The first programme kicks off with the first sets of auditions to decide who would go forward to the Final 16.
This programme follows the second set of auditions as Dylan and Nick search for the amateur cooks who will go forward to the Final 16. In the first programme competition was fierce but just seven cooks made it through to the next round. Now with nine places left in the competition the pressure is on the remaining contestants to produce exceptional food that will impress Nick and Dylan.
In this episode the competition begins in earnest as the remaining 16 MasterChef Ireland contestants are set a challenge to cook a dish which sums them up – ‘You On A Plate’.
Just 12 amateur cooks remain in the competition for the coveted title of MasterChef Ireland. Tonight the competition hots up as the remaining MasterChef Ireland contestants are set a challenge to work in a restaurant set-up for the first time as they cook in the MasterChef kitchen for Nick and thirteen of the most discerning palettes in Ireland. At the end of the task two more competitors will be going home.
This episode saw the 10 remaining MasterChef Ireland contestants on their first visit to a professional kitchen. Judges Nick Munier and Dylan McGrath set them the task of preparing French canapés for 40 invited guests at the prestigious Ballyfin House in Co Laois under the watchful eye and instruction of Ballyfin House Executive Chef Fred Cordonnier.
Tonight sees the nine remaining MasterChef Ireland contestants take on their first large-scale catering challenge, where the emphasis is on wild, Irish, organic and in-season food.
In this programme, the eight remaining MasterChef Ireland contestants take on the intricacies of pastry as they are given a masterclass by renowned Chef Roger Pizey and have to recreate one of his signature desserts.
In this programme, the seven remaining MasterChef Ireland contestants take on the complexities of Indian cooking when they have to prepare food for paying guests in Ananda, an award-winning Indian restaurant in Dundrum, Dublin, where they will have to master the art of preparing Indian dishes to a fine dining standard. Ananda at Dundrum is often described as one of the best Indian dining experiences in Ireland and is a partnership between serial restaurateur Asheesh Dewan and the inimitable Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star for his renowned London restaurant Benares. Ananda’s Executive Chef, Sunil Ghai has won many awards and fans for his bold contemporary cooking style, including the Chef of the Year in 2009 at the Food and Wine Awards. Sunil gives the contestants a Masterclass in Indian cookery in which he talks about three main things – spices, a basic curry base and rice. The seven contestants are then divided into two groups. Clare Anne, Christine and Mary will cook a lunch service and Shane, Mike, Bridin and Pierce will cook a dinner service. The second task of the programme is an Indian-themed invention test, in which all seven have 15 minutes in Eurasia, Ireland’s largest ethnic ingredients store, to choose ingredients for an Indian dish which will then have to be cooked back in the MasterChef kitchen for Nick and Dylan. Things are hotting up in more ways than one for the remaining seven as there’s a twist in the tail at eliminations. All seven know they will have to produce impeccable food to have any chance of staying in the competition and winning the coveted title of MasterChef Ireland.
In this programme, the five remaining MasterChef Ireland contestants take on a fishing challenge in Howth, Co. Dublin. They will be given three hours to catch fish, which must then be cooked in the kitchens of Aqua Restaurant, Howth. They are each given a hessian sack containing a different set of ingredients from which they must invent a dish using their catch. They are given 30 minutes to prep and another 30 minutes to cook the fish before serving to Dylan and Nick for judging. In day two of the task the contestants are given a Masterclass in fish cookery by the legendary John Burton Race, who Dylan credits with having taught him to cook fish. In a ninety minute Masterclass he will show the would-be Masterchefs how to cook Sole Bonne Femme with new potatoes and spinach. The contestants are then given ninety minutes to replicate this dish, before one of them is eliminated from the competition.
The heat is on as the remaining four contestants battle it out to make it to the final three and with the Final just around the corner the pressure is mounting on these exceptional amateur cooks. In this programme, Mike, Mary, Christine and Bridin are given the chance to cook at the highly prestigious Restaurant Forty One restaurant at the famous private members club Residence.
It’s Final week on MasterChef Ireland and the search for Ireland’s first ever MasterChef is nearly over. Now Mary, Bridin and Mike will battle it out in this and the final programme for the coveted title. Tonight it’s the first part of the Final and the final three amateur cooks take on a Michelin-starred challenge, cooking at the highest level of fine dining in Michelin star kitchens in Dublin. These three exceptional cooks will each cook an evening service at a Michelin star restaurant in Dublin. Mike will be in Bon Appetit in Malahide, Co Dublin, Bridin will be in L’Ecrivain in Dublin and Mary will be in Ross Lewis’s restaurant Chapter One also in Dublin. In the second part of the challenge the stakes get even higher as they do service in the renowned two Michelin star Restaurant Patrick Guilband. Each contestant will be on either starter, main course or dessert and they will be cooking for their MasterChef lives.
It’s Final week on MasterChef Ireland and the search for Ireland’s first ever MasterChef ends tonight. Now Mary, Bridin and Mike will battle it out for the coveted title.
The amateur culinary contest returns as more budding cooks try to impress judges Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier in a bid to become Ireland's next star chef. The contest begins with the first round of auditions, in which the hopefuls have less that an hour to create their own signature dish.
Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier oversee the second set of auditions, as dozens of hopefuls step up to the chopping board in an effort to fill the 10 remaining places in the final 16 line-up. Each cook has just 55 minutes to prepare a dish that aims to be impressive enough to earn them a MasterChef apron.
Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier challenge the contestants to create a dish that reflects their personalities and passion for cooking, but an unexpected twist to the task puts the hopefuls under pressure. As the judges assess the competitors' efforts, they decide on the first four to leave the group.
The 12 contestants travel to Kilkenny Castle, where they are challenged to cook for the participants of the Kilkenny Triathlon in mobile kitchens.
The final 10 contestants are put to work in some of the finest restaurants in Dublin to test their skills - cooking for real customers under the watchful eye of professional head chefs. Only five will be chosen as the best performers on the day, whilst the remaining hopefuls will face the first Pressure Test of the series. Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier present.
The nine remaining contestants face two new challenges that showcase thier creativity and competitive edge - preparing dishes inspired by the judges' favourite childhood recipes and cooking selected cuts of pork.
The eight remaining contestants prepart and serve a four-course meal to 35 diners in a pop-up restaurant in Dublin, with ingredients chosen by chef Giles Clark. The following day, they receive a masterclass from Mickael Viljanen of the Greenhouse Restaurant and have to re-create one of his signature dishes, hay-smoked pigeon with beetroot, chicory grapes, before one contestant loses their apron.
The seven remaining contestants face a demanding taste test carried out by scientist and molecular gastronomist Juan Valverde and Dublin chef Karl Whelan. Back in the kitchen, they receive a masterclass in making ice-cream and sorbet from expert Kieran Murphy, before being challenged to create their own sweet treats for judges Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier.
The final five contestants head to the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inis Oirr, where they meet local man Enda Conneely, who shows them how to forage on the seashore. The hopefuls then receive a fish-filleting masterclass from award-winning cook Nathan Outlaw, before being challenged to replicate one of the chef's signature dishes. Presented by Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier
The last four contestants face a gruelling challenge if they want to win a place in the semi-final. Dylan McGrath specially designs dishes to test every hopeful's weaknesses, and they have to prepare them for a selection of Ireland's award-winning chefs, including Derry Clarke, Kevin Thornton, Ross Lewis, Oliver Dunne, Martijn Kajuite and Guillaume Lebrun.
The final three contestants are challenged to cook a lunch service at a Michelin-star restaurant in London, before each preparing a course at one of Stockholm's leading eateries. The remaining hopefuls will need to be on top form as the competition nears its conclusion. Presented by Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier.
The Final - After weeks of gruelling challenges, the finalists compete one last time in a bid to become Ireland's next MasterChef, taking the title from 2011's champion Mary Carney. The cooks take to the kitchen to prepare a three-course meal, but have to impress judges Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier, who will decide this year's winner of the prestigious contest. Last in the series.
The amateur culinary contest returns, with the first six cooks - Charlie, Niamh, Claudio, Gary, Emma and Rich - aiming to impress Nick Munier and Dylan McGrath. The hopefuls will have just one hour to create a signature dish from seafood, lamb, rabbit or steak; and only four of them will progress through to the next stage in the competition
The amateur culinary contest continues, with the remaining four cooks aiming to impress Nick Munier and Dylan McGrath by working a busy lunch service in the professional kitchens of two of Dublin's leading hotels. The hopefuls then return to the studio, where they have 90 minutes to create one dish using the key ingredient chicken, before the judges decide which contestants will go through to the final 10
Six new cooks - Mark, Cormac, Diana, Sarah, Bill and Hugh - arrive in the kitchen for heat two of the contest, with just one hour to create a signature dish. Judges Nick and Dylan will then pick the four most impressive contestants to go through to day two, and complete their first restaurant service. Presented by Nick Munier
The four remaining cooks from heat two have an early start as they join the kitchens of two leading Dublin restaurants - The Winding Stair and Brasserie Le Pont - for their first-ever professional lunchtime service, before returning to face the 'key ingredient challenge'. With a place in the top 10 at stake, one bad decision could make all the difference
The final ten contestants come together for the first time to face a mass catering challenge at Croke Park, where they must create a selection of canapes for a post-match reception.
Following their mass catering task in Croke Park, the 10 contestants return to the kitchen, where Nick and Dylan award a day off to the best performer on each team.
The remaining eight hopefuls are given a masterclass by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Clifford, before they are asked to replicate his dish.
The seven cooks vie for a place in the quarter-final, and are asked to create a dish that shows the simplicity and versatility of a fine-dining pasta dish.
It's quarter final week on MasterChef Ireland and the contestants are challenged to cook for 24 invited guests at the one Michelin star kitchen at the Cliff House Hotel and to create a fine dining dish that celebrates the wonderful ingredients of the Irish Sea back in the MasterChef kitchen.
After the rigours of last night's lunch service, the six quarter-finalists must provide Nick and Dylan with a fine dining dish that celebrates the ingredients of the Irish Sea.
The contestants battle in the semi-final week, with the four remaining hopefuls joining the kitchen at Patrick Guilbaud's for a full lunch service.
The four semi-finalists prepare two courses of their own choice for Nick and Dylan, who then choose which hopefuls have made it to the final of the competition.
The three finalists visit South Africa, where they learn about the country's ingredients with chef Margot Hanse at the Tasting Room restaurant.
The finalists return to the Test Kitchen in Cape Town, where Luke Dale-Roberts and his team challenge them to put their own stamp on a new dish set to appear on the menu.
The final of the culinary contest arrives for the three hopefuls, as they are tasked with creating a three-course meal for the judges.
The three finalists have cooked their dishes, and now it is time to present them to Nick Munier and Dylan McGrath, who will crown one of them the 2014 champion.
