A BARNSLEY man is celebrating after making it to the knockout stage of a popular cooking programme.

Omar Foster, 31, who works as a toy developer in a marketing agency, lives in Barugh Green with his fiancee.

He told the Chronicle he decided to apply for this year’s MasterChef series after spending many of his teenage years watching the show and wishing he was part of it.

He said it felt ‘surreal’ cooking for the show’s judges - John Torode and Gregg Wallace - and the experience still feels like a dream.

“I’ve loved MasterChef since I was a teenager and wanted to finally put my money where my mouth is after years of sitting on the sofa saying I could do that,” Omar said.

“More than anything I wanted to learn and completely immerse myself in food to see if I could turn my passion into something more.

“Cooking for me is all about creativity and experimentation - I love to create a melting pot of different flavours and cuisines, usually with an Asian feel somewhere in there.

“One of my favourite parts of being on the show is probably being able to put my spin on things and show my creativity through food.

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“It’s been a life-changing experience and I feel really privileged to be a part of it.”