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00:00All this week, these four celebrities have been battling for a place in the quarter-final.
00:07Oh, it's leaking. Sorry.
00:09Oh, my God. Oh.
00:12Now they're back with even more passion.
00:14Come on.
00:15Because the last three places in this year's semi-finals are at stake.
00:19When you get in that kitchen, it's like a real battle, you know. It's tough.
00:23Oh, damn it.
00:24Nerves are kicking in. I got about four hours sleep last night.
00:29Tonight, they face two tough challenges to test them further.
00:34Under pressure and I'm making a right miss.
00:36Flying by the seat of my pants right now.
00:38First, they must show they can work in teams.
00:42Ash. Huh? Ash. Ash.
00:45Add that to the jar. Make that thick and then put it in that little bowl.
00:48Up.
00:49Before cooking off to secure their place.
00:52It's obviously quite different to being on a rugby field.
00:55Anything can happen. You've got to think on your feet.
00:57We need to do it the same.
00:58It's not just about getting through the rounds now.
01:00It's about performing to the best of your ability.
01:03The last three places in this year's semi-final are up for grabs.
01:07We have some serious competitors in this round.
01:11People who really want to win.
01:13But how long will they stay in this game?
01:15What have you done to John?
01:16What have you done to John?
01:17What have you done to John?
01:29What have you done?
01:30Welcome to the team, man.
01:32team. Welcome, celebs, to your quarterfinal. The next round we call the Pairs Challenge.
01:50Professional kitchens around the world rely upon teamwork and communication. So we split
01:55you into two teams. Alan Wynne, Ashley, you are the red team. There we go. Noreen, Alfie,
02:06you are the blue team. Each team is tasked with cooking for us a dish. We want two portions
02:17of your dish and those two portions have to look and taste exactly the same as each other.
02:23The twist is, only one member of the team has the recipe. And this is where teamwork and
02:32communication come to the fore. So whoever has the recipe needs to guide their fellow team
02:40member to make sure that the challenge is completed. Reveal your ingredients. Alan Wynne, congratulations,
02:53you've got the recipe. Thank you very much. You've captained a few teams in your life,
02:57Alan Wynne? Two or three, yeah. None as good as this one, mate.
03:02That's some deep thought from Alfie already. I'm going to give it a go. You have one hour.
03:16Let's cook. Each team leader has been given basic instructions for a different dish, with separate
03:27trays of ingredients for every element. There's a lot to make. And I've got the added responsibility
03:33of giving instructions to Alfie. Just because one person has got the recipe doesn't mean they're
03:38totally responsible. They have to work as a team. Big pan, boiling water. How much boiling
03:43water do you want in there, Winnie? Just under a half. Alfie, do you know what we're making?
03:48The falafel? Yeah. This is about communication. If that falls down, they'll end up with nothing.
03:54Fingers crossed. Listen as we go now, all right? Get your potatoes then and peel them.
03:59Rugby legend Alan Wynne is in charge on the red team. He will need to guide reality star
04:06and ultra-athlete Ashley through their recipe for aloo tiki. Served with crispy chickpeas
04:13and topped with tamarind sauce and green chilli chutney. How would you like them cook?
04:19Whatever, just make them smaller. Please, we need to do it the same.
04:21That way. That way, perfect. Aloo tiki. Little potato cakes with a good amount
04:27of spice in there. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. They have to make sure
04:33those potatoes are cooked all the way through. We don't want absolute fine mashed potato.
04:38That's not the idea of aloo tiki. Aloo tiki has a bit of texture.
04:42I'll just give you some instructions quickly. Get your masher, put your potatoes in there then.
04:48Oh, this is good. We like this.
04:51I mean, you need quite a bit of grip strength.
04:57Between Alan Wynne and Ashley, there are biceps aplenty.
05:02Ashley struggled a little bit, but they've gone through.
05:05We have got riced potatoes for potato cakes.
05:09Alan was doing one potato at a time and I was doing three, so, you know...
05:14Once you've done that, Ash, put onions, garlic, chilli all together.
05:20Then there's the spicing. That's the ginger.
05:23Yeah, ginger. Look.
05:24Chilli. Onion.
05:25Onion. Chilli.
05:28Can I see how you've cooked your onions?
05:29Just chop them small. If you go cross-section, one way and then the other way, 90 degrees.
05:35You're the first person I've seen giving actual 90 degrees chopping. Very precise.
05:40Well, it's just easier, isn't it? Say what you see.
05:42One teaspoon of garam masala. They have to be bold with the seasoning.
05:49Kashmiri chilli powder. How much? Teaspoon.
05:52It's going to have to dictate exact quantities of spicing to Ashley.
05:56Both of these dishes need to taste the same.
06:01It smells great, mate. Good, good. Put that into the potato mix.
06:08Alfie. Yep.
06:09250 grams of chickpeas.
06:12Comedian Noreen is in charge of the blue team. Along with singer Alfie, they must make falafel, flatbread and tabbouleh.
06:22Served with a tahini and pickle juice dressing and zoog, a spicy herb-based sauce.
06:28Falafel, I've never made that. Never done tabbouleh. Never heard of zoog.
06:33A little nervous. A little nervous. Well, very nervous, to be honest.
06:38A falafel. It's an amazing dish made from chickpeas, spices and lots and lots of herbs, deep fried and quite crispy.
06:46Pulse it until roughly chopped.
06:50When pulsing that chickpea mixture, you need to know when to stop.
06:55That looks roughly chopped to me, hopefully.
07:00Two or three pulses too much.
07:04These falafels will not stick together.
07:06So what we're going to do, Alfie, is add the rest of the falafel ingredients.
07:11Have you eaten falafel before?
07:12Yes.
07:13What do you think is the secret to a great falafel?
07:15Making the puree not too dry.
07:17Ah, wonderful.
07:18You're right about giving instructions to Alfie?
07:20Yeah, I just hope that I give him the correct instructions.
07:26Alfie's racing ahead making the falafels. He is much more of an instinctive cook.
07:31So he's making it up as he goes along.
07:34I'm going to put more herbs in, I think.
07:35Should I add a bit more in mind then?
07:37No, I think it'll be fine.
07:39Noreen is listening to that and asking him what he's done.
07:42This isn't how the task works.
07:44Alfie, show me what your pace looks like.
07:48I think Alfie's just a little bit greener than mine.
07:52Noreen's only used half her coriander and half her parsley.
07:56I don't know if we're going to get two plates that look the same and taste the same.
07:59At the minute, we're all right, I think.
08:04Celebrities, you've had 15 minutes, 45 minutes left. Still lots to do.
08:12The aloo-tiki mixture made. The red team move on to their sauce.
08:18A tablespoon of tamarind paste. Don't worry if you get a bit more, because they want flavour.
08:25That tamarind sauce. Tamarind and dates mixed together with brown sugar.
08:30Sweet and sticky and sharp and sour all at the same time.
08:34A pinch of chilli powder.
08:37All boiled together and then blended to become beautifully smooth.
08:43Have you cooked with any of these things before?
08:45The only thing that I recognise is the potatoes.
08:48But, you know, we don't want to break a trend that's been the theme of the whole competition so far.
08:54How smooth is yours? Because mine's quite tight.
08:56Just tip your pan on the side. Yeah, that's good, that is. Yours is better than mine.
09:00We need to blitz it now, right? And then it'll be done.
09:07Ash? Yeah?
09:09Put it into a squeezy bottle, please. Alan?
09:11Yeah, I'll show you now. If you're going to talk to me, you've got to face me, mate.
09:14Yeah, squeezy bottle. Squeezy bottle, yeah? Alan Wynn isn't speaking loud enough for Ashley to hear.
09:22Got to dominate the airwaves. Either Ashley's going to have to just try and listen a bit harder,
09:27or Alan Wynn's going to have to raise his voice. Ash? Huh? Ash? Ash? Listen to me now, right?
09:33I'm listening. Do you have a shout?
09:37I have my moments, but if it gets that bad in you, I'm probably in a worse situation than it would be on the field.
09:42But no, we'll be all right. We'll see how it goes.
09:47Right, we're done, Aureen. It smells nice.
09:50How are you shaping them? Then flat. Yeah.
09:53Across the kitchen, the blue team haven't progressed further than their falafels.
09:58Shall we just fry the falafel now? Yeah, let's do it. Then it's done.
10:01Aureen is just doing one thing at a time. The falafels have been made, now they're on frying.
10:05There's still bread dough to make, there's still stability to do, there's still zub to be done.
10:09Those falafels cooking probably should have been the last thing to go on.
10:12How many are you putting in there? Four. Shall we just do six? Let's do six.
10:16Falafels are fiendishly hard to fry.
10:20The oil needs to be hot enough to make them golden and crisp.
10:24Too hot, you're going to have it burned.
10:26I just need a device to flip them over. Yeah, those are gone. Good TV for you there. Look at it.
10:39Alfie has misjudged the heat right away and his falafels are burned, whereas Aureen's have disintegrated.
10:45They're not cooked. Because her and Alfie have completely different things in the blender.
10:50Nothing like a bit of burnt stuff anyway, just extra vitamins, isn't it? You know,
10:54that's what I'm going with. Celebrities, you are halfway. 30 minutes gone, 30 minutes left.
11:01Gonna have to motor. You lot are enjoying us. Suffering, isn't it?
11:08The red team, they made their aloo-tiki mixture, but they need to shape it into the right size
11:13patties and it needs to be fried. Ala, like that? Like a mini burger, that's it. Not too thick, so they cook through.
11:19They've still got their green chilli chutney to make and they've got to make their crispy chickpeas.
11:27We need to drain these chickpeas. Chickpeas drained.
11:32Flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Chuck the peas in there.
11:36After draining them, it says to pack them dry with a towel to get rid of any excess moisture
11:42before the gram flour goes across the top. But they haven't done that and the gram flour has become
11:48more like a batter. The chickpeas, Ash, you don't want them to clump together one at a time, yeah?
11:56Just so they don't stick together. Ashley's chickpeas, the gram flour should be nice and thin
12:03and make them these little flavour bullets. At the moment, they kind of look like stodgy in the pan.
12:10Hello. Come at me, buddy.
12:18What's next, Noreen? So now we're going to do the flap rate. What does she say?
12:23Over halfway and there's trouble at little for the blue team. They are really behind.
12:27Alfie? One minute.
12:29But Noreen knows how to make bread. We've seen that. She can instruct Alfie and they can both
12:34make the flatbreads the same size. We're in for a treat. I haven't got enough flour.
12:40Did you have enough? I've got enough, yeah. Mine's only coming up to 180. It's run out.
12:44Yeah, what sort of flour is it? Which flour? Oh, so I've done the wrong flour.
12:49OK. So different trays, aren't they? Yes.
12:53Noreen was just on the verge of making her flatbread with ground flour. It would have been a disaster.
12:59So we're right, Piccoli and Noreen, aren't you? Eh? I know.
13:02Her station's a real mess. That's where mistakes lie.
13:06A little bit of panic there. A little bit of panic. But it'll be all right.
13:11Noreen's starting to realise now that having the recipe may not be a gift at all.
13:15Alfie. Oh, my gosh.
13:21Under pressure and I'm making a right mess.
13:23Noreen, that's what size I'm going to do. Yeah, OK, fine.
13:29That's too doughy. Like, I think I need to do it a bit flatter.
13:35Oh, why is this going off? Have you got other parts of the recipe to do?
13:40It's the tabbouleh. We've got the zoo to make and the tahini.
13:44So, Alfie, let's do the tabbouleh. OK.
13:46You know this bulgur? Yeah.
13:48Soak that in hot water for five minutes.
13:50The blue team have got a lot of work to do. They need to really push.
13:54If they finish this on time, I am going to be amazed.
13:57Celebrities, you've got 20 minutes left.
14:05While the blue team is running well behind, the red team is faring much better.
14:10Listen to me now, right? Two chopped chillies, one bunch of coriander.
14:14What's coriander? Is that that? The leaves?
14:17Yeah, take about a half handful.
14:19They have their main components ready and are on to their final job.
14:24Classic green chilli chutney. It should be vibrant, have a really big punch of heat coming from the
14:30chilli, but be balanced really beautifully with all those herbs. Ash, lemon and lime.
14:35What, you squeeze it in there? Yeah, don't worry about using a juicer.
14:37They won't taste the pips because we blitz it up.
14:39With time running out, the blue team is only just starting a main component of their dish.
