All language subtitles for MasterChef.The.Professionals.S16E18.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

It's the Professional
MasterChef semifinals.

This week, the final six contestants
have been split into two groups

and sent to cook under
some of Britain's finest chefs.

We have, like, two minutes.
We need to go.

Last time, Charlie and Tom
earned themselves a place

in Finals Week.

Now, the last three chefs
battle to secure their place

in the competition.

Just make sure they're the best
you can do, yeah?

27-year-old head chef Tommy,

29-year-old freelance chef James,

and 29-year-old head chef Kasae.

This competition has been so,
so tough.

Blood, sweat and tears, you know?

But getting into that final four
is all I want.

Semifinals is pretty big.

I think it's where the competition
starts getting real tough.

I can't mess up at all.
So, yeah, pressure's on.

Every time you get through a round,
you're so happy.

But maybe I could just get
through one more.

So it's always one more,
one more, one more.

These three chefs are talented.

Not one of them is willing
to go home.

I want to see a fight.

Well, who's going to crack
under the pressure?

It's early morning
in Lichfield, Staffordshire,

and Kasae, James and Tommy
are en route to a restaurant

uniquely housed above a jeweller's
in the heart of the city.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd,
one of the UK's

most respected culinary stars.

I'm from Birmingham,
Sutton Coldfield.

My dad is third-generation jeweller.

At the age of 13, 14,

I started as a Saturday lad
at my dad's jewellers.

I found out very early on that
jewellery wasn't really my bag.

It didn't ignite a fire,

it didn't ignite an interest,
an overriding interest in me at all.

Aged 18, it was Tom's
first job as a pot wash

at a hotel in Lichfield that sparked
his interest in cooking.

I was just mesmerised
by how it worked.

To that day, I've never set
foot out of a kitchen.

Tom left the hotel after three
years, to hone his skills

working for Michael Wignall
at the two Michelin-starred

Latymer in Surrey...

It was a real step up.

What he showed me at The Latymer was
something I'd never seen before.

...and then as development chef
for culinary legend Sat Bains.

Those significant figures
who I've worked for

and wanted to work for as well,
they have definitely shaped

who I am today, for sure.

Having been away for nearly
ten years,

Tom returned to the Midlands
to become head chef

at the Michelin-starred Adam's
in Birmingham.

But the course of his culinary
career would change when his dad

acquired a jewellery shop
in Lichfield.

So we came to the opening
and my dad just said,

"Tom, can I just take you upstairs?”
And I said, "Yeah, what's upstairs?"”

And he said, "The offices."
And so my dad said,

"What do you what do you think?
Give me some idea."

And I said,
"I can see a restaurant up here.”

And he just looked at me and said,

"Are you all right, mate?
Have you had a drink?"

I said, "No, honestly, Dad, I think
if we can knock down these walls,

"there can be a restaurant here."

He couldn't believe the whole
romance behind the fact

that there could actually be
another family business upstairs,

which is just, well,
it's just amazing.

After two years of hard graft,

and with the help of numerous
friends and local tradesmen,

Tom opened his modern British
restaurant in 2021.

Our main philosophy is one
where we allow the ingredient

to lead us. Using one ingredient
three or four different ways,

it's celebrating
the main ingredient.

The better the ingredient,
the better your dish will be.

We are a flavour-packed restaurant.

So every single dish I want every
single ingredient really pushed in.

Within just four months of opening,

it became Staffordshire's first
Michelin star restaurant.

It is a realisation of a dream,
but at the same point,

I don't know
where that dream ends.

So I'm just going to keep
dreaming, I think.

And just see where it takes us.

Morning, guys.
Welcome to Upstairs.

Are you excited? Nervous?

All of the above. All of the above.
Yeah, well, I am as well,

to be fair.
The old man's downstairs,

selling loads of jewellery
to all the people out in Litchfield,

and we're upstairs feeding them.

So it's an amazing
family connection,

which we're really proud
of as well.

Listen, guys, I've got a bit
of a bombshell to tell you.

We've got service today and
you're going to be a part of it.

OK. You up for it?

Wahey! Come on. Let's do it.

Being able to work alongside Tom
and just have him mentor us

is such a big opportunity.

So I'm going to give it
my everything today.

I've followed Tom's career
for a while now,

and this is like a dream for me,
and something I really aspire

to do myself one day. So Tom's
living my dream, basically.

Tom's food is the sort of food
I love to cook, I love to eat.

I'm really excited to cook
some of the food and hopefully

get some inspiration from it.

The semifinalists will each
be responsible for cooking a course

from Tom's tasting menu
for today's lunch service.

Head chef Kasae, whose food
has so far being driven

by unique flavour combinations,
will have the first course.

A turbot dish that was born
out of one humble vegetable.

This dish actually started off
as a carrot dish,

and we absolutely loved it.

We did a vegetarian dish
early last year,

where it was, we took a sand
carrot, so much flavour,

and we actually made, like,
a vegetarian dish out of that.

What are sand carrots?
It's an old preservation. Yeah.

When they're in the sand,
it withdraws a lot of the moisture

from the carrot, so it almost
intensifies the flavour.

Concentrated? Yeah. That's cool.

We want that sort of smoky
barbecue sort of flavour.

We don't want it sort
of really burnt.

I think this is the colour
that we're sort of looking for

on that char.
And this is when we can start to

introduce a bit
of the curry butter as well.

So we're just sort of glazing
those carrots up now.

We wanted to create
a bigger dish from it.

I just thought, if we're going
to make it into a fish dish,

I think it just has to be turbot.

Bought this beautiful Cornish
turbot, four-and-a-half kilos,

came in this morning.

So obviously need to
get a portion out of that.

So, cooking the turbot, make sure
whole entire surface area

of that fish to hit the pan.

