A CHEF has stunned judges in his debut appearance on Masterchef: The Professionals.

Freddie Innes is a 25-year-old senior sous chef at Ockenden Manor restaurant in Turners Hill, Sussex.

He competed on the show for the first time this week, rustling up a storm with his signature pan-fried sea bass with parsnip puree, fondant potato and a red wine jus.

Judge Gregg Wallace was flabbergasted. He said: “It’s just wonderful, what can I say?”

Freddie loved being on the show. He said: “Masterchef was great. We actually filmed it a couple of months ago now so I know what happens. But you’ll have to wait and see.”

He has spent nine years honing his craft after going to Imberhorne School in East Grinstead.

He said: “I’m classically trained in French cooking and I’d probably describe my style as a mixture between modern French and British.

“We do everything by the book here. I’ve never cooked anything really unusual like kangaroo or crocodile.

“But the food we serve is by no means basic. I’ve just been doing our lunch service. We had a venison offal boulette, which is kind of like a French meatball. We served it with pearl barley, beef stock, and a nice bit of veg in there.

“I’ve had to learn a huge amount of discipline working in professional restaurants. You hear stories about kitchens in London being dreadful places to work – but it’s a happy environment here.

“It’s still high-pressure though. We’re sending out top-quality food.”

Ockenden Manor is delighted with Freddie’s success. A spokeswoman said: “We’re extremely proud of him. He’s a lovely sous-chef.”

Online, there’s an article hinting he’s something of a Masterchef heartthrob. Freddie laughed it off: “We’ve only had one episode so far. It’s not changed my life just yet.”