Plate expectations: John Torode

When he started out cooking, Torode never thought he could build restaurants. He now fronts MasterChef as part of a charmed life. Here, the charming Australian chef discusses cocktails, life and five-year plans

John Torode: ‘I think the cocktail revolution is reflective of everyday life’ Pic: Fergal Phillips

Like many long-running TV shows, MasterChef is a club. Membership is straightforward: you watch it, you’re in. You’re all in. Extended office chats, staying up late for an episode catch-up, caring to an unnatural degree about contestant number two’s raspberry panna cotta.

It’s a dedicated club, the MasterCheffers, but by no means an exclusive one. No fewer than 255 million individuals across the planet watch some iteration of the show, which has now ...