The ten remaining amateur cooks only face one challenge in this episode. They must cook one dish to completely wow the judges and secure their semi-final place. They have one and a half hours to create their masterpiece, and nine of them will make it through.

The semi-finals continue as the eight remaining cooks head to the BBC studios at Elstree, home to TV drama Holby City. The contestants are split into two teams of four and face the challenge of running their own kitchens in two specially constructed catering tents. Each team must create two main courses and a dessert to feed 120 members of the cast and crew. With less than four hours to deliver the food, organisation and teamwork is essential for success. It is vital the two teams perform at their absolute best and produce a lunch worthy of the occasion, because after judging their food, John and Gregg pick the weakest team to return to the MasterChef kitchen, where they must cook off against each other in a special invention test. The contestants must create a stunning dish from the leftover produce from the previous challenge, which includes duck carcasses, halibut scraps, vegetables, fruit, and cheeses. One more contestant is then sent home.