‘Celebrity Masterchef’ Takes Its Semi-Finalists to London’s Pie Shrine

Celebrity Masterchef puts pastry deviance on the BBC

Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace took Celebrity Masterchef 2021’s semi-finalists to Calum Franklin’s Pie Room at Holborn Dining Room, where they were asked to take part in hundreds of years of British culinary history, and also not to f*** it up.

They were given three hours to make a pie each, ranging from salmon en croute shaped like a fish and a two-tone “beet wellington” to a gluten-free version of a pork and black pudding pie, before serving them up to a room of “pie experts.” The challenge had its own inherent jeopardy, as while the burnished golden brown of the pastry is a good sign, the final fate of the pie is not revealed until it is sliced in front of the panel, when there’s no turning back.

Most professional kitchen rounds on Masterchef and its myriad variations suck. No-one really learns anything, contestant nor viewer, and it’s rare that anyone is so bad that a customer is placed in danger of tasting something truly awful. But subjecting five amateurs to some of the most intricately designed pastry in London? Now that’s entertainment. Take a look.

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• Sacked as Education Secretary, will Gavin Williamson once again use ministerial unemployment to food blog?
• Russell Norman’s Florentine / Tuscan trattoria Brutto will be cooking up a daily risotto, wild boar sausage, bistecca alla Florentina, pasta e fagioli, and more when it opens at the end of the month. Check back for a first look inside soon. [Hot Dinners]
• The future of Soho’s outdoor dining scheme looks a little brighter, with consultations ongoing to find a way for it to continue. [Big Hospitality]
• Good tweet: