The guest judge was the highly esteemed Santiago Lastra.

Championing British produce in his innovative Mexican dishes, Santiago Lastra serves a menu both rooted in tradition and featuring plenty of modern twists at Marylebone (London) restaurant KOL where he is owner and head chef.

For the challenge, the chefs were tasked with creating a bite-sized amuse-bouche served on top of a cracker for a Ritz Crackers-sponsored challenge. First, each contestant chose one item from a display table showcasing several "unique and unexpected" ingredients, which included:

• dragon fruit

• oyster leaves

• Brazil nuts

• guajillo chilis

• lemongrass

• lotus root

• plantains

• yeast extract (Marmite)

• Montenegro ash goat cheese

• caviar cream

• sauerkraut

• wasabi

• capers

• fermented shrimp paste

• tamarind

• bottarga

• hibiscus

• piquillo peppers

• kumquats

• jackfruit

The chefs were then split into groups of three, though they still competed individually.

• Group 1: Nicole, Sara, Sylwia (Goat Cheese, Guajillo Chilis, Horseradish)

• Group 2: Amar, Begoña, Tom (Bottarga, Oyster Leaves, Piquillo Peppers)

• Group 3: Charbel, Dale, Luciana (Capers, Plantains, Wasabi)

• Group 4: Ali, May, Victoire (Hibiscus, Kumquats, Yeast Extract)

• Group 5: Buddha, Dawn, Gabri (Caviar Cream, Jackfruit, Tamarind)

The group members were required to incorporate all three of their ingredients into their dishes. The judges then selected the chef with their favorite dish from each group.

The chef with the best overall dish from the list of favorites was declared the winner, receiving immunity from elimination and $10,000.