Episode 24 MasterChef: The Professionals

Over the last six weeks, 32 of Britain's most ambitious chefs

have been fighting for the competition's coveted title.

Now, only the three best remain.

'Today's extremely big.

'It's the last time I can showcase what I can do.

'Everybody always remembers the last, it's never the first,

it's always the last.

So I started off very well. I need to end very well.

'It's all down to today.

'I don't think anyone's in the lead at the moment.'

You know, I've just got to do my best.

'I've got to cook out of my skin.

'I think if we all put up the dishes we've all got in our minds,'

it'll be a blinking hard decision for the judges.

Tonight, Adam...

..Scott...

and Steven

will cook for the last time...

..as they battle to be crowned

Professional MasterChef Champion 2013.

My mother was a hands-on mum when it came to food.

She wouldn't buy bread.

All that used to be made in the house, you know?

Every day, fresh bread,

fresh rolls, cakes, pastry - EVERYTHING like that.

From a very young age, I was always in there.

If we were good, we were allowed to lick the spoon out of the bowl.

I was told the correct route is to go to university,

something to do with computing or things that are going to earn

you lots of money and that kind of stuff.

That wasn't for me.

So my mother gave me an ultimatum.

She said to me, "If you find a vocational

"apprenticeship in a really high-end establishment,

"you can leave school at 15 and you can do that."

I was like, "OK, I'll take that challenge on."

I'd always loved cooking.

But being a chef to start with, really wasn't my thing.

It WAS to annoy my mum.

I still remember my first few months, constantly talking back.

Just a total pain.

If that happened in my kitchen, they'd be out the door straightaway.

I was around 21 when I became head chef.

The only thing I know now is how to cook.

So, yeah, I'm going to literally die in my kitchen.

'I met Victoria two years ago.

'She was a student.

'She goes, "What do you do?"

'And I says, "I'm the head chef

'"at a STUNNING golf resort."

If he's the head chef, his name will be on the website. So I Googled him.

And then all these things came up.

Everything that he'd been saying was true. And I was like, "Wow!"

'We both have the same passions. We love food, we love travelling.

'And we're both very ambitious people, which makes'

it very good cos it means

we're going to have an extremely good future.

SHE LAUGHS Thank you very much.

'Victoria entered me to MasterChef, actually.

'She was the one that'

gave me the foot up the bum and says, "Go for it."

Adam impresses me with everything that he does

and he never ceases to amaze me.

My first day. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I walked into the room a nervous wreck. My hands were shaking.

Adam impressed from the onset.

And I still remember his first dish

and I'll probably remember it for the rest of Adam's career.

I mean, it's just an Aladdin's cave of pudding delights.

You made my day.

The comments were tremendous.

That's one that's going to stick with me for ever.

Cooking for Michel I felt starstruck.

The first dish to do HIS dish, that was very nerve-racking.

Cor!

You're not far off the mackerel tart that I made.

He loved it. He said it was almost faultless.

That made me feel fantastic.

Adam's skill set is unbelievable. He's got every tool in the box,

that is for sure, and his repertoire is as deep as a well.

This is just heart-warmingly amazing.

This is beautiful.

I don't know whether to eat it or take it home and hang it on my wall.

Adam is a prodigious talent. He's worked in pastry and it shows.

What a beautiful, delicious, intriguing plate that is.

My uncle would be bowled over by this cake.

And we know what he's like as a patissier.

You make great cakes!

But sometimes, when the pressure is on, he can get flustered.

For my mint chocolate dish, my mint, for the moment, has gone.

I have a plan, I have a schedule with my own dishes.

-They're the ones I seem to get more flustered about.

-Adam!

-Yes, Chef?

Are we ready?

-No, Chef.

-Is that a no?

The biggest turning point would definitely have to be

Massimo's restaurant.

I want energy, OK? Don't be shy. Express yourself!

I couldn't have hoped for a worse scenario -

that emotional -

a terrible thing to say.

Mumbo-jumbo stuff doesn't work with me.

This is my take on anger and frustration.

You have tempered chocolate, so you have to break into me -

representing that I always put a wall up from my emotion.

I like that.

I'm going away in a completely different frame of mind.

You've been inspired.

Absolutely brilliant.

If he's achieving this type of cooking at 24...

..wait till you see what Adam's cooking at 34!

