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00:01It's the MasterChef, the professional's final.
00:08Tonight, Mark, Gareth, or Luke will be crowned champion.
00:15The day has finally come.
00:16Three plates of food between me and the MasterChef trophy.
00:20To get to the final and then to win would be beyond belief.
00:24There's two very tough contestants in between being able to lift that trophy.
00:28Just got to put my head down and really focus on what's coming up.
00:33It is the most important day, the most important cook of my entire life.
00:39Going in, full guns blazing, no holding back, giving it my all.
00:43This is what our chefs have been dreaming about.
00:47We've pushed them and they've always risen to the challenge.
00:50Now they've got to do that one last time.
00:53They're going to have to come out with some real magic.
00:55Who has got what it takes?
00:58To lift that trophy.
01:11What an exceptional competition this has been.
01:16Under pressure but under control.
01:17Come on, steady hands, steady hands.
01:19There's a bit of speed.
01:20Not much time.
01:22Not an all right to be fair.
01:24Very good, very good.
01:25We've seen some chefs crumble.
01:27Oh.
01:30I'd get a move on about it.
01:31Please don't be firm.
01:32Oh no.
01:34Set, set, set.
01:36This looks a little hectic.
01:38Oh come on.
01:38I've just broken the egg goat chef.
01:39Oh.
01:43We've seen some amazing skills on display.
01:45Oh, smoky.
01:47They're definitely winning.
01:48And we've tasted some amazing food.
01:51I can eat all of it and some more.
01:53It's a cracking good dish.
01:55Honestly, this has blown me away.
01:56That's just ridiculously good.
02:00What an incredible ride.
02:02We've made it.
02:04And discovered the three best chefs in this kitchen.
02:08Three very special cooks.
02:10But we can only crown one champion.
02:28I grew up on a council estate.
02:31With my brother, my dad and my mum.
02:35We didn't have too much money.
02:37But we always got what we needed.
02:39I had my first child at 17.
02:43Grace, are you coming on?
02:44Two and a half years later, my second.
02:47After I got with Katrina.
02:49We've had another two children.
02:51Whee!
02:52Luke is a very good dad.
02:54He'd do anything for anyone.
02:55Does everything for kids.
02:56He's the fun one.
02:57He's always hands on with them.
02:59Really good.
03:01My hair was going everywhere.
03:03Having a child.
03:04Very young.
03:05Moulded my life.
03:06I had to provide from a young age.
03:08Hello.
03:09Hello.
03:09I was very determined to stand on my own two feet.
03:14Was that good?
03:16I've always had quite a strong work ethic.
03:19Come on then.
03:19Come on.
03:20Work hard and it'll pay off.
03:23Did paper round for a few years.
03:25And I got into the cafe next door as a pot wash.
03:28And then they put me into the kitchen.
03:29From the beginning, it felt natural to me.
03:32Cooking didn't feel so much like work.
03:34It became part of who I am rather than my job.
03:39I wanted to make a name for myself.
03:41I wanted to be recognised.
03:43I entered a lot of competitions.
03:50And I decided to enter MasterChef.
03:55Luke's very hard on himself.
03:57He doesn't know his full potential.
04:00People always telling me that I'm a great chef.
04:02But sometimes I don't fully believe it.
04:04I'll, yeah, yeah, sort of brush it off.
04:08Let's go find a sandy bit if we can.
04:11I think putting yourself on a platform against other great chefs
04:14with great judges critiquing you.
04:16Not too much. You're all a stick like sludge.
04:18It's a big deal.
04:20Yeah, it made me realise that I am half decent.
04:26Lift up slowly.
04:29Woah!
04:30Yeah!
04:30The whole family is so proud of Luke for how well he's done.
04:36It's absolutely amazing.
04:38Yeah, we're just rooting for him.
04:41I want to make my children proud.
04:43Give them a good role model, someone to look up to.
04:46Show them that sometimes risk is good.
04:49I haven't actually told my children what I've been doing.
04:52I've been telling them that I've just been working away.
04:54So the reason I've not been here is because I'm on MasterChef The Professionals.
04:59And I've made it to the final.
05:00You're a professional?
05:01Well, I was a professional before the show, yeah.
05:04Are you going to win?
05:05Do you think I could win?
05:06Yeah.
05:06Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:07Of course, of course.
05:08You're the best chef.
05:08Dad, you're the best chef.
05:10You're the best chef.
05:11Yeah.
05:14Luke has always had a quiet, calming presence.
05:18But his food is anything perfect.
05:21You have delivered what we've asked for without panicking.
05:24And that's what we want to see.
05:26It absolutely tastes delicious.
05:30Perfect.
05:31That looks great.
05:32I would happily finish it.
05:33I probably will.
05:35The whole MasterChef experience has been eye-opening.
05:38Smells amazing.
05:38It's definitely made me think in a different way.
05:41Luke was always ambitious with the amount of work he would bring into his food.
05:46This is a chef that's cooking in a pub.
05:48But he's cooking food at a fine dining restaurant.
05:50Bold.
05:51Gutsy.
05:52And I love it.
05:53Fabulous flavours.
05:54Great ideas.
05:55Beautiful execution.
05:57It's a wonderful, wonderful plate of food.
06:00I think I've been relatively strong throughout.
06:03John Dory is one of my favourite fish.
06:05I hope you're going to do it justice.
06:06First time cooking fish like this on a barbecue.
06:09Each stage, I feel like I can sort of push myself a little bit further.
06:13He's taken on the challenge and delivered a great dish.
06:17Despite Luke's many talents, there have been dishes that didn't quite hit the mark.
06:22Gnocchi just feels soggy in the consomme.
06:26In the MasterChef kitchen, things are different.
06:28Things don't always go to plan.
06:31Pastry, there's not much room for error.
06:34You're a twiller on the outside.
06:35They should be connected.
06:36They should be together.
06:38That was terrible, wasn't it?
06:39Definitely my worst round so far.
06:42To redeem myself, I came back strong and fighting and tried to show them who I was on the plate.
06:48That looks fantastic, Luke.
06:50Loved it.
06:52Chef's kiss?
06:54Just ace.
06:56Luke is a chef that has shown he is inventable and thinks outside of the box.
07:00I actually asked my wife to give me a brief.
07:04That could be her claim to fame if it goes well.
07:08I think it's really out there, but I think you've absolutely nailed it.
07:12Everything here is reminiscent of the fun of eating fish and chips.
07:17He has delivered time and time and time again.
07:20Tails coming up now, Chef.
07:22Happy?
07:22I'm happy if you're happy.
07:23Good. You should be.
07:24I'd do it again, yeah.
07:26Get me on the books.
07:26I'll do a shift tomorrow if you want me to.
07:30Beautiful, beautiful work.
07:32Well done.
07:35To make it all the way and lift the trophy.
07:38Yeah, be unreal.
07:44Doesn't feel possible.
07:56I grew up for most of my life in Dublin.
08:01Really, really loved living by the sea.
08:06Swimming, sailing, all sorts of water sports.
08:09In my early teens I started to get really into cooking.
08:12Starting to see food could be a really cool and interesting thing for young guys to be interested in.
08:19I've known Mark for a really long time.
08:22We were part of a little friendship group and he would always just throw these incredible parties and he would
08:27cook for everybody.
08:31And I just kept hanging around. I just wouldn't leave him alone.
08:36And now we're here!
08:40When I was in my early twenties I did this short stint in a culinary school in Dublin.
08:46Before getting an opportunity to move to a restaurant in London.
08:50That was really the light out moment for me.
08:52There was no going back after that.
08:55I got to watch him build his cooking career.
08:59And discover his passion for American barbecue.
09:03Alright.
09:09I'd always loved barbecue, always loved smoking, always loved the live fire stuff.
09:14I went off to the States for a couple of months and I travelled around the southern states.
09:18Ate in so many amazing barbecue restaurants.
09:24And that was incredible.
09:25That time was really intrinsic to how I cook now.
09:28Ooh! So good!
09:30Have you ever considered doing this professionally?
09:35There's a huge amount of art to barbecue and to smoking.
09:38Good Lord.
09:39It's so much more than just throwing a bit of meat in a grill and hoping for the best.
09:44Outrageous.
09:45As always, you've outdone yourself.
09:47This is amazing.
09:49You know, I realised that this was really what I wanted to be doing.
09:53Start doing little pop-ups around Margate.
09:55It was amazing to open my own business.
09:58To choose my own menu.
10:00It was phenomenal. It was absolutely amazing.
10:04The goal for him is to have his own restaurant.
10:06And he is a nightmare to walk around town with.
10:09Yeah, I mean, somewhere like this would be absolutely perfect.
10:11Bar space in here.
10:12Sure.
10:13Dining room there.
10:13A courtyard at the back.
10:14Yeah.
10:15His imagination just gets captured about what could be possible.
10:19One day, maybe.
10:21Who knows?
10:22Aww.
10:24I don't think he believes that he's gotten as far as he has in the competition, but I am not
10:29terribly surprised.
10:34Mark showed us his skills right from the off.
10:37Smashed the skills test. I love it.
10:40I now have my eye on you.
10:42Expectations are high.
10:43I'm always trying to focus on bringing, like, really big flavours.
10:47High impact dishes.
10:50This is a wonderful little dish.
10:52You want to pour directly into my mouth.
10:55It is an absolute triumph.
10:59Well done.
10:59Mark is never more at home than when he's got his face over a hot grill.
11:04I love that smoky barbecue.
11:07Bringing the hay into the equation.
11:08And I think it's absolutely great.
11:11Trust Mark to bring flames in somewhere in his cooking, right?
11:14I'd never put up a dish that I wouldn't be incredibly excited to eat.
11:18You must feel at home.
11:19A little bit, yeah.
11:19Definitely playing a little bit more to my strengths here in a pop-up.
11:22Because that is ultimately why I cook, is to make people happy.
11:26Get a move on, because we want to try this.
11:28You just read my mind.
11:29Hurry up, Mark.
11:30The only way I know how is to be like, look at this amazing thing that I love. Please eat
11:34it.
11:36I definitely want to be having more of these sausages.
11:43When Mark started off in this competition, he was big, he was bold.
11:48Refinement was one of those things that we were really looking for in Mark's food.
11:53I think it's messy in your piping. It's not your best plate.
11:58He needs to be refining the portion control.
12:01When they say something and you can see where they're coming from, definitely strikes a chord.
12:08You don't look happy.
12:10It didn't come together the way I wanted it to.
12:11Yeah, it just wasn't up to the standard.
12:15Certain cooks don't go your way.
12:18But the next challenge, you come in and you really, really smash it out of the park.
12:21This lovage and mustard sauce is sensational.
12:25It's the colour of Ireland and it's Ireland on a plate.
12:29I like how your dish is being served. It looks good.
12:32I just feel like I've grown and have such a clearer sense of my food and how it can be
12:37presented.
12:40Finally.
12:42This is refined food. It is very, very best from you.
12:47You are like a painter, huh?
12:49It literally is a picture on a plate. It's a piece of art.
12:55It's crowd-pleasing food and it's always delicious.
12:58If he can do that with his cooking today, the sky is the limit.
13:03To see every different step of the way all laid out, it's amazing.
13:07I think it would be mind-blowing to stand on that final line and to hear them call out my
13:12name.
13:13It would be absolutely incredible.
13:16Yeah.
13:17It would mean the world to me to be able to walk out of this kitchen a champion.
13:21In the biggest possible ladders.
13:24Just got to win it now.
13:25That's all that's left.
13:33Look at all the cows coming!
13:36Aw.
13:37Let's get moving!
13:40I was born in Carlisle.
13:44Surrounded by farmland and countryside.
13:48It was me, my mum and my dad, and my two sisters, Gemma and Gail.
13:53He's always had a nice nature.
13:54The mother would say that he was a perfect child, but he really was lovely.
14:01My mum's an amazing cook.
14:03She's always raised us on really good food.
14:06When all the other lads were out playing football, I was at home baking cakes with my mum.
