Episode 30 Celebrity MasterChef

It's the Celebrity MasterChef final.

Whether I'm good enough to win it, I don't know.

These celebrities have already reached the top of their profession.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

There can't be any mistakes.

If everything clicks today, hopefully I'll be champion tonight.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this!

Over the past six weeks...

..Kirsty,

Nick

and Phil

have been battling it out

to prove they have what it takes to be crowned Celebrity MasterChef champion.

Three cooks, who have become something absolutely extraordinary.

The journey to here has been fantastic, absolutely fantastic.

This is the culmination of all that work

and learning and mistakes,

and fun! It's been so much more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

At the beginning of MasterChef, I was a comfort-zone cook.

Big pie!

Big pie, but you might be hungry.

Have I forgotten something? No, I think that's everything.

But after just two or three days in the MasterChef kitchen you realise how much better I could be.

- Yum! - Thank you.

I'm blown away by that!

Your food is usually very, very big, and today this makes me smile.

There's some finesse.

Your food today looks very nice. You are coming on leaps and bounds.

You used to serve it up with a shovel!

All those big flavours coming together to make something really delicious.

I'm so glad.

I absolutely love your clementine cake, the sweetness and the sourness of the passion fruit.

I think it's very good.

-Really, really first-class work, Kirsty.

-Thank you.

You love this dish, don't you?

- Yeah. - And if we don't, you'll be really upset.

I really like it.

You are becoming in my mind a really game adventurous cook.

- Thank you. - Really wonderful.

You've always done flavour, you're just starting to do elegance as well.

At last!

It's been really tough because what you're doing is pushing yourself the whole time.

Yeah, I make a lot of banana bread, but I don't make it for 75 people!

You want to do your best for yourself and also for John and Gregg. You want to do well.

Hectic, crazy!

I am so hot!

It's been a real thrill and a privilege to do this, and I've loved every minute.

I've had some good rounds and some not-so-good rounds.

Raw chicken? Uh-huh. Not good at all. People can't eat it.

I'm gutted!

It's a very, very heavily engineered piece. It's very, very thick.

If you look down at the shell, there's a lot of oil down there.

And I find the crab meat just kind of mashed up completely.

I was very disappointed in Dublin at the State House...

when the creme brulee didn't set.

Well, yeah, I mean, it's up to you. I think you'd be risking it.

I made it, binned it, made it again...

All together, it's certainly my favourite dish of the evening. I thought it was absolutely lovely.

If I won MasterChef, it would be a fantastic achievement.

I absolutely adore cooking. I never thought I'd be on MasterChef.

And it has been an absolutely enriching experience.

The family's all really backing me, "Go for this, Mum!" you know...

I would absolutely love to win.

I have to say

the very first day here...

just this sheer fear of the unknown.

I've never felt so nervous for a long, long time, gents.

I literally couldn't stop shaking.

Whey!

Brilliant.

When you think about how I started and all the things which we've done, it's been a...

you know, an unbelievable journey.

It's refined, the flavours are defined,

and I think there's a lot of skill demonstrated there and that's why I really like it.

Thank you.

That is gorgeous!

You've never cooked squirrel before. You're game to do what you did. Really good.

Thank you.

It's just lovely, it's really fresh flavours, almost like sitting at the seaside.

I just want to eat the whole plateful.

That's a pro dish and it's pro cooking.

I never expected something as pretty and as tasty as a dish like that from you ever!

I can't fault this...seriously.

-Thank you.

-Hats off to you! That's all I can say.

Hey, you all right, mate?

-You're not going to start blubbing on us?

-No, so long as you don't talk about it, I'm fine. I'm really...

You are such a softy!

I know.

My cooking has definitely changed. I mean, goodness me!

I've done things on this that I could never even have dreamed of.

Let's go! Got to get it out hot, chef.

I need some speed now, otherwise we'll be serving cold food.

You won the World Cup! This is easy!

It's a lot worse than rugby,

because if there's trouble or something's not right,

your experience will tell you and point you in the right direction.

While with this...

I've struggled on bits all the way through.

Big pressure, mate. Lots of orders coming in.