14:48Mint tomatoes, cucumber, pomegranate seeds. Now mix that with chopped parsley.
14:53Did she say parsley? Can you tell me? No, I'm joking.
14:58Tabbouleh, a salad made from borgal wheat. They've got to give it lots and lots of flavour.
15:03A little bit of lemon juice for sharpness. It needs to be really refreshing and vibrant.
15:07Have you made this before? Never.
15:10OK. Noreen has now used coriander instead of parsley to make her tabbouleh because she's panicking.
15:18What are you most worried about at the moment? It's the time. I feel that I don't have enough time.
15:23We've got ten minutes left. There can't be things missing.
15:28Have you turned your patties yet? Yeah, yeah, just move them off.
15:31Split. Mine are a little bit burnt. Don't worry, don't worry.
15:35Ashley and Alan Wynne are certainly streets ahead of the other team.
15:41Ashley and Alan Wynne are quite calmly getting their dish together.
15:45At this moment in time, I'm just putting 100% faith into the skipper,
15:50which is what you do when you're in a team and hopefully it'll lead you to victory.
15:53The blue team, ten minutes to go. They've not made their zouk. They've not made their tahini.
16:00They are vital parts of the dish.
16:03So for the zou, add all ingredients except olive oil and water to a food processor or blender.
16:09Zouk is a wonder of ten different flavourings brought together and then emulsified with a little bit of oil,
16:16so we end up almost like with a green, herby mayonnaise.
16:21How's it going, Alfie?
16:22Oh, it's a bit of a stressful one, this one.
16:26The blue team are in chaos.
16:28How's Panic on the dance floor going?
16:29Oh, not good.
16:31We know you're there.
16:32Noreen's communication completely gone down the path.
16:36You've got to add the oil to that.
16:37Yeah, add some oil.
16:38Yeah.
16:38And what should I put it in?
16:39It doesn't say to add it slowly, does it?
16:41Yeah, add the oil and water slowly.
16:44I'm flying by the seat of my pants right now.
16:47Celebrities, you have just five minutes.
16:50Whatever you've got done, you need to get on a plate.
16:55Do you want to go same plate then, or...?
16:56Safe?
16:57Yeah, same place.
16:57No, not safe.
16:58No, artistic, artistic.
16:59We don't want the same.
17:00They've got to look the same and taste the same.
17:01They've got to look the same.
17:02Ash, we've got to do same plates, right?
17:03Plus, remember, we go artistic with the same plates.
17:05Yeah.
17:06Doing the chickpeas round the outside.
17:09With just moments to go, the blue team is yet to start plating
17:14and are still trying to complete all their components.
17:19Remove the pickles and drain all but two tablespoons
17:22of the pickle juice from the jar.
17:26Right, OK.
17:27Add the rest of the ingredients to the jar and put the lid on,
17:29shake jar until dressing is thick.
17:31I've lost it.
17:36How much tahini, Noreen?
17:3760 mils of tahini.
17:3960 mils.
17:40Blue team, you need to get something on a plate.
17:42You need to get something on a plate.
17:43Quick, quick, quick.
17:46Got just two minutes.
17:48Pomegranate.
17:48What's that, this?
17:49Pomegranate's the fruit.
17:50Cut it in half.
17:51Cut it in half.
17:52Come on.
17:56Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.
17:57So, Alfie, just add that to the jar,
17:59make that thick, and then put it in that little bowl.
18:0030 seconds, everybody.
18:03Finish in touches, make a decision, get on a plate.
18:06Coriander leaves and put over the top.
18:08Which one's coriander, this?
18:09Yeah, same one we did earlier.
18:19OK, celebrities, time's up.
18:22Step away from your benches, please.
18:24I love you, Noreen.
18:28Wow, that was something else.
18:30From here, I couldn't even see his plate.
18:32I've got extremely bad eyesight, so I could just hope
18:35that my plate looks relatively similar to Alan's.
18:37But who knows?
18:39Red team, come on up.
18:42That's not bad.
18:43Oh, do you forget the other one?
18:51That is communication.
18:54The team, gentlemen, impressive.
18:58Alan Wynne, it's great.
18:59You've added the little crispy noodles across the top.
19:01It gives a bit more texture as well and crunch.
19:03Yeah, I must have forgot to tell him.
19:05Shall we start with you, Ashley?
19:13The flavour inside that aloo tiki is wonderful.
19:21Your great chutney is sweet with coconut,
19:23vibrant with that real lovely green chilli.
19:26My tongue and my mouth is alive.
19:28I love how sweet your tamarind chutney is.
19:31I'm really excited about the flavours here.
19:35Your chickpeas, delicious but not crunchy.
19:38Too moist and then not enough heat.
19:40They were never going to go crispy.
19:42However, I think the presentation is gorgeous.
19:48Alan Wynne.
19:58All I've wanted from you was a bit of va-va-vun.
20:01People have been asking that for years when I was playing, so...
20:04Congratulations, Alan Wynne, you've done it.
20:06OK, oh wow. It's great.
20:08Those aloo tiki, they're lightly fried, slightly crisper on the outside.
20:12The smokiness coming from that cashmere chilli and all those lovely spices coming together as well.
20:17Going really nicely with that refreshing green chilli chutney, you've done a great job.
20:23Alan Wynne, the chickpeas may not be crunchy,
20:26but I think you've got them just right in the amount of ground powder and there are parts on them where
20:31they've really caught the heat going in the right direction. And I love your tamarind sauce.
20:36Really silky and delicious and sweet. Overall, this is a great dish.
20:41Both of you, honestly, definition of flavour. You can taste the tiki,
20:45you can taste the chickpeas, you can taste the chutneys. It's really good work.
20:49Thank you. Cool.
20:50It was really wonderful to watch you work together.
20:53You brought out the best in each other. And when you came up,
20:56the fact there was symmetry at the end was just joy.
20:59Thank you very much. Thank you.
21:03What's up, mate? I've done big, though.
21:04It was all right.
21:10There you go. Well done, bud.
21:13I think we could open our own restaurant after that.
21:15A Michelin-style restaurant with a gem on the back?
21:17Yeah. There you go. Alan Ashley Wynne.
21:19Bit of me rubbing off on him already.
21:21Have we only been together for an hour? Yeah, man.
21:25It's time for the blue team.
21:28OK. OK.
