Chesney Hawkes and Sheree Murphy are semi-finalists in Celebrity Masterchef after being put through their paces in the second episode of the BBC One show.

The duo, who were team-mates for part of the episode, triumphed against Tish Potter and Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding who was a bag of nerves while cooking and made even simple tasks look chaotic.

First up, the foursome were divided into pairs for a kitchen test where they had to work in relay, tagging in and out of the kitchen with not so much as a word between them as they attempted to make a main course and a dessert.

It’s fair to say not everyone was impressed with the challenge.

Sheree and Chesney were the better team even if some of the comments around their food seemed a little lacklustre from judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

But it was Gregg’s scathing assessment of Sarah (and Tish)’s szechuan chicken, cooked three times and served without a broth due to a lack of team communication, that was a show highlight.

Gregg: Eats a mouthful. *Cough, cough*
Sarah: That’s a terrible reaction!
Gregg: Good god almighty. There’s szechuan pepper all over it. It’s entirely inedible. There’s just a tonne of salt and a tonne of pepper. That much szechuan pepper has the effect the sort of thing the dentist gives you to numb your gums. The one side of my mouth that has copped the most pepper has started to throb and has now gone numb.”

It’s fair to say he wasn’t a fan. Credit to Sarah for her comeback: “what about presentation?”. Well, come on, we’ve all seen enough Masterchef over the years to know you can sort out presentation after the taste is on point. A pretty plate is not going to save you.

So definitely a win for Chesney and Sheree, although not so much working together, as Sheree was leading the way. Or as she put it later going in to “mum mode”.

Next up, the four moved on to a professional kitchen – the staff canteen at Legoland, serving 120 people. No winners or losers this time, though both teams did better on the mains than the puds.

Fresh from Legoland, they returned to the Masterchef kitchen to wow the judges with their own menus. This time around they were not just cooking for John and Gregg but for previous Celebrity Masterchef winners and finalists: Sophie Thompson, Emma Kennedy and Wayne Sleep.

Sheree, who spent time living in Australia, served up a fusion dish of spiced chicken with pak choi and sweet potato, much to the unexpected delight of Gregg and John, who said he could “taste Australia” in it. Her sticky toffee pudding also went down a treat, even for guest judge Wayne who ate it with a knife and fork.

Chesney offered up a fish stew with a light lemon pepper mayonnaise followed by a lemon posset and citrus salad while Tish made lamb cutlets with a mustard and herb crush, celeriac dauphinoise and braised cavolo verde followed by a chocolate pudding with mascarpone with raspberries.

“Thank you Tish, thank you,” said guest judge Sophie on taking the first bite of the gooey chocolate creation with a melting middle. “That’s delicious.”

Finally it was wild card Sarah’s turn to serve up. Evidently Masterchef doesn’t follow the mantra of “saving the best to last”. While her food had at times been impressive, she was a whirlwind in the kitchen leaving behind a mess. “I’m exhausted just watching her,” said John.

Sarah made turkey roulade with red pepper sauce, frosted green beans with polenta chips and sweet potato wedges – yes (the sin of) double carbs. It was followed by a sticky pear in ginger sauce.

But it wasn’t a success with unpeeled raw pears and a “cough mixture” of a sauce.

It came as no surprise that Sarah was sent home, along with Tish, while team-mates Sheree and Chesney went through to the next round.

Sarah’s fans are staying loyal though and that includes Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh.