All language subtitles for MasterChef.The.Professionals.S16E02.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

From across the UK...

...32 up-and-coming chefs...

...are putting their reputations
on the line...

...in a battle to become
Professional MasterChef Champion.

Tonight, four new hopefuls
compete to impress

MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace,

renowned chef Monica Galetti,

and Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing.

This is definitely the most
important day of my career.

On my best day,
I believe I can beat anyone.

That's what I'm here to do.

It's a massive opportunity.
And it is also my birthday,

and I'm hoping a good omen.

My plan is to cook my heart out

like I have been for the last
seven years.

Very exciting -
a little bit pressure,

but I'll try to do my best.

As always!

Who has got the talent
to rise to the top?

It's time to discover our next
culinary superstar.

Right, we have four new chefs
to meet.

First off, Skills Test.

Two of them, Monica, are going to be
doing yours.

Marcus, two of them yours. What are
you going to get them to do?

I would like our chefs to make
spiced monkfish,

served with polenta and a chilli
butter sauce.

Wow. Mm!

Yeah, yeah, I'm into that.

So, prep the monkfish,

but the cooking of the fish,
of course, is the main thing here.

Making polenta, it's about cooking
that beautifully

and getting the right consistency.

The polenta's the neutral element
of it.

It's the bit that balances
the dish out.

20 minutes, Marcus.
Let's see it done.

All right, first job, monkfish tail.

And we're just going to pull off
the skin.

So you've got your backbone,
from head to tail.

So the fillets do come off
quite easy.

What's really important now
is to remove all the membrane.

It is quite frightening, a monkfish,
if you've not prepared one before.

It has seven layers of membrane
that you need to remove on it.

Cooking with the membrane on this

is what will tighten the fish
up when it's cooked.

So you really do want the chefs
to remove that.

They only need to cut one portion.

I'm going to cut it into three
nice medallions.

They can portion it any way
they like.

The most important thing is if
they're going to cut it

as a big tranche, they need to
pretty much get that on now

and probably get it into the oven.

So, small enough and it can
be cooked in the pan.

Too big enough, it will have to go
in the pan, followed by the oven?

Yeah. So now on to my polenta.

So I've got some veg stock.

I'm just going to bring that up to
the boil. Drop in my polenta.

It's not going to take long.
Just stay with it.

Turn up the heat. It starts to get
thick pretty much straight away.

There you go. Look. Just be careful,
because if you do leave it,

it can catch on the bottom.

How wet or dry do you want
your polenta?

It has to be wet enough
for it to be runny,

but also to be able to
hold the monkfish.

I'm going to serve my monkfish
on top.

I've added quite a bit of butter
into it as well,

so I want it be nice and rich.

That's a really nice consistency.

I'm asking them to make a spiced
monkfish dish.

I've got some coriander,
smoked paprika,

some cumin and some chilli flakes.

They can use one,
they can use them all.

I'm just going to use a combination
of all four of them.

So a teaspoon of each.

So we're now good to go.

We can start cooking our fish.

Monkfish is a great fish
to use with spices,

and it can take it
because it's so meaty.

Really important with monkfish,

especially with something that's got
a spice around it,

is that you get a good temperature,
a good heat into the pan,

so you almost seal the fish.

So it gets almost like a little bit
of a spicy crust around the outside.

Got to also make sure those spices
don't burn. That's right.

Just going to put in a couple of
knobs of butter.

That's just to finish off.

Mm, that looks great.

All about the touch now. You've got
to get a little bit of sponginess.

You don't want it to be too firm.

You want a little bit of bounce,
but not too much.

I want to cook this, rest it
for a minute and serve it.

Mm.

Lovely. Very lovely.

Fish is cooked, the polenta's ready.

Now I just need to finish
my chilli butter.

It's just literally as simple
as melting butter

with some spices.

Right, we're good to go. Yay!

That's a beautiful dish.
Look at that!

Finish with the chilli butter.

There we have it. Spiced monkfish,
polenta and a chilli butter sauce.

Marcus, it looks amazing. Thank you.

Almost don't want to ruin it,
it's so beautiful. I know.

Mm!

The polenta with the spice mix
and the chilli butter

comes together beautifully.

You know, the cooking of the polenta
is important,

but also I want to see how they
apply the spice

to the monkfish, too. Beautiful.

All right, we need to get the chefs
in.

Monica, you're going to be watching
on the monitor, right? Right.

We'll see you back here for tasting.
See you in a bit.

Now, of course, it's the turn
of our first two chefs.

Let's please hope they treat this
fish with as much care as you did.

Fingers crossed.

First up is 34-year-old
chef patron Rosie...

...a self-taught cook and an owner
of a small cafe-restaurant in Rye.

We serve food from all over
the world.

On our lunch menu,
we've got some Middle Eastern food,

we've got some Indian food.
It's a real mashup -

and then for dinner, we do
small plates,

cos I always think it's a shame to
go out and have one plate of food

when you can have six
plates of food.

Greedy pig!

I love being a chef.

It is hard, but it's so rewarding.

I haven't had any classical training
at all.

I am the first one to admit that
will definitely be my weak spot.

But I need to know how I rate
compared to other people.

Am I good for a small cafe in Rye,

or am I actually good?
Like, am I really good?

Rosie, welcome to
Professional MasterChef.

First up is the Skills Test.

This one was set by none other
than the chef over here,

Marcus Wareing. The best of luck.
Thank you.

I would like you to make spiced
monkfish, served with polenta

and a chilli butter sauce.

20 minutes.

