'MasterChef' comes to West Cork for battle between final three contestants
During the show to be broadcast on Tuesday night, Ahmet Dede will introduce the finalists to cooking some of his own favourite dishes in an outdoor kitchen.
A West Cork Michelin restaurant provides the backdrop for one of the episodes of this week’s , which will also feature controversial presenter Gregg Wallace.
Dede in Baltimore and the Inish Beg estate in West Cork will play host to the three remaining contestants on the popular show, which is in its finals week this week.
On Tuesday night, the programme shot on location in the West Cork venues will be aired on BBC One, with the broadcaster confirming to the that the show will feature Gregg Wallace.
The well-known presenter is currently facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour and language by 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
While an investigation is being conducted by the programme’s production company, Banijay UK, into the allegations, the BBC has opted to broadcast the series — which has already been filmed and features Wallace.
A BBC spokeswoman said she could confirm that Wallace will be in the show from Inish Beg and Dede, and said: “As we have said, is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the chefs taking part, and the current series of is continuing as planned.”
The BBC has described the episode, the second last of this 17th season, as one that will blow away the minds of the three finalists “as they cook for one of the world’s most exciting talents in a remote setting that will take their breath away”.
It also says the challenge for the finalists featured “unique” cuisine that is a “first for the final three”.
The “talent” is Turkish-born chef Ahmet Dede, who operates a two Michelin-starred restaurant Dede in the Customs House in Baltimore, offering a fusion of Turkish and Irish foods. The venue is one of only five two-starred Michelin restaurants in Ireland, securing its first star in 2021 followed by the second two years later.
During the show to be broadcast on Tuesday night, Ahmet will introduce the finalists to cooking some of his own favourite dishes in an outdoor kitchen — including a kebab dish and a recipe that combines the finest Irish beef with flavours from the Ottoman Empire.
Following that experience, the finalists will be shown at the Inish Beg estate on a private island off Baltimore.
Here, they will attempt to introduce Ahmet Dede’s techniques as they prepare a fine dining experience for guests including Ahmet’s family and friends, Wallace, and his fellow judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti.
Outdoor kitchens were set up at the estate for the filming of the show, which will feature a lunch comprising of local produce and picks from a larder of Ahmet’s Turkish favourites.
A spokeswoman for Inish Beg said: “The chefs will be cooking outdoors with live flames. The finalists will then join Ahmet’s elite brigade of chefs for a lunchtime service.
"They will each be responsible for two dishes from Dede’s tasting menu, which can sometimes take the most experienced chef months to master.”
Inish Beg was purchased in 1997 by Georgiana and Paul Keane in a dilapidated state. It has since been developed into an estate on 97 acres, where produce is grown on an organic farm. It is accessible by a road bridge from the mainland.
The show will air at 8pm on Tuesday on BBC One.
