After six weeks of intense competition,
it's the MasterChef semifinals.
We are down to our best eight,
and it's time to really put them to the test.
And I mean, put them to the test.
Tonight, they travel to one of the country's
most prestigious banqueting venues...
..to cater a landmark occasion in MasterChef history...
Upstairs there is bow ties, there's ballgowns,
and there are Michelin stars.
Good luck. BRIN GROANS
EQUIPMENT BLEEPS What? Why are you bleeping?!
They've got to be in the oven in 20 minutes.
I wouldn't want to be in that kitchen, that's for sure.
..before two are sent home.
Do you know, I've watched this for 20 years,
and I never, ever thought that I would be here
in the semifinals of MasterChef.
I think nerves are probably overriding the excitement
at the moment.
I would just be gutted to go home.
I would absolutely love to win more than anything,
but I'm against seven of the country's
absolute best home cooks.
The competition's so, so close.
Time to turn up the heat.
OMINOUS ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
Welcome to the absolutely stunning Fishmongers' Hall
here on the banks of the Thames, right next to London Bridge.
This beautiful building today
is hosting an extraordinary dinner.
A dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of MasterChef.
You have the honour of hosting this dinner party.
We have invited 70 significant figures
from the last 20 years of MasterChef.
Guest chefs, guest critics,
and, of course, past winners and finalists.
You may have noticed
that my friend and colleague here is dressed for action.
All right? John, today, is your executive head chef.
It's an extraordinary occasion.
And not only will you be cooking for some of the movers and shakers
in the culinary world, but you'll also be cooking food
inspired by past champions.
And we're going to split you into three teams,
and each team is going to be responsible for their own course.
Chris and Louise, congratulations,
you're on the first course.
Tom, Brin, Cliodhna,
main course.
Mary, Abi, George,
you guys are on dessert.
At the end of today, John and I will pick our top team,
and that team will go straight through to the next round.
The other two teams,
you are going to have to face a cook-off
to cement your place in the competition.
This is a massive event.
Please give it everything you've got.
I'll see you down there. Off you go.
UPBEAT MUSIC
Today's a massive deal.
If it's pressure,
it's the most pressure we've had so far, I think.
70 is a big number.
It's a lot of people to cook for.
I think we're going to have to be organised
and absolutely focused.
To be cooking for that many people,
and have to get it completely precise.
It's massive,
but so exciting.
Cheers.
We have just set them a mammoth task.
Oh, my God, these mangoes!
Each course has the influence of three past MasterChef champions.
But it's not just dishes influenced by the champions,
it's a dish that enabled them to win the trophy.
It means it's going to have to be really special.
NARRATOR: Circus performer Chris and farmer Louise
have been put in charge of the starter,
that has taken inspiration from 2018 winner Kenny Tutt...
..2019 winner Irini Tzortzoglou...
..and 2020 winner Thomas Frake.
So the starter's made up of a seared scallop,
smoked cauliflower puree with a scallop roe cracker,
a piece of red mullet,
straw potatoes with vinegar powder, gherkin and fennel pickle.
The thing is, that starter is really delicate.
I mean, they need a perfect touch.
I mean, 70 dishes with fresh fish cooking to order.
Mate, that's a massive challenge.
Getting 70 scallops out of the shell,
keeping the roe intact for the cracker,
then filleting enough fish for 70 people
and then cooking it.
LOUISE MAKES EXPLOSIVE SOUND Brain explosion.
First job for Louise,
prep the 70 scallops...
It's a new skill I'm learning.
It's not something I've done before,
so concentrate and crack on.
..while team-mate Chris has the huge task
of perfectly filleting and pin boning 25 red mullet.
Are you OK? Yeah.
There are nerves. The stakes are huge.
Nobody wants to cook again or go home,
and so it's enormous.
But it's a once in a lifetime opportunity,
so you've got to grab it with both hands.
We're going to smash this, guys. Everyone feeling good?
Feel good. Yeah.
Personal trainer Cliodhna,
car sales manager Tom,
and veterinary surgeon Brin
have been tasked with the main course
that has been brought together from the dishes
of 2010 winner Dhruv Baker,
2015 winner Simon Wood
and 2017 winner Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed.
This main course is pigeon wellington,
a seared spiced duck breast and spiced carrots
finished off with a split sauce of watercress oil and cassis.
Ooh, that's an exciting dish, John!
A pigeon wellington is absolutely superb,
but a wellington is the most difficult thing to do
because you can't see inside it till you cut it.
I've done bits like this before,
I'm not going to say I'm, like,
some sort of expert butcher,
but hopefully the team have put their trust in the right person
and I absolutely smash it.
I'm doing the duxelle here.
I'm prepping the shallots and garlic and the mushrooms,
so I need to work pretty quickly on that.
So, it's a major part of the dish.
While Tom makes the duxelle that encases the pigeon
in the wellington, Brin has been left with trimming
and scoring 35 duck breasts.
And even just the butchery on its own,
there's tonnes to do, and at this level of cookery
it has to be done perfectly.
So we've got to act and work fast,
but we've got to work really accurately as well.
You think that's enough duxelle?
I'm almost thinking it might not be enough cos...
You don't think it's enough?
Well, it's 35 wellingtons, isn't it?
Oh, you've made me doubt myself now. No, no, no, mate.
None of them have ever prepped for this many numbers before,
so they'll have an idea in their head,
but that's what it is... It's a guess.
It's an absolute guess.
NARRATOR: Also, coming to terms with the event's scale
are the dessert team,
made up of retired company secretary and grandmother of six Mary,
salesperson Abi,
and A&E doctor George.
Their dish is inspired by 2012's winner Shelina Permalloo,
2014 winner Ping Coombes,
and 2021 winner Tom Rhodes.