I think he's a real star in the making. He is a natural talent.

Scott, he was a lovely wee boy.

I think he was always going to be a chef.

You know, he started baking when he was in nursery school,

when he was three.

I think I just liked, as a kid, making noise.

A couple of times, I used to pull out all the pots and pans

and just started making a drum kit.

So I think that's where I started getting fun,

that you can actually go in a kitchen

and make as much noise as you can and not get told off.

Um, which I think is still true to these days.

Scott's dyslexic.

For anybody that's had a child with dyslexia you are fighting

constantly to get them help.

You know, I didn't like school. I felt I didn't have a lot of support.

The last year we got a chance to do work experience.

It was a hotel outside Cardiff.

I loved the adrenaline, the excitement, um, you know,

all the stuff that was going on and, you know, really busy, really happy.

He was so excited because at the end of the week,

they were letting him plate up on his own.

He just had found what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

When I was 21, I decided to get a visa

and spend the year in Australia.

About two weeks into the holiday, I turned round and said to my mate,

"I don't' actually like travelling."

So I had a look at some of the top restaurants in Melbourne

and I just walked in to one and, luckily enough, the head chef

was at reception and offered me a trial the next day.

I came back to St Andrews and got asked to move up to the head chef

at the age of 25.

The owner said, "We want three rosettes."

Which I achieved in eight months.

It was an amazing achievement.

If you are happy in your job,

then you've got a happy life.

Extremely proud of Scott. He's not looked back.

He said, "I want to go back to my school one day

"and say, 'Look what I've done.'"

You know, the first day of MasterChef The Professionals,

I didn't have a clue what to expect.

I didn't know what the other chefs were going to be like.

A really nerve-racking experience.

Scott, you've made my day. It's almost as good as mine.

To walk in this room

and catch your attention like that, it was just SO lovely.

It was one of the biggest reasons I went on here.

I always knew that I was a good cook.

It just needed a bit more of a confidence boost.

Parts of this plate tell me that you are a very experienced

and very knowledgeable chef.

And part of this plate scares me.

It's just a big mound in the middle of the plate - not my cup of tea.

Obviously I got slated for, you know, piling my food.

Not practical for the diner.

Dropped half a tonne of salad on it.

Give us a hand with this, Monica. Oh... Oof!

Did you have to put all four pieces on top of each other?

I don't want to waste it.

Throughout the competition, I've learnt a lot from the judges.

Always criticism but it was always more with guidance.

I've really enjoyed watching Scott

take on board what we've had to say.

He is such a grafter. He is such a hard worker.

I do like the look of that plate. Very nice.

I think he's nailed this dish, to be honest.

-It really is good.

-It's a full marks pudding.

A wonderful palate. I am so impressed by this.

The semifinals, when I did the rabbit,

the flow for this dish coming from Monica and Michel.

I don't know if you can tell but I'm really happy.

This is what we wanted.

A knockout plate.

The last few years,

there wasn't that personal relationship with the food.

I'm really cooking what I believe.

Me and my father used to do a lot of fishing on the beach.

I like that.

I'm doing MY garden salad.

So everything you find in your garden at home.

It's a stunning plate of food.

When he first walked in here, he was very, very shy, his head down,

we could hardly hear him speak.

-Come on, Scotty.

-Oui, Chef.

Scott has grown in confidence throughout this competition.

The beetroot consomme is exceptional.

I think you did a really good dish there tonight. Thank you very much.

Scott has been solid throughout this competition.

He could cook his way to this crown quite easily.

Bravo, Scott. Bravo.

This competition really drives my passion and my love for my job

and love for food.

Actually to win the competition would be, yeah,

just absolutely, you know, absolutely fantastic.

Growing up, we moved quite a lot.

Cos my dad was a general manager at a hotel,

we only really started settling down when we started going to school.

I've got a younger brother called Peter.

You know, we were not really the stay-at-home kids reading books,

we were more the kids gallivanting and causing trouble.

Growing up in hotels, we just used the facilities.

I was able to go into the kitchens.

You know, we had a great life.

I met my wife at school.

He was doing his food technology class.

He was trying to look really macho in his apron.

I don't know what he was cooking,

but he was probably cooking fairy cakes or something.

Steve always knew he was going to be a chef,

probably from the day he was born.

Both my parents worked in the hospitality and catering industry.

