When it comes to foraging out opportunities, Mike Bartley is certainly prepared to put the hard work in.
The chef, who is taking part in Seaham Food Festival this weekend, has been making the most of the platform provided by his appearance on Masterchef earlier this year.
Since then, despite the challenges of lockdown, Mike, from Bishop Auckland, has worked hard to make his name as a chef and share his enthusiasm for foraging ingredients through a new food blog and website.
Read more: all-you-need-to-know guide to Seaham Food Festival
On Saturday, he hosted two food demonstrations in the outdoor kitchen set up on Seaham sea front for the popular festival which is making a return following last year's cancellation.
He shared the stage's spotlight during the day with famous chef Rosemary Shrager as well as familiar TV faces from Bake Off and on Sunday he will be back for the festival's second day with two more demos.
During Saturday's break, he told how glad he is to be taking part and of his ambitious plans following that Masterchef stint.
"This was my first ever food demonstration so I was quite nervous but it was really good; I really enjoyed it," he said.
"I wanted to show people some of the dishes I made on Masterchef but I wanted to put a bit more of a foraging slant on it.
"After the show people really wanted to know about foraging.
"So I really wanted to feature that in my food today and give people some tips."
He said that life since his TV appearance has been "an absolute whirlwind".
And he said he has taken the plunge and left his job in charge of a Sunderland branch of Starbucks in order to start his own business.
It's a big step but he has big ambitions and is keen to bring something fresh to his North East roots.
Through his business he will be hosting some private dining and pop-ups so that people will be able to try his food in a restaurant setting.
He is also offering dine-at-home boxes, with three-course meals that people can order and enjoy from the comfort of their house.
He writes an online blog on his site about his interests in foraging, which are striking a real chord as he encourages people to explore the possibilities of foraged ingredients.
Mike will be sharing more of his food tips at the festival's outdoor kitchen on the green this Sunday at 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
He said of the event: "It was such a shame we didn't get to do this last year - understandably - but it's so nice that it has gone ahead this year.
"It's absolutely heaving and it's so nice to see."
For a guide to what's on at Seaham Food Festival see here and for more about Mike see his Djam Kitchen website here.
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