Episode 21 MasterChef: The Professionals

It's the Professional MasterChef final.

48 ambitious chefs entered the competition.

And now only the three strongest remain.

Means the absolute world to me to be here.

This is the biggest day of my career.

As soon as we walk in that kitchen,

it's not a game any more.

It's...it's real.

I'm going to put my heart and my soul,

blood, sweat and tears into these dishes.

I'm determined to put up three perfect plates of food.

The stage is set.

We have got three amazing young chefs.

And they are about to produce magic.

I was born in Berkshire and I've lived all my life in Maidenhead.

I live at home still with Mum and Dad.

It's only me and my little sister left at home now.

As a kid, I was probably, like, the quiet one.

I remember, like, parents' evening, you go to the school

and teacher's like, "Yeah, he's really quiet.

"He needs to speak up a bit."

Mum was quite into baking,

so I guess that sort of got me sort of thinking about it,

obviously from an early age.

The first thing I remember cooking

was flapjacks on the weekend with Mum.

Craig was never into computer games or stuff like that.

He would rather be watching cooking programmes

-or actually cooking something.

-Cooking, that is what he was.

All the time. Cooking programmes, 24/7.

Food tech at school.

I was good at the classes. I remember Mrs Dury was the teacher.

And I suppose I was a bit of a teacher's pet

cos she was like always, "Oh, look at what Craig's done.

"Oh, he's done it good." That sort of encouragement...

..led me into this career.

I've been cooking for, what, six years now.

Literally two weeks after my 16th birthday in the kitchen full-time.

Work now is a Michelin-starred gastropub.

It's literary, like, a short bike ride away from me.

I'm actually the youngest in the kitchen where I work

and one of the most senior, so it's quite funny really.

All right, teas and flapjacks.

Words can't describe really how proud we are of him.

Even if he doesn't win it, still go very far.

Cross your fingers for Craig.

You can do it, Craig.

You can do it, Craig!

-MARCUS:

-The minute this chef walked into the kitchen...

..Craig showed real skill right from the word go.

-CRAIG:

-I remember the first skills test, I was so nervous.

I felt like I was shaking the whole way through.

That's a great dessert.

That's delicious. For me, Craig ticks every box.

His dishes are elegant, smart, but more than anything else,

that man knows how to produce flavour.

Presentation, superb.

Flavour, just as good.

And that squid in the cauliflower puree is sensational.

Not only is he good in the savoury section,

he has produced some out-of-this-world dessert.

Wow. Absolutely outstanding.

What you have there is the most delicious trifle I've ever tasted.

Remember the flapjacks.

GREGG LAUGHS

But he took the concept and turned it into a stunning dessert.

Oh!

-He's fab.

-The plate was literally licked clean by all three judges.

-Whoa.

-Yay!

Nice!

I was really happy that day.

He has had some slip-ups along the way.

The lowest point, and I'll always remember it,

is the final 12 cook-off.

-MARCUS:

-Craig, I have to say,

I don't think it's your best plate of food.

You sort of tripped a little bit here.

I was kicking myself after that challenge.

I had to come back fighting in the elimination round.

He just got his head down, got on with the job,

and he came back stronger.

I'm amazed that you got all of this done in an hour.

I suppose that's when I started to push my dishes a little bit further.

-MARCUS:

-This is an excellent dish, Craig.

In fact, I think is probably one of your best dishes so far.

It's just delicious.

Le Manoir was an amazing experience.

Doing brilliantly well.

Let's keep that standard, please.

That was a hard service.

A very hard service.

-MARCUS:

-You could see the influence of the Manoir in his food

when he came back into the kitchen.

I can't heap enough praise on you because it's just lovely.

Couldn't make it better myself.

It's absolutely delicious.

-CRAIG:

-To hear that feedback from Marcus just blew me away.

I reckon that's the best dish I've done so far.

We took these three to one of the best restaurants in the world.

That looks wonderful.

But we need to go fast.

Yeah, it's definitely intense, this.

Mauro loved it.

He's very focused.

I'm happy.

Nothing fazes him.

Come on. He blew us away

at the chefs' table.

Looking good, Craig.

I was not expecting that. Yeah.

Walking through the door, that's when it hit me,

and I was like, "Wow. I've actually done this."

Dessert was the highlight of the whole evening.

Couldn't fault it. You know,

you could serve that dish in a Michelin-star restaurant,

and no-one would blink an eye.

Craig is an absolute star in the making.

What a fabulous talent.

21 years old.

Amazing.

Yeah, I want it so bad.

To get this far and not walk away with a trophy at the end of it

is going to be devastating.

I'm hoping and I'm praying it all comes my way, I guess.

I was born in Sale.

And then I moved to Bury.

I was a little tearaway as a child,

getting into plenty of mischief.

He's always been a very smiley person.

And he has great dimples.

And he... You don't get to see those at the moment.

