Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

MasterChef: The Professionals (UK) - General Discussion


  • Reply
  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

@TVbitch, I do agree that Liam cooks with passion, but I wouldn’t say he cooks with smiles like Aaron does. He’s so intense! Regarding the mistakes in Marcus’s dish, I can see the error in missing the langoustine/lobster(?) vein, but the cling wrap? Oy! I may have shared this story before but in a restaurant in Glenwood Springs CO, I ordered a grilled chicken sammy for lunch. When I lifted the top bun to squirt on the mustard, the plastic bread tab from the bag of buns was on the chicken breast! How does that happen? So I have no sympathy for a non-food item being in a dish. 

It took a while for me to warm up to Dan and several times I thought he was a goner. But his cute family were so endearing. I don’t know anything about a bonus episode, but, yes please! 

Helpful tip on the bread tab: use them to tag the cords of your devices when you have lots of stuff in a power strip. Get a sharpie and write laptop, printer, scanner, DVR, etc., and then fit it around each cord near the strip. That way if you have to unplug one item, you don’t have to fiddle around to see which is which! You’re welcome! 🤣

 

Edited by Spunkygal
  • Love 2
Link to comment

That's true, @Spunkygal, Liam was INTENSE during his cooks. He did balance it with being smiley and funny in between. Um, when he wasn't crying. : D I enjoyed his emotions, whereas Dan was much more stoic. As am I, which is probably why I am drawn to less stoic people!

I forgot to mention Aaron making up his own newpaper which I assumed announced him winning the competition. It was cheeky, but at that level of fine dining, I thought it was maybe a cheek too far.  Wrapping his fries in that gave them a street food vibe. I couldn't tell if Marcus was looking at it like LOL, OMG, or WTF. I was also bummed when Aaron said that he "learned" from Ducasse that his dishes need to have a story. I disagree!! In conclusion, I hope they didn't ruin Aaron! : D

  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 12/18/2021 at 8:58 AM, TVbitch said:

Dan really did knock it out of the park on all three dishes. Aaron has been so consistent and really proved himself throughout, he just didn't wow them as much on the day. I think Liam came in second, and also think Dan would have won regardless of Liam's mistakes. I love that Aaron and Liam always cook with passion and smiles. I never warmed as much to Dan because he cooks more from anxiety, but he is amazing. I kind of felt Dan was gonna win it after, Liam said that was what he dreamed. I'm sure all three of these guys have huge opportunities coming. 

I hope they have a bonus episode with returning chefs. Does anyone know if they will?

 

On 12/18/2021 at 9:35 AM, Spunkygal said:

@TVbitch, I do agree that Liam cooks with passion, but I wouldn’t say he cooks with smiles like Aaron does. He’s so intense! ...

It took a while for me to warm up to Dan and several times I thought he was a goner. But his cute family were so endearing. I don’t know anything about a bonus episode, but, yes please!

I agree about Dan basically winning with his menu. Marcus had heart eyes for his dishes that he didn't have with the others. Even if Liam hadn't made t hose mistakes, he was probably one step behind Dan's menu. I know Dan had won it when Marcus said his dish was dish of the day. Marcus and Monica have basically equal votes and Greg less so. Actually back when Michel was on, I don't think Greg even got a say in the finale.

I felt so bad for Liam because you can tell he is an absolute perfectionist who beats himself up. He won't have trouble finding work that's for sure.

As for Dan, I am really happy for him. I agree with you both that I had some hard time warming up to Dan. I didn't like how he would freak out every time he had to improvise. However, alongside Daniel, his food was always the one I would gravitate towards. Dan and I also have a similar background and I've knew all the ingredients and flavours he mentioned. I like Aaron's consistency and jovial stance and Liam's determination and take on British food, but I much preferred Daniel's Portugese seafood style or Dan's East Asian dishes.

Yes, there will be a Masterchef Pros: Rematch 2021 edition next Monday Dec 27! Four former cheftestants return.

Masterchef has a Champions of Champions. The Celeb edition also has a holiday special.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

Yay! Thanks @Athena! I also would go for Dan and Daniel's more complex flavors over the meat and veg stuff, though I would not kick any of the last couple weeks of plates out of bed! I think Daniel could have been a contender, but he seemed to peter out. He probably exhausted himself and then his level slipped. 

What is MC Champion of Champions? Is that something new and when is it on? 

Edited by TVbitch
  • Love 2
Link to comment
2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

What is MC Champion of Champions? Is that something new and when is it on? 

It's basically an All Star episode for the amateur Masterchef UK. Five former champions return. It airs Dec 31. We can discuss it in the other thread.

