All language subtitles for MasterChef (UK) The Professionals S17E06

It's the Professional MasterChef
quarterfinal.

These four skilful chefs triumphed
in their heats.

Tonight, they'll be judged
on two tough challenges

designed to test them even further.

The game plan today is to push.

You start being in gear one,
gear two,

and go into gear six, mate.

I feel like if you're not
bringing your A-game,

then it's going to be,
"See you later."

My legs are shaking,
but I just can't wait

to get back to the kitchen and cook.

I think emotionally, I'm feeling
a lot of different things.

I mean, I would be a therapist's
dream right now.

First, they will need
to create a standout dish

using a mystery ingredient...

I'm not going to let it go
until I've eaten it all.

That's how good this is.

..before going on to cook for
three of the country's top

restaurant critics.

This is one of those dishes
that can change minds.

Only the very best will make it
through to knockout week.

It's time now for our chefs
to step up, take some risks,

think on their feet.

What is it that's going to
put them up front?

This is where they need
to stand out.

Chefs, welcome back.
Welcome to your quarterfinal.

You've now settled into the kitchen.

But we want to see
some fireworks now.

We want to see you elevate
your cookery to new heights.

This is an invention test.

This is about you being creative,

thinking on the spot.

Under the box in front of you
is an ingredient

that has to be at the centre point
of your dish.

It's got to be part of
the main event.

Chefs, lift up your box.

There it is. Garlic.

So familiar to all of us.

Behind us are some
fabulous ingredients.

We are going to give you ten minutes
to come up and choose

your ingredients,
70 minutes to cook and serve.

As well as the bulbs on
their benches, there are other

forms of garlic the chefs can use,

from tangy black garlic to delicate
wild garlic and its edible flowers.

Plus there's an array of additional
ingredients, including seafood

and meats, as well as fruit,
vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Working with garlic needs
a chef with a very good palate.

Different types of garlic have
different strengths.

We know how easy it is
to overpower and destroy one dish.

It'll be nice to play around with
a few different types of garlic.

Still thinking as I go along.

This is not going to be unfamiliar.

It's how you use it,
what you do with it.

Their imagination can go wild,

but it still has to have garlic
at the centre of their dish.

We want to be adventurous
and try to push boundaries.

I love the flavour of rhubarb,

so I just want to try and see
what comes out.

I'm nervous, I'm not going to lie.

But, yeah, I'm super excited.

The fact that I'm stood here
right now getting the chance

is just blowing my mind,
so I'm going to give it everything.

Chefs, your ten minutes is up.

You have 70 minutes to cook
one dish celebrating garlic.

Good luck.

At just 20 years old, junior
sous-chef Jordan from Birmingham

is the youngest chef
in the competition.

Despite a basic error in the heat...

Your potatoes, they're not cooked.

..the judges were hugely impressed
by his skills and ability.

My goodness, junior sous-chef
at 20 years old.

Can't wait to see you
when you're hitting it at 25.

Being a young chef in
this competition takes you

out of your comfort zone.

Obviously, I haven't got as much
experience as a chef

who's twice my age, maybe,
who I might come up against.

But whatever age you're at,
you know, you're still learning

as a chef every single day.

Here we are in the quarterfinals.
How are you feeling?

Excited? Nervous? Equal?

Bit of both. A bit more anxiety
coming into this round.

So, Jordan, what is your dish?

So it's roasted chicken,
taken off the crown,

potato fondant and maitake mushroom,
which is confited in a garlic oil,

and wild garlic stems
through a chicken sauce.

You brushed the chicken with
the garlic, like, under the skin?

Just the top. So I really want
to get garlic in the dish,

but not too much because I don't
want it to entirely taste of garlic.

So any lessons that you've taken
from the last round?

Attention to detail.

Like you both said to me, paying
attention to the small things.

So Jordan's doing
chicken on the crown.

I've just seen that
come out of the oven.

The chicken itself was the perfect
opportunity to fill the cavity

full of garlic and herbs, maybe
a bit of garlic under the skin,

and he hasn't done that.

I'm going to take it off the crown
and then cover it with roasted

yeast, which has been cooked in
a confit garlic and a bit of butter.

We've also got potato fondant,
beautifully coloured in butter.

He dropped some garlic into that
as well, which is great.

We also have some little wild garlic
stems that he's using on the dish.

I'm just going to use the stems
and pickle them.

So we've still got the wild garlic
flavour, but it's not as harsh.

That's just going to go
straight through the sauce

once it's finished.

So we've got the chicken,
we've got the mushrooms,

and we've also got
the fondant potatoes.

All of these will carry
the garlic flavour beautifully.

Garlic, garlic, garlic...

Originally from Shanghai,
35-year-old Gail moved to the UK

to train as a chef just five years
ago and is now senior chef de partie

in a modern Japanese restaurant.

In her heat, she had a disaster with
a main element in her dessert...

Unfortunately, that's not
going to be edible.

..but won the judges over
with her unique

and daring flavour pairings.

Your menu is the one
that caught my attention,

just for the sheer excitement
and the difference

of what you're bringing
into this kitchen.

I've never really done anything
like today's invention test before.

I have very, very few experiences
creating dishes on the spot.

I can feel there is a tiny mouse
running all through my body!

And I'm just preparing myself
and calming that little mouse down.

Gail, you haven't been a chef
for many years,

so inventing must be
quite difficult, I'm sure.

It is extremely difficult for me.

Yeah. So I try to stick with
something I'm most familiar with.

And what is that?

A dumpling, and the filling
will be prawns and mushroom

and wild garlic.

And I also want to make
a light broth,

so I'm going to use rhubarb.

A rhubarb broth
that you're going to pour into it?

Yes.

