A Cumbrian dad who made it through to the MasterChef semi-finals has left the show feeling positive.
Tom Johnston, 42, of Carlisle, who works as a sales manager in the car industry, said the experience has been ‘magical’ and that he never expected to get so far on the show.
He said: “My time on MasterChef has been phenomenal from day one to the day I was walking out, it was an experience like no other.
“Even though there were times you felt under pressure, there was never I time I didn’t enjoy it, it was always such a buzz.
“Walking out as a semi-finalist was just a wow moment. I never ever thought I would get that far, even talking about it now I feel very proud and buzzing.”
Tom was eliminated after making it through heats, the quarter final and knockout week – and received some glowing praise from judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
He added: “There were a few favourite dishes I made along the way. But I was very pleased with the one that got me into the semi-finals which was spiced pan-fried duck breast, pigeon wellington, heritage carrots, potatoes, watercress oil and cassis jus.
“I got really good feedback from Gregg and John and it got me into the semi-final, that was an important one for me, because it was the first time the remaining nine contestants in that show were all in the room together.”
Coming up against the judges may look intimidating – but Tom said both John and Gregg were incredibly supportive.
He said: “Gregg was very funny, he had lots of jokes that made you feel relaxed. John was the chef out of the two and he gave you lots of support and reassurance.
“You did feel he watched you more as he was looking for technique and stuff like that, but in terms of character, both were absolutely brilliant guys.”
Tom added: “When I submitted the application I thought I wouldn’t even get a phone call back. So then going through each stage of the interviews as they whittled us down, every time I got a phone call It was ‘oh my gosh, they called me back!’
“But even when I got on the show, I never ever looked past the dish I was doing. I never had it in my head ‘if I do this, I’ll get in the next round.’
“I was just proud of being there in the moment and if it all ended, I was alright with it.
“I think that’s what got me through – I didn’t put pressure on myself to go far, so every time they said my name and that I was going through I just couldn’t believe it.”
He added that the show’s atmosphere had been extremely positive overall.
Tom said: “It didn’t feel like a competition where you wanted other people to fail, which was weird. You really wanted other people in the group to do well and because you had that it, made the days better.
“I think because you spend a lot of time with the other contestants who are all doing the same thing and sharing the same feelings you created friendships straight away. It was all really positive and magical.
“Don’t get me wrong, when you’re in the kitchen and the cameras are there and it was ‘right, you have an hour to cook now’ you felt very jittery and thought ‘ok this is it, please don’t make a mistake!”
Tom said that his favourite experiences on the show were cooking in Soho for a lunchtime service and for the special 20th anniversary MasterChef dinner.
He said: “They put the dinner on and we were cooking for previous winners, the guy who created the show and Michelin star chefs. A couple of my all time great chefs were there, like Tom Kitchen, that was a real highlight and a very very special opportunity.”
Tom added that he had received an overwhelming amount of support from people across Cumbria.
He said: “People were stopping me in the supermarket and customers were coming in saying ‘are you the boy from MasterChef’ – I’m 42, but you can call me the boy from MasterChef if you want!
“I loved people stopping me and asking me what it was like and what the pressure was like. I would do the exact same thing, it’s just really nice.”
Tom is planning to continue on with his cooking and is set to host some MasterChef cooking evenings locally.
