"Whoever wins, it'll change their life. Cooking doesn't get tougher than this."

I love MasterChef.

I love the format, the food, failures, successes and over the top banter of the John Torode-Greg Wallace partnership.

I believe and admire the fact that the contestants genuinely throw in perfectly good-paying jobs to chase a dream and champion good food.

I also believe that MasterChef winners, trophy firmly in hand, either ride off into the sunset buoyed by a wave of offers from Michelin-star restaurants wanting them for their kitchens, or open their own successful restaurants that go on to earn their own Michelin stars.

Apparently, this is not how the story goes. Well, not always.

According to MasterChef semi-finalist David Hall, once the cameras stop rolling, it doesn't take long before the phones stop ringing and the only one chasing you for an autograph is your best friend's 85-year-old grandmother.

Having been on MasterChef twice, first in the 2006 series and again the following year when he was asked back as a finalist, David knows all too well how the story can end.

Originally trained as a teacher but later ending up in IT, David held down a steady but unfulfilling job in Leeds when he decided to act on a 20-year love affair with food by applying for a place on the show.

"I was always a fan of the original programme, when Lloyd Grossman used to host it, so when I saw the new format I wanted to apply," he said. "It was brilliant to make it down to the final cut but when you actually get pushed into that room and you've never cooked in front of cameras before, it's very daunting."

When he failed to make the finals first time around, David did what most MasterChef contestants do, he slipped back into his old IT job and routine life back in Leeds. Doubts in his ability to succeed in the world of food crept in, but unlike so many others gone before him, David was given a second chance. MasterChef invited him back to compete in the finals the following year.

Recognising it as a turning point and a chance to pursue his lifelong dream, David decided to quit his job in order to focus all his attention on the show and what he believed would be a new-found career in food; with or without the accolade of a MasterChef title.

"The whole experience sucks you in and you have to be very compliant because there are intimidating people there ripping your food apart and asking you over and over 'do you really want to to do this'.

"It's a whirlwind of emotion but as quickly as it can suck you in it can spit you back out just as quick. Some people go on the programme because they're enticed by the cameras and think it will turn them into overnight celebrity chefs.

"It's not like this. Even for the winner, there are no guarantees. When it's over, no one chases you with job offers. It's up to you to work hard and keep yourself in the limelight, working on your own intitiative all the time. Most contestants aren't prepared for that, so end up going back to their old jobs."

David was determined not to let this happen to him twice. Two days after being voted off the show for a second time at semi-final stage, the passionate Geordie moved his family from Leeds to his home city of Newcastle and started banging on the doors of local restaurants.

"I got a job in the kitchen of a well-respected restuarant in Newcastle, but it became a harsh reality for me," he said.

A self-professed family man with a newly-born daughter, David found the irregular and unsocial hours required from a restuarant chef didn't suit his personality.

"It was a slap in the face to find the thing I thought I wanted most in the world, just wasn't for me," he said. "So I started doing fine dining, going into people’s homes and cooking for them. Then I saw an article on a guy called Mark Earnden and ExpoChef, in which he was teaching children at my old primary school about food. As I come from a teaching background and love kids, this just seemed perfect for me, so I looked him up and haven’t looked back since."

For the past two years, David's focus has been on educating children and their parents about food. As part of the ExpoChef team he has presented live cookery demonstrations at schools, farmers' markets and food events in the north east, designing menus and cooking dishes using local seasonal produce.

As a father, teaching children and their families the importance of a healthy balanced diet, sparking enthusiasm through fun and simple food is incredibly important to David and this is reflected in his recipes.

"This nation is in a mess and we need to sort ourselves out. People's knowledge of food just isn’t there any more, which is why people turn to fast food. This has to stop.

"The best place to start educating people is with the kids. I’ve now done big healthy food shows in over 250 schools right across the region, teaching literally thousands of children each month, and I love it. I love seeing kids get happy over food, getting their hands dirty."

In between developing new recipes, with the help of his daughter Cerys, teaching children and attending food workshops, David also has launched his own website and successful food blog and hopes to become a full-time food writer.

"I hate to coin the phrase, but it's been a dream come true and I suppose MasterChef really did change my life."

David will be writing a regular Monday column for Times Online called Kids in the Kitchen, where he develops easy, healthy recipes children and parents can enjoy making together. He kicks off this week with a special easter treat - chocolate and orange hot cross buns.

Explore Food & Drink

• Gordon Ramsay

• Heston Blumenthal

• Recipes

• Wine

• Real Food

• Drinks

• Anjum Anand

• Eating Out

• Video Recipes

Times Recommends

• Top Ten most searched for recipes
• Chalet Chef 2010: the winning menus
• Gin and pomegranate jellies