Masterchef viewers left chilled by ‘Silence of the Lambs’ themed dish

MASTERCHEF viewers were left feeling sick to their stomachs when one contestant decided to rustle up a dish inspired by cannibal horror The Silence of the Lambs.

In the final week of rounds, Masterchef judge John Torode instructed the finalists that they needed to create for one their last tasks.

"Your job today is to create one great plate of food which has been inspired by someone or something that you admire," he began.

"Let your imagination run wild, but make sure it tastes great!" he added.

The contestants promised dishes inspired by the writer Roald Dahl, Opera singer Giacomo Puccini, Persian poet Ferdowsi, and the film adaptation of The Secret Garden.

However 40-year-old contestant Steve Kielty went for an unusual source of inspiration - Anthony Hopkins human eating serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Explaining himself, Steve, from South London, said: "I'm doing a dish based around Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs."

He explained further: "It's a film I loved as a young teenager. It's probably got one of the most famous foods and quotes."

Looking slightly anxious, show judge Gregg Wallace asked: "Liver with a nice Chianti?"

To which Steve replied: "And fava beans."

This was a reference to the 1991 horror film which Anthony Hopkins' serial killer Hannibal Lecter famously boasted that he ate the liver of one of his victims "with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."

Steve's used lamb's liver in place for the dish, with beans and Chianti sauce providing "little nods here and there to the film".

The dish was presented on a white plate with the red sauce sprayed across it to mimic a crime-scene blood splatter.

Viewers watching at home were unsure of the meal - and took to social media to lampoon it.

"Based on Silence of the Lambs and it looks like a murder scene on a plate," tweeted one fan.

"Only half paying attention to masterchef.... they did just say that the dish was inspired by silence of the lambs? 'Good blood splatter!'" wrote another.

"Less a dish, more a crime scene," wrote another.

Steve's cooking was, however, strong enough to see him through to the next round - but it was tears for fellow contestant Lorna who was sent home just four days from the finish line.

Breaking down in tears, Lorna said: "It's quite emotional. But I am so proud to have come this far - to be 22 years old and in the final five. Yes, I'm so proud of myself."

Masterchef continues on Wednesday night on BBC One at 8pm when the four remaining finalists will be cooking in South Afirca.

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