Henry Phillips, a Leicester-born home cook with a passion for fresh pasta, Japanese cuisine, and the perfect slice of pizza has wowed the judges on this year’s MasterChef, making it all the way to the semi-finals of the hit BBC One show.
Henry now lives in Kent with his partner Amelia and their dog Alan, but proudly describes himself as a “huge Leicester Tigers fan” who spent his formative years growing up in the city.
Picture credit: BBC
After weeks of impressing Gregg Wallace and John Torode with his playful yet technically sound dishes, Henry’s MasterChef journey came to an emotional end in September’s semi-final round — but his culinary ambitions are just heating up.
“This was my third time applying, but the first time I got through,” the chef shared. “You can’t keep a keen cook down!
“ I had so much fun cooking and competing on the show. What a privilege to get the opportunity. ”
Henry’s love of food didn’t blossom until university, where his kitchen confidence began with supermarket pasta and jarred sauce — and a very proud moment adding “raw garlic” to the mix. Since then, his passion has grown into what he calls his “main hobby and obsession.”
“I started cooking quite late. But I fell in love with food, watched every cooking show I could, and started collecting cookbooks — I have about 130 now!” reveals the 32-year-old.
A self-taught home cook, Henry’s style is inspired by modern British, Italian, Japanese, and more recently, Southeast Asian cuisines. He loves cooking dishes that involve hands-on preparation like dumplings, elaborate pies, and of course, fresh pasta — his first real culinary triumph.
“I like dishes that feel more like a craft session,” he says.
With a background in teaching, consulting and retail, Henry now dreams of combining his first love – education – with his food passion, aiming to teach others how to cook.
“I’d love to do something in food as a career. Especially teaching – it’d be amazing to help people build confidence in the kitchen.”
And while MasterChef may be over for now, Henry remains hungry for more. Whether it’s another TV appearance, a food- focused project, or local cooking classes — he’s not done with the culinary world yet.
Follow Henry Phillips on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/henrymadefood
