Thomas Frake was the cook who won MasterChef last year.
After wowing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with a stunning three-course meal at the end of the 2020 series, Thomas was crowned the winner.
Who is he? And what did he get for winning? Read on to find out more.
Who won MasterChef last year?
Thomas won the hit BBC culinary competition last year following eight gruelling weeks of cookery challenges.
His winning meal started with monkfish scampi, followed by an ox cheek main and, for dessert, a salted caramel custard tart.
Read more: MasterChef: Late food critic Charles Campion honoured with tribute
Be beat 59 other cooks to lift the trophy and called his win a “dream come true”.
He said at the time: “I can’t see me not working in food for the rest of my life because it just makes me happy seeing other people happy with it.”
The other two in the final, competing against Thomas, were Londoner David Rickett, a cyber crime and fraud prevention worker, and Sandy Tang, a technology consultant from Reading.
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What is Thomas Frake up to now?
Unfortunately, Thomas wasn’t able to embark on the usual victory tour after winning because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thomas also had to wait weeks before receiving his trophy!
He spoke about his experience in an Instagram Live video, telling followers: “The trophy is the real symbol of success and finally having it in my hands and being able to put it on the shelf at home has made winning the competition suddenly feel really real. I’m over the moon to have it.
“Winning MasterChef was a strange enough experience, but being on lockdown has made it extra bizarre.”
He continued: “It’s given me time to take it all in, and I’ve been in contact with friends, family and the public through social media, but I can’t wait to celebrate properly once the pubs are back open.”
Winning MasterChef was a strange enough experience, but being on lockdown has made it extra bizarre.
Thomas, who appeared as a judge on this year’s series, has hinted at plans to launch his own gastropub.
At the moment, he’s working in partnership with online food business Finish and Feast.
Thomas also regularly posts mouth-watering pictures of his culinary creations on Instagram. His handle is @thomas.frake and he has over 25.9k followers.
What do the MasterChef winners receive? What is the prize?
Surprisingly, there isn’t actually a financial prize awaiting winners of the UK version of MasterChef.
Read more: MasterChef on BBC One: Who is Jonny Lake? Where does former Fat Duck chef work now?
The prize, then, is the experience the contestant gains during the course of the competition, as well as the prestige of winning such a tough competition – and the boost it can bring to their careers.
Past winners often appear on the programme as judges and discuss their successes since they were on – including releasing cook books and opening their own restaurants.
Conversely, winners of the US version get a huge cash prize of $250,000.
What did you think of this year’s series? Could you remember who won MasterChef last year? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.