MasterChef: The Professionals (UK) - General Discussion

[Mellowyellow]

On 12/20/2022 at 8:15 PM, Sarnia said:

Very happy with the winner. Sagar may have taken it if he hadn't served piping bag to Anna, poor guy must be so upset. He's a very interesting chef though, I do hope he finds his own spot in this industry.

Is Monica supposed to be back next season? I would love to have her back but Anna wasn't bad. Marcus was also a bit rough around the edges in his first season, so if Anna remains I'm hoping she will ease into it. Also, I love her accent 😉

Oh I was so torn when they announced Monica coming back. Looooooove Monica and am thrilled to have her back but I was pretty fond of Anna too and thought she did a great job so I'm sad that I won't see her again. 

[TVbitch]

On 6/9/2023 at 12:30 PM, lambertman said:

BTW, Michel Roux has a new series called “Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef” that just started on C4. The story I read says it’ll be on Netflix in the States later this year, so no need to do anything… sketchy :)

Watched it and really liked it! Great to see MRJ again! I made a thread for it. 

https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/139499-five-star-kitchen-britain’s-next-great-chef-with-michel-roux-jr/

[RealityCheck]

According to this article, series 16 of MasterChef: The Professionals will air for six weeks on BBC One November, 2023.

[Athena]

Marcus is closing his flagship Marcus at Belgravia restaurant. That's two of the MC judges closing their Michelin starred restaurants. I was really gutted because I had one of the best meals of my life at Marcus. Amazing food and service. I briefly saw the back of Marcus and former winner Craig was in the kitchen. The staff were fantastic and gave us autographed copies of one of Marcus's cookbooks.  Marcus like Michel is not retiring and did mention his TV commitments.

During COVID, there was speculation that we'd lose at least a third of restaurants. While the industry has mostly rebounded, supply chain, inflation, and labour shortages have disrupted things making it harder for all.

[Mellowyellow]

45 minutes ago, Athena said:

Marcus is closing his flagship Marcus at Belgravia restaurant. That's two of the MC judges closing their Michelin starred restaurants. I was really gutted because I had one of the best meals of my life at Marcus. Amazing service and I did briefly see the back of Marcus and former winner Craig was in the kitchen. The staff were fantastic and gave us autographed copies of one of Marcus's cookbooks.  Marcus like Michel is not retiring and did mention his TV commitments.

During COVID, there was speculation that we'd lose at least a third of restaurants. While the industry has mostly rebounded, supply chain, inflation, and labour shortages have disrupted things making it harder for all.

Marcus also has a new show about a small farm that he's running. I wonder if at this point it's just easier and more lucrative to take on TV commitments rather than battle it out in the restaurant industry. 

[Athena]

10 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Marcus also has a new show about a small farm that he's running. I wonder if at this point it's just easier and more lucrative to take on TV commitments rather than battle it out in the restaurant industry. 

I definitely think that is what has happened to both Michel and Marcus. While they both had big staff to run the day to day of the restaurant, it was still a big part of their business. Neither of them wanted a big food empire like Gordon Ramsay. They have better work-life balance too. Marcus's restaurant was in a posh hotel which probably had a stiffer lease and business agreement and its implied Marcus and team decided not to renew.

The new show is cute. We watched most of the first season.

[Spunkygal]

13 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Marcus also has a new show about a small farm that he's running. I wonder if at this point it's just easier and more lucrative to take on TV commitments rather than battle it out in the restaurant industry. 

Oooh, what’s the name of his farm show?

[TVbitch]

Marcus Wareing Tales From a Kitchen Garden. 

I'm sure the television gigs are much more lucrative and way less stressful, so I don't blame Michel and Marcus for shifting to that. They are both getting a bit older and have fully achieved their restaurant successes. I did enjoy Michel's "5 Star Kitchen: Britain's Next Great Chef" show, but not sure if it will get a second season. 

 

 

[Spunkygal]

Thank you, Bitch!

[RealityCheck]

The new season of MASTERCHEF UK THE PROFESSIONALS premieres Monday October 23 on BBC One with three episodes airing each week. We expect there to be four weeks of heats, followed by the semi-finals and finals.

[TVbitch]

Attention Jay Rayner fans. He turned up as a sitter on the current season of Portrait Artist of the Year, episode 2. We learned he is also a Jazz musician on keyboards and does about 50 gigs a year. Two painters did quite nice portraits of him! 

[Spunkygal]

14 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Attention Jay Rayner fans. He turned up as a sitter on the current season of Portrait Artist of the Year, episode 2. We learned he is also a Jazz musician on keyboards and does about 50 gigs a year. Two painters did quite nice portraits of him! 