What we don't want is it
curling up at all.

Yeah. The pan can't be too hot,

so you don't want to scorch
any of the flesh.

We roast it, not too aggressively.

That's the sort of colour we want,
a nice sort of caramelisation,

that golden brown colour.

Yeah. And we'll introduce
some butter.

It's a beautiful foam,
that's exactly what you want.

So just basting that fish
all the time.

I'm just going to allow that
to rest now

with a little bit of that butter.

The turbot and carrots are
served with a tandoori emulsion.

Growing up in Birmingham,
naturally I was surrounded

by some great Indian restaurants
and takeaways.

Any menu that I've produced
has always some sort

of curried element in it.

It's a bit nostalgic,
from my sort of upbringing.

What's in the curry emulsion?

We make our own oil, so we do
lime leaf, lemongrass, ginger,

chilli and coriander seed. OK.

It gives the most delicious
texture and flavour and fragrance

to this dish.
So that's the base there.

We just split that a little bit
with pumpkin oil.

Then we go in with our fish.

Coming to the finishing touches.

We've got these heritage carrots
that we've very lightly pickled.

And then the other side
of that is our fish skin cracker,

which is just dusted very lightly
with some tandoori salt. OK.

That finishes the whole dish off.

That is sick!
That is a really sick dish.

It's so complex and has so many
layers to it.

It's really cool.

I'm a little bit nervous to do
turbot since I haven't done it

before, but, yeah,
I'll give it a go.

Head chef Tommy loves
to incorporate Asian flavours

in his ambitious,
sophisticated plates.

He'll be in charge of a dish
based on another of Tom's

childhood food memories -

a Sunday roast.

Lamb and mint sauce
for me is just a pairing

that never, ever, ever,
doesn't work.

I remember, as a kid, the mint
jelly. Oh, it was delicious!

That as a partnership, it
literally goes hand-in-hand for me.

This one is the hogget dish.
So it's actually

from the Lake District,
so it's Herdwick hogget.

So the hogget dish,
which is the main course,

which is basically lamb,
but a little bit older,

just between one and two years.

In my opinion, it's the best lamb
in the world.

To make the most
of the prized hogget lamb,

it's served multiple ways.

Tommy will have to slowly roast
the loin to render the fat...

With the loin, we just want to
serve that lamb nice and pink.

Medium-rare to medium
sort of cuisson,

essential that we serve that.

...while simultaneously barbecuing
a lamb belly element.

We do just want to make sure
that those flames

aren't taking over it. We don't
want it to be sort of black.

On the barbecue, it gets this
beautiful, sweet smoke added to it.

But again, if it's too harsh,
it's going to turn into

like an acrid flavour.

Beautifully caramelised fat,
both sides.

Right, are we ready to plate?
Yes. OK.

That fat is nice and rendered.

Among the nine elements Tommy
will have to perfect and plate

are garnishes to enhance
the lamb flavours.

First, a caramelised onion compote
which is cooked in lamb fat.

And then on top of that,
we go Caesar mayonnaise.

The Caesar mayonnaise is there
because the Parmesan

and the anchovies work
really, really well with lamb.

Onion shells are also cooked
in lamb fat and added.

Beautiful gem lettuce, but this has
being compressed in the cold oil.

Yeah.

The last elements to plate
are a broccoli puree

and the hogget sauce split
with mint oil.

It's a law that you have
to have mint with the lamb.

It's essential.

My mum always used to do
a lamb roast,

but then, one Sunday lunch,
we literally had, like,

chopped mint and, like,
malt vinegar,

and it was probably one of the most
disgusting things we've eaten!

But listen, I said to my mum
it was delicious.

And there's your hogget dish.

Confident? Nervous but, yeah,
I'm excited. You'll smash it.

I think the barbecue
is going to be a challenge.

Like, the temperature control,
getting the lamb rendered down,

nice and crispy.
Every single element, you know,

elevated to the best it can be.
I'm really excited.

Really excited.

Classically trained James runs
a hash brown street food business,

and today will be working
in the pastry section.

So the inspiration
behind the dessert -

actually, I ate it at
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

They do a dessert there,
which was this delicious sort of

set sort of chocolate mousse
with a cocoa nib ice cream

and Pedro Ximenez gel.

And it was just the most
amazing end to a meal.

The central part of the indulgent
and technically challenging dessert

IS a mousse dome
of Venezuelan chocolate,

made from rare cocoa beans,

which is sprayed
with more chocolate.

Yeah, it's lovely that.

I'm not going to hide away
from admitting this,

my sous-chef, Mike, is a lot better
at plating this dish than I am.

Before plating, the mousse domes
need to be decorated

with chocolate cremeux...

Pipe a little zigzag on the top.

...and a sherry gel,

at speed and with precision,
before the domes melt

and become difficult to move.

It requires a steady hand.

It also requires you to be
quite elegant as well.

So this is pecan crumble.
So we actually roast

the caramel chocolate in the oven
with the pecans.

Then we let it cool
and we blend it together.

Once the mousse is perfectly
decorated, it can be plated.

James then has just one chance
to form a perfect rocher

of creme fraiche ice cream
on top of the crumble.

It can all come tumbling
down with this.

It has to just sit on it first time.

If that rolls off the side,
we have to start that again.

How are your rocher skills?

They'll be getting better after a
few of them, I'm sure, yeah!

The plate is finished with
dehydrated hot chocolate foam crisps

dusted in malted milk powder.

And you have to ensure that
every single element is done

as best it can possibly be.

Beautiful. It's my sort of dessert.

I'm really excited about cooking it.

The rocher is going to be the main
thing, just getting that right

on top and not falling off.

Because if the rocher falls off,
you ruin the dish.

It's midday, and the morning prep
is almost over.