Over to you, Rosie.

Big boy. Mm.

All right, Rosie.
First chef up of the day.

I don't think I've ever

used one this big before.

Fish prep, do you do a lot?

To be honest, no, we don't do
a huge amount of fish.

But I have, actually, in preparation
for the competition,

I have been practising.

I just went and bought loads
and loads of fish. Did you? Yeah!

Got a freezer full of fish now
at home.

Not that I chose monkfish.

Wish I did now!

This is not how you want
to remove the sinew off.

I should have done this when I had
it on the fillet.

I'm struggling to get this off.

If she had tried and removed more of
the sinew on the whole fillet,

it would have been much easier.

She's left it on.

OK, so I'm going to go
for the paprika, the cumin

and the chilli.

She's making oil with a spice, OK.

Like it spicy?
However you'd like it.

Spicy, always.

OK. She's got her monkfish
in the spiced oil.

That looks nice.

What sort of places have you
worked, Rosie?

I've never worked in a fine
dining restaurant.

I have done lots of private
catering and ski seasons,

which was really fun.
I now have my own little cafe.

Right. You are halfway.

You've got ten minutes left. OK.

Right. So what's next?

So I'm going to get the polenta on.

Which is making me a bit nervous
because I'm not really sure.

It's a bit of guesswork.

So just think of... Porridge.

...the texture, how you want
to serve it. Porridge!

Just think of porridge.

What just went in there?
Was that a handful of sage?

Oh, it's not even chopped up.

OK. What time am I on?

You have eight minutes left.
And I still need to do the fish

and a chilli butter. Aah!

Don't get nervous now.

You need to just stay focused.

I've burned my monkfish, no!

Fish like that, in spices
it's going to catch.

But a char-y flavour
could be delicious.

So if she just takes the heat
down a little... There she goes.

Maybe add some butter to it.

This is even more stressful
than it looks on the TV,

which I didn't know was possible!

But I might actually put some paper
under it,

cos I'm worried it's going to burn.

Well, it is burnt already
on one side,

but I'm worried the
other side is going to burn.

She's stopping the heat
from getting to that.

It's a big piece of fish
and hopefully she has enough time

to cook it. I think I'm going to put
it in the oven.

OK. Chilli butter.
Chilli butter. Chilli butter.

Thyme and rosemary.

Oh, gosh, the panic.

Right, look, you've got about
a minute.

So you need to start putting
this dish together now.

Yeah. I really hope this
polenta's OK.

Better pull these huge, great,
big lumps of sage out of it.

You are out of time.

Now breathe. Thank you.

Right. Let's see if this fish
is cooked.

Rosie. Hi, Monica, how are you?

That was a bit of a hard watch
from the back there.

Yeah, it was very nerve-racking.

Oh, no. Is it...?

As you can see, it's not cooked.

It needed a lot longer.

12 minutes it would take to
cook that, and then resting time.

That's a shame.

Right. Look, the fish isn't cooked.
The polenta's not right.

It should be a lot looser, a lot
wetter, and also seasoned as well.

And the chilli butter
is just incredibly hot.

And so there's no balance
to the dish, Rosie.

This fish was hardly ever
going to cook

with the amount of sinew left on it.

It's going to pull
the fish together.

So try as you might, it's going to
take you longer to cook that.

The polenta, Gregg said,
"Cook it like porridge.”

He wasn't joking.

He was actually giving you a bit
of a hint there.

Rosie, this isn't a great start,

but that doesn't mean the end
of the competition.

It just means that you have a big
point to prove in the next round.

Yep. Thank you, Rosie. Thank you.

I think that was 100% the scariest
thing I've ever done in my career

by a million miles.

So I'm just going to try and put
it behind me and move forward,

and just do my best to do
well in the next round.

Next to face Marcus's Skills Test
is 27-year-old Tommy...

...head chef at a fine dining
restaurant in Bristol.

So the restaurant
I currently work in,

we do a lot of our own foraging,
just to showcase our own produce

throughout the year,
which is really rewarding.

Personally, I like to think my
food's quite contemporary.

It's not just cooking food.
There's so much more to it.

It's a science, I believe. There's
art involved in there, you know,

working as a team and just achieving
everything that you possibly can

on a daily basis.

I feel like I'm at a point
in my career now

where I'm able to showcase
a little bit more about myself.

I've also recently had a little
boy who's just inspired me

to not be afraid of anything and do
what you can to be your best.

Right, Tommy. Looking serious.

Focused.

Tommy, good to see you. Welcome.

I would like you to cook
for us a spiced monkfish.

Serve it with polenta and a chilli
butter sauce. OK.

How's that sound? Sounds good. OK.

20 minutes. Over to you. Lovely.

It's been a long time since I've
prepped a bit of monkfish,

to be honest with you.

He's doing all right,
removing the skin off the monkfish.

He's not rushing it, which is good.

What type of restaurant
do you work in, Tommy?

It's a fine dining restaurant.

Just been promoted to head chef,
which I feel very lucky.

And daunting.

Yeah, and very scary as well.
Yeah, for sure.

I had a baby as well.

He's just turned one,
which is fantastic.

Right. So, head chef... Yep.
..MasterChef,

and a one-year-old son.

Talk about the buses
all coming at the same time. Yeah.

It's definitely a big year for me.

He's doing his best to remove
the sinew,

so he does realise
the sinew needs to come off.

So Tommy's just chopping some thyme
and rosemary.

Not sure where he's going to use it.

Oh, it's into his polenta. Nice.
Thyme and rosemary into his polenta.

