Masterchef 2023 champion teases ambitions to open northern Thai restaurant in Bolton

The current MasterChef champion said she could be eyeing up the potential of opening up a new north Thai restaurant in Bolton as part of plans to introduce her home comforts to the rest of the world.

Chariya Khattiyot went from master coffee roaster to MasterChef 2023 winner this summer after she impressed judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace throughout the series with her northern Thai delicacies, including a traditional ‘Khantoke’ sharing platter featuring Wagyu sirloin steak in a Hung Lay curry sauce and minced lamb in a spicy tomato and shrimp paste.

Chariya, 40, who was born and raised in Chiang Mai but now lives in Farnborough, Hampshire, was described by Gregg as one of the ‘most creative and skillful cooks’ that he had ever witnessed. She has now revealed plans to open her own brand of northern Thai restaurants, with Bolton firmly on the map.

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Speaking at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival, Chariya said: “You need to make sure you have the right location so hopefully next year I will open [a restaurant]. That could then be several branches if I can. You never know, we might have a restaurant in Bolton, that would be nice.”

Chariya, who moved to the UK almost 20 years ago, appeared at the popular festival for a cooking demonstration on Saturday (August 26). Speaking ahead of her appearance, she said: “I’ll be cooking one of my signature dishes I made on the show, showcasing Thai cuisine and hometown food. I want to inspire the audience that it’s easy food that you can cook at home and it’s tasty.

“Not a lot of people know about northern Thai food so that’s my mission, to showcase that and spread the word and that