14:13Music was a big part of throwing up. My dad was really into his music.
14:18Blues and jazz used to take us to gigs.
14:26My first band, Slater Beatty and the Nightmare Boys, we were called.
14:30That was pretty cool.
14:36I ended up going to university and studying drama and film and TV.
14:41He definitely wanted to be a rock star or an actor, but who doesn't?
14:47The last year of uni is when my dad died.
14:52I did feel lost.
14:55I had no reason to try and better myself.
14:59It was in that time when I met Catherine.
15:05We didn't actually meet in person.
15:07I saw a video of him dancing at a wedding.
15:12And I thought, he looks a little bit of me.
15:17I pretty much hunted him down until he decided to meet me.
15:24Cat was the best thing that ever happened to me.
15:26And she always pushed me and supported me and believed in me.
15:33I didn't decide to be a chef until much later in life.
15:36I blagged my way into an amazing job.
15:39I just said, really passionate, whatever I lack in experience, I'll make up for in hard work.
15:44And then from there, I went over to Newcastle and built a restaurant in the back of an empty warehouse.
15:50This industry is hard, right? It's a difficult industry to be in.
15:54But I've supported him and he's worked so hard.
16:00My dad always actually told me that I should be a chef.
16:03It's a real shame that he didn't get to see it.
16:06Because, yeah, he would be, he'd be really proud of me.
16:13Hi!
16:15Hello!
16:17When Gareth Fomian told me that he was going to be on MasterChef, it was the most exciting news I've
16:23heard in a very long time.
16:25This beef looks amazing. Proper rib of beef.
16:28He really deserves it. He's worked so hard.
16:31We're all really proud of Uncle Gareth, aren't we?
16:34And Daddy.
16:35Well done.
16:37Yeah.
16:40If you had said to me a few weeks ago that I could be the winner of MasterChef The Professionals,
16:46I would have laughed at you.
16:47But I'm really starting to believe that I can.
16:49Cheers, everybody!
16:52Cheers, MasterChef.
16:55Gareth, you are our last contestant entering this competition.
16:59Wow.
17:00Rather large.
17:01Have we got a ladder for that, Milfoy?
17:02I'm sorry, Chef.
17:04I think it was great. I think you did a great job. Well done.
17:07Gareth loves to bring a story to his food.
17:11My fiancé's most memorable thing is the first thing I ever cooked her.
17:15It's delicious.
17:16Main course is memory that I have of family holiday.
17:20It's absolutely knockout.
17:21I'm cooking for the kids every day at home, and meatball night is the favorite night.
17:25I like it. He's treating us like a couple of kids.
17:28There are great restaurants that serve this type of food.
17:32Never thought I'd get emotional over a meatball.
17:35He's a chef that wears his heart on the sleeve.
17:38I'm doing a plum and frangipan tart.
17:40Right.
17:41Which was something that my grandmother used to make.
17:45I love this.
17:47A masterclass in doing the simple things well.
17:50His journey's been quite extraordinary.
17:52Very nervous at the beginning and then really started to build momentum.
17:56It's been a wild ride.
17:58It's given me a real passion and a fire to keep going and push myself as far as I can
18:03go.
18:04Let's get these off.
18:05Gareth's pop-up dish was incredible.
18:07Today I'm making you cheesy chips.
18:09Cheesy chips?
18:12I thought that was absolutely fantastic.
18:15Our guests loved it so much.
18:18Gareth floated straight through to the semi-finals.
18:23Gareth has had highs. He's also had lows.
18:27Whiskey on a dessert should pack a bit of a punch.
18:32That whiskey, it just didn't work.
18:36I'm really not happy with my cake.
18:38Sticky toffee pudding.
18:40The mix wasn't quite right.
18:43Cauliflower, cauliflower, cauliflower cheese.
18:47The balance is just a little bit off.
18:49It's quite monotone.
18:52Gareth found himself fighting for his place in this competition.
18:57However, he came back into this kitchen with a steely determination.
19:00I think it's very clever.
19:02I like it a lot. Well done.
19:04This chef was not ready to go home.
19:07It really takes every ounce of everything you've got.
19:11To keep coming back and giving it your all.
19:14This is a first for me. Beef heart on a barbecue.
19:16I can't really fault that. He's sublime.
19:19He's always got that fight.
19:21This is one of the best plates you've served in the MasterChef kitchen so far.
19:25I want to do a good job. It needs to be perfect.
19:27I've definitely changed and grown as a person.
19:30Fish is looking good.
19:31I've learned a lot about myself.
19:34I've done things that I never thought I was capable of.
19:36Oh my God. Gareth, you can cook.
19:42When Gareth's cooking at his best, he cooks from the heart.
19:46I couldn't possibly put any more love into it, chef. I put a bit of love into everything.
19:50If he can do that just one more time, he is a serious contender to lift that trophy.
19:56This whole competition has been one of the best things I've ever done.
20:01It really has changed my life. The way I think about the future, the way I see the future for
20:06me and my family.
20:08I think they deserve a phone call to say that I've won it. I'm coming home with the trophy.
20:14Yeah, that's what I'm going for.
20:26One more cook-off. This is career-defining. This is a life-changing moment.
20:35Into the lion's den. One last time.
20:57Look at you. Our final three.
20:59We are so proud of what you have done so far. Everything that you have fought for has brought you
21:09here.
21:12This last cook, chefs, give it everything you've got.
21:16Because at the end of it, one of you will be lifting that trophy.
21:21There's no two ways about it. We've got three fabulous chefs standing in front of us.
21:26Three hours, three courses, for the final time. Off you go.
21:33You can feel it in the air. It's going to be a big day, big cook for all of us.
21:36I think we're all here to really prove what we're made of.
21:40I've got a plan, and I think I just need to stick to it and trust the process.
21:44Whatever you do, don't panic.
21:48Coming into the final, the pressure's massive.
21:50And I don't know how I'm going to stand up against the other guys.
21:54But I just need to trust my instinct, go in there and do my best.
21:58Let the food do the talking, yeah.
22:06Luke, are you enjoying this moment?
