ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

It’s knockout week, and the 16 amateurs who survived the heats return to press on in their quest to become MasterChef champion. They are split into two groups as they battle to stay in the competition. But it’s not going to be easy – all 16 will have to cook their hearts out, as at the end, six of them will be saying their goodbyes.

The first group of eight return to plunge head first into a test designed to uncover the true stars of the competition. The brief is to create a dish they’d be proud to put on the menu of their own restaurant, cookbook or food truck. This offers a real insight into their hopes and dreams if they are to forge a career in food. This is not a time to play it safe with their dishes, as with only five places in the next round, any mistakes could signal game over.

There’s a huge reward for those who make it through, as they leave the relative safety of the MasterChef kitchen to tackle their first professional kitchen service. Today’s mentor is none other than chef Theo Randall, who puts the fearless five through their paces as they deliver food to customers at his restaurant in the five-star Intercontinental Hotel. Theo’s name is above the door, but will his reputation remain intact?

With a restaurant full of hungry diners, at this stage every mouthful counts. Nobody will want to let standards slip now.