With black garlic puree.

Very good. I like the sound
of the prawns,

I like the sound of the dumplings.

Give it a bit of a Gail factor.

Gail force nine!

She's very nervous, but I think
she's done the best solution, to do

something that she is familiar with.

I love a prawn dumpling!

Mm.

We know garlic goes beautifully well
with prawns,

so I really want
to taste it in this dish.

I'm quite happy with the dough.

It's started getting elastic.

She's going to pan-fry them,

and once they've got the colour
that she's looking for,

a bit of stock, lid on,

and that's going to give her
that beautiful, shiny, sauteed look

that we just love about dumplings.

You've got the prawn head oil,
a little bit of garlic in there too.

We've got black garlic puree
as well.

Better.

But unsure about
the rhubarb element.

So I've never made this
rhubarb broth before.

Very, very long time ago,
rhubarb came from China,

and we normally use it
as a dry ingredient.

I'm questioning whether rhubarb
really does work

with a prawn dumpling.

I'm not so sure.

Chefs, you are halfway.

At 33, Ritchie is chef patron
at a vegan restaurant

he runs with his wife in Nottingham.

Although Monica was disappointed
by his aubergine skills test...

The way you cooked it,
it was just so rough.

..he secured his quarterfinal place
with his exciting and ambitious

plant-based plates.

Quality cookery.

Very, very good indeed.

I'm really looking forward
to today's test,

just thinking on my feet
and going back to basics

and seeing what happens.

I'm going to try and do
the plant gang proud. Yeah.

Ritchie, what is your dish?

And what sort of garlic
did you go for?

Three different types of garlic.

I'm using a bulb garlic
to confit down.

I'm going to be folding that through
roasted aubergine.

It's almost going to be
a bit of a puree,

which is going to be
the base of the dish.

Then I'm going to be glazing
maitake mushroom, lightly poached

in a black garlic stock.

I'll reduce that down
so I've got a lovely glaze.

Finally, a nice light
wild garlic oil, pickled fennel,

and I'm going to drop the wild
garlic flowers into there as well.

You had an aubergine
in the skills test.

Didn't go too well, did it?

It didn't, Marcus.

I've got a lot to prove with
my aubergine cookery today,

especially with yourself, Monica.

As soon as I saw an aubergine,
I was like,

"Do you know what?
Bring it on."

I think he's got a point to prove,
and I like that about Ritchie.

He's got the aubergine baked down,
he's got some spices running

through it, and he wants to sit that
on the base of the plate.

Almost like a chunky pate.

And the beautiful maitake mushroom
that he's cooking

in the black garlic,
which is going to work a treat.

Dunked in the fryer
until they're nice and crispy.

He's also doing a crumb
of sesame and almonds,

then finish his dish
with wild garlic oil.

But it sounds like Ritchie's
just taking different ingredients

and just hoping that
they're all going to work.

There might need to be another
sort of starchy or carby element

to the dish, so I'm going to do
some really nice little

garlic-roasted celeriac fondants.

So a little bit more work to do,
but I just don't want to fall short

at the last hurdle
when I've got to this stage.

29-year-old Dan lives in Lancashire
with his partner and newborn son,

and is a senior sous-chef
in a gastropub.

Despite lacking in confidence,
he delighted the judges in his heat

with his minimalistic but
perfectly executed dishes.

I'm really, really impressed
with you. Well done.

The competition has always
meant a lot to me.

It was a very brave and big
step for me to enter.

But now I've got to this stage
and I've got this far,

I just hope it don't stop now.

When you told your family
that you were in the quarterfinal,

was there a big celebration?

Yeah. I went home,
gave my little boy a cuddle,

and had a really good night.

He slept away all the way through,
so that was even better!

Yeah, result! Yeah.
Let's celebrate that.

Exactly, chef, yeah.
Definitely celebrate.

So where are you sitting with your
dish? What are you thinking?

I'm thinking, if I start off with
a nice wild garlic veloute.

I'm roasting off a whole bulb,

brushing that over the prawn.

Going to make a black garlic
emulsion out of mayonnaise,

And I'm going to pickle
some of the wild garlic stalks.

You got rave reviews
of your last dish.

Can you cook to that standard again?
Because that was a great dish.

Yeah, I really do believe I can.

Erm, yeah, 100%.

What I'm seeing on his bench
looks really good, but veloute

is at the core of it, which is
a really interesting idea,

because that's going to be
all about garlic.

Roasted garlic, shallots, ginger,
lemongrass, wild garlic,

white wine, chicken stock,
and just a bit of double cream.

But there is a possibility
that there could be garlic overkill

if he's not careful.

Dan's making mayonnaise
with black garlic and wet garlic.

The black garlic has
a balsamic sweetness to it.

The wet garlic will bring the normal
garlic flavour that you want.

I'll add a bit of vinegar,
a bit of mustard, maybe,

and some oil, just to finish off.

Chefs, you have 15 minutes left,

and I see there's still
a lot of work going on.

Took the chicken off the crown.

Potatoes are cooked.
So pretty good.

Is that a traditional way
of doing the dumplings?

Yes. Frying from raw? Yes.

So far, so good, I believe.

You see, you never know until
your food gets eaten, so...

So this is the veloute.

How long?

Right, chefs,
you've got three minutes left.

Oh, my God.

Anyone listening?

ALL: Oui, chef!

That's better.

Make sure everything's really nice.

The stew needs a bit of seasoning.

Interesting.

You have just 60 seconds left.

Yes, chef.
Oui.

Oops!

Gail, you really need to
finish your plate.

Yeah, come on.

Time's up. Stop cooking.

