It's finals week on Celebrity MasterChef.
Just the five best celebrity cooks remain.
I'm in finals week.
I mean, how has this happened?
I didn't turn my oven on for two years.
I can't remember anything before Celebrity MasterChef.
I just don't know what to do with the rest of my life if I leave.
This is my life now, right?
I don't just feel the pressure.
I feel like the pressure is pushing me down on the shoulders.
So I just really to push the posture up, you know,
trying to look confident.
I really feel like the competition has stepped up another level now.
Any little mistake, any burnt edge,
that's it, for the chop.
I'll be so happy if I can just go under the radar now
and just advance through each round.
And then, barn!
Harry wins. Whoo!
At the end of the week...
# Oh, my lord! #
...only one will be crowned Celebrity MasterChef champion.
Ooh-hoo-hoo!
Come on!
What an incredible finals week we have in store.
They're going to learn,
they're going to have to push,
and they're going to have to be on song.
We really need to hurry up with this now.
If I were them right now, with the challenges coming up,
I wouldn't want to miss a single beat.
Let the finals begin!
Hello. Hello. How are we?
Welcome to Celebrity MasterChef finals week.
POW!
In this round, you are cooking to a brief, to cook for Gregg and I
a dish inspired by a well-known chef.
This round truly counts.
At the end of this, one of you is going home.
The food so far has been absolutely amazing.
Make it amazing today.
One hour, 45 minutes.
Let's cook!
Good luck! Good luck, everybody!
The dish needs to be inspired by a well-known chef,
but they also need to put their own personality on it.
Take a recipe, take an idea, take an inspiration,
and then run with it.
It's all calm at the moment, but I'm a little bit apprehensive.
Tiny bit of pressure. just a little bit.
I'm enjoying this process.
Small margins now.
You can't make mistakes.
Throughout the competition, Harry's shown us he's got a great palate.
He's also technically able -
but it was that last round that really blew us out of the water.
Boom!
He showed true style and sophistication.
The thing is, the last round went so well.
Was it...? Was it too good?!
Should I have saved it?
But now we just have to groove today.
I really want to put on a performance...
...and I want to put on a show.
Harry, you're in the finals.
It's crazy, innit?!
I'm loving every second of it.
I'm so happy to be here.
Who's the chef that inspires you?
Um, James Martin.
Because my daughter would often look at him
and think it's her grandad on telly.
He looks fairly similar to... to her grandad,
so it allowed us half an hour or so to be able to relax,
and her just watch her grandad cook.
This is a dish that I learned through watching some TV.
Lamb cutlets with dauphinoise potatoes.
I've got some carrots with it.
I am also going to attempt to make a red wine sauce,
and that's going to be a struggle for me
because I don't drink red wine.
You said to me before,
when you're racing, you look around and see if you can smell fear.
Yeah. Listen to the room.
Pure silence. We're scared.
Inspired by James Martin, we're entering the world of classic,
top-drawer cookery here, aren't we?
Personally, I can think of nothing better to eat than lamb cutlets.
I'd like some really crispy fat.
That's where the flavour is.
Make sure the meat itself is still pink.
Dauphinoise potatoes.
Layers of potatoes.
The potatoes should have the smallest amount of cream
running through them to hold it together.
Too much, and the whole thing
just becomes too rich and creamy.
I'd say James Martin inspires me
because of the fact that he makes food
that the whole family can eat.
But, at the same time, you can make it a bit indulgent.
The one thing that is troubling me slightly is the red wine sauce.
That has got to be sticky and glossy.
It can't be like a glass of wine.
If he's never done it before, it's tricky.
I just lemon juiced myself in the face.
Craig has a huge amount of knowledge and likes to show off technique,
but he's throwing too many things at the plate.
He needs to now understand that less is more.
Today could be pivotal.
Who's the inspiration, Craig?
Ottolenghi.
The guy, right?
He's so creative, and it's brilliant sharing food.
You just lay it out. Everyone has a good time.
So, I've got a butterflied leg of lamb here.
I'm going to do like a shawarma kind of marinade on it.
And I'm going to do some really nice, smooth hummus, I hope.
I'm going to do some cumin flatbreads for you as well.
And I'm going to do a root slaw, labneh cheese.
And then I've got some nice potatoes coming your way
with za'atar on them as well.
So, it's very Middle Eastern.
You've been cooking in that eclectic style all the way through.
Has there been the hand of Ottolenghi on your shoulder
throughout this competition?
He's in my...he's in my ear. Those little, soft whispers.
Oh, I do like the sound of what Craig's doing -
but it's typical Craig, isn't it?
Why do six things when you can do 18?
Craig's taken a leg of lamb,
he's taken the bone out, and he's got North African spice mix
he's put all over the lamb.
Potatoes, be good to me.
We've got za'atar roasted potatoes.
Za'atar is Middle Eastern spices.
We've got flavoured flatbreads. We've got hummus.
The problem is, when you attempt so much,
can you give all of your focus to each and every thing?
I don't know where I am with time.
I don't really understand it any more.
I never seem to have enough.
The problem with this competition
is you've got to cook well enough to impress the two lads.
You're going to make sure you don't muck it up
in case you bump into Ottolenghi
at some stage in the future.
You've got to try and stave off
the competition from the other brilliant competitors.
There are so many levels of pressure and stress, it's unbelievable.
You've got one hour left, everybody.
One hour left.
Time, time, time.
The time is..-is really against me right now-.
Well, we fell in love with Vito
because of his love of the food of the south of Italy
where he grew up,
whether that be Neapolitan street food, tiramisu or a splendid cake.
