MasterChef... the restaurant
IT is the nation’s favourite cooking show – and MasterChef could now be a step closer to opening its first UK restaurant.
Makers of the hit series, Shine TV, have applied to make the name “MasterChef” a trademark, the Sunday Mirror can reveal.
Fans of the show, presented by Gregg Wallace and John Torode, can already buy a range of MasterChef merchandise, including aprons, kettles and toasters.
But the trademark application, submitted to the Intellectual Property Office earlier this year, takes things a step further.
It includes provision for restaurant and coffee shop services, snack bars, a cookery school and a wine-tasting venue.
The show could also be planning to share some culinary advice, as the application covers “providing an online computer database... featuring information about recipes, ingredients and cooking information.”
MasterChef, currently in its 17th series for the BBC, has been exported all over the world.
And the US version of the show, whose hosts include British chef Gordon Ramsay, has already announced plans to launch an eat-in diner.
But fans here may have to wait before they get to enjoy a MasterChef menu.
A spokesman for the show said: “There are no current plans to launch a restaurant in the UK.”