Guests from all over the country
travel to sample Tom's unique

tasting menu, but one has also
come from closer to home -

his mother, Sara.

Today, the three semifinalists
will be on the front line,

delivering to his Michelin star
standard.

So much pressure to get it right.
There's a lot of eyes around!

A lot of expectation.

It's starting to feel real,
you know? Very nervous.

Just, hopefully, it all goes OK.

Just want to make sure
that when service comes up,

get them all out on time
and do them justice, hopefully.

Guys, stay cool, stay calm,
stay collected,

and get that energy in there, yeah?

Yes, Chef. Let's have
a good service. Oui.

First up to the pass will be Kasae.

OK, guys, two turbot away.
Yes, Chef.

Just make sure the first two
are absolutely perfect.

Oui, Chef.

And she'll have just four minutes
to juggle pan-roasting her turbot

and barbecuing
the sand carrots to perfection.

Now, this one, do exactly the same.

Kasae, just make sure we just
check those carrots as well,

they're just starting to colour
a little bit on this one.

Beautiful. Beautiful.
Caught that just in time.

How are we looking? Oh, wow!
That's it, monte, monte, monte,

monte, monte.

They look absolutely superb.
Pour your butter over the top.

Oui. That's beautiful.

With her elements cooked,
it's now down to Kasae

to master the presentation,
starting with a chicken curry sauce,

which is split with spiced
carrot and pumpkin oil.

That turbot looks absolutely
perfect. Thank you, Chef.

It's a little bit concerning
because it may look a little bit

better than mine!

Happy? Oui, Chef.

Let's have them. Well done, Kasae.
Thank you.

I have something to tell you.
Two more now. Yes, Chef. Let's go.

Service, please.

That was really good.

It was a little bit nerve-racking,
the first ones, to be sure.

I think Chef seems happy.
I'm still here.

He hasn't kicked me out!

Tommy? Yeah?
Your first two hogget away.

Yes, Chef. Yeah? Make it your best,
yeah? Oui. Let's go.

Tommy is next up with his hogget
served two ways.

He needs to ensure the lamb loin
is cooked to medium-rare

while perfectly charring
the belly on the barbecue.

There's a lot of elements with
this dish, making sure we're right,

so hopefully he's going
to do it justice.

Flip it back over. Beautiful.
That's good. That's good too.

By concentrating on the cuisson
of the loin,

Tommy has taken his eye
off the barbecued belly.

Tommy? Yes? Oh!

That's getting a lick on there,
isn't it?

Just flip this one over.

Maybe a little bit too dark.

No, we're good. OK. Just watch that
on the other side, OK?

Just make sure we just don't
caramelise that any more.

This belly, obviously, as
it starts to cook,

a lot of the fat renders down
and hits it.

So you really need to keep
your eyes on it.

Don't want it to get black
from the fire.

Something that can catch me out,
I think.

With the belly of the lamb
rescued just in time,

Tommy must now perfectly plate
all nine elements of the dish.

Tommy! Look at the cooking on that,
Chef!

Look at that!

Incredible. Well done. OK, sauce.

Service, please.

OK, table one, please.

Tommy, well done. Thank you, Chef.

Tommy? Two more. Oui, Chef.
Let's go. Oui.

I'm really enjoying it. So I'm just
getting the temperature controls,

blah, blah, and it's a lot of little
things I need to bring together.

So this belly is definitely
a challenge.

On dessert, James is also under
pressure with his first order.

He needs to combine speed
with precision to top

his chocolate domes
with chocolate cremeux,

sherry gel and pecan crumble,

before they soften
and become difficult to plate.

That's fallen apart, mate.
Chef, we can't use that one.

So let's get another one
dressed straight away.

Yeah, oui, Chef.

If it's out for more than a couple
of minutes, it gets really soft.

So...make sure I'm plating faster
than I am at the moment.

Having already lost one mousse,

if James doesn't master the perfect
rocher of creme fraiche ice cream

first time, a second dome
will be ruined.

That's good, yeah.
Delicate hand.

That's all right, it's all right.

Whoooaah! You now
know, for next time,

let's move it in a little bit more.
Yeah, that's absolutely fine.

Probably just drop off a tiny bit.
That's it, let it go, let it go.

That's it. Perfect.
It's a delicate, delicate dessert.

We can't make it easy for you, mate!

That is... That looks
absolutely spot-on.

Service, please.

Had a bit of a wobble at the start.

They're quite delicate once
they've been defrosted,

but might get to eat it later, so...

It's one o'clock,
and lunch service is at its peak.

So upping the pace, Kasae.
We've gone from two to three now,

table three, yeah?
Yes, Chef.

And the pressure is now on Kasae
to keep up with the orders

coming in.

Without wanting to turn
the pressure up too much,

after three turbot, which is now,
we're going straight

into another three turbot.
Another three. Yes, Chef.

Keep that pace going,
please, Kasae, yeah? Oui.

But the barbecue carrots
need constant attention.

Give them a brush. Yeah.
You never want to see them

look this sort of flat. We always
want to be introducing that butter,

yeah? All the time.

The barbecue is a bit stronger
than what I thought it might be.

And she's struggling to keep
control of the heat in the pan

for the turbot.

We don't want to go any dark,
so just watch that.

Always keep control of that pan,
yeah? Yes, Chef.

The turbot needs to rest,

but Kasae has forgotten to add
the butter from the pan

to keep it moist.

Butter on the fish. Sorry, Chef.
Yes, Chef.

It needs to be resting
in that butter, yeah? Oui.

It would be easier if my hands
weren't shaking, Chef!

Service, please. Well done.

Kasae's roasting on that fish
is literally perfect.

It couldn't be any better.
We just need to make sure

we concentrate and we're resting out
those turbot in the butter.