Junior sous-chef Jordan has served
roast chicken breast

basted in garlic oil,
topped with toasted yeast,

a roasted maitake mushroom,

and a potato fondant,

decorated with garlic flowers,

with a chicken sauce containing
pickled wild garlic stems.

Beautiful looking plate, and
that sauce with the shine on it -

really lovely.

Thank you.

Your chicken is so soft and tender.

And the fondant, I mean...

..beautifully cooked.

It's just breaking away
when you cut into it.

Best fondant I've had
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Thank you very much.

But I think you've missed the chance
to get more garlic in it. Yeah.

You could've had garlic under
the skin of the chicken

with the butter,
let that soak through it.

Put lots more of those pickled
stems into your sauce.

Don't be afraid to go
out of your comfort zone.

Oui, chef. Thank you.

Beautifully cooked chicken,
beautifully cooked fondant.

Lovely sauce.

Where's my garlic?

This was the dish to put it in.

Honestly, Monica's right.

We say we're going to
set a garlic challenge,

let's go for it, yeah?
Oui, chef. Yeah?

Get off your moped and get on
to something a little bit faster.

Oui, chef.
All right?

Good dish, though.

I feel it went OK.

Thank you.

Feels good to receive that kind
of feedback about my fondant.

She said it was "the best I've ever
tried in the MasterChef kitchen,"

so I'm pretty stoked about that,
I guess.

You got a spare fondant?

I'm feeling confident going into
the next round, but the only

thing I'm feeling nervous about is,
you know, the other chefs.

How did it go?

Just needed more garlic.

THEY LAUGH

More garlic!

Senior chef de partie Gail
has created wild garlic and prawn

dumplings with a poached prawn
and clove of pickled garlic,

steamed mushrooms,
and wild garlic flowers,

accompanied by a rhubarb
and garlic broth

and a side of infused
prawn head and garlic chilli oil.

You had quite a large pot of
black garlic on your bench. Yes.

What happened to it?

I didn't have time to put it
on the plate.

OK.

That's a shame.

It's very interesting because it's
the pink rhubarb-coloured broth

that's quite unusual,
but it's absolutely delicious.

The rhubarb broth is that
lovely sour flavour that sits

underneath the delicious dumpling.

I just want more garlic.

And maybe that black garlic puree
that's still on your bench

could have just completed this dish.

Your dumpling is beautiful.
It's so delicious.

I love dumplings done this way.

You've got a lot of wild garlic
in here, but it's very mild.

I like that I can still
taste the prawn.

Love the chilli oil, but I'm not
getting enough garlic in there.

I think you want to be hitting that
with the garlic,

and you can add more into the dish.

You were rushing. You need to start
organising yourself properly,

because you give us delicious food.

And I'd start working on
a time plan. Yes, chef.

Because when you're cooking
for critics,

you've got to get it right.

Yes, chef.

Every time, I feel the cooking
is like a roller-coaster.

Today is another roller-coaster.

Well done, chef.

Well done.

I wasn't very happy because in
the end I didn't have enough time.

My black garlic is still
sitting there!

For the next round, will definitely
work much harder on the time plan.

SHE EXHALES SLOWLY

I cannot be late.

Vegan chef Ritchie has served
celeriac fondants with black garlic

and soy glazed maitake mushrooms,

pickled wild garlic flowers
and fennel,

topped with a toasted almond
and sesame crumb,

on a roasted spiced aubergine

and tahini and garlic puree
split with wild garlic oil.

It looks busy. It looks nice.

I like the little green colour
around the base.

It just looks like
there's a lot happening in there.

Sure.

I'm slightly struggling
a little bit with this dish

because of the aubergine puree
at the bottom of it.

I find like I'm just eating
a lot of puree.

The celeriac is beautifully
cooked, the mushroom as well.

But I'm not getting garlic,
and everything is just

sitting on top of each other.
We're both going in here like,

"Where's the garlic?
Where's the garlic?" Mm.

And it's not there.

The cooking of the aubergine,
I think you really could have

stuffed some garlic in there
and then made your puree.

Aubergine can take it.

I am concerned you have
so many great ideas

you want to show off...

..but less is more.

You know what this is
crying out for?

Some garlic bread.

I knew I'd get it in there
somewhere.

That's the way
I would like to eat it.

What you've got to do is put
yourself in the customer's seat

and stop trying to show us
everything on your menu

all in one dish.

How was that?

All right.

I don't think it was that bad.

I'm not going to beat myself up
about it.

I know what I did wrong,
and they just identified

what I did wrong, so...
C'est la vie.

Finally, senior sous-chef Dan
has presented roasted garlic-brushed

prawns, green tomato and
garlic stem salsa,

black garlic mayonnaise, fried
pastry nests and garlic flowers,

finished with a wild garlic veloute.

I love the vibrant green
of the veloute.

I loved that.

Really enjoyed this veloute.

The amount that was on there,
you think,

"Wow, that's going to be
really strong."

It's so mild because of the way
you've cooked the wild garlic out.

We have the prawns, naturally sweet.

You've got salsa-like
pickled garlic stems,

which is giving that crunch.

I think it's very easy to suddenly
just keep adding things.

You stayed very refrained.

You take what you've got and
you really focus on those flavours.

Great.

You've chosen some
really delicious garlic,

and you've just taken them
to a beautiful place.

It's delicious in
the garlic essence.

You've got the little flower on top,

and of course you've not just put
black garlic piped on -

you've got a little mayonnaise there
so it's a little bit lighter.

I'm standing here talking to you,
staring at that, and I'm not going

to let it go until I've eaten it
all. That's how good this is.

It's fabulous, Dan.

I don't know how much I've got
to praise you to get

a smile out of you.

Here we go. Let it out.
Let it out, fella!

There we go.

