All language subtitles for MasterChef.S21E19.1080p.WEBRiP.x264-DARKFLiX

It's the MasterChef semifinals.

After six weeks of intense
competition...

It's a bit stressing. Ah!

..only the eight best cooks remain.

The challenges are going
to get bigger,

and the competition's going to get
a little bit sharper.

Over the next week,

they will be pushed
to their culinary limit.

Can't serve those. Oh, no!
What are we doing about temperature?

LAUGHTER

I love everything about this.
You just about smashed it.

Final eight is beyond
my expectation.

I'm definitely feeling

the pressure now. Because I wasn't
expecting to get this far,

now I'm, like,
well, if I've got this far,

I can keep going, right?

SHE LAUGHS

This competition
has fully taken over my life,

yeah, it just consumes every
waking thought.

Amazing group of eight.
Talent personified.

Who's got what it takes?

Who is going to shine
in these next couple of rounds?

Chawton House, Hampshire,

once home to the family of one of

literature's legendary authors.

For the eight contestants,
it's a chance to step back in time.

Welcome to the start of
the MasterChef semifinals,

and welcome to
the marvellous Chawton House.

This house actually belonged to

the brother of one of
our greatest-ever novelists,

Jane Austen. WHISPERS: Wow!

It was here,
in these grounds, that she wrote

and revised some of
her greatest works.

This year would have been
Jane Austen's 250th birthday...

WHISPERS: Wow!

..and today you are preparing
a very special birthday lunch...

THEY CHUCKLE

..for the staff and volunteers
that work in the house,

and members of
the local Jane Austen Society.

We're going
to split you into two teams.

Claire, Munopa, Harry and Sophie,

you are the Red team.

Get to know each other very,
very well.

Olivia, Sam, Henry, Hazel,

you are the Blue team.

Over there are two tents stacked
full of the finest ingredients.

Take some inspiration
from this estate,

the beautiful grounds,

but also some inspiration
from Jane Austen herself.

Ladies and gentlemen,
to the tents you go.

The semifinalists have three and a
half hours

to devise and cook their menu.

We want fine food.

We want something exciting,
something that reflects the period.

We want something that's opulent
and a little bit fancy.

First semifinal challenge,
and it's on this scale.

It's fitting that it's this epic.

I love my team.
I'm really happy with everyone.

Everyone's a really good cook,
and I think we're going

to smash it out of the park.

Team leaders, are you happy to be
team leaders?

OK, if you guys are happy with that,
I'm happy to...yeah.

With retail business
manager Henry

appointed leader of
the Blue team,

fishmonger Harry is heading
up the Reds.

This is beautiful pork.
It's got loads of lovely fat on it.

They must come
up with 40 portions of

a main course using
eight pork loins.

The Blue team must create
a main using three whole trout.

So maybe we do pan-fried trout.
Pan-fried trout sounds nice.

Both teams must also come

up with ten portions of
a vegetarian dish...

A vegetarian loves the mushrooms,
you know,

speaking from experience here.
SHE CHUCKLES

Asparagus look beautiful.

Yeah. ..and 40 portions
of a dessert.

Those blackberries
are really staring at me.

They look delicious.
They look really lovely.

They're massive as well. Can we do

a frangipane with the ground
almonds?

Yeah. Yeah, we'll do that with
a gooseberry.

GREGG: They've very, very quickly

got to formulate a plan and come up
with a menu.

Let's give Jane Austen a celebration
that she would love,

that people will remember.

Look at these bad boys.

On the Red team,

copywriter Claire is tackling
the pork main course.

The key for crispy crackling is
dry skin.

They're using the pork to make
a pork chop with crackling.

Bonne chance, Marie.

If they roast it as a whole,
they're going to have to make sure

the internal
temperature's absolutely right.

We don't want pink pork.

Good luck, boys.

SIZZLING

I've got the pork in, and now
that lovely sound in the back is

the bones getting brown to make
the depth for the sauce,

so now I'm on flavour central.

On the veg option, team leader
Harry and colourist Sophie

have chosen
to make mushroom and chestnut pies.

I don't think there

was very many vegetarians
in Jane Austen times,

but I do know there
was some vegetarian pies,

so I wanted to take that.
But, you know,

make it a little bit more meatier,
a little bit more, you know,

mushroom-y, hearty.

The Red tent are lucky
to have Sophie in there,

of course, she's a veggie cook.
And the vegetarian option,

the Red tent is fantastic.

The roast pork and the pie,

I think that's reminiscent of
the Georgian era.

I think if Jane Austen was here,
she would recognise these dishes.

Hopefully, the pastry will be
the right consistency.

No-one wants a soggy bottom.

Gap year student Munopa has
decided to attempt a technically

challenging dessert, making 40
blackberry babkas.

Babka's a traditional
Polish-Ukrainian dish.

I make it a lot at home.

The babka dough is basically like
a brioche.

They're going to need to rise
for about an hour,

so it's a lot of work to get done.

Babka - sounds delightful.

Brioche, with

a fruit compote put through
so it marbles,

and she's going to serve it with
a cinnamon custard.

I mean, come on!

I am a massive Jane Austen fan.
My mum taught English Literature,

so I read, like,
all the classics growing up.

So I am having a bit of
a fangirl moment.

But, yeah, I'm happy.

How you doing, mate?
I'm good, how are you?

It looks lovely. Lovely texture.

The Red tent is being led by Harry,

and I think that's
a really good choice,

cos Harry is not just
a good cook, but a very,

very good all-rounder.

I think we have got
a good plan together,

but there's just a lot of chopping,
a lot of peeling.

Absolutely thrilled with my team.
They're brilliant!

I wouldn't wish for better.

I love the ambition.

The only issues I can see is
the oven.

