MasterChef: The Professionals 2024 winner revealed

His main dish was ex-dairy beef cooked in beef fat and smoked butter, served with maitake mushrooms glazed in black garlic, pickled shimeji mushrooms, pickled shallots, caramelised grelot onion, truffle and mushroom ketchup and a beef and bone marrow sauce.

This was served alongside a beef hash brown, topped with a dairy cow tartare, beef fat mayonnaise, grated truffle and a dashi and mushroom powder. Wareing said: “Everything about this dish is what good cookery is about.”

To finish, Merriman served a dessert inspired by his grandfather - a blackcurrant cassis mousse topped with a yuzu curd, wood sorrel and honey tuille dusted with a blackcurrant and sherbert powder and grated macadamias, finished with frozen clotted cream pearls.

After tasting the three dishes, Galetti told him: “You’ve been one of the most humble chefs I’ve seen walk in here – very reserved, quite unsure where he stood – maybe not just in the kitchen, in the world.

“I almost feel like this has been a bit of a haven for you to rediscover your love for your craft and for yourself. Take my word for it, we see something great in you.”

After his win, Merriman said he was working on getting guest chef appearances and creating intimate dining experiences.

“My ultimate ambition is to have free reign to cook all my own food and share it with as many people possible. I want to cook in my own restaurant and make a big impact on the industry. I love what I do, and I want my food to be remembered,” he said.

“The one thing hospitality is that you can come from absolutely nothing. You can really make yourself something. All you need is hard work and love.”

Previous MasterChef: The Professionals winners have included Steve Groves, Claire Lara, Steven Edwards, Craig Johnstone, Nikita Pathakji and last year’s winner, Tom Hamblet.

The BBC has pulled two MasterChef Christmas specials from its schedules this year after allegations about presenter Gregg Wallace.