This is what it's about.
It's about emotion.

Food makes you happy.

When you cook good food,
we're happy, you're happy.

I think that's great. It's knockout.

Thank you.

Well done, you.

Garlic brief, tick!

I am buzzing!

Well done, mate.

You can breathe now.

That's such a huge compliment.

It's huge.

I'm probably going to cry
in a minute.

The bar's set high.

Oh, mate.

Trusting my instinct just shows
that I am doing right

in what I believe in.

So, yeah.

I enjoyed that.
I thought it was excellent.

There was a few points of no garlic,
a little bit light in flavour

in areas, but I have to say
there was some really good cooking

on show there today.

I think we all did good, man.

I think we all cooked really well.

But they need to realise when we set
a brief they have to hit it. Mm.

That could've cost
a few of them today.

They're going to take lessons away
and come back even stronger,

ready for the critics.

I just want to say, best of luck
for the next round, chefs.

Welcome to the Critics Round.

You are going to be cooking for
three of the biggest food writers

in our industry.

Grace Dent,

William Sitwell,

and Jimi Famurewa.

This is your opportunity to impress.

At the end of this, we can only
take three of you through

to Knockout Week.

One of you will be leaving today.

Chefs, two courses,
one hour and 15 minutes.

Off you go, and good luck.

I want to do myself proud
and my family proud.

Being here, doing this opportunity
gives me the chance to,

you know, constantly be in
an upward trajectory, you know,

and to change the course of my life.

Jordan, you're looking very calm.

What two dishes
have you come up with?

Poached lobster tail

and sweet and sour cherry tomatoes.

They're sour because of
the sherry vinegar.

The sweetness comes from vanilla
that I'm using.

And then at the end there's
a tomato tea which is seasoned

with some koji, dashi vinegar,
soy sauce.

So it's like an umami flavour
to bring it all together.

And your second dish is?

Second dish is Anjou pigeon with
celeriac puree, glazed cherries,

peppercorn sauce,

and maitake mushroom that's been
pickled with some shallots.

The restaurant that I cook at,
you know, is classically French,

using flavours that work together,
pigeon with fruit.

Not many 20-year-olds
cook for critics of this level.

Yeah. A little bird tells me
that you're 21 tomorrow.

I am 21 tomorrow.

Oh, happy birthday for tomorrow.

Thank you very much.
It should be a terrific gift!

If you got through.

Your 21st MasterChef birthday
depends on you.

Yeah, it does.

You've got this.
Cheers.

Jordan's got a lovely sounding menu.

Two fabulous key ingredients
for both dishes -

lobster and pigeon.

The cooking of this lobster
is essential.

You don't want the lobster
to be overcooked.

It will become tough.

We've got tomatoes three ways.

Marinated.

We've got a tomato emulsion.

And we've got a tomato tea.

Just passing it through.

It's literally just blended
beef tomatoes.

Jordan tea's got koji, dashi,
and mirin in it.

Didn't see those ingredients
sort of on this dish,

and question why they're there.

Jordan's main course -
the pigeon's cooked on a crown.

I think it's the best way
to cook it.

It doesn't dry out.

He's taking the legs of the pigeon,

he's going to cook them separately.

And he'll make a cherry glaze,

and he'll brush that over the legs.

I like that technique.

Good pigeon sauce with
the green peppercorns in,

that'll give the dish
a little bit of heat.

There's some sherry vinegar.
Reduce that down,

then I can add the brandy flambe.

Freshness from the cherries,

earthiness from the celeriac.

Sounds like the making of
a great dish.

Time is flying by,
so just getting the sauce done.

Nicely reduced.

On track,
but still quite a bit to do.

GAIL: Today, I'm going to cook my
dishes for the biggest food critics

in this country.

I'm super excited to show them
what my home food flavours are.

I can show everyone Shanghai style.

Gail, how are you today?

Great. I've prepared my time plan.

My goal is to get everything
on the plate and serve it on time.

Good.
Tell us about your two dishes.

So my starter is a Shanghai-style
drunken prawn with soya bean

and Chinese stem lettuce.

This gives a freshness
and the crunchiness.

What's a drunken prawn?

Drunken prawn is a Chinese
fermented rice wine sauce.

And I assume a lot of alcohol?

Yes.
That's why it's drunk.

What's your main course?

Shanghai-style fried pork
with handmade rice cake

and soya and Worcestershire sauce.

What I'm really loving, Gail,
is this confidence.

And you've got a time plan.
Yeah!

And on that note... On that note.
..we'd better let you go.

Thank you.

Gail's first course, the prawn dish,
has got a lot of ingredients

with a lot of flavours.

She's making a marinade
with different alcohol.

We've got whisky,
we've got rice wine,

and then the prawns
just soak up all of that mix.

And that's why they're called
drunken.

I'd be seriously drunk too
if I had that amount

of alcohol going in.

These prawns, they're delicate,

so you don't want them
over-marinated.

But in Chinese cookery, the flavours
of the sauces in the ingredients

do tend to be the powerful
elements of the dishes.

Gail is doing a pork main course.

She's taking the pork
and she's going to batter it out.

And then she's got a beer batter,
and she's going to deep-fry it.

The batter has to crisp up,

and the meat inside hopefully
is still a little bit pink.

Gail's rice cake is cooked rice
mixed up with blended rice

so she makes a puree.

As a kid,
I really, really loved rice cakes.

She puts that into a steamer
until it becomes solid,

and then she fries that off.

It's actually a quite long process
and it's quite complicated.

Loving the sound of the
Shanghai-style soy sauce.

I'm just curious if Gail
is going to pour the sauce over

or serve it like a dipping sauce
on the side.

There's actually a lot of work,
so Gail has got to really move it.

