Horsham chef cooks his way through to TV show MasterChef: The Professionals

Twenty-four-year-old Tom Hamblet – and his mum and dad – are chefs at the five-star South Lodge Hotel, Lower Beeding.

Tom’s culinary skills saw him sail through the last week of Masterchef heats – aired on BBC One last night (Tuesday) – to secure a spot in the next round of the cooking contest.

Tom is classically trained and has worked at both Michelin-starred and AA Rosette-winning restaurants for the last seven years.

His cooking career began when he studied at Westminster Kingsway College in London. Straight after graduating he was offered a Commis position at The Pass restaurant at South Lodge where he stayed for a year before moving to the Michelin-starred restaurants The Latymer at Pennyhill Park in Surrey and Interlude restaurant at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens at Lower Beeding.

He currently works at Camellia, a three AA Rosette restaurant within South Lodge Hotel, where his dad and mum also work as chefs.

“My journey into cooking was mostly through my dad being a chef,” he said. “I think a big part was him not wanting me to do it which made me even more interested.

"If I’m being serious I do think cooking is in my blood. My dad is an exec chef and my mum is a pastry chef and we are all obsessed with food and cooking.

"I love being a chef, pushing myself and striving to produce the best possible dish I can. Working with different people and building relationships with your team is a great part of it too. They are like my second family.”

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He says his cooking has been “massively inspired by the award-winning kitchens I’ve worked in and doing competitions such as RIBI, the Great Britain and Ireland Rotary Club Young Chef Competition and Springboard Future Chef. These competitions push me and my cooking. I love the classics and I also love experimenting with different flavours and trying new things - but it has to be executed perfectly.”

He says he has always loved the TV show MasterChef: The Professionals “so it’s an honour to compete.”

Tom lives with his parents, siblings and six-year-old dog Bubbles.