A HAMPSHIRE chef is rubbing shoulders with the culinary elite as he stars in the seventh series of a BAFTA award-winning show.

Sven-Hansen Britt has been cooking for eight years, and says he found his love for the art whilst working for Banks Bar Bistro in Bishop’s Waltham.

“It was a great learning experience on what working in the restaurant business was like,” he said.

The former Swanmore Technology College and Peter Symonds College student went on to train at Bournemouth College before he was catapulted to success at The Ritz.

There the 26-year-old “learnt what it really meant to be a cook and chef under John Williams.”

Now he features in BBC Two’s MasterChef: The Professionals which pushes the contestants to the edge of their gastronomic limits.

Two Michelin-starred British chef Marcus Wareing joins formidable perfectionist chef Monica Galetti and MasterChef’s seasoned diner Gregg Wallace as the judges.

Together they search for the chef who has the skills, commitment, palate and style to push them to the top of their demanding industry.

Sven said: “I randomly applied to MasterChef as I often get an itch that I need to do more and decided it looked fun. It was pretty stressful, but has been completely worth it. Filming went by so quickly and I learnt a huge amount about myself and the kind of chef and person I want to be.

“Some of the challenges are great and terrible at the same time! You'll have to watch and see how I get on.”

Despite his age, the chef said he enjoys competing with other critically-acclaimed cooks.

“I always go into a situation like MasterChef with the belief that everyone is on a level playing field: no matter their age, reputation or experience. It wasn't daunting competing against others, the daunting bit was having your food completely analysed by the judges and critics, and getting truly honest feedback.”

So far he has cooked his signature dish of turbot poached in seaweed butter with cauliflower puree, faced Macus’ invention test based around the infamous custard tart that he cooked for the Queen’s 80th birthday, and the quarter finals.

Sven is set to appear tomorrow at 8pm at the start of the semi-finals, which is followed by a cook-off with the 12 best chefs for ten places at the next stage.