Episode 19

Six weeks of fraught competition have produced four exceptional amateur cooks, who all stand a chance of being enlisted into the MasterChef hall of fame. They are about to embark on the culinary trip of a lifetime, where they will experience a culture and cuisine full of life, beauty and exceptional talent in the Caribbean paradise of Antigua and Barbuda.

The final four begin their culinary tour in Nelson’s Dockyard. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, this historic location is the perfect place to kick off their adventure. To get the cooks immersed in the local cuisine, Anna and Grace have invited 20 locals for a BBQ feast of traditional Antiguan dishes. Working with unfamiliar ingredients and recipes is a huge ask for the final four, so to help them along, local executive chef Maurine Bowers has agreed to come along and guide them.

Antiguan cuisine is a true melting pot and includes influences from African, British, Spanish and indigenous cultures, including the Caribs and Arawaks. This results in vibrant, diverse dishes packed with flavour, and the locals are very passionate that their dishes are delivered authentically. Given that the amateur recipes include local favourites such as the ducana sweet potato dumplings and Antigua’s national dish, pepperpot stew, all of which require a deft hand when it comes to technique and seasoning, it will take every ounce of skill and culinary intuition for the cooks to win over the hearts of today’s diners, as well as judges Anna and Grace, who will be scrutinising the finalists’ every move.

Having gained some local culinary know-how, the four amateurs will next venture to the stunning location of their second challenge, where they will have their first shot at local fine dining at the Estate House within the five-star Jumby Bay Island Resort. This exclusive restaurant incorporates French technique with contemporary Caribbean cuisine under the helm of celebrated Antiguan chef Eustace Cabral Jr. Each of the finalists will be preparing a dish from the exclusive dinner menu, which celebrates the finest local produce such as grouper, goat and breadfruit, and will need to ensure every element is treated with the utmost care and respect and delivered in ways that draw out the maximum flavour. Anna and Grace will also be dining and hoping that the finalists can live up to their expectations and prove why they were chosen as the final four.

The Caribbean journey will end with one final task back at Jumby Bay Island Resort, where the contestants will work as private chefs for a VIP dinner being hosted in one of the resort's most exclusive private villas. Guests include the cricketing legend Sir Viv Richards and Deputy Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda Sir Clare Roberts, KCN, QC, so this is truly a time when the finalists need to be on their A-list game. Inspired by their time in Antigua and Barbuda, each of the cooks has designed a course for the menu. It is the first time on this trip that they are responsible for their own food, which must not only look and taste great and be jam-packed with technical prowess but should also be a celebration of their surroundings alongside some of their own personality. A mammoth task indeed.

The judges will be taking notes too, as soon they will be choosing their winner, and any championship-worthy mouthfuls will live long in their memory and no doubt stand those cooks in good stead.