Catch up TV

Series 1: Episode 2

The search continues as Mary Berry, the queen of home cookery, top chef Dan Doherty and produce expert Chris Bavin put the remaining nine home cooks through their paces. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the cooks, now a tight circle of friends living together in their shared house, must compete against each other in the kitchen as they are tested by the trio of exacting judges on the very best of home cookery.\n\nEach week the judges set two challenges - an ultimate home favourite and an improvised dish around a single ingredient - before the cooks who've performed the least well face the elimination round to decide who is going to leave the competition. To win over the judges and avoid elimination, the cooks will have to demonstrate individual flair, skill, creativity and breadth in their home cooking.\n\nThis time the cooks have an hour and three quarters to prepare their ultimate fish dish with delicious accompaniments designed to showcase their individual personality. The cooks embrace the pescatarian brief in a creative and innovative fashion, rustling up globally inspired dishes including a Filipino exploding fish, Asian-inspired gurnard with wontons, Indian spiced seabass with a prawn curry, as well as more classic salmon hollandaise, butter-poached halibut and a decadent seafood pasta.\n\nNext, it's the 'Cooks' Challenge' which tests inventiveness and creativity with a key ingredient. The cooks with the finest fish from challenge one are given the advantage by the judges and will determine the key ingredient in the next round for everyone. This time, the choice is between rice or squash, a conundrum for any confident cook especially as they have no prior knowledge of the other ingredients they'll have in their kitchens.\n\nDecision made, it's back to the shared house for drinks, recipe tips and overnight jitters about the challenge ahead. The next morning the cooks return to their freshly stocked kitchens to invent a sweet or savoury dish in one hour celebrating the central ingredient. The heat is on to impress the judges and avoid the elimination round and, while there are some standout dishes, a few miss the mark with their creative interpretations.\n\nBased on the cooks' performance in these two challenges, the judges now decide who is safely through to next week and who must face the elimination round. While the safe cooks support from the side, the weaker cooks' place in the competition now rests on their ability to follow a recipe to the letter. The judges have chosen a tricky dessert that requires precision and any lack of concentration could lead to an early exit. The tension is palpable as the cooks try not to buckle under the pressure of this fast-paced round.\n\nAt the end one cook must say farewell leaving eight still in contention.

Source: BBC 1