So we have a dish of a yuzu tart, black olive meringue,
coconut and mango ice cream, mango puree,
coconut tuiles and charred pineapple.
It's got to taste delicious and it's got to taste of the tropics.
The mango ice cream is an important part of the dish,
so really got to get it on.
Got to get it in the freezer,
got to get it set so it's ready for service.
Abi and Mary are working together to make four batches of pastry
for the 70 individual tart cases.
I've never made pastry like this before.
It's like a thinner version of shortcrust, I think.
I'm not really a dessert girl.
I love making pastry.
I do a lot of pastry.
It's really crucial that we get this rested in the fridge for 30 minutes,
and then start again and make another three lots.
Abi, are you all right doing desserts?
Um, hopefully, I've not done one yet in the competition.
Have you been avoiding them?
No...
It's not that I can't, it's just that I don't usually.
Oh.Uh, yeah.
Now, Mary, out of everybody, you feed a lot of people regularly.
Yes, I do, yeah. But, I mean, nothing on this scale.
But I don't feel daunted, particularly, by the numbers,
it's just the getting the processes right, you know?
Right. Good luck, everybody.
Thank you. Keep your head.
The pastry team there, a real contrast of emotions.
Mary, I think, understands the enormity of it
because she's cooked for big numbers,
George is grinning, probably thinking to himself,
"Well, this isn't as bad as Saturday night in A&E,"
and little Abi, right now, looks like a rabbit in the headlights.
She's almost clinging on to Mary.
You're doing great, babe.
Seriously, you are.
NARRATOR: Joining tonight's celebration
are a collection of past winners, critics and Michelin-starred chefs,
all of whom have been hugely
impacted by MasterChef's 20-year history.
MasterChef changed more than my life.
It changed me.
It changed everything I do.
I've got a couple of restaurants, I've wrote books,
I've won Manchester's Best Chef three times.
It's always very important to be humble
and remember where you came from,
and it's days like this that really hammer that home.
MasterChef literally just flipped my life upside down.
I was, you know, working a sort of nine-to-five job
and then, you know, to go on and win it.
You make a decision, do you carry on doing what you're doing
or do you jump into this mad world of,
you know, hospitality and cooking?
And that's what I did,
and it has just been a real adventure.
It's a bit difficult to put into words
what MasterChef did for me.
I mean, the short answer is
it made my dreams come true...
..in that I got to change career
to something that has been so rewarding.
When I think about the actual journey of MasterChef,
just transformed me. Being able to inspire other people
how to cook, have a restaurant.
It's like, "Gosh, all of that happened."
It's crazy.
I am a doctor,
but I have opened two restaurants in Thailand.
I'm opening another one next year,
I'm about to write a cookbook, so...
..what else could I ask for?
On the starter...
First hour's gone, guys. First hour has gone.
..Chris and Louise have only just finished their seafood prep,
and they're behind on starting the four other crucial garnishes.
What we're doing is we're going to puree cooked rice
with the scallop roe and some paprika
to make the cracker.
All right. Tell you what, I'll whack that on.
The big problem with the cracker is
the cracker itself takes 2.5 hours to make
because they've got to mix it...
..then they've got to dehydrate it,
once it's dehydrated, it's going to be cut into pieces
to be deep-fried.
Lots of process for a little cracker.
Mind your backs.
On the mains, Brin is making a start
on the all-important pigeon and cassis sauce.
How is everyone?
Good. It's just so time consuming. Yeah.
Meanwhile, Tom has to painstakingly remove all the stems
from a mountain of spinach leaves
that will wrap the seared pigeon in the wellington.
You know, you've got jobs like this, and they have to be done,
cos they have to be done right, but, um, you know,
when you've put 45 minutes into the same job,
you sometimes just don't feel that you've been productive enough.
I'm a little bit stressed, to be honest.
There's a lot of work to do, but we're moving very fast.
There's a lot of veg to prep.
These little carrots are a pain.
Whilst Tom finally gets his spinach on to blanch,
Cliodhna is racing to get the pigeon breasts for the wellington seared.
I'm just looking for a good colour on both sides.
These are looking great.
They're nicely seared, good amount of colour.
Good job. Nice one, Cliodhna.
The pigeon breasts now need to cool down
before they start assembling the wellingtons.
Getting a bit of a sweat on at the moment,
not going to lie.
Over on the ice cream, George is whisking up the custard base
that will need to be cooked and cooled before churning.
Why have you got it there?
I don't know if you've seen this thing, it's called a machine.
Right, that machine there,
what you do is you put it in there and it whips it up. Yeah.
You are allowed to use modern science.
How much base is that? So that's the first batch.
OK, where's the second batch, then?
Cos your ice cream should be on by now. OK.
Mary, let me see how thin yours is.
I think that's OK.
Oh, no. It broke.
I think the dessert team are struggling.
Mary looks really, really stressed.
And Mary is not a stressful character.
I'm having a tantrum.
They've got a problem with the pastry.
The pastry cases are little and they're fiddly,
and the more you handle the pastry, the warmer it will get,
the softer it will get, and the more it will rip, tear and crumble.
Have you got the hang of it?
Oh, kind of.
That is their issue right now.
Right, the first tarts have gone in.
Right. Let's have a little check-off list, please. Yeah.
Spice rub?
Spice rub needs doing. Right.
Is there, um, fenugreek leaf and stuff in this?
Fenugreek leaf went in the duxelle, yeah?
Not in the duxelle, no. No?
Does it not say it needs putting in, like, the spinach or something?
QUIETLY:It is in duxelle.
We've just realised that we've missed out
the fenugreek from the duxelle.