22:08If I look relaxed, I'm not. I've got a lot to do.
22:11I feel like the dishes represent me as a chef.
22:14For a starter, I'm making a breakfast, like an English breakfast.
22:18So I've got sausage, bacon, black pudding, egg.
22:22But I'm changing it completely.
22:25I like to take a dish that's quite basic,
22:27something that's very commonly known, and try and reimagine it.
22:34Luke's starter is a take on a full English breakfast.
22:36And it's not like any other, because there's pasta.
22:39And so he's making a raviolo.
22:40Luke.
22:41Luke isn't work shy.
22:42He's going to make that pasta dough stripey.
22:44He's giving us a squid ink, black pasta, and a regular one.
22:48You don't have to know how to make your life complicated.
22:50It'll be worth it at the end.
22:52Maybe.
22:56The black pudding, he's pureeing.
22:58In the middle of that, we have an egg yolk.
23:03He's going to be very careful in the cooking of the raviolo
23:05that that egg yolk, one, does not burst, and two, doesn't get overcooked.
23:11I'm going to be serving on the side a sausage sandwich.
23:14Give him the trophy now.
23:15Not yet.
23:16Sausage sandwich.
23:17Definitely took inspiration from Scotland working with Mark Donald.
23:20It was great.
23:21It was playful.
23:22It was fun.
23:22And I decided to add that element into my meal today.
23:26We've got two slices of bread.
23:27And he's made this sausage puree.
23:29So he's got sausage meat.
23:31He's added some seasoning into it.
23:32Sausage sandwich.
23:33You can't really go wrong, can you?
23:35Maybe I'm the first person to serve a sandwich in the final.
23:38I don't know.
23:40Because they're making a brown sauce.
23:42Almost 20 ingredients in it.
23:44We've got plums.
23:45Tamarins, yeah.
23:46Worcestershire sauce.
23:47We've got days.
23:47We've got pomegranates.
23:48It's going to have some sweetness, some sharpness to it.
23:52I can't wait to try this breakfast.
23:56The main course, I've gone for sort of an Asian influence.
23:59The same sort of flavours you get with a duck pancake.
24:04But most of us have probably eaten from the Chinese takeaway.
24:09I'm serving duck breast.
24:11Making a plum sauce.
24:19The cooking of the duck breast on the crown, beautifully caramelized on the outside.
24:23Render that fat down beautifully and roasted to perfection.
24:28Luke's going to braise the duck legs in some star anise, some lemon grass, some ginger and some plums.
24:34Luke's going to strip the meat, he's going to turn that into a croquette.
24:37So nice and crispy on the outside and that soft melting flavoursome meat in the middle.
24:45And then he's going to take that stock and he's going to reduce it and he's going to make that
24:49into a sauce.
24:50No waste and I love that.
24:53We've got miso glazed celeriac fondant full of umami and saltiness that's going to really pick this dish up.
25:03I think it's great and again it's playful. It's very Luke.
25:07The dessert is a classic Italian dessert, tiramisu, but far more elevated than a tiramisu that everybody knows.
25:15Luke started with a mascarpone panna cotta and a coffee chocolate cremo.
25:22Now that sounds very straightforward, but this is Luke, it is not.
25:27It's quite different to a tiramisu, there's quite a lot going into it I think.
25:30He is going to do layers of the mascarpone and the coffee chocolate.
25:37He's going to do one layer, set it, another layer, set and freeze that.
25:43I've got to set five layers into my moulds, so I've got to wait for each layer to set before
25:48I can add the next
25:49and then I need it to set fully before I can take it out of the moulds.
25:54Have you started the layers, Luke? Yeah.
25:57How many are you in one? I've done three, I've just got two more to do.
26:00I've just got to let them set a little bit.
26:02I want to taste the coffee, I want a little bit of acidity coming through from the actual mascarpone itself,
26:07creaminess as well.
26:09I'm serving that with amaretto cherries.
26:11It does work quite well with the coffee flavour, I'm making a sorbet out of that.
26:17Sorbet's got to be beautifully set, you want a taste of cherry and some of the alcohol running through it.
26:22I think Luke's going to give us a tiramisu like we haven't seen before.
26:33What time are we at? One hour has gone, two hours remaining.
26:37Yes chef. Yes chef.
26:41This cook is everything that I've been working towards for the last couple of months.
26:46You've just got to come in, do the absolute best you can and the best chef on the day will
26:51walk away with the trophy.
26:56Mark, it's been exciting watching you change and develop.
27:01Yeah, I think I've taken away a huge amount of refinement.
27:04It's been a few years since I've been in a fine dining kitchen and really reigniting that passion and that
27:08love for that rigour into food has been absolutely amazing.
27:12So what's the inspiration for your three dishes then?
27:15They are based around the idea of my last meal. They're all of my favourite things to eat and to
27:18cook.
27:19It's a momentous day in so many ways. So I wanted to do a lot of the stuff that I
27:22absolutely love.
27:23Nice. I like that.
27:26The starter is based on like a big Freedom Air seafood tower. It's one of my absolute favourite things to
27:31eat.
27:32I'm just trying to bring that to a sense of celebration and that freshness of like all things shellfish.
27:41Oysters, he's put them into the steamer with elastic band wrapped around them just to slightly firm them up.
27:48They're in the steamer for two minutes and keeps all that moisture inside.
27:51They're cooked slightly but they'll be effectively still raw.
27:54With oysters sometimes you just put a little bit of red wine vinegar with shallots running through it, touch of
27:58Tabasco.
27:59He's replacing those with the horseradish which I think is a great idea.
28:03We have sake poached mussels with kamizu. Kamizu is a bit like a hollandaise but it's with rice vinegar.
28:09That's going over his mussels and he's finishing it with a nori oil.
28:14He's going to be brining scallops. He's then going to pipe a little bit of champagne gel over the top
28:20of that.
28:20Mark, you were always my favourite. You were always my favourite.
28:23I always bring the goods, I know. Again, elevated for this MasterChef kitchen.
28:34This will look like a million bucks. I think they'll all taste amazing.