I was sad about Daniel as he was my favourite, but I knew once he messed up the chef's table, he really needed herculean effort to get into the finale. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

MC Pro Rematch:

Some really amazing plates. Philli is not my cup of tea, though, with the party favors and the menu map. That diagram and choice of SIX sauces would have filled me with anxiety, cuz I would have had to taste them all and start combining them and trying to make sure I am getting the tastiest combination of everything. I don't want to have to have a therapy session about it, I just want the chef to tell me the best way to eat it! 

Okay, I will admit I was not super into Santosh during his season, but he probably deserved to win. However, I do not feel the same on this program. I know he made 500 dishes, but Bart blew the critics away and I thought he should have been the winner. The whole point was about how they had grown and where they were at now, and Bart showed real growth and depth, whereas Santosh was still showcasing the Nepalese flavors he showcased in his season. I'm sure Marcus could explain his reasoning, and I would be happy to sit down with him and come to terms on the matter. : D 

 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

MC Pro Rematch:

Some really amazing plates. Philli is not my cup of tea, though, with the party favors and the menu map. That diagram and choice of SIX sauces would have filled me with anxiety, cuz I would have had to taste them all and start combining them and trying to make sure I am getting the tastiest combination of everything. I don't want to have to have a therapy session about it, I just want the chef to tell me the best way to eat it! 

Okay, I will admit I was not super into Santosh during his season, but he probably deserved to win. However, I do not feel the same on this program. I know he made 500 dishes, but Bart blew the critics away and I thought he should have been the winner. The whole point was about how they had grown and where they were at now, and Bart showed real growth and depth, whereas Santosh was still showcasing the Nepalese flavors he showcased in his season. I'm sure Marcus could explain his reasoning, and I would be happy to sit down with him and come to terms on the matter. : D 

 

Excellent post and I agree about both Philli and Santosh! Jay was, as always, funny when he remarked that he didn’t want to play a party game with her flow chart. Wasn’t it Philli who had the overwhelming basil oil on a dish (a dessert)? And regarding Santosh, I am easily overwhelmed by cuisines that offer too many choices. I recently concluded watching the Family Cooking Showdown or whatever it is called and so many of those families offered numerous little dishes of this and that just like Santosh does. Yes, it all looks tasty but I don’t want all that. I would prefer Bart’s sole dish over all the other dishes. Jamie’s dishes looked good, too, even the chicken breast wrapped in haggis. After enough wine, I might even be willing to try his haggis! However, I got the feeling from the beginning that Santosh would win. It was impressive when Jay said he had been a judge for a decade and that that was the best day he’d ever judged. Yet another satisfying episode from one of my top three favorite shows. 
 

 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Nooooooooo!!!!!! I love her. Is it just going to be Marcus and Greg?! I think they need the third judge. 

Although John Torode and Greg handle regular MasterChef just fine. But Marcus is much more stolid and stoic than John, which is fine, but he needs that more playful energy to balance him out.

Link to comment

We will have to monitor the show’s social media to see if they bring in another judge. Yes, they do need another judge and there are many wonderful female chefs in the UK who probably wouldn’t mind doing it for a year. It would provide good pr for their restaurant too! 

Link to comment

For all you Jay Rayner fans who also watch The Repair Shop:

On this week’s episode, Jay’s sister, Amanda, brings in a cherished plate from their parents’ 50th anniversary celebration. Friends and family who attended the party signed a ceramic plate with loving messages. After they passed, Amanda inherited the plate but it was accidentally broken into lots of pieces. The ceramic lady Kirsten did her usual amazing job of putting it back together. I was hoping that Jay would accompany Amanda for the big reveal but he didn’t. Apparently their parents were pretty well-known. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
22 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Apparently their parents were pretty well-known. 

Jay's mother Claire Rayner was a prolific writer, broadcaster, and patient/health advocate. With older generations, Jay is more known as being her son; she was much more famous than he is in her prime. It's funny because this also applies to another critic judge from this show: Tom Parker Bowles.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Yay it's back! I watched the first two episodes. I miss Monica but Anna Haugh is interesting. Maybe a little bit stressed in these early stages but hopefully she'll ease into it like Marcus did.

The contestants on the second episode were a little underwhelming. I'm sorry they had to cut out

Spoiler

Beatrice

, I would have like to see more of these ideas, but it was the right decision.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

My app will only let me watch episode 1 today but I have to say it was a delightful hour! I’ve missed those skill tests! I am unfamiliar with the new judge but I think I’m going to like her. The right person went home. Really, how much is performance on the skill test taken into account when they’re discussing who to eliminate? It seems to me that

Spoiler

the female chef did better than the male chef in skills challenge so shouldn’t that be a factor?

