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It’s the fifth and final week of the heats, and another group of home cooks take the first step towards making their culinary dreams a reality. Their first hurdle is to win a MasterChef apron and prove they have the potential to compete with the very best. Those who deliver will be in with a shot at a quarter-final place – but getting there won’t be easy.

Within minutes of setting foot in the daunting MasterChef kitchen, the hopefuls take on their first task: Basic to Brilliant. The amateurs need to take their chosen everyday ingredient and let it sing on a plate of food that demonstrates skill and an ability to push the flavour envelope. The competitors include a bassoonist, a make-up artist and an estate agent, so there should be no shortage of creativity. The two plates of food that stand out the most will earn their cooks a pass to go straight through to the next round, with the rest heading back into a cook-off for the last of the day's aprons.

Their fate will be decided by an invention test with a twist. Three secret ingredients are hidden in the Mystery Box – vanilla, cherries and almonds. The cooks need to get their thinking caps into overdrive as they create a dish using at least one of those ingredients. They also have a fabulous larder to raid, so there can be no excuses for lack of inspiration. The only thing not on their side is time, as they have just 45 minutes to prepare a plate that wows enough to take the remaining aprons.

The heat will close with the lucky MasterChef apron wearers reuniting to face their last challenge. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have their food tasted and critiqued by those who know the industry like the back of their hand – the three 2010 MasterChef finalists: champion Dhruv Baker and runners-up Alex Rushmer and Dr Tim Kinnaird. Two courses of epic proportions in 75 minutes is the ask, but whether the contestants can hold their nerve under such immense pressure is another story.

The strongest cooks of the day will be rewarded with a quarter-final place – yet another milestone in the race to become MasterChef Champion 2025.