Where Is the Masterchef Kitchen?
The Masterchef Kitchen Isn't Really a Kitchen . . . in Fact, For a Long Time It Was a Brewery!
Masterchef has been on our TV screens for almost 30 years, and there's one question everyone wants to know: Where exactly is that amazing, cavernous Masterchef kitchen? The answer depends on exactly which series you're talking about. The show has moved around as the format has altered, but one thing has remained the same: the food is amazing, the judges are . . . judgy, and cooking really doesn't get tougher than this!
1990-2001
The very first iteration of Masterchef was presented by Loyd Grossman and aired in 1990. The show was filmed in the Maidstone Studios in Kent, and the concept was much simpler then. There were only three contestants each week, and they created menus that would have made Delia Smith proud. The show ran for 11 years, and then in 2005, the revamped version arrived, with Gregg Wallace and John Torode taking over.
2005-2011
The first location of the revamped show wasn't exactly a glamorous one. Filming took place in City University's Halls of Residence on Bastwick Street in London's Clerkenwell (the show is filmed up to five months before it airs, so it would have been fairly easy to film while avoiding curious students). The only telltale sign of its dual purpose was the famous Masterchef logo hung above the door. Although there's still a student residence building on Bastwick Street, the original building no longer exists.
2011-2014
The next stop was Wandsworth in South West London and the Ram Brewery. The former Young's Brewery location, a stone's throw from Wandsworth Town station, was the Masterchef filming location for three years.
2014-2018
Most recently, the show has made its home at 3 Mills Studio in East London. It's not the only cooking show to have been filmed at the studios: Hell's Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live also used the space for filming.
The series also puts chefs in real kitchens (our favourite episodes) and in the most recent season they've cooked at Coya in Mayfair, Greek restaurant Meraki in Fitzrovia and steakhouse Smith & Wollensky in Covent Garden. Masterchef winners have gone on to open restaurants like the Mexican street food chain Wahaca, Japanese restaurant Nanban in Brixton, London, and Wood in Manchester.