He’s a great account to follow on IG. He posts pics of all that food from various restaurants that he’s critiquing, as well as where the upcoming gigs of the Jay Raynor Sextet will be. Wouldn’t it be a hoot to go to one of his gigs?

[Spunkygal]

I am actually quite embarrassed to say how thrilled I am that this show is back! Love it so much. I liked Anna ok, but love having Monica back since she’s an original. I’m not going to spoiler anything until someone is a spectacular stand out. It’s too early to remember who anyone is. All that being said….

skills test: one standout in preparing brill. Well done, young man! Hollandaise…In general, I would marry that sauce if it were legal. I’ve only had it with fresh lemon but will try it with Sherry vinegar now. 

whiskey panacotta? YES PLEASE! 

Welcome back, show, I’ve missed you! XXXOOO

 

 

[TVbitch]

I am also thrilled the show (and Monica) are back. I have been rewatching old seasons and just finished season 7, which was Marcus' first. I must say, he was super harsh in his first season... and I I loved it! He seems kinder now, trying to come up with a positive to open with. Maybe he learned that from Monica. 

[Athena]

49 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I must say, he was super harsh in his first season... and I I loved it! He seems kinder now, trying to come up with a positive to open with. Maybe he learned that from Monica. 

Yes, I sometimes miss stern Marcus too because his smiles were so rare and worth it. Before this show, he was very harsh on Great British Menu but always right.

Monica use to be the "Bad Cop" on this show. I rewatched Monica's first episode on the show S02E01 the other day and she was so harsh too: "If you presented that to Michel, he would tell you it's a dog's dinner!"

[TVbitch]

Not a fan of it now being Greg and Marcus for critics round, instead of Monica and Marcus. I tolerate him, but one thing this show does not need is more Greg!

Marcus' reaction to Laura's spicy broth was hilarious!

I can only catch a fraction of what Molly is saying, but I don't mind. She's like an adorable very talented chipmunk squeaking at me. 😁

[Spunkygal]

Anyone else a big Vicar of Dibley fan? He’s gone now, but when Ieuan was competing, I got the giggles thinking of the V of D episode when Tristan comes over to ask Geraldine to marry him. Of course he’s asking her to perform the ceremony and a mix-up ensues. Anyways, his fiancé is Aoife (“Eefa”) and Geraldine says, didn’t leave any vowels for anyone else, did you?🤣🤣

Molly as a talented chipmunk is a great description! I’m also impressed with Lauren. That banana catsup was genius.

[TVbitch]

😱 What was that guy even THINKING making Marcus' egg custard tart?! You are supposed to show the judges YOUR food in the signature round, not their food! Oooh Marcus was pissed. When he said "Do you know why it tastes good ~cuz it's MY recipe" you just know he want to add "fucker!" onto the end of that. 🤣 Dude, you do not get between a man and his egg custard tart that he served to the queen. I enjoyed seeing salty Marcus again! ❤️

[TVbitch]

I don't know which is more impressive: that Philippe thought he only had 17 (not 70) minutes to make his tart and it still tasted good ...or Grace Dent's glow up! 

[Sarnia]

I'm catching up on the season and I'm on Ep6 so far. I'm so mad at Evelina for messing up the invention test, as her two dishes in the signature dish test looked absolutely wonderful. Very happy the show is back!

[Sarnia]

And I'm on Ep 9 now. So happy that Philippe's trip-up in the invention test did not cost him the competition. His dishes for the critic looked absolutely amazing and very unique. I'm rooting for him now (which means he will probably be eliminated soon, based on my track record in the previous season... please don't spoil me if that is the case). (Edit: oh, just realized that next episodes are with a batch of new chefs again so we don't know Philippe's fate at the moment!)

Edited November 16, 2023 by Sarnia

[Spunkygal]

Wow, red headed Tom is impressive! He’s going to go far.

[TVbitch]

I think Tristan might be my Masterchef boyfriend this year. He's quite sparkly. But very demure though. I might have to have an affair with either Tom or Philippe! 🤣

[Spunkygal]

Spoiler

Lauren

might just be the sleeper this season. I’m very impressed. They all did well with the pop up restaurant.

Spoiler

Molly

did deserve to go home.  You could tell it just didn’t come together in a flavorful way.

I’m hiding spoilers because I feel like we are not all in sync on when we watch the show, and we’re at the stage where we know who the chefs are and have our favorites. In the early days, it didn’t matter to me if I was spoiled because I couldn’t keep them straight!