Folks, watch your backs. Watch your backs.
We're just going to mix it through now.
At least we've noticed now and not later on when it's too late.
JOHN:Would you like to be a bit scared?
You've been cooking for two hours already.
That's how fast it goes. All right. Okey doke?
Now time to push it up a bit, guys, please.
CLIODHNA:Let's go. Yes, chef.
Also struggling to keep track of the elements of their dish,
Chris and Louise have got the cauliflower on
for their smoked puree
and have made a start on their fennel and gherkin pickle.
Six jars of gherkins to get through!
It's extraordinary.
Our heads are spinning around thinking what's next,
what we've still got left to do.
But there's only two of us, and they've all got three.
What's happening to my cauliflower?
Oops.
LOUISE GROANS
We are all heads down trying to get on with so much that,
yeah, we thought it was on moderate.
It wasn't.
With over half the cooking time gone,
George is finally getting his first batch
of the mango and coconut ice cream into the machine.
Start.
So it's setting off, I'm just doing the second batch
to put in there now.
OK. Coconut tuile mixture made yet?
Uh, no, John. How are we doing on tarts, Mary?
Tell me they're all done, ready to go? No, they're not.
What? We've got another...
MARY STAMMERS AND COUNTS
..another 24 to go in.
The processes involved in making these desserts are manyfold,
and they're fiddly, and they have to be precise,
and it's in bulk.
I think the penny is beginning to drop.
It was such a lot to do with this pastry.
I thought that would be done in an hour and a half,
and it's, like, just taken forever.
SHE LAUGHS I'm never making a tart again.
STIRRING VIOLIN
With service fast approaching,
the guests arrive to celebrate the 20th anniversary of MasterChef.
First broadcast on the BBC in the 1990s...
We have deliberated, cogitated and digested.
..the show was relaunched 20 years ago...
Off you go. Get cooking.
..and has grown to become
the world's biggest television cookery competition,
made in nearly 70 countries,
with a total global audience of over one billion people.
I was in Hollywood and I was arguing
with all the other producers, directors,
and they were trashing English food...
..and I couldn't defend it.
They were saying, "Greasy spoon, over-cooked vegetables,"
and I said, "Yes, but in the home,
"there's beautiful food in the English households."
And they didn't believe me, but I convinced myself,
and that's why I had the idea for MasterChef.
I don't think that you can underestimate
the significant impact that MasterChef has
on the British culinary scene.
It's become a really important thing for a lot of chefs to aspire to.
It's become a dream for amateurs to enter.
I've seen so much talent come through
the ranks of MasterChef
to make such an impact on British hospitality,
to make up some of the great names that we have in this room.
Kind of look back at the experience that I had...
..I can't believe I went through it.
It's the biggest cookery competition in the entire world.
To have been part of that
will be something that I'll be forever grateful for.
Upstairs in the state room, the guests are arriving.
There is bow ties, there's ballgowns,
and there are Michelin stars.
Good luck. BRIN GROANS
THEY LAUGH
NARRATOR: There's one hour till service,
and all three teams need to make every second
of their remaining time count.
I've operated on guinea pigs, and that was less fiddly than this.
GREGG: The three on the main have really been getting their head down,
and they've really been working and grafting,
but they still haven't assembled those wellingtons.
This is complex, fiddly work and they've got to speed it up.
Guys, you've done nine wellingtons.
That's 28 still to go.
Go, go, go. You have to just wrap.
You've got to get the pastry around them yet.
We're definitely a bit tight for time but we have got time left.
Just got to keep going.
Is this yuzu juice here?
Yeah.
MARY HUFFS
Just a little bit.
That's the last of the pastry out of the oven and done.
So I'm just making the yuzu cream for the filling of the tart.
I'm making coconut tuile.
I've actually completely lost count of how many I've done,
but they're really, really hot to get off this.
SHE YELPS
Right, I'm going to wait.
Aw!
Looking gorgeous.
Feeling relieved that my first batch of ice cream is looking amazing.
So, yeah, just got to get the other two batches done now.
EQUIPMENT BLEEPS What?
Why are you bleeping?!
Uh, ice cream machine is broken,
so, um, the ice cream's not coming out,
so just going to have to try and fix it.
Otherwise, no ice cream for the guests.
Squeeze that underneath somewhere.
NARRATOR: Chris and Louise kick off service,
and with under 30 minutes left,
they've still got to smoke their cauliflower puree...
So this is going to sit about ten minutes
to get the right level of smokiness.
..prep and cook 70 portions of matchstick fries
that they're having to cut by hand...
..and deep fry all their scallop roe crackers.
That's my tester. That one's too thick.
It's lovely, that one. Oh!
Come on. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Just keeping the little production line going.
Whilst Cliodhna and Tom are getting the wellington sorted,
I'm just getting everything else ready.
So, need to season all the duck breasts,
get the carrots cooked and poached in some stock and butter,
and then need to deep fry the potatoes,
and just keep an eye on my sauce.
Right now it's starting to become quite frantic
and for good reason, they're realising the enormity of the task.
Come to Papa.
MACHINE BEEPS Oh, for...
But the fact is, this is the only way they're going to learn.
So the ice cream machine has stopped working again.
I'm going to have to scoop it out of the top,
otherwise we're not going to get this done on time.
How many of these have we done?
Uh...12.
Huh? 12?!
They've got to be in the oven in 20 minutes.
GUESTS CHATTER
In the dining room, all 70 guests are taking their seats.
I'm good with that. Let's puree it.
OK, ladies and gentlemen, first plate going in 20 minutes.
GREGG: Chris and Louise,
they are going to have to kick up a gear.
They have to cook, to order, every single scallop
and every single piece of fish,
and those shoestring fries in the fryer.