So Munopa's brioche pudding
in the oven,

roast pork in the oven,
and the mushroom pie,

pork pie and pud
all need oven space!

HE LAUGHS

On the Blue team,

full-time mum Hazel
and team leader Henry

have joined forces to tackle
the trout main course.

I do like cooking with fish.
I do think I'm quite good at it.

I love what we've decided to make,
so feeling confident at the minute.

Hazel must fillet
and pin-bone 40 pieces

of trout which will be cooked just
before service.

I definitely don't want

to serve people fish with bones
in it.

I just keep finding more and more.
But when you find them,

you're, like...

The Blue team, we've got the trout

that needs to be pan-fried
in portions.

All of those fillets
cooked perfectly crispy skin.

On the side of that we're getting
trout and leek croquettes,

which should be nice and crispy.

Saffron veloute, a lovely fine
sauce, velvet in texture.

Little pink shrimps
running through it all.

There's lots
of big, bold flavours on here.

I just hope that trout doesn't get
lost amongst it all.

Three hours, it sounds like

loads of time, but we're used to
doing, like, two,

four, six portions,

and we're doing 30, ten and 40.

That's, like, a serious amount.

Undici, dodici, tredici,
quattordici, quindici.

We have 136 asparagus. Woohoo!

Talent acquisitions manager Olivia

is working on a dough
for the vegetarian course.

I'm totally in charge of the pasta.

I mean, I'm the pasta queen, right?

Olivia's doing filled pasta

with ricotta and lemon. Fantastic.

You need to knead the dough

at least for, I would say,
ten minutes, because it's quite

a big ball of pasta dough,
and then let it rest,

otherwise it sticks everywhere.

We want plump ravioli, a wonderful
rich sauce sitting underneath,

served with asparagus spears,
which sit up, and the whole thing

looks really pretty.

We know Olivia can do
beautiful pasta dishes,

but in volume, it's a big order.

Dessert rests
with vocational trainer Sam.

I don't usually like making
a dessert.

HE LAUGHS

This is really out
of my comfort zone today.

He's tackling shortcrust pastry

for 40 portions of
a gooseberry frangipane tart.

We've only seen Sam
do dessert once before,

but he's got to make pastry,

he's got
to make frangipane, gooseberries

cooked in a sugar syrup. With that,

we're getting little doughnuts on
an apple sauce,

and the whole thing is going
to be served with custard.

At the moment, still enjoying it.

Wait until we're pushed with the
thumb,

I don't think I will be as enjoy
as this.

HE LAUGHS

It's a beautiful day, though.
Nice and sunny.

Right now, the Blue team seems calm,
and that's troubling me.

I know that it's just early,

but just maybe a little bit more of
a shimmy, yeah?

Shimmy!

Woohoo!

Born in 1775, world-renowned author

Jane Austen wrote only six complete
novels.

But her timeless stories continue

to command a legion of fans
globally, and have been turned

into numerous film
and television adaptations.

I think he probably is the most
important British female writer.

These are six wonderful stories.

They're not just great escapism
in some cases,

but they're great sort of
social history as well.

And they're funny in places, and we

all need
a little bit of entertainment.

The 250th anniversary of Austen's
birth is really important

for us to celebrate,
to remind people of just how

wonderful Austen and her
contemporaries were.

Red team, an hour has gone,

which means you've got
two and a half hours left.

On the meat main,
Claire is working on

the accompaniments to go with
the roast pork.

At this period of Jane Austen,
there was no waste,

and so we're doing the cauliflower
and the puree,

but then we are taking the leaves

and incorporating into the dish.

I'm four short! I'm counting.
I've got to do 40 dishes,

they each need one of these,

so I've got to come up with four
more of these from somewhere.

Do you want the pears to have bite,
or is it going to be stewed?

Yeah, if they have a little bit
of bite.

With so much to do,

Harry's attention is
also focused on the pork main.

So we've got some pickled pears.

We made a pickle
earlier with just some cloves,

star anise, sugar and vinegar.

And then we've got some pears
in the chutney that we're making.

Pickled pear is a nice idea,

and if you think, it would take
the place of an apple sauce.

A little bit sharp,
a little bit sweet.

Hope it's not too sharp.

On the veg main, Sophie is on track.

Her mushroom pie filling is on

to roast and her pastry dough
is rested and ready to roll.

Well, I'm happy with my pastry now,

let's see if I'm happy with my
pastry in three hours' time.

Yeah, I think it's going well,
actually. The pork is looking really

nice, we've got the base for the
mushroom pie on the go.

This sauce needs
a lot more reducing,

so we just need to whack that up,
get lots and lots of flavour,

we should be good to go.

Munopa is also making
good progress on her babka dessert.

My blackberry compote
isn't cooling fast enough,

so I'm going to let Mother Nature
do its job for me.

Oh, please don't be bugs outside.

The Red team seem to be getting
on with it.

They seem to be joined-up thinking.

We've got great team vibes, yeah.

But in the Blue tent,
it's a different story.

Two hours. Two hours to service,
please. Thank you.

Hazel's only just finished
portioning the trout,

and she's now juggling
multiple garnishes.

Pace is picking up a little bit,
definitely.

There's a lot more elements on
the go at once.

So I've got the saffron veloute on
the go,

I've got my asparagus
heads blanching,

my brown butter sauce is browning.

It's what I'm going to dress
the shrimps in.

So, what, three different things,
four different things at once?

My concern for the Blue team is
the amount of pans

that are going to be on the go.

There is not going
to be enough hobs on there soon.

They haven't thought this through.

Also requiring hob space is

Henry for another garnish
for the fish main,

40 trout and leek croquettes.

So, basically, you make, like,
a thick bechamel with leeks,

and then you lay it out on a tray
and you roll it up into

a little ball and then deep-fry it.

It looks like cat vomit, doesn't it?

