'For goodness sake, buy some plates!' Masterchef winner's new restaurant serves food directly onto diners' hands

A Masterchef winner has opened a restaurant where diners are served food on the backs of their hands as the so-called 'no plates' fad reaches a new extreme.

Anton Piotrowski, 34, has faced a mixed reaction after ditching plates altogether for the first course at Brown & Bean in Plymouth.

Customers who sit down for the nine-course taster menu, the only evening menu on offer, are first treated to a squirt of burnt apple puree and crunchy pork on their hand from a waiter.

The small pile of food, topped off with apple blossom, must then be gobbled up without causing too much mess.

Local food reviewer Louise Daniel hailed it as a “novel idea” and a “conversation starter”. The Plymouth Herald critic added that the food itself tastes “sensational” and, of course, “there are no plates to clear away”.

But the Michelin-starred cook, who won Masterchef: The Professionals in 2012, has also seen the practice slammed as “pretentious”.

Christine Lumby, of Plymouth, told the Sun: “I’ve noticed before there was a lack of proper plates in restaurants. Now I’ve seen it all.

“Anton Piotrowski has opened a trendy restaurant and one of the courses is served directly on to the back of your hand.

“For goodness sake, buy some plates.”

Another person bluntly commented on the Plymouth Herald’s glowing review of the restaurant that it was “pretentious piffle”.

A video posted to Twitter shows three people with their arms outstretched, being served the appetiser by Mr Piotrowski himself.

He spoons the various components one-by-one onto their hands before grinning and fleeing back to the kitchen.

Although the customers appear to be enjoying the experience, one remarks after the chef has left: “So what do we do now?”

The 'no plates' fad has seen diners across the country served food in everything from hats to table tennis bats, as documented by the 'We Want Plates' Twitter handle.