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The first quarter-final of the competition is under way, and the best chefs of the week are back, hoping to deliver even more culinary brilliance.

A quarter-final means one thing: the pressure is on. The judges have set an invention test with a twist. On their benches, the professionals all have a surprise key ingredient that they must place at the forefront of their dish – king prawns! The chefs may all have cooked with prawns previously, but it’s easy to destroy their delicate flavour if you cook them without a steady hand and an eye on the timings. The larder has been stocked up with a stunning array of ingredients, including fruit, vegetables, bacon, pancetta, spices and different types of pastry, all of which could lend themselves beautifully to the prawns in the right hands.

Once through the invention test, some of the country’s leading restaurant critics and regular guests of the show make a welcome return to set the standard even higher for these hopeful chefs. Each contestant will need to prepare their best two-course meal for Tom Parker Bowles, Leyla Kazim and Jimi Famurewa. These critics have seen some incredible food in the MasterChef kitchen, and to make them sit up and take notice, these plates will need to showcase a huge amount of inventive flair that knocks their taste buds sideways.

Having considered the critics’ verdicts, the judges will have the final say as they pick the chefs who deserve a place in knockout week. The hunt for the 2026 champion continues.