麻豆社

In the first heat of the week, six more chefs from up and down the UK set out to prove they have enough talent to become a culinary star of the future. They have two chances to impress Monica, Marcus and Gregg - first by demonstrating their basic skills and then with a dish of their own design. Only those who can keep cool and execute their food to perfection will have a future in the competition - the strongest three will earn a place in the quarter-final.

To begin their fight for the coveted title the chefs face the infamous skills test, and if it wasn't daunting enough already they must hold their nerve in front of all three MasterChef judges. The first three chefs face a skills test set by Monica, who gives them fifteen minutes to fillet a sea bream and cook it escabeche-style. Any errors could cost them as their filleting skills and culinary knowledge are put under scrutiny like never before.

Marcus sets the skills test for the next three chefs, who have twenty minutes to make a watercress soup and serve it with poached eggs and fresh almonds. Only the greenest, smoothest, most flavoursome soup and perfectly poached egg will be good enough to get them into the judges' good books.

All six chefs then have one last chance to win over the judges in the signature dish challenge. They have one hour and fifteen minutes to put the pressures of the skills test behind them and showcase their own cooking style with a tried and tested dish. If it fails to deliver on taste, technique and presentation, their time in the competition could be up. After this round, the weakest three chefs will leave the competition, while the three best chefs go on to the quarter-final.