I mean, he just knows that food.
This journey, this beautiful experience,
it means the life to me,
and it's giving me the possibility
to grow in so many different ways.
I'm surprised.
Vito, you've been in a few finals before in your life, haven't you?
Yes. How does it feel now to be in the MasterChef finals?
Last night I was not sleeping.
I was... You know, when you wait the day before Christmas
for Santa Claus the next day? That's how I felt.
So, today was like, well, I'm really in a bubble right now.
Today I'm going to make a parmigiana.
The chef that inspired me is Chef Cannavacciuolo.
He is from Naples.
He told once that his mum's recipe is the best in the world.
So I took his mum's recipe.
I put some of my personal touch on top, and now it's ready
to be delivered to MasterChef.
Melanzane parmigiana.
Melanzane is the Italian name for aubergine, slithers of aubergine,
and Parmigiano, which is the cheese.
What he's doing is adding flavours to it he thinks will enhance it,
make it different.
He's taking deep-fried courgettes,
mozzarella, provolone cheese,
red pesto, and then prosciutto, and then he's going to bake it
so it all comes together
and it goes nice and soft.
But when he cuts into it and takes it out of the dish,
we can see absolute layers.
That's going to be the tricky bit.
It's very risky because if I go wrong,
there is no way to recover the mistake.
And I will know this just at the end,
when the dish is already ready.
This is the first time in the competition
where you're cooking Italian
and it's not classic, classic, classic.
Yes. Is that daring or is that dangerous?
At this stage, I think I have to take the risk.
Oh! I'm feeling really excited!
This is a really important dish to me
because it's from where I'm from, the North, Yorkshire.
So we're hoping to make the North proud today.
Come on!
Rochenda continues on her journey of showing us food
from all around the world.
She's always full of surprises.
She can turn her hand to anything.
It's definitely safe to say I've got the MasterChef bug.
I want to take the title.
Of course I do. I'm in it now.
There's no point in pretending I'm being modest and humble.
I'm in for the win now.
I'm in for the win!
Who's the chef that's inspired this in you?
My father-in-law's favourite dish
to cook on a Friday night is a curry.
He nips out to the fish and chip shop, buys four battered fish
and sticks them on top. Right?
That wasn't fine-dining enough for MasterChef,
so I was trying to find a dish that was very similar,
and the lovely James Martin popped up.
And they're both Yorkshire men...
...so they like hearty fare, you know.
What's the name of your father-in-law who likes the curry?
He's Bob. But to me, it's Pops.
All right, here's to Pops Bob.
Nice one, Pops!
Rochenda is not going to batter her fish.
She's pan-frying cod.
What we're hoping for here is soft, beautifully cooked fish
that falls apart. With that, curry sauce.
Quite vibrant.
A good amount of spice in the back of your throat.
And then the texture of chips, but in the shape of a bhaji.
I have no doubting that Rochenda can cook this dish.
It's how it looks on a plate.
Because if it looks a mess, it could taste a mess.
You have just 30 minutes!
30 minutes left.
Okey do key.
H's story is quite remarkable.
Came in here as a complete and utter novice cook
and has just been growing with the competition.
What I like about H's food is it's theatrical,
and it's crowd pleasing food.
I've never made a cake in this competition,
but I've got to show john and Gregg that I am still progressing
and I'm pushing myself.
Nope, not ready yet.
And I want that trophy.
As a celebration to the finals,
have you decided to cover yourself in chocolate?
I am chocolate dipped today!
I mean, I literally look at me.
Yeah. As you've seen, my time in the competition,
I've brought a little bit of drama
and theatre,
but my dish today is inspired
by somebody else who is a master of this -
Heston Blumenthal.
Now, that's aspirational!
The dish is an amazing chocolate cake layered with popping candy.
And I'm going to do a Turkish Delight ice cream with it.
Wow!
Chocolate cake with popping candy is one of Heston's signatures.
Cake! Cake! Cake!
He's going to try and take the artistry of Heston Blumenthal
and do it in one hour and 45 minutes.
I've never met Heston.
Why would I even meet Heston?
Heston's not even in my world.
Does he like Steps?
H is going to lay three pieces of that cake,
one on top of the other.
I don't want to jinx this, but it's really good.
Really good!
In between each layer, he's doing butter cream, and then popping candy.
So when we eat it, we get that little explosion in our mouth.
Oh, my God! Look at that!
It's not going to be small.
It's going to be a proper mound of chocolate cake.
Kind of like grouting your bathroom.
Turkish delight ice cream.
Absolutely heavenly!
Flavoured with rose water.
But you don't want your ice cream to be too sweet
because you've got a very, very sweet cake.
So you've got to find the balance just right.
Final ten minutes, please.
Ooh-hoo-hoo!
Come on!
I think we're in an OK place...ish.
I'm eating my wares.
It's really yummy!
The lamb is looking good, but I've got a conundrum on my hands
with how I'm going to get my potatoes out.
I want a circle, but my dish is quite deep,
my circle's quite shallow.
No, I'm not rel... I'm never relaxed here!
63 there. I'm taking it out.
Five minutes left!
Ugh!
That's stressful, man.
I've changed up my plan,
cos this cutter ain't cutting through that.
Let's see if this is cooked.
How is my baby?
60 seconds. That's all we got.
We've got 60 seconds.
# Oh, my lord! #
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Your time is up.
Boom! Everybody stop!
Oh!
What is wrong with you?
I haven't seen a mess like that
since my youngest was, like, six months old.
Harry! Come on, my friend.
Go on!
First up is Olympian and Gladiator Harry.