I don't think he'll thank you for saying that.

Growing up, I used to cook around my granny's house.

Used to do cakes and stuff like that.

I was quite cheeky at school.

I wasn't a good boy. Didn't leave with too many GCSEs.

I didn't do very well.

Food tech is the only GCSE that I passed with.

I moved away from home when I was 19.

Straight into a two-rosette - went straight into the deep end.

That's when I really fell in love with food and I got a real passion

-for it.

-Are you all right?

-Yeah, I'm all right. You?

-Yeah, not so bad.

First time Steven cooked for us, he made his favourite,

which is sausage and mash with onion gravy.

-Thank you very much.

-Cheers, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-See you in a bit.

-We were quite taken by surprise.

We were like, "Wow, this is amazing."

So I'm working in contract catering.

Quite a big company in London.

Things are going good at the moment in my life.

Me and Emma met at work.

She was my manager.

Soon as I walked in the kitchen the first time,

it was his little cheeky smile

that caught my eye.

And yeah, that's how we met.

She's the reason why I'm here today.

She was the one who pushed me to do it.

And she's helped me so much along the way.

Hey!

When he gets through the rounds,

Steven will call me and it will just be that little laugh

down the phone, like, "I'm through!"

Oh!

And most times I end up crying.

With joy obviously.

But, yeah, it's been...it's been great.

If I won, my family and Emma would be so proud.

It'd be a big party.

I can't tell you how proud we are.

Has come a long way from sausage and mash.

-From sausage and mash.

-But having said all that,

he's still pretty good at sausage and mash,

and we still like sausage and mash.

-MONICA:

-Steven is a chef that brings joy to his cooking.

And when we get a plate of food from this chef, you can't help but smile.

Absolutely divine.

Steven has taken some very traditional ideas

and sort of turned them upside down.

Pork and apple sauce.

Cheese and onion. Strawberries and cream.

Fish and chips. I mean, it's a real talent.

I had a good time, like, making that dish.

It's got a meaning behind it and it meant a lot to me.

I think it's very cool

-and a really great way to sort of honour your granny.

-I love it.

It really is very clever.

There's been a couple of times in the competition

when I thought I was going home.

I've aerated my chocolate.

I've gone to put it in the freezer, and it's not set.

His skills test, he struggled to even make a ravioli.

That wasn't great, Steven. I felt for you there.

My head just went... But we've got better since then.

And I feel like the judges see what kind of chef I am now.

It's not that person that walked in the studio on the first day.

It's just delicious.

It's wonderful. It's refreshing. You're a little bit of a genius.

Raby Hunt!

My first time in a Michelin-star kitchen.

The service was amazing.

Oh, that is spot on. Yeah. Really good.

Everybody was so in sync with each other.

Amazing experience.

-GREGG:

-He came back a different chef,

almost bouncing in this kitchen,

just desperate to put his new ideas on a plate.

Steven, it's brilliant.

Mate, that is a cracker, you know that.

That's an absolute cracker.

It's perfect. Heavenly.

You've cooked food here at a level that I would consider to be

a two-star level.

Got to be up there with... The best comment I've ever had in my life.

That is good enough for me, that.

His food has been exceptional.

It's been different, it's been creative.

You're planning your chefs' table first course on a packet of crisps?

And he's developed himself to be a fabulous young chef.

You have done an incredible job.

What a treat.

That is the best-looking plate of food you've given us so far in this

-competition.

-Just delightful.

-Very clever.

-Give me five.

There is a chef completely and utterly in love with his craft.

If I win, it's going to be huge.

It's probably going to be the biggest thing I ever do in my life.

-HE LAUGHS

-I do really want to win.

But...I need to keep a cool head.

There's two other amazing chefs in there.

I was born in Luton.

Now I'm living in Birmingham and working in Birmingham.

I've got two younger brothers and one younger sister.

Shake hands. Oh, good boy.

We've got George.

He's probably the most favourite in the family,

doesn't cause too much trouble.

Yeah, he's quite lovable.

-He doesn't argue back.

-SHE CHUCKLES

Food's been quite a big part of my life.

When I used to go and stay around my granny's house, she used to cook,

like, the best spaghetti bolognese ever and I just wanted to make a

spaghetti bolognese as good as she made.

Every week, you'd have a different spaghetti bolognese.

Sometimes it was nice,

-sometimes it was a bit hot.

-SHE LAUGHS

In the younger years of school, I had a bit of a rough time.

I used to get bullied.

She did have a hard time.

She was picked on quite a bit.

Which is quite upsetting.

I look back at it and feel like it's just made me stronger as a person.

You just get more determined to do better, to show them people that,

you know, you are worthy of what you do and you can do well.

I started going to Air Cadets in my teenage years,

which I really enjoyed.

You'd get to go fly a plane,

jump off mountains,

things that you wouldn't normally get to do as a kid.

