No. Twelve’s Ritchie Stainsby on cooking up a storm on MasterChef: The Professionals
We speak to the plant-based chef about his star appearance on the show...
The cooking show MasterChef: The Professionals is known for bringing Britain’s best chefs on to compete for the crown. One of those was Ritchie Stainsby, who is chef patron at No. Twelve in Nottingham.
I spoke with him about his time on the show, the process of growing and running the restaurant, and — yes — even how he created the Goose Fair tart that dazzled the country’s biggest food critics.
If you’re looking for things to do in Nottingham and want to try out some of the best food here, the plant-based No. Twelve is worth trying. Whether you’re vegan or not, it’s absolutely sure to wow you.
MasterChef, mushy peas, and masterful creation
By Eve Smallman
Watching Ritchie Stainsby working on MasterChef: The Professionals, it’s hard not to root for him. As he crafts dish after dish filled with creative flair and flavours, he whizzes around the kitchen with total excitement, brimming with ideas.
“Masterchef is something that I've dreamt about being on since I was a kid. When I applied, I just thought, ‘I'm dreaming here,’ but when I got that phone call, that's when the hard work really started,” explains Ritchie Stainsby, chef patron of Nottingham’s No. Twelve. “It's a real high intense, stressful environment, as you can imagine.”
He says that it’s exactly as it’s aired on the show — the highs and the lows of the whole process. No clever cuts or second chances. It’s very nerve-wracking to watch on the sofa, let alone actually being in the kitchen and having to serve some of Britain’s top chefs and food critics.
Ritchie continues, “Alongside that, it is the most amazing thing that I've ever done. Everything that you do as a chef — what makes you tick, the intense long days, the stressful environments — we sort of thrive off because we're a bit weird.”
As they say, diamonds are made under pressure — and Ritchie definitely did shine. He brought his signature brand of plant-based dining — something his restaurant No. Twelve is well-known for — onto national television.
Not only did he do this, but he showcased Nottingham cuisine, too. Okay —you know we’re going to talk about mushy peas and mint sauce. “I'm a Nottingham lad, born and bred, and Goose Fair is just the thing to do in Nottingham in autumn,” Ritchie explains. “I was always going to have to celebrate something, whether it was Robin Hood or something that's Nottingham heritage.”
However, Ritchie loved the idea that Goose Fair brought in not only the entertainment side of a dish, but the culinary side, too. “It's very cheap food that's been around for generations after generations. It's a real classic. And if you know, you know.”
When he started designing his Goose Fair tart and showing it to other people (particularly to judges Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing), Ritchie says they thought he was crazy. “But, it’s an absolute staple in my eyes, and I wanted to see how far I could push a really simple creation that was Nottingham focussed.”
He elevated it all the way to creating a pea mousse, lemon and elderflower caviar, and spearmint salsa.
The risk paid off. Critics William Sitwell, Grace Dent, and Jimi Famurewa all adored it. William even called it the best vegan dish he’d ever had. “When I got the feedback, I was absolutely blown away. I don't think you can express what that feels like to serve some of the best critics in the world and they all absolutely love it. I'm going to be remembering that one forever.”
As a Nottingham resident and fellow mushy pea lover, I think I let out an audible cheer when I found out he was going to be making the tart. I might have let out a few more cheers when the judges' feedback came back. And I most definitely smiled when I found out that chef patron Ritchie Stainsby was going on MasterChef: The Professionals.
While he’s now made his big appearance on one of television’s most prestigious cooking shows, Ritchie didn’t start out with glamour and fame. “I started off my venture into hospitality working for Jamie's Italian in Nottingham, where I realised I was far more suited to dealing with things back of the house than I was in the front. I just love the energy of the kitchen,” he explains.
Ritchie also became a vegetarian at a very young age, going plant-based not long after that. “The standard options were bean burgers and stuff. So, I found myself as a really young kid, watching the classics like James Martin and Jamie Oliver, replicating what they did and trying to make things a bit more interesting for the diet that I chose to follow.”