It's remembering that.

But everything else
is absolutely perfect.

On the main, Tommy's almost ready
to plate his next two hogget orders,

but also has multiple
checks flying in...

Tommy, you have got three
hoggets away, please.

Yes, Chef.

So we're working another two
hogget.

Bear that in mind, Tommy, as well,
yeah? Yes, Chef. Final four.

...and he's still struggling
with the barbecue.

How are the other side looking?
Do not lose this.

I fear the worst.

Yes. I don't think they're going to
be the one. Yeah. OK.

Three more on straight away,
please, OK?

I left my belly on the barbecue
and they've got too dark,

so unfortunately we'll have to do
some fresh.

Three more on should take two, three
minutes, hopefully,

and then timing-wise should be OK.

Tommy, you looking OK? Great.

Good lad.

Keep it going.

That's it.

Tommy, lovely cuisson that lamb.
Thanks, Chef.

Just got four more to go.
Not away yet. Yeah.

Start getting your mind
into that gear, yeah?

Great. Thank you. Perfect.

Over on dessert, James is
still struggling to decorate

and plate his chocolate
mousses fast enough.

Trying my best to plate this
without tarnishing it slightly.

This is the hardest part
of the whole thing.

Good lad.

Having managed to transfer the
mousses, and with the orders backed

up, it's now crucial James tops them
with perfect rochers of ice cream.

Even with the shakes, those
rochers are still really good.

Thank you, Chef.

Let's get the crisps on it.

Service, please.

OK. Three more now, then, please,
James.

The hardest part so far
has been getting it all untarnished,

cos any sort of nick
is going to be noticed.

It takes a delicate touch,
which I don't always have.

HE LAUGHS

Guys, this is great pace.
Really good pace.

Thank you, Chef.

Kasae, you have got four
final turbot away.

Oui, Chef.

With service almost over,

Kasae is still impressing Chef Tom
with her turbot cookery.

That's good. That's great.
Yeah?

Kasae, the roasting masterclass
continues.

Thank you, Chef.

Unbelievable.

How are you feeling?

Still shaking.

I think you're doing marvellous.

Kasae, I didn't want to tell you at
the start, cos obviously I didn't

want you to shake too much,

this is actually for my mum's
table. Oh, my God.

I'm scared of cooking for her.

Service, please.

Absolutely delicious.

Cooked to perfection.

The turbot today was up to Tom's
standard,

yeah, for sure.

Kasae, well done.

Every single turbot was immaculate
from start to finish.

You should be really, really proud
of yourself. That was great.

Thank you. Cheers.

It was a little bit stressful.

There's some very high standards
in this kitchen.

To be able to, you know, get some
compliments from him

and say that the turbot cookery
was great,

that was really cool.

OK, Tommy, we're away.

Final four. Yes, Chef. Yeah?

Make sure they're the best
you can do, yeah? Oui.

For Tommy, it's vital he doesn't
burn the barbecue lamb belly

a second time.

So, yeah, it's crisping up nice,
right?

Perfect.

That's better. Good lad.

Well done, lad.

Tommy, well done. Thank you.

The loin was delicious.

The lamb belly had such
intense flavour,

and the mint, just such a nice
accompaniment.

You learnt every single time
from the first to the very last.

You just got better and better.
Thank you, Chef. Well done.

With mains finished,

all eyes are on James to complete
service on a high.

Keep the speed going, yeah?
Oui, Chef.

It's essential we finish
this service off perfectly.

This is my mum's favourite dessert.
Oh, yeah?

So if this isn't right, she'll know.

Yeah. Now you have to turn the fold
off. That's good.

That's what I want.

Service, please.

Thank you.

Chocolate dessert was phenomenal.

Chocolate was really, really rich,
but the creme fraiche kind of cut

through that really nicely.

Yeah, phenomenal.

You did really, really well.
So, well done. Appreciate that.

Awesome stuff. Well done, lad.
Thank you. Appreciate that. Cheers.

Definitely happy with how it went.

Yeah, it takes a bit of a delicate
touch, but great fun,

thoroughly enjoyed it.

How are you doing, guys? Hiya.
Yeah, good, thank you.

How was it? Absolutely fab.

Enjoy it? Yeah, I did, very much so.

It wasn't as good
as normal, that, was it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SHE LAUGHS

Service is over.

But the semifinalists face
one more challenge -

to create their own dish

inspired by what they've learnt
about Tom's food.

So for any dish that's created
at Upstairs, it's flavour-led.

That is the priority of Upstairs.

It has to have a flavour
impact first.

Everything else comes second.

They have just one hour to make
a dish centred around one

of Tom's favourite ingredients -

hand-dived Orkney scallops.

Their larder includes top quality
produce from around the UK,

including tomatoes, asparagus,
courgettes, Jerusalem artichokes,

and an array of spices from tandoori
to Thai lemongrass.

I'm feeling a bit nervous, but,

yeah, they look, the ingredients
look really beautiful

and fresh, so I think
we've been spoilt for choice.

Just want to show that I've learned
a lot from Tom, sort of showcase one

ingredient and several different
techniques and textures.

So that's something I want to try
and do today.

Putting a bit of my own,
my own personality in, but, yeah,

it hopefully should stay
true to the ethos

of what these guys do here.

Obviously it would be a huge
compliment if I can see Upstairs

on the plate.

I just can't wait.

To accompany her scallops,

Kasae is planning to highlight
one other key ingredient.

I'm going to do some barbecued
Jerusalem artichokes.

The ones that I've peeled,
I'll be able to pickle,

and I'll try and make a powder out
of the skin.

I'll roast it in the oven
until they're dry.

Try and blend them with some
tandoori powder and make, like,

a seasoning to go over the top.