Just going to finish it up with some
butter, try to emulsify that,

get some richness into it.

Maybe finish it with
some olive oil, some seasoning.

He's done this before.

You are halfway, Chef. Oui, Chef.

So I'm just going to coat my
monkfish in some coriander,

cumin, paprika as well.

Nice. I like the sound of this,
Tommy.

He needs to sear the fish,
get some butter in there.

That looks great.
Needs a couple more minutes.

I might pop it in the oven
just for two minutes.

You've got three minutes left. OK.

Should have got that on earlier,
really.

Going to get my butter sauce on now,

just because I feel like we're
playing with fire a little bit.

You're running out of time,
so get it on.

Keep it together.

Yeah? Nearly there. Working?
Nearly there. Bit of salt.

Tommy, get your monkfish out.

Tommy, you've got a minute to get
this on the plate. OK.

Moment of truth.

It's not quite there. Very nearly.
Very nearly.

Oh, Tommy, don't panic.

Right, let's get it on
a plate, Tommy.

Butter on there.

All right, done. You are done.

Now breathe.

So close, Tommy. So close.

Well done.

Hiya, Tommy. Hi, Chef.

How was that? Yeah, it was good.
It was scary.

Tommy, your polenta is absolutely
delicious.

Beautifully cooked, nice and soft.

You put herbs through it.
Fantastic.

Your chilli butter's lovely.

You used the right amounts
of spices around the monkfish.

You cooked it nicely.
You just didn't have enough time.

You rushed, so the cutting of
the fish, it didn't look great.

So I think with a couple
more minutes, you'd have absolutely

nailed this challenge. Thank you.

The filleting of the monkfish,
I like you didn't rush through that.

The cooking of your polenta,

so much attention and love
was given to that.

And it is delicious.

Pretty good start, Tommy.

I've got a feeling the three of us
are convinced you're a quality chef.

Look forward to seeing you
in the next round. Off you go.

Thank you. Well done.

I think he's one to watch.

I'm really looking forward
to seeing him cook again.

Very competent.

It went pretty well, to be fair,
as a whole. Quite happy.

My timings was a bit off,

but they said that I seemed like
I could be a great chef

and I just want to show them
that they're right in saying that.

I don't want to let myself down now.

Skills Test. Marcus, we've seen two
chefs do yours.

Monica, now your Skills Test.

What are they going to have to make
with those bananas?

I would like to make a twist
on a banana sundae.

I would like our chefs
to caramelise some bananas.

We've got some rum there
as well to flambe the bananas.

I'd also like them to make
a coconut cream,

a chocolate caramel sauce,

as well as a quick banana ice cream.

Ice cream in 20 minutes?

I am giving them frozen bananas
and some cream,

so it's very easy to just blend
those up. It will be frozen

and they can keep it in the freezer.
How fabulous!

20 minutes. Let's go.

So we have our frozen bananas.
Quite simply, into the blender.

Is that double cream?
This is double cream. Yep.

Just dropping a touch
of icing sugar in there.

It's breaking the bananas down
and whipping up the cream

because the bananas are freezing
everything around it.

Creamy ice cream
in less than five minutes.

I tell you what, there's
going to be millions of people

watching at home
doing that this weekend.

Splendid.

Could you put that in the freezer
for me? Yeah.

Here we go. Bosh!

And now I'm going to move
on to my caramelised bananas.

We've got some butter in there.

We've got some dark brown
soft sugar.

The idea is that each piece of
banana is completely coated, yeah?

Absolutely.

Get the pan nice and hot.

Look at that.
Proper brown, sticky sweetness.

Very happy.

Going to go a touch of rum in there.

And now I'm going to make my
chocolate caramel sauce.

So first thing in the pan,
I've got some sugar.

Just going to do a dry caramel
with that.

Even if the chefs haven't spent
time in the pastry section,

you would expect them to be able
to make a caramel. You would.

You would. Got some double cream.

You can add as much butter
as you want.

So I've just set it to the side
because I don't want it too hot

when I add the chocolate to it.

You can't put the chocolate
into it when it's too hot.

Why, Gregg?

Because the oils would come
out of the chocolate

and it would go all greasy.
And split. It would split.

Mm! Oh, yeah!

So, for me, in a sundae I like to
have some texture with it,

and that's why I'm making
this granola mix.

I've got oats, I've got sunflower
seeds, got pecans, coconut.

And in the oven.

And I also want a coconut cream.

Got some coconut yoghurt and some
double cream, the vanilla,

and I'm just going to whisk
it together.

The processes are relatively
straightforward,

but there's lots of them here.

I think they're just going
to have to keep calm and focus

on what we're asking them to do.

Right, ready to assemble.

I think this is wonderful.

It's lovely, look at that!

And there's our banana ice cream.

And then I'm just going to finish.
More texture here...

...and there we have it,

my take on a banana sundae.

I think it's a great challenge
from the ice cream granola,

the caramel, the caramelised banana.

So many things that our chefs
have got to do.

This is going to be interesting.

Marcus, you'll be watching bananas
from afar on the monitor.

We'll get you back in it
for the tasting.

Yep, look forward to it.

I think that's really, really quite
brilliant. They can do this.

First to attempt Monica's Skills
Test is 22-year-old Charlie,

head chef at a popular fish
restaurant in the West Country.

Here in Cornwall, we have some
of the best fish in the country,

and working at this restaurant,

we can tell customers which boat,
from the window,

that it came in from.

So my passion for food came
at about the age of 14.

