MasterChef winner Stu Deeley opens his restaurant

Stu Deeley said people involved had done "a lot of preparation" to get ready

A MasterChef: The Professionals winner has now opened a restaurant, after plans were put on hold during the pandemic.

Stu Deeley, from Birmingham, planned to launch last summer in the city, after his success in the competition in 2019, but an investor pulled out.

Hampton Manor in Solihull stepped in this year and his new restaurant, Smoke, is set within its grounds.

It was "an amazing feeling" to be able to open, Mr Deeley said.

"I think as I've got older and as if I've kind of been cooking for longer, I really just like food that's slightly simpler.

"I'm not so interested in foams and gels and whatever any more. I just want a really nice cooked piece of meat and some really nice veg to go on the side."

Asked about the investor pulling out, Mr Deeley said obviously financially because of Covid, it "limited a lot of new businesses".

He added: "I'm just fortunate that we didn't open and then had to close.

"I'm a big believer in fate and I think if you dwell on the fact that something didn't happen, then you're gonna spend your life regretting missed opportunities that you could go for instead."

The menu includes local produce

Mr Deeley said he did "some bits on the side, whether it was at home, boxes, or further down the line when we were allowed cooking in open spaces".

Hampton Manor owner Fjona Hill said: "It's certainly been a financial risk this year. I mean we've opened a bakery, we've (opened) a second restaurant, we're just about to open our third restaurant.

"It's not typically the time you open new things, but I think there is a massive appetite at the moment to get out."

Mr Deeley stated: "Obviously Masterchef was what feels like a lifetime ago now, so I'm more than ready for a new challenge."

Mr Deeley won MasterChef: The Professionals in 2019