They knew how much of a difficult job it was,

and how it wasn't that financially rewarding,

and you really had to be quite dedicated to go into it.

Steve was determined to do it

and no-one stops Steve from doing what he wants.

We have been married just over a year now.

We have Scarlett who is two and a half.

She is full of energy.

We have also got our ten-week-old son called Kyan.

He is just so laid back.

I feel like I have got a complete family now.

-What shall we have?

-Egg.

-Scrambled egg?

-Yes.

-And some toast?

-Yes.

I do enjoy eating and I do eat a lot.

Are you going to pour it?

That's where my passion started for cooking.

Steve is a massive eater. He eats me out of house and home.

He constantly eats. I do not know how he is not the size of a house.

That's enough now. I think Daddy's full.

Going round and round.

It's really hard having a husband who is a chef who works

quite long hours.

It's melting.

We understand why Steve does it, because he enjoys doing it

and it is to provide for the family.

But I see, day in, day out, how determined he is.

I am so proud, so proud.

The first time I met Monica, she was quite complimentary about my food.

It's attractive, it stands out, this is a very talented plate.

You have to catch our attention for the right reason and he did that.

The first time I knew I was going to cook for Michel, it was

daunting but it was a good test,

it was nice to hear some positive feedback.

Good palate and good attention to detail there.

Good judgment.

Steven, at the beginning, did shock me a bit

with his marriages of different flavours.

Pomme fondant did not need the vanilla.

Vanilla in Provence? No.

Looking back, the reason I made some odd decisions

about being outlandish was to try and stand out.

A little bit too fruity for me.

The apple is one step too far.

The great thing about Steven is that he has taken on board

our comments and he's listened.

A turning point in the competition was the show-stopper.

Having two hours to do one dish let me go all out.

It is yummy, it is sticky, it is a pudding lover's delight.

This is one of the nicest plates. He has done well today.

I think using humble ingredients is definitely where I stand out.

It really showcases my style.

That broccoli ketchup, absolutely bang on.

Great complex flavours in there. Really, really good.

It's a really good dessert.

The cheesecake is absolutely divine.

Steven is a clever chef.

I mean, that invention test with all the trimmings and scraps,

he definitely was in his element there.

I look at it, I want to eat it.

I'll push Michelle to the side and have it to myself.

Italy was out of this world.

It really blew my mind.

This is, like, exactly what I want.

I'm just up there on cloud nine.

It ties together beautifully, it's a work of art.

Fantastic.

That is delicious.

Even when he is flustered, Steven stays focused.

-That was great, Steven. Turbot, brilliant.

-Chef.

He is a great chef.

The witch's hat was a show-stopper.

APPLAUSE

Steven is a gifted chef, most definitely.

And he is ready...

Ready to take this final on.

It's definitely made me realise that my dreams are achievable.

I've been on a fantastic journey

and it would be so great to top it off as a MasterChef champion.

This is your chance, your chance to grab that title.

By the end of today, one of you will be MasterChef professional champion.

Life is never ever going to be quite the same again.

Three hours.

Three exquisite dishes.

Do yourself proud.

Off you go.

We know the chefs here are exceptionally good,

but we want to see that today, now.

Obviously, the competition has been really good.

I've taken a lot on board.

I'm going to really enjoy my dishes today.

Exciting day, frightening day, what is it for you?

A mix of all emotions to be honest.

Really nerve-racking but excited and amazing to be here

and I hopefully I do my food justice today.

I got to say, you are a lot more confident in yourself

-since the first time I saw you.

-Yeah, definitely.

This is what I wanted from the competition.

Obviously to learn as much as I could

and have a bit more confidence in my self.

It's met all my expectations and more.

I think it's done absolute wonders for me.

-You were like a timid child when you first came in here.

-I know.

-You're like a bullish chef now.

-That's it.

-What are you going to do today?

-Hopefully put three smiles...

Three smiles on three judges and I'll be very happy

and that's what I need to do today.

Scott is cooking a light starter of scallops marinated...

..salmon cured...

..some crispy oysters...

..with some pickled cucumber.

It sounds so simple yet so refreshing and light and zingy.

-It sounds wonderful.

-Mm!

For his main course he's got influences from his journeys

in Australia.

The consomme he's making today is with Peking duck.

