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MasterChef
In this first episode, the first seven hopefuls need to pull out all the stops to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to rise above the rest to become MasterChef 2018 Champion.
Seven more amateurs try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2018 MasterChef champion.
It is the first quarter-final of the series, and the six heat winners continue to fight for their place in the competition. In the Critic's Test, the contestants are put through the mill with a seriously daunting test set by critic William Sitwell. His challenge for the amateur cooks is to create a dessert showcasing either alcohol or spices.
It's the second week of heats, and seven more hopefuls need to pull out all the stops to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. This year sees the return of the MasterChef Market, stocked full of the best-quality produce from across the world. The challenge is to invent and then cook one dish using anything from the market. The featured ingredients include venison, chicken, parma ham, sea bream and pollock, and the contestants have an hour and ten minutes to dazzle the judges.
Seven more hopefuls try to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. This year sees the return of the MasterChef Market, stocked full of the best-quality produce from across the world. The challenge is to invent and then cook one dish using anything from the market. The featured ingredients include lamb rump, pork chops, pigeon, sea bass, turbot and langoustine, and the contestants have an hour and ten minutes to dazzle the judges. After tasting all seven dishes, John and Gregg decide which four cooks are good enough to stay, while three are sent home. The four remaining cooks must cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg but also the MasterChef champions from 2005, Thomasina Miers, and 2006, Steven Wallis, and finalist from 2006 Daksha Mistry. After the four hopefuls have cooked, John and Gregg decide which three contestants deserve to take the next step in the competition and go through to Friday's quarter-final.
It is the quarter-final, and the six contestants face the Critic's Test. This episode's brief has been set by Jay Rayner. His challenge for the amateur cooks is to make an exceptional pie - it can be any pie they like, sweet or savoury, but they must make their own pastry. After cooking their dish based on this brief, the contestants stand before Jay and judges John and Gregg to hear what they think of their dish and whether they've managed to rise to the challenge and fulfil the expectations. At the end of this quarter-final the best cooks go through to Knockout Week.
It's the third week of heats and seven more hopefuls need to pull out all the stops to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to rise above the rest. This year sees the return of the MasterChef Market, full of quality produce from across the world including meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses, grains and dairy.
In this episode, seven more amateurs try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2018 MasterChef Champion. This time, the featured ingredients in the MasterChef market include poussin, beef cheeks, pork mince, mackerel and tiger prawns. They have an hour and 10 minutes to dazzle the judges and prove they are good enough to stay in the competition. The stakes are high and it's important to choose wisely because after tasting all seven dishes, John and Gregg will decide which four cooks are good enough to stay, while three cooks will be sent straight home.
It's the quarter-final and the six heat winners continue to fight for their place in the competition. In the Critic's Test, the week's best amateurs will be put through the mill with a seriously daunting test set by one of the country's toughest food critics. Tonight's brief has been set by Grace Dent. Her challenge for the amateur cooks is to make their best comfort food dish - something Grace would want to eat on her day off. After cooking their dish based on this brief, the contestants stand before Grace Dent and judges John and Gregg, to hear, face-to-face, what they think of their dish and whether they've managed to rise to the challenge and fulfil the expectations. At the end of this quarter-final, the best cooks will go through to Knockout Week.
It's the last week of heats and seven more hopefuls need to pull out all the stops to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to rise above the rest to become MasterChef 2018 Champion. This year sees the return of the MasterChef Market, stocked full of the best quality produce from across the world including meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses, grains and dairy. The challenge is to invent and then cook one dish using anything from the Market. This time, the featured ingredients include quail, chorizo, bone marrow, cod and squid.
In this heat, the last group of seven amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2018 MasterChef Champion. This year sees the return of the MasterChef Market, stocked full of the best quality produce from across the world including meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses, grains and dairy. The challenge is to invent and then cook one dish using anything from the Market.
It's the last quarter-final and the six talented heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition. In the Critic's Test, the week's best amateurs will be put through the mill with a seriously daunting test set by one of the country's toughest food critics. Tonight's brief has been set by Amol Rajan.
After four weeks of fierce competition in the heats, 56 amateur cooks have been whittled down to just 16. Now these talented cooks come together to cook off against each other across two shows. In this episode the amateurs are split into two groups - the blue group and the red group - with eight cooks in each. Both groups face a cook-off based on a brief given by John and Gregg.
Knockout Week continues, as the best 16 amateur chefs continue to battle it out in a high-pressured cook-off. With the blue group having already cooked, it is now the turn of the red group to face the same daunting challenge set by John and Gregg.
Over the next two nights the heat intensifies as the remaining twelve contestants are split into two groups and get their first taste of a professional kitchen when they have to run an entire lunchtime service. In this episode the first group head to Eneko in Covent Garden, London. Spanish chef Eneko Atxa's second restaurant, Eneko, specialises in Basque cuisine and is led by head chef Javi Blanco, who helped launch it in 2016. During a busy lunch service, the six amateur cooks are entirely responsible for serving the restaurant's menu to paying customers.
The second group of amateurs get their first taste of professional cooking. They are heading to Sartoria in London's Mayfair, run by renowned Italian chef patron Francesco Mazzei. The six contestants are responsible for serving up every dish on the menu to paying customers during a packed lunch service. Then it is back to MasterChef HQ for an invention test for John and Gregg. In a last-chance bid to stay in the competition, each cook has to show they have learned from their experience and can create a unique and outstanding dish worthy of gracing the table of a restaurant. Guest judge two Michelin-starred Nathan Outlaw returns to help John and Gregg evaluate the six amateur cooks' dishes After this challenge, one of the contestants is sent home.
It is the end of Knockout Week and there are just nine amateur cooks remaining. At MasterChef HQ, they have only one challenge - cook one dish to win over the judges and secure a semi-final place. They have 90 minutes to create their masterpiece. The best three cooks become semi-finalists, while the other six will have to fight it out again to earn their place.
With three contestants already through to the semi-finals, the best six remaining cooks go head to head to fight for their place alongside them. Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace are joined by renowned chef Theo Randall. Previously awarded a Michelin star when he was head chef at the River Cafe, Theo is now the proprietor of Theo Randall at The Intercontinental. The six amateur cooks are set a brief by Theo to create one outstanding dish inspired by Italian cuisine, and they have just 90 minutes to prep and cook it. At this stage in the competition, the judge's expectations are sky high, and only the five best cooks will keep their place and join the other three semi-finalists. This is the cooks' final chance to prove they've got what it takes to stay in the competition and take a step closer to being crowned MasterChef champion 2018.
The MasterChef semi-finals continue as the eight remaining cooks in the competition head to RAF Halton in Aylesbury to celebrate 100 years of the RAF's formation. The semi-finalists are split into two teams of four and face the enormous challenge of running their own kitchens in two specially constructed catering tents. Each team must create two main courses and a dessert to feed 120 veterans, serving airmen and new recruits for a special lunch that celebrates the centenary. With less than four hours to deliver, organisation and teamwork are essential for success.
The remaining semi-finalists must pull out all the stops when they are tasked with the daunting challenge of cooking a three-course fish lunch to celebrate 100 years of women's right to vote. John Torode oversees the kitchen as the amateurs face a high-pressured lunchtime service. The VIP diners include: Dr Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst - leader of the suffragette movement; Baroness Hale, president of the Supreme Court; former BBC chief news correspondent Kate Adie; broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray; space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; journalist Kirsty Wark; and leading female chefs and restaurateurs who are at the forefront of dining trends and have paved the way for culinary excellence.
