MasterChef: The Professionals 2021 winner revealed

Private chef Daniel Lee has been crowned winner of BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals 2021.

He beat private chef Aaron Middleton and Gleneagles sous chef Liam Rogers to claim the title with his Asian-influenced cooking, particularly inspired by his time in Singapore, where he cooked at Michelin-starred Table65.

For the final episode of the series the three remaining chefs had three hours to cook three dishes.

The Birmingham-born chef’s starter was his take on the classic Singapore chilli crab – a deep-fried bao bun topped with crab, chilli oil, nashi pear, lime juice, salted egg yolk and Szechuan pepper; topped with a squid ink tuile; served with a soft shell crab tempura and a basil cream.

Judge Monica Galetti said it was “really delightful”. Judge Gregg Wallace described it as a “knockout dish” while Marcus Wareing's summary was a “sensational plate of food” that was “perfectly balanced”.

Lee's chicken and rice dish involved a chicken breast stuffed with chicken thigh mince, sesame oil, spring onion, ginger and Thai pandan leaves; choy sum blanched in garlic, chilli and oyster sauce; a red chilli sambal sauce; chicken infused steamed rice; and a chicken and pandan leaf broth.

His dessert involving a smoked hay treacle tart filled with yuzu curd, toasted breadcrumbs, pickled ginger, clotted cream ice-cream, shiso leaves, shiso crumb and smoked hay butter tuiles. It was described as “a wonderful dessert” by Galetti. Wareing said Lee’s pastry making was “beautiful”.

After being announced the winner, Lee said: “This competition has meant everything to me. It’s built my confidence. Now I really know what it means to back yourself.”

Wareing described him as “a fantastic chef” and “a star in the making”.