So it's got that wonderful aromatic flavour of the duck,

that Chinese great speciality.

But he's added to that some lemongrass, touch of chilli,

little bit of spice in there, as well.

We know Scott can do a good consomme.

That consomme at the chef's table was absolutely bang on.

He's picking the legs off to make a ravioli. It's ingenious.

He's using things like bok choi and thinly sliced radishes.

So there's a lot of Asian influence.

But you can't get much more French classic than Pommes Anna.

Thinly sliced potatoes swathed in butter.

Sometimes fusion food, if done badly, can be confusion.

I just hope that Scott knows what he's doing with this.

I try not to smile when I talk about Scott's dessert

because it sounds like a dessert I would order.

Some wonderful coconut mousse...

..coconut marshmallows...

..pineapple roast...

..and cooked in syrup.

He's got some chillies in there which goes very well with pineapple.

Coconut and pineapple are the perfect combination.

Absolutely made for each other.

I do love a bit of tropical in my desserts. I really do.

I love the sound of that.

I've been a chef 11 years now.

I've given these dishes development of 11 years of understanding.

Years of perfection.

But obviously you want to go out with a bang.

And you want to give it your all

so hopefully that's what I'm going to do.

Chefs, one hour gone.

Racing away, isn't it? Racing.

'I do feel proud looking back at the journey that I've come on.

'But I also'

know where to draw the line in the sand.

'It's a new day, it's a new challenge.

'I'm not going to start resting on my laurels.'

I've still got things to prove.

-How are you feeling?

-I'm trying to stay as calm as I can.

Just trying to relax. I want to cook happy today.

I want to finish this competition on a high.

-What's it been like?

-You kind of get a buzz from it.

I don't know how I'm going to keep that buzz going after the show

and that's my biggest worry because you get an adrenaline rush

and it's addictive.

You're that close. You're that close to the title.

I actually quite like the idea of pigeon, slightly gamey...

..with sweet beetroot...

..very salty, sharp feta cheese...

..and a bit of apple to refresh it all.

Feta, beetroot is a great combination.

But he needs to get the elements of the feta right or it's going

to be too strong.

I've never, ever eaten pigeon and cheese.

-It does work.

-It's got to work.

Steven's main course, the piece of Stone Bass

and crab mixed with orzo pasta.

He's putting a little bit of Parmesan cheese with that.

Got to be very wary not to overdo it with the Parmesan because it

will kill the flavour of the crab.

-Cheese, again.

-Yeah.

-Now fish and cheese?

-Fish and cheese, yeah.

-You like cheese, right?

-Yeah, I do.

-Yeah, good.

He's serving kohlrabi three different ways with his main course.

Which is typical of Steven.

He takes one vegetable and cooks it in three or four different ways.

He'll do some different textures. He's going to blacken parts of it.

Puree, as well.

He's not disappointed us yet and he's not going to disappoint us

today, I'm sure.

The dessert is quite a rich meal.

So it's quite a light honey cake.

Honey cake, peaches, pistachios, yoghurt.

It's just music to my ears.

I'm not playing any favouritism today

but when I hear the word cake, I kind of smile a little bit.

A cake can be a little bit cakey dry.

I just hope there's a lot of peach there.

It needs that lovely moisture, especially of a lovely, big,

juicy peach. I can't wait.

It sounds superb.

'The most important thing is to give them

'the best food I possibly can do today.'

And make their decision-making difficult.

Last 60 minutes. This is your last hour.

My head is very calm, very organised.

But if one thing starts to change, or one thing I'm not

in control of starts to drift off, that totally messes everything up.

As long as I keep focused, pay attention and just go for it,

I'll be happy.

You are very, very close to a title. Are you feeling the pressure?

I'm feeling the pressure inside but I'm keeping that down.

I'm staying very focused.

So what do you think you need to deliver today?

I need to just deliver faultless food.

Simple, not overcomplicated.

Different and...good food.

I want this three courses to be why I get remembered.

But what's it been like, seriously, the competition?

It's been one of the best experiences I've ever had.

It's been emotional, it's been stressful. It's been fantastic.

It's been sad. It's been everything all rolled up in one.

It's been incredible. An eye-opener.

He's making a starter which he says is a ham hock terrine.

We've seen he's got two different types of hock in there

and he's pressure cooking it.

He's going to shred that meat and press it to make his terrine.

