Masterchef winners: where are they now?

MasterChef finalists Dhruv Baker, Tim Kinnaird and Alex Rushmer

As Dhruv Baker celebrates being crowned this year's winner of amateur cooking competition Masterchef, he is, no doubt, deciding what to do next.

The 34-year-old Londoner, who was praised for having the "palate of an angel", quit his job at a media firm so he could take part in the show.

Speaking after the win, he revealed he is hoping to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant.

Here is a look at what previous winners have gone on to do since the show.

THOMASINA MIERS

Before winning MasterChef in 2005, Miers was a freelance food writer, editing and compiling recipe books.

She impressed the show's judges for her "bold and, at times, eccentric cooking style".

Since being crowned the winner, she has made cookery programmes for Channel 4 and written several recipe books.

Miers has also opened two restaurants which specialise in Mexican food, and is about to launch her third.

PETER BAYLESS

Bayless scooped the title in 2006 after impressing the panel with his Raymond Blanc-inspired seafood starter and his pastry work.

After spending his whole life in advertising, he chose to change direction and begin a new career in food.

His book, My Father Could Only Boil Cornflakes - which lifts the lid on what it was like taking part in the TV competition - has been published.

Bayless has also worked in the kitchen of the restaurant Le Gavroche, where many of this country's celebrity chefs started out.

STEVEN WALLIS

Wallis started his career working in fashion, but by the time he won MasterChef in 2007, he was confident that he wanted to work with food.

He had hoped to open his own restaurant, but instead has been travelling around the world discovering new tastes and recipes.

Fans can follow his travels via his blog .

JAMES NATHAN

A former barrister, Nathan applied to take part in the show after moving back from Spain when he failed to get permission to open a restaurant there.

He was crowned winner in 2008 and went on to work at several prestigious restaurants, including Bentleys Oyster Bar in Piccadilly and at Michael Caine's Michelin-starred Bath Priory in Bath.

Nathan is now working as a chef at Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Cornwall.

Soon after winning, judge John Torode also suggested he was considering investing in a restaurant run by Nathan.

MAT FOLLAS

Last year's winner Follas cooked a trio of rabbit with nettles and pancetta crisps and spider crab as his final meal.

He had always dreamed of setting up a restaurant with his family, but was forced to put plans on hold after the show because of the recession.

Instead, he spent a year saving and continued with his IT job, before finally opening The Wild Garlic restaurant in Dorset.