‘I'll kick myself in 10 years if I don’t go for it’

I step into the Cool Carrot in Highgate where Antos Tytko is busy counting how many forks his flatmate needs to bring from home – the venue is missing a few.

I'm meeting the 30-year-old north Londoner at his first solo supper club.

It is 6:15pm and guests are arriving in 15 minutes.

"I'm nervous but ready," he tells me whilst checking if the spoons are all there.

It is just a week after he quit his banking job to pursue his dream of cooking.

He tells me that handing in his notice was quite scary but was also an easy decision given that he was almost juggling two jobs before.

"Everyone who I was working with was shocked that it took me this long," he laughs.

Antos, who has Polish heritage, reached the latest final of MasterChef, a BBC cooking show - finishing fourth.

A career in food never felt realistic, he tells me. Not because banking was his dream, but because it offered stability and he didn't even dream of entertaining the idea that people would pay for his cooking.

"Before I went to MasterChef, I wouldn't have ever thought that I was even a good enough cook. Anyone wanting to pay for my food would have been a wild suggestion before.

"It was only after the show, when I got as far as I did, that I was like, okay, maybe there's something here.

"Since the show's come out, people have messaged me, like, we actually really want to try your food - which still amazes me."

Tonight, he is cooking for 25 people and for the first time, they are not just friends and family.

The dishes he is serving are inspired by his time on the show.

As a starter, we are served corn ribs with a pineapple and chilli sauce - that same sauce was used when he won the pizza challenge on MasterChef.

Then, for the main, we are given spiced lamb with curried pea which is a simplified version of lamb dish that got him to the finals.

On the show, Antos was known for his experimental and creative cooking, so it wasn't a surprise when he brought out a Thai green curry ice cream - the same one that had stunned the judges on the show.

The finalist tells me he actually used to enjoy working in corporate banking. But after the show aired and he began posting on Instagram as "Antos Does Food", the nine-to-five no longer felt as appealing.

"It just didn't feel the same as it did before."

He says his gut told him it was time to go for it.

"Once the show was out, I thought I've got to take my opportunity, I'll kick myself in 10 years if I don't go for it, and now's the moment to see if it's an actual feasible career."

For Antos, supper clubs are about more than just the food - they are about the experience and the people.

"You kind of buying into people, as well as the food."

This is exactly what he hopes to create - cooking with a pinch of personality.

The 30-year-old says he is planning on hosting more supper clubs and pop-ups.

And whilst he has dreams to be back on TV, Antos also hopes he can modernise Polish cuisine.

Whilst the Polish restaurants in London are delicious, they are still very traditional, he tells me.

"I was doing my Polish twists on the show, I'd take a classic dish like pierogi, which is kind of the Polish dumpling, but I put Peking duck flavours in mine, because to me, that is what I love about food."

"Growing up in London, you try so many different cuisines and you have so many different memories. I really love taking two memories and combining them together and seeing what happens, so hopefully I can bring some sort of fusion to Polish cuisine, at least in the UK."

He is giving himself until Christmas to see if his passion can also be a long-term career.

"I've probably got enough savings to get me through like 12 months, so I'm going to give it till Christmas, and then reassess, but I feel like I'm in quite a lucky situation - I've got no kids, I've got no outward responsibilities," he says.

"The worst case scenario is that I'm like, I really like this, but I can't see myself making any money from this, so I need to go back to my corporate job."

Despite the uncertainty and fear of the unknown, Antos is optimistic.

"It's exciting that I'm in a position now where I think the next six months I'm going to probably learn more about myself than I have done potentially in the rest of my life, so whether that be for good or bad, I think either way I'll come out of it a better and more rounded person."