Simon Wood has made his return to the BBC's hit cookery competition MasterChef - this time in a judging role.
The renowned chef won the series in 2015, and has gone on to open several restaurants across the UK as well as publish a book, At Home With Simon Wood.
Wood is appearing as a judge in series 16 of MasterChef alongside fellow finalists Emma Spitzer and Tony Rodd.
Contestants on this series will be cooking for the three MasterChef alumni, and Wood's votes will help determine who progresses to the quarter-finals.
His episode will air on BBC One at 9pm on Wednesday February 26.
Since winning MasterChef, Wood has gone on to open three restaurants under his own name, including a flagship site at Manchester's First Street development.
He's also opened restaurants in Chester and, most recently, Cheltenham.
The Wood Restaurants' aim is to deliver 'unintimidating high end dining', including Wood's MasterChef-winning tutti frutti dessert.
Wood was born and raised in Chadderton, and was inspired to cook under the steer of his grandmother - though the first dish he remembers cooking was an omelette with his dad.
Speaking of his grandmother, he told the M.E.N. shortly after his victory: "The main dish I remember her making is rabbit stew with mashed potatoes, and I remember her baking scones as well - just simple cooking really.
"I used to go to her house on Saturday afternoons and we’d do a bit of baking, go to the cinema, then come home and make whatever we were having and watch TV."
After leaving Oldham College, Wood went on to work in data science for BPP University, before rocketing to success on BBC One.
He published his debut cook book At Home with Simon Wood in 2016, full of recipes to help recreate fine dining at home.
It's not all been plain sailing for the chef though, who came under fire last year for branding a vegan customer 'ridiculous' after declining to alter his menu.
Wood said at the time: "It’s not a given that I should adapt my menu to suit your preference.
"If you want vegan food go to a vegan restaurant..... which incidentally if i went to one and asked for a steak I wouldn’t get one.
"Nor would I expect to do so. Nor would I not recommend them for not giving me something I want."
You can visit Wood in Manchester at Jack Rosenthal Street, First Street, M15 4RA.
