Simon’s inspirational final dishes

Simon Wood - Masterchef 2015

THE dishes that clinched cooking supremacy for Simon Wood included octopus, pigeon and a modern-day version of his favourite childhood dessert tutti-frutti.

For his starter he cooked octopus served with chorizo crisps, cannellini beans and chorizo salad, brunoise tomatoes and a sherry and smoked paprika vinaigrette.

His main course was squab pigeon served two ways — roasted breast, and a pigeon leg bon-bon, stuffed with pigeon leg meat, chicken, mushroom duxelle and Armagnac — served with three types of heritage carrots, pommes parisienne, girolle and trumpet mushrooms, carrot puree, watercress puree and a cassis jus.

For pudding he whipped up a lemon posset topped with citrus tutti-frutti - charred grapefruit and orange, a lime tuile and limoncello — topped with pistachio crumb, edible flowers, tarragon leaves and a lime air.

MasterChef judge John Torode couldn’t hide his joy at Simon’s victory, adding he and fellow contestants Emma Spitzer and Tony Rodd had taken the competition to a new level: “What a champion, what a cook! This year’s MasterChef has seen a revolution; the benchmark has just been raised!”

“Simon’s food has been brilliant, it’s delicious, it’s refined - and we get to put him out into the real world.”

Fellow judge Gregg Wallace added: “Simon is brilliant, he’s an incredible talent. He came in here with enormous ambition, he wanted to cook like a chef, and right now he is. I have no doubt in my mind that Simon is going to have a professional career in food.”