I'm with the pro Ellie people here in terms of the specific exchange with Brenton. She didn't agree with his method, but went along with it. Maybe she just wasn't good at expressing her acceptance.

Anyway, overall I'd like the Scottish college lecturer guy or Arnaud, the French guy to win. I don't mind the blond Viking either

Have any college lecturers been on previously? As he said, it would have been very embarrassing to be sent home in the first week. Most of the entrants are wanting to advance their career prospects but I get the impression he is happy with his job and might not want to change even if he won.

She could easily win this - she has a unique passion & vision which nobody else seems to have, & I love watching her work & plan her menus. (The other chef who's good at that is Gary - I loved seeing him rattling out ingredients & quantities off the top of his head - I think that impressed everyone! He's definitely a top contender.)

Elly and Gary are both great in their own way. I have no idea still why she's being so vilified by some just for doing what you SHOULD do in a kitchen - which is make sure the dishes go out correctly and are cooked correctly (and she didn't snap at him. She was firm but fair). I too find it pretty depressing that she's being judged so harshly...

Gary - he IS the lecturer, isn't he? We laughed when he first appeared and started 'lecturing' on what he was actually doing with his dish! I think he forgot which environment he was in for a moment. It was brilliant. I warmed to him from that moment.

Gutted Max went. I really liked him. He was steady and talented. Also not bad on the eyes (okay, that's just really shallow of me! ). I really thought James was for the chop and couldn't figure out why they kept him. Seemed inexplicable to me ...

Looking forward to seeing which Pro kitchens they're in next week. I remember a few years ago when Tom Kerridge mentored a couple of them and it was lovely to see them being so well taken care of.

Well said!

Elly has that gift of producing something amazing without that 'tried too hard' feeling that some of the others suffer from - it's a very very fine line, and you don't always know how the judges are going to react? (Until they pop it in their mouths, that is...) I get the feeling that some of the other chefs are hanging onto Gary's words with great interest (there's some patchy training in their backgrounds, you can tell by some of the things that they just don't know?)! Gary will do well out of this, whether he wins or not - I'm pretty sure of that.

Seconded

Took the words from my mouth. If it's at all close, Marcus decides who he wants to keep, on the basis of who'll provide best TV, and bases his critiques accordingly. This time though, he was pretty critical of James's dish. So we can safely assume Max should definitely have gone through.

Come back MRJ, all is forgiven!

Am I the only one who finds it ironic how a man with the biggest chain of pie and pasty shops in the country should be pretending to judge professional chefs? I mean, I like his sausage rolls as much as anyone but they're hardly cordon bleu...

No worse than a man who makes sheds for farm being the chief judge and better than one who advertises spuds.

I don't think I understand you. Could you explain?

Should have put a Smilie.

I presume you were trying to associate Gregg Wallace with the bakery with the same name so I did the same for Wareing and the company, also with the same name, that makes shed. The clue is in the link.

His predecessor left the programme after advertising spuds on TV.

Evening all ... put my tree up today, feeling festive

Evening everybody!

Hi everybody.

Been making choc truffles all day and am covered in chocolate. Grand Marnier, Coffee with salted caramel coating and toffee. Plenty going

Evenin' foodies. Don't tell me the final is on Christmas week again this year like last year. Was it Christmas Eve last year?

Oh Boo! greg is back!

Evening all

Chuck some over here

Wow sounds gorgeous. Hestons Persian Christmas pudding is available from Ocado now. Got mine ordered.

Evening all

Evening everyone

You sound..er....most lickable!

Grand Marnier please, box of 25.

I'm paying homage to Dr Crippen, by baking an Arsenic infused chocolate cake, especially for Gregg