WATCH: Chichester chef appears on TV show Masterchef: The Professionals

The chef who works at 36 On The Quay in Hampshire reflected on his time in the Masterchef kitchen. He was able to reach the second heat of the competition but fell short in the second skills test involving making a sweet or savoury dish using nuts.

Dara Ryan said: For me personally, it was an amazing experience. It was also great to meet people, everyone I got to meet and speak with and I got to work with was absolutely amazing.

"Everyone was so lovely. When I first got there, I was really, really nervous, but everyone was so welcoming. I was thinking: am I actually here to be filming today?

“It was weird how well you get along with everyone. Before today, I'd never met any of them, I don't know who they were. By the end of the day, we were all friends.”