FROM Bury schoolboy to Masterchef finalist, this year Steven Lickely stirred the nation with his culinary panache as he soared his way to the final three in one of the toughest cooking competitions around.

The star chef wowed judges and viewers week after week with his dazzling and unique

creations, and despite not winning the competition he certainly won hearts with his ubiquitous smile.

Brad Marshall and Bury Times caught up with Steven to chat Masterchef, his cooking career and find out what his the future holds.

Originally from Sale, Steven's path to cooking stardom was not always an obvious one.

Cooking did not really run in his family, and although he did bake from time to time with his grandmother, his house growing up was by no means a foodie one.

It was instead at school at Woodhey High School in Ramsbottom when the 26-year-old first developed an interest and a flare for cooking.

He said: "I wasn't a very good boy in school, but the one thing that I quite liked to do was food tech. So that's where I found my love for cooking."

Leaving the school with just one GCSE in food technology, Steven then moved to Bury College to pursue catering diplomas, before becoming a full time chef.

However, like most graduates Steven was far from certain about the direction he wanted his life to head in.

He said: "At this point in my life I was not completely sure that cooking was something that I wanted to do as a full time career.

"But it was when I moved away to Yorkshire that I found my passion for food, working in some really good restaurants.

"I went to a two rosette restaurant, The Nags Head in Pickhill just outside Thirsk, and for me it was all about the food.

"I was on my own doing breakfast, lunch and dinner service, and I didn't have a car so it was just all about me and the food.

"It was the first time I had seen a really good standard of food as I had worked in chain restaurants previously.

"It gave me a real fire in my belly and I loved it."

From there Steven progressed to the Aysgarth Falls Hotel, in North Yorkshire, and the Fox Inn in Guildford where Steven says he saw the greatest improvement and progression in his cooking, and where "I learned my most".

It was also at The Fox Inn, where Steven began working with talented chef, Shane Cook, who at the time was going for his Michelin star and remains his executive chef to this day.

This was followed by another relocation to London and a shift to corporate catering for Vacherin.

There, at his current position at the international shipping broker Clarksons at St Katherine's Docks, Steven has been able to concoct his own menus and experiment with his individual style.

However, he admits that the sector has some drawbacks when compared to restaurant cooking.

He said: "This is a very different world to restaurants. It is good for a work life balance but I think restaurants are better for critics.

"The people I cook for never really give me much feed back and you need that to learn where you are going wrong and where you are going right. But it is getting better."

After more than eight years in the food industry, while watching Masterchef last year Steven's girlfriend Emma turned to him and said "you could do this".

He had been told this by many people before but said always brushed it aside.

After a bit more pushing from Emma, Steven eventually applied, but that was only the start of his challenging Masterchef campaign.

He said: "There are a lot of processes just to get on the show and every one I got through got tougher and tougher.

"I just thought I'm going to go on there and give it my all. It is one of the best experiences of my life.

"The standard this year was so high, so I was over the moon with where I got."

Now in its 10th series, and this year won by Craig Johnston, Steven described how Masterchef: the Professionals poses a near unique challenge for chefs, in which they are forced to alter the very dynamic of how they cook, and think about the food they are preparing.

He said: "You are put in a position where you have to think about a dish with a story and a back ground. And you had to come up with something out of nothing.

"These are things that you would never think about as a chef, so it gets your mind working in different ways and brings the creative side out of you."

As well as revolutionising his cooking Steven feels that the process has left him more confident and assured with his style.

He said: "When I went on Masterchef I felt like I didn't have a style of cooking.

"But now I feel I have found my own style which is taking classic flavours and dishes and flipping them on their head giving the diner new experiences they have never had before.

"It has also given me more confidence. It was a very positive moment in my life and I'm really glad that I did it."

After the busy Masterchef competition, and a return to service, Steven enjoyed well earned time off over the Christmas and New Year period.

But far from resting on his laurels Steven says he has ambitious plans to make 2018 his year and push his career in new directions.

In the early part of 2018 he is taking part in three pop-up restaurants, based on the Masterchef series, and featuring five of his fellow contestants from the show.

The chefs will be preparing some of their dishes from the series to give customers a real taste of what they have seen on the television.

The first of the pop-ups takes place on January 27 at Roux in Parliament Square, during which Steven will serve his smoked cheese and variations of onion starter.

The second will take place at The Frog in Shoreditch on February 18, where he will serve his Pina Colada, and the third at Simpsons in Birmingham on March 18, where he will be serving fish and chips.

Steven also has further plans for more pop-ups and projects throughout the year but admits they are not yet set in stone.

However he hasn't ruled out a return to his roots and his home town, even hinting that he is thinking about making an appearance in Ramsbottom, and has many options.

Further down the line Steven hopes to return to restaurants and one day even own his own.

When he makes the move however, Steven says he wants to feel properly prepared.

He said: "In the future I will be going back back into restaurants because I'm missing service and the buzz.

"Eventually the dream is to own a restaurant with Emma who is a general manager, so we would have front of house and back of house covered.

"It is probably a good three to five years away. I think I still have a lot to learn, and I am possibly two years away, in a good restaurant from being a head chef.

"I have always wanted a restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere. I don't want it to be uptight.

"I want a great buzz, simple food with great flavour that people want to come back to and feel the love."