FOOD TVMat Follas

TV Times talks to last year’s MasterChef champion, Mat Follas about how the contest changed his life and he gives us a recipe for an Easter treat

It’s semi-final week for the remaining six MasterChef contestants, and few understand the pressure they’re under more than Mat Follas. Mat was, of course, last year’s winner, who wowed judges John Torode and Greg Wallace with his trio of wild rabbit starter, spider crab thermidor, and lavender mousse with hokey pokey and a blackberry sauce.

"It’s an understatement to say life’s been a whirlwind since then. My feet haven’t touched the ground," says Mat, who quit his job in IT and has now opened his own restaurant, The Wild Garlic, in Dorset.

"I’m absolutely living my dream and it wouldn’t have happened without MasterChef. It changed my life."

Mat didn’t think he’d progress past the first heat when he applied for the BBC1 amateur cooking competition. "I remember watching the year before thinking, 'I can do better than that,'" says the New Zealand dad-of-three.

"I genuinely didn’t think I’d get far, but I thought it would be nice for the kids to see dad on TV! Suddenly I was in the semi-final and that’s when I sat down with my wife Amanda – my chief taster – and we made a pact: if I won, I’d quit my job and cook full-time."

With this week’s semi-finalists facing challenges that include cooking for the WI and preparing a banquet at the Tower of London, Mat remembers doubting himself at this stage in the competition. "I thought my rival Andy Oliver had it in the bag. His technical skills were way above mine."

Mat made a risky decision for the final.

"I changed my food. Until the semi-finals I cooked dishes I thought would get me through, but for the final I wanted to show off the food I liked cooking, so I did seafood, wild food – all the great ingredients we have in this country."

It’s fair to say the hard-to-impress judges, John and Gregg, were bowled over by Mat’s final-winning feast.

"They don’t suffer fools gladly," he chuckles, "but I respect them an awful lot. They’re incredibly supportive and taught me so much. You don’t see it on camera, but they’re always giving advice while you cook."

While he’ll be glued to the screen this week and next to see who’s crowned MasterChef champion 2010, Mat’s looking forward to a relaxed family Easter.

"We’ll have an Easter egg hunt for the kids around the garden, then a simple roast of lovely British spring lamb," he says. "Followed by my delicious chocolate tart [see recipe] which I’ll decorate with mini eggs for a special Easter treat."

FOOD TVRecipe

Full Recipe: Mat Follas's easy chocolate tart