Kasae will also introduce
apple, caviar, and a brown butter

and potato hollandaise with kombu
dashi vinegar.

In service my turbot dish had a jus
base that had a mayonnaise

blitzed through it at the end.

So I'm trying to kind of recreate
that richness and that texture

and then put
that with the scallop dish.

I don't think I've ever
cooked a scallop this big.

I think with Kasae,
she'll be very sort of intricate

with the ingredients that she uses

and they'll be on the plate
for a reason.

And I'm hoping to see two
or three variations of them.

And I think it'll be very
concentrated and very refined.

I'm a bit nervous for him
to taste it.

Hopefully he can see
what I'm trying to do.

Hiya.

Kasae has pan-roasted her scallops
and topped them with pickled

artichokes, julienne apple
and caviar.

They're served with brown butter
roasted artichokes finished

on the barbecue, brown butter
and potato hollandaise, artichoke

skin and tandoori powder dust.

The first thing that came into my
mind is that it looks like a sort

of a dish that I would sort of
Create,

which is just such a compliment.

Absolutely delicious.

Can't give you any sort
of negativity

at all on the whole entire dish.

The scallop is cooked absolutely
perfectly, almost

like a char on there,

and then they are so soft
inside as well.

So the hollandaise, it just adds
that sort of rich creaminess.

The texture, it's buttery,
it's delicious.

I can see the apple's
there for freshness.

I can see that you've got
the Jerusalem artichoke there

and you've quite heavily roasted it,
which is a good thing, cos it's

going to add that real sort of
nutty earthiness to the dish.

It feels like a personal dish.

It's got a bit of Upstairs in it.
I really love that.

So really, really well done.
Thank you.

I was loving the feedback,
I'm not going to lie!

I just feel overwhelmed
with a lot of different emotions.

Next up is Tommy, who is taking
his inspiration from Tom's ethos

of making the most out of every
ingredient.

His scallops will be served
with a scallop roe emulsion,

fish sauce, and the same vegetable
used multiple ways.

I've got courgette and coriander
puree.

Some brined courgette, tempura.

I'll just finish some on the
barbecue real quick.

So a few different textures and
flavours.

He's also making a tomato fondue
from a base paste of shallot, garlic

and coriander.

So, sort of, sweet and sour tomato.

With Tommy, I think he's got an
overriding sense

of passion with his dishes.

I think he'll just, he'll try and
really sort of push the boundaries

and try to really create
something that's quite special.

I'm nervous for Chef Tom
to try this, I'm not going to lie,

and hopefully it's OK.

Tommy's dish is pan-roasted scallops
served with scallop roe emulsion,

courgette four ways - pureed,
barbecued, tempura and brined -

tomato fondue made with white wine,
garlic and shallots,

and a fish sauce.

It's just summer on a plate.

The colours on there are
just so inviting. It's so bright,

it's lively. It is delicious.

And the scallops,
cooked beautifully.

Courgettes are very nice.

Sort of tried two together,

cos I like that barbecue effect

and then you get the texture
from the tempura.

Then you've got the puree.

You just get all these variations
of the courgette, which, again,

I smile, cos you can sort
of see that that's what we do here.

And then the fondue
is, yeah, it's just delicious.

Three key ingredients on that plate,
more than enough. Yeah.

And you've used them and
highlighted them perfectly.

Just sitting there and watching him
eat was a scary moment, you know.

But when he complimented
the dish, it was,

it was just amazing,
really overwhelming.

Inspired by Tom's nostalgic use
of curry flavours,

James is basing his scallop dish on
one of his own food memories.

As a kid, we used to get a lot of
Chinese takeaways. Satay sauce

and then, like, char siu spareribs,
man, were my two go-tos.

He's making a scallop roe satay
sauce, which will be split

with coriander and lime oil,
and plans to make the most

out of an onion.

Got a little onion crisp, onion
puree, then a barbecued onion,

which I'm just going to brush
with soy.

Flavours, which is the satay, the
scallop and the onion,

and then hopefully they can all
kind of harmonise.

I would eat it, yeah!

Hopefully it should be
like a nice mix of kind

of charred, bitter, sweet onion,

a lovely, sexy scallop.

How you doing, Chef?

Cheers, Chef. Thank you.

James has served his pan-roasted
scallops with a scallop roe satay

sauce, onion crisps, onion puree,
barbecued shallots topped

with cashew crumb,
and a coriander and Thai lime oil.

James, I think it looks, again,
unbelievably inviting.

I can sort of see my style
of plating in the dish as well.

It's absolutely perfect.
It really, really is.

The scallops are fantastic.
Onions, in general,

they're so versatile,

and you've shown that with this
puree. The onion crisps are crispy.

The fact that you've used shallots.
They're super nice and soft

and then on top of it
it's the cashew nut.

And the satay sauce, you blended
those scallop roes and it's added

that richness to it. And it's that
richness to the sauce,

that you just want to keep almost,
like, mopping it up.

You've used onions two, three,
four different ways.

It just keeps that whole
symmetry in the flavour as well.

It's a really, really refined
plate of food.

And you've created something that's
really harmonious.

So, honestly, really,
really well done.

I wanted to showcase what I learnt
with a few of my own little twists

and a little bit of my signature on,
and I think I achieved that.

So, thumbs up all round.

The semifinalists' time with Tom
has come to an end.

They've really understood and got
on board with our ethos,

which is amazing.

Kasae, cookery was perfect and she
really took on board every single

thing I said, and she went with it.

She just absolutely nailed it.

With Tommy, he just loves
this industry.

He just wants to be the best
version of himself.

I think he really... You can see
he tries really hard to do that.

James has got a great personality,
great attitude.

James, he really understood the
simplicity of using an ingredient

three or four times. All three
contestants,

I can see exactly why they're here.

