Tom’s winning menu started with a trio of oysters - one raw oyster topped with apple, cucumber and sake granite, a beer battered oyster with umeboshi mayonnaise, and a grilled oyster with miso and seaweed butter topped with a panko crumb and oyster leaf. The ultimate task was to prepare a three-course meal for MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. He also headed to Le Gavroche and worked with the two-star Michelin chef, Michel Roux Jr, where he cooked one of the late Albert Roux’s legendary main courses roasted filet of veal served with a sweetbread pithivier and a rich bone marrow sauce bercy for guests including MasterChef: The Professionals judge, Monica Galetti MasterChef: The Professionals Champion 2009 Steve Groves, and Michel’s daughter Emily Roux who described Tom's food as 'an impressive dish for an amateur cook'. In an intense last week of the BBC cooking competition, MasterChef viewers saw Tom take on cooking a five-course lunch at the resplendent Plaisterers’ Hall in the City of London, where he served 20 members of the hospitality sector who during the first lockdown delivered thousands of meals to frontline workers and those most in need. The three Masterchef finalists (L-R) Mike, Alexina and eventual winner, Tom He is a phenomenal talent and the sky’s the limit for him." He has delivered some of the most beautiful, elegant dishes I have seen in this competition for a long while. MasterChef judge, Gregg Wallace, added: “I love this fella. As an amateur chef, what he is doing is really impressive.” His food is delicious and it looks beautiful. He has defined himself a style all of his own and it’s fantastic.
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MasterChef judge, John Torode, said: “Tom walked into this kitchen and surprised us. "I feel this is just the start, and I’m excited for what comes next.” I’ll also never forget and can’t be more thankful to all the friendly, hard working, fantastic people, that make MasterChef such a special show.
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"I’m grateful that I met, got to know, and cook alongside some of the most wonderful and talented people, and have found friends for life in them.
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Being this year’s MasterChef champion, after watching and admiring so many past champions, seems like a dream come true. He commented on his win: “From beginning to end, MasterChef is the most incredible experience. Tom grew up in Rochdale before moving to Newcastle for university and settling in the city where he now lives and works. In the end, Tom was awarded the MasterChef trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Tom battled against fierce competition from 39 other amateur cooks, through six weeks of culinary challenges and an exhilarating final cook-off against fellow finalists Mike Tomkins, 27, and Alexina Anatole, 30. 31-year-old Tom Rhodes, originally from Rochdale, has been crowned BBC One’s MasterChef 2021 champion.Īnnounced as the winner in the final aired on Wednesday (14 April) - which was postponed following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh - Tom is the 17th amateur cook to claim the prestigious title.