A young chef from Dorchester who now works at The Dorchester is going into battle with some of the finest cooks around in the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals.
Charlie Jeffreys, 24, cut his teeth as a teenage apprentice at Yalbury Cottage Hotel in Lower Bockhampton before making the move to The Dorchester in London, where he has worked his way up to be senior chef de partie at the three Michelin starred Alain Ducasse.
The former Thomas Hardye School student is the grandson of Puddletown’s well-known Weatherbury Garage owner Dave Jeffreys. His dad Mark, who also attended Thomas Hardye, is now a project manager for an aerospace and defence company.
Charlie’s first employer, Yalbury Cottage Hotel, took him on when he was just 14.
They said: “We couldn’t be more proud!”
To see Charlie cooking closer to home, find Wayne Fisherman Hand on Facebook, who has published videos of the pair fishing at Chesil Beach and cooking the results, with herbs at the seaside.
To follow Charlie’s progress on Masterchef: The Professionals go to iPlayer or watch on BBC1 at 9pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 8pm on Fridays. Charlie will appear on Thursday, November 24.