May 14, 2024 – It’s Semi Finals week and we’re kicking off with a celebration to remember.

One of the most glittering culinary events of the year – The MasterChef 20th Anniversary Dinner – took place at the sublime Fishmongers’ Hall, Central London at the start of the Semi Finals week, welcoming over 70 extraordinary guests to an uplifting evening of celebration.

Read on to find out what Guest Critics, Top Chefs, Key MasterChef Contributors and Judges had to say about 20 years of MasterChef.

Watch Semi Finals week on BBC One and BBC iPlayer:

• 8pm, Tuesday 14 May
• 9pm, Thursday 16 May
• 7.30pm Friday 17 May

Semi Finals week – the special event to celebrate the 20th series – how did it feel welcoming back MasterChef contestants, chefs and food critics from across all the 20 years of the series?

Gregg:

John was up to his ears in it in the kitchen, sweating and hollering and trying to get service out, weren’t you John?

John:

Yeah, I had eight amateur cooks in the kitchen cooking for 70 people and doing three courses. What a fantastic celebration of incredible achievement. You know, and of all the people who were there, which is just to sort of nod to the people who’ve been on MasterChef. They were finalists and semi-finalists, the majority of them and they’ve all gone on to do things in food. Whether that be writing a book or doing something to do with food advisory or making charcuterie or making macarons or doing restaurants they’ve all gone on to do amazing, amazing things.

Gregg:

John came up afterwards and by then he was exhausted because he’d been running the service with amateur cooks. But it was one of the most emotional evenings of my life. We’ve put a lot into this, John and I, over 20 years, and almost unknowingly, this show has helped so many people achieve their goals. We’ve stood witness to so many people and I don’t think I’ve been in a room, since I got married, with so much warmth and joy. And it just seemed like everybody in there had their own little bit of our cookery show. They all own their own little bit – they were all part of it. It was an incredibly emotional evening. It was just crazy. Production asked me to give a talk and I gave three or four minutes but at the end, I said ‘This never ever was about me and John. This was always about you.’ And at that point, they all stood up and clapped and it was incredibly moving.