It doesn't matter how many times
you walk through them doors -

it does not get any easier.

The further you go,
the more you've got to give.

It doesn't matter
what you've done in the past.

All that matters is
what's on that plate today.

Dan, how are you feeling,
cooking for our critics?

I'm very nervous. But I think
that's sort of my thing now.

So...
Have critics had your food before?

No, never, so it'll be good to get
more established people's opinions.

Besides us?

Yes, chef. Yeah.

LAUGHTER

Dan's first course is lobster.

He's got a lobster tail.
He's going to blanch that off,

and then just gently cut that
in half and torch it.

We've got salad with chopped-up claw
and mango.

We've got a warm
Thai green curry sauce.

Green curry is one of
my favourite things to eat.

Used to eat it religiously
every single Sunday

after a hard week of work.

Oh! Really?

Yeah.
What's wrong with a roast?

Whether or not the Thai green sauce
works with a lobster salad,

I'm not so sure.

That's your starter?

Yes, chef. Yeah.
Followed by?

Brill topped with
a brill chive mousse.

And I'll be doing a KFB -
a Kentucky Fried Brill -

with different variations of
asparagus and a yuzu kosho sauce.

I love using Japanese products,
so it's definitely something

that I would like to try and
bring into my style of cooking.

Brill is a beautiful fish,
but if cooked too harshly,

it can dry out very quickly.

The brill mousse is about
cutting the trimmings,

passing it through a drum sieve.

The mousse is going to go
on top of the brill.

It's all wrapped up
in one cylindrical shape,

so timing is crucial here.

Too long in the water bath
and the mousse could split,

or you could have it the other way
where the mousse is perfectly cooked

and the fish is undercooked.

He's also going to take the trimming
of the brill and is going to make

what he's calling KFB.

We know what that stands for.

It's deep-fried.

It's going to have
a lovely spicy finish to it.

But I like the way he's using
the throwaway bits of the brill.

So it's using the skirt.

A bit of fun here from Dan,
and I like that his confidence

is starting to grow and he's willing
to show some of that fun side

in his cooking.

To get to Knockout Week
is something that I've dreamed of

since I was a kid.

Actually dreamed about it
last night.

I am as ready as I could possibly
be to smash these courses out.

I need to push on,
and it's got to be my best work yet.

Ritchie, tell us,
what are you making there?

So every year there's a funfair
in Nottingham called the Goose Fair,

and the tradition is getting stuck
into mushy peas, mint sauce.

So I'm trying to create a sense
of what the atmosphere is like

at the fair. So my main course is
a pea mousse shortcrust tart.

There's some lovage in there too,
with smoked pomme puree,

a truffle cream sauce
split out with a mint salsa.

So you celebrate mushy peas
and mint sauce?

Yeah. I mean, it's an odd one.

It's a real Notts classic.

Have you ever had that?

No. No, not where I'm from.

Ritchie's menu,
of course it's plant-based.

He's making a tart inspired by
a festival from where he comes from

in Nottingham, where they celebrate
mushy peas and mint.

I love that.

His first course is pea,
lovage and mint tart.

So a very short pastry.

Made with a substitution
for the dairy element.

And of course you want the perfect
thickness to take the amount

of the filling that Ritchie
will put into it.

It can't be too thin,
can't be too thick.

He's making a truffle cream sauce
split with spearmint.

And there's hints of mint
throughout.

It's a slice of...
almost like a quiche,

so he's going to really have to make
sure that these flavours

are really working for him.

My dessert I've called
the beaten mess.

It's using beetroots,
some fresh berries

and that sort of thing, shortbread,
a beetroot chutney,

Italian meringue,
which is going on top of that,

and served with raw tart rhubarb.

Beaten mess. I love the name of it.
It's quite fun.

As opposed to Eton mess.

It's a plant-based meringue,
so how firm is that going to be?

He's using aquafaba,
the liquid from beans.

He's going to make sure
the aquafaba is really whisked up

to help it hold.

Ritchie's also talked about a bit
of shortbread for texture

and for flavour.

The shortbread is going to sit
underneath with the blackberries

and some beetroot, but he's also
going to add some raw rhubarb,

which I'm finding quite unusual,

because that is a very tart,
sour note.

It could work.

The question is, will it work?

We've seen the great and good
of the British Isles

come through this door.

We've eaten every food ingredient
known to man,

but they still have to impress us.

Oh, here we are.

We are expecting a really high
standard of cooking.

You know, it's the professionals.
This is the Premier League.

I don't want to come in here
and just see a bunch of dishes

that I eat day in, day out,
week in, week out.

You've got to stretch your talents.

You've got to take a risk.

But you have to be careful,
because when you take a risk,

you might fall off that cliff.

Cheers.

Jordan, you've got five minutes.
There's no plates out.

You're still clearing up.

I think you need to get
a little bit of a move on, OK?

Oui, chef.

Jordan's starter is poached lobster,
sweet and sour tomatoes,

tomato emulsion,
and coriander with a tomato tea.

The lobster has got to be
beautifully poached and not rubbery.

Just delicate, just soft enough.

Are you happy with how your lobster
is cooked?

Very happy with the cooking
of the lobster.

And then the different tomatoes?

Yeah.

GRACE DENT: Serving the same
vegetable three ways is always

a risk on this competition.

Tomato and olive oil.

Can he make all those different
types of tomatoes sing

in their own way?

Jordan, you've got about
a minute left. Yeah.

If it all comes together,
this could be a really,

really beautiful starter.

Is your tea ready?
Yep.

OK. Well done.

Good afternoon.
Hi. Hi, Jordan.

How was it in there?

Intense.
Yeah.