At one point, I wanted to be a chef in the RAF,

but then I started to discover more of the fine dining side of food.

There needs to be more women in the industry, really.

A lot of women are probably put off about doing it,

thinking that it's more of a manly job.

I completely disagree.

All right, Roman's going to cut tomatoes.

As a girl, it does kind of push you a bit more cos you want to do better

than the guys because you want to show that it is possible.

When she sets her mind to it, she can achieve anything.

We've always said, "If you want to go for it, go for it."

She's got really stressed out about it,

-but she's done really well and we're proud of her.

-Thanks.

She's chosen her own path.

And she's excelled in it, absolutely excelled in it.

Walking through them doors is just a crazy feeling.

You look at the judges and then you're like,

"I'm actually here, I'm on MasterChef."

-MARCUS:

-She's a young cook

that throws absolutely everything into her dishes.

She loves to push the boundaries

and gets us to think about what's on the plate.

You put yourself under a huge amount of pressure to get this work on,

and I admire that.

There's some things about you that pique my curiosity, Louisa, really.

I love it. It's really interesting.

One of the strengths that Louisa has is in the sauce department.

She has given us, time and time again, amazing sauces.

Probably one of the best chicken sauces I've ever tasted.

That was a real highlight of this competition.

I remember Louisa on the outside challenge in Twickenham.

We're going to go three per portion, nice big lads.

-She literally ran the kitchen.

-How much is left to go on?

Girolles missing off that one, that one and that one.

I love the venison, I just think that it's beautiful.

I just want you to know that I enjoyed it more than anyone else.

I loved it!

Louisa, of our three chefs,

has been the one that's on a roller-coaster ride throughout.

She's had a couple of knockbacks.

Purple potatoes, asparagus, the confit tomato -

none of those are actually done very well at all.

A little disappointing, I'm afraid.

That was a hard day for me.

I'm just so lucky that I had another chance,

and I went back in that room, all guns blazing.

-MARCUS:

-I think this dessert is an absolute treat.

To do that in an hour, that takes a lot of going.

Thank you.

We almost got tears of frustration when she found herself

in a second cook-off.

I'm absolutely exhausted, but just going to give it my all.

Every time, this young chef has gotten back up,

dusted herself off and come back fighting.

I can't fault your cookery, I can't fault your idea,

and the combinations work beautifully.

Good job, Louisa. Nice to see a smile back on your face.

Sometimes, having a down is good, because when you're up, you know,

it's the best feeling ever.

She is just an absolute fighter.

In the Showstopper round, she made a banana dessert.

Thank you for giving us one of the greatest desserts we've had in this

-round.

-I think that says it all.

That was sensational.

That's when I recognised her

as proper, proper championship contender.

It's getting very intense and hot in here.

She's enjoying every moment of this,

I think she's sucking it all up like a big sponge.

Absolutely stunning.

Looking good.

And she's smiling.

She just keeps going, keeps fighting.

If she goes on like this, she's going to be Prime Minister one day.

You're making that in one hour?

-Yep.

-Wow. Impressed.

I don't think I've seen a chef so determined to get to the final -

and here she is.

I think you're a very clever, very clever young chef.

Craig and Steven better watch out, because this kitchen is hers.

I would describe this experience as life-changing.

I knew that it could possibly be the best thing that I've ever done in

my life, and that's exactly what it has been.

We've watched our three finalists grow.

We know what they're capable of.

Now, it's down to them.

These are the three youngest chefs we've ever had in a final.

I could not pick a winner right now.

The next three hours are going to be three of the most important hours of

your cooking career.

I would just like to wish all three of you the very best of luck.

Three dishes separate just one of you

from a Professional MasterChef title.

As ever, it's all down to you.

Off you go.

It's quite daunting, and, like, shocking, when you think about it -

just three plates of food determining everything, really.

Craig, congratulations.

Massive, massive day - they don't come much bigger than this, do they?

I suppose it's up there, it's like if you're a tennis player,

you get to the Wimbledon finals.

It's a mammoth of an achievement to get this far.

But, yeah, I'm surprised I'm here, I guess.

It's been a hell of a journey.

I'm really excited about Craig's menu.

There's intrigue, there's interest and there's unusual combinations and

textures running through all three courses.

Craig's starter is a mackerel dish, two different ways -

lightly cured and torched...

Key to the starter is getting the mackerel cured nicely,

so you get the flavour of the cure throughout the fish.

..and then we've got a beautiful-sounding tartare.

Such a delicate fish.

If he puts too much acidity in, it will start to cook straightaway.

He's going to be serving it with salt-baked beetroot

and horseradish milk gel. I've never had that before.

He's got to get that just right - too hot,

and you won't be able to taste the mackerel.

We've also got a dill and sorrel granita.

Great flavours, but I've never had a granita with a mackerel dish before.

I'm using nitrogen to freeze my granita.

