Former MasterChef semi-finalist 2013, Marcus Wilcox, is set to take over at Michelin-starred Sienna Restaurant in May.

The 26-year-old who currently works at the Rose and Crown in Trent, near Sherborne, has acquired a lease on Sienna and is hoping to keep the Michelin star achieved by current chef patron  Russell Brown in 2010. "It's really exciting," said Marcus.

"My plan is to keep the star but if it doesn't work out when I take over I'm not to worried, I will work up to that. I'll need time to adjust and get my feet on the ground before I really start pushing for a star."

He added: "It's one place in this area that I've always said I wanted to purchase if it came up. The food I like doing is fine dining and Sienna can only do 14 covers, it allows me to really focus on the ingredients.  That really appealed to me although it may not appeal to others."

Sienna has been under the watchful eye of Russell and his wife Eléna for the past 12 years, they will be running their last service on April 25 before starting out on new projects including a website and consultancy business.

Marcus, who has previously worked at The Ledbury and trained under executive chef Andrew Wilson at Ashdown Park, is aiming to reopen in the first week of June and will be bringing his own style to the menu but he's not looking to change it too much.

He said: "The menu is going to be modern British and a little more refined but there won't be many changes to start with, Sienna has a great clientele and I don't want to scare them off."  

>>> Read more about Marcus Wilcox here