[Ancaster]

Ooh!  I just spent a couple of lovely hours of my solitary Thanksgiving embarking on this latest season.  I am so excited to have a whole new season to look forward to.  I think this is perhaps my favourite iteration of all the different competitive cooking shows, though I did really enjoy the British family cooking one too.  (I think it's on Newtflix - just a couple of seasons.)

[Ancaster]

Incidentally, anyone who enjoys this might well like The Great British Sewing Bee.  It's similar to GBBO in construct and feel.  I can't sew to save my life (though maybe my dignity in a pinch), and I rarely bake though I consider myself a good home cook, but I do love both these shows.

I'm just starting the first season, and I have to say the judges are rather mean but in a good way!  Think early Marcus.  They are definitely fair, but don't pull any punches.  The single host, Claudia Winkelman, is similar to original version Sue and Mel and is generally lovely and a bit quirky.  Oh, and much much shorter than the UK and Aus Masterchefs, so much less of a time commitment, especially if you're just dipping your toe into something you're not sure about.

Edited November 24, 2023 by Ancaster

[Spunkygal]

Episode 15:

Every dish in that pop up restaurant looked fab! Not surprised that

Spoiler

Phillipe’s donut

was the favorite. In the next round, I was afraid that 

Spoiler

Tom

would be eliminated. 

Spoiler

That rolled up thing seemed to drag the dish down. I suspect that his octopus dish in the pop up round edged him ahead of Cecily. 

I wonder if Monica is having eye problems. Several times when she was talking to the chefs, she was really squinting. I don’t remember her doing that before. She didn’t do it the entire show, just occasionally. Maybe she’s done it before and I’m just now noticing?

[TVbitch]

Hi @Ancaster, there is a forum here for GBSB. Love it! Esme and Patrick are my favorite judges of all time! 

------

Through Episode 15 spoiler alert....

Sigh. So my Masterchef boyfriend lasted about as long as my real life boyfriends, but thank goodness my two side dishes (Tom and Philippe) survived! I have never seen anyone as smiley and nonchalant about being panned and eliminated as Tristan. ...And I do not think Marcus was enjoying Tristan's unrelentingly sunny "it's only a cooking competition" demeanor! 🤣

Marcus' attempt at fakeout criticism that turned into a compliment over Kasae's dessert taco left everyone blinking in mystification. Do not quit your day job, Marcus! 😁 

[Spunkygal]

Episode 16

That salt and pepper challenge was one of the most interesting themes they’ve ever had! I was amazed at what 

Spoiler

Kasae

created. 

Spoiler

Marcus faked her out again with his comment about Roquefort! 🤣

And I was surprised that 

Spoiler

Phillipe

didn’t perform as expected. But all in all, I’m fine with the six going through. 

[Spunkygal]

Episodes 17 and 18: 

Very impressive! 

Spoiler

So Lauren and James leave. Lauren was one of my favs but she will reap the rewards from being on the show. I still say Tom is the one to beat. On a shallow note, I just love his smile, if I were a few decades younger, I’d be knocking on his door! 🤣 Whoever wins will be very deserving. This is a great group.

 

[TVbitch]

On another forum I read that Marcus is now only a one star chef! 😱 I don't listen to the opening anymore and didn't realize it now just says "Michelin starred chef Marcus..." instead of "3 Michelin starred chef Marcus...." I wonder what happened?! 

SPOILER ALERT THROUGH EPISODE 18!!!!

Shocked Philippe and James went out! Totally Tom's to lose now, although Tommy is looking to pip him at the post! James can probably get a job with the Upstairs owner, who seemed to really vibe with him. (I could not really understand a word that guy said!) Chef's Table should be spectacular! 

[Spunkygal]

Episode 19:

Spoiler

So the final three are Tom, Tommy and Kasae. I am really beginning to think that Kasae might just win this. Sorry, but I’m not going to eat a kangaroo. Her dessert at chef’s table looked spectacular. Ferrero Rocher is my favorite candy so I would have been in hog heaven! The boys really gave themselves a lot to prep to do for chef’s table. I never thought Tom would get all those prawns prepped. 

I can’t believe we’re already at the finals! This season has, sadly, flown by. Tom’s smile continues to charm me. I bet he was a cheeky lad. 

 

[Spunkygal]

THE FINAL!

I always love seeing the chefs in their own habitats. 

Tommy has a lovely partner and a beautiful bouncing baby boy. Tommy said he didn’t grow up with a dad and wants to be there for his boy. ❤️

Kasae’s mum left her and her brother when they were very young and they were raised by their grands. Seems she has a lovely partner.