Lots of things going on.

-I'm still waiting for that one kebab to come.

-Yes, chef.

-You're not used to the feel of this, are you?

-I've never made pastry before.

-Lemon tart!

-Lemon tart!

I don't know how to do lemon tart!

When you're in that environment, you've got John and Gregg watching everything,

when all you want to do is focus. If I don't focus, then anything could happen.

-John's stepped in for me.

-You did get behind then, didn't you?

-Yeah, way behind.

-Way behind.

Aaargh!

MasterChef has driven me to all different kinds of despair at times,

but at the same time the feeling, the buzz...

You see people smile when you've cooked something, you know, really well.

It's just the best feeling in the world.

It's so peppery and harsh! Fabulous.

I think these are just a joy to even look at, not to mind eat.

All in all, I would say fantastic.

This is a Michelin-star dish. I am absolutely overjoyed for what he's done ...

To really get some great flavours into a sauce is difficult,

but to have it balanced with the rest of the ingredients on the plate...

Very, very good. Well accomplished.

-Overall, I think it's fantastic.

-It's been a privilege for me to be able to cook for you,

-so thank you very much.

-Thank you. Cheers.

That was just brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-And another one. Oh, yes!

You did wonderfully well.

-Thank you, I really appreciate that.

-You can do my cooking any time.

I've got good support, obviously, Kate and the kids.

The kids are too young to really understand, but, you know...

Megan asked, "Are you still cooking?" I said, "Yeah." "Oh, well done, Daddy! I'm proud of you!"

She doesn't know what I'm cooking or what it is I'm doing.

I know Kate's supportive. I mean, she knows me, she knows what a stubborn old toad I can be at times.

She said to me yesterday, you know, "So what if you don't win it?

"You've done really well." I know, that's great, fantastic,

but if something means something to you, it makes a big difference.

I just want to make sure I give myself every chance of becoming the winner,

because that would just be, you know, it would be awesome.

I've definitely changed as a cook

since I started.

There you go!

- Was that all right? - First test on MasterChef.

- Not a bad job. - Thanks.

It is a weird combination. For me, it doesn't quite work.

You're trying to hide stuff, aren't you?

It doesn't work. Don't burn one side and try and trick me!

If you're cooking all the time, you're going home at night and you're breathing it, you're living cooking,

you can't help but get better.

-What are you grinning at?

-I'm just nervous!

I think you've done a decent job.

You've got a good palate.

Thank you.

Your fish is absolutely perfectly cooked.

It's light and it's sweet. A big mmm for the risotto.

Super yummy.

Flavours, tastes, textures, good. I'd say job well done.

Very nice wobble.

Ten out of ten.

I think this is my dish of the whole day.

That's the closest I've got to an Ozzie meat pie since I've been in this country. That's great!

Happy days!

That is a knock-out!

Stunning.

I'd definitely say it's been one of the hardest things I've ever done.

One thing I will take away is the heat. Every kitchen I've been in, those working kitchens,

I can't believe how hot they are.

Oh, we're on fire here!

I'm definitely my own worst enemy. I just panic, I can't help it.

I don't know why. I don't panic in my own job about anything.

It won't go through!

You'll now know why I borrowed a packet.

I've tried doing everything. I've tried doing what John says.

You're getting faster and making mistakes. Calm yourself down.

It just doesn't happen. I just start huffing and puffing.

Damn!

It is like eating raw cake mix.

Bother!

My lowest low points? Betty's Bakewell tart, a definite no-no.

This is a meltdown.

There was holes in all the pastry and so it all just sunk out.

I thought I'd welded them up, but it didn't go too well.

It's raining.

I don't know what to do now.

I can only just wait and see.

- You did a marvellous job. - Are you sure?

- I was really worried that I'd botched it for you. - But it was good.

I'm sure your recipe was a lot nice than that, I'm sure it was.

Ah, well... You know, you're a charmer, aren't you?

Obviously, there's been highs and lows.

But I have really enjoyed it when I've gotten it right.

-Nick's done brilliantly well here, John. This is not an easy dish to put together.

-Well done.

