As the BBC broadcast coverage of Prince Philip’s life on Friday, April 9, the day of his death, the final of MasterChef was postponed.
It was shown on Wednesday, April 14, having been announced only the day before. Shown below are the judges, John Torode and Gregg Wallace:
Here they are with finalists Mike, Alexina and Tom:
Britain’s foodies could barely contain themselves:
I don’t often write about MasterChef, but this year’s final was the best yet. I would challenge the pros in the US edition of Top Chef or the amateurs from MasterChef USA to come up with comparable dishes.
This video shows what the British amateurs cooked:
As ever, the programme began with brief biographies, complete with childhood photos, of each contestant. Their parents also participated in interviews.
Alexina
Alexina was confident:
I’ve put up some inspirational dishes … It’s my competition to lose.
She lives in south London:
We discovered that she is a graduate of the University of Cambridge — Jesus College, in fact:
Only social media followers, however, will know that she volunteers for The Food Chain in London. I recognise one well known chef and restaurateur in the photo, Allegra McEvedy, who is in the black and white blouse:
Mike
We knew early on in the series that one side of Mike’s family is Italian.
In the following video, Mike’s girlfriend describes how generous they are when it comes to serving dinner:
Mike, from Surrey, enjoys his espressos.
He explained that his grandmother taught him how to cook. He was fascinated watching her and imitated what she did in the kitchen:
Tom
Tom is from Newcastle and, before coronavirus struck, worked in a local restaurant as front of house.
He has always enjoyed cooking:
He often cooks for his parents.
The semi-final
The semi-final took place at London’s Le Gavroche, which has two Michelin stars. I have eaten there and will never forget the dining experience. Here, Alexina reproduced a challenging Le Gavroche classic for owner Michel Roux Jr and his senior members of staff:
Michel Roux Jr was impressed with all three finalists, each of whom made some of the restaurant’s most challenging dishes. In the next video, we see Mike first, then Alexina, followed by Tom:
Based on that episode, we could hardly wait for the final.
The final
Each of the finalists had to create and prepare three dishes.
Mike prepared a starter of scallop with romanesco, followed by sous-vide lamb with a lamb farce and sweetbread pithivier, served with an unctuous thyme and potato terrine. The jus, a gastrique, was perfect. For dessert, he paid homage to his grandmother with a take on tiramisu:
The tiramisu, in particular, looked mouth-watering:
Mike was disappointed that his pithivier burst on the bottom. Nonetheless, John and Gregg responded with superlatives about his dishes:
unctuous and sweet and sticky and absolutely yummy …
dreamy …
fruity sweetness but still with meatiness …
It’s classic, opulent cooking and it’s skilful.
Here’s the video:
Alexina prepared a Malaysian crab soup with a peanut butter bread stick, a perfectly sautéed bavette of beef, and, as a nod to her grandmother, a rolled baked apple (one long strip), served with gin-soaked blackberries and a herby ice cream:
John and Gregg particularly liked the crab soup, an homage to her brother who loves peanut butter:
Then it was Tom’s turn to present his final creative plates of food. This chap was a star from the start.
He prepared three oysters, each in a different style, including one which was deep fried in bread crumbs. He followed this with roast beef and beetroot. Dessert was a tangy lemon-yuzu tart with olive oil ice cream, accentuated with a pinch of salt:
Gregg had a deep food experience tasting it, especially the beef.
The tart and ice cream were works of genius. The tart had black olive meringue on top:
Viewers were bowled over by the quality and imagination of the food. Any of these meals could be served in a top restaurant. Tom’s showed Michelin-star quality.
In the end, there could be only one winner, the 17th champion of MasterChef:
Everyone did brilliantly:
I wholeheartedly agree. I also think that all should have had a glass of champagne to share Tom’s victory:
Tom enjoyed celebrating his win with John and Gregg. He also enjoyed speaking with his ecstatic mother on the phone, hence his reaction:
I wonder if Tom is back at work, now that lockdown has largely lifted:
Indeed.
Follow Tom on Twitter and browse his website for recipes.
I hope someone offers him a job really quickly. His talent is too good to waste. What a great end to lockdown that would be.
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