Henry, team leader, are we on time?

I think we're about a third of
the way through.

I love the list, but there are

a lot of things on that list without
a line through.

Yeah, we need to keep pressing.

On the vegetarian main,

Olivia also still has
an extensive job list.

So these are the asparagus
that I'm going to blend

to make asparagus puree

that is going on the bottom of
the ravioli,

plus some extra asparagus I'm using
as decoration.

And, yeah, I still have the pasta
to roll out and a few things to do,

so cracking on.

On dessert,
Sam's also feeling the pressure.

I make chocolate pastry before,
but only for, like, four people.

But with just one element of
the complex dessert made,

he needs to speed up.

Sam's dessert's not a dessert
with just one component part.

There's pastry, frangipane, custard,
a doughnut, and an apple puree.

At the moment,
I'm doing my apple jams,

and then I will be starting
some gooseberry as well,

because the gooseberry
needs to be done.

You've only got two hours. OK.

You've got at least an hour
and a half's work in that. OK.

You need to be quick. I'll be quick.
Push, push, push. Thank you, John.

Just a little bit worried that we're
not going to have a dessert,

but I'll do my best.
Yeah, pushing it now.

Inside the great house,

the 250th birthday celebrations
are in full swing.

When Jane Austen would come here,
she would come to socialise.

They dined together,
the family played charades,

and they enjoyed things like music.

And that's
the sort of thing we still do today.

It's a wonderful
experience to recreate.

You have just one and a half
hours, 90 minutes left.

Tarts aren't in yet,
ravioli's not made yet.

Argh!

Over on the Reds...

We've got pot on, we've got bubbles,

I'm so happy! Oh, man, I'm excited.

..things are starting to unravel...

Careful with this catching.

Has it caught? No, you're fine.

The chutney pears just caught on
the bottom of the pan,

so probably lost about 5%.

But those had to be sacrificed

for the rest of the dish
because, thankfully,

it hadn't lifted onto anything else.

..and Sophie has fallen well behind
on her mushroom pies.

It's just a little bit of
a fiddly job of getting them

in the tins
and making them look pretty.

Those pies should be
in the oven right now,

and they still haven't
properly assembled them.

She's also taken her
eye off her carrot side.

Can't serve those. Oh, no!

Can we get some more carrots,
please?

Oh, no, here we go, the wheels have
fallen off.

They've burnt their carrots,
their chutney's already caught.

They've just got to make sure they
stop making mistakes,

cos mistakes are going
to cost them time.

The Red tent are waking
up to what's going on here.

The pies need to go in now!

That's not too hot, is it? No, just
check on it every ten minutes, yeah?

Ten minutes, yeah.
We're on carrot batch number two.

Right, carrots are going in.

Munopa's racing to get her babkas
ready to bake.

She's going to roll
the brioche dough first,

cover it with blackberry puree,
roll the whole thing back up again,

and then make it like a swirl.
She's going to bake that.

Should be a sugary, crispy top
with sharp blackberries inside.

A marriage made in heaven.

Oven space. Have you got pie
and pork and pud all going

in those ovens at the same time?
We will have some very busy ovens,

that's right.

Have you made your custard yet?

Not yet, but that's
the next order of business

after getting these babkas into
the oven.

There's only half
an hour till service.

Have you seen
the guests have arrived...

Are they? ..in costume...
No pressure now, eh?

..expecting their dinner?

And the Blue
team are nowhere near ready.

This is the filling for the ravioli.
I have 60 ravioli to make,

so I'd better, you know, hurry
up and start rolling that pasta.

And Olivia is having problems
with her Parmesan tuiles.

They have a bit too much of a colour
for me, huh?

I tell you what we'll do -
you carry on making that,

and I'll do this, OK?

We can make them again,

it's fine. I need to crack on
and roll the pasta now,

I have 60 raviolis to make.

The dessert is also way off track.

I am doing the frangipane.

Just going to mix some sugar and
butter, egg, almond,

and flour all together.

CHUCKLES: I am stressed!

It is a lot to do!

Sam's got five whole tarts
to bake blind,

and yet he's got to fill it
with frangipane.

I'm concerned right now,
I really am concerned.

Hazel, if you get any spare time...
Yep.

..Sam might need some help rolling
the tarts out. Yep.

Right, where's your pastry, darling?

My concern for the Blue team is not
the main course.

Trout's on the way,
the vegetables look fantastic,

that's great! But dessert is
a problem.

With the dessert in crisis,

it's all hands on deck
as Henry rushes

to make 40 doughnuts to accompany
the gooseberry tart.

I'm just rolling out
to little balls.

They're going to be deep-fried
before service.

I should just get at least two in
to blind bake.

Yeah. So what are we doing
about temperature?

Sam is kind of relinquishing
responsibility for his dessert.

Someone get a timer ready for these,
please.

In actual fact, Hazel's voice now

is starting
to become more amplified.

OK, we've got two in, yeah?
Two in.

It's crazy.
It's just, like, 400 people.

No, not 400 people,
40 people. Feels like 400.

HE LAUGHS

With the Blue team working
at full pelt,

the Red team have caught up.

So we've got
an Austen-themed menu here?

Yeah. Mansfield Pork -
Mansfield Park.

Pie and Prejudice.

CHUCKLES: I like that!

SHE CHUCKLES

Let's hope your cookery is as clever
as your menu design.

Hope so. Well done.

C-R-E-M—E, "creme".

Don't spend too much time on that,
guys, both of you.

Red menu, for me, I do love

the way they have described
all the menu, it's wonderful.

Pie and Prejudice?

SHE LAUGHS

So there's trout, which looks really
an interesting dish.

Both menus look very exciting,

but I think I'm
a little bit more drawn to the Blue.

