.
We've enjoyed having you here on MasterChef. Thank you so, so much.
Thank you. Thank you. Good luck, guys.
MasterChef will stay with me forever.
I brought Yorkshire to the plates that I've served in there
and I'm proud of that.
It's just been fantastic.
The opportunity of a lifetime, really.
Anyway, I'm back in the real world now. Watch out!
Whoo! Well done! You four, congratulations.
Well done, mate. Well done! Come and get yourself an apron.
Wow, look!
I think it's going to take at least a day or two to sink in.
It's a dream come true. It's amazing.
I can't believe it. Getting the actual apron,
like, it means that I'm good enough.
I just need to really perfect everything. No mistakes.
Come on, mate!
When I heard my name from Gregg,
I have to pinch myself, like, is it real? Is it real?
Yeah, I just can't believe it.
It's gorgeous, innit? I am so excited for what comes next.
There's a lot in store.
Next time...this week's best cooks
return to face two demanding challenges...
Got to get a wobble on, absolutely.
Come on, you bad boys.
..as they fight for a place in the quarterfinal.
For me, great. This is a dish that I'll remember, you know, I love it.