I became a KP in a local restaurant,

and from that moment on,
I just loved the passion

and the hard work
and the adrenaline.

With my younger age, I feel like I
can really keep up with food trends,

and being ambitious and
enthusiastic,

I'm all up for trying new things.

Preparation for me is key.

Prep hard and then have
an easier service.

So definitely coming into
this competition,

I prepped as hard as I can
and I practised as much as I can.

Right, Charlie,

I would like you to do a take
on a banana sundae.

Flambe some bananas, serve it
with a quick banana ice cream,

a whipped coconut cream,

and a chocolate caramel sauce.

There's some things to give
your sundae some texture.

Completely up to you.
How does that sound?

Amazing. Good luck. 20 minutes.

Thank you, Chef.

He's going straight for the machine.
Bananas going in.

It's a good start.

So, Charlie, looks like you've made
a quick ice cream before.

Yeah, my wife quite likes
a quick smoothie in the evenings,

so definitely something she likes.

Did you say you're married?
I am, yes.

I got married about six weeks ago.
Wow!

It was a really special day.

I'm starting to melt my sugar
for the caramel.

And you want a whipped coconut
cream as well?

That's right.

I'm going to taste it and check for
seasoning,

maybe add some vanilla in there as
well to give it a bit of sweetness,

almost like a Chantilly style.

That cream looks the perfect
consistency.

You've got 11 minutes, Charlie.

So we've got our ice cream.

Yeah. You've got your caramel
under way... Yes.

...you've done your coconut cream.

The boy's on fire!

For a 22-year-old cook,

he is in really, really
good control.

Great skills on show.

I'm probably just going to toast
a few of these nuts off

to give myself a bit of texture
to go on top.

Brilliant! Good idea, that, Chef.

I've never made a chocolate caramel
before, but I really like it.

SHE CHUCKLES

Right, the centrepiece of this
is banana,

so he needs to be very careful
how he treats those.

Charlie, your work so far
is impressive.

Where have you learned all
these things at such a young age?

So I joined a kitchen at the age
of 14 and started pot washing,

and then, at the age of 17,

I managed to work
in a Michelin-star restaurant,

so that was a really good
turning point for myself.

A nice hot pan here now.

A little bit of caramelisation.

Charlie, you've got
four minutes left.

Just going to check these.

A little bit of caramelisation's
good. Yeah, nice.

Charlie...
HE EXHALES

...this is the fun part. Yeah. Go.

Ah, he's put it on a plate.

Interesting. I've never seen
a sundae on a plate before.

Sundae's always
got more than one scoop, hasn't it,

so let's give it two.

Bananas going on top.

I hope they've cooled down,

cos if they're not, they're
going to melt the banana ice cream.

All done, Charlie?
I'm done, yeah. Well done, Charlie.

Thank you very much, team.

"Team"! "Team." Stop it.

What a lovely lad.

He's done a good job.

That was very impressive
to watch back there.

Thank you. Well done, well done.

Charlie, you understood the ice
cream had to be made first thing,

got it in the freezer.

I think there were things here

that could have easily tripped
anyone up and made them panic,

but you remembered to keep
your cool throughout.

It was impressive to watch.

This, Charlie, is a great start.

Thanks, Chef. And I thoroughly
enjoyed eating that.

I am trying my hardest to find
a fault and I can't,

which really upsets me.

Thank you, Chef. Well done.

Soft banana in the ice cream,
coconut nuttiness,

a granola scattered across the top,

and a beautiful caramel chocolate.

These are things of pud heaven
and you've done it amazingly well.

In fact, I would go as far as to say

this may be the best Skills Test
I've ever seen.

I think all of us can't wait
to see your own dishes

in the next round. Well done, you.

Hey, hey, hey, happy Monica!

# I got a good one
I got a good one! #

Monica's doing a happy dance!
SHE LAUGHS

For Gregg to say that was
potentially one of the best

Skills Tests that he's ever had

is fantastic, and more than
what I could imagine.

I've got everything to prove now
to make sure that it wasn't

a one-off.
HE LAUGHS

Last up is 51-year-old
Brazilian-born Cristina.

Her career as a chef
wasn't her first profession.

I was 36 years old when I decided
to be a chef.

I used to work in Brazil
as an accountant.

My current role is a group head
chef of a catering company

in the City of London.

I've been doing this for
the past 15 years.

My food style,
I like Mediterranean food,

I like Asian, Portuguese
and Brazilian food.

I love to be a chef.

So intense, but it's great.

I've never done competition
before in my life.

But I want to challenge myself.

I'm ready for it.

Cristina, what I would
like you to do

is to do a take on a banana sundae.

Some flambe bananas...

Yes. ..a quick banana ice cream
and a chocolate caramel sauce.

If you want to put some
texture on it, it's up to you.

OK. Looking nervous.

Off you go. Thank you.

The most important thing
with this skill

is getting that
banana ice cream done.

It looks like she might be doing
just that.

Good, good start.

Cristina, do they have banana
sundaes in Brazil?

Yes. Got a lot of bananas.

What's the Portuguese for banana?
Banana.

Brilliant! International language.

How long have you cooked as a chef?
15 years. In London?

Yeah, I've been in UK for 20 years.

What made you come to the UK?

My sister was here before,
and I broke up with my boyfriend,

and then I said, "I want to change
a bit." And then here you go,

20 years. Never regret, it was good.

How's that looking, Chef? It's good.

She's watching the ice cream

going round and round
and round and round.

She really, really needs
to do something else.

