After a season that just flew by, MasterChef Australia has just crowned Diana Chan as its new champion for 2017.

It was a pressure-filled final episode that was broken into three rounds, with the contestants required to dish up three separate courses. Joining the judging panel for the night was world champion chocolatier Kirsten Tibballs who helped to scores the dishes from the two finalists out of 40 points. The individual with the most points awarded overall was given the MasterChef crown, with this year’s going deservedly to Melbourne accountant Diana who beat runner up Ben Ungermann by only a single point.

While round one and round two were no easy feats – with a mystery box challenge and a no-rules round respectively, it was the marathon effort required of round three that really tested the skill of both finalists. Set by world champion chocolatier (and judge) Kirsten Tibballs, the contestants were given six hours to recreate Kirsten’s trio of fruits.

Now Diana will not only granted the title of winner, but gift an impressive prize pack that entails a $250,000 cash prize and a monthly column in delicious.

But despite there being only one winner, both finalists believe they took home a lot with them. “During my time at Masterchef I grew not only as a cook but as a person,” says Ben. “By the end of the season, I was attempting things I never thought I was capable of cooking.”

Diana agrees. “I’ve learnt so much from the whole experience – from meeting world renowned chefs and cooking in some of the best kitchens around the world. The main thing that resonates with me is my ability to handle pressure and how much I want to pursue my career in food,” she says.

Both have apt advice for next year’s contestants, with Ben believing it’s best not to fear your nerves. “My advice to next year’s contestants is you’ll always go into each cook nervous, and you will always doubt your ability but believe that you are capable and use the nerves to your advantage, “ he says. While Diana encourages the importance of sleep. “Sleep – don’t forget to rest. It helped me a lot when I was in the competition. The days are long, and the pressure is high and if you’re tired, you will under perform. Sure studying recipes and cooking is important but if you don’t get enough rest, you will struggle,” she suggests.

As for what’s next, Diana says, “I have been inundated with some amazing opportunities, and it’s now just taking some time out to filter through these opportunities and making sure I pick the right ones that match my goal.”

“Ultimately, I would love to open my fresh casual restaurant serving meals that are wholesome and nourishing with fusion flavours incorporating my Malaysian heritage and flavours from around the world,” she continues.

But this won’t be the last we hear from Ben. “[An] Ice cream parlour, a range of ice-cream and a Dutch cookbook with a twist,” he says is just the start of what we can expect from the budding chef.