The only issue is, if that ham hock isn't quite cooked enough,

it's going to be very chewy.

He's serving with his terrine some pickles which is the perfect match.

Just hope there's a little bit more to this dish than just

the terrine and a few pickles.

We know this chef is anything but straightforward.

His main course is chicken and lobster.

There's a lot more to this lobster and chicken dish than meets the eye.

He's going to take two lobsters and shape it into one big medallion.

I just hope he doesn't overcook that

because it's a very expensive ingredient.

Serving it with chicken, which is a wonderful mix and works very well.

And to that he's making a very rich chicken and red wine sauce.

Adam's dessert he describes as a toffee apple.

It is a very technical dessert. But it is just toffee and apples.

Kids love toffee apples

so Gregg will be very happy with this one, I'm sure of it.

That takes me back to my childhood.

But I don't think I'm going to get an apple on a stick.

He's all about trickery.

The toffee apple normally dipped in caramel

but Adam is going to use the muscovado sugar to make his.

Muscovado, brown cane sugar.

Its at its purest form, it's got a caramelised taste.

I'd have a teaspoon of it.

I'm really happy he's going to make a cake today.

He really has treated us royally with his cakes.

I hope today is another one of those occasions.

If this menu is executed to the T, exactly how

I want it, it's going to really, really mess with the judges' heads,

definitely.

Whoa! Last 30 minutes.

Scott, how we doing? All going to plan?

-Yeah.

-Good. No issues?

No issues, no, Chef.

-You OK, mate? Are you 100% in control?

-I'd say I'm 90% in control.

I'm waiting for something to catch me out.

How are you doing?

I'm doing good, it's just the last few components.

The last thing you need is me asking you questions.

-I always love chatting to you, though.

-You love chatting to me.

-Not now.

-That's all right, then.

15 minutes left.

You can taste the nervous energy in this kitchen.

There is a real palpable tension.

I think I'm about to get blown away.

There is some crackingly good food going on here.

You've got just five minutes.

Last five minutes.

Chefs, that's it, time is up.

Scott, up you come.

Scott's starter is cured salmon

topped with keta salmon caviar.

Seared scallop, scallop ceviche,

a crispy oyster on pickled cucumber spaghetti,

seaweed and a miso paint,

accompanied by a shot of cucumber and oyster juice.

I love this dish. What this is giving me is four little presents.

Lovely!

-MONICA:

-This I am curious about.

You've given me some green liquid to drink - always gets me worried.

I'm up for trying new things.

For me, because they made me drink this first, um...

It's not good on its own.

It's quite strong, quite salty,

but...

I went back and had some after I ate,

and it is very, very refreshing.

Everything on this plate is perfectly cooked to a T.

The cucumber and oyster shot, actually, I think, tastes quite nice.

Ice cold, cucumber flavour, with a hint of the sea. I think it works.

Your plate of four little goodies there are good,

it's all well cooked, it's all well seasoned and well presented.

Lovely scallop and ceviche giving it a little bit of a

vinegar flavour as well. I love the softness of the salmon.

You've got saltiness from those eggs on top there as well.

Really love the oyster.

I find that very light, very refreshing,

and beautifully cooked and lovely flavours.

You've got a happy customer at the start of his dinner.

Scott's main is roast duck breast on bok choi,

duck leg and shitake mushroom ravioli,

a stack of pickled radish, carrot and mooli with Pommes Anna,

crispy shallot rings and shredded duck garnish,

and a Peking duck consomme.

Mmm...

Look at the shine - it's lovely. Mmm!

Beautiful, crystal clear consomme. I like what I'm seeing.

The flavour of the consomme is fantastic.

It is duck and it has got sweet bits,

and it has got little spicy notes to it as well.

Your duck breast itself is cooked really, really well.

I very much enjoyed the ravioli. Very good.

The consomme for me is the star of this dish.

I would want just a big bowl of it. Absolutely delicious.

It's got such an intense duck flavour without being too

rich or overpowering.

It's got sweet notes, it's got slightly sour notes,

it's got floral notes from spicing, it really is an achievement.

I don't think it's necessary to have the Pommes Anna on this dish,

but it's a damn good Pommes Anna though.

Everything on this plate has been done really well, Scott.

That consomme, for me, is what holds this whole dish together.