That is going to be the craziest fish and chip shop you've ever seen.
Chips, anyone?
NARRATOR: With the original ice cream machine out of service,
the dessert team also face a sprint to the finish
and are now relying on a smaller backup.
A little bit of a worry
just because it will slow us down a little bit.
We've still got to fill the tarts, get them chilled,
get the gel sorted, quenelle all the ice cream,
still got a hell of a lot to do.
Potatoes all right, Brin?
Yes, potatoes are great. Fabulous.
Wellingtons are done.
I'm delirious.
Going in the oven.
Come on, babies.
I need to set a timer.
18 minutes, put it on for.
We don't want to be overcooking these after all this work.
Service about to start, ladies and gentlemen.
The biggest challenge for cooking big numbers like this
is not only is it hard to execute,
it's quite daunting as well.
You know, as you look around the room,
there's a lot of people here that know what they're on about.
I wouldn't want to be in that kitchen, that's for sure.
LADY LAUGHS
Abi's going to help you out.
Brin's going to help and watch the fish,
and you're going to have to run it backwards and forwards.
And we're going to do this. Yeah.
I vowed I wouldn't do this,
but I will read the menu out loud.
Pan-fried scallop, grilled red mullet,
smoked cauliflower puree,
straw potatoes with vinegar powder,
fennel and gherkin pickle,
scallop coral cracker.
Sounds delicious.
Everything is ready.
We've just got to serve really, really the best food we ever have
and try and block out who we're actually serving it to.
Are they good? Looking good.
EQUIPMENT BLEEPS How's the mullet?
I'm going to turn them around
cos I think they're cooking at the back a bit more. Oh, nice.
It's like a celebration of the sea, right?
You know, scallops is close to my heart
because that was one of my dishes in the final.
So I'll be looking for a real beautiful caramelised scallop.
CHRIS:A nice crust forming.
Can take those, OK. Scallops going? Yeah. Thank you very much.
Next lot, please.
Here we go, guys!
Service is about to start.
The smoked cauliflower puree.
Because it says smoked, it should be light,
So you have to be very nice and creamy.
Chris, more scallops, please.
Red mullet under.
There's also a red mullet which we want to be tender,
really melt-in-the-mouth.
And I see straw potatoes, so I'm expecting that to be super crispy,
really fine, but not burnt.
Awesome, Abi.
We're doing really well, guys.
I'm going to get another tray of mullet,
another lot of scallops, here we go.
Eight scallops, tray of mullet. You're amazing. You're amazing.
GUESTS CHATTER
Beautiful.
Fish cookery looks really good.
Yeah, this is very encouraging.
We're halfway, guys.
We're doing absolutely amazingly.
Cracker....cracker on that one, please. Cracker.
Next tray of mullet? Mullet's ready.
Next lot of scallops as well, please. Yeah.
There's a lot that can go wrong.
You've got to get your puree really smooth.
Scallops overcook in seconds.
There's a lot of pressure for these guys.
On that table over there,
there's about ten Michelin stars as well.
Big challenge, this.
There we go. There we go. That's it.
Rightio, let's go, let's go!
Last push, guys, please. Let's move.
It's hard to make everything look exactly the same
because we're hurrying.
But they look appetising, I think.
WAITERS SPEAK INDISTINCTLY Thank you very much.
First impression, just looks great.
And I can smell the sea, so that's...
Yeah. ..that's a good, good sign.
Ooh, last scallops, guys. Yay.
Louise, how many plates have we got left to go?
This, my dear, is our last plate. Is it?
We're done!
THEY LAUGH
I think you did an amazing job today.
We've been a good team. Yeah.
LOUISE SCREAMS
The red mullet was cooked beautifully
and it really worked with the acidity of the pickles.
So...happy eater here.
For me, the hand-dived scallops
are the hero of this dish.
To cook them, you've got to get them really caramelised,
you've got to baste them.
I think they've achieved that.
I was impressed about the cauliflower puree
and the potato sticks.
I think, to me, those two elements were just beautiful.
That little cracker with the scallop coral...
Mm! ..it was an interesting little grace note
to the whole thing.
Personally, I was looking at the fennel and gherkin pickle
and it's brought back memories for me
and emotions of being in the final.
I've cleared me plate, cos it was delicious.
To serve this amount of food
to the crowd we have here,
it's a big ask.
Great dish. Great start.
TIMER BLARES
That timer's for these wellingtons,
isn't it, that's just gone off? Yeah.
All eyes are now on the pigeon wellingtons
that need to be cooked to exactly 55 degrees before being rested.
All these need to come out.
Can you make some space for the wellies, please, boys?
These...these need to come out. They're over.
They're over? Yeah.
There's nothing we can do about it at this point.
It would have been ideal if obviously they were
not quite as hot as they were at the minute,
but we'll just have to wait and see.
OK. Main courses, guys. Yes.
This is going to start going in ten minutes.
Don't know how many times I can say...
What do you need? ..that I need the wellingtons out.
OK. Where do you want... You want space for them?
Yeah, I need space. OK.
I feel like I'm talking and no-one's listening.
No, I'm listening. I'm listening. It's a bit frustrating.
I think for me, the most challenging part of that dish
is the pigeon wellington.
I need to be careful.
A beef one is hard, but a pigeon, being small,
and having to cook that pastry right,
that's going to be difficult.
JOHN:OK. Are we ready to go, everybody?
Yeah. You do those, I'll do the wellies.
I think it's going to be really hard
to cook duck breast for 70 people
and get it perfectly pink.
So I am quite worried for them at this point.
I've got to say, guys, the duck looks amazing.
Pigeon looks a bit over, but otherwise we're all right.