28:38I think it's just whether or not I can achieve it all in the time, I've given myself a lot
28:41of work to do.
28:43For Mark's main course we have got a port loin cooked, of course, on the barbecue.
28:49I was always going to use the barbecue for my last cook here and this dish really celebrates the barbecue
28:54in a big way.
28:55Every element here touches the fire in some way, shape or form.
28:59Whoa!
29:00He's going to brine his pork in some sweet tea.
29:02He's then going to put this barbecue rub all over it, all those famous flavours from the deep south.
29:08The idea is to like slowly render the pork and as it cooks all this fat will start to render
29:11out.
29:12It is cold and that's going to be what's going to flavour the pork all the way through the cook.
29:16Now, you can't just put that pork on the barbecue and walk away.
29:19This is going to take some love and care. He's going to be in and out of the kitchen.
29:23How much time has Mark given himself to just stand over that pork and make sure it's perfectly cooked?
29:30Mark is making hispy cabbage rolls.
29:32He's going to do layers of apple, lardot, rolling that up and then steaming it.
29:38He's going to barbecue some crayfish, he's going to put those in the hispy cabbage roll.
29:43Crayfish, they're delicate, they're sweet.
29:47Will they be lost in that wrap? I hope he puts lots of them in there because that's the flavour
29:51I will be searching for.
29:55Mark's dessert is all about that American classic, loved by cops.
30:00Coffee and doughnuts.
30:02But, not as you know it.
30:04I love coffee and doughnuts as like the most amazing breakfast and a very American touchstone so I wanted to
30:09bring a little of that.
30:14We've got a coffee espuma, coffee flavour, bitter, really want to get that big flavour in there.
30:20That espuma has got to have the right texture that once he pumps it onto the plate it will hold
30:26and stay set.
30:29These little doughnuts are going to be fried so they go away nice and crispy on the outside, super light
30:34in the middle.
30:37We've got malted milk bavoie, malted milk, obviously much love bedtime drink.
30:43With a bavoie, a little bit like a panna cotta, you've got to get the balance of flavours right but
30:47you've also got to get the setting agent just perfect.
30:50If you win, what do you think it will do for your career?
30:52The dream would be to open a restaurant, lots of butchery in house, lots of beautiful live fire cooking.
30:58Do you think you've got what it takes to lift that trophy?
31:01Somewhere deep down maybe it's there. And if it is, I'm going to bring it out today.
31:04There's no other day.
31:05Absolutely. This is it, the last opportunity.
31:10Chefs, you've got one hour remaining.
31:12Yes, chef.
31:16I can't quite believe this is the last cook in the MasterChef kitchen.
31:23This means everything.
31:30So the whole menu is dedicated to the people who have supported me and got me into this position today.
31:37The first course is dedicated to my mum, a big thank you to her, all the luxury ingredients she deserves,
31:42loosely based around one of her favourite dishes, prawn cocktail.
31:47Prawn cocktail is a dish that's been in pubs, restaurants, up and down the country.
31:52Four, five, six, seven, eight.
31:54This is going to be a little bit different though.
31:55It's been inspired by his trip to Italy.
31:57We've got some beautiful fresh Longestines.
31:59That is great.
32:01That is chopping down into almost like a little tartare.
32:04Into that tartare, he's going to put a little bit of green apples, a little bit of acidity.
32:09He's giving us a kefir sauce. I love the use of kefir. It's got that slight kind of sour, yogurty
32:15twang to it.
32:17It's going to be a little bit on the sharp side. He's got to get the balance of that just
32:20right.
32:22The langoustines heads, I'm going to cook them over the barbecue like we were doing in Italy.
32:27Just want that barbecues, charred, smoky flavour, yeah.
32:31Caramelised, you know.
32:33Perfect. Perfect.
32:34Perfect. Perfect.
32:35To give you the flavours of the Mauro sauce, we've got a Longestine mayonnaise, we've also got a tomato tuile.
32:42They look very fragile.
32:44Delicate hands are kneaded.
32:47They're broke.
32:47One of them is just broke, yeah.
32:49Don't throw them away.
32:51Yeah, sure.
32:52Just in case, but also you have got more mix, so do make some more, okay?
32:56Don't give up.
32:57I want them to be perfect, but I really need to start pushing.
33:02The next dish is for my dad, based around when he used to take us foraging in the woods for
33:07mushrooms,
33:07and then we'd all stop at the pub afterwards and we'd all have chicken and chips.
33:12Chicken and chips, the simplicity here is just in the title.
33:16He's basically taking the breast of the chicken and then he's wrapping a chicken mousse around the outside.
33:22We're getting there.
33:25Generally, you would have the mousse on the inside, he's got his on the outside.
33:29I've gone through a hundred different ways of doing this. It's almost like a reverse balloting.
33:35If the chicken's not quite cooked in the middle or the mousse is overcooked, it could be a disaster.
33:42It's a risky thing to do, but it's the finals of MasterChef, the professionals.
33:47King Royce Delt Mushroom. It's meaty.
33:50On the side, we have tarragon mayo, tarragon with chicken.
33:55Match made in heaven.
33:57We have a Madeira sauce, the base of that would be the chicken wings, which he's roasting off lovely and
34:02golden.
34:04I think in the last round, I served you steak and you asked for a big bowl of chips, so
34:09that's what I'm going to give you today.
34:11He can have just the bowl of chips.
34:13I love a potato.
34:17This dish is complex, it's full of detail and it's full of confidence.
34:23Dessert is a take on a really retro cocktail, Brandy Alexander.
34:27Whenever we went round to my partner's family's, as we were leaving, they'd always say,
34:31One foot road, we'd have a brandy, and no matter how expensive or cheap it was, they'd all go,
34:36Oh, that's reet smooth, that is.
34:39You know, you're drinking, oh, yeah.
34:43Cat's brother passed away recently.
34:46But he was the one who pushed me into being a private chef,
34:49who'd given me the confidence to go it alone and cook my dishes.
34:54So, yeah, I owe him a lot.
34:58The Brandy Alexander is normally made from brandy, cream and cocoa,
35:02but what Gareth has done is picked those elements apart to create this dessert.
