Bar manager Tim Anderson has been crowned the youngest ever winner of MasterChef after weeks of intense competition in the BBC1 culinary challenge.

The 26-year-old American, known for his experimental dishes, now plans to build his own food empire. Judge and presenter John Torode said his cooking was the “best culinary explosion” the programme had ever seen.

Viewers have watched Mr Anderson battle his way through 11 weeks, winning a place in the 20 who started the contest through to the finals screened this week, alongside Tom Whitaker and Sara Danesin.

Their final challenges included making lunch in the Australian rainforest, catering for a wedding in 35C heat, cooking at three of New York’s finest restaurants and preparing a three-course menu for some of the chefs who had mentored them during the series. His final meal for Torode and fellow judge Gregg Wallace involved a complex array of “slider” sandwiches, themed to a trio of cities, a Japanese noodle dish with truffled lobster and a selection of British puddings.