Silsden plasterer Tom Rennolds has been pipped to the title of Masterchef 2012 – but the 26-year-old has the world on his plate after last Thursday’s final.

Tom, of Silsden, lost out in the last programme of the BBC1 series to Shelina Permalloo, but said he was happy to share the runners-up placing with fellow contestant Andrew Kojima.

He said: “Shelina is an incredibly worthy winner. The three of us have become firm friends. There's been a lot of friendly rivalry, but we get on brilliantly.”

Tom is now planning to forge a new career as a chef. In the short-term he plans to set up a private dining business, but the wealth of contacts he has made in the catering world are about to prove fruitful. After earning plaudits from top chefs such as Michel Roux Jr, Tom Kitchin, Jocelyn Herland and Claire Smyth, he is likely to be offered placements in some of the best kitchens in Britain as he hones his craft.

He watched the broadcast of the final show from the studios in London, but filming on the series actually finished in November. Since then the contestants have been sworn to secrecy about the final result, and told to get on with their lives. For Tom that meant continuing as a plasterer, playing football at weekends, and hanging out with his mates. He said: “It was weird going back to it all for the first couple of weeks, but I just had to get on with things.”

Tom’s final meal for judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode was a starter of langoustines, a quail main and a Yorkshire rhubarb pudding – all from a chef who did not really get into food until he was 17. He said he ultimately wants to run his own restaurant.