It's quarter-final time, and the week's best chefs are back to fight it out for a place in knockout week. They will need to overcome two daunting tasks to get there, including feeding their toughest audience yet.

The first hurdle is an invention test with a difference. The chefs must create a dish that includes tonight's mystery ingredient – garlic. They'll have ten minutes to pick other elements that complement the garlic and just 70 minutes to cook the dish. As well as the more familiar bulbs of garlic, the chefs have a range of garlic to choose from, including tangy black garlic and delicate wild garlic. Whatever they pick, they will need to balance things out – the garlic must enhance the dish, not overpower it.

The quarter-final continues with a visit from the formidable critics. Grace Dent, Jimi Famurewa and William Sitwell are on hand to give their view on the chefs' creations as they each dish up two of their best plates of food. It will take something extraordinary to pique the interest of these discerning diners.

Once the critics depart, it will be left to the judges to pick the lucky chefs who will move forward into knockout week as the hunt for this year's champion continues.

Four more chefs are excited to start their MasterChef journey, which, in this episode, begins with two infamous challenges that will test their ability to cope with the pressure. Those that outshine their competitors will move forward into this week's quarter-final.

First up, Marcus will ask the first two to cook-up a skills test dish of Italian blue cheese gnudi dumplings and serve them with a broccoli soup. All the ingredients are laid out in front of them, but it's down to the chefs to work out the correct process. A vibrant green soup with firm dumplings that sing of blue cheese needs to bring a smile to the judges' faces.

It's then down to the last two chefs to show what they are made of, as Monica tasks them with making citrus-cured sea bass tacos, with a vegetable garnish and crispy fish skin. They will have to prep the fish and taco shells from scratch as well, meaning time is of the essence. The judges will be expecting moreish tacos that are easy to pick up and bursting with flavour.

The signature round is next and might give the chefs the chance to redeem themselves. They have 90 minutes to prepare a main course and a dessert that will be sure to linger in the judges' memory. With menus influenced from a real variety of food cultures, including Colombian, Brazilian and Japanese, there is potential for taste sensations for Gregg, Marcus and Monica.

After this, just one task remains – this time for the judges – to name this week's best chefs. They will forge their way into the quarter-final and be in with a shot at the MasterChef: The Professionals 2024 title.