All language subtitles for MasterChef.S19E04.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

MasterChef is back...

Boom!

..with 45 of the country's
most ambitious home cooks.

..with 45 of the country's
most ambitious home cooks.

GROANS

Stressing.

Each week, nine will
battle for a coveted place

in the quarterfinal.

GASPS
Oh, my God.

Stress. Stress.

Oh!

Can't believe it!

Chronic!

I absolutely love it.

Dib dab, that's fab.

Only the strongest will make it
to the final challenges

and the culinary adventure
of a lifetime...

It's all about your speed now, OK?

It's a piece of art.

Cheers to the fair.

Oh.

We need to pick up
the pace, please.

..as they compete for the title

of MasterChef Champion 2023.

We want passion, drive, ambition.

We want beautiful food.

Let the culinary battle commence.

It's week two of
the MasterChef competition

and nine more home cooks
are arriving for their audition.

I'm just a home cook
and I love to cook.

I just love people being around me.

And that's what
I've come to do today.

Really? I'm really doing this?
Oh, my God.

Why? Why am I...

Why am I doing this to myself?

I've got apprehension
in my stomach.

I want to get on with it,
but I don't want to start.

Hello and welcome to
the MasterChef kitchen.

Who knows?

We could right now be looking
at this year's MasterChef champion.

JOHN:This is an audition round.

We've asked you to bring
in your own ingredients and cook

for us a family favourite
and make it MasterChef worthy.

Gregg and I will not be
in the MasterChef kitchen

with you whilst you cook.

We'll be in the tasting
room next door.

And the only way we'll be able
to judge your plates of food

is what appears in front of us.

Once we've tasted every dish,

John and I will choose
our three favourites.

And the cooks that cook
those dishes, you will get yourself

an apron and you will be
in the MasterChef competition.

The remaining six,

you have to cook again
for four aprons.

Then, our floor manager here
will be watching the clock

and keeping you to time.

We'll see you soon.

I want everyone to do well,
but I am disgustingly competitive.

So, when it comes down to it,
I'm going to do everything I can

to try and get one
of the MasterChef aprons.

Well, how did they seem
to you?

I love the fact they're all smiling,

and I think that's
a really good sign.

It's beyond real.

It's just, like,
so overwhelming to see

John and Gregg live in front of us.

I couldn't believe it
that they are for real.

Of course, they're going
to be nervous.

But I think that we're
in for a treat.

This is what I've been
looking forward to doing

for a long time now.

So, I'm ready.

I sound confident, but I'm not.

Usually, we're walking around
the MasterChef kitchen,

watching what they're doing.

But the only way we're going
to be able to judge their food

is by the finished plate.

I think this, in many ways,
is like a restaurant experience.

You know, we're here as the diners
and they're the chefs. That's it.

The contestants will audition
in groups of three

and have 1 hour and 20 minutes
to make their family favourite

MasterChef worthy.

Spice. Spice.

I love my spice.

Yeah. Spice keeps you alive,
you know?

That's my personality.

You feel nervous for them.

First up is civil servant Nky.

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria,
she now lives in Aberdeen

and has entered the competition
to celebrate her 50th birthday.

I'm getting to that age
in my life where it's...

..I'm still 21,
somewhere in my head.

My birthday is next month
and, for me, I had like a list

of what it is that I want to do
for that milestone age.

It's like a birthday gift
for myself.

First up, we've got Nky's
chicken and fried rice.

I've got three lovely boys.

I tend to do this every
other Sunday.

One of the favourite dish
that they love.

Double cooked spicy
chicken thighs,

steamed in oxtail
broth and then pan fried,

served with fried rice
and a salsa salad.

It's going to be a very
spicy dish.

I am not holding back.

Nky can make my chicken thighs
as spicy as she wants.

Double cooked is a really
good way of doing it.

So, what you do is you steam it,

so all the steam
penetrates the flesh.

Then fry it, so you get
a crispy outside.

I think because the taste
is kind of,

it takes us back
to where I'm from originally.

We love fried rice,
we love jollof rice.

They're such popular staple
food that we tend to have.

I'm hoping that fried rice has got
some vegetables running through it.

Could be great.

Going well?

Fingers crossed, yep. I hope.

34-year-old Adam is
a bricklayer from Bristol.

My job, I just literally
put down bricks.

Whereas this I need to think
about timings, ingredients, taste.

This is definitely more stressful.

Adam's got pan-seared
fillet steak, salsa verde,

pistachio-crusted carrots,

Pommes Anna and crispy shallots
served with red wine jus.

There's a lot of work here.

We have a steak on a Friday night.

My wife's sick of it. I've cooked
it quite a few times in a minute.

We had it for breakfast
the other day.

Fillet steak doesn't have
a huge amount of flavour.

That means it's got to be
browned very, very well.

I don't want it to be under.
I don't want it to be over.

Pommes Anna. Slice the potatoes,
loads and loads of butter

and nice and crispy.

That itself is going to take
at least an hour to get right.

I want those potatoes.

I never thought about doing
them as rectangles. No.

It's pretty, pretty classic stuff.

So let's hope for Adam's sake,
he has mastered those techniques.

Next up is 31-year-old toy developer
Omar from Barnsley in Yorkshire,

Next up is 31-year-old toy developer
Omar from Barnsley in Yorkshire,

who likes to experiment
with Pan-Asian flavours.