It looks delicious.
The pastry looks crispy,
there's good contrast with the colours,
so I'm excited.
More duck coming.
Good, good, good. Let's go.
Sauce on the plate, please. Yep.
Come on, reds.
Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going.
We're doing amazing.
This looks so inviting,
and there's the most amazing smell coming off of it.
Here we go. We got movement now, guys.
Let's do this. Looking good.
That's the last stack of plates there, guys.
We're doing well.
Down to the last carrot, I think, here, folks.
Right, main courses have gone, everybody.
Well done, guys.
That's amazing. Good job.
That's great. Good job.
Oh, it's split with an oil.
Well done.
Come here. BRIN GROANS
So, cooking a Wellington's always going to be hard.
And cooking pigeon, you want it to be nice and pink in the middle,
and sadly it's a bit over, but it's tasty.
The pastry was done exceptionally well.
The duxelle was lovely and flavourful.
This sauce was an absolute winner,
and I actually drank quite a lot of it.
LAUGHTER
Duck and cassis goes really well.
The watercress is beautiful for a game bird.
The taste of the duck and the aromatic of the spices
they put on coating the duck, beautiful.
Yeah, my favourite part was the actual duck breast - for sure.
The way it was cooked,
the fat was beautifully rendered and it was nice and tender.
As you can see, I've got one mouthful left on my plate
that I've thoroughly enjoyed, and I'll be polishing that off.
NARRATOR: With moments till service,
George still needs to make the Italian meringue.
116.
His sugar needs to be exactly 120 degrees
before it can be added to the egg whites,
and piped onto all 70 yuzu tarts.
George, how's that Italian meringue coming?
Yeah, just about to add the sugar to the egg whites.
How long on the first batch, please?
Ten minutes.
Ten?! We're going in five.
I'll make it seven.
For the dessert, yuzu tart, black olive meringue,
coconut and mango ice cream, charred pineapple, coconut tuile,
Mango gel and a micro lemon balm.
I mean, seriously, there's mangoes in there so I'm happy.
When you see ice cream for a big banquet, you got to worry.
They melt.
It's going to be a difficult one for whoever's doing it.
It's got to quenelle quickly.
George, I need this last lot of meringue, please.
Yes, John. Keep on pushing as fast as you can.
Yes, John.
I've been a chef for 12 years.
If you told me to make that dessert for 70 people
that work in the industry, I'd be shaky-kneed.
Good job. Let's go.
Oh, watch your eyebrows.
Are we ready for service, everyone?
Yes. Good. Great. Let's do it.
You want desserts to look beautiful,
so I really hope they manage to do that.
Come on, guys, let's go, let's go, let's go.
Looks fantastic.
The whole dish looks just...picturesque.
George, Abi, I need you to push a bit faster, please.
Let's go.
Oh, I've got cramp in my buttocks.
Come on, don't give up. Don't give up.
We're doing really, really well.
I think it looks great.
We've got Selena, Pink and Tom and I can't wait to taste it.
Just watch your plates, guys. Are you happy with them?
I'm happy, yeah. Looking happy. They're looking very good.
This literally looks like sunshine on a plate.
It looks stunning.
We're nearly there.
I've got six plates left at this end.
Six left, guys. Come on.
Lovely.
Well done, guys. That's it - last plate.
Thank you very much.
Thank you. Well done.
Come here, you.
THEY CHUCKLE Oh, my God!
Wow!
They nailed the yuzu tart tonight.
The pastry was perfectly cooked.
A little bit of burnt meringue on there
to give a touch of bitterness.
I thought it was completely delicious.
I came all the way from Thailand
to have these tropical flavour puddings.
Yes, please!
Coconut, mango - beautiful flavours.
I'm a sweet guy like Gregg. I loved it.
I would love the mango ice cream to be a bit more mangoey,
but altogether, it's so refreshing.
I finished it all.
To me, the challenge of this dish is to basically
bring three different chefs together and marry them on the plate.
And actually, the result is joy.
I mean, imagine if this was a wedding -
I don't know, the nuptials of Gregg Wallace and I.
We'd be happy, we'd be celebrating. It's wonderful.
Running a pastry business, I know just how difficult that is to do,
and they've done it so well.
I feel so proud of them for pulling that off.
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
It's fair to say, look at your audience tonight,
look at the tables in front of you,
look at what you've achieved.
You've been fantastic.
It was really difficult to do what you did today,
but you pulled it off.
We've had some great plates of food, and everyone in this room
is really proud of what you've achieved.
Well done.
It was THE biggest honour to cook for you guys,
and a huge honour to cook with these guys.
I'm getting married next year
and I don't think it's going to be as good as today.
LAUGHTER
APPLAUSE
Come here.
Come on, come on.
Bring it in, everyone.
LAUGHTER AND SOBBING
I didn't ever dream that I'd get this far in MasterChef.
I'm doing everything not to just cry and cry and cry.
It was...
..amazing.
I want to continue this competition
because I want more experiences like I've just had then,
because that is one of the best things I've ever done in my life.
What an extraordinary start to the semifinals.
I got to say, I think that our eight are absolutely magical.
It was hot, it was fast and they coped with the pressure - just.
One of the best events I can remember.
And the ambition on the food from eight amateurs
is just extraordinary.
The applause made me so emotional.
It's so overwhelming to receive that kind of reception.
I'm going to fill up again. SHE SNIFFLES
Oh, God!
I can easily say that was the best experience I've ever had.
I've never felt anything like it.
Tonight will live long in the memory of
everybody who was privileged to be there.
Happy anniversary, Mr Wallace.
Happy anniversary.
Firstly, I want to congratulate all of you
on an absolutely amazing job at the MasterChef 20th anniversary dinner.
