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Television’s biggest cooking competition continues with a third week of culinary heats. Twelve more of the country’s best amateur cooks must go all out for the chance to reach the quarter-final.

The first six go all out to prove they deserve one of the four coveted MasterChef aprons on offer, as John and Gregg set their first challenge – Basic to Brilliant. They must turn the judges’ heads with a dish that celebrates a staple ingredient. Whether their humble ingredients can be transformed into a thing of majesty remains to be seen. The two who come up with the best plates will head straight into the next round wearing gleaming new MasterChef aprons.

The four lagging behind will need to get stuck in once again as they are asked to think on their feet. This time John and Gregg are hankering for a brunch dish. Their creation must include a poached egg and hollandaise sauce, but the cooks have free reign to embellish it however they choose from a bounty of brunch goodies, including avocado, bacon, mushrooms and smoked salmon. There are only two more places in the next round, so rubbery eggs and split hollandaise will not be well-received - this needs to be a brunch to remember.

Then it’s time for the final showdown of the heat as the four left standing come together for a corker of a challenge. They must prepare their own two-course menu in one hour and 15 minutes for three diners who know their stuff – MasterChef 2017 champion, Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, 2020 champion, Thomas Frake, and 2018 semi-finalist Nisha Parmar. The contestants will be hoping for clean plates and positive reviews as the diners’ opinions will weigh heavily on the judges’ final decision.

One more will miss out on a place in this week’s quarter-final, as the three best move forward with their dream of claiming the title still intact.