I think there's definitely
a bit of a uniqueness

and a difference to my food.

When my friends come over,
it's always a bit of an occasion.

It's not a normal roast
dinner or anything like that.

It's just nice to use the creative
side of my brain a bit more.

Omar's dish is called
Big Burger Dumplings.

Love that! Wow.

I don't know what a big burger
dumpling is,

but I love the sound of it.

It's like a cheeseburger-filled
dumpling.

I love making dumplings

and just putting my own
spin on things.

I think you can pretty much put
anything in a dumpling.

We've got smoked beef, cheese,
gherkins and onions stuffed

We've got smoked beef, cheese,
gherkins and onions stuffed

in a home-made fried dumpling,

served with shoestring fries,

gherkin sauce and burger sauce.

I live with my fiance.
We love a two-takeaway Sunday.

So you get a burger
in the afternoon,

and then usually get a Chinese or
we make something in the evening.

So I wanted to mash the two up and
kind of ended up with this dish.

So he's going to smoke
the beef himself?

I'm just smoking my
dumpling mixture.

I leave it for about 15 minutes
and then it has that smoky taste

that you usually have in
a great burger.

Now it's just a fiddly bit,
which I'm usually terrible at.

I am really, really fascinated
by this whole process,

and I really hope it works.

Nky, you've got five minutes.

Five minutes. We're on track.

I cook with so much love.

That's why I brought my love heart,

to put the fried rice in!
SHE LAUGHS

Nky, your time's up.

Let's get your plates out.

Oh, look at that.

We've got a heart.

Civil servant Nky's audition dish

is paprika and cayenne pepper
spiced chicken thighs,

which have been double cooked,

first steamed in oxtail broth
and then pan fried.

Served with fried rice
and a salsa salad.

You have wonderful flavour
on here, Nky, inside your rice

and on your chicken skin.
I really like it.

The major, major problem
I have here, I'm sorry to say,

is your chicken here is
too pink for me to eat.

The flesh in my chicken is great.

It's falling off the bone.
It's absolutely delicious.

I love the flavour you've got
in there from cooking that chicken

with the oxtail broth.

It's a revelation to me.
That's fantastic.

I had lots of time.

I don't know why
his chicken had to be pink.

Nky, come on, come on.
What a shame.

I really like her flavours,
though, Gregg. I really do.

Oh, boy.

Adam, five minutes. We're going
to need to start getting

some food on the plate. Lovely.

I'm happy with my potatoes.

My red wine sauce possibly could
have been a little bit stickier,

but the flavour's in there.

Adam, that's time up.

Let's get these dishes out, please.

To win an apron,

bricklayer Adam is serving
pan seared fillets steak

topped with crispy shallots,
Pommes Anna,

salsa verde,

pistachio crusted carrots

and a red wine jus.

That is a nice bit of steak
with good seasoning,

good colour on the outside. Love
the crispy shallots. Really good.

I like your Pommes Anna.
They're soft in the middle,

crispy around the outside.
Very, very good.

Your sauce needs work.

You've got to get it reduced
so it's thick and it's sticky.

Adam, I want to applaud you
for your salsa verde.

It's absolutely delicious.
I love it.

It's really, really fine.

Almost like green herb mustard.

Your carrots could probably
be a bit softer,

but it's a nice foundation,
nicely seasoned.

This means a lot to me.

I just wish I'd done those little
better techniques and got it down,

but it is what it is now.

Omar, five minutes to get
some food on the plate.

You're in the car.

You've just ordered
your favourite burger.

You take your first bite.
That's what that should taste like,

but...if you're in China.

Burger sauce is a bit too thick, so

I'm having to liberally
put it on with the spoon,

but if I see anything that
goes wrong, I'll be happy.

Omar, that's time up.
Let's get them out, please.

Great. Thank you.

BOTH:Hey.

Omar's place in the competition

rests on his big burger dumplings.

Fried dumpling skins filled
with smoked beef, cheese,

gherkins and onion,

topped with shoestring fries

and served with gherkin sauce
and burger sauce.

I think this is a really
clever idea.

Your dumplings are great.

Your dumpling skin is really good.

It's a lovely, thin consistency.

The filling inside
is still wonderful and moist.

It's well seasoned.

I think it's a really good start.

Your burger relish across the top
with the sesame seeds

is quite sharp,

and, of course, your gherkin sauce
underneath by design is very sharp.

So, I'm finding
the whole thing sharp.

It's almost as if I doused it
in too much vinegar.

Love your shoestring fries.

Really heavily seasoned.
That's great.

I feel like, finally,
someone's let the top off the kettle

kind of thing after weeks of like
getting ready for this one moment.

But no, I feel really happy
with what I've done,

and, yeah, let's just see
what happens.

Back in the kitchen,

the next three competitors
are under way.

I love a whole range of food.

I love everything.

34-year-old Claire owns a cheese
and wine shop in County Durham.

I'm what's called a super taster,
so I don't just taste wine.

I can taste a little bit more

and I think that's what I get
with food as well.

But I'm a council estate lass,

so whilst I do like the finer
things, I also like, you know,

just a pie and chips.

I want to bring the comfort element
to the MasterChef level.

Claire's doing Korean fried chicken

served with sticky jasmine rice

and pickled Asian slaw.

This dish, I'm quite confident,

there's not a lot of elements to it.

I want it really dark and crispy,
quite spicy.