Inspired by chef James Martin,
he's serving lamb cutlets with dauphinoise potatoes, pea puree,
caramelised baby carrots,
and a red wine sauce.
Ohhh!
That lamb is delicious.
Now, you've got some proper colour on the outside,
and you've crisped up that fat.
Fantastic. And it's nice and pink inside.
Your dauphinoise, a little bit of garlic in there, a lot of rosemary.
Good. I really, really enjoyed that.
I like the sweetness of the pea puree.
I think you've done that very, very well.
Thank you.
Harry, the red wine sauce got a really lovely sheen to it.
You have over-seasoned it.
Mm-hm. The carrots - overcooked. OK.
I'm sure that your daughter would love them
because they're really, really soft,
but they can have a little bit of a crunch to them.
You've got really lovely foundation of cookery.
It just could be a little bit more precise.
Yeah.
Although I presented a good dish, they was critiquing errors,
and I think because of the fact it's finals week,
we are literally looking at the smallest, smallest of margins here.
But, look, we move forward.
We keep moving.
Taking inspiration from Neapolitan chef Antonio Cannavacciuolo,
dancer Vito has made his own version of the Italian classic parmigiana...
...baked layers of deep-fried aubergine and courgette
with prosciutto ham, Parmesan,
mozzarella and provolone cheeses,
red pesto and tomato sauce...
Look at that. Beautiful slice.
...served with sun-dried tomato pesto and mini focaccia.
This is parmigiana in fifth gear.
It's got a smoked cheese,
it's got mozzarella, it's got Parmesan,
which have all got their own flavour.
The richness of the ham, as well.
The aubergines and the courgettes disappear completely as just layers,
almost like they're pasta.
I like it a lot.
Bread's made beautifully.
The pesto itself, I think, is a really nice accompaniment.
What I absolutely love
is you've added to it without taking away its soul.
That is delicious.
Absolutely delicious.
When they was given the first bite, they were...
You know, that silence before they give you feedback is killing me!
But at the end, it brought me to the heaven!
In tribute to Yotam Ottolenghi, TV and radio presenter Craig
is serving butterflied leg of lamb
in a shawarma spice marinade
with la bneh cheese,
hummus and toasted pine nuts,
cumin seeded flatbread,
za'atar roasted potatoes, and root slaw.
You sometimes forget what you've cooked.
Well, I'm not surprised with how much you do!
LAUGHTER
There's nothing shy about that, is there, Craig?
I mean, you're bouncing around the Silk Road
and the Spice Trail.
I love that lamb.
That Lamb's cooked absolutely beautifully,
and across the top of that, a lovely mixture of smoky spice.
And your hummus, creamy and smooth.
Lovely texture.
The crunchy slaw itself, I like,
but, right now, I feel like I want a bit of fresh
just to give it a bit of brightness. Oh!
Because I've got bread, I've got potatoes.
Do you know what? I forgot to put the chopped herbs in the slaw.
The detail's all important.
Yeah.
I love the seeds across the bread, giving it smokiness.
The spices you've put across the potatoes are going slightly bitter.
Your labneh is salty.
It's an extraordinary amount of work,
and I think you've got some amazing flavours in here.
Thanks, Craig.
Anyone for herbs?
I've got some herbs for sale.
Unused. Untouched.
Are you all right? Yeah.
Look, I'm happy. I really enjoyed the cook.
I do so many stupid things, though.
Like, every time, I come out and go, "Oh."
I feel like I'm quite close to getting it right.
I just need to fix the little bits at the end.
Actor Rochenda's dish is inspired by two Yorkshire men,
chefjames Martin, and her father-in-law, Bob.
She's serving cod fillet
topped with pickled onions and crispy skin...
...with a mushy pea puree,
onion, pea and potato bhajis,
and a curry sauce.
Your presentation here, I think, is great.
It's got clarity.
It's a great-looking dish.
Your piece of fish is cooked beautifully.
Well done.
Your curry sauce.
It's almost like a fish and chip shop curry sauce
that you get in a carton.
But it is peppery-
It does build with spice as you eat.
I'm very much enjoying this dish.
Thank you very much.
Your pea puree,
good amount of salt in there, but slightly sweet as well.
I like that. Bhajis crispy on the outside.
They're cooked very, very well.
But what's clever about this is it takes the comfort food,
curry, fish and chips,
puts them together on a plate with elegance.
I feel great! I feel so happy!
Oh, I hope they all in the North would eat the dish.
They might miss the batter from the fish, though, up north,
because it's a bit colder there.
Finally, it's pop star H,
whose dessert is a tribute
to Heston Blumenthal.
A layered chocolate cake with butter cream icing
and popping candy, finished with edible flowers,
and Turkish delight ice cream.
Now I reckon that's about two or three kilos.
Death by chocolate. I reckon!
H, that really lovely chocolate cake is wonderful and moist.
Your butter cream is rich and it's sweet.
Then you have chocolate popping candy, as well, which is good,
but it's just way too big, and it's too rich.
That ice cream is delightful.
It is the flavour of Turkish delight.
That's the most subtle thing on the plate.
It's just chocolate on chocolate.
And as much as I love chocolate,
I'd like something else, just to break up the chocolate.
OK.
Today was a massive risk for me.
Every slip-up counts now.
Death by chocolate. I knew.
The only thing that I have worries about is my portion size.
Better too big than too small.
Yeah! Come on!
You can never be too big, darling.
Well, start of finals week,
and what a fantastic five we have.
I think they're cooking up a storm, actually, john.
Listen, here's the headline here, right?
