Over the last few weeks the contestants have been battling to keep their place in the MasterChef kitchen, and now only the best eight remain. In this episode, judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace ask the remaining cooks to take on three cornerstones of European cuisine; they must each master the art of Italian, Spanish or French cooking. Each group begins by being given a master class by a top chef in their chosen style, a chef who has developed their reputation by being the leading advocate of that country's cuisine: Italian Francesco Mazzei of L'Anima; Ben Tish from The Salt Yard, who specialise in Spanish tapas; and Bruno Loubet, chef in his self-titled French restaurant, Bistrot Bruno Loubet.