Dan Merriman, 29, has been awarded the prestigious title of MasterChef: The Professionals Champion 2024.
As the 18th chef to earn to the coveted trophy, Dan takes his place in MasterChef history alongside other incredible champions: 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 and last year’s winner, Tom Hamblet.
Dan took on 31 other ambitious professional chefs and cooked his way to success at the end of seven weeks of increasingly tough challenges. Throughout the competition Dan has wowed the judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace and impressed restaurant critics and some of the country’s leading chefs – delivering outstanding, innovative food and skilful cookery.
In Dan’s Quarter Final, Grace Dent felt his poached brill dish was “a piece of art”, while at Chef’s Table, Sally Abé described his food as “very accomplished – a bit of everything to excite the palate” and Tom Kerridge said: “I thought it was a beautiful looking plate of food. Flavour-wise, punch after punch after punch. I genuinely think it was an absolutely outstanding dish. Well done, Chef.”
Reacting to his win, Dan said: “To walk away as MasterChef Champion, it means the world to me. There’s not been that many times where I’ve been proud of myself in my life, but I’ve hit the pinnacle! This whole competition has changed my life. I’m forever grateful.”
In an exhilarating Final Week, Dan was up against exceptional chefs – Gaston Savina, who left on Monday, and tonight’s runners up Chiara Tomasoni and George Birtwell. Dan had to demonstrate his progress, passion and flawless palate to stand out from his competitors.
The first challenge of the week saw all four chefs take on Chef’s Table in the Michelin-starred Dining Room restaurant of The Goring Hotel, where 24 culinary giants – with a staggering 27 Michelin stars between them – had been invited to taste their food. The Final Three were then whisked away to County Cork, Ireland – home to the two-Michelin-starred Turkish restaurant, Dede, run by trailblazing chef Ahmet Dede. The professionals experienced a masterclass in Ahmet’s vision and approach to food – and ultimately joined Ahmet’s elite brigade of chefs for a lunchtime service where they were each responsible for two dishes – a feat that can take the most experienced chef months to master.
In tonight’s Grand Final, which Marcus described has the best he’d ever been in, everything the chefs have worked towards reached a crescendo – pouring everything they had into serving the three most spectacular courses of their lives to the MasterChef judges – in just three hours.
Dan’s winning menu started with barbecued scallop glazed in a sumac, chilli, paprika and Turkish red pepper paste, served with pickled cucumber, filled with roasted garlic and lime yoghurt, a tomato red pepper and fennel ragu, marinated gooseberries, finger limes and a red curry sauce, spiced with cumin and lemongrass, split with a parsley oil. Gregg described Dan’s starter as one “of real contrast and real sophistication.”
Dan’s main dish was ex-dairy beef cooked in beef fat and smoked butter, served with maitake mushrooms glazed in black garlic, pickled shimeji mushrooms, pickled shallots, caramelised grelot onion, truffle and mushroom ketchup and a beef and bone marrow sauce. This was served alongside a beef hash brown, topped with a dairy cow tartare, beef fat mayonnaise, grated truffle and a dashi and mushroom powder. Marcus commented: “Everything about this dish is what good cookery is about.”
To finish, Dan served a dish inspired by his grandfather – a blackcurrant cassis mousse topped with a yuzu curd, wood sorrel and honey tuille dusted with a blackcurrant and sherbert powder and grated macadamias, finished with frozen clotted cream pearls. Monica reacted with: “Dan, I just can’t help but smile, because that’s what your food does.”
After tasting the three dishes, Monica told Dan: “You’ve been one of the most humble chefs I’ve seen walk in here – very reserved, quite unsure where he stood – maybe not just in the kitchen, in the world. I almost feel like this has been a bit of a haven for you to rediscover your love for your craft and for yourself. Take my word for it, we see something great in you.”
Dan is originally from Droitwich in Worcestershire and is the eldest of five brothers and now lives in Accrington with his partner, Chloe and their baby boy, Ernest. Dan grew up with his mother and was also raised by his grandparents. Dan says: “Mum was a single parent, and we didn’t have a lot but we all loved each other.”
Remembering how he got into cooking, Dan says: “I didn’t really go to school that much but needed a job, so I got a pot wash job at a local hotel, and they offered me the chance to start working in pastry and I fell in love with fine dining.”
Going through difficult times and family losses had led to a lack of self-confidence for Dan, but with encouragement from Chloe he applied to MasterChef: The Professionals. Dan says: “I definitely wouldn’t have done it without them! All of this has surpassed absolutely every single expectation that I ever had. I didn’t even expect to get into the competition, let alone win. MasterChef has changed everything for me. It’s made me realise that I am talented. I am good at what I do.”
Dan’s praises his professional industry with: “The one thing hospitality is that you can come from absolutely nothing. You can really make yourself something. All you need is hard work and love.”
Looking ahead to life after MasterChef, Dan says: “At the moment I’m working on getting guest chef appearances and intimate dining experiences. My ultimate ambition is to have free reign to cook all my own food and share it with as many people possible. I want to cook in my own restaurant and make a big impact on the industry. I love what I do, and I want my food to be remembered.”
MT2/LP