And the winner of MasterChef Australia 2024 is Nat Thaipun!
In the grand finale, the contestants were put through two challenges before the winner was crowned.
For the first round there were five core ingredients displayed in front of them, including baby leek, fennel, black peppercorns, and lemongrass.
They were each asked to eliminate an ingredient each until one was left, and they would both have to cool with it which ended up being the black peppercorns.
Nat chose to put a Thai spin on the pub classic Scotch Egg.
The judge’s loved her inventive flair and, between them, scored the dish 36 out of 40.
In the second round, internationally renowned chef and Michelin star trailblazer Clare Smyth gave the final two contestants – Nat and Pezza – a four-hour pressure test.
The Core-teser is Smyth’s most iconic dish and is a beautifully intricate ode to her favourite chocolate, the Malteser.
When the judge’s went to taste the dish, they were blown away by what she presented.
“I mean, she’s got all the elements there…you know, she’s got the wow factor and the height of the dish and the drama,” chef Clare Smyth said.
But when the judges tasted her dish, there were some errors.
“Nat has to get huge points on getting that malt puff up because that was the most technical part of this dish….and then I think the flavours of the entire dish were pretty bang on. But I got a big piece of gelatine in my malt mousse,” judge Andy Allen explained.
Despite this, after a hectic four-hour cook, ultimately, Nat’s dish came out on top with a score of 35 out of 50, leaving her total score for the grand final 71 out of 90, compared to Pezza’s 68 out of 71.
Obviously, Nat was ecstatic when it was announced that she was the winner of this year’s MasterChef; she’ll now receive $250,000 and a residency at Crown Melbourne’s ALUMNI restaurant.
“This is crazy. It feels like a dream but it’s not. It just happens. I just won MasterChef!,” Nat said of her win, tears welling in her eyes.
Nat was a serious contender from the get-go of the season; for instance, she won the first Immunity Challenge.
Not to mention she also won Immunity during the Top 5’s trip to Hong Kong after creating a nearly identical version of Michelin star chef Vicky Cheng’s dish.
The most memorable dishes Nat created throughout this year’s MasterChef include Kangaroo Larb with Soy Cured Egg Yolk & Toasted Rice Wafer, Roasted Bone Marrow, Jeow Som, Khao Jeep & Betel Leaf Pomelo Salad, and Betel Leaf Herbal Cigars – Miang Kum.
Congratulations Nat, what a well-deserved win, she now joins a long list of MasterChef Australia winners.
