I had dinner cooked by a Masterchef: The Professionals finalist and tried his ‘mindblowing’ dessert

Since the closure of The Ethicurean restaurant near Bristol, head chef Tommy Thorn’s profile has continued to grow.

At the end of 2023, the Bristol chef was a finalist in TV’s Masterchef: The Professionals and although he’s not currently working in a restaurants, he’s proving a popular guest at various special dinners around the UK.

Last week, Thorn popped up at Ronnie’s in Thornbury for a two-day collaboration with chef/owner Ron Faulkner.

Faulkner has run his award-winning restaurant for the past 17 years and Thorn briefly worked for him, as well as spending time at nearby Thornbury Castle before heading to London.

Now back in the West Country (he lives in Weston-super-Mare with his girlfriend and their baby), Thorn’s appearance at Ronnie’s was certainly popular and every ticket sold as soon as the event was announced.

On the evening I was there, the dining room was a mix of Ronnie’s regulars and curious foodies interested in sampling the food of a chef familiar from their TV screens.

A lot of them were clearly eager to try Thorn’s signature dessert, which blew judge Marcus Wareing's mind, but before that there was plenty of mind-blowing food from the two chefs.

The meal was a seven-course showcase of dishes from both chefs using as many local and South West ingredients as possible.

After an intensely flavoured pheasant and ham consommé with tarragon oil, there was a warm, straight-from-the-oven glazed brioche with a hint of rosemary, anchovy butter and black olive oil.

Next, a crisp filo pastry ‘cigar’ filled with really fresh Cornish crab served with slices of pickled radish, delicious curry mayo and lime and coconut cream. An absolute winner.

The seafood theme continued with an inventive dish of potato ‘scale’ brill - essentially a piece of pearly white brill topped with thin layers of potato resembling scales - with an indulgent keta and Champagne sauce and Oscietra caviar. 

The meat course was even more locally sourced, with venison from the Badminton estate a few miles away. Pink, soft and delicately flavoured, the venison worked well with the Roscoff onion, Savoy cabbage and pickled walnut.

Between each course, the two chefs briefly left the kitchen to introduce the next dish to diners. It was all very chatty and informal.

A palate-cleansing pre-dessert of pineapple, basil, chilli and coriander paved the way for the long-awaited dessert made famous from its appearance on Masterchef: The Professionals.

Called ‘Tommy Thorn’s espresso Martini’ on the menu, it’s a dessert that takes the elements of the popular cocktail and distills it into a pudding with all the expected flavours of coffee and booze.

Anchored by a layer of sponge and a swirl of coffee-scented cream the consistency of a Mr Whippy, it was decadent, delicious and easy to see why it blew the minds of the studio judges. It was the highlight of the evening.

It’s not often diners in the Bristol area get to sample dishes from chefs on hit TV shows like Masterchef: The Professionals but this was a fascinating glimpse of the talented Tommy Thorn back cooking with his old boss - and clearly a proud moment for both chefs.