“I called Ben and started freaking out,” Andy recalls.

           Not only did Andy take out season four’s title, he also secured a lucrative book
           deal and the chance for the world to check out his favourite recipes.

Problem was: he didn’t have many to offer.

“I had to provide the publishers with 80 to 100 recipes and have them tested in three weeks,” he says.
“I was so inexperienced going into the show – I didn’t have 80 recipes!”

Panic set in, and there was only one person who could calm him down.

“I called Ben and started freaking out,” Andy recalls.
“If you look at previous winners – Julie Goodwin is a mum ad cooks every night, same with Kate Bracks, and Adam Liaw is one smart dude – then there’s me who’s 24 years old and a sparky.”
Alone with a laptop and a million thoughts running through his head, Andy began jotting down all the food that inspires him. It’s this list that forms the basis of his first book The Next Element.
“I had most of the recipes by the time I went down to Tasmania to see Ben. Then, we tasted them all and we surprisingly didn’t have many stuff-ups,” says Andy.

          Andy's cook-book is broken into three sections - cooking for the family,
          cooking for friends and a new direction. 
          "The whole process took about eight weeks, from writing the recipes 
            to  publication - and doing it with Ben just made it so much 
            easier," Allen said.

(Source: The Examiner, Dec 1, 2012 & TV WEEK Magazine, Jan 9, 2013)