35:06We've got a milk chocolate cremo and a Dolce de Leche cremo,
35:10and they're going to be set one on top of the other.
35:13This is the Dolce de Leche cremo caramelised condensed milk,
35:17and then this will be on top of the chocolate,
35:19so that one needs to be set before I pour this one on.
35:22We've also got a brandy snap biscuit.
35:24It's got to be soft and crunchy, make sure they're not overcooked,
35:27because they can be quite bitter.
35:30And then on top of that, we've got some poached pears.
35:33It was the first thing I did in the skills test,
35:35so, yeah, it's fitting that it'll be the last thing I serve in my dessert.
35:38The sauce is the poaching liquid from the pears, fresh ginger juice,
35:43and then loads of brandy.
35:45I'm adding the brandy until it either puts hairs on your chest
35:49or knocks your socks off, one of the two.
35:52Big, big, big flavours here.
35:54They will all work only if he's got the balance just right.
35:59Chefs, you have 30 minutes left.
36:03Serve the three most amazing dishes of your career so far.
36:07Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.
36:09Yes.
36:11Yeah, I've got to really pick up the pace now.
36:13It's going to be a struggle to get everything done.
36:15I just really need to pull my finger out right now.
36:23You're going to be all right.
36:24Very against the clock.
36:25A lot still to do.
36:30I've never seen this before.
36:32Works for me.
36:33Hopefully, it'll work for you guys.
36:38Just under ten minutes left.
36:40This is very intense.
36:43How's the duck, Luke?
36:45Yeah, I'm happy.
36:47Yes.
36:48Mark, that pork looks incredible.
36:50Yeah, it's coming out very, very nice.
36:51Chefs, make sure you've got everything on the plate.
36:54Yeah.
36:58There is only six minutes left.
37:05How is it?
37:07Is it set?
37:08Yeah, it's come out nice.
37:11You're almost there, Chefs.
37:13Come on.
37:14Are those your menus?
37:16Yeah.
37:16You've got three minutes.
37:18Yes, Chef.
37:19You've got to move it.
37:24Mark, let's go.
37:31Right, Chef, we've got 60 seconds left.
37:35Come on, come on, come on.
37:39Mind your doughnuts.
37:43You've got ten seconds.
37:44Yes, Chef.
37:45They've got to come out.
37:50Are they cooked?
37:51They're not cooked.
37:52That's it. Time's up.
38:00Mark, coming up.
38:08Mark looks fantastic.
38:10It's refined.
38:11Can't wait to get going.
38:14Mark's final menu starts with a fruit de mer, a seafood platter of diced scallop with a champagne gel.
38:22Pickled celery and fresh grape.
38:25Sake poached mussels, dressed in white soy kamisu and barbecued nori oil.
38:32And an oyster topped with horseradish cream and caviar.
38:41The scallop, or the sweetness of the grape, the herbal notes of the celery, and then just that cheeky sparkle,
38:48the notes of champagne in the jelly.
38:50It's fresh, followed by the mussels. You've got the kamisu in it.
38:54So it's a little bit of that clever seasoning with the smoky notes of the nori that you've just ran
38:58over the grill.
39:00Wonderful.
39:01Thank you very much. Thank you.
39:02My favourite out of all three of these has to be the oyster.
39:05And I love the way you brought the horseradish heat into the cream.
39:08And of course, finished with caviar? Yeah, why not?
39:11You've taken the three different elements and just made them sing in their own unique way.
39:17I love the sweetness of those little scallops, the mussel, which is pretty punchy, but the star of this show
39:22is that oyster.
39:23It's a very sort of modern take, honest freedom air, and you've done it justice.
39:31For his main course, Marcus served a southern-style barbecued pork chop in a spiced paprika rub,
39:39with a hispy cabbage roll filled with crayfish tail, apple and burnt leek pesto, and a hot pepper puree,
39:48finished with a pork and crayfish sauce.
39:54The pork chop, it's so wonderfully cooked.
39:59With the rub that you've made, it's got smokiness from the barbecue, what you love to do.
40:04It's you on another level.
40:08Your hispy cabbage, you have got that crayfish flavour.
40:12I think that's fabulous.
40:13I love your pepper puree.
40:15You've got heat, the sauce.
40:17I love the fact you put the crayfish through the stalk.
40:19That's great.
40:21That's probably one of the nicest pork chops I've ever eaten.
40:25This is everything you love about cooking of the deep south, just refined.
40:30This is a really, really good dish.
40:32Well done.
40:33Thank you very much.
40:36For dessert, Mark has made a malted milk bavoie, topped with a cocoa nib tuile and blackcurrant gel.
40:47Finished with a coffee espuma.
40:58What I have here is a bavoie that is possibly the lightest bavoie I've ever had.
41:03And I love the flavours of malt that's running through this.
41:07The tuile, it's got the crunch, it's got the nibs.
41:09The coffee espumas sometimes, those espumas, they either love you or hate you.
41:13It's too thick.
41:15This is definitely too thick.
41:16You're not happy with that, and that's fine.
41:18But this is a delicious dessert.
41:21I love the addition of the blackcurrant gel.
41:24It's brilliant.
41:25It's just kind of got that acidity.
41:27You see a dessert on a menu, and there's a little doughnut sitting on the side of it.
41:31It's going to be one of the dishes that most chefs would order.
41:34Put it in on there.
41:35There is some lovely flavours running through this, though, I have to say.
41:38Thank you very much.
41:41You've cooked a great menu, Mark, with real passion.
41:44And I think this competition has got the very, very best out of you.
41:49It's refined you, and that restaurant you mentioned earlier on,
41:53can't wait for that to open.
41:56It's hard to put into words what this competition has meant to me personally
42:00and as a chef in my career.
42:01I think the food I'm producing now is heads and shoulders
42:04above what I could have done even weeks ago.
42:08And I thank you so much.
42:15Well done, mate.
42:16Well done.
42:17Smashed it out of your face.
42:19I'm immensely happy with the feedback I got there.
42:21I think I put forward dishes that I believe in.
