Gordon Ramsay has crowned Jade Greenhalgh as the winner of his ITV cooking competition Next Level Chef.
The Lancashire native battled it out against Scots chef Callum Deboys and Ronan Lee in the nail-biting finale as they worked against one another in a variety of challenges under mentorship from Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington and Paul Ainsworth.
The Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Ramsay said: “Jade is the absolute character that Next Level Chef personifies: humble, focused, earnest. Earnest is something that you don’t see a lot in today’s world, especially in cooking as it’s all flamboyant."
He added: “Her approach is just so goddamn down to earth. There is something quite steely about her focus.”
Jade worked closely alongside Ramsay, 56, and gushed over the incredible experience during the process of the show. “At first, I felt it wasn’t real. Then after I got over the shock of being in the same room as him, it just felt really comfortable,” she said.
“He was such a supportive figure. He really took on the mentorship role, he was so helpful. I did think it was going to be really scary and daunting but you just get into it and it felt really comfortable.”
The show is set across three kitchens on three different levels, from a top-tier kitchen “utopia” to a basement level with “scraps” – as contestants work to progress to the next level. This is designed to challenge the chefs creativity, agility, flare and expertise and determine how the budding chefs fare in different circumstances.
American chef Arrington, 41, commended the winner: “Jade, her focus and her energy. Yes she was able to transform beautiful ingredients in the way that she does, but the intangible was the love that she put into the food. Without sounding too cheesy, it is truly her superpower.”
Fellow mentor Ainsworth, 44, continued: “Jade is a worthy winner. I really, really wanted Jade on my team, and even though she wasn’t, we had a good bond.
“When you see someone like Jade who had her break on social media in lockdown, cooking on a budget winning a show like this. I’m just so pleased I got to witness her trajectory.”
Following her win, Jade said: “It’s been life changing. Although I absolutely loved cooking before the competition, creating recipes, now it’s just taken it to another level. I found it challenging but I feel like I learnt so much along the way.”
Detailing the toughest element of the show, she said: “I’ve never pushed myself ever in my life as much as I did in that competition. So probably for me, it was the long hours – they take their toll and I’d just flop into bed every night because you are just absolutely exhausted.
“Physically but also mentally because you have to give it your all every time you cook. But it’s so worth it, every second. It was amazing.”
As the winner, Jade will receive a cash prize of £100,000 and a one-year mentorship under all three judges.
Next Level Chef is available to stream on ITVX.
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