We did say that we would choose a winning team based on
how you performed in the kitchen,
and the feedback from the guests in the dining room.
The team going straight through to the next round is...
..the starter.
Chris and Louise, congratulations,
you're going out the door, but not going home.
WHISPERS:Best of luck, guys.
LOUISE BLOWS KISSES WHISPERS:Thank you.
We did it!
Well done.
You did well. Congratulations, you.
It definitely feels a bit harsh, doesn't it,
walking out and leaving them in the kitchen?
I wish them luck.
Now, it's pretty easy to cook with ingredients that you love.
Not so easy when it's an ingredient that you actually dislike.
But that's exactly what we want you to do right now.
Can you take that ingredient - even though you don't like it -
and make us love it?
You will have 90 minutes to cook for us
two portions of your dish, and it's got to be absolutely delicious,
because at the end of this, two of you are going home.
QUIETLY:Wow.
Let's cook.
This, I think, is a brilliant challenge -
taking an ingredient they don't necessarily like
and turning it on its head and making it something truly delicious.
Because they don't like the ingredient,
they won't have cooked with it very much, if at all.
This could be complete uncharted territory for them.
The ingredient I don't like is rabbit.
The reason why is from way back.
My mum put out rabbit stew,
and my sister drew a picture of a fluffy bunny rabbit
with a balloon coming out its mouth saying, "Please don't eat me."
So since then, I've avoided it.
So, what's the dish, please, Mary?
So, I've cooked the leg slow so it's tender.
The loin, I've stuffed with mushrooms
and wrapped it in some Parma ham.
And then I've made a breadcrumb mixture
with some hazelnuts and the liver.
If you don't like rabbit, you've never tasted rabbit,
are you sure you can cook it properly?
I hope so. I mean, I had to pretend it was chicken.
What'd you do, cover it in feathers? MARY LAUGHS
The promise of the flavours I think are great -
tomato, cheesy polenta, rabbit, the ham around the outside, mushrooms -
fantastic.
But Mary has to hold her nerve with that rabbit...
Wow.
..because right now, physically,
she's finding it very, very difficult.
It's not that I don't like it, I REALLY don't like it.
Having had a few issues with doing too much in the past,
I've absolutely not learnt my lesson.
I've given myself way too much to do today as well, so that's good.
BRIN CHUCKLES
Brin, what's the ingredient you don't like, please?
It's grapefruit.
Ah!Yeah, it's so bitter to me
that I just can't get on board with it.
All right, so what's the dish that includes a grapefruit?
So, I'm going to be making rose and grapefruit poached octopus,
burnt grapefruit salsa, candied grapefruit skin,
pomme souffle with a grapefruit salt,
and a rose and grapefruit octopus sauce.
Oh, my word!
So you don't like the grapefruit,
but it's appearing about eight times.Yeah.
Brin doesn't like grapefruit because it's bitter.
And what he's going to try and do is mellow that bitterness
a little bit.
He's going to poach the octopus with rose wine and grapefruit.
Hmm, I think that's an unusual one.
The charred grapefruit salad I think could be delicious.
And then we've got a candied piece of grapefruit rind with octopus.
That's sweet!
He's going to have to be really, really careful here.
You've had half an hour - 30 minutes gone!
That just stinks.
Abi, don't tell me you don't like cheese!
No, I like cheese. I don't...blue cheese as a whole.
The mouldy... Any blue cheese?
The mouldy kind, yeah.
So, like, glass of port,
lump of blue cheese, doesn't appeal to you?
Not particularly, no.
Maybe when I'm, like, 70.
Yeah. Yeah, you're right, you... THEY BOTH LAUGH
You might like it then.
So, today I'm making a fillet steak
with a blue cheese and kale gratin Dauphinois,
a blue cheese and pancetta bon-bon -
I'm not going to say which blue cheese
because I can't pronounce it -
and plum sauce,
a shallot puree with a blue cheese and peppercorn sauce.
Blue cheese is rich on its own, but now,
putting it with a fillet steak, peppercorn sauce and potatoes.
They're great flavour combinations when you think about it.
The oddity on the whole plate is the plum sauce,
which seems to me to be out of place.
GEORGE WHISTLES
So, pear is the ingredient that I don't like,
and I'm making a dessert which is pear three ways.
So I'm doing an almond cake with poached and fresh pear topping it,
pear jellies, and then a bruleed pear crumble
with a cinnamon custard.
I find it hard to believe, George, you don't like pears.
Detest the things - not going to lie.
I mean, other people have said, like,
"I don't like the smell, I don't like the taste", but you actually...
Your stomach turns at the look of a pear.
I stayed away from them for about, well, 25 years -
until I had to make up this dish.
How do you approach an ingredient you actually really detest?
I'm going to try and highlight the flavour of the pear,
but hide it slightly with the flavours of almond and cinnamon.
So many different things on George's plate, I'm concerned.
Jelly could not set or be too hard.
The pear, if it's not poached properly,
you don't want an undercooked pear.
Almond cake, that can't be too firm.
It needs to be nice and soft.
The custard could curdle - that happens all the time.
If George can do all these bits
and get it all done in the amount of time he's giving himself, fantastic.
But that's a push.
You've had an hour!
One hour gone!
This brief, I found really difficult,
because I am a greedy girl and I like everything.
So trying to pick something that I really didn't like,
this was the only thing.
Cliodhna, I'm looking down here,
I can't see what it is you don't like.
Surely not chocolate? No, you know I love chocolate.
What I don't like, though, is chocolate orange.
So I'm doing a chocolate orange cheesecake
and an orange liqueur butterscotch sauce,
a dark chocolate mousse with an orange sugar nest over the top.