I don't know how they're going to make the call,
but, you know, whoever goes,
go home HAPPY-
Because, my word, we left it all out there.
Good work. Good work. Agreed.
I think Rochenda's dish was really clever.
We had the idea of fish and chips and curry,
and she pulled it together in a really great way,
with a huge amount of technique.
Yeah, her dish today was quality.
Rochenda's going through to the next round.
Vito cooked the melanzane parmigiana.
It was absolutely delicious.
It was great food.
The sort of food you'd sit down and indulge in.
Vito is going through to the final four.
We've now got a conversation about Harry, Craig and H.
Harry gave us very well cooked lamb.
I like the flavour of the rosemary in the dauphinoise,
but his carrots were boiled within an inch of their life.
And the red wine sauce was made really, really well,
but maybe slightly over-seasoned.
Craig. I'll tell you why I'm impressed.
He turned up today with a whole leg of lamb, boned it, marinade,
cooked it beautifully.
He's showing technique.
But because he had given himself so much work to do,
he'd forgotten about the little touches
that take food from the everyday to the fantastic.
H is learning really fast in this competition.
He had a lovely, moist chocolate sponge,
rich butter cream, chocolate popping candy,
but then he assembled it, and it was massive.
I wanted a contrast.
It was just too much chocolate, wasn't it?
I would be absolutely gutted
if it was me to go home today.
I'm not ready to go.
I need this.
I want this bad.
I'm a little bit nervous
because I have things I want to fix, and I want to fix them.
I want to prove myself more.
Of course I don't want to go home. Who wants to go home?
The kitchen's my home.
The decision is out of my hands.
It's up to them what they say, and I've got to accept it.
But I'd like to stay.
Bring it in. Bring it in.
What an incredible start to finals week.
Thank you very much for all your hard work.
It's been an absolute joy.
But, as you know, sadly, one of you will be leaving the competition.
The celebrity leaving us is...
...H.
Oh, buddy!
It's OK.
Aww!
It's OK.
I've had the craziest, most amazing ride!
I love you!
Thank you for changing my life.
Seriously. I mean it.
Bless you. Bless you.
Can we shake your hand before you go? No, I want to hug.
I've been smothered in chocolate!
Come on, come on! Bring it in!
Well done, mate.
# Tragedy!
# La la la-la la and you can't go on
# It's tragedy! #
Smash it, guys! Yes. Mwah!
Legend! Bye!
I am absolutely amazed that I even made it this far.
There's a little bit of me that would have loved to carry on,
but I'm so proud of myself.
I've learnt so much.
You know, I can fillet a fish,
I can make pasta...
...| can cook a lobster!
But I will tell you,
I'm going to be eating out every night this month.
You are the final four!
Congratulations.
Come on! Final four!
We never thought we'd get this far, but we did.
So, there we have it.
Everybody hug!
I think it's outrageous.
Again, proper squeaky bum time.
You know, have I done enough?
It's phenomenal.
What a ride, huh?
I am so excited.
I am buzzing! And I consider myself as a very lucky person right now.
At this point, I can't even process the fact that I'm here.
So, quick refresh.
I need some sleep, and then I will be ready
for whatever Celebrity MasterChef has for me.
Next, we are taking you back to a golden age of transport.
You are going to be cooking a luxury four-course lunch on a train.
Go and get some rest.
You have got a very early start.
Am I...? Am I too wide for a train?
It's 6am, and the celebrities are arriving
at the Battersea train depot in south London.
They're about to face their toughest challenge yet.
The iconic British Pullman was part of the pre-war boom
in luxury rail travel,
offering first class service in lavishly decorated carriages.
Now restored to its original splendour,
guests can experience the opulence of its heyday
whilst enjoying a fine-dining meal cooked on board.
Listen, there are a number of challenges,
but I don't think they get more elegant and smart than this.
This is an echo of a more glamorous past.
The pretty views of the British countryside
are not going to be enough for the customers.
The food has to be elegant and sophisticated.
This is enormous. Absolutely enormous.
Today, each celebrity will be responsible for one course
of a high-end lunch served to 20 guests on the exclusive train...
...from a menu designed by head chef john Freeman.
Hi! How is everyone?
All right! Good, good, good.
OK, so as you see, we're doing the prep here.
It has to be ready by 9am.
Transfer it onto the train.
Train departs.
Then we finish cooking on the train.
OK? OK.
The train's moving,
so that's a little added little bonus for you.
Cool. Let's go.
Whoa'. Thanks, Chef.
The celebrities have just two and a half hours to get through their prep
before the train departs.
The issue here is timing, and they're going to have to work
really fast here at the depot
because the train has to leave at a certain time.
We don't want to let the train down.
I think it's non-negotiable!
Right now, they're in the safety and the comfort of the depot kitchen.
Plenty of space, lots of equipment.
But once they get on that train,
they're going to get the shock of their life
when they realise how small that galley kitchen truly is.
It's very cold.
Dancer Vito is in charge of the menu's starter,
a heritage tomato tarte tatin with a tomato compote and basil mayonnaise.
It's so, so challenging, honestly.
But we love challenge.
Yeah, we love challenge. Yeah, we do.
Vito must prep all the dish's elements
and leave time to assemble 20 tarts
before he gets on the train.
His first job is to make
the rough puff pastry for the tart bases.
I'm putting the...the butter and the flour together,
trying to make a kind of dough.
Rough puff pastry's supposed to be quite fast.
It's still going to take him two hours to make it.
That means he's got to be straight on it,
really watch what he's doing.
I don't know if I'm doing good
because the consistency is different than pasta,
but I'm really treating it as a pasta.
