IT’S the kind of nit-picking which really cheeses a hard-working cook off - but a clash over MasterChef contestant Matthew Hopcraft’s bechamel sauce has cost the nice guy a place in the competition’s top 5.

As the series builds to a sizzling finale next week, Hopcraft has fallen at the last hurdle after Marco Pierre White criticised the Melbourne dad’s decision to put pecorino cheese in a saucy layer of his lasagne dish.

The Michelin-starred maestro set the six remaining contestants the task of recreating a meal from their childhood, with Hopcraft turning to the first recipe his mother ever taught him to cook.

MORE: A day in the life of MasterChef’s Sara Oteri

But his addition of the salty pecorino to a traditional bechamel (white sauce) was not to the exacting tastes of White and judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston who voted to send the dental lecturer home.

While Jessica Arnott and Sara Oteri both had problems with their dishes, the balance of Hopcraft’s dish was deemed out and so he was eliminated.

Commiserations @Matt_Hopcraft on leaving #masterchefAU - congrats on all you've achieved :) — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 16, 2015

The 43-year-old described the ruling as “bittersweet” — exiting at such a critical time in the competition, but reuniting him with his wife and two children (Emily, 14 and Lachlan, 12).

White’s dislike of his decision to stick to the recipe he knew from his childhood left Hopcraft “torn about whether to stick to (my) guns or listen to him and change.”

“It’s always a challenge in the competition when you have to decide between doing things the way you’ve always done them or take the advice of these chefs and judges. I made a snap decision and went with my gut.”

Only adding to the irony, News Corp told Hopcraft what White had previously stated on the record about his respect for amateur cooks being brave enough to try new ways of doing traditional recipes.

In a recent MasterChef set visit, White said: “I think it’s good to experiment and have a go. And so, you can’t criticise just because you’ve not done it before, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.”

He added: “I would go on to say, I believe we live in a world of refinement and not invention. I’m a great believer that you can’t reinvent the wheel, but you can refine it.”

While a classic bechamel recipe calls for only flour, butter and milk or cream, White himself has been blasted by UK critics for selling out the tradition when he signed a promotional deal with a pre-packaged stock supplier, Knorr and filmed consumer videos using the jelly substitute.

To add insult to injury, the bechamel recipe used by Australia’s original MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin in her lasagne includes cheese and Dijon mustard.

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