A young chef who works at a five-star Wiltshire hotel has told how he is “very disappointed” not to get through to this year’s MasterChef: The Professionals final.

Jamaar Semper, 22, a junior sous chef at Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa at Colerne, near Chippenham, was the youngest chef competing in this year’s competition.

But he failed to make the final after being eliminated against strong competition in the 13th series of the popular BBC One television programme.

Mr Semper, who is from Bristol, said: “I am very disappointed to go out at this stage of the competition but I am still very young and I have got so much to give. It is only the start for me.”

In the semi-final, Jamaar and the other nine chefs were asked to devise and cook a dish based on their favourite food memory

Mr Semper produced a dish based on his memory of his mother, Becky, cooking barbecues at home in Bristol.

It comprised a roasted ballotine of chicken, glazed chicken wing, with a sweetcorn risotto, roasted spring onions, chorizo discs and a burnt butter sauce with hazelnuts.

However he failed to be selected to go through to the final automatically and was forced to cook again after the judges said his dish lacked a little bit of flavour.

Along with four other chefs, he had to prepare and serve up an invention test from sweet and savoury ingredients.

It comprised a dish delivered in a box to reflect the takeaways produced by restaurants, pubs and cafes during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

Mr Semper cooked loin of lamb with sweetbreads and a lamb and olive jus sauce, with saffron potatoes, ratatouille and aubergine puree.

But judges Gregg Wallace, Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti had some minor criticisms about his dish, with Mr Wallace saying that although it was “absolutely lovely” he had found the saffron potatoes hard.

Chef Marcus Wareing said the ratatouille was “nicely cooked” but wanted more sweetbreads in the box.

Monica Galetti said the lamb loin was “nicely cooked” and the lamb and olive sauce worked “really well” but added that it was a “shame” there was not more of the aubergine puree.

Mr Semper said: “I thought I produced a very good plate of food. I would have liked to have made a few changes but I can only cook what I know.”

There are now eight chefs left in the competition, with the finals taking place this week.