Vito is under pressure here
because if there's anything wrong with the pastry,
no-one's getting a tarte tatin,
they're getting a tomato salad.
I have to make it, you know.
As we say in Italy, it's yes or yes.
There is not a no option, you know.
This is what you need to do.
You need to get an 800gm block of Parmesan,
a grater, and this can be
your new workout regime. Look at that.
I've got a pump on and everything.
Massive, mate!
Gladiator Harry will be doing the heavy lifting
on the fish course.
Harry's dish sounds really elegant.
He's got pan-fried halibut
sitting on top of a saffron risotto with a dill oil around the outside.
Wonderful colours, wonderful flavours.
Really understated, but technically difficult.
Yo, Vito. Yeah?
I'm making your dish, mate.
What's that? A bit of risotto.
Oh!
Come on.
Come on!
So, Harry, the risotto here, we're going to get it 70% cooked... Mm-hm.
...and then we'll finish the rest on board. Cool. Yeah.
Perfect. Lovely. Yes, Chef-.
So I've got my stock going
which is going to be used on a risotto.
I've done my dill oil.
That's separating now.
Harry has to follow the risotto recipe absolutely perfectly.
Let the tips go a little bit white,
and then we get the old sauce in.
Too much liquid in that risotto here at the depot
will result in a stodgy risotto.
That would cost a lot in the club, you know.
Not enough, and the rice will be so hard
it will take ages for it to be cooked on the train.
I just know, for me, it's going to get stressful on the train.
When I've got to pan-fry this, do that, do this, do that,
and I'm a bit wide for the train, as well.
Oh, mate!
Not going to be fun, is it?
While Harry worries about the journey ahead,
actor Rochenda needs to work quickly
if she's going to get through
the mountain of prep for the main course.
Rochenda has got a lamb dish of multiple components.
She's got a piece of lamb
that she's going to have to cut up and trim herself.
She's got fondant potatoes,
that we know take a lot of cookery.
She's got a red wine sauce,
and she's got a steamed cabbage parcel.
That's a ton of work!
Here we go. Here we go.
I really hope right now Rochenda has got her sleeves rolled up
and she is steaming in.
Right, standing back.
It's like a Calippo!
She's got to cut out those fondant potatoes...
Ooh!
I hope you got that!
...and colour them here.
They will then be cooked and finished on the train.
What about if I did it like that?
Oh!
I've only got another 25 to go!
Ohhh.
The lunch's intricate dessert
is in the hands of TV and radio presenter Craig.
A chocolate sponge topped with ganache,
decorated with pink peppercorn meringue shards,
quenelled cream,
and raspberry coulis.
This is a proper test for Craig
because these are technically challenging processes,
and I really hope the occasion doesn't get the better of me.
With a slow-cooking meringue on his prep list,
a fast start is all-important.
So, we have to be on the train at nine,
and my meringue is due to come out at nine.
I'm going to tell you a secret.
It's due to come out at 9:10.
The timing on his meringues,
if there's a problem with it,
those meringues are staying here.
Next for Craig is the dessert's base,
a delicate flour less chocolate sponge.
Fun fact. I'm not sure if I ever made a cake before.
It's very important,
your first cake to be for 20 people
on one of the most prestigious trains in the country.
It's very important that's your first cake.
His sponge at the depot has got to be absolutely light and beautiful.
Also, like, it's got to be so dainty.
You may have noticed this,
but I don't really do dainty.
So dainty is a new world for me, you know?
Now, if Craig has a weakness,
it's presentation.
He likes to do loads of process,
and then just chuck it on a plate from six feet away.
He cannot do that on this train.
Anyone having a good time yet?
Oh, yeah, baby! I've woken up. I've woken up.
Are you woken up now? Yeah, yeah. Finally!
OK, guys, we've got an hour and 15.
With half the prep time already gone,
Vito's rough puff is resting.
This temperature is too cold for me.
But he still has a long list of jobs,
and is only just starting to prep
the 200 heritage tomatoes
that need to be peeled
for his tarts and compote.
I am doing the little cut on the tomatoes
because I'm going to put
in the boiling water because they have to unpeel,
but the cold is making me slower.
You can see Vito's face has fallen.
It's not going quite to plan.
Vito is definitely behind.
Right now, the chef's had to step in
to help him with the tomatoes.
With the clock against him...
Mamma mia!
...and tarts to assemble,
Vito needs to get
the 20 rough puff pastry bases made.
I'm doing proper choreography.
You see, I'm, like, moving around.
So Vito's got to make sure his pastry is rolled out, cut,
and his tomatoes are cooked.
Then he's got to assemble the tarte tatin,
so that when he gets on the train
all he has to do is bake them.
They really develop their muscles doing this, you know.
I don't think the lad realises how much pressure he's under here.
Hey!
So, we make 20 of these, yeah?
Across the kitchen, with the saffron risotto cooking...
0h, my gosh!
...Harry is facing his own challenge.
Eugh! Ugh!
...the preparation of the halibut.
Oh, this is a big fish!
Yeah.
Thanks, mate!
So, I haven't filleted a fish really before.
I'm not scared.
So, I'll do one for you, Harry.
Yeah. I'll let you do the rest.
A halibut is a big fish,
and he's got to get 20 identical portions
out of that halibut.
So far, so good.
I'm doing my best to get as much...
...meat off this bone as possible.
I just hope he doesn't hack that fish to bits
because it's also a very, very expensive fish.
My God!
I've just been left to it,
and I think that's OK.
Now, cooking 20 portions of fish to order on a moving train.