I don't mind a little bit
of sweetness

with moist chicken underneath.

So, this dish is something special
to me and my wife, Katie,

and the dogs.

It was something that we loved

to get in during lockdown
as a delivery,

and then when the restaurant got
a bit busier and we couldn't get

deliveries, we just started making
it ourselves and we love it.

Claire's really neat and tidy
and organised.

This is intimidating levels
of organisation.

Also competing for an apron
is 40-year-old Anurag.

Here's my plan now -
coming out with my Excel sheet!

Hopefully I got the right recipe.

Originally born in India,

he now works as a chartered
accountant in Essex.

My love for cooking comes from
India, especially from my mother.

Sadly, she passed away a couple
of years ago, but she always

taught me how to cook and how to
have passion and love for food.

I really miss her.

And I think it's a tribute to her -
today I'm here just because of her.

Anurag has got a lot going on
a plate.

Spiced loin of lamb

served with lamb curry sauce,

sweet potato mash, crushed peas,

mint yoghurt, cucumber ribbons,
cranberry relish,

and paratha strips.

I'm sticking to the original Indian
flavours, but I'm presenting

in a very modern way.

Hopefully John and Gregg
will appreciate it.

Lamb loin, we know, has no fat
on it whatsoever,

so that's got to be crusted
and it should be served pink.

A lamb curry sauce - beautiful.

I like the thought of this.

My concern is cranberries.

Cranberries in a curry sauce
together.

Cucumber ribbons, paratha strips.

Seems to be lots of things going on.

There's a high-end feel,
honest cooking,

but presented in a very
beautiful form.

This is torture, sitting here
and looking at all this food

and not getting to eat it.

I try and cook every single day.

I love cooking.

62-year-old IT consultant Victor
regularly cooks the food

of his Hungarian heritage for his
family who live in Harrogate.

I'm here on the MasterChef
because I've been doing things

for other people for so many years
and this is something I've always

wanted to do, so I'm doing
something for me.

What are you making today?

I'm going to make
a Hungarian schnitzel.

What kind of schnitzel
is it that you're making?

It's going to be a pork schnitzel.
Oh, lovely.

My father came out from Hungary
in 1956.

One of my early memories of
this dish is actually sitting

around the family table with a great
big pile of schnitzel in the middle.

I introduced my children to it
and it's one of their favourites.

To the extent that when they come
back from university, it's like,

"What would you like to eat?"
"Oh, can we have schnitzel, please?"

Taking a piece of pork loin,
batting it out.

Flour, egg, breadcrumb,

nice and crispy
when it's been pan fried.

Slightly pink in the middle,
I'm fine with.

You talk to people
about Hungarian food.

They go, "Oh, goulash."
Yeah, yeah, all right, goulash,

but it's more than just goulash.

Hungarian cucumber salad,
that goes with a schnitzel.

And then another salad with potato
and avocado.

Lemon gel and an apple crisp.

He's got a lot of work to do,
and I don't necessarily believe

all these ingredients
need to be on the plate.

I just need to get my head down

and make sure I remember everything.

QUIETLY:Perfect.

Claire, you've got five minutes.

Let's get something on a plate,
please.

I'm popping the Asian pickled slaw
on the top

with the biggest tongs
in the world!

I think you eat with your eyes
first, don't you?

If it looks good,
that's half the battle.

Claire, that's time up.
Let's get these plates out, please.

To secure her place,

cheesemonger Claire has made Korean
fried chicken,

served with sticky jasmine rice

and pickled Asian slaw.

I am finding your chicken
completely and utterly addictive.

Thank you.

The coating on that chicken,
with the sesame seeds,

it's sweet and it's salty.

I've got a sweet tooth.
I think that is lovely.

Rice is nicely cooked.

The coleslaw is really nice
and sharp.

More of a pickled vegetables
rather than being any slaw at all.

And then you've got the carrot
going through it - that's great.

I actually really like the dish.

I'm impressed with Claire.

I'm impressed with the confidence.

It's relief now more
than anything, I think.

It was a bit of excitement and
nerves, and now it's just, "Pfff."

That's the first one done,
thankfully.

Anurag, you've got
five minutes left.

Pretty much everything is done now.

I just need to plate up.

I believe this is going to
be the European style of plating

with the flavours
maybe that Anurag grew up with.

That's how I like my lamb.

Thank you for the MasterChef
heating gods!

It's all about the oven.

It's a very stylised plate.

Very modern. Lots of work in here.

Accountant Anurag has made
garam masala, turmeric and garlic

spiced loin of lamb,

sweet potato mash, crushed peas,

mint yoghurt, cucumber ribbons,

cranberry relish

and paratha bread.

Served with a lamb curry sauce.

Your lamb is cooked perfectly pink
and juicy, colour on the outside.

Your lamb is cooked perfectly pink
and juicy, colour on the outside.

Your curry sauce, my friend,

I'd like to spoon
that out of a bowl.

I like the sweet potato
that you've made,

almost into a mousse.

It's really smooth.

I could do with some more bread.

Only because I want to get
piggy with your sauce. Yeah.

I love it.

Thank you.

I think it's bangin'!
Oh!

The peas with the little bits of
cumin running through it,

it's really delicious.

The cucumber is slightly salty

and then the cranberry
being sharp and sour.

I've got sour, salty, hot, sweet
notes all together on a plate

I've got sour, salty, hot, sweet
notes all together on a plate

with a beautiful piece of bread.