Any customer would be very happy with it, as I am right now.

Very, very cool piece of cooking. Bordering on absolutely excellent.

For you to have pulled that off so well is really an amazing testament to yourself.

Thank you, thank you.

I felt great about getting this far.

I never thought when I walked in here, however long ago it was, that I would be in the final,

and, you know, it's brilliant.

But this is the day you've got to win it. We all know there's going to be a winner and two losers,

so, you know, that's just how it is. And I want the winner to be me.

I have really enjoyed this journey, really enjoyed it.

And watching you three develop into the cooks that you now are has been incredible.

You've put so much into this competition. I'm really, really proud.

And you should be very, very proud of yourselves. Well done.

Now, one of you is going to be calling yourself MasterChef champion at the end of today.

You just have to show me and John how much you want it.

Your three courses, two hours. Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

What I need to do is show really good flavour combination

and a bit of a sparkle on each dish, a bit of something special in each dish...

..and that I'm actually quite adventurous and passionate in my cooking.

And I hope that I can do that.

-It's a big day, Kirsty, isn't it?

-It's a huge day! I mean, this is what the competition has been about,

and so the idea is to try and methodically enjoy it and cook great food.

-Tell us your menu.

-It's a salmon-and-dill centre, uncooked,

and you pour the sorrel soup around it, with oatcakes on the side from Scotland and Scottish salmon.

And then the main course, calf's liver on a bed on a bed of shard with a balsamic dressing.

And then the pudding I want to get out the way which is a pistachio meringue with rosewater cream.

Beside that goes panna cotta with cardamom and rosewater,

-and cardamom crisps.

-Right, you're not doing this at all by halves. You've got loads to do.

-Yes.

-Does that spell danger?

-No. It spells pressure.

Personally, you only do your best when you're pushed and you push yourself.

And so I've just tried to push myself and I hope I haven't pushed too much.

Are you going to win this title?

I'd love to, but, you know, it's a long shot. It just takes one thing to go wrong,

and it'll come tumbling down. So I really, really want it to be the best I can do.

The pressure is on.

We're going to leave you alone, Kirsty.

Thank you very much. I appreciate that, honestly. Honestly, I appreciate it.

- I can see it in your face. Good luck. - Thank you.

I love the idea of Kirsty's first course.

A salmon tartare with a hot sorrel soup. You pour the soup around the side, it cooks the salmon,

so it's lovely and fresh, and that lovely lemon then comes with the sorrel.

Really clever.

But she's given herself so much to do, so much to do!

Kirsty could wow, could knock the competition out the water. Kirsty could also trip up.

Half an hour's gone.

Half an hour has gone.

I'm feeling nervous today...

..just because of it being the final challenge.

Got to get it right.

You know, you just don't want to let yourself down on the final hurdle.

You've faced some big challenges in your time, Phil. How does this one compare?

This is probably one of the most nerve-racking, that's for sure.

I just want to make sure that I produce good food that you enjoy.

I'm doing you scallops with black pudding,

and crispy Parma ham.

And the main is... I've gone back to lamb with some baby carrots, asparagus.

And then to finish off, the ultimate sin of some bread-and-butter pudding with Cornish clotted cream.

Your journey has been extraordinary. Has it been like that for you?

You couldn't even begin to understand

what it's done or how it's been, or maybe you can, I don't know.

It's been brilliant and I want it to finish on a brilliant note.

So from the shaking hands of an endive salad

to the majestic three plates of Mr Phil Vickery.

That would be absolutely brilliant, but I've got to pull it off.

I hope there's more to Phil's dishes than it sounds at the moment.

I know Phil now in this competition. It is going to have detail, it's going to be well cooked,

and it's going to be elegant. Well, I hope it is!

Deathly silence. I understand.

You have one hour left. You're halfway.

The biggest competition today is myself, cos there are a lot of things that can go wrong,

and the timings are all over the place today, so if it starts clicking wrong, I can't catch back up,

I'll have a meltdown.

A proper one!

Nick, at this stage of the competition, you have to control your nerves, is that not right?

That's completely right, yeah.

I'm pretty focused, yeah. I mean, you know... we're just wanting to do our best.