Sorrel has to be frozen really quickly to retain

that nice bright green colour.

Hopefully, that stays frozen, doesn't melt on me.

Beetroot, dill, horseradish.

Craig is putting a modern twist on very classical flavours,

which is exactly what I want to see.

I love how this dish is sounding,

and I can't wait to see how it's going to look.

Craig's main course is a squab pigeon, one of my favourites.

Squab pigeon, it's not too gamey, it's got great flavour.

Cooked well, it's just divine, and when it's cooked on the bone,

it's even better.

He's making a pastilla from the leg meat,

which he's going to season with ras el hanout, a mix of spices,

and then roll up in a crispy pastry and pan fry.

I'm doing a potato terrine.

It's going to be lots of layers of rolled-up potato.

With thyme going through the layers as well.

And then slowly cooked in butter.

I'm intrigued by red pepper ketchup.

That's quite an unusual thing to add on to a pigeon dish.

That's the one part of it you think shouldn't be there.

Craig's dessert is a yoghurt mousse, but not just any yoghurt mousse.

It's flavoured and scented with Sauternes wine.

Lovely, sweet wine.

I'm interested to see how it works with the yoghurt.

It's a new marriage, but it's a marriage

that could be made in heaven - I love the sound of it.

There's a bergamot marshmallow

which he's going to coat in a basil powder.

Whoa, marshmallows are good -

when they've got the right texture.

I'm going to spray lemon verbena and yoghurt mousse into the nitrogen.

So, I'm going to get verbena rocks.

Frozen, crispy pieces of foam, almost like an ice cream,

but ten times better.

I'm also using it to freeze down segments of lemon,

which I'm going to smash into little individual cells of lemon.

This, for me, is Craig sort of pushing himself in a new way,

which I think is fabulous.

This is what it's about when you come to the final -

showing us something we haven't seen from you before.

To get these dishes right, it means the world, honestly.

To come so far and obviously to fall at the final hurdle,

it's not an option.

Fingers crossed they are the best yet.

60 minutes gone!

Two hours left.

To beat Craig and Louisa, I'm just going to stay focused on myself.

And hopefully we'll come out on the other side better off.

Steven, how does it feel?

It's a bit nerve-racking, I'm not going to lie, but, yeah,

I'm happy to be here.

It's a lot of hard work that's got me here.

What do you think of your competition?

Well, they're not in the MasterChef final for no reason, are they?

These two guys are amazing. They've pushed me all the way as well,

coming in here every time,

having to push myself to do better than they've done.

And it's been a pleasure to work alongside two great chefs.

What are you going to have to do to beat them?

It has to be quite special, I feel.

But hopefully, that's what I've got for you today.

Steven, smiling as ever.

But he's very serious.

He is here to win.

My first course is ham, egg, chips and peas.

It's something that you wouldn't even think of cooking

in the final of MasterChef.

But it's not going to be ham, egg and chips, is it?

He's got an egg which he's going to slow-cook for about 45 minutes.

Poaching the egg at 63.3 degrees.

It's a great way of poaching eggs.

You get the white beautifully cooked, and the centre just right.

He's got the peas in various different ways.

There's a puree.

There's a pea oil.

I'm doing these little potato airbag.

So they're going to be like the chip element of the dish.

Then on the side, I'm doing a bacon and sourdough crumb.

Steven's having a bit of fun here.

But I've no idea how Steven's going to serve this dish today.

My second course is lamb rack with black-garlic-glazed sweetbreads.

I love the idea of infusing black garlic into the sweetbread

while it's cooking.

Sounds great.

I've had feta cheese with lamb before,

but I've never had it as a puree.

It's going to add a touch of creaminess to this dish.

I've got a lot of lovage elements in the main course.

Lovage is a very strong herb.

And it can overpower anything.

So, getting the balance of those flavours is key.

Beautiful colours - the cherry tomatoes,

the green of the herbs and then that beautifully pink lamb.

But you also want that lovely caramelisation on the outside

that you get from the fat - very, very important.

Steven is making pina colada dessert!

This just makes you smile, it really does.

Pineapple, coconut, rum...

It sounds like a dream dessert for me.

I want them to be happy when they're eating my food.

Sat on the beach somewhere in the Caribbean with a pina colada.

That's what I want them to feel like.

Got a pineapple pate de fruit.

Which is basically a pineapple jelly.

But he's going to roll it in desiccated coconut.

There's a tuile. And a caramelised pineapple as well.

He's making an anglaise flavoured with coconut.

And a pina colada shot to finish it.

I will have three of those!

There's no point having a pina colada dessert

without a pina colada.

Everything about this dessert screams "yummy".

This menu sounds intriguing,

it's different, it's exciting,

and I can't wait to see this story unfold.

It's a massive push.

Big, big push.

I've practised them, but, yeah,

I haven't done a single one in the time yet.