It's great.

John, early days.

Only one dish, I know,
but the young fellow's got talent.

John said this is bang on.
It's a banger.

So I'm pretty delighted.

I couldn't be more happier from John
and Gregg's comment about my dish.

Victor, you've got a minute.
We need to finish this plating up.

OK, no problems.

The risk on this dish is moving
it from being a family sharing dish

to a plated up dish.

I'm worried about all the
components turning into a big blob

on the plate.

These lemon gels have come
out absolutely perfectly,

just as I wanted to see them.

Hey, guys.

IT consultant Victor has served
pork loin Hungarian schnitzel

IT consultant Victor has served
pork loin Hungarian schnitzel

with Hungarian cucumber salad,

potato and avocado salad
with pesto mayonnaise,

garnished with lemon gel
and apple crisps.

I like your schnitzel, the flavour
of pork underneath a crisp

layer of breadcrumbs.
Nicely seasoned - I like that.

Your cucumber salad,
I like, with the smoky paprika,

but it's very salty.

Your lemon gel, I think that
should just be wedges of lemon.

Avocado with pesto mayo is
a new one on me, but that works.

Avocado with pesto mayo is
a new one on me, but that works.

The apple crisp is a nice idea.

I like all the things you've made.

I'm just not sure it makes

one whole plate.

It's inoffensive.
It's all cooked OK.

I just don't know what it is.

It kind of defies description.

EXHALES

MasterChef kitchen, time really
does run away from you.

And I think if I had
that time again,

I'd put a nice wedge of lemon on it
in a little bit muslin cloth

and save myself about ten minutes.

The spotlight is now on
the last group of auditionees.

Where's my recipe?

Here it is.

Originally from Wales,

46-year-old mum of four Jo
now lives in Scotland.

It actually feels nice to be cooking
for somebody who isn't going

to ask me for a snack
while I'm cooking.

That's going to be a novelty for me.

Jo's the first dessert
out of the blocks.

We're being promised
a cherry kirsch pudding,

served with custard - nice.

Salted almond brittle,

cherry tuille, and whipped cream.

I've cooked this cake
for 20 years or more.

This cake has appeared
in many mums and tots groups,

pretty much every birthday party
I've ever thrown

and many other family occasions.

Yes, this cake has been there
for it all.

Pudding nice and light, please.

Cherry kirsch running through it.

Kirsch being a cherry brandy.

I've added a lot of kirsch to make
it a little bit more grown up.

You've got a fairly basic batter,

then some cherries soaked in kirsch.

I've just drizzled some of the
kirsch on the batter so it soaks in

and makes it more pudding-y.

And then a crumble top.

Served with custard - fabulous.

Think we're on track so far, unless
something goes horribly wrong.

Think we're on track so far, unless
something goes horribly wrong.

I could collapse into my custard.

Hong Kong-born Forest

is a 34-year-old marketing director
from Surrey.

As a cook I'm very messy,

although I do my best to try
to clean up on my way.

However, if you speak to my
boyfriend, he will say that I'm one

of the messiest cooks
that he's ever seen.

So, hopefully, I won't embarrass
myself too much in this competition.

Forest - Apples and Cream
is the title of his dessert.

Warm apple cake, served with
cinnamon and mascarpone ice cream

and an oat cookie crumb.

Come on! He's just making a list
of heavenly ingredients.

So, the inspiration for this
is that when I was younger,

me and my family liked going to fast
food places where you sell chips

and burgers and apple pies.

One of the things that we really
liked to order is apple pie

and ice cream,

so this is basically a version
of that.

An elevated MasterChef version.

I would like a really lovely apple
cake here with bits of apple

running through it, some spices,
maybe cinnamon and nutmeg.

It needs to have some texture
across the top.

And with that, an ice cream
made from mascarpone,

that thick cheese, with cinnamon.

There's two things I need to do.

One is the cinnamon
and mascarpone ice cream,

and the other one is a pastry cream.

I basically need to do both
at the same time,

otherwise I'll run out of time.

VICTOR:Double handed -
wow, that's impressive.

The final amateur to audition
is 24-year-old personal trainer

Cliodhna from Lancashire.

She learned to cook at an early age
along with her three sisters.

When we were younger, myself
and my younger sister Alana

applied for our high school's
kiddie version of MasterChef.

Alana ended up going on to win
the competition,

whereas I got kicked out
on the first round.

So, I'm here to set the record
straight this time.

She's going to kill me for that!

Cliodhna - sticky toffee pudding.

Ooh, yum.
I love a sticky toffee pudding.

I'm pretty sure it's a family
favourite in most homes in the UK

cos it's amazing.

Served with rich toffee sauce,
caramelised banana ice cream,

and peanut praline.

Whoa!
This is going to be sweet, Gregg.

It's a very sweet dish,
but not overly sweet.

Well balanced, I like to think,

but the judges will be the judge
of that!

Sticky toffee pudding,
the sweetness comes from dates.

It should be soft and spongy
on the outside

and it should fall apart.

It should be really, really light.

Caramelised banana ice cream.

First, she's going to have to
caramelise the bananas with sugar

and then into ice cream,

which is made from custard,
which is sweet.

I don't put any extra sugar
in the ice cream,

so then it's not overly sweet.

And then that adds a sort of creamy
note to the whole dessert.