Welcome back, you wonderful show! ❤️ Looking forward to episode 2 tomorrow.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

My dish through Episode 3.

Every season Marcus gets a crush or two on young chefs he thinks he sees something in. In episode 1, he was clearly crushing on William even as he pretty much failed the skills test. Then even though he made big mistakes in the second round, Marcus made the rare exception to put three through to the quarter final and included William. I KNEW he would, cuz he was crushin'. 😁 But, oh no, then Marcus got crushed in Episode 3, cuz William laid an egg trying to be cool and different. Marcus was bummed, but the female chef who went through to semis put a smile back on his face at least. Look I am not judging Marcus and his crushes. I think they are adorable, and he usually has a great eye for talent that is not quite uncovered yet. 

Not sure how I feel about the new judge yet. I like her okay but I do miss Monica. She's got that playful imp energy that sometimes makes Marcus laugh and brings him out of his shell a bit. He needs that. 

  • LOL 1
Link to comment
2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Look I am not judging Marcus and his crushes. I think they are adorable, and he usually has a great eye for talent that is not quite uncovered yet. 

Yes, I love when Marcus has that glint in his eye when he sees young talent. One of the winners of this show Craig Johnston is now the Head Chef of Marcus's Michelin starred restaurant and has been working for him since he won like 4-5 years ago.

On 11/5/2022 at 5:47 PM, Spunkygal said:

Really, how much is performance on the skill test taken into account when they’re discussing who to eliminate?

I've found that skills test is weighed about 25-40% on the final judging in the first round. If the chef aces their own dish in some way (great cooking, originality, how they work), it can eclipse their skills test. Monica and Marcus were generally more forgiving about the nerves in the first test. They understand that these chefs are not use to being filmed and interviewed this way. It's basically an extreme audition for cooking.

I still need to catch up and only watching here and there. I'll likely binge most of it at Christmas.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I’m caught up and I’m so glad that Jonny with the huge blue eye tat on the top of his hand is gone. Tats don’t usually bother me, but that eye was creeping me out.

Also, am I the only one that during the skills test when they had to pull the fat away from the kidney was thinking “oh dear, I wonder how much fat is around my kidneys?!” 😬

Edited by Spunkygal
  • Love 1
Link to comment

Episode 4: 

Wow, what nerves on display by all four chefs! Don’t get me wrong…I’d be so nervous I’d probably chop several fingers off. But crikey! The skills tests were painful. I agree with the two they put through but they didn’t have much competition.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Episode 5:

Poor Marcus, getting his heart broken again. 😁 

Not sure how I am feeling about Anna. She's trying to do the skills test faces that Monica perfected, but it comes off mostly as a performance to me. I am also not seeing a ton of chemistry between Marcus and Anna. 

Link to comment

Episode 8:

It doesn’t matter since he was eliminated but

Spoiler

I’ve never seen Marcus give a chef clues during the skills test like he did with Ishmael during the peach dish. He practically told him to poach the peaches in a smaller, deeper pan and to add the too soft peaches that he had set aside to Ishmael’s watery purée. Then Ishmael bombed in round 2. I liked the kid but I knew he wasn’t going further.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Maybe Marcus didn't want him to embarrass himself. Some of these skills challenges are pretty "oof!" I mean, even I know what poaching means, for fooks sake. 🤣🤷‍♀️

For the round ending Episode 9: 

I was kind of bummed the weird girl with her weird flavors didn't do better. And just when think Sagar is going to totally kill the week, the critics don't like his dessert!

Link to comment

Episode 11:

Spoiler

wow, Therese certainly got it together and knocked the socks off Gregg and the chefs. That smoked hay sauce was intriguing. I’m not a meringue fan but would like to have tried the sorrel ice cream.
 

Ollie v Charlie

Ollie did quite well in the skills. Quite well indeed. His main dish had the white asparagus which wasn’t a hit but the fish and sauce were delish and Anna thought the rhubarb in his dessert was a tad undercooked. But he made a very successful panna cotta which is almost unheard of.

Charlie did not do well at all in the skills. Both his main and dessert were home runs. 

So Ollie’s skills performance wasn’t enough to overcome the asparagus and rhubarb hiccups. Eh, I kind of feel like Ollie got screwed a bit. I wish they had taken Ollie through with Therese and Charlie. This was the last of the groupings of four newbies and IMO, his skills test was good enough to take him through. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Ep 11 also.