Do challenges get much bigger than that?
I get travel sick as well.
Oh, mate! Really?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
How are you going to prepare yourself for this?
I'm just going to see what the narrow corridors are like.
I'm going to make sure that the majority of the time
I'm facing the way we're travelling,
and then keep an eye on my fish at the same time.
Harry, you're in big trouble.
I am!
On the mains, the heat is on for Rochenda,
who's colouring the fondant potatoes.
They're thinner. Stress!
I nearly set the whole place alight.
I mean, why do they let me in here?
Rochenda, time's ticking on,
I really need to get that lamb sauce started. Yes, yes, yes. No problem.
Rochenda, you have an absolute ton to do -
sauce, fondant, lamb, cabbage.
Yes, yes. Are you all right? Yeah, I'm all right, I'm all right.
I'm chilling. Well, I'm not chilling. I'm not...
I'm not relaxed. You are a lovely cook, but I am worried about you.
AYE ya?
I think Rochenda can do it,
but I'm really worried about the amount of work she's got.
I mean, she's got a sauce under way that is nowhere near reduced enough,
and she still, as yet,
hasn't managed to wrap one of those cabbage parcels.
Richenda is not the only one feeling the pressure.
On the pastry section,
it's the moment of truth for Craig's first attempt at a chocolate cake.
Watch your back!
Honestly, I'm not a chocolate guy this hour of the morning,
but I would live in there. That's yum.
Desserts is not your big thing, is it, mate? Not my thing.
But I'm actually, you know, the calmest I've been,
cos I'm having to just think everything out really slowly.
You do look different. I'm used to you bouncing around the kitchen
with loads of energy. You look very different.
You haven't had a small nip? I've been drinking very heavily
since about 3am.
OK, guys, half an hour, yeah?
Yeah. Yeah? 30 minutes. Yes, Chef. Cool. Let's go, let's go.
With the train soon to leave the depot,
Vito's nowhere near ready.
He's got all his pastry bases cut...
HE COUNTS IN ITALIAN
23!
...but he needs to peel the rest of his tomatoes, make a compote
and a basil mayonnaise before he can begin to assemble the tarts.
I have to be faster. So I have really, really to be focused now
and to channel my energy. Otherwise I'm going to be late.
The train is going, and it's going without me.
Vito?
A little bit behind schedule. I'm starting to panic.
On the fish course, Harry is faring much better.
Just now got to give this risotto some TLC. Do you know what I mean?
Make sure it's got that tender loving care.
Just a little stir here and there.
Look at me rapping!
On the main, Rochenda's struggling
to get through her own long prep list
and has only just started making her cabbage, mint and pea parcels.
This is the time consuming bit.
How many more you got to go? Aah! How many more you got to go?
Only another 19. 19? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What have you been doing all morning?
What? Don't start with me this morning.
Things are looking better on dessert...
Make the sponge - done. Make the coulis - done.
Good shape.
...but there's still one key element Craig is worried about.
You haven't got very long. No.
My concern is the meringue,
cos it's going to be ready as the train leaves.
Other than that, though...
Can you organise some leaves on the line, john, please?
It's now 8:55am
and prep is still not complete.
We've got five minutes, yeah? What else you got left to do?
Uh, I have to check the compote. OK.
Risotto's good.
Used that whole bottle of white wine, so it was a bit nice.
Rochenda, how we doing? I've got four more parcels to do.
Four more parcels? Let's go. Let's go.
OK, put them in there.
With the train about to depart and some jobs still unfinished,
the only option is to load up what they've got.
Guys, time up. We've got to go, yeah?
OK, let's do meringues.
Whatever you've done, we've got it. We have to go. OK.
They're done, yeah? I don't know. Feel crispy?
Hard to tell.
They've got to make sure that every single component part of their dish
is prepared and accounted for.
Guys, let's go.
Cos once that train leaves, there's no going back.
There's not a shop along the way.
Savoy cabbage parcel? Yes.
Potato fondant? Yes. Lamb rump? Yep. Lamb sauce? Yep.
Let's go, go, 90, 9°, 9°, 9°-
Whoa!
Ooh-hoo-hoo!
Oh, my word.
Take that and pass through the hatch. Yeah.
I'm here, darling. There you go, buddy.
It's tight, right? Yep.
This is definitely not as big as I thought.
Well, I'll tell you what, that was touch-and-go, wasn't it?
WHISTLE PEEPS
They made it onto the train, but not all the prep is done.
Our guys are going to have to catch up, and catch up fast.
As the train heads to London Victoria,
where the lunch guests will board,
the celebrities have no choice but to make up time
in its compact galley kitchens.
Vito is really way behind. I mean, way behind.
He should have assembled the tarts in the depot.
He's got his pastry rolled out,
but he's going to have to put them all together on the train.
Pastry on top. Pastry on top.
Let's make sure that pastry is nicely tucked in.
I'm really worried about Vito. I really am.
Yeah, actually, I have to keep going
because there is not too much time left,
and I have so many things to do yet.
Oh... I get travel sick.
I'm trying to hold it in.
Harry's actually got everything done.
The risotto is part cooked. The fish is all prepped.
He's just looking around for a couple of little micro herbs
to put on top.
Oh. This is rough, this one. This is rough.
At the minute, I've only got that window open cos I need some air -
but this could all blow away!
For somebody who runs that fast,
I can't believe he gets travel sickness.
Whew!
I was really worried about Rochenda. I mean, a massive to-do list.
The lamb is prepped but it's got to be brown before it goes in the oven,
so she's going to have to do that now.
