Style meets Tom Rhodes

31-year-old Tom Rhodes, originally from Rochdale, has been crowned BBC One's MasterChef 2021 champion, following a spectacular final in which he created three Japanese-infused courses.

MasterChef judge, John Torode, said: Tom walked into the kitchen and surprised us. He has defined himself a style all of his own and its fantastic. His food is delicious and looks beautiful." Judge Gregg Wallace added: "He is a phenomenal talent and the sky's the limit for him."

Style caught up with Tom to chat about his passion for experimenting with flavour, his future plans and why his feet remain firmly on the ground...

Does it still seem a bit surreal that you’re Masterchef’s 17th champion?

I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that! I watched the show for years and years and followed some of the past champions, so to consider myself now as one of those people, I’m still getting my head around it for sure!

Are you still working as a front of house manager at Nando’s?

Yes I’m still at Nando’s – still got the bills to pay. I had no idea what to expect coming out of the competition. I’ve seen some of the amazing thing past champions have gone on to do but I didn’t know how quickly or slowly those things could happen. So I’m still working here; it’s keeping me humble!

You must be getting recognised a lot?

Yeah I’ve been getting recognised quite a bit. I’ve had people stopping me in supermarkets and pulling over in cars! I think that’s one of the most unusual things to get used to, that all these strangers suddenly know who you are.

What made you apply for the show?

I’ve always loved cooking and like I said I’ve always loved MasterChef. I actually applied for the first time ten years ago, got quite far in the process but obviously didn’t make it onto the show. And then kind of got swept up in work and day-to-day life. hen last year, lockdown put things into perspective and really made me think "what do I actually want to do with my life?". MasterChef seemed a bit of a long shot but I thought it would be the perfect springboard if I did get on it. So I just took a shot at it during lockdown and here we are now.

Were you in the kitchen a lot during lockdown?

I’m always in the kitchen! But with no restaurants or holidays, it was great to get in the kitchen and try to recreate some dishes from my favourite restaurants, try new flavours from places that perhaps I would have been travelling to if there wasn’t a pandemic. I was doing cookalongs with friends over Zoom too.

How old were you when you first discovered your passion for food?

I’ve loved being in the kitchen from about 4 or 5 years old. I’d get whatever I could find in the cupboard and mix it up in a bowl. Sometimes I’d cook it, sometimes I’d leave it in the fridge for my parents to find!

I loved that experimentation in the kitchen. I don’t know if I was making anything particularly edible back then! And then I’d watch my parents make food and get involved. In my teenage years I became particularly fascinated with how to make things from scratch – mayonnaise, breads, different sauces – so I think that’s where I built up a lot of my skill in the kitchen.

You mix traditional dishes with Japanese flavours - was that an experiment that just happened to work out well?!

Yeah, I mean sometimes it didn’t work out! I won’t lie to you, I’ve had plenty of kitchen fails in the past. The dishes I cook are very much the food that I grew up with and ingredients I’m familiar with, but then I just add these Japanese flavours into it as a little bit of a twist I guess and to put my own stamp on things. I’ve always loved Japanese flavours and experimenting with flavour.

What have you learnt about yourself from being in the show?

Watching yourself on television is a bit of a unique experience. You really get to reflect on how you come across. I think I demonstrated that I can be adventurous and love to try new things. And also that I’m really good at keeping calm under pressure, certainly on the surface at least, which I think is a good trait to have. There was a little bit of swan vibes about it – cool on the surface but paddling furiously underneath! But I do believe that the kitchen is my happy place - the place I feel most comfortable. I think as soon as you get stressed in the kitchen, it tends to be when things start falling apart. So it’s important to keep your cool.

What are your top tips for people who end up cooking the same meals every week?

Do try to stick with what you’re familiar with, because at the end of the day you want to make a delicious meal, so don’t go for anything crazy - but it’s amazing how much flavour you can add in just by changing out a few ingredients. Pick up some things from the supermarket that you’re not familiar with like Miso or Harissa spice paste and then try to add those to dishes you already cook. So if you’re making a roast chicken for example, you can then play around with the flavour by rubbing it in some Miso. Just be daring and experiment with new flavours.

Who inspires you as a chef?

Growing up I was a huge Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater fan – they were some of the first cookbooks I had. I loved their approachable home style. Nigella has always been somebody that I think has been ahead of the curve in regards to using new flavours in her cooking. I actually follow a lot of people online – there’s a guy called Nik Sharma in the States and he looks at how science can be applied to food and flavour.

You have a science background too – do you think this influences how you create your dishes?

Yes I did a chemistry degree but it’s funny because I didn’t enjoy doing chemistry at University very much, hence why I didn’t go into it and work at Nando’s now! But it’s amazing how much of a role science actually plays in food. When you’re cooking it’s just chemical reactions that are taking place and if you understand what those reactions are you can make your food even more delicious. So yeah, it’s kind of come full circle in that regard.

How many cookbooks do you own?

It’s got to be over 300 now! A lot of people saw my colour-coded cookbook shelf on the show which I think looks amazing even though I can never find any of the cookbooks I want because I can't remember the spine colour! As well as those I have piles of cookbooks in the kitchen, by my bed, on the coffee table. You’d be under no confusion as to what my passion was if you were to walk into my house!

Any plans to write your own?

Yes that’s the dream I think! So hopefully, in the not-too-distant future I’ll be able to add my own cookbook to my shelves.

What other plans do you have?

One of the things I wasn’t expecting when I went onto the show was how much I loved being in a professional kitchen. So I certainly wouldn’t rule out having my own restaurant one day. And then what I’m really looking forward to, particularly after the year we’ve all had, is doing food festivals over the summer.

Do you come back to Rochdale often?

I do actually yeah. My parents still live in Rochdale and we’re quite a close family. Obviously that wasn’t possible throughout a lot of last year which has been one of the most difficult things for me.

How did they react to your win?

They’re immensely proud which is lovely. Even though mum knew the result I think she was still incredibly nervous about watching it on television.

What was your favourite moment of the competition?

Plaisterers Hall was a particularly special moment. It was our only time in a commercial kitchen where we were cooking our own food which was a big deal. We were also cooking for the most amazing people - the food heroes of lockdown - so it felt great to be celebrating them and giving back in even just a small way, to say thank you for all that they’d done over lockdown.

Ruth Parkinson