In March 2021, Mike Tomkins was on our screens taking part in the BBC's culinary competition, MasterChef 2021.
As SantokuKnives is a family-company set up by two brothers with an Italian mother and family from just outside Monte Cassino, we were very excited by Mike's appearance on the show; as he was clear from the outset that his culinary inspiration came from his grandmother, from Naples.
His style is "traditional Italian food, experimenting with some modern twists".
Mike went from strength to strength in the competition, with John Torode labelling one of his dishes "a revelation", and his duck breast with a five-spice jus, celeriac purée, caramelised chicory, duck leg bonbons and lemongrass roast potatoes, receiving unanimous praise from Torode, Gregg Wallace and guest-judge, writer and restaurant critic William Sitwell.
Mike made it through to the Finals and the last three, and may not be lifting the trophy this year, but Masterchef has already changed his life.
You can watch Mike in the MasterChef kitchen on BBC iPlayer now. You can also follow Mike's journey and recipes on Instagram by following the handle @thenotecook.
Thank you so much to Mike for showcasing some of SantokuKnives' products on his Instagram page:
