During the online session, held via Google Meet due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Rhodes discusses his time at the college and how his career has progressed.

Rhodes said: “It’s been fantastic to catch up with my former tutors and share my tips with the next generation of chefs coming through.

“The tutors are amazing. They’ll give you every bit of knowledge they have if you’re engaged and open to it and they’ll always make time to answer your questions.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now without my college lecturers who taught me everything I needed to know to get me into the business. The skills that I learnt in class and from entering national competitions at college have been so useful to me both in my career and on MasterChef.”

Rhodes started his own restaurant called Karnivore and he is now senior sous chef at the University of Sheffield’s Halifax Hall Hotel.  

Len Unwin, curriculum team leader and chef lecturer at The Sheffield College, added: “We are so proud of Luke and what he has achieved. Our students have keenly followed Luke’s progress and are inspired to follow in his footsteps.

“We’ve established a strong track record for training the next generation of chefs and this is testament to that. Whilst times are tough for the catering sector, it’s important that our students have the skills the industry will need when it starts to recover from the pandemic.”