The best eight remain semi-finalists take on a daunting Invention Test in which they must create a dish inspired by the chicken or the egg. The MasterChef market is open, and with a larder full of ingredients to choose from, they must create a dish worthy of being put through to the next round. Two contestants will be eliminated at the end of this task.

The six survivors then travel to Middle Temple in central London, where a very special centenary event is taking place. The Royal British Legion is celebrating 100 years since the nation's collective remembrance traditions were first bought together and the organisation began its important work supporting serving and ex-serving personnel and their families. The poppy appeal, the two-minute silence, Armistice Day, the service for the unknown warrior and the march past at the Cenotaph are traditions that millions participate in every year. Under the supervision of Glynn Purnell, head chef of Michelin-starred Purnell's restaurant in Birmingham, the contestants are split into teams of two to deliver a three-course menu for a prestigious lunch celebrating over 20 war veterans and crucial fundraisers - all of whom have bravely served their country - so expectations are high.

Over centuries, chefs have created dishes in honour of great people that have inspired them, from the peach Melba to the beef Wellington. This year's five finalists must each create a dish inspired by a public figure or an artwork, film, song, TV series or book. This plate of food must tell a story, and the contestants must strive to make it as extraordinary as the inspiration behind it. At the end of this challenge, one of them will be eliminated from the competition.

The second challenge takes the remaining four cooks to the Emerald Isle. Situated in the south west of Ireland, Ballymaloe House and Cookery School is where chefs from all over the world come to learn the philosophy put forth by the late, great patron of Irish cuisine, Myrtle Allen. Led by the school's renowned founders, Darina Allen and Rory O'Connell, the contestants get an incredible whirlwind education in local Irish produce and the ethos of ‘farm to table'. Then they must use everything they have learned to prepare a celebratory dinner for some of Ireland's finest food producers and food historians, and for relatives of Myrtle, all of whom are continuing her legacy.