They're very in touch with their own
styles, and I can see all of them

sort of going as far as they want
to be, because they're individual

chefs and they can take
it as far as they want to.

Just spending one-on-one time
with Tom was just a massive

opportunity that I really enjoyed.

So it makes me really want
to just keep pushing, keep enjoying

the journey, and just see
what else is to come.

No, it was exciting. I'd come back
in a heartbeat.

Definitely take some stuff
from this kitchen into the next

rounds of the competition.

Changed my whole dishes, probably.

Today was epic. I felt very
invigorated and very energised.

So I think my hunger for getting
through to the finals just builds

and builds and builds. Now it just
feels like it's almost within reach.

So I'll be pushing for it,
that's for sure.

Chefs, welcome back.
Good to see you.

I hope you had a great time working
with chef Tom Shepherd.

And I really hope
that you've brought a little bit

of his flair back
into the kitchen today.

So, chefs, two plates of food -
mains and a dessert -

good enough to cement your place
in our Finals Week.

You have an hour and 45 minutes.

At the end of today, one of you is
going to be leaving the competition.

Good luck.

I'm putting everything into my cook
today, trying to keep

it concise and flavourful.

Trying to bring nice flavours
throughout the whole dish and do

something that I just want to see
on a plate.

So what are you doing?

I'm doing a char-siu-style
monkfish with a compressed

yuzu, romesco lettuce.

I've got a beetroot kimchi
and kelp paste.

I've got an onion-top emulsion
going on the side of that,

and then the char siu sauce.

Hopefully it will all work
together really nicely.

Why char siu? It's something
I absolutely love to eat

and it's like a lovely fermented
bean, soy, honey, sugar, fermented

bean curd marinade.

Monkfish is an incredible fish to
kind of put a lot of flavour into.

Followed by? Honey yoghurt
and whisky parfait, with a honey

tuille and honeycomb, with a whisky
and honey and lemon gel.

My dad keeps bees up in the north of
Scotland.

So I'm using some of his honey.
Good enough for a place

in the Finals Week?
Yeah, let's hope so.

James is cooking the monkfish in a
water bath with his

char siu marinade and then,
finish it off on the barbecue.

He's also taking some lettuce,
which he's compressed

with a yuzu butter.

That is also going to get
charred on the barbecue.

This sounds delicious.

A great way, too, to add that extra
flavour to his dishes.

But there's no rice, there's
no dumplings,

there's no neutral flavour.

This is going to be a dish
of heavy flavours.

The question is always going to be,
does it work?

Yeah, it's getting there.

Barbecue takes patience and time.

Something I don't have in abundance
at the moment.

James' dessert is a parfait

and we've got the flavours of honey
that his dad produces.

The parfait's got to have like an
ice-cream-like texture.

Beautifully set, not too hard.

And we want to taste the sweetness
of the honey.

And, of course, there's yoghurt,
so a bit of sharpness to cut

through it at the same time.

I hope that he gets it right.

Got a lot of stuff
to do, as usual.

At this stage, it's got to
be pretty flawless,

so I think it's a little bit
nerve-racking.

How are you, Kasae?

Feeling a little bit stressed today,
but I'm good. What's going on?

What's stressing you out? I just...

I want to get everything perfect,
especially after spending a couple

of days with Tom.
A bit more pressure.

Now, tell me, what is your menu?

We've got duck breast
with a spiced duck glaze, a salted

carrot and coriander salad, sand
carrot puree with some brown miso

and brown butter and thyme
through it.

I discovered sand carrots in Tom's
restaurant. A duck jus gras

that's been split with some
pistachio oil, and a little duck leg

waffle on the side, with some con fit
duck leg. Oh!

I had it in Australia,
but this is kind of my take on it.

OK. Nice. For my dessert,
I'm making an olive oil

and Sauternes cake.

Sauternes is a French dessert wine.

It's going to have some
poaching-liquid-glazed figs,

some little cherries fresh on there,

and then a cherry ripple
and fig leaf ice cream.

Where I grew up with my
grandparents, we had a fig tree.

Nan would always make them,
she'd always dehydrate them,

and I just hated them.

And it wasn't until I started
cooking in my apprenticeship

that I really realised
what you could do with them

and how they could taste.
All right, Kasae, good luck.

I'm loving the sound of this menu.

Duck with a spiced glaze
over the top of it, and then sear

it in the pan so it'll have a
lovely, dark, crispy coating.

Kasae's got to make sure
that the waffle mix is thick enough

so that when it cooks, the duck leg
does not dry out even more.

We've got a carrot and miso,
brown butter puree.

Three ingredients that do
work together.

I think introducing these flavours
into the carrot, I think,

will be delicious.

Kasae's cake, she is using olive
oil as opposed to butter.

That is a wonderful way
to enrich your cake.

I do love the sound of the cherry
ripple ice cream.

She's also made a base of it with
the fig leaf, which is a great idea

because you get a lovely, deep
flavour of almond from a fig leaf.

Chefs, you have 35 minutes left.

I definitely think I've got a bad
habit of giving myself

too much to do. But I like to keep
busy, I like the chaos

and, you know, I feel like I cheat
myself if I don't run.

So I've given myself so much
to do today.

You know, if it pays off,
fantastic.

And if it doesn't,
it could be a disaster.

So, keep...keep sharp and focused.

So what are you doing, Tommy?

It's basically inspired by a deer
in the woods, essentially.

So I'm doing roast saddle of
venison, some baby globe artichoke

with some crispy
artichokes as well.

A venison croquette on the side,
pickled walnut ketchup.

Some crispy mushrooms there. Served
with a venison sauce to finish.