We've all got very high
expectations,

and we know that MasterChef has

an incredibly high reputation
for good food,

and, yeah, I look forward to it.

With the 70 guests making their way
to the dining room,

it's the last push before service.

I think that's perfect.

Hazel must pan-fry her
40 trout fillets to perfection.

A lot of hobs on the go,
but it's needed.

It's all got to be finished on

the hob in the last five to ten
minutes.

How's pasta? Pasta, Olivia?
Yeah, pasta is going.

I have 60 to make,

and I've done maybe less than ten
so far.

Uh-oh! Pasta is a gesture of love,
you don't want to rush it,

you want to take your time
and make it look pretty.

It's not ideal,
but I'm getting there.

Dessert is still a concern.

OK.

I'm frightened in here right now.

I'm concerned about these tarts,

cos if those frangipane
tarts aren't set,

you won't be able to slice them,

which means they're
going to be gooey and oozy.

Please be good to me!

Jane Austen herself could not write

the drama that's unfolding
in these tents.

Over on the Red team,

it's the moment of truth
for Claire's pork.

That looks phenomenal.
Absolutely brilliant.

Well done.

Pork princess.

Flippin' Nora.

Orders are going to be hitting here
in five minutes, then

you've got top hats and bonnets
like you would not believe!

We've got pies.

THEY CHEER

We got pies.

Claire, you look really happy about
that pork.

Are you? Cos it's beautiful meat,

and I feel like I've
done it justice,

so I couldn't ask for more.

Hey, ladies and gentlemen,

there'll be waiters here
in about 90 seconds.

Yeah, are we good?
First plates, please,

in a minute, please. Backs.

Let's go. First ones up, please.
Let's go.

I'm going to start plating. Yeah,
let's go, let's go.

That fish looks fantastic.
Well done.

How did you get so many
so beautifully?

Crumb, yeah? Yeah, I've got the
crumb.

I have to tell you,
that pork dish is a beautiful dish.

OK? Is that everything?
Those can go, those four.

The sauce, the sauce, the sauce,
the sauce! SIGHS: Woo!

Service, please!

The croquette, like, here?
Go with your instinct.

Yeah. That's it. Well done. Go on,
Shrimps on, carrots on.

Let's go. All right, let's go.
OK, go. Go.

Service, please!

OK, service! Chef, good? Service!
Come on, we're so close!

Service! Let's do this, people!

Well done, everybody.

We're good with this, yeah? Yeah.
Service, please!

Service, please!

It's such a proud moment.
I'm covered in pork fat.

I hope it tastes good.

For their main, Harry's Red team
is serving roast pork

and crackling with white bean
and cauliflower puree,

pickled pear, pear chutney,

cauliflower leaves and a pork sauce.

Mm.

Delicious. I haven't had such nice

crackling for a very long time.

SHE LAUGHS

The pickled pear was really nice
as well, it was a really good touch.

I think I'm enjoying this pork
so much

I might have to loosen my sword belt
in order to fit more in.

The pork itself is perfect.
Crackling on the outside,

proper crackly. Brilliant job!

And then that blended cauliflower

and white bean puree
sitting underneath.

It's a good-looking dish.
It's got flavour.

What's not to like?

The Blue team's main

is pan-fried trout with a trout
and leek croquette,

asparagus, brown butter shrimp,
and a saffron veloute.

The fish was cooked perfectly,

it had a really nice, crisp skin
on it

The veloute was lovely, the sauce.

Absolutely delicious.

We're all saying how much we
loved it,

and we want more, if there's any
left, yeah!

SHE LAUGHS

The trout done, a nice job.
Little bits of asparagus, great.

Lovely, crispy croquette,
that's good with the leeks.

All in all, very, very good job.

I like the sophistication.
A lot of quality work on here.

Look at those pies!

Beautiful pies! Come on, come on!

Come on! It's a wonderful day!
Come on! A wonderful day!

Ravioli, we're waiting on.
Yes, it's coming.

Pasta, please. I need
a pasta really quickly.

You see my dishes at home,
they look perfect. Here,

the plating is always a bit of
a struggle because we have no time.

I'm well happy with the pies,
I'm well happy.

Service, please.

Service on the pasta.

Sophie's vegetarian mushroom

and chestnut pie is served
with mashed potatoes,

roasted carrots, pickled cabbage
and a red wine gravy.

The pie's delicious. Pastry's
cooked beautifully.

The mushrooms just taste delicious.
I love the chestnuts,

they're really, really lovely.

This sauce is delicious. It's just
the right texture and taste.

It's absolutely beautiful.
The pastry is perfect,

it tastes gorgeous,
it's full of flavour.

Absolutely perfect.

That pie is nothing short
of fabulous.

The mushrooms are meaty,
and it's flavoured

with some woody herbs in there,
and it's absolutely fantastic.

Mashed potato's silky and smooth,
caraway seeds across

the top of those carrots,

giving real crunch. We've done
a lot of outside challenges,

and that's one of
the best veggie dishes I've seen.

For the Blue team's veg option,

Olivia has served ravioli filled
with mascarpone

and lemon, with asparagus spears

and puree, and a sauce and
tuiles made from hard cheese.

I had the pasta.
I thought it was delicious.

The asparagus was just right, yes.

The mascarpone and lemon filling
was really delicious.

LAUGHS: I take my bonnet off to them
as well, so, yes!

I think the special part for me was
the little slither of cheese.

It was lovely.

Pasta, very, very thin indeed,

beautifully made. Creamy mascarpone,

lemon rind running through
that filling.

It's actually really, really lovely.

I love that asparagus puree.

It's fresh. Salty tuile across
the top, it's a great dish.

With the mains served,
it's time for dessert.

Yeah, I'm happy with how they're
looking.

The custard is smelling delicious.

Sam's about to find out

if the gooseberry
and frangipane tarts have worked.

