John is one of the food world’s most recognisable faces. He grew up in Melbourne, Australia, starting his career in the world of food at the age of 16.

He credits his love of food and passion for cooking to his grandmother, who raised him from the age of 4. After apprenticeships at some of Melbourne’s best restaurants, he moved to the UK in the 1990s, where he quickly made a name for himself. He worked his way up from a sous chef at Quaglino’s and he’s had his own hugely successful restaurants, the likes of Smiths and The Luxe.

He first appeared on ITV‘s This Morning in 1996 and became a household name as the co-host of Masterchef in 2005 which will enter its 20th season next year. He’s written numerous best-selling cookbooks and made a whole host of award-winning TV shows and was honoured in the Queens Birthday Honours in 2022 for outstanding services to food, broadcasting and charity.

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S14 Ep12: John Torode on salad sandwiches, reflecting on 20 years of Masterchef and why sausage rolls will be in his epitaph