Gareth Baty, 40, has been awarded the prestigious title of MasterChef: The Professionals Series 18 Champion.
Gareth took on 31 other ambitious professional chefs and cooked his way to success at the end of seven weeks of increasingly tough challenges. Throughout the competition Gareth has impressed the judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Matt Tebbutt and impressed restaurant critics and some of the country’s leading chefs – delivering exceptional, imaginative food and skilful cookery.
In Gareth’s Quarter Final, William Sitwell said his halibut dish with beer battered mussels “really delivered. I thought it was terrific.” While April Jackson described his halibut as “absolutely delicious, it’s absolutely perfect and just flakes away,” and Tom Parker Bowles said: “The mussels were great, but those scraps on the bottom – it’s absolutely knockout.”
Reacting to his win, Gareth 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.”
The judges had plenty to say about Gareth, with Marcus Wareing commenting: “Gareth’s food, it’s bold, it’s flavoursome and it’s from the heart. Gareth has a huge future and I can’t wait to see where he goes.”
Monica Galetti added: “He has got better and better with every challenge and his final three dishes showed that. They were faultless.”
Matt Tebbutt said: “Gareth cooks with love and he cooks with passion, and that’s why he’s our champion.”
In an exhilarating Final Week, Gareth was up against exceptional chefs – Caroline, who left on Monday, and tonight’s runners up Luke Emmess and Mark O’Brien. Gareth had to demonstrate his progress, passion and flawless palate to stand out from his competitors.
The first challenge of the week saw all four chefs take on Chef’s Table in the Michelin-starred Dining Room restaurant of the prestigious luxury hotel, The Goring, where 27 culinary giants – with a staggering 36 Michelin stars between them – had been invited to taste their food. Nothing short of perfection leaves that kitchen and the contestants needed to follow suit.
The Final Three were then taken on an Italian adventure to the picturesque town of Brunico in South Tyrol – home to Atelier Moessmer, a restaurant that has become a destination for experiencing food that is widely regarded as the future of gastronomy. It’s here that chef patron Norbert Niederkofler presents his ‘Cook The Mountain’ philosophy that has won him praise the world over and was awarded three Michelin stars within four months of opening – a world record in itself.
The finalists then became Norbert’s brigade for a lunch service, delivering three-star tasting dishes to a room full of diners including Marcus, Monica and Matt. These were some of the most demanding dishes the finalists have ever prepared and everything had to run like clockwork.
In tonight’s Grand Final everything the chefs have worked towards reaches a crescendo – pouring everything they have into serving the three most spectacular courses of their lives to the MasterChef judges – in just three hours.
Gareth’s winning menu is an ode to his family. The starter is his take on a prawn cocktail for his mother. 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. Monica said: “It’s such a delicate dish, yet it’s gutsy, what a great way to start this menu. Brilliant job, your mum would be proud.”
In memory of his dad, Gareth’s main is 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. Matt commented: “I’m struggling to find fault here. This is an absolute winner.”
To finish, Gareth serves a dish dedicated to his fiancée’s family. His dessert is a twist on the brandy alexander cocktail. 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. Marcus reacted with: “Wow! It’s got some body to it and some kick. To get that balance of the brandy and ginger heat and to make it work with this cremeux is brilliant. What a way to finish your menu, what a way to finish the competition…”
After tasting the three dishes, Marcus told Gareth: “Three very different stories for three or four very different people who mean something to you. You finished off with an absolute knockout three course menu, congratulations, well done. Loved it.”
Gareth is originally from Carlisle, Cumbria and now lives in Whitefield, Greater Manchester with his wife Katherine and two children.
Remembering when he first walked into the MasterChef kitchen Gareth said: “When I walked through those doors all those weeks ago and saw the three of you for a skills test, it was one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had. And now sitting here in front of you I feel like a completely different chef. I’ve learned so much in this competition and it has been an amazing adventure.”
After losing his father when he was at University Gareth admits he felt lost and being a self-taught cook often led to him questioning his ability as a chef. He said: “One of the tasks in the competition pushed me out of my comfort zone, and even though the team were incredibly welcoming and supportive, it brought back all those feelings of doubt and made me feel like I didn’t fit in or deserve to be there. I panicked. Looking back on it however, it was incredibly rewarding. It was the moment I grew the most in the competition and learned a lot about cooking and myself.”
Looking ahead to life after MasterChef, Gareth says: “I’ve taken so much more from the competition than I thought. It’s changed me as a person, it’s changed me as a chef. Now that I’m standing here holding this trophy it’s given me a whole new road to travel on and I’m going to go all the way down it.”
