Through to MasterChef: The Professionals 2015 knockout round this week are Joey, Gavin and Dean.

During the week, Monica Galetti and Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing voiced that these chefs showed professionalism, and admired that they took care with every dish.

Starting off the week with Monica's skills test, the chefs were asked to fillet and cook a sea bream, and serve it escabeche style. Usually, as Monica explained, the fish should be pickled gently overnight, however time is restricting for all the chefs who were expected to make an adaptation of the dish.

Everything was looking positive for Alex, who coincidentally works in a fish bar, until he actually had to fillet the fish... maybe it was nerves, which seemed to hinder him throughout the whole competition. Ex-canoe instructor Josh from Cheshire had never cooked a proper meal before starting at college... Immediately, the chefs looked unimpressed with Josh, who didn't take the bones out of his fish before cooking it. The flavours in his dish were drowned out by the harsh vinegar in his sauce, which, mistakenly, he hadn't tasted during the cooking process. Both of these chefs left the competition during the invention test.

Presented with rum, white chocolate, ginger, coconut, nutmeg, mint, passion fruit and a variety of other ingredients, all the quarter-finalists were asked to make a dessert - without a recipe. Attempting to make a trifle, Alex had thirty minutes to spare when the judges came round to check on his... progress? Marcus and Monica left him to rethink and refine his dessert, made up of a passion fruit jelly, white chocolate Creme Patissiere, pineapple salsa, caramelised banana and a ginger sponge. Thankfully, the finished product looked, and tasted, a lot better than Marcus was expecting, but it left the chefs wanting to go home and brush their teeth which, at that point, were caked in sugar.

Recreating Monica's daughter's favourite dessert, Banana's and Custard, Josh poached bananas sous vide, which Marcus found exciting, with a burnt tuile which Monica didn't. Macrus' next test required three chefs to cook a watercress soup with a poached egg, garnished with fresh almonds, which bemused the chefs to say the least...

Their downfall seemed to be the moment they all chucked raw watercress in the blender. Dean, jr sous chef at a 1 Michelin-starred restaurant, fell victim

Close Message - I might contribute in the future

I love what you do, let me contribute right now

to this trait, but pulled it back with plenty of seasoning. Dean's main course of fricasse lamb, with Israeli cous cous, peas, pancetta, morel mushrooms and mint jelly followed by a helping of white chocolate cheesecake with burnt butter crumble, macerated strawberries and yuzu ensured that the South African chef would cook again in knockout week. Monica's next skills test required her chefs to de-bone and stuff a pigs trotter.

Head chef Gavin removed the trotter well, keeping all fingers in tact, but broke the skin in various places, meaning that the stuffing would seep out during cooking. His signature dish showed great technical skill, and his successful wobbly panacotta impressed the judges during the invention test. Marcus' test had the chefs ramming dough through a pasta machine in order to make a monster sized piece of lobster and salmon ravioli. I think it's safe to say that Joey, a private chef from London, was impressing the judges during her 20 minute test... Marcus commended her for her working methods, while Monica said, "you work like a real chef", which I'm not sure is offensive or complimentary. During the invention test, Joey served up a passionfruit curd tart with sweet shortcrust pastry, white chocolate ice cream, and a pine and mint salsa.

As they were picking up the last crumbs, almost with his face in the plate, Marcus told Joey that he could see her dessert in any three star Michelin restaurant, which played a hefty part in sending her through to the next round.

Joe, who is also a private chef, was a different kettle of fish. Scooping out the Lobster's intestines out and blending them into a sauce was definitely not what the chefs were looking for. Holding back what looked to be the giggles, the judges tasted the dish only to find that water had got inside the ravioli, water logging the entire thing. When cooking for the three critics, Joe was late to serve both his main course and dessert dishes due to how long it took for him to plate the dishes 'for the eye'.

The duck was tough, and none of the critics dared to pour the blackberry sauce on to their meals, whereas Marcus really enjoyed it! Although his meals were pretty, they weren't flavoursome enough to see him through to knockout week.

>>> Read more Masterchef: The Professionals blogs here

>>> Read more about Masterchef: The Professionals 2015 here

Small Contribution. Big Impact.

The Staff Canteen has always been more than a website—it’s a community, built by and for hospitality. We share the wins, the challenges, the graft, and the inspiration that keeps kitchens alive.

We believe in staying open to everyone, but creating this content takes real resources. If you’ve ever found value here—whether it’s a recipe, an interview, or a laugh when you needed it most—consider giving just £3 to keep it going.

A little from you keeps this space free for all. Let’s keep lifting the industry, together.