MasterChef winners: Where are they now?

MasterChef has been going since 2005, and over the years the show has discovered some amazing talent. But where did they all go? You might be surprised to find out that some of the winners are behind your favourite restaurants and cookbooks. Here’s a look at some of the best and brightest from the past eighteen seasons. 

The first winner of MasterChef, Tomasina has set a high bar, with 13 restaurants across the UK

Thomasina was the first ever winner of MasterChef in 2005. A year later, having travelled extensively through Mexico, she co-founded Wahaca, a Mexican-style street food restaurant in West London. There are now 13 branches across the UK 

Thomasina has since written a slew of cookbooks, including The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom, based on her channel 4 show by the same name, and more recently Meat-Free Mexican, full of delicious, vegetarian and vegan recipes inspired by her love of Mexican food. 

Shelina champions Mauritian cooking at her restaurant Lakaz Maman

Shelina was the first female victor in seven years, taking the crown in 2012 with her Mauritian octopus salad. She then went on to work in various London restaurants before opening her own, Lakaz Maman, in 2016 where you can enjoy Mauritian-inspired street food with a modern twist. In 2020, the Telegraph called it “very heaven... The food is vivid and exuberant.” 

Shelina’s kitchen is run by an entirely female management team, a very rare thing indeed in hospitality. 

Shelina has also published two cookbooks, Sunshine on a Plate, and The Sunshine Diet, and is a regular guest on Jay Rayner’s BBC Radio 4 show, Kitchen Cabinet. 

Natalie is now the head chef at the Oyster Shed in the City of London, right on the waterfront

Natalie was chosen as the 2013 winner after achieving the impossible on MasterChef: making a perfect panna cotta. 

She then went on to work under some of London’s best and brightest: Michel Roux Jr., Tom Kerridge and Marcus Wareing. 

Natalie is currently the head chef at the Oyster Shed in the City of London, serving fresh seafood and classic British cuisine. In 2022, she won Best Pub Chef at the Great British Pub Awards. 

Ping won Champion of Champions in 2021, competing against four other winners

In 2014, Ping was considered the “clear winner” by the judges with her take on a Malaysian classic, Nasi Lemak.  

In 2016, she wrote a Malaysian cookbook, Malaysia: Recipes From a Family Kitchen, and in 2017 she began offering cooking classes. 

During the first lockdown, Ping launched a meal-delivery service which provides delicious, restaurant-quality dishes ready to heat and eat at your leisure. 

She also regularly hosts supper clubs at The Moorfields in Bath. 

Ping also revisited her old MasterChef stomping grounds in 2021 and beat out four other former winners for the Champion of Champions title. 

Simon now runs a fine dining restaurant in the heart of Manchester, serving classic dishes with a modern twist

Simon’s 2015 winning dish, pigeon served three ways, was described by John Torode as “bang on the money in every way shape and form.” 

Shortly after, the former data manager was appointed executive chef at Oldham Event Centre. 

In 2016 he released his debut cookbook, At Home with Simon Wood - Fine Dining Made Simple. 

In 2017, Simon opened his first restaurant, Wood, a fine-dining restaurant offering classic dishes with a modern twist. In 2018 Grace Dent described it as a place that “serves up dishes that are devoured in moments and talked about fondly for weeks”. 

Winner of last year’s competition, Eddie was described by John Torode as a “culinary powerhouse.” 

Soon after his victory, he bravely approached Gordon Ramsay and asked for some work experience. The three-Michelin star chef obliged and took him on for a three-month apprenticeship. Nearly a year later, he’s still holding his own in the fiery Ramsay kitchen. 

Elizabeth is the only MasterChef contestant to have achieved a Michelin star, despite being voted out early in the competition

While Elizabeth was voted out early on in the 2011 series, she was determined that this was not the end of her culinary journey. She got a job at a gastro pub in Windsor, and then the Michelin-starred Royal Oak, Paley Street, attending culinary classes all the while. 

In 2015 Elizabeth co-founded Pidgin in Hackney, and in 2017 she was awarded her own Michelin star- the only MasterChef contestant to currently hold that title. 

Elizabeth’s latest endeavour, Mei Mei in Borough Market, offers dishes from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. A small outfit, but in 2020, Jimi Famurewa called it “a wholly addictive act of cultural celebration” and pronounced it “one of the best new operations of any size currently trading in the capital.” 

Alexina has a new series of cookbooks coming out, the first of which will be released in September

Finalist Alexina initially got a job working as Head of Frozen at Mindful Chef, a healthy recipe box service. 

She now hosts intimate supper clubs twice a month from her home, and her first cookbook Bitter will be released in September, followed by a second, Sweet, the following year. 

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