A Harrogate man has made it through the first stage of the 19th series of MasterChef.

Hotel supervisor Owen Diaram made his debut on the primetime BBC programme last night.

He was one of nine contestants battling it out in the third week of heats for a place in the competition round, with only seven going through.

Drawing inspiration from his South African roots, Mr Diaram blended his style of cooking with some Indian flavours – making a “perfectly cooked” prawn biriyani, as described by the notoriously tough judges.

He found himself cooking a second time to fight for the final few remaining aprons that took him through to the next round.

It was his second dish that earned him a place in the competition round of the programme and a famous MasterChef apron.

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Asked about his food dream, Mr Diaram told the BBC:

“I am hoping that local restaurants in Harrogate will give me opportunities to work with them after seeing me cook in the MasterChef kitchen.

“Eventually I’d love my own business within the hospitality industry bringing my unique style of cooking to North Yorkshire for more people to enjoy.”

In the next episode, he will compete alongside six other contestants for a place in the quarter-final.

It will air at 8pm tomorrow night (Thursday, April 27) on BBC One.

Don’t miss former MasterChef semi-finalist Olayemi A Adelekan’s weekly food feature coming to the Stray Ferret on Saturday, April 29.