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The semi-finals continue, and just seven extraordinary home cooks remain in the competition. It’s time for them to dig even deeper into their culinary books of tricks, as Anna and Grace are looking to whittle the numbers down once more They’re aiming to go from seven to just five, so these contestants will need to wow the judges like never before.

Emotions will no doubt be running high at this stage, so it’s only fitting that Anna and Grace have set them an emotional brief. All great food comes from the heart, and the judges would like one dish that is inspired by someone special. As well as emotion, every inch of the plate will need to demonstrate skill, technique and taste sensations that blow the judges away. Mums, dads and aunties are included in the picks, so emotion is guaranteed, but the amateurs will also need to keep those emotions in check for at least one hour and 45 minutes to enable them to deliver the goods.

It’s then time for Anna and Grace to taste the semi-finalists creations and pick the five cooks who have done enough to venture on in the competition. Two cooks will be missing out on one of the most exhilarating tasks yet as they head home.

The five remaining semi-finalists will be whisked off to Whitehall, home to the luxury hotel Raffles London at the Old War Office (OWO), which, as the name suggests, was the former war office for military and secret service operations. The secrets held within its walls were also the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond, and tonight marks the landmark building’s 120th anniversary.

MasterChef’s top agents, judges Grace and Anna, are ready to greet the semi-finalists with a secret mission. The five amateur cooks’ brief is to rustle up an anniversary feast for seven specially invited guests, who all hail from the world of espionage, including Dr Marsha Quallo-Wright, the director of technology futures at GCHQ, and former British intelligence officer Sir Alex Younger, one of the longest-serving chiefs of MI6.

To add to the sense of occasion, the menu will be prepared in the hotel’s Michelin-starred kitchen, with the amateurs each preparing a dish designed by esteemed chef Mauro Colagreco, who will also be running service. Mauro is a true visionary, and his creations, which push boundaries and bring fruit and veg to the fore, have earned him three Michelin stars in France and one at the OWO. The menu has been specially designed by Mauro with an espionage theme, and the contestants will need to demonstrate finesse and accuracy beyond anything they have produced before, in a setting that is intimidating in itself. The pressure is well and truly on.

The five cooks are so close the finals now, but they have a few more hurdles to jump before they get there.