A "genius dessert" and perfectly cooked lamb main saw besties Abraham and Michelle take the My Kitchen Rules SA season 4 title and the R1 million prize in the season finale, beating Shaeem and Mas-ud by three points and Azraa and Waven by six.

Having started the competition with ten teams, three found their way to the final in a beautiful stone mansion perched high above Sedgefield on the Garden Route. They were greeted by their Instant Restaurant banners to remind them how far they’d come – and were tasked by the judges to show their progress, in their food. The three finalist duos had to produce a three-course meal that showed their strengths while honouring their culture and heritage, which would be judged by MKRSA judges David Higgs and J’Something, along with kitchen superstars Siba Mtongana, Zola Nene, Wandile Mabaso, and Kayla-Ann Osborn. The judges each gave a score out of 10 for the overall menu, based on presentation, creativity, and flavour.

Abraham and Michelle chose to cook a curried sweet potato stack, leg of lamb with corn, and a brandy and Coke dessert. Azraa and Waven presented a "rocket chip" salad of rocket, butternut, and beetroot in a fried potato tower, Thai chicken curry, and panna cotta and rose jelly. Shaeem and Mas-ud cooked aubergine parmigiana, butter chicken and naan, and kheer (rice pudding).

Zola found Shaeem and Mas-ud’s starter inviting but thought it could use some salt and Wandile said that the best Italian food is prepared by home cooks, so there was no excuse for a lack of flavour. Zola felt Azraa and Waven’s starter overpromised in terms of presentation and Kayla-Ann was left wanting more goat's cheese. Although Zola thought Abraham and Michelle’s starter had an interesting colour, it lacked finesse. Siba felt that the individual elements were great and thought the dish would have been better if they were served individually.

After two more hours of cooking, the main courses were served. Siba thought Abraham and Michelle’s lamb dish was enticing and Wandile found the meat well-cooked and seasoned. Wandile highlighted the slow-burn kick in Shaeem and Mas-ud’s butter chicken and Zola said that while the curry would have received a 10/10 from a spicy curry lover, it was a bit hot for her. She thought that Azraa and Waven’s Thai chicken curry had split and that it wasn’t as "warm and fuzzy" as Shaeem and Mas-ud’s butter chicken. Kayla-Ann was confused by the mix of Indian and Thai spices, while Wandile found the chicken breast overcooked.

Suddenly, it was time for the final dish of the season: dessert. Zola said she had been worried about Azraa and Waven’s jiggly panna cotta and the rose jelly, but that the texture had been interesting, while Wandile described the dish as beautifully done. Kayla-Ann found Abraham and Michelle’s dessert sweet until the lemon gel kicked in and levelled the dish out, but Wandile loved it and said the flavour was amazing. The red and green tuile in Shaeem and Mas-ud’s dessert reminded Siba of a sari and Kayla-Ann found the texture creamy, calling it "spot-on". 

Having given their all in the kitchen, the teams could only watch and wait as the judges read out their scores.

Shaeem and Mas-ud: Zola, Kayla, and Wandile all scored them a 6, with an 8 from Siba, and 7s from David and J’Something, for a total score of 40. Azraa and Waven picked up 6s from all the judges, except Siba with 7, for a total score of 37. Abraham and Michelle were scored 7s by all the judges bar Siba with an 8, for a total of 43 – crowning them the winners of MKRSA season 4. 

My Kitchen Rules SA was produced by Picture Tree and proudly sponsored by Nederburg. The full season is available on DStv Catch Up. Visit the show page for highlights and exclusive videos and join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, using #MKRSA.