It's finals week on MasterChef: The Professionals 2014. Let's meet the final five MasterChef:The Professionals contestants who have made it this far and are hoping to impress Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti to be in with a chance of taking this year's title.

Name: Darren Comish

Region: Cumbria

Age: 33

Profession: Head Chef

Personal: Lives with girlfriend and three children

Cooking Background: “I was inspired to cook through my grandad, who was a chef in the merchant navy whilst I was growing up. ”I love all aspects of the kitchen, but especially love sauces.”

Cooking Influences:
“I have been hugely influenced as a chef by Andy Nicholson who started me on my journey.

“My two favourite chefs at the moment, apart form the above, have to be Tom Aikens and Marcus Wareing; I respect them greatly and love their style of food. It was fantastic to be able to work so closely with Marcus during the competition.”

On MasterChef: “I entered to test myself in a competitive environment, but mainly because my step daughter Leah told me to enter.

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I watch the series every year from my sofa, but I’m one of those armchair viewers who think they can do better, so I had to show Leah I could do it myself.

”I feel extremely proud to get to the final, it is a massive achievement - the other finalists are all amazing chefs, it’s fierce competition!

“My most challenging moment in the competition so far has been the Scraps Invention Test in the Quarterfinals - it was extremely tough but at the same time really enjoyable because you really had to think out of the box.”

Cooking ambitions: “At the moment I am continuing to work in my head chef position in the Lake District, which I love and it's getting really busy.

“My ambitions as a chef are, to one day, have my own restaurant in Cumbria serving modern food with British influences.”

What Marcus and Monica said: "You have to take your hat off to a chef cooking in this kitchen, under this pressure and delivering a rabbit dish as good as this - wow!"

>>> Read more about MasterChef: The Professionals 2014

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