With a bit of luck and if everything goes right, we can do that.

I'm doing a crab and avocado with a yuzu dressing,

and I'm doing roasted duck with braised red cabbage and bordelaise potatoes.

And a treacle tart with pecan brittle ice cream.

Well, we had the catastrophe with Betty's Bakewell tart, and I want to put it right!

- You're setting yourself up a huge challenge. - I know, yeah.

Can you do it? Can you lift the title?

-Well, I like to think I can, you know. But we'll see. You never know, do you?

-What will it take?

It's going to take something special, I know that, but, get my head down, hopefully I can do that.

-You're actually quite nervous, aren't you?

-Really nervous.

-Good luck, mate.

-Thank you.

Nick's three courses, I think, are inspired. I love the eclectic mix.

And the worrying thing here for Nick is the pastry work. Now, that has not been his strength at all,

the desserts, and he's got to make ice cream, he's making a pecan brittle and a treacle tart!

Difficult things, all three.

I think Nick has stuck his head above the parapet. If it works, fantastic!

Oh!

All right?

Yeah, considering we had a little minor catastrophe.

Guys, the pressure's on, I know, but you have just 15 minutes left.

15 minutes.

Come on!

Guys, ten minutes, please! Ten minutes!

That's it. That's it. Time is up.

I want to cry.

For her starter, Kirsty has made sorrel soup with salmon tartare, dill and oatcakes.

I'm going to pour my sorrel soup...

Very few people use sorrel because they can't control the power of it,

but your soup is well-rounded and delicious and soft.

In there, that salmon cooks just enough to melt in your mouth with the richness of the dill.

I think that's brilliant.

I do, I think it's absolutely brilliant.

And the little oatcakes are just great with it.

I think it's a really, really lovely dish.

Mmm! God, that's really good.

Your soup, your salmon... I really, really, really like.

It's almost to start with the sweet flavour of pea and then it goes into that lemony citrus flavour as well.

It's thought-provoking, it's interesting, it's something different.

-It's good, it's really good.

-Thank you.

Kirsty's main is calf's liver with Swiss chard in a balsamic dressing,

rosemary garlic chips and a mustard mayonnaise.

Rich liver, iron coming from that Swiss chard,

and loads and loads of mustard and olive oil.

I really, really like it, but, for me, there's just one little thing which is worrying me a touch.

And that is all the oil that's coming off something, and I'm not quite sure where it's coming from, on the plate,

but it's making it slightly greasy.

But really flavoursome, really well done.

OK. Kirsty, we're...we're...

-look, that bit's not cooked.

-OK.

-Let's have another bit.

Right, OK.

That mustard mayonnaise is lovely. There is sweetness in that as well and from that balsamic as well,

and it hits the iron of the liver absolutely beautifully, and the chard...

releasing all that juice is also good. It is oily.

You do have some issues with the cooking of your liver,

but I think liver, chard, mustard mayonnaise...

I think is a heavenly combination.

Kirsty's dessert is pistachio meringues with rose cream,

a cardamom panna cotta and cardamom biscuits.

This, to me, is elegant and looking absolutely beautiful.

Really beautiful.

Many people think I don't like desserts.

What I don't like is I don't like big bowls full of custard and cream.

What I do like is that.

The rosewater pistachio inside your meringues just starts to creep up on you,

the softness of the panna cotta, these lovely little sweet biscuits...

the whole thing is beautifully made.

For me, gorgeous.

Love it.

- Love it. - Good.

Mmm.

I'm OK with this meringue.

Good.

Good meringue.

That is my favourite, the panna cotta, cardamom flavours as well.

And the candied rose petal with sugar on it as well... they're absolutely inspired.

I really, really, really like them.

I am feeling totally exhausted.

I could kick myself over the main course, the balsamic reduction,

but I'm pleased about the dessert, because it worked out the way I wanted it to work out.

Now I'm just apprehensive.

For his starter, Phil has cooked scallops and black pudding

with pea shoots, crispy Parma ham and apple puree.

That is restaurant-style presentation, Phil. It really is.

