MasterChef 2026 Heat One / BBC
A new series of MasterChef has begun with new hosts Grace Dent and Anna Haugh in post together for the first time.
The format for the heats this year involves two heats per week, with six home cooks competing in each heat and three from each making it through to the quarter-final at the end of the week. From those six in the quarter-final, three will be selected to progress to knockout week.
The six contestants in the first heat were:
- Brendan, 57, from Surrey
- Jhane, 29, from North London
- Matt, 41, from West Yorkshire
- Rosdip, 33, from North Shields
- Sabina, 49, from London
- Sam, 39, from St Albans
First up, the contestants were asked to serve up their signature dish in 1 hour 20 minutes to get a fast-track spot to the final challenge.
The dishes varied from a Thai curry with a twist to Nepalese potatoes and a basic steak and chips.
Signature Dishes – Heat One
Brendan
Pan fried chicken with creamy mash, roasted onions and carrots, chicken skin and Madeira sauce
Jhane
Thai green curry with fried chicken
Matt
Dark chocolate delice with miso caramel sauce, tahini cream and black sesame praline crumb
Rosdip
Spicy aloo dum with pork belly and jimbu daal
Sabina
Achar sea bass with turmeric rice and spiced spinach
Sam
Fillet steak with triple-cooked chips, parmesan lemon crumb and peppercorn sauce
On the strength of the signatures, Grace and Anna handed aprons to Jhane and Rosdip, putting them straight through to the final challenge of the heat, leaving the other four to battle it out for the final two places.
Anna challenged them to make one of her favourite dishes – an Irish potato cake with poached eggs, smoked salmon, wilted spinach and a Hollandaise – in just 45 minutes.
Sabina delivered the standout dish and was handed an apron, while the final place went to Sam, sending Matt and Brendan home.
The final challenge of the heat saw the remaining four cook and deliver a two-course meal to last year’s finalists – Claire Syrenne, winner Harry Maguire and Sophie Sugrue.
Two-course Meals – Heat One
Jhane
Sri Lankan tiger prawn curry with spring onion Jamaican rotis
Layered lemon cake with cheesecake icing and blueberry compote
Rosdip
Chicken and cabbage Johl Momo
Pan-fried cod marinated in cumin, with yam mash and garlic sauce
Sabina
Piyaju – lentil and onion fritter with three chillies, coriander and turmeric
Sunday chicken curry
Sam
Pan-fried seabass with pomme purée, samphire and buerre blanc sauce
Lemon posset with pistachio praline and raspberry coulis
Sabina “really shone bright” in the challenge, according to Anna, who cited her cooking and timing as “excellent”, while Grace praised Jhane’s “really authentic” Sri Lankan curry for being “fragrant with coconut”.
Both earned places in Thursday’s quarter-final, leaving a choice between Rosdip and Sam for the final spot.
The judges liked the subtlety of Rosdip’s Momo and well-cooked cod, while Sam delivered a lumpy pomme purée and a loose posset. As a result the final place in the quarter-final went to Rosdip, with Sam going home.
“I am still on a high even though I didn’t get through,” she said afterwards. “I’ve got my apron, I had an amazing time and now I can sleep for a week.”
MasterChef continues Wednesday night at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