Jordan has served poached lobster
tail with marinated tomatoes,

a tomato emulsion,
and tomato tea flavoured with koji,

mirin, and dashi vinegar.

Thank you very much.
Thank you, Jordan.

This is a beautifully presented,
summer wedding,

high-end, spend food.

This is a very pleasant,
elegant dish.

The lobster's firm but also soft.

And you've got the sweetness
of tomato.

The only thing is the individual
tomato flavours are not coming out.

William, I have to take issue
with you.

I think this is really very good.

Those sweet and sour tomatoes,
they carry the whole thing.

The tea, it's such an unexpected
flavour in that dish.

He has put together something
that's quite sophisticated.

My feeling was pleasant
rather than spectacular.

But he's done really,
really well.

Everything's nicely cooked.

Everything tastes delicious.

It all works together.

It's a very, very nice
plate of food.

The koji and the mirin
in his tomato tea there,

I think the saltiness and a little
bit of sharpness is lifting

this dish and bringing it together.

Tasty plate of food.

JORDAN SIGHS

You've got 15 minutes.

Yes, chef.
All right.

Jordan's main is a cherry-glazed
pigeon breast...

Yes, nice and pink.

..a confit pigeon leg.

They're not an easy bird to cook.

Ah...

They're can be tough and rubbery.

Wahey.

You've got three minutes.
How are we looking?

Looking OK.

I just really need to get
this puree

if not passed then on the plate.

OK. So it's literally just the puree
that I'm worrying about, really.

Don't lose it now.
Yes, chef.

Celeriac puree
with a green peppercorn sauce.

This sounds absolutely delicious.

Where cherries go in
a green peppercorn sauce,

that worries me.

Right, as soon as that's in,
off you go.

That, I think, is
the danger zone in this dish.

So for your main course, you have
an Anjou pigeon with its leg,

which has been confited, pickled
maitake mushrooms with some

shallots, glazed cherries, celeriac
puree, and a peppercorn sauce.

Thank you very much.
Brilliant.

Thanks, Jordan.

I really like his artistic style.

You know, it's a proud presentation
of this great bird, pigeon.

The worries that we had about
how well the cherry flavour

and the green peppercorn would get
along were completely unfounded,

and we didn't need
to worry about it.

It's kind of like
an elevated game roast.

The celeriac puree, he's given us
kind of a squirrel's teacup of it.

LAUGHTER

But it's delicious.

It is a standard-bearer,
a masterclass in pigeon cookery.

The pigeon breast is rare,
but it's soft.

There's a crisp skin.

I'll remember this for a very,
very long time.

Ah!

This is why we come here.
Mm-hm.

We come into this room not to find
the failures, to find the successes.

I get up in the morning
to eat food like this.

MONICA: The pigeon is beautiful.

The cherries, the sweetness -

really delicious flavours
here from Jordan.

I'm enjoying the beautiful
cherries with the pigeon.

That goes well. When you bite down
on the green peppercorns,

there's a beautiful flavour,
but it's still very, very hot

and maybe they could've been
chopped up, slightly crushed,

and it would've been perfect.

It was the hardest challenge so far.

Whether you're 20 years old,

25, 35, 65, it's hard, mate.

It's a push. I'll tell you that.

I hope that they're, you know,
impressed and pleased with me.

Gail, 15 minutes.

Make sure everything is right.

Yes, chef.

So Gail's starter is drunken
zao prawns,

soy beans, and Chinese stem lettuce.

Drunken zao prawns - that suggests
the addition of some alcohol,

maybe some rice wine.

When something's drunk and sozzled,

I like the idea of that.

Oops.
Are you almost ready?

Er, yep.

Well done. You're on time.

Off you go.

Hi.

My starter is drunken zao prawn

with green soya bean

and Chinese stem lettuce.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you.

I love the bold presentation
of this.

I love it when dinner
is looking back at me.

But I don't know where to start.

I don't know how to eat it.

I don't know where to put my hands.

Wow.

They are drunk, aren't they?

I expected the booze to be kind of
tempered by something,

but it isn't.

It's a big hit of fumes.

You have the lettuce, which is
kind of seeping there underneath.

There's not masses of flavour
in that.

You have to kind of take
the soy beans out of their pods.

Look, a really interesting dish,
but not one that I'm kind of

crying out to try again,
I've got to say.

This dish on paper had real promise,

but it was clumsy to eat.

It's just not delivered.

Wow.

It's an interesting little dish.

You've got to get your hands
involved,

you've got to get the prawn shell
out your mouth.

But, if I'm honest, I was actually
expecting a slightly bigger flavour.

More of that stock in that dish
would have been really good.

I just think that
it's not all coming together.

You've got all the little bits
on it, but you're tasting them

separately as opposed to
everything in the bowl.

You've got 15 minutes
for your main course.

Oh, my God.
All right, let's go.

I could not be
more up for Gail's main, honestly.

Shanghai-style fried Iberico pork,

I'm so up for that.

Served with handmade rice cake.

Phew!

You deep-fry it?

Yes. So outside is crispy,
inside is chewy.

Gail, you've got two minutes.

Yes.

Served with a soy
and Worcestershire sauce.

OK, off you go.

Good luck.

WILLIAM SITWELL: Heavy, salty sauce
with pork,

which sounds quite nice.

Oh, wow.

My main is Shanghai-style fried
Iberico pork with handmade rice cake

with Shanghai-style sauce.

Thank you.

I wanted to present very simple
but very delicious Chinese food.

It is very simple.

I hope it's delicious as well!

I got lovely, crispy batter
and quite a thick piece of pork.

It felt like a kind of comfort food
that Gail is incredibly passionate

about and that means a lot to her.

I love rice cakes and
I especially love these ones.

