AN amateur cook has the final of one of the nation's most popular cookery competitions well within his sights after impressing the judges once again on BBC2's MasterChef.

AN amateur cook has the final of one of the nation's most popular cookery competitions well within his sights after impressing the judges once again on BBC2's MasterChef.

Chris Gates, who lives in Halesworth and works in Lowestoft, will tonight have to cater for an exclusive London party as he battles to win a place in the show's final.

On Monday night's show, the 25-year-old impressed judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and herbs wrapped in puff pastry, served on a bed of wilted spinach with a mustard sauce.

In last night's instalment, the final four contestants cooked for 600 hungry employees at the Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales and tonight, viewers will see the semi-finalists cook for an exclusive party at the Institute of Directors in London.

On tomorrow's show, Mr Gates will work in a top London restaurant before returning to the MasterChef kitchen to cook for some of the country's harshest food critics, who will then decide who makes it into the final three.

MasterChef is on BBC2 at 8.30pm.