After six weeks of rigorous battle in the hot kitchen, the winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2023 has been chosen.
In the last episode of the BBC series, judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace set the three finalists the task of preparing a three-course dinner that could not be faulted in the least.
Go Compare opera singer Wynne Evans competed for the crown against Love Island‘s Luca Bish and Emmerdale actress Amy Walsh, after the season began with 20 celebrities in the running.
Finally, Wynn emerged victorious, becoming the 18th person to win the celebrity edition of the show.
Expressing his delight over his win, the performer shared: ‘This is a brilliant feeling. The kids will love this, they’ll be like, “Dad! I can’t believe you did it when all you cook for us is beans on toast!”
‘The experience has totally changed my life. It has just been beautiful and I can’t thank Gregg and John and everybody here at MasterChef enough.’
The 51-year-old added: ‘When you start to believe in yourself, that’s when good things start to happen. I don’t know how a MasterChef winner celebrates but I know how a bloke from Carmarthen celebrates!’
The MasterChef judges couldn’t say enough good things about Wynne, with Gregg describing how he ‘gives us theatre’ in the kitchen.
‘I have never seen a celebrity like him ever before and I’m not sure we ever will again,’ he shared, while John added: ‘Every single dish tells a story. His food, it’s exciting, it’s ambitious, and it’s got a little bit of artistic flare. He’s a proud Welshman with a big heart.’
For his winning three-course meal, Wynne pulled out all the stops.
The Carmarthen-Japanese sumo tuna tartare with avocado, edamame beans, and wasabi, served with deep-fried cockle popcorn and a mango egg, was the Welsh singer’s first course.
The chef presented Evans cannon of lamb bread for his main dish, which he set over samphire with wild garlic, porcini mushrooms and lamb rendered fried bread, with pomme dauphine and a fondant leek, and concluded with a red wine and red currant sauce.
Finally, for dessert, he prepared Bara Brith with Caerphilly cheese and fig jam, which he served with brie ice cream and poached figs atop crumbled Bara Brith.
Speaking of his winning menu, he said: ‘I think these dishes represent everything that I am – local produce, stuff that I can easily get at home, and everything that I like to eat.’
Celebrity MasterChef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.