IN July 1990, Teesside’s Quadrophenia director Franc Roddam hoped his little cooking series MasterChef would do well, but had no idea it would become one of the world’s best loved, lipsmacking formats.
The likes of Loyd Grossman and Gary Rhodes may have guided the UK version through those early series, but for the past nine years, shouty Gregg Wallace and culinary Wizard of Oz John Torode have made the show their own.
Back to this week’s helping, and the six hopefuls rustle up a single plate of food.
After that tasty hurdle, they move onto the invention test, with ingredients including pollock, sausages, Parmesan and quail eggs, or rhubarb, lime, pomegranate and popping candy.
Two cooks will be shown the door, and then the remaining players have to prepare a two-course dinner for 2007 MasterChef winner Steven Wallis, as well as Sara Danesin and Alex Rushmer, finalists from 2011 and 2010 respectively.
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