IT'S crunch time for a former Bury schoolboy who has cooked his way to the final of this year's Masterchef: the Professionals.

Stephen Lickley, a former student a Bury College and Woodhey High School, has made it into the final three out of an original 48 chefs after weeks of intense culinary battles on the BBC show.

Having already taken on the first two nights on Tuesday and last night, he now faces one more gruelling cook-off in order to clinch the coveted title.

Ahead of tonight's final, Steven's Food Teacher and form tutor from his time at Woodhey school, where he studied Food Technology to GCSE, said: "Steven was always enthusiastic about food and keen to learn.

"As you have probably seen from Masterchef he is fun and jovial, always a smile on his face and a bit of a joker.

"All at Woodhey are thrilled and proud to see Steven doing so well in his chosen field."

The final episode of the 2017 series of Masterchef: the Professionals airs tonight at 8pm on BBC Two, and will see the finalists battle to remain calm and controlled under immense pressure as they create a three-course menu in just three hours.