21:30OK.
21:36Well done.
21:40They're not the same, but they're pretty close.
21:42These both look like calm dishes,
21:45but there was not calmness when you were cooking.
21:48It was tough. It was tough, yeah.
21:50Yeah, it was really tough.
21:51The communication did obviously break down, but... Yeah, it did.
21:54Do you need to get rid of the chaos? Yeah.
21:56Shall we start with you, Alfie? No.
21:59Alfie, what I'm learning with you is that out of great chaos,
22:15good cooking does come. I watched you making the tabulae,
22:19and you were in peak panic at that point.
22:23Yeah.
22:24So to have created something so vibrant with bulgur and the herbs,
22:29it's delicious.
22:30The falafel is beautifully seasoned.
22:35It may be a little burnt, but it's a beautiful, moist, herby falafel.
22:40It's a pale representation of a zoog, but it's delicious.
22:45Thank you. Very good.
22:46Your tahini is lovely and smooth and silky, sharp with that pickle juice.
22:51Thank you. Great.
22:52You cooked more than one flatbread. Yeah.
22:55And you had a really lovely one, which was round and soft.
22:58But you decided to use the oval-shaped one, which is too thin, slightly dry,
23:04and it's a bit rubbery, which is a real shame.
23:07Noreen, let's do it, shall we?
23:18While you have got everything onto the plate, which is a great thing,
23:23there are definitely some errors.
23:25Your falafel, the mixture, was quite damp when you were frying it,
23:28and it isn't seasoned as strongly as it could be. The zoog has ended up as a salad,
23:34and it's quite overpowered with cardamom.
23:38Tabbouleh, we've got coriander in there rather than the parsley.
23:41It needs to be dressed with lemon juice. It's not sharp like it should be.
23:45The tahini split. You had forgotten to shake the jar. That's the chaos.
23:51But I think the bread is amazing. I will take lessons off you on how to make bread.
23:56Yeah. And I mean that. That's some of the best flatbread I've ever eaten on MasterChef.
23:59That is fantastic.
24:01I'll take lessons to you.
24:06Noreen was useless!
24:11We made that tahini dressing in, like, 60 seconds.
24:14There's a talent for you, isn't it? I mean, you should win for that.
24:20Great team challenge. Teamwork, communication, we now know what they're like.
24:23Absolutely brilliant teamwork from the red team.
24:28On the other side of the kitchen, Grace, it was a very different story.
24:33When they think you can't turn the heat up anymore, I tell you what, the dial's going from 9 to 10.
24:38Things are about to get serious.
24:40Welcome back.
24:57Now, this is a round where you're going to have to perform, because we are looking for semi-finalists, and we only have three semi-final places.
25:06To help us make that decision, we've invited some special guests, finalists, Craig Doyle, and Amy Walsh.
25:23A celebrity MasterChef winner, Kadena Cox.
25:27They will be eating and judging your food.
25:34Two courses, one hour and 15 minutes.
25:38At the end of this, one of you is going home.
25:41Let's cook.
25:42Oh, come on.
25:50Ashley's food is all about home and family.
25:54As he's going through the competition, he's learning that we need a little bit more.
25:59Ashley needs now not to play it safe.
26:01Just in case you hadn't worked out arms today.
26:09This stage in the competition, you have to impress.
26:13And that's a lot, especially when you're as inexperienced as I am.
26:19I'm really stepping into uncharted territory.
26:21You've got a smile on your face, Ashley.
26:26Two courses, what are you going to cook for us?
26:28King prawn bruschetta with fennel and dill salad.
26:31Nice.
26:32And then the main course is teriyaki salmon with noodles and pak choy.
26:37You guys said that I needed to push myself, so now I've had to step out of the realm of comfort
26:41and do something I've never done before.
26:43I just want to really get better so I can put two plates in front of my sons,
26:47and not only are you going to keep them healthy, but are going to put on a smile on their face when they eat it.
26:53Bruschetta.
26:54A lovely piece of bread has to be quite garlicky and oily and crisp.
26:58I don't know why I'm turning my head as well, but it seems right.
27:04The prawns need to be meaty and crisp with garlic and butter.
27:09I'm excited for Ashley's fennel and dill salad.
27:12It needs quite a punchy dressing to lift it.
27:15That's coriander right we're getting.
27:17He's putting oil, lemon, bit of salt, I wonder if it'll be enough.
27:22Main course, teriyaki salmon, marinating the salmon first, saltiness from soy,
27:26he's got sweetness coming from honey, he's got a little bit of chilli sauce as well,
27:29giving me a bit of a bite.
27:31Oh, look at that.
27:32Noodles cooked really, really well.
27:34They're going to need a sauce, and Ashley's not a fan of sauce.
27:38He's pushing himself, but is he taking too much of a risk cooking dishes he's never cooked before?
27:43I've got no idea what I'm doing.
27:52Smiling on the inside.
27:53Alan Wynn's food is clean and it's precise.
27:58All we asked him to do was add a little bit more flavour and it's getting there.
28:02Alan Wynn brings an intensity.
28:05He prepares as if he's almost about to go out and represent his country.
28:10Is it fair to say you've been preparing for this competition like a World Cup?
28:14You know, there is a part of me that, you know, whenever I do something like this,
28:17I'm still representing my country, so I've got to try and do that honour justice.
28:21What are you cooking for our guests?
28:23Sirloin steak with sweet potato mash, sauteed spinach, garlic mushrooms and a peppercorn sauce.
28:31Came from Wales, synonymous for it's beef and lamb.
28:34Steak's something I like to cook quite a bit in the summer on barbecue.
28:37I'm just going to make sure I don't overdo it today.
28:40He needs to make sure that that fat starts to render down.
28:42It's seasoned really, really well.
28:44Rare coming on medium rare. Wonderful.
28:47He has got to make some peppercorn sauce, which coats the back of a spoon.
28:50We don't want it to be too thick or too thin and it's got to be full of flavour.
28:54He's baking the sweet potatoes in the oven, which is great.
28:57He's going to take them out of their skin, which means they should be nice and dry.
29:01We don't want wet sweet potato mash.
29:03And for dessert, we've got a caramelised biscuit, baked banana, chocolate, chantilly cream and rum trifle.
29:11Something I used to have as a child, which was banana with chocolate on the barbecue.