And then peanut praline,
which is sugar.

Wow. I hope there's a little bit of
cream on the side to be able to take

up some of the sugar.

I've done praline once, but when
I've tasted it all together,

it's worth the risk.

It tastes unreal.

The proof of the pudding, of course,

is in the amount of sugar.

Jo, one minute - you need to
get everything on the plate, please.

That looks like it's cooked,
as long as it's not dry.

My cherry pudding is basically
my old cherry cake

with some nice shoes
and a bit of lipstick,

and hopefully it'll appeal
to John and Gregg's

sensibilities a little bit.

That was supposed to be a nice,
elegant drizzle of cherry sauce

rather than a squirt, but it'll do.

I can live with that.

Jo, time's up.

Let's go. Thank you.

Welsh-born Jo has made
cherry kirsch pudding,

served with custard,

a salted almond brittle,

cherry tuille,

and whipped cream.

Wonderful, wonderful flavours.

Not too sweet.

The cake is a little bit...

..damp.
It could be a little drier.

Right.

You are showing a number
of things here.

You can make a sponge,

you can make a tuille,
you can make a brittle.

You make really good custard
and a cherry sauce.

You obviously do a fair bit
of cooking.

I love your custard, but then
I've got whipped cream as well.

I don't think I really need whipped
cream and custard and cherry sauce

with a soggy sponge.

It's gone too wet.
Yep.

By doing so many things,

you're detracting from the beauty
of the centre of that dish.

I think that lady can cook.

I think she can, too,
but this is just too much.

I'm kicking myself a little bit
cos I could have just made my life

so much easier and just did
a really good cake

and some lovely custard.

But I've done it, it was good.
I'm happy.

Forest, mate,
you've got three minutes.

You need to get this plated up,
please. OK. Sounds good.

This is the oat cookie.

It's really crispy. Really nice.

What I try not to do is to push
everything onto a plate

and swamp it.

I only have a few elements on it,

but do each element very, very well.

This is decent.
Yes, I'm happy with this.

OK, Forest, it's time to go now.

Marketing director Forest
has made warm apple cake,

served with cinnamon
and mascarpone ice cream,

oat cookie crumb,

and an oat cookie biscuit.

I think it's professional quality.

Your cake is absolutely fantastic.

It's light, it's soft,
it's delicious.

On the side, bits of apple, which
are lovely, rich in caramel,

and then added texture
from an oat biscuit.

I think it's great.

I'm loving that ice cream.

Mascarpone, of course, is slightly
sour, almost like yoghurt.

You've got tons of cinnamon in there
which is a classic combination.

I'm very, very much enjoying that.

One of the best dishes today.

I am exhausted,

but, yeah, I think it went
as well as I could hope.

NKY:One more to go.

I'm really happy with how the
pudding's turned out and the sauce.

They both taste amazing.

Cliodhna, I know you've got
something in the blast chiller,

but you've only got three minutes.
Be right back!

SHE LAUGHS

Perfect.

Good to go.

Whoa!

Personal trainer Cliodhna's dish
is sticky toffee pudding

served with toffee sauce,

caramelised banana ice cream,

and a peanut praline.

That's quite a thick,
big piece of peanut brittle.

That's quite a thick,
big piece of peanut brittle.

As for the rest of it,

it's delightful.

Your pudding itself
is really nicely spiced.

It's not too sweet.

And across the top of it,

we have a really lovely thick toffee
sauce made with molasses.

I wrote it off as going
to be too sweet.

I was wrong.

Your sponge is moist
and really light.

That is brilliant ice cream.

Oh, thank you.

That is shiny and smooth and creamy,

and you get a trace,
a hint of banana,

as you're finishing each mouthful.

That's really, really well made.

I almost want to let you go back
in there

and have another go at the praline.

That praline is a problem.
It's not perfect.

But she's good.
She's got real promise.

My heart is in my throat right now
after that!

I'm on a high vibe and I'm staying
on it because they really liked it

and it's the first time
I've ever cooked for them,

so I'm absolutely chuffed.

A mixed bag of skill
and technical ability.

And I've got to tell you,

a couple of absolutely
outstanding bits of talent.

There are two people who
will definitely get an apron.

Forest with his apple cake,

and Anurag with his spiced lamb.

Those two dishes were
stand-out and beautiful.

We know that mistakes have been made

and who'll definitely
have to cook again.

Nky made chicken
and yours wasn't cooked enough.

Adam did a steak.

However, the red wine sauce
wasn't good enough

and the carrots weren't cooked.

Victor's schnitzel was great,
but it was more like a buffet

than it was a finished dinner.

Omar's going to cook again
because you're not sure.

Jo's going to cook again
because I'm not sure.

So that means the final apron

is between Claire with
the Korean fried chicken

or Cliodhna
with the sticky toffee pudding.

What a fantastic problem
to have, when you've got

that much choice.

Who do we want to see cook again?

What an incredible audition round.

We loved tasting your food.

So thank you.

We have made a decision.

We do have our three favourite
dishes.

Our first apron...

..goes to Anurag.

Congratulations, my friend.

Thank you.

Second person getting an apron...

Forest.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

The third apron caused us
a bit of a problem as judges

because there were two contestants
that we thought both deserved it.

Claire, Cliodhna, we both
really liked your dishes.

But we only have
one more apron to give.

Our third and final apron...

Claire.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Sorry.