Don't forget you've got quite a few
other things

you need to do as well,
Cristina, OK? Yeah.

Come on. First job done.

Now she's got to step up the pace.
Come on.

You've got 11 minutes, Cristina.

I need to do my flambe banana
and then the caramel chocolate.

WHISPERS: Done wrong.

What have we done wrong?

There's caster sugar there.

Yeah. Yeah.

I didn't add the sugar. Oh, sorry.

So she's starting
the caramel sauce again.

She didn't want to use
the brown sugar,

she wanted to use the caster sugar.

She could have made the caramel
with the brown,

because she needs to get a move on.

You've got four minutes left
before you start to plate up, OK?

OK. That's it. Get them out,
otherwise they'll overcook.

They've been in that far,
far too long.

She's just pushed them to the side,

so they're going to lose
their texture.

Good caramel - colour, the cream's
in, she's now got the chocolate

and she needs to take
that off the heat,

otherwise it's going to split.

Get it off the heat.

And then your whipped coconut, yeah?
Yeah.

OK, coconut milk. She's got to get
some cream going in there,

so that will help to give
it a bit of body.

What else is on that bench?

Got about a minute
to finish off, please, Chef.

The bananas really do look
like they've just gone too far.

Started to break down.
Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

Is that the last touch?

Yeah. Are you done?

Done, yeah.

Hi. Hello. How are you?

Good. How are you? Yeah, very well.

The making of the ice cream
was very quick.

You knew how to do that.

Great.

The caramel sauce,

it's only a hint of chocolate
through there

so it was hard to get that.

The whipping of your coconut
yoghurt,

you could have done with a touch
more of the cream through it,

and I didn't really enjoy
the raw oats.

Bananas were far too long
in the pan,

and the bananas were completely
overcooked, so it's soft ice cream,

soft banana, soft sauce. OK.

I've got the banana ice cream

that hasn't been sweetened very much
that I like.

I've got a dark,
almost bitter caramel

with a hint of chocolate in it.
You've done it.

However, it could do with
some texture.

Thank you, Cristina. Thank you.

Tough. I was very nervous.

My legs were shaking.

But it is what it is,
it's done already.

I think I'll have more to show
in the next round.

Listen, good Skills Tests.

We've got some strong chefs
in this heat.

We saw various degrees of skills
and nerves and quality and problems.

But I have to say, we also saw some
absolutely outstanding cookery,

which is really good to see
on the Skills Test.

Well, guys, you know what's
up next - it's their food.

I think it's going to be exciting.

Chefs, welcome to your signature
two-course menu.

Show us what type of chef you are,

show us the food
that really excites you.

What happens now, it is down to you.

At the end of this,
two of you will be going home.

90 minutes, one main course,
one dessert.

Let's see what you got. Off you go.

I feel a lot better
about cooking my own food

than I did on the Skills Test.

Travelling a lot around the world,

being lucky enough to eat amazing
food everywhere,

ignited my real passion for cooking.

I just want to do myself proud.

And the best thing
that I could possibly hear

is that, "That's delicious."

That would be creme de la creme.
SHE LAUGHS

Rosie, how do you feel
after the last round?

Yeah, I've got a point to prove,
for sure.

What is your main course?

Chicken with a cauliflower
and feta puree.

And then, like, a chickpea,
date, preserved lemon

kind of warm salad. And dessert?

Set cardamom yoghurt,
poached rhubarb, pistachios,

and then, like, a filo shard
thing with orange and rose.

Why the Middle Eastern vibe?

I absolutely love Middle Eastern
food and some of my favourite chefs

cook that kind of food.

Are your family in food?
Not in the cheffing sense.

But my dad's a farmer,

and I actually live right
on the farm, which is great.

So you open my back doors
and it's just fields forever,

so it's my idea of heaven.

Big family? Massive family.

So I'm the youngest of seven.

ALL: Whoa!
Yeah, so it's kind of...

So you've had to fight
for a living?

I have had to fight.

I'm the youngest of four,
that was hard. But I loved it.

Yeah, it was great growing up in a
big family, it's been really fun.

I love the sound of these dishes.

Do 'em justice. Thanks a lot.

I love the flavours
of the Middle East.

So she's starting with
the roast chicken breast.

You want the chicken breast
to be nice and moist.

She did put them on very early,
so I hope they're not dried out

before we get to taste them.
Got a lovely-sounding salad

of chickpeas, date and preserved
lemons going through.

Finish the dish with harissa oil.

Going to be hot,
it's going to be spicy.

Too much of it will kill this dish.

Rosie's dessert is a set
cardamom yoghurt.

She started off making the yoghurt,

she got them into the blast chiller,

then she realised
that it wasn't setting.

I've been practising my dessert
with a firmer Greek yoghurt,

and I got a looser yoghurt,
so it wasn't setting.

I really hope this one
is going to set.

It's going with poached rhubarb
and an orange and rose filo.

She's got fantastic flavours.

I really like the sound
of this dish.

25 minutes gone! 25 minutes gone.

Cooked this dish probably 15 to 20
times in the last two weeks,

so really just want to
do it justice today

and treat it just like every
other run-through I've done.

I'm definitely proud to be Cornish,

and I always want to try
and tie that in

in some way, shape or form.

I love taking food that I like
to eat and giving it a modern take.

So, Charlie, impressive Skills Test.

What is your food for today?
Lamb rack with a tart,

and in the tart, I've got roasted
spicy aubergine puree

with a Roscoff onion,
crumbled Buff eta cheese.

It's a feta
made from buffalo's milk.