But this is the final.

And I'm in it to win it.

And hopefully I can do that.

Guys, you've got an hour left.

One hour left!

I'll be running around like a lunatic.

I'll be ticking my way through that list of jobs to do.

And it's a lot, within three hours. But I'm going to really push myself,

and it's going to be the best three hours of my life.

I'm used to you running around, I'm used to you being under pressure -

you look more under pressure than ever.

I've got a lot to do today. My main goal is to show what I've learned

through the competition and taken inspiration from where I've been.

So, I'm taking a lot of things that I've learned and actually putting it

into my final dishes today.

That's not the only thing you took from Mirazur, is it?

No, so, got a cheeky lemon which I picked from the garden!

This is going to be in the starter.

A little bit of South of France magic in your starter.

-Yep.

-Best of luck. I'll go, you can run around some more.

Thank you very much, thanks.

It wouldn't be Louisa if there wasn't a long list of things to do.

She does look under pressure today.

She has a mountain of work to get through.

So, for my starter, I'll be making mi-cuit salmon.

Mi-cuit is almost raw salmon.

She's going to drop it into the water bath,

just to gently cook it through a touch.

Mi-cuit, you cannot afford to get wrong.

Her timing has to be perfect.

She's serving it with a Chinese pear.

Louisa is making a limoncello jelly.

Very powerful alcohol, limoncello,

so the balance of this jelly has to be just right.

She's stolen a little lemon from the tree in the south of France.

I think that's pretty cool.

A little bit cheeky, but I'm using that as a bit of an inspiration.

I'm making a lemon dressing for my salad

that I'm making with some fresh peas and broad beans.

It's a nice, light dish to start off her three-course menu.

I don't want it to be too heavy...

..because my main course is quite rich in flavour.

The quail dish is inspired by Gary Jones from Le Manoir.

Quail is a very delicate little bird and you've got to treat it with

delicate hands.

It's all about classic cooking techniques.

Legs, prepped them down really nicely, so there's only

one bone left in them, so it's almost like a lollipop.

Louisa's taken the legs, she's confiting them with black garlic.

That should infuse through the legs of the quail.

The quail sauce has got mushrooms,

it's going to bring you that lovely earthiness.

She wants to bring a little bit of luxury to this dish,

and it's going to be the fabulous black truffle.

I need to make sure that this quail sauce is up there with the rest

of my sauces throughout this competition.

The garnish sounds amazing.

We've got spiced artichoke crisps.

We've got pickled artichoke

and we've also got a caramelised artichoke puree as well.

She has a lot of work to do, and Louisa, like always,

is running another marathon in our kitchen, one more time.

This is the finale.

It's got to be the best dish

that I've produced in this competition so far.

Louisa's dessert is a chocolate mousse.

This kitchen's going to be really hot.

It's going to be hard to get the mousse set on time.

There's also a base under her mousse made from bran flakes and a praline

paste. She's having a bit of fun with it.

She's making a mint chocolate chip.

So she has a mint ice cream.

She has a chocolate crumb.

So you get the flavours of eating a mint chocolate ice cream.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and, hopefully,

it will take them back to when they was a kid.

Everyone loves chocolate mint.

Normally, Louisa throw a lot into her dishes,

and this sounds like there's less.

But who's to say, there could be a few little surprises

up Louisa's sleeve.

She's so determined, so passionate about this.

I want to see her do well.

I've practised, I've worked so hard.

And I really hope the judges can see that.

Chefs, we have 20 minutes left, please.

-Steven, how are you doing?

-Yeah, I'm doing good.

-This is it now, the final push.

-Everything ready?

Everything's nearly ready, yeah, I'm just rendering down the fat,

finishing off the lamb, about to do the sweetbreads.

-And it's coming together, you're going to make it on time?

-Yes, sir, always.

-Good.

Dare I ask, you look pretty organised?

Erm, it's been such a rush, I can't even explain.

I've given myself a lot to do today.

OK, I want you to really enjoy this.

-I will do.

-The last three plates of food you're doing for us.

-Final one.

-OK? Good luck, darling.

-Thank you very much.

-Don't forget to breathe.

-LOUISA CHUCKLES

Everything's done, so it's just starting to plate now.

-Good luck.

-Cheers, thank you.

You guys have just ten minutes.

All three of you are really pushing it.

That lamb's shocking.

That's it, time's up.

Craig, please, come and join us.

I have to say, Craig, they are three stunning-looking plates of food.

Loving the colours that are jumping up, and there's little bits here

that's got me all curious.

Craig's starter is torched mackerel and mackerel tartare

with salt-baked beetroot,

horseradish milk gel,

beetroot pickled onions,

garnished with beet leaves and a sorrel and dill iced granita.

Vibrant, vibrant colours.

It looks light, it looks fresh, it looks colourful.

It's a beautiful dish.

Got earthy, sweet beetroot.

