“Why does the ice cream always melt in the MasterChef kitchen?” and all the other burning gastronomic questions we couldn’t not ask this season’s four MasterChef finalists

Words: Colin Crummy

We sit through MasterChef with a serious case of hunger pangs every single season, with the latest one – the 12th with John Torode and Gregg Wallace at the helm – being no exception. It’s been one hell of a culinary ride (albeit a long one – how many episodes?!), one that’s seen coriander triumph in cheesecake form; ham, egg and chips elevated like never before; and John and Gregg disagreeing with vigour over a pear and frangipane tart. And with what feels like 5,000 dishes later, we’re now left with four standout home cooks vying for the title: brand project manager Jack Layer, 27; online production manager Juanita Hennessey, 38; commercial property surveyor Billy Wright, 32; and stay-at-home mum Jane Devonshire, 50. We have no favourites (well, actually, we do – GO JACK! Isn’t he just so happy to be there?), so we got them all together to answer a kitchen-focused Q&A before going oven to oven one last time…

What’s your favourite ingredient to cook with?
Jack: Salted butter. You learn on MasterChef that three things make everything taste better – butter, salt and cream. If you get the right balance of those, you’re normally onto a winner.
Jane: Lamb. I can get the most beautiful lamb five miles from where I live in Hampshire.
Juanita: I throw garlic and chilli into most of my food. I’d definitely struggle without them.
Billy: Truffle, because it’s just so decadent and special.

What’s been the highlight of the series for you so far?
Jack: Making my coriander cheesecake dessert for critic William Sitwell [episode 9]. He gave me such great feedback.
Billy: My ‘Family Favourites’ dish [episode 14], because it was my first in the competition without any faults. I made a braised beef cheek with fillet steak, an oyster beignet, and an oyster and parsley emulsion.
Jane: Without a doubt, it was my pheasant dish [episode 17]. It’s something l do at home, though this was a much more elevated version with chestnut purée, bacon and chestnut crumb, pickled apple and a really rich cider sauce.
Juanita: I put a lot of heart into my ‘Family Favourites’ dish, too. The night before we filmed that episode, I was crying on the kitchen floor, covered in tomato mousse, clutching a bottle of wine. My husband had to peel me off the floor and tell me there was nothing more I could do.

Splitting the judges and melting ice cream: the four finalists reveal the secrets of the MasterChef kitchen