Much creamier, not so tangy.

And for dessert, Charlie? I'm doing
a take on rhubarb and custard

that's got coconut rum in there.
And a nod to being Cornish,

I've got a Cornish fairing biscuit
recipe that my mum gave me

when she used to cook for me
when I was younger.

What's a fairing biscuit? It's a mix
of ginger, flour, butter,

golden syrup, all baked together
until they're crispy on the outside

and still slightly soft
on the inside.

Did you always want to be a chef?

I decided I was going to be
a police officer,

and I couldn't enrol until I was 16,

so I got a job as a pot wash,
and then it flew from there, really.

Funny how life turns out, isn't it?
For sure.

Charlie, good luck. Thank you.

Charlie is cooking rack of lamb,
so he's going to water-bath it.

I've seen that Charlie's kept
the fat on,

so he's got to make sure he sears
that lamb all the way through

and renders it down.

Like the idea of the tart with the
aubergine puree in there, too.

He needs to make sure the tart case
is lined well, it's rested -

and, of course, it needs
to be just melt in the mouth.

The feta, I think, will work
really well

and just pull down the richness of
everything else that's around it.

Delicate, very tricky to do under
this pressure.

Charlie's dessert is whipped
coconut rum custard.

Ooh, I do like the sound of that.

My whipped custard, in a couple
of my run-throughs, I have split it,

so I'm really hoping that today
that doesn't happen.

Poached rhubarb, beautifully cooked,
maintaining the colour.

Stem ginger will bring
a little bit of heat into the dish,

and I really am looking forward
to the fairing biscuits.

That's Mum's technique -
flattens them,

makes them crispy on the outside,
and then soft on the inside.

Slowly coming together.

I've definitely got a lot
to do still,

so just need to push on
and get it done.

I'm very ambitious in the kitchen.

I dream big, you know,
you've got to,

otherwise you'll never get there.

If I manage to get these two dishes
right today,

it would be banging,
I'll be very happy.

Tommy, love the smell of the bench,
it smells great here.

So, what are you cooking?

For my main course,
I've got a lobster dish,

so I've got the tail,
which I'm going to poach in butter

with some lemongrass,
I'll do a crispy claw.

Courgette and basil puree,
shiso oil.

To finish with, a Thai yellow sauce
to bring it together.

I did a bit of travelling
around Thailand for a little bit

and that was a big part
of my inspiration behind food.

It was just a massive culture
shock to me.

It's not something I've ever
seen before,

I've always worked
with French cuisine,

and I'm very classically trained
in that sense.

Dessert-wise, I'm doing
a chocolate orange cremeux,

yoghurt sorbet and, to finish with,
a chocolate soil.

That trip to Thailand has inspired
you to cook a bit of Thai influence

in your signature dish,
yet you've been cooking completely

a different way all of your life.

Yeah. Do you think
that's a bit risky?

I do think it's very risky,
but at the end of the day,

I'm here to cook the food
I want to cook.

It's not something I get to do...
Fair enough.

...and I want to showcase that.

You've got off to a good start.
Keep that going. Thanks so much.

So lobster tails are currently
poaching in a butter emulsion

with some aromats in there.

Tommy, I love the sound of his menu.

Most important thing
with the cooking of lobster

is do not overcook it,
you don't want it to be too chewy.

Just going to cook them low and slow
till they're nice and tender.

Crispy lobster claw, that's going
to be going in tempura batter,

so you want it nice and crunchy
on the outside.

I'm just blending up the lobster
head for the base of my sauce now,

just to get more of
the flavour of the lobster

as much as possible.

And he's got a Thai yellow sauce.

We've got fish sauce, galangal
ginger, we've got coriander.

We've got shrimp paste as well.

Loving the sound of this sauce.

Tommy's dessert is chocolate
orange cremeux.

I'm doing a chocolate dessert
because it's the sort of thing

I'll go home and eat a bowl
of chocolate,

essentially, it's just what I love.

HE LAUGHS

Chocolate orange,
we know that works,

but let's just hope he can get
the texture right,

nice and smooth, and the orange
working beautifully well with it

will be absolutely delicious.

There's certainly a lot of risks.

My chocolate cremeux needs to set.

If that doesn't set, it's a horror.

The yoghurt sorbet
will bring some sharpness.

Chocolate soil. It's what's going to
bring the texture to a cremeux.

I hope it's not just a sprinkling
of chocolate soil,

I want a lot of it there
to make a difference.

Chefs, halfway!
Halfway to food glory!

Exciting.

Being a chef is everything for me.

These dishes represent
where I come from.

I ate these when I was very young,
but I try to elevate the dish.

It's nervous because I need to
get it nailed.

So, Cristina,
what's your menu today?

I'd like to show people
Brazil is not only samba,

we got nice food to eat.

So for main course,
I'm doing mocqueca, a stew of fish.

I make the bisque. It's got spices,

it's got coconut as well.

And going to do prawn on the top,
some of the salsa. Wonderful!

And for dessert?
It's called Cartola.

Cartola is the name of the singer,
very famous in Brazil.

Come back from the slavery,
got only plantain in sugar.

So I'm going to do layer of
the plantain between

cheese with caster sugar
and cinnamon.

I'm excited. I don't think I've had
plantain dessert with cheese.

Love the sound of that.
Who's supporting you back at home?

My wife. Your wife? Yeah.

What does she think of you
coming on here?

She said,
"You are going to smash it."

I, for one, can't wait to try
the flavours of Brazil.

OK. Thank you so much.

I'm excited about Cristina's menu.