You've got that really lovely, strong,

oily mackerel in the tartare and in the slice of the fillet,

and those onions are both sweet and sour.

I think it's beautiful.

You can just get the horseradish underneath,

and I'm a huge fan of the sorrel granita.

It looks great, tastes even better.

I didn't think I'd see you serve a frozen granita with a starter.

That brings a freshness,

almost like the mackerel's just sort of the jumped out of the ocean and,

sort of, landed on the plate.

There's nothing on this dish that I don't like.

There's some new things on this plate

that I've not seen from you before, and I like it.

For his main, Craig has cooked roasted squab pigeon

with thyme-infused pommes Anna.

A ras el hanout-spiced pigeon leg pastilla,

a type of Moroccan filled pastry...

..charred and roasted thyme onions with nasturtium oil,

radicchio leaves and a red pepper and tomato ketchup,

finished with pigeon sauce.

Beautiful-looking dish - really, really love that.

The pigeon is cooked perfectly.

It's lovely and pink.

There's a very light hint of ras el hanout on the top.

The potato is so buttery, it just melts away.

I mean,

it's a bit mad putting ketchup on a pigeon dish because it shouldn't

really be there, but it does work.

The sauce is delicious.

I love the pastilla.

You've got the right balance of spice for my liking

because it doesn't overshadow the pigeon itself.

But I have to say, that pommes Anna with thyme, so clever,

it's a stroke of genius.

It's brilliant. That is fabulous plate of food,

without a doubt worthy of the final table.

Pepper ketchup with a pastilla and a pigeon and a pommes Anna?

Get out of here! You're just mixing it up,

and you're mixing it up in your own way.

And I'll tell you what, it's fantastic.

It's mixing it up, but it's working.

Not half. Right, go off and do another one.

GREGG CHUCKLES

I love final days! It's brilliant!

Until we have to do the judging.

Craig's dessert

is Sauternes and yoghurt mousse,

basil marshmallow,

bergamot curd and olive oil crumble,

topped with frozen lemon cells

and verbena frozen yoghurt rocks.

While these two finish that,

I'm going to tell you that that is stunning.

Absolutely stunning.

It's just perfect.

I'm going to let Gregg explain all the details.

I'm speechless.

You've got this yoghurty mousse thing in the middle,

which is slightly sour, and it's got a hint of Sauternes.

You've got a marshmallow that starts unmistakably like basil,

like you're eating a salad, and finishes sweet.

You've then got two different cold varieties of sharp lemon.

One cluster that, when it melts, gives you sweet lemon.

The other little pearls, that when they melt,

gives you sharp lemon like you've just squeezed it on to your tongue.

It's really quite amazing.

The citrus and the basil is genius.

It's fun and it's delicious.

I think this dessert speaks volumes

of where you've started and where you are now as a chef.

You've always given us delicious, beautiful food.

It's on another level now.

Where are you going to be five years, ten years from now?

I totally appreciate those comments.

Yeah, I'm in a state of shock.

You are a class act, chef.

Wow.

Brilliant! Well done.

I entered the competition for a reason.

You want to win. So to get those comments, I'm...

Yeah, I'm absolutely speechless right now.

I gave it my all, so...

That's the best I could do. That's me, so...

Steven, please.

Up you come.

Some very fun elements looking at your food here.

You are an original thinker.

HE LAUGHS

Thank you.

Steven's starter is ham, egg, chips and peas,

slow-cooked hen's egg on pea puree,

garnished with a herb oxalis

and a sourdough bacon crumb, fresh peas in pea oil,

and pickled shallot rings served with a pea and bacon dressing

and potato airbag chips.

I've never seen anything quite like it.

Ever. Definitely not out of a plate of ham, egg and chips.

-It's definitely not.

-You're mad.

Thank you.

I've got salty bacon, as you promised.

I've got sweet pea.

I've got the lovely rich egg yolk.

I've got these wonderful, very salty potato puffs.

And when I get a little bit of shallot,

that's like malt vinegar on my chips.

Tastes lovely, completely unique.

And it does to me taste of ham, egg and chips.

The dish is fun, it's intriguing, it's very soft.

I find the egg could have been taken a little bit further for my personal

liking, and I think this dish could have had just a touch more texture

from the egg itself.

The egg is slightly under, but that's fine with me.

I quite like this dish as it is.

I think it's delicious.

I love the fun of it.

I think it's very clever.

It's not the first time you've played

with some real working-class British classics. I'm really liking it.

I really admire it. I think it's great.

For his main, Steven has cooked roasted garlic thyme lamb rack

on tomato fondue,

with black-garlic-studded sweetbreads,

lovage puree,

lovage oil and sponge,

compressed cherry tomatoes,

feta puree and Jersey Royals,

finished with a Madeira lamb sauce.

Steven, that's a beautiful presentation.

