A high-pressure high-tea challenge hijacks Jeshen’s hopes of winning MasterChef South Africa Season 6

From the moment Johannesburg tax consultant Jeshen Govender, originally from Durban, stepped into the MasterChef South Africa Season 6 kitchen, he made an indelible mark with his delicious, imaginative and visually striking dishes.

For much of the season, Jeshen was considered one of the frontrunners in the competition. He became the first home cook to win three challenges and captained the victorious team in the nerve-wracking challenge where the food was judged by the country’s biggest radio personalities.

Surprisingly, simple scones – not the quality, but the quantity – cost Jeshen his place in the show’s Top 4.

This week, the Top 5 were tasked with creating an elegant high-tea spread featuring five dainty, beautifully plated portions of three different canapés: one savoury, one sweet and one inspired by a classic cocktail.

The cocktail options, which the contestants had to select blindly, included a Tequila Margarita, a Piña Colada, a Strawberry Daiquiri, a Classic Aperol Spritz and a Mojito.

After clinching the previous challenge, the only lady still in the running, Candice, had first dibs and walked off with the Piña Colada – the cocktail Jeshen had hoped to receive. Instead, Jeshen drew the Aperol Spritz, a drink that reminded him of his visit to Trastevere, a historic neighbourhood in Rome, Italy.

However, for him, the high-tea theme conjured images of posh England and scones with whipped cream and strawberry jam. This signature high-tea item simply had to be on the menu he hoped would wow the judges. So, he decided to create miniature versions of the scones he loved most – the light, fluffy treats from his childhood, baked by his avva (grandma) and his sister Devanja.

While everyone struggled during this high-volume, high-pressure challenge that demanded the utmost finesse and flavour-packed bite-sized creations, perfectionist Jeshen was initially not his usual bundle of nerves. Even when he spilt compote on the stove, he kept his composure. However, he did fret that the judges would consider scones a little elementary at this stage of the competition, but judge Justine Drake set his mind at ease.

As the final minutes ticked away, the usually anxious Jeshen staged a comeback. He ran out of time, and one of the scones was left by the wayside.

Jeshen feared it would be his last day in the MasterChef SA kitchen, as did all the other contestants. The judges were brutal at the tasting table, delivering scathing comments on various components of the home cooks’ intended mini showstoppers, but mainly failing to pay attention to the details required for a stylish high tea.

As his savoury canapé, Jeshen presented a trout tartlet with trout caviar and lemon-and-chive crème. His sweet “Avva’s Scones” was served with Chantilly cream and raspberry and strawberry jam, and the third dish on his high-tea tier was his cocktail-inspired Aperol Spritz posset with orange and naartjie crush.

The posset did not impress Chef Katlego Mlambo. The esteemed MasterChef South Africa judge found it overly sweet and insufficiently set. Meanwhile, Chef Zola Nene felt the presentation of the trout tartlet was not up to standard, as it lacked flourish. She did, however, rave about his scones. Unfortunately, no matter how delicious the scones were, Jeshen failed to follow the brief. He served only two portions instead of three, which was completely unacceptable.

While Jeshen’s missing scone sent him home, Candice, who was absolutely convinced it was her last day in the kitchen, secured her second consecutive challenge win. Although she found the judges’ comments on her dishes harsh, they were only nitpicking. The rose among the thorns showcased her flair for the finer details with an elegant spread fit for a sophisticated high tea.

The four contestants still vying for the title of MasterChef South Africa and the R1 million prize money are Candice, Benjie and the two Zulu chefs, Simele and Nkululeko.

MasterChef South Africa Season 6 keeps e.tv viewers on the knife’s edge every Sunday at 18:00, with rebroadcasts on the channel on Saturdays at 17:00, and additional airings on eExtra on Saturdays at 20:30 and on eReality on Sundays at 17:00.

While e.tv is available on free-to-air, the channel is also hosted on all DStv packages on DStv’s channel 194, and the CatchUp episodes will be on eVOD (watch.evod.co.za) from the day after the premiere episode. eReality is available on Openview.

Represented internationally by Banijay Entertainment, MasterChef is the world’s most successful cookery television format (Guinness World Records). Now commissioned across 71 markets, the life-changing show has aired over 700 seasons and more than 16,000 episodes to date. Created by Franc Roddam and first launched in 1990, the superbrand is known and enjoyed worldwide.

MasterChef South Africa is produced by the multi-award-winning production company Homebrew Films for Primedia Studios. The series was once again filmed at Atlantic Studios in Cape Town. 

For more information, visit the official website.

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