Have we got a buttery biscuit base?
That's the only reason I wanted to do this, you know,
to get you to say that. CLIODHNA CHUCKLES
LAUGHING:There's absolutely a buttery biscuit base going on.
That's made my day.
We've got a chocolate dessert in the room - amazing.
No, actually, it's not about, "They don't like chocolate."
Cliodhna doesn't like chocolate orange.
Didn't work out.
So, I've had a nightmare with the cheesecake.
I put it in the blast chiller and I didn't notice
it might have curdled slightly with the orange juice,
so I'm on plan B.
So I'm doing him in a small ramekin
and I'm going to incorporate the whole thing as a chocolate orange.
So I just need to crack on.
20 minutes to go, please.
CLIODHNA EXHALES
With under 20 minutes to go,
Cliodhna hasn't made her chocolate mousse yet.
Her second attempt of the cheesecake is now cooling down.
Let's hope that works.
It's going to be a real fight to the end for Cliodhna.
Oh, my God, my arm's killing me.
Tom, I'm fascinated to know, what ingredient don't you like?
To this day, I still hate mussels.
It's the look of them.
For some reason, doesn't appeal to my eye.
So what's your dish, please?
Halibut with a beurre blanc sauce, mussels, tomato concasse,
and some samphire.
Two going today - that's harsh, isn't it?
It's very harsh.
But I just need to put that at the back of my mind
to focus on what I'm doing and pull it off.
For Tom, I think he's got a big ask here.
He's got to cook the halibut perfectly,
he's got to make a great beurre blanc,
he's got to do a really good tomato concasse.
But the important thing is that those mussels actually stand out.
Right, it's all coming together.
Five minutes, everybody!
Come on, Cliodhna.
I really need to get this finished now because I need to start plating.
CLIODHNA EXHALES SHARPLY
Not rubbery.
Perfect for me.
Three minutes!
That's it, time's up!
Please stop.
Oh, my gosh!
Come on.
What's done is done.
My cheesecake curdled.
I had to make a new one.
Abi, come on.
NARRATOR: First up is Abi, who dislikes blue cheese.
She's made fillet steak with a cambozola and dolcelatte
peppercorn sauce, kale and potato gratin,
made from Stilton and Roquefort,
and a Stilton and pancetta bon-bon with a plum sauce.
It definitely smells of blue cheese.
I'm loving your use of the cheese through this.
I think your creamy blue cheese peppercorn sauce is lovely.
It's doing wonders for that piece of beef.
Inside that bon-bon, you've got blue cheese and bacon lardons,
so you've got salty and you've got smoky-salty.
Really lovely.
I'm not a fan of the plum sauce.
It doesn't really make any sense to the rest of the dish,
because the rest of it actually is really quite tasty.
I love the kale and potato gratin.
I think that's inspired.
And then the saltiness comes from the blue cheese.
One thing you've done here is used the cheese to be your seasoning,
and that is very brave and very, very wise.
Thank you.
I think I did well at making an ingredient I don't like delicious
by adding everything I do like to it.
That's good, right?
Well done.
I just wish I didn't do that plum sauce.
NARRATOR: Mary's nemesis is rabbit.
She's slow-cooked a leg with a hazelnut, caper
and rabbit liver crumb, alongside a loin stuffed with mushrooms
and wrapped in Parma ham,
served with a Parmesan cheese polenta, pan-fried rabbit kidneys,
and a roasted tomato sauce.
For somebody who actually doesn't like rabbit
and was physically shaking trying to cook it,
I think you've done a pretty good job.
Thank you.
Love the loin wrapped in the ham.
Mushrooms on the inside - nice and buttery. That's great.
The polenta is lovely and smooth.
Rabbit kidneys, they're really sweet.
Almost like a walnut flavour to them.
They're great.
The meat, it's falling away from the bone.
I really like the breadcrumbs seasoned,
with liver running through it as well.
The sweet tomato, I'm not sure.
It's almost ketchup-like.
And how do your kids disguise things when they don't like it?
They put ketchup with it. MARY LAUGHS
Thanks, Mary. Thank you.
I think there's always ways that I can improve
if I was presenting the same dish...
..but I'm never going to cook that again.
NARRATOR: George's chosen ingredient is pear.
He's made an almond cake with rosemary-poached pears
and fresh pears soaked in a pear liqueur,
pear jellies and a poached pear brulee crumble and cinnamon custard.
It's a good-looking plate.
Thank you.
I think your crumble is great.
I love the soft pear, which is really, really poached
with that crumble underneath,
which is biscuity and has got a nice little crunch to it.
Your cake - it's firm. Should be moister.
I like the little jellies there.
They give it smartness.
Love the boozy pear across the top, because there is heat.
But the most technically challenging thing on there is the cake,
and I do find it a little dry.
Once again, a mixed bag.
Liked half the plate, the cake - not so happy with.
So, what will be will be.
NARRATOR: Tom's ingredient of choice is mussels.
He's serving them alongside halibut and a beurre blanc sauce,
tomato concasse, edamame beans, sambar, diced potatoes,
and topped with a crispy salmon skin.
If this is about mussels and your fear of mussels,
I don't think we're celebrating mussels enough.
My fish is overcooked, I'm sad to say.
And as much as I love a mussel and this is really unusual,
they are under.
If you try and take them out of the shell,
they sort of break apart.
And that's because it's not quite cooked enough.
It's finer points now, but you're last eight,
so it's going to be finer points.
A little bit deflated that the fish was over,
especially this far in the competition.
The margin for error is minute, so...
..nothing I can do about it now.