What about pudding? So I'm doing,
like, an espresso martini,

essentially. It's my favourite
cocktail. I'm doing a coffee sponge

with a vanilla ice cream, some
candied walnuts, a whisky jelly,

and then it'll be finished with,
like, an espresso martini foam.

So, Tommy, sounds like you've got
a lot of work

in both your dishes. Yeah.

Have you tried these dishes?
I have.

It's definitely down to the wire,

so I'm definitely busy today,
for sure.

His menu starts off with a venison
main course.

We have the loin.

Tommy's got to make sure
he really rests that loin of venison

well before it goes on the plate.

Tommy has got some lovely hen
of the woods, which he says

he's going to finish off in a birch
sap syrup.

Hopefully not too sweet,
because that will just sort of ruin

these lovely mushrooms.

Tommy's dessert based
on an espresso martini,

his favourite drink. The sponge,

when you're going to soak it
with coffee, just got to make

sure it doesn't just fall
apart and get too soggy.

We've got an espresso martini foam.

We want to taste the foam.

You know, it can't just disappear
once it hits the plate.

Hopefully it's more of a mousse
texture.

We've got a vanilla ice cream,
and that's sort of probably

the neutral element of the dish,
which I'm really looking forward to.

I really enjoy vanilla ice
cream, and I think it'll work

great with this dish.

But the coffee flavour is a flavour
that I do want to taste

in this dish. I want to taste the
alcohol as well.

Sounds like a great menu
here from Tommy.

I hope he can deliver it
all in time.

Five minutes. And I have to say,

you three are really pushing this to
the wire.

And let's get some food
on these plates.

Everything's ready.
Just final touches.

I want to make sure everything
is really nice.

Are you going to be on time, Kasae?
Yes, Chef. Yeah?

Yes, Chef.

You have only 60 seconds left.

Chefs, stop cooking. Time's up.

For a place in Finals Week,

James has served char siu monkfish
tail finished on the barbecue,

with a charred and
yuzu-butter-compressed romesco lettuce,

topped with barbecued fish roe,

with beetroot, kelp and kimchi
ketchup...

...and spring onion emulsion,

finished with a char siu sauce with
monkfish liver,

split with spring onion oil.

The monkfish - that's cooked nicely.

The char siu marinade has got a bit
of sweetness running through it,

and I think the monkfish can take
it because it's such a meaty fish,

it works really well.

This beetroot ketchup, with
the saltiness of the seaweed

that you've added to it,
that I like.

The spring onion emulsion
on the side is way too salty.

The lettuce, which you've
compressed, and the yuzu butter,

I like that, and I like you've got
the texture of the roe on the top,

but it's been finished
on the barbecue, and I think

it needs more flavours of
that barbecue to go through it.

And the same with the fish. Yeah.

You've got big flavours on your
plate.

There's no two ways about that,
James.

The char siu sauce, it's big, it's
bold, but there's something missing.

I don't know whether that for me
is a bit of steamed rice,

just to neutralise the dish,

cos it's the big flavours
that you've got sitting

around the plate.

For dessert, James has made a honey,
whisky and yoghurt parfait,

sat on a bed of honeycomb crumb,

honey, lemon and whisky gel,

served with a honey tuille.

The texture of the parfait,
it's gone a little bit soft,

but it's got great flavour.
It's smooth, it's light,

it's got the right amount
of sweetness

and the flavour of the honey
is just divine.

You know, you've got this honey
from your dad's hives.

It's absolutely delicious.

So, your dad should be very proud.

I'll tell his bees, yeah. Thank you.

I love the whisky warmth
I get from that jelly.

It's floral at the same time.
It's not too sweet.

And then, because you've been very
generous with the amount

of honeycomb underneath,
it's got a texture to it,

and it's just a delight to eat.

Oh, so tough, man.
Like, I've rarely had...

...just everyone loves my dish.

Tough to call.

Tommy's main course is roast saddle
of venison, served with a crispy

venison croquette, pickled
walnut puree,

hen of the woods mushroom crisps,

baby globe artichokes,

caramelised Jerusalem artichoke
puree,

hen of the woods glazed with birch
sap syrup,

finished with a venison sauce.

The venison is cooked beautifully.

It is so tender.

I really like the venison
croquette on the side there.

Oh! Delicious.

So we've got the Jerusalem
artichoke, which you've made into

a puree, but it's been caramelised
in a way that's just rich and...

Mm!

And then you've got the baby
artichokes, which have been cooked

off and then seared in the pan.

Just wonderful.

Thank you.

The stars of this dish is
the tenderness of the venison.

The beautiful venison sauce
is delicious, creamy, rich.

The pickled walnut puree
on the plate just brings acidity

and a great depth of
umami-style flavour.

I like that a lot.

I love the way you've prepped
the hen of the woods.

This is a dish of detail and depth.

A lot of work.

If this is a walk through the forest
for you and this is the inspiration,

then keep walking,
because this is great.

Inspired by an espresso
martini cocktail,

Tommy's dessert is a coffee sponge
soaked in kombucha coffee syrup,

honey whisky jelly, candied
walnuts,

buckwheat tuille,

served with
vanilla ice cream and finished

with an espresso martini foam.

What a fun dessert to look at once
you put the ice cream and the foam

over the top.

The flavours of it,

I sort of feel like I'm enjoying an
espresso martini.

The sponge, which you've soaked
in a coffee kombucha,

I like that you haven't soaked
it all the way through,

so there's still texture there.

You then have a vanilla ice cream,
which is very much needed, a point

of neutral flavour on this plate.

It's a great dessert. It's very
clever. Thank you.

Love the little gel on top,
so you get a little hit of whisky.

And then, of course, you've got
the walnuts as well that I love

in any cake. The martini foam...