For his dessert, Scott has made a coconut mousse topped with

pistachio praline on slices of poached pineapple and chilli.

With roasted pineapple, cardamom biscuits and marshmallow cubes.

I really like this, Scott. I really, really like it.

For me, coconut and pineapple is a marriage made in heaven,

and you have managed to make a coconut mousse

which is as light as a feather, it's airy,

yet it still has that wonderful creaminess and flavour of coconut.

Those little marshmallows, as well, are bouncy but melt in the mouth.

It's a lovely dessert.

That's great. That's a solid pina colada.

It's coconut and it's booze and those little chunks of pineapple

you've got, they taste like they've been seeped in rum,

and then you get that pineapple juice.

Mate, I was excited about it when you told me about it,

I'm excited about it when I eat it, cos that's an indulgence.

The flavours and the textures are built for stuffing yourself with.

-MONICA:

-I'm annoyed that you've made a dessert that

I have to share with Gregg.

He's eaten most of the pineapple and I didn't get any of the

roasted ones, which looked really good when he was chewing on it.

-GREGG:

-I'm sorry, I didn't know.

I just saw it sitting there

and I thought, "It looks like it needs a home."

-MONICA:

-The biscuit is very well made, it's crunchy,

it's got hints of cardamom through it.

You've got it right on the head there with the flavours

and the taste that you wanted to achieve on this dessert.

There's one thing that I love more than anything out of my job,

and it's to see chefs evolve.

Brilliant! Absolutely stunning.

Really.

Scott, thank you so much.

Pretty surreal that that was the last challenge.

You know, what I did there, I think, you know, it all worked really well.

Yeah, really happy with that.

Steven, your turn.

For his starter,

Steven has made pigeon breast with roasted baby beetroot,

caramelised feta dice, apple compote,

watercress and a beetroot vinaigrette.

That is exquisite. I love the deep colours. I love the sheen on it.

I think that's beautiful.

It's precision, it's delicate. It shows your journey throughout the competition.

For me, Steven, it is the ideal starter.

It is light, it is refreshing,

yet it has a depth of flavour that excites the palate.

The pigeon's cooked perfectly.

I would never have thought that feta cheese would work with pigeon.

You've managed to make it work because you've judged it perfectly.

Too much feta and you get JUST feta.

Just the right amount on your fork and it's a stunning combination.

Tangy, salty, then gamey, then earthy beetroot

and sweet apple. Very, very nice indeed.

Steven, the beetroot is just the right amount of crunchiness.

The apple brings a sharpness to it.

Be proud of what you've done here today.

I am really happy with what you've done.

It's a great plate, Steven.

Steven's main course is pan-fried stone bass

on a bed of crab, tomato and Parmesan orzo,

with pureed, poached and blackened kohlrabi,

and a lime foam.

Look at that. That is exquisitely crafted.

Precision. That's what we've seen with you in the past

and you've delivered it again.

For me, I love the way that you've used the trimming, the cut-out,

to actually serve on the plate,

and you've blackened it to add a different taste.

It's been dressed with care.

The flavours on your fish are superb.

The fish is cooked to perfection, lovely crispy skin, well seasoned.

The kohlrabi, I think, is a revelation. Beautifully cooked.

Different tastes, different textures of kohlrabi.

Superb. Really superb.

Everything comes together really well here.

Your orzo, it's a very intense flavour

from the sauce that you've made with the langoustines,

and it's binding everything together.

It's great and flavoursome.

It's a wonderful dish.

I tell you, mate, that is really, really good.

I mean, top-end restaurant, gone out for lunch,

I've had a fantastic starter, I've now had a memorable main.

Cor!

-Feeling good?

-Two down, one to go.

For his dessert, Steven has made a honey cake

topped with honeycomb,

with poached peaches, peach compote,

roast peach puree,

yoghurt espuma,

a pistachio crumb,

and thyme syrup.

GREGG GROANS

I think your cake is wonderful, it's very moist,

and the honeycomb that you've got on top finishes your cake.

Your garnish that goes with it - the peaches are very refreshing,

I like that you've roasted the peaches off,

plus the actual poached peach in there.

I find it all very sweet,

but luckily, the bit of yoghurt that you have on there

does help to offset the sweetness.

Really good cake.

Light, moist, get that lovely honey flavour

without being oversweet or sticky.