And I'm thinking back to the time

when you made us three kilos of sausage on top of six kilos of mashed potatoes!

What a journey it's been.

Your apple sauce is sweet, but still sharp,

going really well with that beautiful black pudding. The ham comes in, it's salty and brings your palate alive,

but it leaves you there able to taste that lovely sweet scallop, perfectly cooked,

with the little pea shoot at the back of it which just explodes in your mouth

and makes you think you're eating peas as well. It's beautifully cooked, beautifully presented.

I like it a huge amount.

That may be one of the best scallop dishes I've ever eaten! Apple and salty bacon

is like having a Sunday roast pork, and then that goes away

and in comes the earthiness of that black pudding, and it finishes on the sweetness of scallop and pea.

I think that's delightful. Brilliant.

Phil's main is fillet of lamb with baby carrots, asparagus wrapped in mint and Parma ham,

and fondant potatoes.

Asparagus in ham?

Your lamb is perfectly cooked, your potatoes are beautiful,

I think that's wonderfully, classically done. I love the presentation...

But then there's the sweetness of that mint wrapped around the outside of the asparagus

and there's the link to the lamb.

I love that little bomb and just shocks you and you don't think it's going to be there.

That is so clever. There's all the mint wrapped around the ham and inside...

Who's told you that little trick?

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Mmm!

That salty ham is just the pathfinder.

The saltiness and strength of that goes and you're left with mint with soft lamb,

a sweeter sauce, buttery, buttery soft potatoes.

Mate, that's good.

I just absolutely love that.

For dessert, Phil has made orange-and-chocolate bread-and-butter pudding

with clotted cream.

I really like the flavour of the chocolate, the richness of the custard

and the orange running all the way through it.

But the texture, for me...

..it doesn't melt in my mouth. It's not rich and unctuous

like I would like that bread-and-butter pudding to be.

I'm so sorry. I think you're wrong. I'm sorry, John.

You need that little bit of firmness, otherwise it would all be a little too wet. No? All right...

we'll sort this one out on the sofa.

That is mellow, rich, creamy. That, for me, is absolutely fine.

It's as good as the other two dishes. Absolutely fine.

I think it needs that bit of firm, otherwise it'd be far too wet. You'd be drinking it.

So nervous today. I mean, kind of almost to the point of feeling physically sick.

You know, it is really, really tough and...

Yeah, it's over. I couldn't have done any more.

I've given it everything. I could not have done one thing more.

And that makes me feel really proud of myself.

Let's hope it's enough.

Nick's starter is a spicy crab-and-avocado salad

with a yuzu dressing.

I really like the look of your crab, really like the look of it.

It starts with that spicy crab mix with the sweet tomato

and your avocado all running through it, which is lovely and soft.

And then you finish off with almost that grapefruit flavour coming from the yuzu.

It is a really good dish, it's really well flavoured, it's really well made,

and I like it a lot.

Mmm! That's lovely. I think it shows a very clever use of ingredients that are slightly different.

To take Japanese flavourings and put it with avocado and crab is something I haven't seen before.

-Good imagination. Good palate. Sort of start you were looking for?

-Yeah, yeah, I'll take that!

Nick's main is roasted duck breast with braised red cabbage,

bordelaise potatoes and a redcurrant sauce.

Your cabbage is beautifully cooked and still quite crunchy,

giving it the texture it needs to go with the soft duck,

and your potatoes are really lovely and soft.

Although your duck is well cooked and it's been well rested and it's lovely and tender,

there are little bits of that skin which are charred.

And that sauce needs to be a little bit looser.

I love the conception of the dish.

I think it could work really, really well if all those details had been right, but it's not quite right.

Mmm! That's good flavours.

There's sweetness in there and there's a little bit of sharpness as well,

and a tiny little bit of Pernod.

The sauce and the cabbage match the duck brilliantly, absolutely brilliantly.

There's a couple of little issues on there, but the taste of it together is really good,

really good.

For dessert, Nick has made a warm treacle tart with pecan brittle vanilla ice cream.

There is a trick with treacle tart, and that is enough lemon juice to be able to offset

the real sweetness of the syrup with a sharpness.