The three of you, come on,
get your aprons.

Congratulations. Up you come.

Well done. Congratulations.
Thank you.

See you soon.

Yeah! You got it!

Well done, guys. Well done.

My aim with MasterChef is just

not to get kicked out in the first
round, so I think I'm done now.

You can go home.

Baby steps, day by day.

Hip-hip... Hooray! Hooray!

Three cheers, guys.

Now, look - put any disappointment
behind you.

This is not the end of the road.

Your MasterChef journey
has only just begun.

This is a MasterChef
invention test...

..and your job is to cook
for Gregg and I

an amazing dish in
1 hour and 15 minutes.

It can be whatever you want
it to be,

an influence from anywhere
in the world,

because, behind us,
there are an amazing set

of ingredients to allow you
to cook whatever you want.

We have just four
more aprons to give.

That does mean, at the end of this,
two of you will be going home.

Ten minutes to select
your ingredients.

Up you come.

I'm still deciphering
the ingredients

and struggling a little bit.

If you are a good cook
and you cook all the time,

you will love an invention test.

If you're winging it,
this will scare you.

Think I'm going tapas-y,
kind of Spanish.

It's all churning in my head
but it'll be good.

We'll be fine.

There's guinea fowl,
racks of lamb, sea bass, salmon.

There's chocolates,
there's syrups, spices, herbs.

Make us something great.

I was really nervous about it
to start with, but now I've seen

what I've got to work
with I'm quite excited.

Hour and 15 minutes -

off you go.

MasterChef has been on my bucket
list for years and years and years,

and the fact that I'm actually
here and doing it

and being in the kitchen
is a big, big tick for me.

I really would like to stay.

Victor, how are you in our kitchen?

You feeling comfortable?

I'm a lot happier than I was
in the last round.

I've got some ingredients I love,

so I think I can get something
quite good out today.

What are you making us, Victor?

I'm going to bone out
the guinea fowl,

stuff the legs with some mushrooms,
chorizo and shallot,

cook the breast, do a fondant
potato, a bit of mushroom, leek,

do a stock reduction
and a fennel puree.

Victor, are you sure you can get
all this done in just over an hour?

No.

Victor's given himself
a huge amount of work to do.

He took the guinea fowl, guinea fowl
being very, very similar

to a chicken.

It doesn't have very much fat on it,

so it does cook really quick
and he's got to be careful

it doesn't go dry.

I'm really going to try
and put my personality into my food.

That's what I want them
to see today,

my personality, my cheekiness,
my confidence, my skills.

I'm going to get an apron
today and I'm going to win,

end of.

What are you going to make for us?

I'm going to make you
a cappelletti pasta.

It's basically a tortellini -

so you circle it, fold it,
tuck it at the back -

filled with a lemon
and mascarpone filling,

white wine sauce and a dill oil.

Wow! Where did your passion
for cookery begin?

From my dad, from a young age.

My dad was a builder, but he was
always making random things.

Are there other cookery builders
in the industry,

or do you stand out on your own?

I do stand out a lot.
A lot of people talk about football

and I talk about famous chefs,
and I do get a lot of stick.

The issue with stuffed pasta is
you've got to make sure

there's no air inside the actual
pasta when you fold it over,

because air expands in heat and
it blows open.

But I think it's a really nice idea.

Cliodhna confidently got to the
bench and picked up a sea bass.

She filleted that sea bass
absolutely beautifully.

It's going to be served with
a bowl of pasta and pesto,

made with pistachio nuts.

Pistachio nuts are quite rich.

They're quite a strong flavour,
almost flavour of dessert.

So hopefully that works.

Cheese, basil, pistachios
and fish with pasta?

Yeah.

Do you have a style, do you think?

I just do, like, mood food, really.

Whatever I'm in the mood
for, I'll cook it, so...

I love "mood food". I'm using it.

What's mood food? Whatever food
I'm in the mood for. Brilliant!

I'm very, very hungry for it now.

I'm going to absolutely go down
fighting to try and get one

of those aprons today, 100%.

Is it all right
if 25 minutes have gone?

No!

25 minutes have gone.

As a mum of four,
it tends to be a bit,

"Right, what's in the freezer,
what's in the cupboards,

"what can I make out of that that's
going to make everybody happy?"

Because one doesn't like this,
one doesn't like the other.

That's my danger.

I have a tendency to add
lots of bits to everything.

Who do you cook for? Who's at home?

My husband, Chris, and three of
my four kids are still at home.

And the other one comes for dinner
two or three nights a week, yeah.

Wow! You cook dinner every night?

Yeah.

What are you making?
I'm making you some tapas.

I've got you a chicken and chorizo
stew, some Spanish pickled carrots,

I've got you a chicken and chorizo
stew, some Spanish pickled carrots,

a Spanish tortilla,

some green beans with
roasted garlic and almonds

and some crispy, hopefully,
garlicky crushed new potatoes.

Why have you done this?
Why not a complete dinner?

This is how we'd eat it at home.
We'd eat it family-style.

The stew is the wet dish.
I get that.

But, for me, there needs
to be something else with this.

Something like aioli with
the chicken stew - delicious.

Something like aioli
with the tortilla - delicious.

But it needs something
to join it together.

I've given myself
a talk this morning.

I'm ready to go.

Go on, Nky, let's go.

Nky went straight
for the salmon, which she has dusted

with some curry powder,
some smoked paprika and cinnamon.