They're very difficult not to love.

They're sticky, carby vessels
to dip into something.

And that sauce is exactly
what it says on the tin.

This is food of heavy industry.

It's big and noisy.

And that sauce, a thick gravy
with a spice that envelops you.

I sort of quite liked it.

It was intriguing and interesting.

The pork is so tender.
It's delicious.

I love the little crunchy coating
batter on the outside.

The sauce - really, really love
that. Delicious.

This is as rustic as you would get
it, but on the flavour profile

and textures, Gail has really
knocked it out of the park.

Oh, my God.

Right, Dan, you've got
five minutes left.

Yes, chef.

Dan's starter, poached lobster
topped with a preserved lemon jelly,

mango puree, choy sum,
shallot petals,

with a green curry sauce.

This is just his starter!

How many arms has Dan got?!

He has to make sure above all that
he's poached the lobster delicately.

Let's start getting this dish
together. Yes, chef.

So just the sauce will go
on the side?

Yes, chef.

The green curry sauce
could wreck the whole thing.

Or it could be the most amazingly
dancing little flourish.

Well done. And off you go.

Hello.
Hello.

I've made for you
a poached lobster tail,

lobster claw with some nice
mango salad,

Thai green curry sauce,
and a preserved lemon jelly.

OK. Great.
Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I think this is very pretty.

The star of the show for me
is that green curry sauce.

It is fantastic.

It's phenomenal.

It anchors everything.

It makes everything pop and sing.

Beautifully poached
piece of lobster.

Gorgeously done.

Beautifully prepared.

It is delicious.

I really like the spring-like
piquant mango salad.

The heart of this dish,
which is the two main fundamentals,

the lobster and
the green curry sauce,

are absolutely fantastic.

I love the sweet notes of the mango.

Beautiful lobster tail,
perfectly cooked.

I don't think I've had
a Thai green curry sauce,

warm, with a cold lobster salad.

Absolutely delicious.

Really, really good.

Brilliant, brilliant dish.

Wow. Well done, Dan.

Well, how was that?

Yeah, scary.

HE LAUGHS

How are we looking
on the main course?

I've just got the finishing touches
to do. 15 minutes?

Yes, chef.

I love the idea of KFB.

A beautifully, delicately cooked
piece of fish with really moreish,

deep southern fried seasoning
and breading around it.

And that is just going to be
extraordinary.

He's literally making us
a dipping sauce for that KFB.

Buttermilk and yuzu and chilli,

something creamy and dippable.

You've got two minutes left.

Yes, chef.

And brill mousse as well.

You want to have the flavour
of the fish in there.

But you don't want it
to be overwhelming.

How's the fish look?

The mousse has split.

Oh!

Have you took it all off?

Yes, chef.

Everything else you're happy with?

Er, yes, chef.

All right. Keep calm.

Oui.

This man can poach.
He can dress, he can pickle.

He can compress, he can mix.

He can fry!

You're almost there.

Can he defy gravity?

Deep breath.

I have made for your main course

a poached brill KFB,

textures of asparagus,

and a yuzu, koshu
and buttermilk sauce.

Unfortunately, I noticed that
the mousse was split,

so I took all the mousse off
to make sure that you had

a beautifully cooked piece of fish.

Thanks, Dan. Thank you. Well done.

My God.

The KFB was so good.

The crisp on it, to achieve that
under that pressure,

really impressive.

He hasn't managed to do
all the elements.

We worried about that for him.

But this white buttermilk, yuzu
and chilli sauce is fabulous.

I mean, it's got a great texture,
and you get the acidity of that,

of the yuzu.

A lovely piece of brill,

poached beautifully.

Asparagus done other ways.

Every single one felt different.

And I can't stop eating because
I think this is a piece of art,

and I will never maybe
experience this art again.

So I have to go and do it,
I have to eat it, one little bit.

Dan, for me, has done it again.

The mousse didn't make it on
the fish, but what I've got here

tastes fine without it.

What I love about the two courses,
there's a lovely warmth and heat

running through, yet delivering
very unusual big flavours

that is the point of difference.

That is what is making Dan's cooking
so delicious and so exciting.

I've done them 1,000 times over
and it's like,

you know, it's...

It hurts when it don't go to plan.

But hopefully the judges
and the critics can see

what type of chef I am.

Well, Ritchie's been locked in a
room with some Victorian cookbooks.

Pea and lovage mousse tart,
lemon and elderflower caviar,

smoked pomme puree.
There's nothing wrong with that.

But there are some technical
hazards, I think, throughout this.

The tart has got to be bang-on.

It's a really challenging thing
to make with limited time.

He's made caviar with lemons
and elderflower.

Ingenious.

Right, you've got a couple
of minutes left, Ritchie.

Yes, chef. Thank you.

Shaky hands.

You're doing all right.

We don't see cooking like this
very often.

On one level, it's the destination
dinner that you fly to

some foreign country and have
a four-week waiting list.

And then on another level, it's 1915
and I'm in the Lake District.

Hello.
Hi, folks.

So today I've made a dish inspired
by my hometown, Nottingham.

Shortcrust tart with lovage,
a little bit of lemon

and pea mousse, a caviar made from
lemon and elderflower,

and then we've got a nice
pomme puree on the side

which has been lightly smoked,
truffle cream sauce,

and I've kept a mint salsa in there.

And everything that you're eating
today is completely plant-based.

I really hope you enjoy.

Thank you.
Thank you.

It's from the heart.
It's passionate.

It's about his hometown.

But what he did was, you know,
he kind of made pie and mash.

And who doesn't like pie and mash?

There's real technical proficiency.

The pastry is beautifully short
and buttery.

Those little lemon
and elderflower caviar,

they do give you nice little pops
of tartness.