Tom’s parents are both chefs and I think Tom’s dad must have had red hair back in the day. A lovely young lady was shown at the table with the family at the end of the family visit and it may have been the brother’s GF? No mention of a GF for Tom which surprised me, he’s so adorable.

On to the competition! 

Spoiler

This was 100% Tom’s to lose. I was sad for Kasae when her dessert didn’t work the way she wanted but she regrouped and they loved it. Her wasabi sorbet was intriguing. Loved how Marcus tried to calm her down when she realized her dessert wasn’t working.

They raved and raved about Tom’s courses and I would have too. Tommy had a good showing too. All three of them should be very proud and will undoubtedly have amazing careers.

So! Was this the first time that anyone other than Greg named the winner? I was surprised when Monica named the winner. Maybe I’ve had too much red wine and am not remembering correctly. I’ll go back and look a past seasons. 

Thank you show. Another season that didn’t disappoint. ❤️💋

 

[TVbitch]

I figured it would be a battle of the Toms. Tommy had been kind of sneaking up on everyone. When he said he had been cooking something for months for his dish 😱🤣, I thought he just might steal this one. But I agree, it was always Tom's to lose and he came through brilliantly. His food was GORGEOUS and apparently flawless. What a lovely guy. He is probably too busy to date, but it's nice to see he has a trusty dog to go down to the lake with! 

A word about Alchemist in Denmark. I mean, I enjoy a planetarium-based restaurant as much as the next girl 🤷‍♀️, but is that guy really helping the planet as much as he effused was his mission by using all that tech and wait/cook/performance staff and space and resources to make food that might make rich people think about their consumption. 🤔I looked it up online, and it's $707 USD to eat there, $2,151 with wine. 

And finally, please, for the love of God, can Greg retire his "woah" face and come up with a new reaction when interacting with the chefs. 🙄😖

[TVbitch]

FYI - The Masterchef Christmas special "Battle of the Critics" featured Jay Raynor, Grace Dent, William Sitwell, and Leyla Kazim. (Greg and John hosting.)

[Spunkygal]

On 1/1/2024 at 6:21 PM, TVbitch said:

FYI - The Masterchef Christmas special "Battle of the Critics" featured Jay Raynor, Grace Dent, William Sitwell, and Leyla Kazim. (Greg and John hosting.)

That was such fun. I LOL’d throughout much of it. Grace especially was hilarious. I was surprised at how emotional several of them were, particularly William! Jay has always been my favorite critic and his food looked amazing. So glad he won. On IG he posted a pic of him with the golden cutlery trophy at home but this site says it’s too big. Very enjoyable hour!

[Spunkygal]

For you fellow fan girls of Michel Roux, the free Tv app TUBI has several shows featuring that lovely man. Just enter his name in the app’s search feature. I’m about to start Michel Roux’s French Country Cooking which also stars his lovely wife. 

[Sarnia]

New season has started, yay! It's Marcus' tenth season, didn't realise it was so long. Strong first week, really impressed by

Spoiler

Gaston and Chloe.

I am very on the fence with snails but I would have happily tasted that snail shepherd's pie.

[Spunkygal]

On 10/29/2024 at 4:56 AM, Sarnia said:

New season has started, yay! It's Marcus' tenth season, didn't realise it was so long. Strong first week, really impressed by

  Reveal spoiler

Gaston and Chloe.

I am very on the fence with snails but I would have happily tasted that snail shepherd's pie.

I also was happy that 

Spoiler

Gareth 

finished strong. It’s so great to have the show back! And our beloved food critics too. I never tire of Jay’s dry wit. I, too, am not a snail fan but would have tried the shepherd’s pie. A good start to the season so far!

[Sarnia]

I was worried that the Gregg Wallace debacle would lead to the cancellation of the rest of the season, and for the sake of the chefs I'm glad it didn't. The semi final week (Ep 16, 17 and 18) was quite wonderful, the chefs are all incredibly skilled and there seem to be a lot of camaraderie between them, which is heartwarming to see. I'm rooting hard for

Spoiler

Gaston

but any one of them would be a worthy winner. It was sad to see

Spoiler

William

stumble in the last episode, but at least it made the judges' decision easy.

Edited December 3 by Sarnia

[Spunkygal]

The Gregg Wallace debacle??? Guess I need to google what that is.

This week’s episodes were so impressive. I’m rooting for all of them. 
 

Spoiler

Dan was so brave to do the sorbet at the garden lock and he crushed it! 

