Laid-back Andy Australia's MasterChef
ANDY Allen the "comeback kid" has taken out the fourth annual MasterChef title.
The laid-back electrician from Maitland, NSW, took on Brisbane dessert queen Julia Taylor in her own specialty and won tonight's two-hour grand final.
It came down to Allen's faithful recreation of Christine Manfield's intricate "Gaytime goes nuts" dessert, which he pulled off despite having never made essential ingredients like ice cream and honeycomb.
"We love that you put up a great dessert at last," said judge Matt Preston.
The dark horse of the competition, Allen was clearly floored by his $100,000 win.
"I'm over the moon. I bet you no one would have picked me at the start to win - let alone two weeks ago," he said.
"I'm so happy that I know my life will involve food."
But 26-year-old Taylor did not go home empty handed. She was offered a $15,000 runner-up prize and a paid apprenticeship with Adriano Zumbo.
Allen was two points behind after the first round, in which mum-of-two Audra Morrice was eliminated.
The three finalists had to cook entrees for 100 MasterChef fans and were able to choose two Top 24 contestants to help them plate up.
In the next round Allen and Taylor were asked to create Australia's next iconic dish.
But after Taylor served undercooked lamb to the judges as part of her main course, Allen's perfectly cooked modern take on a fisherman's basket put him in a comfortable five-point lead.
Allen will feature in the new MasterChef All Stars series, which premieres on Channel 10 tomorrow at 7pm.