But it's just a lot of softness.

I don't like mushy peas.

But, hell, I love
a lovage and pea mousse

on a really flaky pastry.

This is one of those dishes
that can change minds.

This is the best vegan dish
I've ever eaten, and I loved it.

The pastry is incredibly short.

Some really fascinating,
fresh, garden-style flavours

coming out here.

The main focus here
is mushy peas and mint,

and that's what you get.

You've got 15 minutes. Are you going
to be able to be on time?

I think I will, chef, yeah.
OK. Good job. All right.

Ritchie's dessert is
a BEATEN mess.

Beetroot chutney with shortbread.

The shortbread's
folded through the mix.

I love meringue.

This is something that's going to
smack us about the face.

I'm just going to fill in the gaps.

I think I'm happy with
how this dessert is looking.

It's got a few extra elements
just to go on top.

Of course you do.
It wouldn't be you otherwise.

Going to be adding raw rhubarb
coated in beetroot powder.

But raw rhubarb doesn't exist.
LAUGHTER

It is not a thing, right?

Just adding a little bit
of earthiness.

There are some things in this world
that you need to cook

before you eat them.

Not according to Ritchie.

Happy? I'm as happy as I can be
right now, yeah.

I hope they enjoy it.
Yeah, me too.

I'm excited.

I'm intrigued.

And I can't wait to see William's
face when he eats the raw rhubarb.

Mm, yummy, yummy!

We have got a twist on a British
classic, the Eton Mess.

A base of some salted shortbread,
beetroot, apple and rhubarb chutney,

and on the top of that,
an Italian meringue,

raw rhubarb,
and then a hit of lime zest,

and I hope you enjoy.
Thank you.

I rather like this.

I thought that the meringue
was really delicious.

The beetroot is jammy and reduced.

This is an imaginative,
innovative dessert.

Did someone around this table
say they were worried

about raw rhubarb?

I've always said that
raw rhubarb was a thing.

And it really is.

I think this is devastatingly good.

I love raw rhubarb.

That raw rhubarb totally works.

It adds something interesting
and unusual, and the fact

that it's plant-based, and that's
a part of who Ritchie is,

and he's expressed it and shared it
in the most beautiful way

is an amazing thing.

I'm really enjoying this.

The beetroot with the berries -
really nice touch.

Very clever. Fun, too.

It's a very brave, bold chef that
comes in and cooks plant-based food.

And it's really good to see
Ritchie starting to flourish.

Really, really good.

I'm really pleased for him.

Today I tried to execute, contrary
to my usual crazy mad style

of loads on a plate.

I'm obviously hoping the critics
are bouncing round the room

about my food.

I've done my best today.

Brilliant day in the kitchen.

Our chefs coming in
to cook for the critics,

it's always one of the most
stressful times they have here.

Dan for me is my chef of the day.

I agree.
I think Dan did a great job.

The lobster starter,
oh, delicious.

Even though his main course had
the mousse missing,

I didn't feel like I was missing
the mousse. Absolutely.

Dan is our first chef
through to Knockout Week.

The last time Ritchie cooked,
we told him to do less,

"Pull back a little bit -
you're trying too hard."

And he did just that,

yet his two courses were
full of complexity.

His tart with a take on
mushy peas and mint -

overall, a good starter.

And then the dessert -
our critics all fell in love

with that beaten mess.

He is a chef that's really
getting stronger.

I think he deserves a place
in our Knockout Week.

That leaves us with Jordan and Gail.

Gail gave us flavours from Shanghai.

Sadly, the critics weren't sold
on Gail's starter.

I wasn't a big fan of the starter.

I loved the idea. I felt that
it slightly lacked in flavour,

but the main course,
I thoroughly enjoyed.

That beautiful sauce reduced down
with light and dark soy sauce -

that was sensational.

For me, the main course was just
comfort food at its best.

Jordan gave us the tomato
and lobster dish.

I really liked the dashi and
the mirin through that sort of

gazpacho-like tea that he made
with the tomato.

On the main course, I think
the peppercorns should have

been chopped up.

Pigeon - perfectly cooked.

It's one of the nicest pigeons
I've eaten for a long time.

We've got two chefs here who are
very young in their careers.

Which one is going to be able
to take on board what's coming next?

I really wanted to have
another chance to prove

I can really be creative
and not just cook Chinese food.

I did my all.

See what the results are.

If I'm giving all my effort
in that past round just then,

I have to stay in.

You've cooked some fabulous
food today, all four of you.

Great stories, great ideas.

Huge amount of passion.

However, only three of you
can go through to Knockout Week.

And the chef that is
leaving us is...

..Gail.

You're only a young chef
in your career.

I can't wait to see what
your cooking is going to be like

three, four years from now.

You keep going.

Thank you. Thank you.

Well done, chef.
Well done.

It is absolutely
a once in a lifetime experience.

I have the reason to believe myself,
and I hope after this,

more people would like to try
some Shanghainese food.

Chefs, congratulations.

We'll see you in Knockout Week.

Thank you.
Well done.

It's a bit surreal. Feels amazing.

You know, to be in Knockout Week
is a massive deal.

I can't wait to tell the missus

she's not going to see me for,
you know, a little bit longer.

It's amazing.

It's what dreams are made of.

Those tears were little bits of joy
and also just a...

..absolute relief.

What a day.

21 tomorrow.

Nice birthday gift.

The celebrations are starting now,
mate!

Next time - four new hopefuls...

You've got three minutes left.

Three minutes?!

MONICA GASPS

Definitely not good.

..fight for their place
in the quarterfinal.

Bring it all together now.

I think it's OK.

That was absolutely sensational.

That's what signature dishes
are about.