Thomas Frake has been crowned the winner of Masterchef 2020.
The banking and finance professional from Tooting, 32, was awarded the iconic trophy after winning over John Torode and Gregg Wallace with his take on classic pub dishes in Friday’s final.
Speaking after his victory, Thomas said winning the series ‘blew his mind,’ and described it as a ‘dream come true.’
Sensational: Thomas Frake has been crowned the winner of Masterchef 2020, after winning over John Torode and Greg Wallace with his take on classic pub dishes
Thomas won over John and Greg with his incredible version of pub favourites, with a starter of monkfish scampi with pickled fennel, gherkins, onions and tartar sauce.
For his main course he opted for ox cheek braised in black treacle, with crispy onions, shredded vegetables and horseradish mash.
He then topped of his incredible meal with a salted caramel custard tart caramel and orange zest, popcorn and a popcorn ice cream.
Amazing: The banking and finance professional from Tooting was awarded the iconic trophy after winning over John Torode and Gregg Wallace
Sensational:Speaking after his victory, Thomas said winning the series ‘blew his mind,’ and described it as a ‘dream come true’
The mixture of flavours and choosing to stick to dishes he would want to eat himself, proved to be the ideal combination, and Thomas was awarded the Masterchef trophy.
Speaking after the victory he said: ‘Honestly, it’s a dream come true. It’s been immense and the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.
‘I can’t see me not working in food for the rest of my life because it just makes me happy seeing other people happy with it.’
Yummy: Thomas won over the judges with his take on classic pub food, with monkfish scampi, ox cheek and mash and a salted caramel tart
John added: ‘Thomas is a real talent and his food has always been about putting a smile on your face. I admire Thomas’ work ethic, he’s a grafter.
‘He’s able to take a classic and deliver it with real style and finesse. That’s the gift of a great cook. He knows exactly the direction he wants to go in and, for me, his food today tasted fantastic.
Gregg added: ‘Thomas has a definitive style. He takes the ordinary and make it extraordinary. I really admire Thomas. He wants to take all the foods that he grew up with and make them better.
‘He has delighted me all the way through the competition and today I think his three courses were just exceptional. They had his heart and his soul in every single forkful.’
Sadly this meant fellow finalists David Rickett, 31, and Sandy Trag, 24, lost out on winning the trophy, despite producing equally impressive three course meals.
Battling it out: Sadly this meant fellow finalists David Rickett, 31, (left)m and Sandy Trag, 24, lost out on winning the trophy, despite producing equally impressive three course meals.
While the finale was filmed before the nation was placed in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it was reported that even now the winner is yet to receive their trophy in a bid to avoid their name being leaked in advance.
A source told The Sun: ‘It’s a real shame that crew weren’t able to pick up the accolade in advance as, for the winner, the trophy is the celebration.
‘Because the series is pre-recorded months in advance, there is a lot of secrecy surrounding who the winner is, so it’s safer to keep hold of the trophy to avoid the news getting out and ruining the surprise for viewers at home.
‘Bosses are planning to wait to courier it to them as soon as possible, but it’s the first time this has ever happened in the show’s 16-year history.’
Sadly Claire Fyfe narrowly missed out on a place in the grand final, after falling at the final hurdle in Thursday’s semi-final.
Battling it out: The finale once again saw the finalists create a three course dinner. The series was filmed months ahead of the coronavirus pandemic