It is MasterChef: The Professionals semi-finals week and the competition is on a knife edge. MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace teams up with chef Monica Galetti and Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing in their search for MasterChef: The Professionals champion 2019.

Tonight, the first three remaining semi-finalists battle it out for a place in the finals. First, they are given the opportunity to work alongside one of the UK’s most exciting chefs. Gareth Ward is creating a culinary uproar in his destination restaurant Ynyshir. Situated in remote and stunning scenery in west Wales, the restaurant is drawing diners from across the world.

Gareth honed his skills in the Michelin-starred kitchens of Aaron Patterson and Sat Bains, before heading to west Wales to take on the remote former coaching inn Ynyshir. Within a year, Gareth had won a Michelin star. His food style is like no other, taking inspiration from the countryside on his doorstep, ageing his meat and fish in his Himalayan salt chamber and throwing out traditional seasonings in favour of Japanese flavours and techniques.

The first eye-opener for the chefs is to see Gareth cook three of his signature dishes - chicken katsu, garlic prawns and Welsh wagyu with shitake. The simple titles belie the skill and complexity of his cooking – which the chefs have to work at understanding, along with using his choice of ingredients – in order to then create a dish of their own for him to taste. Gareth is looking for evidence of their ability to adopt his culinary style with flair and skill. The chefs then take on the daunting take of joining Gareth’s trusted and elite brigade and take responsibility for two dishes each, during a highly pressurised service.

The chance for the semi-finalists to cook alongside chef Gareth, absorbing the enthusiasm and innovation of one of Britain’s most exciting chefs, is a privilege that will place them in an extraordinary position to supercharge their culinary skills and return to the MasterChef kitchen. Here, they face the challenge of cooking their own dishes for a two-course menu for Marcus, Monica and Gregg. The judges expect their food to have reached new heights so the chefs must aim for the skies.

At this stage in the competition, one tiny slip can mean the difference between gaining a place in the finals or going home. Only perfection will do to edge closer to the MasterChef: The Professionals title 2019. Show less