Wahey, we got tarts!

Doughnuts, Henry? Yeah, doughnuts
are here.

Fantastic. Tarts are done,
custard's done.

Right, let's go, guys.

Good job. They are beautiful.

Well done, you. Nice teamwork,

really nice teamwork.

Munopa, I'm so impressed with
these desserts.

They look beautiful. I know they're
going to taste amazing.

Thank you, Harry. Service, please!

Go, then. Go on, then, keep on
going, keep on going.

You're doing well, guys.
Love the doughnuts,

can't wait to taste that custard.
Well done, Sam.

It's better than I thought it could
be, to be fair.

Overall, I'm happy with them.

This has got a better ending than
a Jane Austen novel!

Yeah, happy. Service, please.

Hey, that's the last one done,

guys! Well done! YELLS: Woo!

Last two plates!
Well done! Great job.

Yeah, well done. Really, really well
done, yeah?

Munopa rounds off the Red team's
menu with a blackberry

babka with cinnamon custard.

The dough of the babka was just
perfectly cooked,

couldn't have been better.

Something to be proud of.

Blackberries went really well
with the brioche,

and I liked the custard as well.

The blackberries were nice
and sharp, so,

all in all, very nice.

Great flavour of
rich, sharp blackberries.

And that bun is like

a finger bun you get from
an old-style bakery.

It's great. It's a very,
very good dessert.

I think putting cinnamon into
the custard was a revelation,

a really good idea.
I think that is fabulous!

Against the odds,

the Blue team have managed to serve

a gooseberry frangipane tart
with a cinnamon doughnut,

apple sauce, and a turmeric custard.

The pastry was lovely,

it did melt in the mouth, and just
the flavours with the gooseberry,

it was lovely.

I really liked the doughnut,

it was delicious,
and it was quite light.

The custard with the turmeric in,

it sort of complemented
the gooseberries,

and it just had
that little tiny bite to it,

which was really lovely.

I would have this sweet any day,

any time. Just bring it on.

HE LAUGHS

I like those sharp gooseberries

across the top of
that sweet frangipane.

The doughnut's fantastic,
coated with sugar and cinnamon.

And underneath it,
a sharp apple puree.

The custard is inspired.
It is sweet,

and that turmeric has given it
an almost smokiness,

but it hasn't taken over.

When you consider Sam

had no experience of making
the custard,

the pastry or the frangipane,

I think what we've got here is
a good-tasting dessert.

Yeah, well done, guys. Well done,
guys. A fantastic effort.

Oh, my God. Guys, we're
starting to get there.

Honestly, we should be so bloody
proud of ourselves.

We were cool as cucumbers!

I think our eight have done
a fantastic job,

I really do. Fabulous memory
of Jane Austen herself,

and I think food that matches
the elegance of the occasion.

You've got to actually give special
credit to the Red team,

cos they were nothing short
of magnificent.

That was absolutely phenomenal.
The team did a fantastic job.

I could not be happier, genuinely.

This seemed impossible at
the beginning,

and so to see all those
plates go out is like magic.

I had a really good time.
It was so energetic.

I just had a blast. Loved it.

It was intense,

it was hard, but we managed it.

So I'm proud of myself
and proud of our team, really.

What a brilliant way to kick off
the semifinals.

Now all back to
the MasterChef kitchen, John.

Pretty soon eight is going
to become six.

Welcome back. The last challenge,
you were in teams.

Today, you are working
as individuals.

You are now fighting for your place
in the competition.

Your brief today is to cook for us

something that incorporates
layers or swirls.

Layers for texture and colour,

swirls to give it a sense
of beauty and opulence.

At the end of this, six of you will
be going through to the next round,

two of you will be going home.

One hour, 45 minutes. Let's cook!

All of a sudden, a bit nervous.
I was fine a second ago,

now I'm a bit, like, woo!

It's so quiet in here today

because everyone's wanting this so
bad, you can tell.

So do I.

HE CHUCKLES

In Thai cuisine, personally,

I don't think there's many layers
or swirls in food.

It's often, like, stir-fry,
and soup, or salad,

which is definitely a challenge
for me again.

HE CHUCKLES

Sam's making a pithivier, a pie
which has got a dome across the top,

and it's a pattern of a swirl.

Inside the pie,

he is putting a minced

pork mixture spiced with ginger
and lemongrass, roasted duck breast,

then cabbage, mushrooms and carrots
all together.

We should be able to slice into
that pie and see definitive layers.

Served in a sauce of red curry,

sweet with coconut and pineapple.

It's the balance
now of this Thai-flavoured sauce

with this duck and pork pie.
Fascinating.

Where's this fusion style
of France meets Thailand come from?

So I have an opportunity of going to
France a couple of times

with my boyfriend.

And I tasted that cuisine
there, I really like.

And if John and I love this dish,
how will you feel then?

I'll probably cry!

THEY LAUGH

At this stage of the competition,
I wanted to bring my city,

my family history,
because I truly believe

that behind good food
there is always a memory.

Olivia is going
for layers. Aubergine parmigiana -

aubergines sliced very thinly -

and then layers of cheese
and tomato.

And then we've got a salty Parmesan.

She's got to be really careful about
the seasoning in this whole dish.

This is my grandma's recipe.

We have it in Naples every Sunday.
To me, it's the perfect dish,

but it is simple, you know, a few
ingredients, trying to elevate them.

How do you refine
that without spoiling it?

I'm making a basil foam to
go on the side,

crystallised basil leaves,

so I'm presenting it
in a more modern way,

like I always try to do.

But the flavour is all there,
and I hope it will take you on

a Sunday lunch together
with my family.

I'm sure she can
make this look fantastic,

but is it innovative enough?

30 minutes have gone.
You've had half an hour.

Come on, people.

