Restaurant owner Yasmina Siadatan won a job with Sir Alan Sugar following a shock final of The Apprentice.

The 27-year-old Londoner was hired by Sir Alan on what she described as the businessman's "gut instinct", despite rival Kate Walsh being in a good position to win.

You're hired: Yasmina celebrates her success

Ms Siadatan said her achievements combined with her mistakes during the series may have given her the edge over Ms Walsh.

In the final episode last night, the finalists were given a task to create a new brand of chocolates which they had to pitch to a roomful of industry experts, including Waitrose's chief buyer.

Ms Walsh and her team, which was made up of former contestants Debra Barr, Ben Clarke, Kimberley Davis and Rocky Andrews, designed a box of chocolates for couples.

Their box was made up of three 'shelves' - one for her, one for him, and one to share. The concept was praised by Sir Alan but he said charging £13 for a box was not commercially viable.

Ms Siadatan's team, made up of Howard Ebison, Philip Taylor, James McQuillan and Lorraine Tighe, created a brand called 'Cocoa Electric' which was designed to 'shock' with flavours such as basil and strawberry, and popping candy chilli.

Sir Alan told her the branding and pricing were excellent but the taste - which even caused one model to spit out a chocolate after filming the advert - needed work.

Asked how she felt to have won the coveted job, Ms Siadatan said: "I can't believe it, I am in shock. All those months ago you first apply to try to get on, and here I am, it's amazing."

On beating Ms Walsh, who had performed consistently well during the series, Ms Siadatan said the mistakes she had made during the series - which included confusing the gross profit with the net profit of her restaurant on her CV - may have endeared her to Sir Alan.

She said: "I don't feel like I've beaten Kate because I feel we both deserved that job, and we feel we just had different qualities and Sir Alan needed my qualities over hers. I don't think mine were any better than hers, I just think that's the kind of guy Sir Alan is, and I'm sure Kate will do just as well as I do but on a different path.

"(Sir Alan) described it in a nutshell when he said: 'I can't put it into words why I chose Yasmina it was just a gut instinct', and I think because of the way that I performed, even though I made some quite serious errors as we've seen, I was also able to show him that I exceeded in certain areas, the profit I made in the catering task was the biggest profit he's ever seen on an Apprentice task.

"Maybe I've shown him that even though I've got this real confidence and real strength in some areas, I've also got a side of me that is slightly insecure and slightly unsure and I will make mistakes. But without that side to you I don't think you can ever really excel and succeed."

Ms Siadatan is now looking forward to starting work with Sir Alan, even though the job is a world away from her restaurant Mya Lacarte in Caversham.

"The actual product will be completely different. Catered food and digital signage are completely different industries and products but, as you've seen in The Apprentice, to get as far as I did you have to be totally adaptable and in my life I went from being at uni to then doing a ski season, going travelling, then working here (and there), then having my own business, then going on The Apprentice.

"I've been adaptable my whole life, so I relish the opportunity to work in a digital signage company now," she said.

Ms Siadatan also said she will be getting in touch with the winner of last year's The Apprentice, Lee McQueen.

"(I'll get in touch) without a doubt. Everyone needs a mentor don't they? I'd like to chew his ear off about how his experience on the programme has affected him and the best way to go about certain things," she said.

Sir Alan also has Ms Siadatan's full support when it comes to his new position in the Government as a business advisor.

"If you look back over what he's achieved, he's been in business for 40 years, he's lived through recessions but has built up his own companies, he's used to dealing with the media and knows a lot about business.

"On top of that he's got a lovely family and he's got grandchildren, so he's interested in how the youth of today perceive business, that's why he went on The Apprentice.

"If you look at the big picture you have to be really hard-nosed to think he doesn't deserve to be a Lord," she said, adding that she does not think his new title will change the show.

"I don't know how easily 'Lord Alan' rolls off the tongue, but if that's going to change then I'm sure we'll all adapt. More of a change will be Margaret (Mountford) leaving.

"Series five was her last, so it's going to be gloomy days, but I'm sure Sir Alan can look through his address book and find another trusted assistant."