Episode 16

In the final week of the competition, each chef must choose their protege before coming together to compete in the grand final. Tom Kitchin is the first to decide who his protege will be, resting his hopes on two young students from his old catering college in Perth, Scotland.

Tom is looking for a protege who can absorb his style of modern Scottish cooking, using the best of Scottish ingredients and combining them with classic French cookery techniques. Tom served his apprenticeship alongside the great Pierre Koffmann at legendary three-star restaurant La Tante Claire. As it is imperative that his protege must understand this style of food, Tom asks the students to cook two iconic Koffmann dishes - salmon cooked in duck fat and his legendary pistachio souffle.

After watching the students cook these classics, Tom has one final test for them before he must choose who will represent him in the final. Tom knows that there is only so much a mentor can teach; the students still need to have their own creative flair. Tom opens up the kitchen larder to the two young cooks, who must come up with one dish to impress - a dish that shows Tom both how much they have learnt from him, and also that they will be a worthy representative in the final. Only the student that copes best with the pressure will become Tom's protege.