She's starting off the main
course with a mocqueca,

which is like a stew

of cod, prawns, peppers,
tomatoes and onion.

Back in the day, my mum used to cook
this for me.

The pan-fried cod,

she's got that into a brine,
so that draws out any moisture.

The bisque, turmeric, ginger,
coriander and chilli

has to be nice and smooth
and full of flavour.

We've also got a coconut rice
just to go with it.

I have to say, I do like
the sounds of this.

Whoa!

Sorry. You all right?

Is that red-hot? Yeah.

Can we get some...?
Get it under cold water, please.

I'm so sorry. You're OK, over there.

Put that on your chin.

You sort of need as much cold
as possible on it.

Unfortunately, Cristina's
has just had a bit of an accident.

She put the bisque into a blender,
and it was incredibly hot.

When she released the lid,

unfortunately, some of it
hit her face.

I don't think you should carry on.
You're hurt.

So we're going to stop.

Unfortunately, she's had to go
and get medical help.

Chefs, you have three minutes!

Still lots of work to do.

Let's get it done.

Definitely starting to panic,
so just keep going.

I'm a bit up against it now,

but I think I'm going to start
plating in a second.

Just waiting on a few final things.

Charlie, calm down.
Oui, Chef. Sorry, Chef.

You've got about half a minute
to finish these dishes.

Are you finished, Rosie?
OK. No, no, no,

I'm just going to put a few
of these on and then I'm done.

That's it, your time's up.
Everybody stop!

Well done. Whew!

How you doing, Chef, OK?
That was a rough one.

Oh... Did you see...?
I watched it happen

in the corner of my eye. Poor thing.

I hope she's OK.
Yeah, hope she's all right.

It looked pretty bad, pretty nasty.

First up is head chef Tommy.

His main course is poached lobster
tail and tempura lobster claw

served with a courgette
and basil puree,

pickled courgette ribbons,
blanched courgette balls

and a yellow Thai lobster
and coconut sauce

split with shiso oil.

This is a very delightful,
very pretty, very elegant dish,

and I like it a lot.

The lobster tail
is beautifully cooked.

Love the pickled courgettes,
nice and fresh.

The little courgette balls
on the plate

just give a little bit
of different dimension.

Everything worked in harmony.

Overall, a very, very nice
plate of food.

The lobster claw is delightful -
lovely, sweet, fresh lobster inside

with a nice, crispy batter,
not at all greasy.

Love the basil puree,

cos you wouldn't expect to find
Italian basil

in an otherwise Thai-inspired dish,

but I really do like it.

The basil courgette puree
works wonders

with this fabulous, fabulous sauce.

I love the warmth of the chilli
and the galangal that's in there,

you've got the lime leaves,

and then, of course,
split with the green oil.

I like what you've done
with your lobster main course.

Thank you.

Tommy's dessert is a set chocolate
and orange cremeux

served with orange segments

macerated in lime zest and fructose,

with chocolate soil

and a lime yoghurt sorbet.

Your cremeux is absolutely
delicious.

It's silk, it's velvety,
it's chocolaty.

Segments of orange,
you've marinated them,

it's absolutely brilliant.

For your first dessert
in this competition,

you've set the bar
very, very, very high.

That's absolutely exceptional.

Thank you so much.

The cremeux, it's rich and it works
so well with the orange,

and it needs that crumb
for the texture.

It's actually quite delicious!

I'm trying to stop eating it,
but I keep going back in.

There is an absolutely fabulous
sorbet that's sour with yoghurt

and sharp with that lime,
it makes it really refreshing.

I think that is fabulous.

I feel amazing.
Just the comments in general,

I feel... Wow.
I just wasn't expecting it.

So good! So proud.

Thank you. That was great.

I'm very happy.

HE LAUGHS

Chef patron Rosie has cooked roast
chicken breast

on a bed of cauliflower
and feta puree

topped with za'atar,
a Middle Eastern spice mix,

and harissa oil served with spiced
and pickled cauliflower florets,

cauliflower shavings,

and chickpea, date,
and preserved lemon salad.

Rosie, I like the way
you've plated your main course,

you've given it a lot of thought.

I watched you cook the chicken
incredibly early today,

and that is a little bit
telling on the plate.

It is a little bit on the firm
and dry side.

But I have to say the flavours
on the plate are really delicious.

Puree at the base
is lovely and smooth.

Chickpeas with the parsley
and the herbs and the shallots

all running through there.
The harissa oil is great.

I do like the flavours, really good.

The cauliflower puree with the feta
is delightful.

when you get a hit of the za'atar
mix with the sumac, it's lovely.

You understand the flavours of what
you are putting on your plate.

Inside your salad,
you've got sharpness,

like lemon juice sharpness.

You've got sweetness of dates
in there as well,

as well as fresh mint.
I'm really enjoying it.

You've got the warmth and smokiness
from your own harissa.

Your flavours are fantastic.

Rosie's dessert is a set cardamom
yoghurt with poached rhubarb,

orange and rose filo pastry,
toasted pistachios and fresh mint.

The yoghurt is delicious.

Beautifully set.
I love the pistachios in there,

and the pastry's lovely and crunchy.

I think this is a great addition
to the main course

and I would thoroughly enjoy eating
this. Thanks. Great job, well done.

I love the rhubarb -

and, of course, you've got
the textures here

from your crispy pastry.

Works really well
with the pistachio.

You get a hint of that mint.

You've got sourness of yoghurt.

Your rhubarb is cold and slippery
and still sharp.