29:16So it's adult version with the rum in it today.
29:18Is a trifle still a trifle without sponge?
29:21Or jelly.
29:22Well, it's layered like a trifle.
29:26Baked bananas, crushed biscuits, whipped cream, booze.
29:31I love the thought of this.
29:33If he's calling it a trifle, I want definitive layers.
29:39Noreen's food, South East Asian flavours, honouring her heritage.
29:46She is proudly vegetarian.
29:48The thing is, every so often, there's a little mistake.
29:50For me, the veg is a bit under. It's quite crunchy.
29:55I'd like, from Noreen, a dish without a mistake.
29:59It's not a dish that I normally make, but I thought if I'm going to be on MasterChef, then I need to up my game.
30:06I'm making courgette ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach.
30:10So I'm going to make parcels out of the courgette with a nice Mediterranean salad, if I have time, croutons,
30:17and then a strawberry cheesecake for dessert.
30:18What, ravioli and no pasta?
30:21Yeah.
30:21Noreen, you've clearly blown John's mind.
30:24He likes pasta.
30:25Everybody knows pasta.
30:26How about an alternative?
30:30I was born in Bedford, which was known as Little Italy.
30:33So I wanted to add something a little bit Italian into my menu.
30:37I even did GCSE Italian at school.
30:40Molto bene, which means very good.
30:42That's what I'm hoping John and Grace will say.
30:46We're being promised from main course courgette ribbons, which are going to be wrapped around a
30:50filling of ricotta with spinach and an egg.
30:52I'm really worried about the texture of this, because if it's too soft, you've just got mush with mush inside.
31:00This can be baked in a tomato sauce with garlic and shallots.
31:04If she can nail that, wonderful.
31:07But she doesn't have a lot of time to let those tomatoes cook out.
31:10Just tried it out and it came out quite tasty, so I'm hoping it will work today.
31:14I'm going to attempt to make really quick croutons.
31:19We need those croutons to give texture. I don't know if it's got no bite at all.
31:24Dessert, strawberry cheesecake, lovely, rich, creamy top and a little thin biscuit base.
31:30We're getting a strawberry sauce. We need a lovely, glossy sauce, fragrant with strawberries.
31:35Being served in a ramekin, it's not going to be turned out.
31:38So she won't know if that cheesecake is set until such time as we actually taste it.
31:45Oh, it's my shortbread.
31:50Alfie loves to feed. He loves big flavours. But when he comes into this kitchen, nerves take him.
31:57He's just got to believe himself and understand that if a mistake happens,
32:01he can come back from it. Oh, damn it.
32:04I forgot to put my sugar in.
32:05What people don't see when I'm performing as a singer, they don't see the backstage stuff and
32:12the nervous energy is kicking in. You know, I want to please my audience when I walk out on stage.
32:17So when I'm cooking food, I want to please John and Grace.
32:22For my main, I'm doing seared tuna with an Asian-style salad with a warm honey and soy dressing.
32:28Bringing a salad to the celebrity MasterChef kitchen, is that a risk?
32:34It probably is, yeah. I'm hoping that I can prove that a salad can be hearty.
32:40You seem to have enough for 30 rather than for three.
32:42That's the thing with me, I like to cook for a lot of people.
32:45When I'm on tour and I have a day off, I love to check out the food.
32:51I have spent quite a bit of time in Japan. I love the spices that they have, the sweetness,
32:57the kick of the chilli. So this is what I'm trying to do today.
33:03Alfie's cooking tuna. If we can do this well with a river of pink running through it
33:07and crispy on the outside with all those spices, fantastic.
33:12A really good salad is difficult. A lot of it's just very roughly chopped.
33:17I wish Alfie would stop and think about how textures affect eating.
33:25For my dessert, I'm making a raspberry whiskey cream full with toasted oats, chocolate
33:32and an almond shortbread biscuit.
33:34He used to do this with real definition. We want to be able to see the raspberries,
33:41the cream, the oats and a good amount of whiskey in there.
33:45He wants to show some techniques so we're getting a little shortbread as well.
33:51Needs to be nice and crumbly, slightly soft, almost blonde in colour.
34:04I am so excited to be back. I remember this challenge because I feel like everything that
34:10could have gone wrong went wrong. Oh, the top's coming off. They're so hot.
34:13Oh, calm down. You've just got to go for it. You've got to be adventurous. You've got to push the flavours.
34:20It's a massive challenge. You have to be brave. You've got to show some skill, but also make sure you get it done in time.
34:30The last time I came to judge, I ate some amazing food, food that I still think about now.
34:35So I'm hoping that today will be a similar experience.
34:42I'm a bit nervous that I'm not going to remember the name of my dish when I have to serve it unless
34:46I've got something in front of me. Ashley, you've got two minutes to go.
34:50Are you going to get everything on the plate? Yeah, 100%.
34:54Ashley's starter is king prawn bruschetta with fennel and dill salad.
34:59A bruschetta, I always think it's playing it safe, but it depends what they've done with the king prawn.
35:06I want the prawns to be cooked to perfection and I want it to be garlicky.
35:10Careful you don't burn that garlic. You can smell it. Be careful.
35:12Yeah. The bruschetta can't be just a bit of toast with oil on it, right?
35:16I want bruschetta like I hadn't had before. Okay, 60 seconds.
35:23I've got nice textures with the crunch of the salad, hopefully a crunch of the bruschetta,
35:27and then the juiciness of the prawns. It hopefully will work.
35:32Go, go, go. Pleased? Let's see when they taste it.
35:38Done, Ashley? Yeah. Well done.
35:41Well done. Good on you, Ashley. Thank you.
35:44Hi. Hello. Hello, guys. How are we?
35:47How you doing? Not bad, thank you. This wasn't nerve-wracking.
35:51Oh, no. That looks delicious.
35:53Oh, it looks so good. Okay, the smell's delicious.
35:57Today I've prepared king prawn bruschetta with fennel and dill salad,
36:02and I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
36:05Ooh. Giving major garlic. I love it.
36:16To do prawns is always tricky and he's cooked them to perfection.
36:20There's a lovely bit of heat. They're really, really good.
36:23I love the salad. It's really citrusy and peppery, and it's just lifted it.
36:29The bruschetta, I think you needed to have let that char a little bit more and rub some garlic
36:34over that, but I've enjoyed it. I mean, I could finish off those prawns.
