In the second week of the heats, eight more hopefuls hope to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. The first challenge for the eight contestants is to invent and cook one dish using what is available to them in the MasterChef market, after which John and Gregg decide which five of the eight cooks are good enough to stay. With the aim of reaching the quarter-final, the five remaining cooks then prepare two courses for John, Gregg and three special guests, 2010 MasterChef finalists Alex Rushmer and Tim Kinnaird, and champion Dhruv Baker.

In the second quarter-final of the series, the six cooks face a daunting test set by one of the country's toughest food critics. The brief has been set by food critic William Sitwell, and the contestants must cook either a savoury dish that has no meat or fish, or a tart dessert. After cooking their dish, the contestants must stand before William, John and Gregg to hear what they think of their dish and how well they have kept to the brief. At the end of the quarter-final, the best cooks are put through to Knockout Week, taking them another step closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2017.