Episode 20

The MasterChef semi-finals continue with the remaining eight contestants challenged to create a dish inspired by someone they admire. After this challenge, one more cook will be leaving the competition while the others move on to a daunting challenge of cooking a three-course lunch at Grocers Hall, home to one of the oldest companies in the City of London.

Today, John Torode will oversee the kitchen, as the amateurs face a high-pressure lunchtime service. The VIP diners include leading spice industry experts and authors - James Whitmore, Master for the Grocers Company, Dr Stuart Farrimond, author of The Science of Spice, David Smale, a saffron farmer, and Gary Ridgewell from the Seasoning and Spice Association.

Then its back to the MasterChef kitchen for the last challenge of the semi-finals: to cook an outstanding dish to win over five of the country’s most feared restaurant critics - Tracey MacLeod, Grace Dent, William Sitwell, Amol Rajan and Jimi Famurewa.