You've put a liqueur in it
that has a mild orange hint to it,

and, of course,
you've got orange zest as well

across your crispy, sweet filo

that's almost becoming
baklava dipped in yoghurt.

That is a fabulous-tasting dessert.

It felt absolutely amazing

for all of them to say
the flavours are great.

It's really overwhelming to...

Oh, poor me, I don't want to cry!

Last up is head chef Charlie.

His main course is rack of lamb,

served with a tart filled with
aubergine puree spiced with paprika,

roasted Roscoff onion

and buffalo feta cheese

topped with asparagus,
broad beans, wild garlic flowers

and toasted pistachios,

with a lamb and port sauce.

The cooking of the lamb,

I love it. They're in parts
where the fat is very thick,

which some people might not enjoy,
but, for me, it's lovely.

The tartlet, it's got so much
going on in that.

You've got the aubergine, the feta,
which is rich and sharp,

and then the textures of
the asparagus.

It's a really delightful little
garnish to go with your lamb dish.

Thank you, Chef.

I love that little tartlet.

You get a crunch of the onion,
and against that aubergine

and that feta, it almost
tastes sweet. It's lovely.

Like the lamb flesh,
pink and moist and juicy -

but for me, I'd like a little bit
more cookery on this white fat.

The sauce is delicious,
the tartlet is exceptional.

The pastry's incredibly flaky.

It's melt-in-the-mouth.

Love the puree.

I think putting the cheese
in there was great

cos it's got a pepperiness to it.

Yeah, that's a winner.

For dessert, Charlie has made a set
coconut vanilla and rum custard,

served with poached rhubarb, stem
ginger, lime curd, rhubarb compote,

and a Cornish fairing biscuit base.

The custard is absolutely delicious.

The rhubarb, the ginger,
there's not too much.

Your mum's biscuit is a star.

It's an absolute knockout
in flavour!

We've got the itchy heat of ginger

and we've got crunchy rhubarb
that is sharp.

There's a vanilla-sweetened cream.

The whole thing is delicious
and delightful!

That chewy ginger biscuit
is a delight, on the bottom.

It is delicious.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Your mum would be proud
her ginger biscuit was a hit.

Thank you, Chef.

I think my mum will be happy
that all the chefs

liked the biscuit.
That was definitely a highlight

of my signature course,
was the biscuit.

All in all, they were really happy
with the taste,

so for me, that's a win.

It turned out to be quite
an extraordinary day.

I mean, first off,
sympathies for Cristina.

No-one's fault, accidents happen.

I was looking forward to trying
her Brazilian cuisine today.

We do have three very talented chefs
that we need to discuss.

Tommy, his lobster main course,

loved that Thai yellow sauce.

Tempura lobster claw was fantastic!

Tommy's pudding, that was a flawless
piece of chocolate work.

And the lovely yoghurt sorbet
that he flavoured with lime,

I loved, loved, loved that dessert.

Rosie, she had a point to prove
to herself, and to us,

and she did it very well.

I thought the main course,
the puree with the cauliflower

and the feta was delicious.

Disappointed with the way
the chicken was cooked,

but when you've got hits of
the preserved lemon and the mint

in the chickpeas, it really lifted
the salad on the side.

And to follow that with a set
yoghurt

with rhubarb and orange flavours,

with a pistachio crumb -
delicious food.

Charlie's lamb main course,

there was a part of the fat which
could have done with more rendering,

but that little tartlet,
bit of spice through that,

we had the feta as well.

It was a small tart
packed with flavours.

His dessert was a little pot
of magic.

The rhubarb, the ginger,
the set custard,

delicious, with vanilla and rum
running through there.

And then, of course,
you've got that incredible biscuit,

it was absolutely exceptional.

We're in a difficult position here,

cos I feel that we have got
three chefs that we really like.

It's a good problem to have,
but a problem nonetheless.

I think the field is so even, so
getting through to the quarterfinal

would be amazing.

It would mean the world to me.

The judges seemed to enjoy my food,
so I'm very happy with that.

Gave me a massive fire in my belly.

I want to keep pushing
and just keep delivering.

Hopefully I can stay on to do that.

I think now I've had that
validation,

my confidence is boosted.

If I did get through, I think I'd
be, like, "Right, I can do this,"

and, hopefully,
I'll get that chance.

Chefs, today was incredible.

Some great cookery on show,
some very interesting ideas

and some very, very tasty food.

Very difficult for us as judges,

because we believe we have three
talented chefs in front of us.

Very, very difficult
to separate you.

We have made a decision.

All three of you are going
through to the next round.

Well done!

Oh, amazing!

THEY LAUGH

Well done, lad. Oh, my God!

I feel amazing.

I'm just, like, overwhelmed.

I'm so pleased.

It's actually my birthday, as well,

so a very, very good
birthday present.

SHE LAUGHS

Cannot prepare yourself
for this kitchen,

it really does throw curve balls in.

Very stressful, a bit of frantic
running around going on,

but it seems to have paid off,
so I'm very happy with that.

I feel on cloud nine
right about now.

It's a great feeling.

I couldn't have asked for
a better morning,

but to be able to carry
that momentum through

to what really counted, for me,
is amazing.

I'm super happy to be going
through. 100% ready for more.

Next time, it's the quarterfinal,

and this week's most talented chefs
return to face two tough challenges.

Just want to get it as good
as I possibly can.

You absolutely have smashed
this brief to pieces.

Only the best will earn
a place in knockout week.

It's perfect.

Brilliant, love it.

Wowzer.