Who won MasterChef 2021? Gregg Wallace and John Torode crown their champion

After an unexpectedly delayed final, many people are still unsure who won MasterChef 2021.

The sad death of Prince Philip meant that MasterChef fans up and down the country were on tenterhooks. In the end, it took five days of tension before the final could be broadcast.

Needless to say, the end result didn’t disappoint.

Mike, Tom and Alexina made it to this year’s MasterChef final (Credit: BBC)

Who won MasterChef 2021?

After facing fierce competition, Tom won MasterChef 20201.

In the nail-biting final, Mike, Tom and Alexina all served up some sensational dishes, each showcasing their unique cooking style.

READ MORE: Every MasterChef winner ever and what they’re doing now revealed

Of course, at the end of the day, anyone could have taken home the trophy. However, as it was, there could only be one winner.

Tom served up a near faultless final menu (Credit: BBC)

Tom

The stand-out cook from this year’s competition, MasterChef champion Tom cooked some of the competition’s most elegant dishes.

With his unique combination of Western technique and Easter flavours, he consistently demonstrated exceptional skills throughout the series.

READ MORE: What does the winner of MasterChef get?

A Newcastle-based restaurant manager, Tom has wowed the judges with dishes like black sesame ice cream and sweetcorn, chicken and seaweed.

In the aftermath of the final, both Alexina and Mike agreed that he was a worthy winner.

Tom was a worthy champion (Credit: BBC)

Who was in the MasterChef final?

Although it was Tom who won MasterChef, the title really could have gone anywhere.

Two other competitors came within a mille-feuille of the crown, proving just how intense the competition was. Here’s who just fell short.

Jay Rayner deemed Alexina’s quarter-final dish professional-quality (Credit: BBC)

Alexina

Despite being the bookies’ favourite ahead of the final, Alexina couldn’t quite come out on top.

As arguably one of the most consistent cooks in this year’s MasterChef, Alexina hardly put a foot wrong throughout.

The businesswoman impressed from the off, winning praise from former contestants Stephen Wallis and Dean Edwards.

She particularly excited Jay Rayner, who told her that her quarter-final dish was the sort of thing you might expect from a professional.

Mike’s duck dish in the quarter-final won particular praise (Credit: BBC)

Mike

Drawing on his Italian roots, Mike stood out for his classical, elegant style.

Although his final dishes were delicious, he made a few small errors that ultimately cost him the win.

READ MORE: Inside Gregg Wallace and John Torode’s complicated relationship

Having said that, his pasta and meat cookery was exemplary throughout the series, winning plaudits from current judges and former contestants alike.

However, it was in his quarter-final that Mike really made a statement. Critic William Sitwell said that he “couldn’t fault” his Hong Kong-inspired duck dish.

This year, 30 contestants were eliminated before the semi-finals (Credit: BBC)

What contestants were eliminated during the heats?

Unlike most cooking competitions, MasterChef features an extremely large field of candidates.

At the start of the series, no less than 40 hopefuls took to the kitchen. By the end of the quarters, 30 of them had left the series. Here’s the complete list of contestants who didn’t make it to the semi-finals:

• Stan
• Josh
• Kerry
• Mike R
• Magdalena
• Oliver
• Jo
• Ting
• Baz
• Jane
• Michele
• Christian
• Janine
• Ross
• Dominique
• Gary
• Daniel
• Helen
• Steph
• Adrian
• Alicia
• Rachel
• Katy
• Aaron
• Sofia
• Zana
• Jim
• Josh
• Ross G
• Lino

Thomas Frake won last year’s final (Credit: BBC)