36:38I have.
36:43Bread's not toasted enough, but that's really my own criticism right now.
36:46But what I am impressed with is this grape fennel salad. He's packed in the flavour.
36:52Right. Ashley, 15 minutes on the next course.
36:55Yeah. Come on. Let's go.
36:59Wow, look at that. Look at that. It's kind of stressing me out now. I've got 15 minutes,
37:07and I've got a whole main to actually cook. Never mind put it out on a plate.
37:10Ashley's main course is teriyaki salmon with noodles and pak choi.
37:16With the teriyaki salmon, you have to get those flavours right. It has to be kind of a good balance
37:21of the salty and the sweet. Ashley, you have four minutes now.
37:25Oh, it's not cool. OK. What do you mean? OK, don't worry. How's it look?
37:30The other's on 59 degrees. What? Oh, I've put it in the wrong one.
37:35You put it in the wrong one? No, I didn't realise it was two.
37:39OK, I'll tell you what you're going to have to do. Get the wok on and we're going to pan fry it
37:41quickly, Ashley. OK? Quick, quick, quick. We've got to do this. This is going to take
37:45about four minutes. It's going to be about two minutes open. What have you done to John?
37:49I'm so sorry, John.
37:52Salmon has to be cooked to perfection. Come on, Ashley, you can do this. You've
37:58done harder things. Noodles can't be just boiled. Is he going to put something else in there?
38:05Ah, there we are. Let's have a look at that lid.
38:09Hear that? We're cooking here, Ashley. We're cooking. We're moving and shaking. OK.
38:13Hopefully, he's made it simple on paper, because those flavours, if you kind of play on
38:19them, could be quite nice. Well done, Ashley. It looks great. Well done.
38:24Thank you, guys. Deep breath.
38:30Host with the most, host with the most, host with you.
38:35Oh, nice.
38:39So this is teriyaki salmon with noodles and pak choi.
38:42Thank you. Thank you. I hope you enjoy it. You've done it. Well done. Well done. Thank you,
38:46Jim. Thank you, Jim. Yes.
38:55Mmm. My salmon's cooked to perfection, so I'm really happy with that. For me,
39:01salmon aside, I'm a bit underwhelmed. But it's just not packing enough punch.
39:06Pak choi, it's delicious. It's crunchy. It's flavoursome. I really like it, and he's done well there.
39:12Those noodles are not doing it for me. I think there's a little bit of that teriyaki in there.
39:17He just needs more.
39:20I think this is another nicely executed dish from Ashley. I would eat the whole thing.
39:26It could all just deal with a little bit more flavour.
39:31That got so tense. I felt like I had so much time, and then no time at all.
39:38Oh, man. That was stress.
39:46You've got three minutes, Alan Wynne.
39:49I used to play a game when I was playing called hot potatoe.
39:52His main course is sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce, sweet potato mash and sauteed spinach and garlic mushroom.
40:00I'm not overwhelmed. But I might be.
40:05Not my pelican. Depends, doesn't it? I think that's a good cue to relax, he says.
40:09The sirloin steak, you want it to be pink and, like, juicy on the inside with a nice crust on the outside.
40:18Your steak looks perfectly cooked. Happy with that?
40:20Yeah, I probably could have done the fat a little bit more, but...
40:23What did the queen used to say? Never complain, never explain.
40:26Never turn right on a plane.
40:28That's... there we are.
40:30That peppercorn sauce has got to be right, it's got to be reduced right, and nice consistency to it.
40:36It's got about two minutes.
40:40It's hard to get sweet potato mash to taste nice.
40:44Like, so you do want him to be putting extra flavors through there, just lift that a little bit.
40:48You've got 60 seconds, enough time to score a try.
40:51Didn't score many of them in my position.
40:53The sauce looks beautiful and glossy.
40:54Thanks very much, well done you. Representing Wales.
41:01Speak to you later. Good on you.
41:04Hello.
41:06How are we? Good.
41:07How are you, please? Thank you so much.
41:12We've got sirloin steak with sweet potato mash, sauteed spinach in shallots with garlic
41:18mushrooms and a peppercorn sauce. Thank you.
41:20Is this more stressful than playing for the lions?
41:22100%. Enjoy.
41:28Kind of a real meaty manly rugby player's dish and he's made it look really dainty.
41:33So it looks creamy and shiny.
41:35He's nailed it.
41:37Yeah.
41:38Yeah, he's nailed it.
41:39I think the steak's cooked well. I'm enjoying it. I like how pink it is. The fat's not rendered down
41:50enough. You've got to cook that down a little bit more.
41:53I enjoyed the sweet potato. It's got that little bit of black pepper going through that.
41:57And I like the texture.
41:59Peppercorn sauce. It's a lovely consistency. Shiny and creamy.
42:04And it cuts through. Yeah.
42:07I just want to eat all of this.
42:09And his food's packing a punch.
42:1315 minutes. We need to get that trifle made. I think it's a trifle.
42:18Alan Winster is baked banana, caramelised biscuit and a rum trifle.
42:28I don't know if that's set enough.
42:29I should have whipped it more. There we are.
42:33It doesn't look enough, does it?
42:34Is it trifle? I don't know.
42:36Not looking the most appetizing, is it?
42:39I'm hoping that we see the layers. You want to be able to taste the rum as well.
42:45Ganache is a bit thick. Cream is under whipped. It's all right. It should taste all right.
42:49If in doubt, add more rum, isn't it?
42:52Okay, we've got three minutes. Let's go.
42:57I'm intrigued. But if the flavours work, this is going to be bang on.
43:01Your oprah does look like you've just come out of the scrum, actually.
43:04Are you ready to go? Yeah.
43:06Well done. Good job, you. Thank you very much.
43:08Good on you.
43:11Now that is a trifle. You love this idea, don't you?
43:18You have a caramelised biscuit, baked banana, chocolate ganache,
43:22chantilly cream with rum. I've called it a bit of a trifle, but it's up for debate.
43:26I love this combination of flavours. Chocolate, banana and rum, delicious.
43:37The chantilly cream is really, really nice. The crunch from the biscuit is great and I could sit and eat the whole thing.
43:43It's not a trifle, but it is that layered dessert, a bit like tiramisu. I literally want to steal this for, like, Christmas dessert.