 

[Spunkygal]

Oh dear. I really enjoy Gregg on the Masterchef franchise. He clearly must be dropped. 
Edited to add: the incident I read about were the “eton mess” lewd comments he made to his ghostwriter. I have since read a few suggestive comments made during shows but really those were nothing that you don’t already hear on a lot of shows.  Mel and Sue, Noel, others make innuendos quite frequently. But the eton mess comments were directed toward a particular person and suggestive about what she might do with the eton mess. I welcome anyone else’s thoughts on this. Should they drop Gregg?

Edited December 7 by Spunkygal

[Sarnia]

My understanding is that he has made comments (and has had some bad behaviour) to contestants and/or crew members outside of the camera. He also made recently a comment that his problems came from "middle-class women of a certain age", which, as one myself 😉, I find quite cringe-worthy. At this point he should just shut up and let the storm pass. I don't know what is true or not, and whether they should drop him or not (but they probably will). The Christmas Celebrity special has been cancelled. As a viewer, I quite like Gregg and can't remember hearing him say things that shocked me, but I'm aware what we see on TV is not always what happens behind the scene. I find this all quite sad (even more sad if it's true).

Edited December 9 by Sarnia

[TVbitch]

I had no idea this was going on! I have been thoughouly enjoying this year's competition and just caught up. What an amazing group this year. So much fellowship between them. I was absolutely gutted that Gaston faltered at the semi-final. He would have loved that Ireland visit so much. What a lovely man. 

I am rooting for Dan, now. He just seems to be on a rarified level and ingenius in what he produces. George is perfection at what he does, but it doesn't seem like anything particularly new or exciting. The woman (geez, her name escapes me at the moment) is clearly a gifted natural and so adventurous. I fully expect her to have her own restaurant of culinary creations. She could take the crown if she comes up with something extraordinary for the final.

Greg is pretty darn good as this job and I can't even imagine someone else doing it. But if he is abusing staff or contestants, then so be it. I thought I wouldn't get over them changing the host of the Artist of the Year competitions because he was so perfect in the role, but they chose well and I did. And while I still miss Michel, I adapted to Marcus just fine.

The lewdest thing I heard this year was when Monica pointed out that Gaston was going to plug his butterhole!  She laughed when she realized what she said and so did Gaston. 

 

[Spunkygal]

Chiara is the female chef and she is amazing isn’t she! I like all three finalists but Dan is my favorite by just a skosh . I felt so badly for Gaston too. Not just because of the sauce fiasco but the grainy mousse. That’s a cardinal sin!

Regarding Monica’s butterplug comment, I lol’d when she said it. My own late precious mother had a spicy sense of humor. If true, I don’t care for comments like what Gregg supposedly said to the ghostwriter about the eton mess. I don’t consider that an innocent innuendo. That said, I’d hate to see him leave the franchise. I agree with @TVbitch that is tough to lose a prominent host or judge (Roux vs Waring) but it will all work out. I would add more but this forum hates it when I post a response via iPad. I bet my post here disappeared five times so I’ll stop now! 😂😂

[Spunkygal]

What a spectacular final! 
 

Spoiler

I’m so happy for Dan and got a little teary. He so deserved it. George and Chiara were brilliant, too, but I really thought it would be Dan. I would happily gobble up any of their dishes! 😋

I do appreciate that on IG earlier today, before the winner was posted on the MC account, they did a “spoiler alert” countdown of about five seconds so you could quickly click away before the reveal. 

Well done, show. Now to get the Gregg situation sorted out. 

Edited December 13 by Spunkygal

[Sarnia]

I was really sad for Gaston also, but the grainy mousse is a cardinal sin so his elimination was the right decision. I cracked up at Monica's comment, I had the feeling it was done "innocently" and then she realised what she had said. I may be wrong.

Very very worthy winner, I teared up a little, it was really emotional. Absolutely wonderful final and I wish all three finalists (and Gaston) a brilliant career. I hope it's not the end of the show. We managed to transition from Michel Roux to Marcus, so I'm sure we can get used to another host, if it comes to that.

[TVbitch]

Yes outstanding final! Marcus said it was the best he has seen. I actually thought George might pip Dan at the post when Marcus spent so much time telling George how perfect everything was. He may have done the best on the day, but Dan was clearly the overall competition winner. I teared up for him too, there is something so genuine and vulnerable about him. They all supported each other so beautifully.

I can't believe they would cancel the show. It's an institution, and I don't think that serves anyone. I think even the people who may have been harmed by Greg would not want to punish the show or the worthy contestants for whom it is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm just glad I have all seasons downloaded so I can watch them again.

I have been watching the early seasons of Masterchef, which I've never seen, and I did find it interesting how you can see Greg's ego grow as he goes from "fruit and veg supplier" to expert, food writer, and judge with a lot to say.