A FORMER Colchester cooking student has been crowned the champ in TV competition MasterChef.

Steve Groves wanted to be a firefighter when growing up in Brightlingsea and only took a catering course at Colchester Institute so he would have something to fall back on.

The 28-year-old, who currently works in a Kensington restaurant once came close to giving up being a chef, but the death of his father inspired him to take a pay cut for the chance to join a London restaurant.

Last night the decision paid off as he was rated the cream of the crop in a version of the BBC2 show where the competitors are professional chefs rather than amateurs.

He wowed the judges, double Michelin-star chef Michel Roux Jr and food writer Gregg Wallace, with his meal of roast quail with Scotch egg, venison loin with potato rosti and mille-feuille of raspberries and bitter chocolate.

Mr Groves, who wants to open his own restaurant, said: “To win this competition is amazing. Having the chance to cook for Michel Roux Jr was what it was all about.

“Now I want to concentrate on becoming the best chef I can be and then open a restaurant of my own cooking British food. If my dad was here today, he would think it is just unbelievable.”

Mr Groves said the toughest test he faced on the programme was cooking a meal for ten chefs with Michelin stars.