Masterchef serves up joint winners Keri Moss and Anton Piotrowski

MasterChef judges have served up a first by declaring joint winners in the final of the latest series, one of whom is from Devon.

Keri Moss, 41, from London and Anton Piotrowski, 30, from south Devon, shared the title as MasterChef: The Professionals reached its climax and they still could not be separated.

The pair had been through four intense weeks of heats and a tough semi-final during which they had battled head-to-head but both went on to win a place in the final with fellow contestant Oli Boon, 23.

Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr and fellow expert Gregg Wallace were unable to choose between Moss and Piotrowski, whose dishes had included cocoa-marinated loin of venison and confit duck-leg cubes.

During the final week viewers have seen them designing and preparing a Michelin-standard course each for over 30 world-renowned and critically acclaimed Michelin-starred chefs - who have amassed 47 stars between them - inspectors and restaurateurs.

And they were also let loose in the kitchen of the famed Heston Blumenthal restaurant The Fat Duck. Their last task was to prepare a three-course meal for judges Roux and Wallace.

Piotrowski, who lives in south Devon with his wife Clare, where they run a pub, The Treby Arms, said: "It's absolutely amazing; to share the title with someone that's so talented and so amazing is unreal. It's a good start to the rest of my life, mind-blowing."

Anton's winning menu consisted of elderflower marinated pollock, served with a brown shrimp and elderflower beurre noisette, squid ink and malt vinegar crumble, white asparagus and mascarpone.

His main was cocoa-marinated loin of venison, accompanied by a nettle ballotine stuffed with venison trim, pan seared ox heart with spinach, wild mushrooms and gherkins, roasted beetroot, a celeriac puree and a dark chocolate jus.

For dessert, he cooked up a dark chocolate cylinder filled with caramel, a banana parfait coated in banana chips with shards of honeycomb tuile, and a banana bread disc, banana and yuzu juice puree and finished with roast banana, caramel dots and popping candy.

PA