Back when chefs on TV were still the exception rather than the norm, Jean-Christophe Novelli was already a familiar face to British fans. The French maestro started working in a bakery aged just 14 but quickly became private head chef to the family of the Rothschild banking dynasty in Paris.

In the early 1980s, Novelli moved to the UK and worked at renowned restaurants as the country’s culinary revolution started to gather pace. He soon opened several Michelin-awarded restaurants and the Novelli Academy Cookery School, which has been a popular draw for budding chefs for over 15 years.

The award-winning chef has been recognised with accolades such as AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year and 5 out 5 AA Rosettes. Novelli is now a judge on MasterChef Australia alongside Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Andy Allen, imparting his wisdom to contestants as they compete on challenges that test their food knowledge and cooking skills. “It was a rollercoaster. The level of the food was extraordinary, I had to be reminded they were not chefs, just amateur cooks,” he says of the 2024 season of MasterChef Australia.

Here he chews on six restaurants that have inspired his own culinary journey.