Harry, what is your dish, please?
I've gone meaty today,

I've gone very meaty. So I'm going
for a take on a game terrine.

Why not play to your strengths,
why not, like, a fish terrine?

Why have you gone meat today?

So my brother lives out
in the country,

and he was talking to
the local gamekeeper one day.

And the gamekeeper said he couldn't
sell his pheasants.

Don't get me wrong, I love the fish.

But, yeah, the fact
that we've got fantastic

produce on our doorstep
that's getting underused,

well, I wanted to celebrate that.

Harry's going for layers,
but he's taking pheasant,

venison, chicken thighs

and chicken livers, with layers
of port jelly between.

He's laying the whole lot together,
rolling up into a cylinder.

He's using the breast of pheasant.

I hope that doesn't go dry.

That's going to be served with
a tarragon mayonnaise,

showing off a bit of skill.

And then on the side, we've also got
an apricot chutney.

He loves process, but with only
an hour and 45 minutes,

he's really pushing himself.

I've given myself a lot to do,

and there's lots of things
that could go wrong,

but if I had an easy hour
and 45 minutes,

it wouldn't feel like
a MasterChef semifinal.

Yeah, you've got to take risks,
right?

I think initially when I got
the brief, I was a little bit, like,

cor blimey, like, what am I going
to do here?

But, allowing myself time
to get my creative juices flowing,

I managed to come up with something
that I'm happy with.

Come on, girl, like, you can do
this!

SHE LAUGHS

Hazel, by the looks of this,
we're going veggie.

That is correct, yes, a full
vegetarian dish.

I'm making you a
spiral vegetable tart

with a feta mousse
and a chimichurri.

So this is actually inspired by

a dish that I make at home
for my partner.

I just wanted to elevate it.

It looks simple, but there's
a lot of technical elements to it.

JOHN: She's going for swirls.
A large shortcrust pastry tart.

Inside there, she's putting
a base of hummus.

She has carrots,

a really lovely sweet squash,

and then courgettes, all made into
a swirl inside a tart tin.

She's serving Gregg
and I one whole tart.

That has to be perfect.
No jagged-y edges, no falling apart,

no crumbling.
Hazel has got nowhere to hide.

You have one hour. 60 minutes! Guys,
semifinalists,

one hour, please!

Swirls and layers, I think,
is a fun challenge.

I like cooking with layers because I
like making things with my hands,

so I hope I can do it justice.

Henry's making us a pie.
Layers of spinach,

layers of white,
squeaky paneer cheese,

and layers of potato. That's going

to be served with
a blooming onion bhaji.

When I thought of onion,
I thought, Shrek, I thought, Donkey.

Have you seen that?
With lots of layers.

AMERICAN ACCENT: We got layers!

Yeah, exactly, yeah, "We got
layers," yeah, exactly.

Taking an onion, cutting it in such

a way that when it opens up in
the deep fryer,

it looks like a flower.

His pie has to hold up.

His curry sauce flavoured
with tomatoes and turmeric

has to be thick enough that when
the pie sits in it,

it doesn't make
the pastry go really, really soggy.

Why this Indian style? I cook quite
a lot of vegetarian food,

and I think, you know, Indian food
is the best veggie food out there.

MUNOPA: I'm a bit of a picky eater,

so I like to keep
all my food separate,

so definitely not a fan of swirls
and layers.

But I think I found a dish that,
you know,

I would be willing to eat layered.

My dish is a beef Wellington with
some mashed potatoes,

cos there's nothing better
to go with, and a biltong jus.

Biltong is dried pieces of meat.
Have you seen it in a sauce before?

Being from Zimbabwe,

I had biltong in all my packed
lunches, road trips.

Any excuse, really, to have biltong,

I had it. So, yeah, you know,
why not put it in a sauce?

Pastry around the outside
of that beef Wellington

needs to be nice and crispy.

Beef fillet, itself,

not too rare in the centre.

Lovely, smoky mushroom duxelles
around the outside of that beef,

then a pancake made from herbs,
so bright green.

So when we cut into it,
we should get definitive layers.

Whole thing served
with biltong sauce.

Biltong, it can be slightly salty,
it can also be quite smoky.

I hope the sauce isn't too salty.

This is my first time making
a dessert on MasterChef,

so I'm a little bit nervy.

So I'm taking two traditional
dishes,

and I'm going to merge those two
together, and, you know,

use a little bit of my creativity,
put my own twist on it,

and, hopefully, we'll come
up with something wonderful.

Sophie,
we're doing plant-based today.

We ARE doing plant-based today.
Fantastic.

Yeah, repping the plant-based gang.

So I'm making a mille-feuille
inspired by a baklava.

So I love baklava,

and I wanted to take apparently two
things with layers

and make even more layers. I'm
combining things that I love, and,

hopefully, you'll love it as well.

Baklava - layers of filo pastry

with sugar syrup and pistachio nuts.

A mixture of cream

and vanilla going through
the centre,

and then Turkish delight,

which she's made herself
using cornflour,

water and rose water.

I hope it's exciting.
I hope it's delicious.

I hope the textures work.

Listen, everybody.

You have 25 minutes left.

This is my absolute far and away
favourite brief that we've had.

I think layered food is the best.

I mean, all your happy memories of
lasagne and shepherd's pie

and Lancashire hotpot
and good stuff comes in layers.

Claire, we're going sweet? Yeah.
What have we got?

So this is
a Christmas pudding trifle.

Go on. Sponge, then mincemeat,
orange and brandy jelly,

cinnamon custard, Irish cream,
candied oranges and almonds.

And a little bit of sparkle.
And some cherries.

That sounds absolutely amazing.
What are you serving it in?

I am going to back myself today
that I can do

a patisserie-style unmoulded
trifle for you,

one that will hopefully stand up
on its own and be a showstopper.

