MasterChef (UK) S20 E07-E09 (1080p, soft English subtitles)

Into the kitchen and under the spotlight. Amateur cooks duel it out as John Torode and Gregg Wallace turn up the heat.

E07
Television’s biggest cooking competition continues with a third week of culinary heats. Twelve more of the country’s best amateur cooks must go all out for the chance to reach the quarter-final. The first six go all out to prove they deserve one of the four coveted MasterChef aprons on offer, as John and Gregg set their first challenge – Basic to Brilliant. They must turn the judges’ heads with a dish that celebrates a staple ingredient. Whether their humble ingredients can be transformed into a thing of majesty remains to be seen. The two who come up with the best plates will head straight into the next round wearing gleaming new MasterChef aprons. The four lagging behind will need to get stuck in once again as they are asked to think on their feet. This time John and Gregg are hankering for a brunch dish. Their creation must include a poached egg and hollandaise sauce, but the cooks have free reign to embellish it however they choose from a bounty of brunch goodies, including avocado, bacon, mushrooms and smoked salmon. There are only two more places in the next round, so rubbery eggs and split hollandaise will not be well-received - this needs to be a brunch to remember. Then it’s time for the final showdown of the heat as the four left standing come together for a corker of a challenge. They must prepare their own two-course menu in one hour and 15 minutes for three diners who know their stuff – MasterChef 2017 champion, Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, 2020 champion, Thomas Frake, and 2018 semi-finalist Nisha Parmar. The contestants will be hoping for clean plates and positive reviews as the diners’ opinions will weigh heavily on the judges’ final decision. One more will miss out on a place in this week’s quarter-final, as the three best move forward with their dream of claiming the title still intact.

E08
Six more brave souls take on the MasterChef challenge, but they will need to win an apron for the adventure to take off. Everything is riding on this, as they all have their sights set on becoming MasterChef champion 2024. Nothing in life comes easy – and if the contenders want an apron, they will need to stake their claim by proving their skills. Basic to Brilliant is the initial challenge, where they must make an everyday ingredient shine on the plate. John and Gregg will deliver aprons to the two best, who will then skip the next round. There’s no rest for the four remaining who can forge their way to one of the last two aprons by showing the judges they can think on their feet. Creativity will be key as they are asked to prepare a humble salad using an array of tasty goodies, including chicken, fennel, salmon fillets, tomatoes and bacon. There are just two stipulations – it must include a caesar dressing and blow the socks off judges John and Gregg. Making a stand-out salad might not be as easy as it seems. For the final challenge, the four remaining contenders go head-to-head serving up eight plates of food in one hour and 15 minutes. In addition to the judges, their best two-course menu will be tasted by three diners who now have 14 years' experience of working in the food industry – 2010 MasterChef champion, Dhruv Baker, and runners-up Tim Kinnaird and Alex Rushmer. They will be looking for flavour pairings that work harmoniously on a plate, with glimmers of originality and something that makes them sit up and take notice. With the diners’ feedback in hand, it’s then down to John and Gregg to dish out the result. Three will have big smiles on their faces as they head into this week’s quarter-final.

E09
The third quarter-final gets underway, and this week’s most exceptional cooks must push themselves further to hold on to their place in the competition. Make it through this, and a place in Knockout Week is guaranteed. Nobody will want to miss out on what comes next. Esteemed food writer Leyla Kazim is the guest of honour and has an inspired brief for the six quarter-finalists. They will need to deliver a dish that will Nourish and Restore - a proper culinary comforter that they would offer to someone who needs a pick-me-up. They will only have 90 minutes to make the judges finish with a spring in their step. Those who fail to do so will have to say goodbye. A place in Knockout Week is a complete game-changer, but only the best cooks make it through in the quest to become the MasterChef champion 2024.