The MasterChef: The Professionals kitchen will opens its doors this autumn on BBC Two for the 10th year of the UK’s most prestigious cooking competition. And 48 professional chefs from around the UK are put through a gruelling seven weeks of cooking challenges – striving to achieve culinary greatness.
Two Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing, renowned chef Monica Galetti and MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace make up the esteemed judging team - tasked with awarding the chef with the most skill, commitment and creative talent the revered title of MasterChef: The Professionals Champion.
Monica Galetti said: “I can’t believe we’re now celebrating the 10th anniversary of the series and I’m proud to be a part of something that promotes such high quality and aspirational cooking amongst chefs from all types of kitchens. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.”
Marcus Wareing added: “We’re looking for someone really special and I want to see the sky high standard this competition demands. For someone to take away this trophy is no mean feat and I’m expecting the chefs to stop at nothing to get it.”
Gary Maclean MasterChef: The Professionals
2016 winner
Last year Gary Maclean, Senior Chef Lecturer at City of Glasgow College, was crowned the MasterChef: The Professionals winner and now more ambitious chefs have entered the competition to battle against counterparts at every professional level - from private chefs on yachts and chefs de partie (or line cooks), to head chefs running their own restaurants and pubs – all in the name of gastronomic glory.
The Skills Test has been given a makeover, in the past decade the challenge has evolved from basic butchery to, this year, introducing the 20 Minute Skills Test, with a bigger creative twist.
Quarter Finalists will once again have the opportunity to cook for the country’s most discerning food critics who, this year, include Jay Rayner, Tracey Macleod, Tom Parker Bowles, Amol Rajan, William Sitwell and Grace Dent.
In Knockout Week the final twelve professionals cook in the Invention Test and then the final 10 are divided into two teams of five. Transported outside of the MasterChef kitchen for the first time, the chefs work collectively and impress special diners with their own fine dining menus. One team create three courses at Twickenham, home of England Rugby. The other team work to serve up their own fine-dining menu at a special event for the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
In Semi-final Week the eight chefs now have to produce a dish inspired by an influential person on their lives – either someone they know or a well-known figure. The chefs will be cut to six and they are sent out to cook with and learn from the finest, most visionary leaders in the industry today. Some journey to Darlington to cook under chef James Close at his restaurant, at The Raby Hunt - the only new restaurant in the country to receive two Michelin stars in 2017. Others travel to the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside to the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons – owned by legendary chef Raymond Blanc. Working with his two-Michelin-starred head chef Gary Jones, who takes seasonality to another level by cooking from one of the UK’s most famous kitchen gardens and delivering the food in stunning dishes.
Finals Week once again involves The Chef's Table in the City of London - chefs will be cooking their own dish for the distinguished diners who hold over 30 Michelin stars between them. In the penultimate challenge, the three finalists fly to Menton in France to cook in the two-Michelin-starred Mirazur, under ground-breaking chef Mauro Colagreco.
Over the past decade he has built up his stunning French Riviera restaurant, now ranked the 4th best in the world. This is their chance to cook beside one of the world’s most pioneering and acclaimed chefs. The contestants are treated to a masterclass before creating a dish for the two-starred chef. They then become part of Chef Mauro’s team, cooking his sublime dishes during a service for the restaurant’s guests. Seated in prime position at the chef’s table, are the three MasterChef Judges.
The final cook-off, and they must simply produce the best three courses of their lives ahead of the ultimate judgement from Marcus, Monica and Gregg, to be crowned MasterChef: The Professionals Champion 2017.
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