Pistachios and peaches also a very good marriage,

so great flavour combinations.

-Cor.

-Those peaches are as soft as you like.

I love the pistachio flavour on there, as well,

and that little bit of thyme you've put in

really highlights the senses.

It makes you come alive and take notice.

That's an absolute triumph.

Steven, as a menu, I think this is very well balanced,

full of flavour, brilliant.

I can see a true chef here. Absolutely.

And it's you shining through on every dish. Well done.

-Thank you all.

-Cheers, Chef. Thank you.

It's so nerve-racking sitting at the table with the three judges.

The cooking part was the easy bit.

I'm pleased with what I've done

and I couldn't have done any more.

Adam, your turn, please.

Adam's starter is a terrine of pressed pork made with ham hock

and pork cheek, and topped with chopped herbs.

Served with pickled micro carrots, radishes and shallots,

and brioche toast.

Very clever, very modern. I love it.

It's a stunning way to present food, so precise,

it's so meticulously placed.

It's a beautiful plate.

The terrine is very well made.

I was worried in case you didn't get the hock cooked in time

because then it can be quite tough and chewy.

It has cooked enough.

It's well seasoned, and I do like the freshness that the herbs

bring to the top. It is wonderful.

It's a nice soft terrine.

With the sweet, sharp vegetables it really comes alive.

I mean, it's a beautiful flavour.

Salty, moist, and then sharp and sweetness.

For me, I would like some more of those

little darling pickled vegetables.

You've taken a ham hock terrine, which is a very rustic dish,

and elevated it, made it into something which is quite

sophisticated that you could serve in a fine-dining establishment.

But, for me, it's a bit dry.

It's lacking moisture, it's lacking its cooking liquid -

the natural jelly that has all that wonderful flavour.

Adam's main course is sous-vide lobster tails,

with a pressed chicken thigh terrine,

and served with confit carrots,

crispy chicken skin, sliced truffle, and a chicken sauce.

Wow.

Wow. Absolutely stunning. Look at that. That's wow.

If a waiter brings this to my table, I'm just grinning.

And I'll say it out loud - wow.

-Mmm.

-Wow.

Classic match of lobster and chicken, works very well.

I love how you've stuck the two lobsters together to form

a cylinder shape of it.

And I love the crispiness of the skin you have here.

That is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

That sweet lobster with that sauce that's almost bitter,

and then really soft chicken and truffle?

Mate, that is a very grown-up,

sophisticated yet hugely enjoyable taste sensation.

The terrine that you've made out of the chicken thighs -

a lot of technique, a lot of skill,

pan-frying it, again to caramelise and add more flavour.

It's very clever cooking.

The lobster, cooked to perfection. Absolutely bang on.

Little bit too garlicky for me. It's quite strong.

The sauce, for me, is not reduced enough and very bitter.

The bitterness that my friend Michel picks up on,

and the garlickyness, is what I love.

Adam's dessert is toffee apple - a toffee pudding cake,

side of poached apples, a muscovado sugar tuile

and toffee sauce,

garnished with sauteed walnuts and apple blossoms.

I love how you've been brave enough to do themes on beige.

Somebody else with less confidence would have been squirting

a fruit coulis all over that.

It is, as Gregg says, shades of beige.

But you highlight it with small pink apple blossoms

and that's all it needs.

I love the tuile. It's beautiful, it's shiny,

and it's got that snap and the taste of muscovado sugar

and that is heavenly.

Really, really, very, very good.

I like the apples, little balls of apple cooked in cider.

But I'm not keen on the cake. I find it heavy.

I was expecting something really very light,

especially that you've made some extremely light cakes in the past.

I was expecting something as light as a feather, and it's not.

Your take on apple toffee is here.

You have the muscovado for the caramel

and the apples as if you were biting into it.

Your cake, for me, it works quite well.

Everything is moist and yummy and there's variations on toffee.

It's not too sweet at all.

I like the little bit of saltiness and the bit of sharpness

I get from the walnuts.

Nothing wrong with what you've done and I'd happily eat it all.

I'd like something else on that plate as well

and that something else would be some sharp apple.

Thank you very much indeed.

I'm the kind of person, I focus more on the negative so I feel

so disappointed, mostly in myself, you know, this is the final round.

Monica was nice, Gregg was good, but I let Michel down.