43:51That is a glass of happiness. I get it. I understand now why you love it. I do.
44:02I feel proud, to be honest with you. I've done eight plates in hour 15.
44:05Sometimes it's easy to forget where you started.
44:12OK, we've got three minutes. Are we getting the courgette packages out of the oven?
44:18Do you want me to get that for you, right?
44:19Wee. They look great. They look great. Beautiful colours there.
44:24Noreen's main course is courgette ravioli with the spinach and ricotta filling and a Mediterranean salad with croutons.
44:31You're doing really well, Noreen. You've got two minutes left.
44:33OK. So I'm going to put two on each plate.
44:36Go then.
44:38If she serves me a carb-less pasta dish, I'm stealing it.
44:43But, saying that, spinach and ricotta, for me, she can make that flavoursome, then props to her.
44:50Do you have it slowly? Calmly. Calmly.
44:56Texture's really important here. I'm intrigued to know how she's going to stop her from being a sloppy mess.
45:00What do you want them to think when you carry this in?
45:03Oh, that looks a little bit Mediterranean, a bit Italian.
45:05Mediterranean salad. It could be good, but she really needs to elevate all those flavours in there.
45:12Go, go. Thank you.
45:14OK. There you go. Good effort. Thank you.
45:20Hi. Hi. How are you?
45:22Good, thank you. For her main, Noreen is serving courgette ravioli,
45:28filled with spinach and ricotta, in a tomato and garlic sauce, topped with mozzarella,
45:35served with a sun-dried tomato, olive and rocket salad, and croutons.
45:42So, I was really impressed by how those parcels had held together, but I need more ricotta for it to work.
45:54You want it to be, like, creamy, don't you?
45:56The sauce doesn't know what it is. A hot salsa or whether it's a sauce. Maybe cooked down a little bit more would have helped.
46:04The salad, it's all feeling a bit flat. The croutons, it's just fried toast, there's no flavour on it.
46:11It's not hit the mark.
46:13It needs the crunch of the croutons because everything else is just a little bit soft.
46:17And we don't have any bite or crunch on the outside of those courgettes.
46:21That's the problem. The texture is all missing.
46:23You can't take pasta away from ravioli. It's the best bit.
46:27So, you have 15 minutes left. Go, go, go.
46:34Well, no-baked cheesecake means no-risk cheesecake, in my view, which means it has to be full of flavour and not sloppy.
46:42I do want the base to be buttery and biscuity. I want a bit of crunch to it.
46:46I'm hoping it's going to play around with those flavours,
46:49because if it is just a standard strawberry cheesecake, it has to be perfect.
46:55I've got a couple of minutes, so I thought, let me just put them in the blaster,
46:57because I don't think they've had long enough in the fridge.
47:03Do you think they're set enough, Noreen? Fingers crossed, Noreen.
47:07Erm, I hope so. Happy now? Yeah, now that it's over.
47:10Right, off you go. Well done, you. Thank you. Good job.
47:14Go and meet your guests.
47:20I've made a lovely strawberry cheesecake for you, so I hope you enjoy it.
47:24Thank you. Thank you. Thanks so much.
47:33I don't know how much, like, a cheesecake it is.
47:35It's reminding me of, like, a cream cheese frosting.
47:37And the filling needs to be more vibrant.
47:40Strawberry cheesecake really has to pack a punch.
47:44The biscuit is falling apart quite easily.
47:47Could have done with a bit more butter in there.
47:50The compote on top is very bland.
47:53She's such a joyful, happy, lovely person.
47:56Yeah. I'd love to see that personality on the plate.
47:58Less than that. Just be bolder, be braver.
48:01It's okay. It's not quite a cheesecake.
48:04That cream cheese hasn't had enough time to set.
48:07And I think the base is delicious.
48:09It's butchery, but it hasn't set.
48:14I'm happy that I've made two dishes that are brand new to me.
48:18I have no idea what it tastes like, but the fact that I managed
48:21to put everything on that plate, on time.
48:23Woo!
48:29Damn. Um, two minutes. Alfie.
48:31Yep. Calm, slowly.
48:33Okay. Calm, okay?
48:34Okay.
48:35Okay.
48:36So Alfie's main course is seared tuna and an Asian-inspired salad
48:41in a warm soy and ginger dressing.
48:45Tuna's a really tricky one, because if you don't sear it right,
48:48you take too long cooking it, it gets chewing.
48:51But when it's done properly, ah, it's absolutely delicious.
48:55Right, now, here, you've got four minutes.
48:57Plenty of time to be calm with that salad.
48:58Make it look smart.
48:59Okay.
49:00Tuna can handle a lot of flavour, so I'm hoping it's punchy.
49:08You're doing really well. Great colours.
49:11I love an Asian-inspired salad. I really do.
49:14I think he'll have been to Asia a lot with his singing,
49:18so I think he's going to know how to execute this dish.
49:21Last 30 seconds, Alfie. Thank you.
49:23There we go. That's what makes the difference.
49:25Oh, yeah.
49:26Well done, you. Thank you.
49:27Hello.
49:28Hello.
49:29Hello.
49:30I hope you enjoy this.
49:34Alfie's main course is seared tuna with fennel seeds,
49:38cayenne pepper and garlic, accompanied by a mixed vegetable,
49:42chilli and mango salad, finished with a warm soy,
49:47honey and ginger dressing.
49:53It's got a kick.
49:54I think he's cooked that really, really well.
49:58It's beautifully raw.
49:59There's a lovely sear on top.
50:01I love the flavours in it.
50:02Yeah, a little bit fiery, but I think he's done a really good job.
50:05I've been asking for more flavour and more punch.
50:08Yes, it has a little bit of a kick, but I like it.
50:10The fact that he's able to be so brave for the flavours,
50:13I'm really impressed with this dish.
50:15I love the salad.
50:16Mango in it, fresh chillies, which I love in a salad.
50:20I really enjoyed the punchy flavours.
50:24That is a very beautiful, accomplished salad.
50:27As far as flavour goes, fantastic.
50:32Alfie, I can smell a delicious biscuit.
50:34Ooh!
50:35So, you're fine, you're fine, you're fine.
50:37It's all good.
50:38Thank you, thank you.
50:39You've got 15 minutes.
50:40OK.
