MasterChef: The Professionals 2026 winner revealed
Gareth Baty has been crowned the winner of masterchef: the professionals 2026, becoming the 19th chef to lift the coveted trophy.
The 40-year-old private chef, originally from Carlisle and now based in Whitefield, Greater Manchester, triumphed over 31 other chefs across seven weeks of intense competition, impressing judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Matt Tebbutt with bold, heartfelt cooking.
In doing so, Gareth joins an elite group of past champions including Derek Johnstone, Steve Groves, Claire Lara, Ash Mair, joint winners Keri Moss and Anton Piotrowski, Steven Edwards, Jamie Scott, Mark Stinchcombe, Gary Maclean, Craig Johnston, Laurence Henry, Stu Deeley, Alex Webb, Dan Lee, Nikita Pathakji, Tom Hamblet and 2024 winner Dan Merriman.
A standout performer
Gareth impressed from the early stages of the competition, earning praise from leading critics during the quarter finals.
William Sitwell said his halibut dish with beer battered mussels “really delivered”, adding: “I thought it was terrific.”
April Jackson described the halibut as “absolutely delicious, it’s absolutely perfect and just flakes away,” while Tom Parker Bowles added: “The mussels were great, but those scraps on the bottom - it’s absolutely knockout.”
‘This means everything to me’
Reacting to his win, Gareth said: “This means everything to me, it’s the best feeling I’ve ever had. It’s absolutely incredible, I’m over the moon. If I’ve learned anything through this competition it’s cooking food you believe in and cooking from the heart can take you a long way. Hopefully this journey is just the beginning.”
Marcus Wareing said: “Gareth’s food, it’s bold, it’s flavoursome and it’s from the heart. Gareth has a huge future and I can’t wait to see where he goes.”
Monica Galetti added: “He has got better and better with every challenge and his final three dishes showed that. They were faultless.”
Matt Tebbutt said: “Gareth cooks with love and he cooks with passion, and that’s why he’s our champion.”
A demanding final week
Gareth faced strong competition in final week, with Caroline Meyer Kerber exiting earlier in the week and Luke Emmess and Mark O'Brien joining him in the final three.
The remaining chefs took on Chef’s Table at the Michelin-starred Dining Room at The Goring, cooking for 27 guests holding a combined 36 Michelin stars, before travelling to South Tyrol in Italy to cook at Norbert Niederkofler’s three-Michelin-starred Atelier Moessmer.
There, they joined the brigade during service before returning to deliver their final menus.
The winning menu
Gareth’s winning three-course menu was inspired by his family.
For his starter, dedicated to his mother, he served a reimagined prawn cocktail: langoustine and green apple tartar with a kefir and caviar sauce split with dill oil, topped with tomato tuile dusted with tomato powder and served with a marie rose langoustine mayonnaise.
Monica said: “It’s such a delicate dish, yet it’s gutsy, what a great way to start this menu. Brilliant job, your mum would be proud.”
His main course, in memory of his father, was chicken and chips: a chicken breast roulade wrapped in a chicken and truffle mousse with king oyster mushroom, set puree and tarragon mayonnaise, served with shoestring fries and finished with a madeira sauce.
Matt said: “I’m struggling to find fault here. This is an absolute winner.”
To finish, Gareth served a dessert inspired by his fiancée’s family - a twist on a brandy alexander cocktail. The dish featured milk chocolate cremeux, dulce de leche cremeux, a brandy snap, brandy-poached pears and a ginger and brandy sauce.
Marcus said: “Wow! It’s got some body to it and some kick. To get that balance of the brandy and ginger heat and to make it work with this cremeux is brilliant. What a way to finish your menu, what a way to finish the competition…”
After tasting the menu, Marcus told Gareth: “Three very different stories for three or four very different people who mean something to you. You finished off with an absolute knockout three course menu, congratulations, well done. Loved it.”
👉 Read all about the MasterChef: The Professionals 2026 finalists
👉 Coming tomorrow morning: Full interview with Gareth Baty on The Staff Canteen
‘I feel like a completely different chef’
Reflecting on his journey, Gareth said: “When I walked through those doors all those weeks ago and saw the three judges for a skills test, it was one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had. And now sitting here I feel like a completely different chef. I’ve learned so much in this competition and it has been an amazing adventure.”
He also spoke about the self-doubt he has faced as a self-taught chef.
“One of the tasks in the competition pushed me out of my comfort zone, and even though the team were incredibly welcoming and supportive, it brought back all those feelings of doubt and made me feel like I didn’t fit in or deserve to be there,” he said.
“I panicked. Looking back on it however, it was incredibly rewarding. It was the moment I grew the most in the competition and learned a lot about cooking and myself.”
What next for Gareth Baty?
Looking ahead, Gareth said: “I’ve taken so much more from the competition than I thought. It’s changed me as a person, it’s changed me as a chef. Now that I’m standing here holding this trophy it’s given me a whole new road to travel on and I’m going to go all the way down it.”
MasterChef: The Professionals is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
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MasterChef: The Professionals 2026 winner revealed
