MasterChef: The Professionals

The first two chefs face a Skills Test set by Monica, who gives them 20 minutes to prepare and cook a fillet of brill and serve it with a turnip garnish and a coconut sauce. Can the chefs keep their hands steady enough to fillet the fish perfectly and demonstrate enough cookery knowledge to show they have what it takes? Marcus sets the Skills Test brief for the next two hopefuls - to poach and pan-fry a portion of guinea fowl, make a sherry hollandaise and serve it with a bitter salad. With only 20 minutes and the judges watching on, their butchery skills and culinary experience are scrutinised like never before. Finally, all four chefs have one last opportunity to stand out when they cook their own two-course Signature Menu. In one hour and 30 minutes, it’s a chance to show off their own style and flair with a main course and dessert fit for the judges.

The first two chefs face a Skills Test set by Marcus, who asks them to prepare and cook spiced monkfish and serve it with polenta and a chili butter sauce. Who will have the fish preparation skills and a palate refined enough to meet the exacting standards of all three judges? The last two chefs have 20 minutes to complete Monica’s task, a test of their pastry skills with a twist on a banana sundae. They must include caramelised bananas, a coconut cream, a chocolate sauce and a quick banana ice cream. Who will be able to draw on their experience in pastry to put together the well-executed and tasty dessert the judges are looking for? The four chefs then have a final chance to impress in the Signature Menu round, in which they have one hour and 30 minutes to serve up a sublime main course and dessert of their own choosing.

This year’s first quarter-final: First, the chefs must think on their feet in an Invention Test, in which they will create an outstanding dish showcasing nuts. They have just ten minutes to choose their ingredients from a selection of nuts, including hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, cashews and walnuts, flaked almonds and nut butters, as well as a range of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, followed by 70 minutes to execute their dishes to perfection. Which of these professionals can dig deep and deliver a restaurant-standard dish with nuts as the star? Only the best will do, as at the end of the round, one chef must leave the competition. The remaining chefs must then raise their game yet again as they face the daunting task of cooking for three of the UK’s most discerning restaurant critics, Jay Rayner, Leyla Kazim and Tracey MacLeod. Can they make an impression for the right reasons and deliver knockout dishes in one of the most intense rounds of the competition?

Four of the country’s most determined chefs make the journey to the MasterChef kitchen. The two challenges ahead of them are set to test their skill under the unforgiving gaze of the judges

In the second heat of the week, four new hopefuls must prove to Monica, Marcus and Gregg that they have the talent, flair and commitment to reach the quarter-final

It’s the quarter-final, and the four best chefs from this week’s heats return to the MasterChef kitchen, where they must prove themselves in two challenges set to test even the most experienced chefs