I'm confused also about how the skills test come into play in judging,

Spoiler

since Theres, who was (rightfully) put through the next round completely flunked hers, and that was not mentioned at the judges talk in the end. I although thought they would be taking 3 people to the next round. Ollie seemed a better chef than others from previous groups, I think he suffered for being put in a group with so many strong chefs.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I've honestly never understood how the skills test factors in, except that Marcus sometimes gets crushes on chefs during it, when he thinks he spots inherent talent. But I've never seen it count against anyone if they do well cooking their own food in the next challenge, and I've never seen it save anyone who does poorly in round two.

I remember when the skills challenge used to be, like, prepare four artichokes! Now it's making complete dishes with sides in 20 minutes, and I guess they think the audience finds it fun to watch the hosts look on alarmed and wince, and most of the chef's fail. It is rare when someone actually succeeds and that should count for something. 

EP 12:

Wow, Charlie is a contender! The ladies did really well too. I'm glad they took the one through who had the interesting flavors but didn't do quite as well, as I enjoyed her creativity. 

Edited by TVbitch
  • Love 2
Link to comment

I think the skills test is mostly to get the contestants' jitters out before things really count and provide an opportunity for the judges to get a feel for them and then use the insights gained there to provide appropriate feedback (do they need to hold their nerve, trust their knowledge, be reassured they're doing well, whatever). 

Maybe at the very margins an exceptional skills test can help break a tie, but I don't think that's its purpose. Usually the failures are due to nerves (sometimes basic knowledge they actually have deserts them) or to a test highlighting a weak area, so it's also not really fair if the test played to someone else's strengths, and if they really are weak, that's going to show up when they're cooking their own, food, anyway. 

Edited by akr
  • Like 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment

Episode 15:

Spoiler

So it was between Charlie and Gabriella for elimination and they chose to let G go. 😢 I really had her pegged for the final three. I will eat my hat if Sagar and Nikita aren’t in the final three. I really don’t like having three episodes a week. It’s going too fast!

  • Love 1
Link to comment

EPISODE 15

I know, it is going so fast! I figured there was no way Marcus was going to be ready to part with one of his favorites. Charlie has done well previously, but maybe he is feeling himself a bit too much now. I thought maybe Marcus would give them both another chance as the errors seemed sort of on par. I wonder if Anna just goes along with whatever Marcus wants.

I really wanted to sample a lot of that pop up food! 

Love Sagars' chill attitude and quiet competence!  

  • Love 1
Link to comment

And Sagar has an infectious giggle! But yes, oh my, the food that all eight of them served at the pop up looked scrummy. I wonder if Monica will return next season. Her announcement that she would not be judging this season made it sound like her absence was temporary. Anna’s ok but I would welcome Monica back! 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Critics Table: 

Well, there wasn't really any suspense about who would make the top three. James would have had to do something mind-blowing to slip in. He's a lovely guy, though. I do think Charlie gets away with more, but I guess because he is attempting more. (And Marcus is crushing on him. 😁) I'm not sure if it would be great for Charlie to win it at this point in his life/career. I think he needs a bit more tempering. Nikita is the front runner, but they are all superb, and the best ideas and execution on the day could be anyone. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Ah Spunky, you know you have to go dark from all media to avoid spoilage!!!!!

FINAL:

Charlie: Is roasted or pan fried poultry ever served without crispy skin? Who wants flabby skin?! I think Charlie is in an experimentation phase and will probably end up pulling things back a bit before he reaches his full potential. He knew he lost and was none too happy about it.

Oh no, Sagar! Foiled by bits of piping bag!!! Kaaaaaahn!!!!!!! I was rooting for him. Hope the poor lad doesn't beat himself up too much. Take that job offer that one of the chef's at the critic's table threw out, Sagar! 

Nikita, she's ready to bloom and it's her time. Congrats!

Anna was okay when she was not bugging her eyes out and nodding maniacally, but she repeated herself a lot with generic, "he really has to bring the flavor" type blather. Hope we get Monica back next season! 

  • LOL 1
Link to comment

Regarding avoiding media: I know, @TVbitch, my defense is that I’m getting over a cold and wasn’t thinking clearly in between bouts of peeing my pants from coughing so hard! 🤣 I agree with your comment about Anna. She wasn’t the worse substitute but I welcome Monica back with open arms! Can’t wait to watch the episode! 