42:24Would you like to have eaten it?
42:25Me too.
42:27I'm over the moon with how it's all gone.
42:36It's a bit nerve-wracking, isn't it?
42:38Yeah.
42:40This is very much your style of food.
42:44It's so precise.
42:45Just wonderful.
42:46It looks great.
42:48For his starter, Luke has served a twist on the English breakfast
42:53with the black pudding and egg yolk raviolo striped with squid ink,
42:57topped with crispy bacon, served with a sausage sandwich and brown sauce.
43:09Yes.
43:14The raviolo.
43:15It's cooked beautifully.
43:17You've got that kind of earthiness, the richness of the black pudding in there,
43:20softened by the egg.
43:22Crispy bacon.
43:23Obviously, they all work beautifully.
43:26I think the pasta is creating something that shows skill.
43:30That's what this is.
43:31It's clever.
43:32It's smart.
43:33It's you.
43:33It's the start of a great menu.
43:35Well done.
43:36And not only that, you go and give us a sausage sandwich.
43:40Fun and delicious.
43:41The sauce you made, there's the sweetness of the date, lots of spices.
43:46What a fun take on an English breakfast.
43:53Luke's mane is a take on Chinese duck.
43:57Duck breast cooked on the crown with a spiced duck leg croquette,
44:03miso-poached celeriac fondant and a duck and plum sauce.
44:13Duck's beautifully cooked, rendered just right, pink, rested.
44:17Love that.
44:18Your duck leg.
44:19It's got lovely aromats running through there.
44:21You've got chilli in there too, chopped up, spring onions,
44:24and then you've got that sauce running through.
44:26I love this.
44:26I think it's very clever.
44:29Great job.
44:32I love the celeriac.
44:33I love the way you rolled it out and then rolled it back,
44:36and it just makes it so much lighter.
44:38It just sucks up all those flavours that you poached them in.
44:42It all works beautifully.
44:45The sauce, you took the cooking liquor from the legs of the duck and added that,
44:51so it's got the spices and more of the fruit running through it.
44:54There's a hint of soy.
44:56I mean, you couldn't get two different plates.
44:57You had English breakfast followed by duck and pancakes.
45:03For dessert, Luke has made his version of tiramisu.
45:09Layers of mascarpone panna cotta and chocolate and coffee cream
45:13in a thin chocolate shell lined with mascarpone cream,
45:18served with an amaretto-soaked cherry
45:21and an amaretto cherry sorbet.
45:29I think the flavour that sits inside that little chocolate log there
45:35is the essence of what the best tiramisu is all about.
45:38You've got the coffee, perfect, not over-sweet, not under.
45:41The mascarpone, the way it's set, working beautifully.
45:46I love the addition of the cherry sorbet.
45:50It's very reminiscent of Black Forest with the chocolate and with the cherry.
45:54This is a very, very delicious and well-executed dessert.
45:59The one stand-alone cherry here that's been soaked in amaretto.
46:04I kind of wish you had a bowl of those.
46:07However, there is nothing here that I am not enjoying.
46:13Luke, it's been a real joy to watch you develop throughout this competition.
46:18You are so much more confident.
46:21Lift your head up higher because you are doing something quite special.
46:26I do feel a little bit, like, lost for words at the moment.
46:30I'm going to keep pushing my food the way that I have been.
46:33I'm going to try and bring it out of the competition
46:35and do it in my own kitchen.
46:45Congratulations.
46:45What are you worried about?
46:47I don't know.
46:47I thought I was going to cry for a minute.
46:49I was like...
46:51The judge's feedback was far beyond what I was expecting.
46:55It's very emotional.
46:56Like, I could definitely feel sort of a lump in my throat in there,
46:59sort of trying not to sob like a boy.
47:02Mate, it couldn't have gone better.
47:08So, hopefully, hopefully it was enough.
47:10Fingers crossed.
47:15Gareth's final menu is an ode to his family.
47:20This looks really, really good.
47:24The starter is his take on a prawn cocktail for his mum.
47:28A langoustine and green apple tartare.
47:32With a kaffir and caviar sauce, split with dill oil.
47:37Topped with a tomato tuile, dusted with tomato powder.
47:41Served with a Mary Rose langoustine mayonnaise.
47:49You've got those beautiful langoustines.
47:51You've still got some bite and texture in there.
47:54The kaffir giving you that kind of sourness.
47:57Hands down, this is one of the nicest dishes you've given us.
48:02That lovely little tuile, I watched you make it at the bench there.
48:05You were struggling.
48:06It's very, very precise.
48:08And the little Mary Rose-style sauce that sits around the outside,
48:11slightly caramelised langoustines, that's just delicious.
48:16It's such a delicate dish, yet it's gutsy.
48:23What a great way to start this menu.
48:25Brilliant job. Mum will be proud.
48:31In memory of his dad, Gareth's mane is chicken and chips.
48:37A chicken breast roulade wrapped in a chicken and truffle mousse.
48:41With king oyster mushroom, set puree and tarragon mayonnaise.
48:47Served with a side of shoestring fries.
48:50Finished with a Madeira sauce.
48:58The cooking of the chicken breast on the inside, it's still tender.
49:03Brilliant.
49:04The set puree, it is smooth.
49:07You can taste the mushroom flavours through that.
49:10The tarragon mayonnaise, very well thought of because chicken and tarragon work so well together.
49:15The king oyster mushroom is so meaty, it's indulgent.
49:21The chicken is perfect, the mousse is brilliant.
49:25I love that sauce, it's got that smokiness, and it adds so much.
49:30I'm struggling to find fault here.
49:32This is an absolute winner.
49:35And of course on the side, the bowl of chips.
49:38They're great, they're crispy, they're crunchy.
49:40I love the fact you've also added a set of powder onto it.
49:43And then just to finish it off, you put some chicken skin.
49:45Well, why not?
49:46This is a dish for the old man.
49:49I think he'd be very proud of you.
49:50Well done.
49:53Dedicated to his fiancee's family, Gareth's dessert is a twist on the Brandy Alexander cocktail.
