MasterChef UK 2023: what does the winner of cooking contest get?

After eight weeks of cooking challenges, the winner of UK Masterchef 2023 has been crowned. Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace had a tough task to pick a winner from three very talented finalists, but in the end one person’s dishes impressed them the most.

This year’s contest actually started with 45 home cooks, but gradually they were whittled down to three finalists and then just one eventual winner. But, now that one person has been chosen, what will they receive in recognition of their achievement? And who was this year’s MasterChef UK winner? Here’s everything you need to know. Warning, this article does contain spoilers!

What does the winner of MasterChef UK get?

The winner of MasterChef UK is awarded the iconic MasterChef trophy. It looks like the MasterChef logo, with a ‘m’ in the middle of a spiral. Being a winner of the competition, which is widely regarded as the top cooking contest on TV, also gives the person lots of exposure and can help to launch their professional career.

Past winners of the show have gone on to open their own restaurants and release their own cookery books, for example. One of the most successful winners is the first ever winner of the show, Thomasina Miers, who took the title back in 2005. She founded Mexican restaurant Wahaca, which now has multiple chains across the country, and has also written many cookbooks.

Who won MasterChef UK 2023?

The winner of MasterChef UK 2023 is Chariya Khattiyot, a 40-year-old master coffee roaster and now the 19th MasterChef UK champion She called her win “unbelievable”. She added: “It means the world, the sun, the moon and everything to me. I don’t think anything can top this. I’m so happy! This just proves that if you dream something and you work really hard and you never give up, you can get it. That’s what my grandad said to me - never give up. He would be so proud of me!”

Khattiyot was crowned the winner of the show by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace after a cook-off against fellow finalists Anurag Aggarwal, aged 41, and Omar Foster, age 31, who were all asked to make a three course meal.

Khattiyot’s winning menu started with a Thai lotus tuile, filled with coconut jelly, fried king prawns, pomelo fruit salad, flavoured with honey, palm sugar and coconut. On tasting it, Wallace said: “That’s fabulous. That’s a delicate little morsel, packing a very big punch.”

Chariya Khattiyot said she hopes to also open her own restaurant. “I hope there will be opportunities to work with food and I’m excited about getting experience and turning this love of cooking into a profession. Long term, my dream is to open a restaurant, and eventually multiple restaurants, where I can showcase the food of my homeland in northern Thailand.” She added that she’d also love to earn a Michelin star, an award which is considered to be the hallmark of fine dining in the culinary industry.

How can I watch the MasterChef UK 2023 final?

The MasterChef final aired on BBC One on Thursday 1 June, but if you missed it - or you want to watch it again - you can watch it at a time to suit you on BBC iPlayer.