MasterChef 2026 Heat Two / BBC
Three more contestants have made it through to this week’s first quarter-final on MasterChef.
Those three will join heat one winners Sabina, Grace and Rosdip in Thursday night’s decider, where only half of them will advance to Knockout Week next month.
The six contestants in the second heat were:
- Amy, 64, from London via Massachusetts
- Jim, 45, from Derbyshire
- Luca, 34, from Hertfordshire via Italy
- Maddie, 28, from Southampton
- Maria, 40, from West London
- Michael, 34, from Wolverhampton
For the first challenge the contestants were asked to deliver their signature dish in one hour 30 minutes in order to win one of two fast-track aprons to the final challenge.
The contestants’ dishes included a Moroccan-inspired risotto, a classic Spanish combination and an amorous Persian dessert.
Signature Dishes – Heat Two
Amy
Pistachio Persian love cake with Persian rose water and saffron ice cream
Jim
Pan-seared Iberico pork with manchego croquettes and romesco sauce
Luca
Risotto with ras el hanout and mint & lemon pesto, with side of beetroot cubes
Maddie
King prawn and scallop alfredo with homemade tagiatelle
Maria
Baked donut with grilled pineapple marinated in lime and chilli, with a ginger custard
Michael
Parmigiano risotto with short rib braised in dandelion and burdock
Judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh put Jim straight through to the final challenge, citing his “passion and skills”, as well as Maddie, who was singled out by Anna for her “super pasta skills”.
The remaining four then faced the Classic Recipe test, which required them to prepare a dish of chicken breast, green beans, creamy mash and a red wine sauce in 45 minutes.
As simple as the dish sounded, it presented problems for some of the chefs – with Maria committing the cardinal sin of serving undercooked chicken.
Italy-born Luca, meanwhile, struggled with his mash and served up something the judges described as resembling “potato soup”.
As a result both Luca and Maria were shown the door, with Amy and Michael progressing to the final challenge.
For a place in the quarter-finals the contestants had 1 hour 15 minutes to prepare a two-course meal for the guest diners – former finalist Alexina Anatole and previous winners Eddie Scott and Jane Devonshire.
Michael’s menu was inspired by two of his favourite authors – gothic horror writer HP Lovecraft and Frank Herbert, writer of the Dune books – while Jim, who is half-Sri Lankan, served up dishes paying tribute to his heritage.
Maddie recreated the first “big-girl dish” she ever cooked, and for former US diplomat Amy, her menu recalled an unusual combination – fish with passionfruit – that she fell in love with on holiday in Peru.
Two-course Meals – Heat Two
Amy
Poached salmon with parsnip purée and passionfruit sauce
Chocolate fondant with peanut butter centre and strawberry cream
Jim
Pan-seared scallop with mango relish and tamarind sauce
Grandma’s monkfish curry with fragrant rice and coconut sambal
Maddie
Duck breast with confit duck bonbons, star anise carrots and blackberry jus
Lavender and lemon posset with shortbread biscuit
Michael
Pan-seared scallops with cinammon and black pudding foam
Venison loin with rosemary potatoes, cranberry sprouts and Diane sauce
Jim’s offering of his cherished Grandma’s fish curry saw him voted as the dining room’s cook of the day and he earned the first quarter-final spot of the heat.
Michael was criticised for his “not nice” starter and Maddie’s timing issues meant that she failed to serve her shortbread biscuit, however both were praised for the cookery of the meat in their mains.
That proved enough to see them also make it through ahead of Amy after the judges decided that her fish-with-passionfruit combination did not work.
“It doesn’t feel great to be going home, but I’ve had a great time,” Amy said afterwards. “I think I will continue to push the envelope where flavours are concerned – and sometimes they won’t work, and sometimes they will.”
MasterChef continues with the first quarter-final on Thursday night at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