Claire's dish is all about layers.

The whole thing here has got to be
the reveal.

If she can make this

Christmas trifle all stand
up and look absolutely beautiful,

like a tower,
and have definite layers,

we've got something
truly beautiful here.

Right now, the question is,
will the whole thing fall over?

It's in the refrigeration gods'
hands as to

what happens whilst they're
in there.

I've got a backup. It's in a glass.
It's just not the way I want it.

So we'll see.

Eight minutes.
Oh, come off it.

Yeah, yeah,
yeah. Eight minutes, please!

We have two minutes.
Two minutes, please.

Come on, everybody. Come on.

No, it's slid. It's slid.
How gutting.

That's it! Stop, stop, stop!
Your time is up.

Well done, everybody. Stop!

That looks amazing. Thank you.
That looks absolutely beautiful.

First up is Sam with his French-Thai
pithivier -

a swirled puff pastry dome filled
with layers of pork mince,

cabbage, duck breast and duck leg,

served with a Thai pineapple curry
sauce and a Thai basil oil.

Sam, I think we can
safely say we've got layers, sir.

You have really worked
hard over this.

You made your own puff pastry,

which is perfectly glazed across
the top. Swirls, marks in there.

That pithivier is fantastic.
The duck leg itself, falling apart,

lovely and soft.

The duck breast completely cooked
and wonderful.

The bottom of it still crispy.

And you've got these
definitive layers.

I love this pineapple sauce.

It's properly tropical sweet
with pineapple and it's got

a spice to it as well.

A little hint of lemongrass.
In the world of fusion,

I think this is some of
your greatest work.

I think it's went really well.

APPLAUSE

Relieved. Relieved. Good.

I'm happy.

HE LAUGHS

Inspired by her Italian
family favourite,

Olivia has made
an aubergine parmigiana -

layers of deep-fried aubergine,

smoked mozzarella
and tomato sauce...

..topped with a Parmesan cheese
sauce,

served with a basil foam
and crystallised basil leaves.

I like going through
the slippery aubergines into

the more chewy mozzarella
and finish with the sweet tomato.

I've got one slight issue. I think
you may have used a little

bit too much parmigiano
through there.

It's tasting a little salty.

I love the way you've cooked
the aubergines.

Got that sort of crispness on

the outside of them to give you
the extra texture.

The layers of cheese - smoky.
I think that's fantastic.

But what it definitely needs

is more sauce
because it's become quite compacted,

which means
that my mouth is going quite dry.

I'm not happy. What can I say?

I thought everything went to plan.

I wasn't expecting it
to be too salty.

I make this dish all the time.
It was a bit of a cold shower.

Harry has served a game terrine with
layers of venison, pheasant,

chicken livers
and port jelly wrapped

in swirls of chicken thigh and
bacon...

..with a spiced apricot chutney,

a deep-fried egg,

and tarragon mayonnaise,

served with toasted sourdough.

The terrine is a masterpiece.

The port jelly giving sweetness.
The rich venison through

the centre of the whole thing,

and then
the chicken livers binding it

all together so it still stays nice
and moist.

And the egg itself just cooked
beautifully and soft,

and the rich egg yolk

running through
that tarragon-rich mayonnaise,

which is just fantastic and smooth.

You've got clear layers
running through here,

and the layers are also swirls.
And that apricot chutney...

Dried fruit is sweet but sharp like

a splash of vinegar in there
as well.

It's fantastic.

I'm thrilled with their
comments, yeah.

And particularly on that dish.

That is my food all over -
what I strive to cook.

APPLAUSE

Well done, Harry.

You know, of all
the things I've cooked,

I'm so glad they liked that.

Hazel has cooked a vegetable
tart with swirls of carrot,

courgette and squash...

You've definitely got swirls.

..on a base layered with hummus

and halloumi...

..served with feta mousse,

deep-fried pumpkin skin,

and a chimichurri sauce.

I like the crunch of the vegetables.
They're not falling apart.

They're still firm. They are cooked.

Salty creaminess of your feta
mousse on the outside.

Your chimichurri on the side,

there's all the sharpness you need.

I've never seen anybody
cook pumpkin skin before,

but that works as a salty cracker.
I like the concept.

I really like the colours.
I think that's really,

really good. But in the base of
that tart,

you've used hummus. Of course,

olive oil and heat means
that what happens,

that oil will go into your pastry.
It's going slightly soggy.

I'm feeling OK.
I'm not, like, over the moon.

You've just got to be adventurous.
And sometimes it works,

sometimes it doesn't.
It wasn't a total fail,

but it wasn't the best.

Henry has made an Indian-inspired
pie -

puff pastry layered with
spinach, potato and paneer...

..served with a blooming onion
bhaji,

a Brussels sprout and coconut
salad,

and a curry sauce.

That's so pretty.

Your pastry is well made,
and it's also seasoned,

so it's salty.

Love the spinach against the potato
and then the salty cheese in there.

The onion bhaji is light and crisp,

and you can taste the sweetness of

the onion that you've opened up like
a flower blossom.

That is an absolutely knockout dish.

This curry sauce on the outside,

sharp and zingy, almost like
a pickle.

I think that's wonderful.
And then refreshing-ness

that comes from your coconut
and Brussels sprout salad.

I think that's a clever invention.
I think it's really,

really well flavoured.

I'm feeling really good.
Out of all the feedback I've got,

it's both
the most surprised I've been

and probably
the most happy I've been

because it was a bit of
a weird dish, but they liked it.

APPLAUSE

Good job, man. Good job.

Munopa has cooked a beef
Wellington - beef fillet topped with

a layer of mushroom duxelles
and a spinach

crepe inside puff pastry -

served with swirls of mashed potato

and a biltong sauce enriched
with bone marrow and rosemary oil.