50:01A layer of milk chocolate cremeux and dolce de leche cremeux, topped with a brandy snap,
50:07and brandy poached pears, finished with a ginger and brandy sauce.
50:17You've got the bitter chocolate on the bottom, and then a little bit of salty caramel over the top.
50:23And I love that it's the same texture, yet it's hitting two different notes.
50:28The brandy snap on the top here, just got that right sort of bite into it.
50:33The pear's beautifully, perfectly poached.
50:36It is rich, and it's punchy.
50:41Wow.
50:43That's got some body to it, and some kick.
50:46To get that balance of the brandy, the ginger heat, and to make it work with this cremeux is brilliant.
50:52What a way to finish your menu.
50:54What a way to finish your competition with that little final brandy farewell.
50:59I love it. It's great.
51:02Gareth, this is exceptional.
51:04Thank you, Chef.
51:05Whatever you set out to do, you've absolutely nailed it.
51:07The sauce, it's just wonderful.
51:09It's rich. It's really powerful. I'm absolutely loving it.
51:13Really, really, really good. Really accomplished.
51:17Gareth, three very different stories for three or four very different people who mean something to you.
51:25You finished off with an absolute knockout three-course menu.
51:29Congratulations. Well done.
51:31Loved it.
51:33When I walked through those doors all those weeks ago and saw the three of you for a skills test,
51:40it was one of the most terrifying experiences I've ever had.
51:44And now, sitting here in front of you, I feel like a completely different chef.
51:49I've learnt so much this competition, and it has been an amazing adventure.
51:55Thank you very much.
52:01That's what you want, isn't it?
52:05I'm feeling absolutely delighted on top of the world.
52:09They were the most important dishes I had to cook.
52:11Thank you to my mum, a dish from my dad, father and brother-in-law.
52:15I was really glad that I did them all justice.
52:23Well done, guys.
52:25Well done to everyone.
52:26That was such a hard cook.
52:28Oh, my God. What a day.
52:34Every year, I think, are we going to get as good a final as the last?
52:39Well, we sure did.
52:41Our three finalists took this year to a whole new level.
52:45And that's what it's all about.
52:47We've had some fantastic food.
52:49It's been a real, real privilege to watch.
52:55Mark, for me, as the chef, has had the biggest highs, the biggest lows.
52:58But he's taken it on board, and what we saw today was him really kind of finessing.
53:04Three great plates of food, the flavours of the barbecue running through.
53:08It's fabulous.
53:11Luke is now a chef who's unafraid to rewrite food as we know it.
53:18Cooking this food in the final is quite extraordinary.
53:24Brave, different, I just thought all three of his dishes equally were delicious.
53:30Throughout this competition, we've watched Gareth change.
53:34Today, we had three faultless dishes.
53:37And he cooks from the heart.
53:40We as chefs know that is the best food when it's from a memory, something that means something to you.
53:46And if you can share that, you're onto something very special.
53:49And I think Gareth has found the art of doing that.
53:54We've got to make a decision, and it's a tough decision.
53:56Who is our champion?
54:03It's been amazing cooking with you both. It's been such a pleasure, such an honour.
54:08We can all leave from the head tail tie.
54:11It's been a journey.
54:14Hopefully, the journey's just beginning.
54:16We've got to come in.
54:19I could be someone better if I pulled you closer.
54:23Feel the things and I knew I was supposed to.
54:27But who am I? Who am I?
54:31I'm the man who can't be loved.
54:36That was a fabulous final.
54:38Outstanding cookery.
54:40And all three of you should be incredibly proud.
54:43It's my first time here in the MasterChef kitchen.
54:46And it's been a real honour to share it with you three.
54:51As brilliant as all three of you are, there can be only one winner.
55:01Our professional MasterChef champion is...
55:05Who am I? Who am I?
55:09I'm a man who can't be loved.
55:19Gareth.
55:22Well done, mate.
55:23Well done.
55:24Well done.
55:26Well done, mate.
55:31I can't believe it.
55:32Mark.
55:33Luke.
55:34You've been an absolute pleasure to have in the kitchen.
55:36And I hope that you have enjoyed the journey.
55:39For the last time, thank you so much.
55:40Thank you, Chef.
55:42Well done, mate.
55:46The competition's been a great experience.
55:48I'll look back on it fondly.
55:50It's been eye-opening.
55:51I've definitely developed as a chef.
55:53It's going to take a couple of days to sink in.
55:55But, yeah, I'm looking forward to going back to normal life for a little bit.
56:02It's been an incredible experience from the moment I stepped through those doors.
56:06To be with the competition right from the beginning all the way to the very end is incredibly special.
56:11But Gareth was so deserving to win.
56:14And, like, I couldn't imagine it going to a nicer bloke.
56:16I believe this is yours.
56:21What, Doug?
56:21Congratulations.
56:22Thank you so much.
56:23All right.
56:25This means everything.
56:26It's the best feeling I've ever had.
56:28It's absolutely incredible.
56:29I'm over the moon.
56:30Congratulations.
56:31Well done.
56:32Champion.
56:33Well done.
56:35Gareth's food, it's bold, it's flavoursome, and it's from the heart.
56:40He has gotten better and better with every challenge.
56:44And his final three dishes today showed that.
56:48They were faultless.
56:52If I've learned anything through this competition, cooking food that you believe in and cooking from the heart can take
56:58you a long way.
56:59He cooks with love and he cooks with passion.
57:01And that's why he's our champion.
57:07Hi.
57:08I won.
57:09Oh, my God!
57:11It's over here!
57:16I've taken so much more from the competition than I thought.
57:19I'm so proud of you!
57:21It's changed me as a person, it's changed me as a chef.
57:24Gareth's got a huge future and I cannot wait to see where he goes.
57:29Now that I'm here holding this trophy, it's given me a whole new road to travel on.
57:33And I'm going to go all the way down it.
58:01And I'm going to go all the way down it.
58:03Now that I'm on it, I'll go all the way down it.
58:05I can have two people in the Pierp 3.
58:06And I can't wait and see where he goes and I'll go now out it.
58:10But
58:11You
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