Kidderminster's Jim serves up bold flavours on MasterChef

Jim Parsons, a dad-of-two and construction firm director, cooked up a storm on Wednesday, March 17 - so if you missed the episode and don't want any spoilers, stop reading now!

In the eighth episode of the BBC One show's 17th series, Jim and four other amateur cooks faced off for a place in the quarter finals.

The first challenge saw contestants cooking their signature dish for hosts John and Gregg, with the two top chefs receiving a coveted apron and a ticket to progress to the next round.

Jim Parsons was one of five amateur cooks to face off in the eighth episode of the new MasterChef series

Jim, who is from Kidderminster but now lives in Abberley, served up a fillet of beef with on a bed of mushrooms, a potato fondant, parsnip crisps and red wine jus.

The 44-year-old previously told The Shuttle how he cooks for his family most nights - but up against the clock in the MasterChef kitchen, Jim struggled under the pressure.

John commended Jim for "really going for it" with his ambitious dish, but with two minutes to go and no time left to rest his beef, Jim admitted he'd "got it wrong" with his timing.

When it came to the taste test, however, the two judges were impressed with elements of Jim's dish, describing his sauce as "sensational".

It was his giant potato fondant, which John joked was bigger than the piece of beef - and slightly firm in the middle - that stopped him from getting his hands on one of the first two aprons.

The remaining contestants were given a chance to cook again, using their favourite ingredient as the centrepiece to wow the judges in 50 minutes.

Jim served up a cod fillet on a chorizo and chickpea stew with garlic aioli.

Gregg was particularly impressed with the dish, commenting that the fish was so well cooked, it "opened up like a book", and John added: "It's seasoned well, it's cooked well. I loved the look of it and I loved the taste of it."

Timing was Jim's biggest challenge in the MasterChef kitchen but judges were impressed by his bold flavours

His full-of-flavour fish meant Jim was the next person through to the next stage, which saw the top four chefs cooking a two course meal for former champion Steven Wallis and 2006 finalist Dean Edwards.

Jim went for his favourite ingredient once again - cod - served with leaks, bacon and a beurre blanc sauce for the main course, followed by a chocolate brownie with salted caramel and vanilla cream for dessert.

The two guest judges said Jim's "simple" style dish meant he had no where to hide, while John was visibly shocked by the sheer amount of sauce he poured onto the plate, commenting "the poor cod is getting lost in a pond of sauce!". However, they were impressed by Jim's "rich and indulgent" brownie.

After the challenge, a frustrated Jim said he was "a bit disappointed", especially with his main course.

Business manager Alexina's liquorish panna cotta, which guest judge Dean called the "best thing I’ve ever eaten on MasterChef" secured her the first place in the quarter finals.

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It was between Jim and bridal consultant Kerry for the final spot, but Kerry's impressive ravioli starter and beef fillet main meant Jim sadly had to hang up his apron.

Speaking at the end of the episode, Jim said: "Hey ho. It's bitter sweet. I would have liked to have cooked again, but I don't have any regrets. It is what it is."

Readers can still watch Jim's MasterChef episode on BBC iPlayer. To see more of Jim's culinary creations, follow the_big_happy_cook on Instagram.