Cinnamon on salmon?

It's a very strong spice.

The vegetables are all together
in a pan with Scotch bonnet,

a whole Scotch bonnet.

Then through that mix
she's also put some mint.

It's an interesting combination.

I saw you grab
the Scotch bonnet chilli.

I was told not to hold back,
so I'm trying not to hold back.

But you know what? I've got
something to cool you guys off.

I've made some kind of...
It's very like milkshake.

If you can't handle the heat,
you go with the milkshake.

Where did you learn to cook?

Oh, back in Lagos.

I went to boarding school

and, when you go to boarding
school where I come from in Nigeria

and you come back home,
you have to be a good cook

because the food is not
that great in boarding school.

That was how I developed
a love of cooking.

I love people. You know when you
love people, a people-pleaser,

you just love to make people happy.

And I should imagine people love
you, don't they? People try.

People try, yeah.

You've only got 25 minutes left!

Omar honed in on the sea bass.

But when he went to fillet that
sea bass, he seemed to have no idea

what he was doing.
He has got some fish off the bone.

He's taken all the rest of the fish
which is still on the bone

and, thankfully, made a fish stock
out of it.

Omar, you really made us smile
with your invention

in the last round. I'm glad, Gregg.
What are you making for us?

I've done a fish broth.

I've got some of the sea bass
that'll go on top,

some crispy peanuts, some mushrooms,
some pickled chillies

and the vermicelli noodles.

How would you define your style?

Probably Asian. Like, Asian fusion.

I love taking dishes that I've eaten
when I've been travelling.

I've been to China quite a lot,
Hong Kong, Philippines. Wow.

Yeah, I travelled quite a lot
with work, which was brilliant.

You're a lucky boy. Managed to

travel and eat...
Yeah, I've been very lucky.

That fish stock needs to be lovely
and clear cos he's making

a broth, which is going to go
with some noodles, and then

a piece of fish across the top.
I just hope he doesn't

then boil it cos you boil a stock
which has had lemongrass

and lime leaves in it,
and all those flavours disappear

and they become bitter.

Three minutes, everybody, please.
Just three minutes.

Food on plates, right now.

You have 90 seconds!

You've got to get stuff
on plates now!

Final touches.

And we're done. Stop!

Looks good.

Adam, please, come and join us.

To secure one of
the last four aprons,

bricklayer Adam has served
cappelletti pasta filled with

mascarpone and lemon,

served with a butter
and white wine sauce,

and a dill oil.

Making any filled pasta
is the hardest pasta to make

and you've done really,
really well. Inside there,

you've got mascarpone, which is
slightly sour, and you've got lemon

flavour, which is nice.

You have fantastic dill oil
running through a cream sauce,

You have fantastic dill oil
running through a cream sauce,

which has the faintest hint
of white wine about it.

Adam, I'm liking it.

I'm just over the moon.

I'm feeling absolutely buzzing.

Toy developer Omar's dish
is pan-fried sea bass

on vermicelli noodles,

with mushrooms, pickled chillies,
crispy peanuts and coriander,

with mushrooms, pickled chillies,
crispy peanuts and coriander,

served with a lemongrass,
chilli and lime leaf broth.

served with a lemongrass,
chilli and lime leaf broth.

You selected the sea bass,
having probably never filleted

a sea bass before, by the looks of
the way in which you went about it.

Yeah.

Your sea bass, although butchered
within an inch of its life,

it's actually cooked nicely

and it suits that broth.
Noodles are cooked.

Yeah, I'm really enjoying it.
Tastes good.

Your broth is really good.

It's lovely and clear. You've got
the warmth of the chilli,

get woodiness of mushrooms,
which I like, the freshness

of that coriander running
through the whole thing,

and a small faint flavour
of that fish stock.

That's good. I hope you're going
to walk away from here and learn

how to fillet a fish.

Feeling really good.
I think they really liked it.

They loved the broth.

So, there's definitely good...
good stuff to take from it.

Personal trainer Cliodhna
has served pan-fried sea bass

on dill, parsley, pistachio
and pesto pasta,

and buttered green beans.

You filleted your sea bass
very well.

My fish is cooked beautifully.

Your pasta's made
really, really nicely.

Your pesto is really rich
with basil, but not too much.

The pistachio nuts I can't taste,
which I'm pleased about.

Your beans are cooked
very, very nicely.

I've got to say, I'm really
impressed with what you've done.

I CAN taste the pistachio
and my pasta is a little sweet

because of the pistachio.

But wouldn't send it back.

I would eat it.

I'm not disheartened.

I do think I probably could have
done a little bit better,

but I'm just feeling really nervous,
to be honest.

Mum-of-four Jo is serving
her version of tapas -

Spanish-inspired chicken
and chorizo stew,

s Spanish tortilla
and roasted garlic potatoes,

served with a side of almond
and garlic green beans,

and pickled carrots with paprika.

This little pot of chicken stew
here, sweet with tomatoes

and really smoky with paprika,
is lovely.

Your little tortilla -
perfectly cooked, really nice.

Your crushed roasted potatoes -
really lovely.

You've got some really lovely ideas.

I'd like to see this joined up

and that needs, for me, a big whack
of aioli going through your stew,

on your bread, with your potatoes,
with your tortilla.

It'd be lovely.

I always make aioli with my tapas
and I didn't do it today,

so I'm a little bit annoyed at
myself about that.