I don't like coffee, espresso
martinis at all, but I'm actually

loving this. When I get to taste
flavours that I don't normally enjoy

in their real form as a martini,

I think it's great.

Has your cooking stepped
up to another level?

Yes, it has. Without a doubt.

Two outstanding plates of food.

Thank you.

To hear from those two,

the comments I've just had,
you know, I'm just so overwhelmed,

super happy. I'm buzzing.

Super happy with that.

Last up is Kasae.

Her main course is juniper-glazed
duck breast,

sand carrot, brown butter and miso
puree,

salted carrot and coriander salad...

...served with a duck leg
waffle and duck jus gras sauce

split with pistachio oil.

The textures, the flavour,
the duck cookery is excellent.

I love the way you cooked
it on the crown.

The spices that you've got on top,
slightly sweet but delicious

at the same time. The juniper that's
running through it is a delight.

I think it's great.

Lovely sauce on the plate, split
with oil, which I really enjoy.

Kasae, this is delicious.

This type of dish would work
in any top restaurant.

It's excellent.

We've got a carrot puree
here with a brown rice miso

running through it, so it's
enriching it, it's made it salty.

You've got salted carrot on the side
with coriander running through them.

Delicious. I love the way you've
made this waffle.

Putting the con fit duck
leg meat through it.

It's genius. It's fun.
It's delicious.

Get you, Kasae!

For dessert, Kasae has made a
Sauternes wine and olive oil cake,

dusted with fig leaf powder and
icing sugar,

served with glazed
figs, fresh cherries

and a cherry ripple and fig
leaf ice cream.

The cake is beautiful and soft,
and the sweetness

of the Sauternes running through it
is delightful.

Figs, which are meant to be glazed,
I feel are underwhelming.

There's just not enough
of glaze there.

Fig leaf is a colossal flavour,
and it's absolutely fantastic

in this ice cream. With the cherry
ripple running through,

it just brings a bit of sweetness
and sourness to the ice cream.

It's just so smooth
and texturally beautiful.

But I think what would have made
this dish better is a bit

more attention to the fruit.

It's too bland. It's too natural.

We want a little bit more.

That was a really high high,
and then a pretty low low.

I knew that I kind of rushed
the dessert towards the end.

It was a choice between get
something on a plate or don't get

something on a plate. So...

Just time got away from me.

That was a fabulous cook-off. Three
chefs determined to get themselves

into our Finals Week.

I think we have one standout
of the three chefs. Hmm.

Tommy, for me, gave us
the venison dish.

I just loved the flavours of this
dish and the textures.

The skill he took to push the
dish further.

And a dessert that was just
delicious.

A coffee espresso martini pudding.

He, for me, was the chef of the day.

James gave us the char siu
monkfish dish, and the lettuce

that had flavours of the yuzu
butter. I loved them.

I just thought it needed
more barbecue flavour.

I found the spring onion emulsion
on the side just too salty, though.

I found that every area
of the plate was incredibly rich.

I wanted something that just
had a bit of neutral flavour,

just to bring it all together.

I really enjoyed James' dessert.

Delicious, creamy parfait.

I loved the whisky jelly.
You know, the heat of the whisky

coming through it.

But his parfait wasn't quite
set enough.

It should have been a little bit
colder.

Kasae, with her duck main course,
the spices that were wrapped

around that duck breast -
cooked beautifully.

And then you take that waffle
with the con fit duck meat.

Great food done well.

Kasae's pudding. I did enjoy the
Sauternes cake.

It was nice and sweet,
but not too sweet. Great texture.

Beautiful ice cream on the side,
fig leaf with cherry.

That was great.

But then we had
fruits not beautifully...

...prepared in any way. At this
level, I thought

Kasae could have done
so much more.

There were issues,

but it's really
difficult to kind of call

it at this stage. Everyone's good.

No-one puts bad food up now.

I still feel like I've got
more to give.

I'm still pushing and I still
want to be here.

I've still got more creativity
to show them.

Kasae and James - which one
of these chefs is going

through to Finals Week?

What a day. To come back
in here after spending time with Tom

and be inspired, full of energy

is exactly what we wanted to see
here today.

All three of you gave it
absolutely everything.

And you made our judging
incredibly difficult.

But we can only take two
chefs through to Finals Week,

and we have made our decision.

The chef leaving the competition
is...

...James.

James, you, I know, are going
to be incredibly disappointed,

but I think your competition
has been exceptional.

And I think you should be very proud
of what you've done.

Thank you.

James, I think you have a great
career ahead, and I can't wait

to keep following you and see
how you do.

I wish you the best of luck.
Thank you very much.

Well done, guys. Cheers.

I think unless you win it,
you are always

going to be disappointed.

But, yeah, to get this far has
been cool. It's been really fun.

The whole thing, I'm going to look
back in fondness, I think.

It's definitely not the last,
definitely not the last

you'll see of me.

HE LAUGHS

Well done.

You two are in our Finals Week.

Oh!

I think it's just hit me.
That I'm in the final four.

Pffff!

This feels like the biggest
achievement of my career so far.

I'm so happy to be here,
and I'm really, really excited

for the next few rounds.
No more shakiness, though.

Yes! Champagne! I think you've
earned this. Amazing.

There we go. Thank you.
Congratulations. Well done. Cheers.

Well-earned. Cheers. Well done.

I just feel super lucky, really.
To be in the final four...

Wow, you know? I feel like I'm in a
dream, so, buzzing.

Final four! What the hell?

LAUGHTER

Next time, it's Finals Week...

...and the four remaining chefs...

...cook for a dining room
of culinary legends...

Get that oven up hotter.

This is killing me.
..at Chef's Table...

This entire dish just eats
like a dream.

...before battling it out
for a place in the final three.

I have to say, I think this is
a very accomplished dish.