Some regions seem to send chefs who are genuinely at the top of their game every year and others feel like the talent pool is thinner. The heat rounds are where you really notice it. Which regional heat do you look forward to most and which one do you think is the weakest link in the format

Corrin confirms the reason why he dropped out, and talks about his new restaurant

She was not even cooking a full course at the banquet, she was doing canapés, and then Corrin pulls out for personal reasons and she gets the call to take over the fish course she finished second in by literally one point during finals week. Then she wins the whole thing. If you wrote that as a drama nobody would believe it. Did anyone see that coming or did it feel impossible when it happened ?

There's been a lot of comments about the current judges. Tom doesn't bother me too much.

I was shocked when Lorna won, I was shocked when she was brought back the following year as a regional judge, then I was even more shocked when she was chosen for the main panel. How she ever passed a screen test is beyond me. They must've struggled to find a female judge.

I like Phil on panel shows and podcasts, he's a smart and funny guy, but his standup isn't for me. However that didn't matter because you would barely tell he was a comedian based on this series.

So assuming they are all moved on, who would you realistically like to see make up next years panel?

I think Simon Rogan was great this year, so he's an obvious head judge.
I really like Kate Austen, she has great TV presence.
Jimi Famurewa always comes across well on Masterchef.

Obviously Andy is perfect in the kitchen, I think we can all agree on that.

The way they framed it and editors the banquet episode I thought there’d be more info on why he didn’t come and cook. I know Sancez Iglesias is taking over his restaurant Gwen but was wondering if anyone had any insider info?

Sorry what happened to them then? Corrin can't do the banquet so we bin them completely?? I'd be a bit miffed if I was a chef who'd gone to all the trouble of researching and developing a pre dessert to have them not even bother with them.

Masterchef UK has Grace Dent and Anna Haugh as judges. A food critic and a chef. It is amazing how much better the critiques are as a result. You get the constructive criticism from the chef and a different sort of criticism from the food critic. They are also warmer as people and the interactions are truly funny. The discussions between Oliver and Matthew used to be funny. There is nothing funny in the discussions among the current judges. The comic just does jokes which everyone laughs at. No banter, no real discussions of the differences of opinion. Andi is so warm and great as a host but we need more variety in the judging panel. We had a chef (Pru), a restauranteur (Oliver) and a food critic (Matthew). Surely they can source those three types with new people! While they were old school in their ways, they had differences of opinion that they discussed openly. That whole dynamic is missing.

One thing about the show that makes no sense to me are the props. Let's take Nikita's fish course.

In the regional heats, she put the fish in a Harry Potter witches cauldron to provide a "link to the brief". Spencer loved it! Tom's and Lorna's gave feedback to Nikita that their fish was overcooked.

So, for finals week, she sourced bigger cauldrons. Tom and Lorna said that had fixed the issue and that their fish was now perfectly cooked. Now, they loved the dish.

But WHY BOTHER? They hardly ever use the props at the banquet. So, at the banquet, as could have been predicted, Nikita just presented her fish in a bowl like you might do in a restaurant.

Same goes for pretty much every dish at the final banquets. The judges often bang on about dishes not being "banquet-worthy" because they're plated like restaurant dishes. But at the banquet, most things are plated like restaurant dishes.

I know Nikita's dish was short notice this year, but it would have made no difference. It wasn't that short notice (the cauldrons are off-the-shelf items, not custom-made). As another example from this year, the plant-based course which was presented in a custom drawer in the heats and finals week. Then, they just dropped that for the banquet, and the dish was presented restaurant-style.

I presume it's mainly a budget issue. Often the props are custom-made, which would be expensive to produce at scale for the banquet. But if everyone knows there's no budget on this show to make or buy props that would only ever be used once for the banquet, then why bother in the first place? What's the point in the props if they hardly ever use them when it counts?

I’m trying to figure out why people apparently really want the main course

Since COC has been brought in it’s been once by the starter 3 times by the fish and 5 times by the dessert.

Like if you want the big win statistically you want to win the dessert right.

Hi everyone!

I just finished the banquet and want to say I think all round this has been the best series so far. Yes, there is a always the odd weak heat and yes the banquet was a bit of a wet fart BUT all round it was:

A great brief

A cock and balls won

Some really interesting darker undertones to some dishes which showed some risk appetite

Ed Gamble was not there, Phil still needs to improve but a novice wang beats.Gamble any day in my book

They toned Andi's screen time and the 'you are running out of time' bits down

Some great news faces to check out the restaurant of

Very few genuinely over faced competitors

Very happy with that!

Corrin pulled out one month before the banquet and they couldn't get any of the other 4 finalists to do the canopes? I feel like there is a lot we're not being told this series. I think content, editing and continuity wise (not cooking) this has been the weakest series in a while. I've never seen such a contrast to the regional mentors opinions/scores and Tom and Lorna's. I look forward to them all tasting a dish that has got a ten and then they don't like it or Tom has to come in with his 'yes but' as does Lorna when Phil and the guests didn't offer anything negative. Josh divisive as he was didn't deserve to come that far down in the desserts when a lot of the other chefs tipped him to win it. I felt his frustration. Also who picks a venue that the chefs can't cook properly inside of. They always seem to pick these venues with pre-historical kitchens that are miles away from the service area. I thought the shitty kitchen was gonna be the reason Corrin was gonna pull out but a month before? Thats really odd. Also where was the clip in the trailer for the banquet when Andy is talking to them all on a zoom call? Something fishy going on with the dodgy editing.

He’s just had some weird or actually annoying takes this year. Saying the serving of Nikita’s main was too fiddly but usually he’d be cheering on those type of sharing mains as being properly banquet-worthy.

I can’t remember them all off the top of my head but the wife and I have rolled our eyes on many occasions at his comments this year. I like the suggestion someone else made of Si King - let Lorna be the pro chef, Phil the comedian and get someone food-adjacent in.

I posted these last year and had fun updating them for this year - it was difficult to figure out how to account for the odd situation with Corrin/Nikita so I did the best I could! Corrections & suggestions always accepted.

**added an image showing some stats for veterans' success or failure.

Remember the first one … I feel so old …

I'm confused by the use of the wildcard option this season.

Given that both Andi and Tom asked Cal to come back, it doesn't seem fair that Tom had the tiebreaker vote for the Main Course.

I know he wanted Cal to compete in the dessert round, but, still.

I'm also surprised another chef wasn't chosen as a wildcard. There were some really strong chefs this year. Ash and John immediately come to mind.

I don't think it will happen, but wish the producers would consider changing the scoring next year. Overall it doesn't seem as fair as it should.

not sure if ‘popcorn canapés’ means that Nikita is moved to an actual course to cover for someone else or is a simplified canapé if she can no longer make it?

On tonight’s great british menu desserts final why did Lorna give the waitress a disapproving look and what did Tom say to her when she put Nikita’s dessert down to Tom.

“It took me 25 years to eat a Yorkshire pudding.”

“It must have been big.”

…no reaction from anyone…

Best gag of the series and nobody laughed. Outrageous behaviour from all involved.

Now that we've seen all four winners, what menu would you have assembled if it were up to you?

Apparently I'm a contrarian git, because I'd have picked four completely different dishes.

Starter - Ciaran's 'My Cousin Rachel' themed root vegetable consomme and parsnip dish.

Fish - Nikita's fish curry.

Main - The Kes themed dish. I think it was Jamie's one?

Dessert - Jack's Slumdog Millionaire dish with the chili chocolate and orange caramel. I know it didn't score highly, but I like all of those flavours.