Hot fat and a moving train. What could possibly go wrong?
But, yeah, it's a lot to go on the plate.
It's, like, six or seven elements.
Think about the danger points here. We've got lamb being cooked,
we've got potato fondant, sauce being done - all on a train.
Because the space is so small,
it's hard to crack on.
You know what I mean?
You know when you go to someone else's house and you try to cook
and you can't find anything?
But try that on a train when it's, like, the size of a shoe box.
Craig's meringue was ready just in time,
but he's still got ganache to make.
Do you know what's funny in here?
Like, even the space to pour something is, like, it's mad.
If that ganache doesn't set, he's got a problem.
OK. In you go.
In you go.
Off you go, boys. You take care of yourself.
MUSIC: A Debonair Affair by Benjamin James Parsons and Andrew Carwithen Morel
The 20 guests for today's special lunch
are staff and regular travellers on the exclusive train
and know how high the standards need to be.
I've been on the British Pullman quite a few times now.
The food is always absolutely fantastic.
Once you come on board in here, you keep coming back again.
The service you get is very, very special.
It's really a special occasion, a special day out.
One of the bucket list things, I would say.
With just moments to go before service,
Vito has finally caught up on his prep.
Vito's up first with his heritage tomato tarte tatin.
Are your first lot of pastries done?
Yeah. Yeah, let's get them in the oven.
He's got quite a lot of work to do, hasn't he, in service?
He's got to bake that tart, he's got to turn it out,
he's got to get the sauce on the plate
and he's got to do basil crisps.
Vito, start getting all your garnishes ready.
Yeah. Basil, olives, compote.
So, that's 20 tarte tatins.
Lovely. That's it. Out they come.
I'm feeling for him right now.
And I'm a little bit nervous about the whole service.
They look quite good now,
but you don't know anything till the moment you turn everything.
We've got about five minutes, yeah? Five minutes? Five minutes.
Hey!
I'm so HAPPY-
Looking really good, Chef. Now we're going to garnish them, yeah?
The first thing is the tomato, yes, Chef? Yep. Six, please.
We need to speed up here.
Basil mayonnaise.
Agh! The train...
OK, Chef, let's get the olives on.
Tomato sauce now. That's it. Yep.
Agh! The word easy is not at all appropriate for this.
Basil on and we're away.
Agh...
Service! Ready!
OK, let's go again. That's only round one. OK, I know.
There is so much detail, presentation, preparation
and the train is moving, which is not helping at all.
OK, Chef, let's go. We need to find another gear. OK.
Service.
Come on, Chef, final push. Last six. Yeah.
Come on.
Service ready.
Whoa!
It's like...
I gave my best, all my passion, all my heart in it.
So, yeah. Fingers crossed.
The tart itself was delicious.
It was very crispy
but also really nice and flaky.
I'm not a tomato lover, but that was absolutely amazing.
The freshness of the basil and the tomato together - so good.
The flavour was incredible. It was rich.
Um, it really took me to a summer place. It was a really good dish.
Honestly, if the rest of the meal is going this good - very happy.
That's good, I like that. Perfectly cooked tomatoes
with really delicious buttery puff pastry.
I tell you what, mate. It was touch-and-go, wasn't it?
He's pulled it back. That is a nice, light,
but tasty way to start the meal.
All right, we're looking at 15 minutes, yeah?
Yeah. Game time.
Harry's up next with his risotto.
And I want that wet enough but still firm enough
so it can hold the piece of fish.
So it's a very delicate fish, so it needs literally a minute.
Get nice colour on it. Yeah.
The bits of fish, he's got to cook them perfectly.
If he overcooks that halibut, it will be really dry.
You can not believe the way that I'm multitasking right now.
I've got two pans going, I'm turning the risotto,
we're adding the saffron stock.
This is the bit that I knew would be a bit tricky.
I wonder how Harry's travel sickness is getting on.
I hope he is facing the direction the train's going.
Oh...
I'm struggling a bit. I'm travelling backwards.
I'm trying to feel some form of sense and calm,
but my stomach's telling me otherwise.
I've got my head telling me otherwise. But I'm holding it down.
I'm holding it down cos I have to.
OK, Harry, we've really got to get going now.
Can we get the butter and the Parmesan into the risotto, please?
Yeah.
That's the consistency we want, yeah? Yeah. Nice and wet. Perfect.
Chef, you've got three minutes, yeah? Yeah. Cool. Let's go.
OK, you do the oil.
So, just fish and Parmesan crisps, yeah? Yeah. Good.
Harry, it's looking lovely. Another ten of those... Yeah.
...|'ll be very happy. Thank you. Service!
Yeah, it looks really good.
I love the flowers.
We're moving at a decent pace.
Chef seems to be happy, which I'm happy about.
Service.
Last one. Service.
That's how it's clone.
Thanks.
This was tough. When you get through it
and you see the light at the other end of the tunnel, literally,
it feels good.
I think they'd actually done a really good job.
The saffron risotto just really, like, popped.
Really, really delicious. The texture felt perfect.
I really enjoyed it.
I could taste the halibut.
It melted in the mouth and came off the knife really beautifully.
I think it had been perfectly cooked.
I was not expecting it would be that good, but it was sublime.
That risotto is brilliantly made.
Heady with saffron,
again, good seasoning. Look how this fish is cooked.
Look, it's just beautiful.
And, I mean, if this is Harry having to battle with travel sickness
at the same time, that's incredible.
Oh, mind the woodwork.
Ooh!
It's time for Rochenda to bring together the multiple elements
of her main.
Rochenda's got a lot to do. A lot to do.
