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The cookery competition reaches its second semi-final. In the kitchens of Hever Castle, home to Henry VIII's ill-fated second wife Anne Boleyn, the contestants must cook a menu that will push all of them to the very limits of their ability.

Under the watchful eye of John Campbell, a chef who has held Michelin stars in three restaurants, the semi-finalists have to cook an extremely difficult menu. Each of them will take on one of five courses designed by John to really test what they can do. The amateurs have four hours to prep and serve, and in that time they must master elements of cooking they've never attempted before. The menu will be served to an elite group of historians and academics - eminent historian Mary Beard, who is professor of classics at the University of Cambridge; author Terry Deary, who is best known for the gruesome detail in his Horrible Histories tales; and Dr Lucy Worsley, the curator of Britain's Historic Royal Palaces. Who will succeed and who will crumble under the pressure?

Afterwards, there's no time for resting on laurels, as it is straight back to MasterChef HQ where the five remaining amateurs have a challenge that will really put their skills to the test. After the luscious surroundings of a royal place they must cook a sumptuous dish again - but this time out of rubbish scraps. It is the invention test, but this time their choice of ingredients consists of some scraps, leftovers and trimmings, including chicken giblets and skin, bones, a pig's ear, fish heads and bones, roes, potato peelings, vegetable offcuts, stale bread and cheese rind. There is a plentiful range of ingredients, but the cooks will have to rely on their ingenuity rather than quality cuts to push their dish to the forefront.

Who will make a pig's ear of it, and who will show they have what it takes to make it to the top?

In a competition where only the food matters, these amateurs now need to stand out to survive - taking another precious step towards being crowned MasterChef Champion 2014.