But I have to say, there's one thing that's drawing my eye,

and it's the fat on that lamb.

It just doesn't look cooked to me.

Yeah.

I like the idea of the feta and you turning it into a sort of puree.

It's so easy to chop up some cheese and put it on to the plate.

It's a nice surprise.

-Thank you very much.

-I love the lovage on the plate.

You've got everything you want on a dish, apart from...

-The lamb.

-..the lamb.

Yeah, I know that. Yeah.

Your flavours are divine.

That beautiful, almost sweet lamb,

and the meatier sweetbread with the nice buttery soft potato,

I love those flavours.

The sweetbreads, you've got that light hint of the black garlic.

It goes very well with everything you've put on this plate.

The thought process, it's all there.

Bar one thing, which we all know what it is.

Steven's dessert is pina colada,

caramelised rum pineapple

and a pineapple pate de fruit,

or fruit paste,

dusted in coconut,

a pineapple tuile...

..coconut and vanilla curd,

with rum jelly,

and a coconut lime sorbet served with a pina colada shot.

-Cheers.

-Cheers, guys.

-Cheers.

Mm!

There is a good hit of booze running through this dish.

The texture of the pate de fruit is really nice.

It's firm and it's an alternative texture to the roasted pineapple.

The beautiful coconut cream,

the stunning coconut sorbet on the dish,

it's just lovely, fresh and light and full of sunshine.

-Great fun.

-Thank you.

The rum, the pineapple, the textures on here,

you say you want to bring a smile to our faces,

and you've done that once again. It's fun, it's tasty,

it's exactly what you said it was going to be.

You've got vanilla in there,

you've got lime in the ice cream

and, in that jelly, that lays at the bottom of it,

is unadulterated hot booze.

It is absolutely yummy.

This should take me to the Caribbean, but it doesn't,

it takes me to lots of bars when I was 20 down the Old Kent Road.

It is absolutely fabulous.

What I think is absolute genius is you are taking flavours

that you grew up with and serving them in a very modern,

very stylish way.

I think that is brilliant.

Thank you very much.

Yeah! Well done.

It was hard in there today.

I thought I had an hour and a half left, but I only had an hour left.

I wasn't keeping track of time very well.

So, the lamb was rushed, and that shows.

Louisa. Please.

I love this.

So modern, so stylish.

And, for you, almost minimalist.

Louisa's starter is cured mi-cuit of salmon,

served with compressed Chinese pear,

broad beans and peas,

limoncello jelly,

a pear gel,

garnished with a beurre noisette powder.

The salmon, you've cured it just right,

you've got the cooking of it perfectly.

The jelly of the limoncello is very light, and it's so refreshing.

The beurre noisette brings a bit more saltiness to it.

It's a very clever plate of food and I think, for me,

the perfect way to start a meal.

Limoncello is a very big liqueur,

it's massive in flavour and structure,

and it's a beautiful delicate touch

that you've really brought to this dish.

What I really like about the dish,

there are enough flavours on here to camouflage salmon

and knock it flat, but you've just elevated it to a beautiful height.

It's fresh, it's light, it's absolutely delicious.

I don't think limoncello, nashi - Chinese pear -

and salmon should work,

but it works brilliantly, brilliantly well.

That's a clever, clever idea.

You've got lemon there, that you've brought from Chef Mauro's garden.

Well, I'll tell you what, you put his lemon to very good use.

For her main, Louisa has served roasted quail,

with confit legs...

..caramelised artichoke puree,

pickled artichoke spirals,

spiced artichoke crisps,

hen of the woods mushrooms,

garnished with broccoli,

pea shoots and finished with truffle and quail sauce.

Louisa, beautiful-looking plate of food.

It reminds me of an Autumn walk through the park.

It's lovely.

I love the way you've cooked the quail leg.

The breast is perfectly cooked.

Quail, for me, is not a bird that is rich in flavour or in much at all.

You've elevated it to another level.

It's smart and it's intelligent cookery.

I really do mean that, it is autumn delight.

You've got the spiralised pickled artichoke, and then the crisps

and the puree, it's just perfect, it's a wonderful match.

I am loving your sauce.

I am so glad I got to have another one of Louisa's sauces.

That is taking me up and down and up and down in sweet-savoury truffle

flavours, and it's an absolute joy.

That is "wrap your finger through the last bits of sauce and juice"

deliciously great.

Cor!

Louisa's dessert is a bitter chocolate mousse

set on a salted praline and bran flake base, with raspberry gel,

fresh raspberries, baby mint and a mint choc chip ice cream.

I think the dish looks incredibly safe and simple, but it tastes good.

The mousse is light, it's got a lovely flavour,

the bitterness runs through it,

and the mint ice cream and the crumble that it sits on

is fabulous. It's sweet and it works very well,

because the mint is almost sharp in a way.

The mousse has got a lovely texture to it, it is thick, it is creamy,

and I love the mint ice cream.