Other than that, yeah, I'm pretty
happy with how it went. I'm happy.

IT consultant Victor has made
a mushroom and chorizo-stuffed

guinea fowl leg,

and roasted guinea fowl breast,

served with fondant potato,
leeks, fennel puree,

king oyster mushroom,
and finished with a Madeira sauce.

I think we've got a bit
of an issue with this leg.

You can see how pink that is.

Victor, your fondant is absolutely
fantastic. I love it.

It's nice and buttery and cooked
really, really well.

I've got an issue with my breast
of my guinea fowl.

It's still pink. My leg is
actually cooked, but the skin

on the outside of it
needs to be at least crispy

or take it away.

You obviously know how to cook.

I like your puree. That's
well made, smooth. lovely sauce.

But I think what you were attempting
in the time was unrealistic,

But I think what you were attempting
in the time was unrealistic,

bordering foolhardy-brave.

I'm absolutely gutted,
to be honest with you.

I thought it was cooked. It looked
cooked and then it wasn't.

It's one of those days.

Finally, it's civil servant Nky,

whose dish is cinnamon and
curry-spiced grilled salmon,

stir-fried vegetables
with mint and Scotch bonnet chilli,

and noodles,

served with a vanilla milkshake.

Whoa.

That's where the Scotch
bonnet went, right?

Cinnamon's an unusual flavour
with the salmon,

but I don't mind that at all.

Your salmon itself is
going a little bit dry.

Your vegetables have been cooked
for a really long time.

It's all just been cooked
a little bit too long. OK.

Stir-fry has gone a little bit
greasy across the noodles,

but I love the amount of chilli
in there.

And thanks for the milkshake.

It's delicious.

Oh, I feel relieved.

I'm not dwelling on the negative.

I think they still were able to see
some positives in it as well.

So, overall, I'm quite happy.

A MasterChef invention test,
the chance of the last four

remaining aprons, of course,
they're under pressure,

but I think we've got
some good cooks. I really do.

I really liked what Adam did.

Those little pastas filled with
the mascarpone and the lemon,

with the white wine sauce
and the dill oil,

I thought it was really well made

and it had really good flavour
to it.

I'm really happy for Adam
to get an apron.

Cliodhna, she made
her own pasta, cut it,

cooked it really, really well.
Sea bass cooked pretty well.

So, Cliodhna's shown
that she's got the skill.

Omar didn't fillet his fish
very well at all,

but I'm really pleased
he made a broth.

The broth was sparklingly clear.

The sea bass fillet, as small as it
was, was cooked perfectly.

So, Adam, Omar and Cliodhna
get an apron.

I totally agree with you.

We have got one cook today
who, I'm sorry to say, their time

in the MasterChef kitchen is over

and that's Victor.

Victor had a really good potato
fondant, which is rare

in this kitchen. But there are
some mistakes

that are impossible to ignore.

Victor's going home.

So, out of Nky and Jo,
somebody else is going.

So, out of Nky and Jo,
somebody else is going.

I really don't know what to make
of Jo.

We had a chicken stew flavoured
with tomato,

a tortilla, potatoes and onions,
nicely made.

The food tastes nice,
but what is it?

I think Jo's a good cook,
but it needed something moist

to bring it all together.

Nky's dish was salmon
with stir-fried veg.

That's a nice idea.

Noodles were nicely done,
but the salmon going slightly dry,

Noodles were nicely done,
but the salmon going slightly dry,

stir-fried veg overcooked.

Who has got errors that you are
finding difficult to overlook?

Because that's the one who's
got to go.

I just hope that the flavours
will pull me through and get me

an apron cos I really don't
want to go home.

Given another chance,

I would love to have an apron
and to cook again, yes.

Let me tell you, a MasterChef
invention test is one of

the toughest tests on MasterChef,
no matter what stage you're at.

We thought you all did
really, really well.

In front of us are just four aprons.

That does mean two of you
will be leaving us.

First person leaving us...

..is Victor.

Victor, thank you very much indeed
for all your hard work.

Your fondant potato was delicious.

Thanks a lot, everyone.

It's not unexpected.

Disappointed not to get through,
but it's not going to change my love

for cooking, and I've had
a great experience,

so I can't ask for anything more.

OK.

The second person leaving us is...

..Nky. Thank you very much.

We've loved all your spicing,
all your seasoning.

You're leaving us.
Thanks very much indeed. Thank you.

Nice to meet you. Thank you.

Being on MasterChef makes you
understand yourself better.

Things you could improve, yes,
but, like, I'm taking the positive,

so I will take that with me.

OK, you four, you are now officially
in this year's competition.

OK, you four, you are now officially
in this year's competition.

Oh, my God. That was so close.

Come and grab your aprons.

Really good day. I'm super happy
to be wearing the apron

and finally actually part of
the competition,

past the audition round.

Squeaky bum, definitely -
I was really nervous.

But, no, really happy to get
through. Really excited.

I got my apron.

I'm absolutely chuffed to bits.

There's no words to describe
just how pleased I am.

Can't believe it.

Today has massively boosted
my confidence.

It's taught me to believe in myself.

So, yeah, the sky's the limit.

Next time, this week's best cooks
return to face

two demanding challenges...

Calm down, dear.

Can't breathe!

..as they fight for a place
in the quarterfinal.

I absolutely love it.

This is remarkable.