Obviously chefs look up to him so his opinion matters.

Even if it is full of negativity, his opinion still matters.

Off you go.

I tell you, I'm really happy.

From my perspective, one of a customer, I think

these three are super, super talented.

I'm really impressed. Really, really impressed.

I'd happily work with these chefs starting tomorrow.

For me, the overriding feeling today is actually disappointment.

Because I was expecting so much from one chef

and he didn't quite achieve what I was hoping.

I genuinely feel frustrated with Adam and the way he's cooked today

because coming into this final I had him as the favourite.

For sure. With all that know-how.

That passion that he's always delivered on the plate.

In his overeagerness to impress, I don't think he's reached the mark.

You've been really impressed with Adam

and expected more from him today.

I think he hasn't reached your expectations.

The one thing I know about Michel,

if he sees a lot of possibility in a young chef,

it's the one he's going to be the hardest on.

Probably got that because my father was extremely hard on ME.

Possibly I was a bit over harsh because I want him to do well.

The thought process was different. I was always massive on flavour.

This one, I wanted to do total refinement.

Backfired.

I really like Scott's ideas.

If I had walked into the restaurant today and looked at the menu,

I would have ordered starter, main, pudding off of Scott.

I would have done.

That sings to me. That's the sort of food I would have ordered.

Scott is the one that we've been calling our solid chef

because he HAS been throughout, he's always delivered great food.

The difference is, there's more love coming through in Scott's food.

The consomme, for example, you can see the great chef in him.

I can, actually. I really can. That consomme was superb.

It was splendid.

And there's an art and a skill to make a consomme that good.

I really enjoyed the starter, with a different fish.

Even the bowl of green liquid that ended up being cucumber

and oyster was really refreshing.

Scott had a great dessert.

The coconut and pineapple, that was such a crowd-pleaser.

I'm finding it hard to ignore Scott's value at the moment.

You come this far. It's been a really hard journey to get here.

It's going to be disappointing if I don't win

but so will the two other chefs so we'll just have to wait and see.

I thought Steven's food was lovely. I mean, seriously,

when it comes to eating the food that was dished up today,

we can't look much further than Steven's main course.

That stone bass from Steven was absolutely delicious.

And so was Steven's starter.

It was simplicity done to perfection with the little twist with the feta.

That, for me, was a stunning dish here today.

Visually, it was outstanding.

That was good.

He makes food that is great to eat. It's expertly cooked.

It is presented with a certain elegance, clean lines, and it works.

He's showed that he deserves to be here.

He's cooked faultlessly.

It was simplicity done to perfection.

Fault free.

My style is using ingredients that are not flamboyant.

I believe it is quite a risk to use humble ingredients for the final

but this is me on a plate and I'm not going to try

and be someone that I'm not.

I never thought that coming into a final...

was this hard.

They are amazing, amazing chefs.

They would be a treasure to have in any kitchen.

Steven has done incredibly well

throughout this competition.

He's expressing himself to the full.

I do want to win this competition but, you know,

there's so much going round in my head - "Have I done enough?"

Scott is the kind of chef that you and I would want next to us

on a busy Saturday night.

He delivers the goods...

at an unbelievable standard.

It's always going to be disappointing if I don't win,

so I'll be absolutely delighted.

Adam has this drive to better what he's achieved already.

He has a deep thirst to just keep pushing.

He is going to achieve great things in the future.

For me, it's easy. Best dishes on the day.

Have you got a favourite chef here today?

Mm.

-Have you?

-Yeah.

Well, I don't really see any point in going round and round.

It has been an incredible competition.

I couldn't have wished for a better group of chefs

to be here with today.

We have made a decision.

Our MasterChef champion is...

..Steven.

Well done.

The champion.

Sorry about my hands.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Give you a kiss?

-Yeah.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-I wasn't expecting that.

-What an achievement.

What an achievement.

This feels so surreal.

I don't know what to say.

Apart from thank you.

It's sad but, you know, delighted for Steven.

Definitely the best chef won today. And I'm happy for him.

I'm very happy for Steven.

It's always been me and him, very close,

and today I failed and he went forward so it was going to happen.

I'm exceptionally happy. I just can't believe it.

Just...just what dreams are made of, isn't it?

I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling. It means so much.

These kind of things don't seem to happen to me.

It just feels unbelievable.

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