MasterChef: The Professionals S18 winner Gareth Baty / BBC
Gareth Baty has been named as the winner of MasterChef: The Professionals series 18.
The 40-year-old beat off 31 other professional chefs to take the coveted title after seven weeks, triumphing in the final with a three-course menu for judges Monica Galetti, Marcus Wareing and Matt Tebbutt.
The winning menu was an ode to his family, starting with a prawn cocktail for his mother, reimagined as a langoustine and green apple tartar, with a kefir and caviar sauce split with dill oil, topped with tomato tuille, dusted with tomato powder, served with a marie rose langoustine mayonnaise.
The main, in memory of his dad, was a take on chicken and chips – a chicken breast roulade wrapped in a chicken and truffle mousse with king oyster mushroom, set puree and tarragon mayonnaise, served with a side of shoestring fries, finished with a madeira sauce.
Finally his dessert was a twist on the brandy alexander cocktail, dedicated to his fiancée’s family, comprising a layer of milk chocolate cremeux, dulce de leche cremeux, topped with a brandy snap and brandy poached pears, finished with a ginger and brandy sauce.
Speaking after his win was confirmed, Baty said: “This means everything to me, it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had. It’s absolutely incredible, I’m over the moon. If I’ve learned anything through this competition, it’s cooking food you believe in and cooking from the heart can take you a long way. Hopefully this journey is just the beginning.”
“Gareth’s food, it’s bold, it’s flavoursome and it’s from the heart,” said Wareing. “Gareth has a huge future and I can’t wait to see where he goes.”
Galetti added: “He has got better and better with every challenge and his final three dishes showed that. They were faultless.”
The show is due to return for another run at the end of this year.