NARRATOR: Cliodhna has used her chosen ingredient, chocolate orange,
to flavour a cheesecake that she's topped with
bitter chocolate mousse and a sugar-work nest,
served with a chocolate orange and butterscotch sauce.
Definitely the flavour of chocolate and orange.
My concern for you right now is the cheesecake hasn't set.
It's more of a lighter chocolate mousse
than the chocolate mousse across the top.
You struggled at the end with trying to get it all together,
but you also had to start over again,
so I admire the work and your tenacity.
Your sugar-work is fantastic.
You've got a buttery biscuit base, you've got mild chocolate
and definitely the sweetness of the orange,
but that butterscotch and orange sauce across the cheesecake
is making the whole thing too treacly sweet for me,
so I'm split here.
I'm not delusional.
I know there was quite a few things that had gone wrong for me today.
WHISPERS:I knew it weren't right, so...
But I'm proud of myself for managing to get something out there,
even though it wasn't what I'd planned.
NARRATOR: The ingredient Brin doesn't like is grapefruit.
He's made rose wine and grapefruit poached octopus,
burnt grapefruit salsa, candied grapefruit peel,
fennel veloute, and a pomme souffle with grapefruit salt,
served with a rose and octopus sauce.
I think it looks great.
Thank you.
I'm a fan of octopus.
That octopus is perfect.
No big chew, right on the money.
The use of the grapefruit that gives you sharpness like a lemon would,
and sweetness as well -
you've got sweetness in that sauce reduction,
and you've got sweetness in the candied peel as well.
It's absolutely delightful.
That is a clever, full-of-technique, absolutely delicious dish,
and you should be incredibly proud of that.
Thank you so much.
I didn't think grapefruit and octopus would work together,
but I think that's really, really clever.
We've got saltiness coming from grapefruit salt,
and the sauce is inspired because it starts really subtle
and then it really whacks you around the palate -
the flavour of the octopus, the sweetness of the rose
and the grapefruit together.
Your best dish of the competition, for sure.
That could not have been better.
I...
I'm just so blown away.
I just feel I've been hit by a really good brick wall.
I tell you what, the competition just gets tougher and tougher,
and I thought that round was really tough.
I got to say, there were some great results and a few mixed results.
Now, Chris and Louise have already gone
straight through to the next round.
We've only got four remaining places.
That does mean that two of them are going home.
I had one absolute standout dish,
and that was from Brin with his octopus with grapefruit.
I mean, absolutely stunning.
It looked great, it tasted great.
Brin's got himself a place in the next round.
I think Abi had a really strong round.
Her use of blue cheese, I think was exceptional.
The other four, there were quality points,
there also were some issues.
Mary, with her rabbit dish, she used the rabbit in four different ways
and I think that should be applauded.
The issue was a very, very sweet roast tomato sauce
and it didn't quite work.
Cliodhna gave us the flavours of a chocolate orange,
but the cheesecake wasn't set.
It wasn't a cheesecake.
George, with his pear dish -
pears, custard and crumble, I thought was great,
but that almond cake was really, really dry.
Tom, his fish and mussels -
the mussels were underdone and the halibut was overcooked.
Out of those four, whose mistakes is it hard to forgive?
I mean, it's sad to say goodbye to any of these
because they're absolutely brilliant cooks.
But whose time here's up?
I really want to stay.
I love this whole experience.
Hopefully they can see the potential,
and, yeah, I don't want to go.
The fact that, you know, I didn't give up and managed
to still put something forward that was nearly great,
I'll hope and pray that that's enough to let them
give me a second chance.
Every time you cook in that kitchen, it just gets under your skin
and it makes you want to stay here more,
and I just want to continue doing what I'm doing.
I'd love to stay.
I'd love to try some more challenges -
I really would.
But as I say, if it's my time, it's my time.
Well done, all of you.
We knew it was a massive challenge
asking you to cook with ingredients that you really didn't like.
Saying that, we once again got some fantastic dishes,
so well done.
We have made a decision, and it is with a heavy heart
I say to you now, two of you will be leaving us.
The first person leaving us...
..is Tom.
Tom, thank you very much indeed.
Cheers, honestly. Great experience.
Thank you very much.
The second person leaving us is...
..Cliodhna.
Thank you.
You've had a great competition.
Well done, you.
Thank you so much for the experience again, and good luck, you guys.
Cheers.
I think it was just a bit of bad luck on the day.
The pressure just got to me and it's as simple as that, really.
But I'm so proud of what I've achieved.
I'm really proud of what I've put forward
and the character that I've shown.
So I'm still taking a lot of positive away from this.
The highlight in this competition was standing in that dining room
with 20 years' worth of winners.
To cook for them - cannot buy that experience.
It's my time to leave.
I am absolutely OK with it.
What a day, Mary.
You were about to throw up and now you're going to cry.
Congratulations, you're through to the next round!
THEY ALL CHEER
So emotional.
I... Oh, God.
I can't believe I've got this far.
I really did think I was going to go home today.
I'd resigned myself to it, really.
A little worried.
I wasn't sure I'd be standing here, in all honesty,
but I'm just overjoyed that I am.
I think my whole family will be really proud of me.
They couldn't believe it that I even got to the semifinals.
Feeling really lucky.
Final six is big.
It just... The number just keeps getting smaller and smaller
and I just keep getting happier each time.
So, very, very proud of myself today.
NARRATOR: Next time - the semifinals continue.
Whoa! Wa-hey!
First, they'll need to put on a show.
It's haemorrhaging, it's haemorrhaging.
GREGG: I'm in awe of your imagination.
I think it's just absolutely wonderful.
NARRATOR: And only the best will get the chance to work
with one of the world's greatest live fire chefs.
We need to move, we need to focus.
Let's go!