A CHEF has thanked everyone who supported him during his time on Masterchef and promised to come back stronger.

Mark Satterthwaite, head chef at the Blacksmiths Arms in Broughton Mills, appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Masterchef: The Professionals.

He was pitted against five other chefs across two challenges to determine which three would be sent through to the quarter-finals.

In the first challenge, Mark was given 15 minutes to cook a poached plaice with a beurre blanc sauce.

Later he produced his own signature dish of sea trout cooked three ways: pan fried, beetroot cured and as a tartar on a potato rösti, accompanied by roasted golden beetroot, beetroot crisps and candied beetroot with a beetroot and grapefruit coolie.

Unfortunately his dishes were not enough to win him a place in the quarter-final, but Mark has not been deterred by this and is ready to push forward.

Talking about seeing himself on television, he said: “It wasn’t easy to watch, I buckled under the pressure, but seeing the reaction of my daughters to seeing their dad on TV was so priceless it made it all worth it.”

And Mark wanted to thank everyone who has supported him throughout the process.

“My wife has been so supportive from the start,” he said “so has my boss Michael, he knows what I’m capable of and backed my decision to apply.

“The support from the community has also been really overwhelming.

“People from the area and peers from the culinary industry have got in contact to say well done. It was incredible to feel everyone behind me.”

Despite being knocked out, Mark is still proud of what he achieved.

“I never expected to be considered, let alone make it to the televised programme, so I’m immensely proud,” he said. “It was great to make it that far, and being surrounded by so many fine dining chefs was a great experience.

Mark said he will be reapplying to Masterchef for next year and he is also looking for more opportunities to compete.