This all ultimately led to him and his wife Lauren creating their own restaurant. “We went away for about six months to get some inspiration and did a lot of travelling. We made some big, bold decisions, realising that we still wanted to be part of hospitality, but that we desperately wanted to work for ourselves.”
When I first walked into No. Twelve (named that because it first sat on 12 Houndsgate), it was a small brunch place that served amazing veggie and vegan dishes. “We sat between like 10 and 14 covers,” Ritchie says. “We then started to get a bit experimental, running supper clubs and tasting menus out of a tiny little space, we realised that we were just bursting at the seams.”
A restaurant around the corner on Eldon Chambers (where they used to go for a drink after work) unfortunately closed its doors — and they quickly snapped it up. “We opened at the tail end of November 2019, got engaged on our first night, and we’ve been trading ever since.”
This now serves elegant small plates, all executed to perfection. I’ve been a fair few times and I’ve loved it every single one. Every dish is thoughtfully done, the flavours are always exciting and interesting, and I always leave feeling wowed and (most importantly) full.
“What I love about being a chef in Nottingham is the fact that there are some great chefs around us. Although we're not London or Manchester, we've got some fantastic restaurants. Thankfully, there's a great independent scene in Nottingham, and I've been able to slot into that as a chef, which has been great,” Ritchie explains. “We are one of the only plant-based restaurants in Nottingham, but it’s nice to see us inspiring other restaurants to do more plant-based offerings on their menus.”
Ritchie adds that Nottingham is a really super fun place. “It's got a great mixture of people culturally and people who are a different age range, that are willing to go into a plant-based restaurant with open arms and taste our food.”
Not only has it become a complete game-changer in Nottingham, but it has also won plenty of recognition outside the area. At The Food Awards, it has won the regional and overall winner of the best vegetarian establishment for four years running. It also won a Gold Seal at the 2025 Good Food Awards.
While the accolades are wonderful, seeing everyday people diving into his food is one of the biggest highlights for Ritchie. “I love walking through the restaurant on a random night in the week, seeing it busy and people wanting to say hey and absolutely loving it. I think that's the biggest highlight for me,” he tells me.
He also enjoys running it with his wife Lauren. “A lot of people think we're mad, but we just seem to have this weird relationship where we're able to leave things at the door, which is absolutely what you have to do when you work and live and breathe together,” he explains. “Lauren is the level-headed one, and I'm the mental one. I've got that person that will bring me down to earth if I'm planning something ridiculous and I'll be that person that gives Lauren the push to go out of her comfort zone. We’re just a perfect yin and yang.”
With MasterChef: The Professionals under his belt and No. Twelve right at the forefront of national fame and acclaim, I have to ask what’s next. One of the things Ritchie says he’d like to do is relocate the restaurant. “Where we are right now is absolutely fantastic, but there are certain things that hold us back, such as being over multiple floors,” he tells me. “I’d love to have an open pass, which would allow for better communication with the team and being able to see customers enjoying the space.”
He’d also be up for coming back on the small screen again. “I absolutely had a great time on the telly, so hopefully people enjoyed what I bought on their TVs, and hopefully I'll get some future opportunities on that side too.”
For those who loved seeing the Goose Fair tart and Ritchie’s other creations on the show, No. Twelve is serving a MasterChef tasting menu in January 2025 which will be inspired by his time on the show (see it here).
I ask if he would do anything differently if he could go back on MasterChef: The Professionals. “I think we all know that I wouldn't serve a basil ice cream that was brown,” he laughs. “I also think what I needed to do was listen to the feedback of the judges. They're there for a reason, they're the experts. If I went back on, I would certainly just apply that ethos that less is more.”
But, right now, Ritchie is going to carry on absolutely thriving at No. Twelve, which we’re so lucky to have right here in our city. “I love Nottingham, and I love being a chef in it. It’s our home and it’s always at the forefront of what we think about.”
MasterChef: The Professionals is on Monday December 2 at 9pm, Tuesday December 3, and Thursday December 5, and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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