Time for lamb, let's go. We've got the lamb. 15 minutes, yeah?
15 minutes, yeah.
So, we got cabbages? Yeah.
Look at those little beauties.
They're like Brussels sprouts, aren't they? Giant Brussels sprouts.
Potatoes coming in.
Those fondant potatoes,
I want to put the knife through and feel very, very little resistance.
You put your knife in and it's firm, she's undercooked them.
My cabbages are steaming...
...and we've got our beautiful goat's curd here.
Some lovely chive oil.
I just need to pass this sauce.
And then it's plating up time.
It's a bit bumpy.
ROCH EN DA LAUGHS
OK, Chef, let's test that lamb. Yeah. just check it, yeah?
See where we're at.
That lamb, what I want is a really nice colour on the outside
but still pink in the middle.
Get those last ones out, we'll start plating, yeah?
Yeah, man.
Lovely. Looking lovely. Looking lovely.
Straight down the middle, yeah? Straight? Yeah, straight like that.
Perfect.
Looking good, Chef. OK. Let's go.
Service!
So we have the lovely Romney Salt Marsh lamb here for you
with potato and thyme fondant,
savoy cabbage parcels, the goat's curd,
and lamb sauce to finish it off for you.
Kitchen itself a bit movable, a bit chaotic.
But we like chaos.
How are you doing for sauce, lads?
All right? All good, thank you, Chef. Great.
I'm so excited!
Four to go, Chef. Last four. Oh-ho-ho!
OK, final service!
Hey, look at that. Wow.
Oh, my gosh, I absolutely loved it. It was so much fun.
It looks delicious. I mean, I wish I could dig in
and sit and have a nice train journey with them,
maybe a glass of bubbles and watch the world go by.
But, you know, I'm working today, mate.
I'm working. You know?
The Romney Marsh Salt lamb was absolutely splendid.
Cooked to perfection outside, beautiful inside, almost pink.
The flavours - out of this world. One of the best lambs I ever had.
What was really cool and very surprising
was the savoy cabbage parcel
which actually exploded into so many different flavours,
the mint and the peas, which are beautiful accompaniment to lamb.
I think the fondant was perfectly executed,
the texture in that was sublime,
just absorbed the right amount of the gravy, the jus.
That was exceptional.
The cookery of the lamb is fantastic.
Her red wine sauce is also fantastic.
Not too reduced, not too over-seasoned, but nice and thick.
20 portions of this.
What Rochenda's done here, I mean, I think it's miraculous.
Finally, it's Craig...
OK. Good, Chef. Let's go.
...who must now plate up 20 intricate and identical desserts
to finish the meal.
So I'm removing the cake and the ganache from these moulds.
Erm... Oh, don't fall apart on me. And it's so delicate.
I feel sick with anxiety.
I gotta build, like, basically a jenga dessert on a train
that's ripping up... I mean, I don't know what's going to happen here.
Chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache, raspberry coulis,
all together with pink peppercorn meringue shards.
4, 8,12...
That's going to take some concentration.
I'm so laser-focused it's unbelievable.
It should be beautiful.
Please, Craig, make that plate elegant and smart.
The moving kitchen is unbelievable cos look what we're doing -
a slowly melting chocolate thing.
It's not... I actually can't believe I'm doing this.
OK, Craig, let's push, yeah?
Why is my quenelle not quenelle-ing?
OK, the spoon was just too hot.
Service.
It's good fun, but it's not easy.
Perfect.
Craig, final four.
Oh, look at those ones. They're so pretty.
OK, here we go. That's us.
Service.
Thank you, Chef. No - thank you.
Well done, mate. Well done. I enjoyed it. Great job.
Just, like, it seemed to go on forever, right?
It's over. It's all over.
Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think
I could do something pretty and dainty like that.
And I'm thrilled.
All from scratch. Like, that's cool. That's a cool thing.
I must say, the presentation of the dish was really beautiful.
Colourful and vibrant.
The chef definitely hit the mark on that one.
So the dessert was super chocolaty, which is right up my alley.
I really enjoyed the cake sponge underneath, it was super moist,
and then it held up the chocolate ganache-y top quite well.
It's a wonderful ambience, it's a beautiful car you're sitting in
and you want the food to match that, and it did that perfectly.
I love the flavours, sharpness the pink peppercorn
with the sweet meringue.
The sharp raspberry against the chocolate is great.
There's a lot of good technical work here -
and, more importantly for Craig,
look at the style of the presentation.
That is a stylish dessert. Well done, Craig.
To be on this historic train, cooking food -
just one of those great life experiences, right?
Today is the most pressure I've felt at any stage in this competition.
Until the next cook. And I'll feel the same.
Whew! This was an experience.
I really would love to make one more step forward
and get to the final, final, final of the competition.
So, I really have to go all the way forward and try to give my best.
The fact that we're talking about finals,
we're mentioning the final is crazy.
Um, this whole journey has been wild and I don't want it to stop.
I'm absolutely loving every moment of MasterChef.
Oh, I want to be in the final three so bad. Like, so bad.
What an amazing start to finals week.
I'm really proud of our four finalists.
They have properly worked hard.
Thank you. Thanks so much.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
But, for one of them, the journey is about to end.
Shall we? Woohoo! Yoo-hoo! Guys!
Next time...
Let's go! Argh!
...the celebrities fight for a place in the final three...
Ooh! Big day.
...before facing their biggest challenge yet -
Chef's Table...
Go, go, go.
...mentored by one of the UK's most exciting talents, Adam Smith.
Must stay perfect.
Skill after skill after skill.