50:41Alfie's dessert is raspberry whiskey cream full with chocolate,
50:46toasted oats and an almond shortbread biscuit.
50:50There's a lot going on.
50:51Like, I'm actually excited to see how he balances these flavours.
50:55Whiskey cream, one of life's great pleasures.
50:57Whiskey cream with chocolate, thank you.
51:00Love it.
51:01Plenty of chocolate, we all like chocolate, don't we?
51:04And I feel like it's a well-designed dish.
51:07It could look beautiful.
51:09Are you happy with that?
51:10I'm pretty happy with that, yes, thank you.
51:12The dine was waiting.
51:17Hello.
51:18Hi.
51:19Oh!
51:20There you go.
51:22I've made you a whiskey cream full.
51:25It's got raspberries in toasted oats,
51:27topped off with white chocolate, dark chocolate,
51:30and that's an almond shortbread with a bit of chocolate on top as well.
51:35I've got to give you a hug.
51:36Oh, bless you, man.
51:37Because you look so nervous.
51:38You don't need to speak.
51:39Hey!
51:41Thank you, man.
51:43Well, enjoy.
51:44Thank you so much.
51:45Thank you so much.
51:46Bye-bye.
51:47Oh, God, they're hot.
51:48Oh!
51:49It's lovely.
51:50It's well presented.
51:51It has the layers.
51:52Flavours are great.
51:53I'm wrapping this up and taking it home for my mum.
51:54They are amazing.
51:55It's fresh and when you get that cream and the raspberry
51:58and a bit of chocolate on that shortbread.
52:01The star of the show are the almond biscuits.
52:03They absolutely taste of almond.
52:04They're warm, they're crunchy, they're just yum.
52:06What I am pleased about is we've got a bit of technique on the plate with those biscuits.
52:29They are shortbread sensations.
52:31Beautiful.
52:32Beautiful.
52:35I've tried my best.
52:37My problem is I panic, and that's when things go wrong,
52:40so that's a lesson I have to learn, I think.
52:46What a wild ride.
52:48We've got just three semi-final places.
52:53The dining room, their cook of the day is Alfie.
52:56We love the tuna, they love the tuna.
52:59That crust of fennel and chilli, really quite ferocious.
53:03That salad, he knocked it out of the park.
53:06The raspberry dessert, the dining room absolutely loved it,
53:09and they were fantastic almond shortbreads.
53:12But you and I also have a cook of the day.
53:14Alan Wynne brings steak and makes it look elegant.
53:18A beautiful, peppery, glossy sauce.
53:22A really good plate for him.
53:24The dessert, bitter chocolate from that almost dark ganache,
53:28and a really good whack of rum making a grown-up dessert.
53:31Alfie and Alan win through to a semi-final.
53:34One place left.
53:35Ashley, I really enjoyed the prawns on bruschetta.
53:40Beautiful, delicate fennel salad.
53:43There were some wonderful flavours going on there.
53:45Main course, noodles with the salmon, slightly bland.
53:49But the salmon itself cooked well.
53:51Buck choy, delicious.
53:52I applaud Norian's decision to bring something as difficult
53:56as courgette ravioli to this kitchen.
53:59Unfortunately, there just wasn't a lot of texture.
54:02The dessert, I would have liked a lot more strawberries with it
54:05to give it a bit more flavour.
54:07And that cheesecake topping wasn't set.
54:10The pressure was absolutely immense today.
54:15And I feel like, oh, actually, I was able to do that
54:18and I didn't really think I could.
54:20So now I'm itching for a bit more.
54:23I really want to make it through.
54:25John and Grace were wanting me to push myself
54:27and that's exactly what I've done today.
54:29And I'm really proud of what I've produced.
54:31One of them is going home.
54:33We have to make a decision.
54:45An absolute celebration, you guys.
54:47You four quarterfinals have been incredible.
54:49We do, however, only have three semifinal places
54:52and that does mean that sadly one of you is going home.
54:58Our first semifinal place goes to...
55:01goes to...
55:03Alfie.
55:08The dining room loved it.
55:11Loved it.
55:12Loved it.
55:16So our second semifinalist is...
55:27Alan Wynne.
55:30Yeah.
55:35Noreen, Ashley.
55:36No surprise here, is there?
55:41For one of you, we've come to the end of the road.
55:48But our third semifinalist is...
55:51Ashley.
55:52Oh, well done.
55:54Thanks very much, Noreen.
55:55Great working with all of you.
55:57Well done.
55:58Well done.
56:00Thanks very much, Noreen.
56:01Great working with all of you.
56:03Well done.
56:05Thanks very much, Noreen.
56:12I'm going home feeling quite proud, considering I'm not really a cook.
56:16And to get this far was quite a big deal for me.
56:19I know tonight I'll get a really good night's sleep, which will be lovely, but it's been honestly such an experience.
56:26You three are now our chef semifinalist.
56:33I'm blown away again by the results.
56:37I want to see now how far I can go and push myself even harder.
56:41Right now, I'm just going to relish in the fact that I'm cook of the day.
56:45Ashley, I don't know if you know, but I'm cook of the day, mate.
56:48I thought that I'd gone as far as I want to go, but I'm inspired and motivated and dedicated and driven in a ferocious way to be Alfie.
56:58So I'm going to push on in the competition and see where I can get to.
57:04It's a mad experience.
57:06I'm pleased to get this far.
57:07Obviously, Alf was a chef of the day today.
57:10They say sometimes it's better to be the hunter than the hunted, so hopefully that's the case.
57:18Next time, the nine best cooks from the heats are back for the semifinals.
57:25I'm a singer. I shouldn't be doing this.
57:28It's not even cooked.
57:29And the temperature rises.
57:35It's a bit of a nightmare.
57:36Only the best will make it through to the celebrity MasterChef finals.
57:48I have a man.
57:49It's a bit of a nightmare.
57:50It's a time in the trailer.
57:51It's really a man.
57:52Totally chu'bred, tuned for this game.
57:53It's a bit free.
57:54It's a bit free.
57:55No, no, no.
57:58No, no.
57:59Fine.
58:00No.
58:01Yep.
58:01Fine.
58:03Fine.
58:04Smired.
58:05Goodamam.
58:06Let's see what's happening.
58:07You were losing.
58:10I knew how we was.
58:12I although I thought it was terrible.
58:13I know.
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