Episode 14

Knockout week continues, and it’s a chance for seven chefs to prove themselves enough to make it into their first professional kitchen. However, to get there they need to dig deep and show Anna and Grace that they can be trusted to deliver on all fronts. Two will be saying goodbye to their shot at MasterChef glory.

To start, it’s a task that requires as much imagination as it does skill. The seven contestants need to come up with a dish that is representative of their ultimate food dream. A plate that could one day feature in their cookbook or be served from their restaurant or pop-up. They have one hour and 45 minutes to knock this out of the park, but Anna and Grace need to taste progress with every bite and see presentation worthy of its own gallery space. Amongst the offerings are a take on fish and chips, tacos and a curry, but they need to be elevated to the nth degree to see them through. Two contestants will see their food dream become their food nightmare as they head home.

The five cooks who pip the others to the post will be heading off to London, home of the Straits Kitchen restaurant in the five-star Pan Pacific Hotel. A tight ship is run here by Adam Bateman, a chef who hails from the Birmingham hotel scene and now delivers a tasting menu which fuses western techniques with vibrant south east Asian flavours.

The amateurs are each tasked with a course from the menu, which they need to deliver under the extreme pressure of a professional lunchtime service. As can be expected, dishes here are incredibly labour-intensive and feature a large number of elements and complex techniques. The ingredients include scallops, lobster and duck, which will all need to be delicately cooked and spiced, or the dishes might be ruined. With lunch service in a matter of hours, there’s no time for the contestants to waste as they prep for their first taste of life in the fast lane. This will be an experience like nothing else.