You've got the chocolate that goes through it, as you would.

With raspberries, it is a match made in heaven.

A great way to finish the meal.

I've got a real big mint and chocolate punch,

but this dish is light.

I'll tell you what, watching you evolve has been great,

but the resulting chef sitting in front of me is fantastic.

This is lovely. The three courses are lovely.

Well done!

Louisa, absolutely loved you from when I first saw you.

Wherever you're working now,

they should count themselves damn lucky to have you in that kitchen.

Listen, Louisa, I have a young daughter at home,

and if she's half the girl that you are,

I'll be a very proud dad.

Well done, you.

It's been a pleasure watching you cook.

Thank you very much. It means a lot.

I'm feeling out of this world.

I'm really happy with all the feedback that I was given.

And for Marcus to say about his daughter...

That's just taken me away.

-GREGG:

-One of the best finals I've ever seen.

I don't know where this talent comes from, but it's quite incredible.

Three fantastic young chefs,

-pushing themselves to the limit.

-And I think that's where the excitement

is, because they are so hungry. There is no fear at that age,

it is all to gain, nothing to lose.

I think we've got three stars of the future here.

Craig. What a chef.

What incredible three dishes.

When you've got such a solid chef,

the next step is to improvise and to take your cooking to the next level.

And it's that little something extra that makes you sit up and take

-attention.

-Craig's dessert was out of this world.

If there's a more skilful, clever dessert, I want to see it.

Today, in the final, he took his food to a completely new place.

The stardust, that bit you want to find in the final,

absolutely genius.

Steven is just full of passion and the joy of cooking.

I just love his concepts.

You get a plate of food like that pina colada or that starter,

and immediately you smile, you know,

because you can't help but admire the chef.

He's brave enough, almost mad enough to create something like that.

Great ideas, fun, storytelling, exciting, make you laugh,

make you smile, and also you've eaten well at the same time.

It's great.

Louisa, honestly, the final three dishes, just blew me away.

Interesting, different, very well-thought-out food.

The sauce-making skills she has,

I'm just so pleased she gave us another fabulous sauce

with the main course.

You've got a chef here that really wants to leave this kitchen feeling

that she's thrown everything at it.

And every single challenge, she's done just that.

She's done it again today.

I would love to be crowned champion of MasterChef.

It's definitely emotional.

But this competition has been amazing,

and I've enjoyed every second of it.

I want to be lifting that trophy more than anybody else in there.

They were smiling as they were eating my food,

which is what I wanted. It's all I can ask for.

We'll just have to see.

If I haven't done enough, well,

I've done what I can do.

Yeah, fingers crossed, we'll see how it goes.

I'm just super proud of our three chefs here.

You know, they're almost like little babies in the kitchen.

It's just been such a joy, a pleasure

to watch these three chefs develop.

In a room of talent, which of these do you believe stands out?

Who is our champion?

# It's not time to make a change

# Just relax, take it easy

# You're still young, that's your fault

# There's so much you have to know... #

Your MasterChef journey is about to come to a close,

but your careers have just begun.

All three of you are quite outstanding chefs,

and your cook-off today was brilliant.

You three are true professionals.

No matter what happens today, all three of you are winners.

But we have made our decision.

# I know I have to go... #

Our Professional MasterChef champion of 2017 is...

..Craig.

# Slip inside the eye of your mind

# Don't you know you might find

# A better place to play... #

Louisa, Steven, you should be very proud.

When I came into this competition, I think I lacked confidence.

I don't think I lack that any more.

I've started to believe in myself.

I've had an amazing time, I've had a blast.

This is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

Come on.

I'll look back at this competition as the best thing I've ever done

in my life. I found myself as a chef,

and I know where I want to go in life.

I can't wait to see where my career goes now.

But I'm so chuffed for Craig.

He's done it for the young 'uns, as well, so good on him.

-Congratulations, champion.

-Thank you very much.

# So Sally can wait

# She knows it's too late as we're walking on by... #

Wow. Wow.

To be the last man standing, oh, it's unbelievable.

I feel like I'm dreaming right now.

But, um, I guess it is a dream come true.

The best chefs in the world learn and create their own style.

And that is what I've watched Craig doing in this competition,

dish after dish after dish.

You don't come across cooks like this very often.

-It's very rare.

-Very rare.

And I have to say that, truthfully...

-Yep.

-We've just found special.

We've just found a star of the future.

I've loved absolutely every minute of it.

I think I'll have to tell Mum and Dad first.

They'll be immensely proud,

and, yeah, it'll be great to...great to tell them.

My career is just beginning, I guess.

Yeah, I'll have to hold on tight, it will be a bumpy ride, probably.

But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

# At least not today

# So Sally can wait

# She knows it's too late as she's walking on by

# My soul slides away

# But don't look back in anger

# Don't look back in anger

# I heard you say. #