Pastry's fantastic. Buttery, rich,
crispy on the outside.

You made a pancake.
The duxelles - that's great.

Well flavoured.
But the thing about a Wellington,

it needs time to rest.

And what's happened is you've cut it
in half.

The blood's coming out,

and that's made the bottom
of your Wellington go soggy.

Nicely made mashed potato.
However, jury's out on this sauce.

You've put oil in there
and you've put bone marrow in there.

So it's very, very fatty.
And that biltong is very,

very salty. It's unusual.

I think I've had better cooks.

You know, I was happy I got
a full Wellington out,

but I think the sauce just didn't
quite make the cut.

Sophie has made a baklava
mille-feuille -

puff pastry soaked in sugar syrup,

filled with layers
of plant-based cream,

crushed pistachios
and pomegranate gel,

topped with
lemon-and-rose Turkish delights.

I think it's
a really pretty little plate.

Definitely got layers.

And on top you might even have
a few swirls.

Getting nice, crispy, crunchy layers

and then
a cold cream, hint of vanilla.

And the sweetness comes from
the pomegranate, which is sharp.

I am really, really enjoying this.

Love your chewiness coming
from your Turkish delight.

That's great with

the flavour of rose water
and the sharpness of lemon.

And then the whole thing bejewelled
with little bits of pistachio nuts.

I think that's a really,
really lovely dish.

I'm really happy with how it
all went.

I had a great time cooking,

and I think that probably showed
when it got to the end.

So, yeah, I'm happy.

Last up is Claire.

She's served
a Christmas pudding trifle -

a Genoise sponge base with layers
of mincemeat,

orange and brandy jelly,

cinnamon custard

and Irish whisky cream...

..topped with spiced clementines,

freeze-dried cherries,

almonds and gold dust.

Where's our free-form tower?

It fell over like me
after three glasses of wine.

But like any good mum, I've got
a backup in the bag, so...

Oh, mate. You don't
give this to the kids, do you?

No. No wonder it fell over.

If I ate a whole one, I'd fall over.

Wonderful soft sponge. Jelly -
nice and soft.

That lovely richness that's coming
from the custard

and across the top. And that crispy
orange there as well.

That's great. You know what?
I like a trifle.

But that's not any ordinary trifle.

That sort of
swagger-down-the-street, you know,

after-a-few-drinks-type trifle.
It's having a lot of fun.

I'm disappointed we haven't got
the tower,

but well done you for having a
backup plan. Oh!

The jelly's got little raisins
in there,

so you get those chewy bits
of raisins.

You then get into the cream, which
is as much whisky as it is cream.

It's a Christmas delight.

That is my favourite
cook I've ever done,

and it's the moment I really wanted.
Well done.

Oh...! Woohoo!

To bring some unadulterated joy to
the judges...

And I've done it.

There were some absolutely
stunning dishes in here.

It was a load of work.
They pushed themselves really hard.

Five cooks really stood out
in this round.

Harry with his terrine.

Henry with his Indian-inspired pie.

And I have to say, Sam...

Pork, duck and pineapple in a pie.
Absolutely fantastic.

Claire's Christmas-inspired trifle.

It was a boozy Christmas in a bowl,
and it was beautiful.

Sophie's a really clever veggie
cook,

and I loved her mille-feuille
baklava idea.

Layers and swirls aplenty.

So Hazel, Munopa or Olivia -
only one of those goes through.

Hazel is pushing herself,
but it wasn't perfect.

There were problems there with
the pastry.

Munopa cooked
the Wellington quite well,

but it bled into the pastry.

And I've got serious question marks
over her biltong sauce.

I like Olivia's style,

but that dish was far too salty.

And it needed more sauce.

Wow, this is a toughie,
this one, John.

If I was to go home,
I would obviously be gutted,

but I'm also proud
of how far I've come.

I'm kicking myself a little bit at
the things that were wrong,

but I've done the best I could.

I really want to stay
in the competition. And most of it,

I don't want to go home because
of a dish that I made 400 times

all of a sudden comes out like this.
It's very frustrating.

MUSIC: The Dying Light
by Sam Fender

All eight of you have
surpassed our expectations

and should be very proud
of yourselves.

There were three people
who were truly impressive.

Harry...

..Henry...

..Sam...

..congratulations.
You are staying with us.

There were two other
people we feel have done enough

to keep their place
in the competition.

Claire...

..Sophie...

..congratulations.
Well done, guys.

Great job.

We've only got one place left
in the next round.

The last person staying with us
is...

..Hazel. Yes! Oh, my God.

I'm so sorry.

Olivia...

..Munopa, sadly, you're both leaving
us. Thank you.

I'm absolutely proud of

the type of Italian food
that I have shown here,

but, I mean, I am very disappointed.
What can I say?

I really enjoyed the competition.

I had lots of fun
in that kitchen.

Coming this far, I'm really proud of
myself.

And, yeah, I think it's just
an incredible experience.

It's taught me a lot.

Guys, top six. That sounds good.
Congratulations, you guys.

You are through to the final six.

I knew there was, like,

a high chance that I could be on
the chopping block,

but I'm absolutely ecstatic
that I'm still here.

I'm feeling elated.

Final six.
Not a bad day in the office.

It was, um, exhilarating,
exhausting.

I'm like, "Oh, really?
Like, wow. Like, thanks."

Like, it feels like a privilege.
Yeah.

I say I'm not going to cry, but...
SAM LAUGHS

..what the MasterChef done to me?

Next time, the semifinals
continue...

POPPING

Oh!

..and the final six will have
the honour of cooking

for a world-renowned
culinary genius.

Knowing Heston, if I'm half
a gram out, he'll know.

They have got to become part chef,
part scientist.

You clever boy!

I love everything about this.

I think that's fantastic.

Spot-on.