And your tart is fantastic!

Your ice cream is smooth, enriched with vanilla

and that pecan crumble across the top is smoky with the nuts, sweet with the sugar,

and matches perfectly with your tart itself. That is fantastic.

Good on you.

Bags and bags of vanilla in there and then you pick up the honey treacle-like syrup of it.

Really good. That's, like, really, really warm and cosy.

That is really, really nice.

You can put the ghost of your failed puddings to bed now, mate!

-Well done.

-Thank you.

The main thing I was concerned about was going into meltdown and not getting it out. And I got it all out,

and it's, say, 75%, 85% right. Just the main course was a little bit of an issue,

but I would have eaten it!

Thank you. It's been a privilege...

and when I think now about how far you've come and the food that you've cooked today,

then I've got to say an honour.

We'll call you back in as soon as we've worked out who our winner's going to be.

Thank you.

-It's over!

-It's over!

-Finished.

-Can't believe it, actually.

It was over in a flash and, honestly, an hour in, I didn't think I was going to get everything finished.

I feel drained. I feel like someone's just pulled the plug

and every ounce of energy has left my body.

Three celebrities come in here, put their heart and soul in this competition,

and that, what they have delivered today, for me, brings me joy, absolute joy.

Today I thought Kirsty had given herself far too much work to do, but she did it.

She really did it.

Good food, thought-provoking food.

Yeah, Kirsty was really brave, really brave and really bold.

The salmon with the sorrel soup round the outside, I really liked.

There was a touch of theatre about that, John.

If I look at where Kirsty started from, and her food was pretty unattractive,

and her dessert today was stunning.

Her little pink rose petal, all glistening with sugar

on top of that cardamom and rosewater panna cotta. I thought it was a lovely-looking dessert.

Kirsty really worked hard to come up with something different, something different, something exciting,

and she did it. But she didn't do it without the odd error.

Phil Vickery, he's a big-game player, John.

When he really has to turn it on, he just does.

I looked at his menu and I thought, "I've seen it all before," but it was restaurant-standard food.

The starter really, really surprised me.

I thought it was really clever,

seasoned well, executed well, cooked really well, and beautiful on the plate.

It was absolutely brilliant.

I haven't enjoyed a lamb dish as much as Phil's lamb dish, I don't think ever!

And that's something from you, cos you've eaten lots of lamb in your life.

Mate, I thought it was just majestic.

That main course was very, very good indeed.

And that dessert, a classic bread-and-butter pudding, the flavours were brilliant.

Rich from that clotted cream, but, for me, the texture wasn't quite right.

Well, I really liked the bread-and-butter pudding,

the orange-scented booze cos he'd used that orange liqueur. I thought it was gorgeous.

Nick today decided to stay really calm and really focused, and it paid off.

The avocado with the crab, I thought it was stunning.

A lovely way to start off for Nick.

The main course I don't think quite worked.

The duck was beautifully cooked, but still had burnt bits on the skin,

the sauce was a little bit over-reduced.

The starter and dessert, I thought from Nick today were really, really good.

I've got big respect for these three, honestly.

The food they've been delivering, brilliant.

When you think about when they first walked through the door,

what they were able to do or what they were not able to do,

to what they can do now... great, great food.

Personally, to me, to lift the title, it would be fantastic.

It would be an affirmation for me of my passion for cooking.

And I would be absolutely delighted.

I get emotional because, you know, you think about your family,

and they're all willing you on.

They'll be at home going, "Go on, Phil!"

So I've given it my best and if it's not good enough, then, I'll accept that.

But to win it would just be amazing, unbelievable.

I know I've done myself proud, I know I can walk away with my head held high,

and say, "I gave it my best shot.

"Regardless of what happens, it's done now, it's over with, and it's in the judges' hands!"

In your heart of hearts, do you have a winner?

Yeah, I do.

Oh, baby!

Kirsty, Phil and Nick have all pushed themselves to the limit

and delivered some exceptional food.

Tomorrow night, one of them will be crowned Celebrity MasterChef champion.

Well done.

But only one of you can be our winner.

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