Edited by Spunkygal
  • LOL 1
Link to comment

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 😉

  • Like 2
Link to comment

Very happy about that @Spunkygal

I am currently watching the very early seasons, which I have never seen before, and I must say, I have fallen back in love with Michel Roux Jr. I think he was an amazing head judge. (But I still love Marcus.) I really like how they used to eliminate someone after the skills challenge and had a challenge where they all had to cook the same classic dish to see how it stacked up against Michel's. I am currently in Season 4. The show has really evolved, but remains excellent! It improved tremendously when they brought Monica on board. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
29 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Very happy about that @Spunkygal

I am currently watching the very early seasons, which I have never seen before, and I must say, I have fallen back in love with Michel Roux Jr. I think he was an amazing head judge. (But I still love Marcus.) I really like how they used to eliminate someone after the skills challenge and had a challenge where they all had to cook the same classic dish to see how it stacked up against Michel's. I am currently in Season 4. The show has really evolved, but remains excellent! It improved tremendously when they brought Monica on board. 

Michel is my pretend boyfriend! 😍

Link to comment

...uh oh, are we gonna have to fight for him. 🤣 Baby Jay Raynor in these early season is pretty hot, too! 

I don't agree with why Michel was fired. I was furious at the time. At least they have brought him back to participate at chef's table, but I still think they did him dirty. I LOVE watching him cook his classic recipes in these early seasons. 

Link to comment
On 3/27/2023 at 10:54 AM, lambertman said:

Going to London next month and have booked dinner at Monica’s restaurant. Doubt she’ll be there on a Wednesday night but that’s fine, the tasting menu looks incredible :)

OMG! I am so jealous! Be sure to ask if she’s there and get a pic with her if she is. I can’t wait to hear about your meal! Don’t forget food pics, too! 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
On 4/28/2023 at 7:26 AM, lambertman said:

Monica was not there, but oh my goodness, the food was incredible! We did the tasting menu and here’s what most of it looked like :)

https://instagram.com/p/CrO5KkXICOCYwZvycvPAlgj3ttxPTRpYe1iJjI0/

 

OMG! What a treat of a lifetime! Thank you for the pics. Looks incredible. And belated happy birthday!

Hold on a cotton picking minute! Did you actually see Elton in London? I like the way you roll! I was supposed to see him in Dallas in January 2022 but he canceled a couple of hours before the show saying he had COVID. 

 

On 4/28/2023 at 9:57 AM, TVbitch said:

Wah, I don't have instagram, can a pic be posted here? Lucky you! 

Looks like I am the only watching the new regular Masterchef UK series!

I’m going to try to start it very soon.  I’ve been tied up baseball! I’m also behind on The Repair Shop.

Edited by Spunkygal
  • Like 1
Link to comment
On 4/30/2023 at 3:02 PM, Spunkygal said:

OMG! What a treat of a lifetime! Thank you for the pics. Looks incredible. And belated happy birthday!

Hold on a cotton picking minute! Did you actually see Elton in London? I like the way you roll! I was supposed to see him in Dallas in January 2022 but he canceled a couple of hours before the show saying he had COVID. 

I’m going to try to start it very soon.  I’ve been tied up baseball! I’m also behind on The Repair Shop.

Spoiler space for off-topic.  And for the record, it was my wife's birthday, but mine was in March so I'll accept it too!  :) 

Spoiler

Elton's farewell show in Indianapolis in April 2022 (which I bought tickets for way back in 2018 - alas, I'm so sorry you didn't get your chance!!) was so fun, I realized that COVID actually afforded me a rare chance to see him again thanks to the UK shows having being postponed so many times, so I built our third trip to London around that opportunity.

Originally I had (by some miracle) acquired floor seats for one of his Liverpool shows, but when they got bumped a month earlier so the arena could prepare for Eurovision, I kept checking and lucked into some really nice seats for one of the London gigs (one nice thing about the UK is they don't allow price gouging on concert ticket resales - at least on the axs site, the most you can ask for over the price you paid is something like 15%).

It ended up being a wonderful turn of events, because since buying those Liverpool tickets , another concert we attended in the interim showed us that we're... not floor seat kinda folks, so our lower deck seats in London were much better for us.   Plus I didn't think I was going to be able to see my favorite team (Arsenal) in the original plans, but the new ones meant I could! I just won't talk about that result...

 

Mere was an experience. I hadn't ever done a fine dining tasting menu like that before, but I totally loved it. The staff was amazingly attentive, and the wine was also quite nice. And although it was definitely pricy, every bite tasted worth it. (And for the record, still half as much as a similar experience at Le Gavroche would've been, haha.)

I'll definitely watch the new season of Civilian MasterChef (well, the final three weeks, as the heats do get repetitive. I don't mind that so much on Professionals.)  Although I did watch an ep in the hotel room. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

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 :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...