The couple have gone from strength to strength since announcing their romance.

MasterChef’s Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary.

MasterChef’s Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary’s relationship has gone from strength to strength. Photos: Instagram/sarahtodd

It’s been just over a month since MasterChef‘s Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary surprised fans and announced they are now in a relationship. The couple began dating while filming season 17 of the reality show late last year; however, they’ve already celebrated plenty of exciting milestones together.

Not only have they moved in together, with Declan relocating from Sydney to Melbourne to live with Sarah and her 14-year-old son, but they’ve also met each other’s families. Declan posted an Instagram Story on Tuesday evening of himself and Sarah at dinner in Melbourne with his lookalike father.

While some fans admitted they were distracted by the “crazy resemblance” between Declan and his dad, many said they loved seeing the loved-up couple grow stronger in their relationship.

“I’m so happy for them both,” one person said, while another added, “Sarah seems SO much happier, lively and generally easier going this season for it. I think they bring out the best in each other and it’s wonderful”.

“It is really sweet to see this,” a third remarked, while someone else joked, “Girl got two for the price of one”.

MasterChef’s Sarah Todd and Declan Cleary with his dad.

Fans were thrilled to see Declan and Sarah getting dinner with his dad. Photo: Instagram/declancleary

One person who is especially thrilled for Declan and Sarah’s relationship is MasterChef judge Poh Ling Yeow, who admitted to Yahoo Lifestyle that she was completely unaware of their connection during filming.

“It was happening in front of my eyes, and I didn’t even see it. I feel like such a doofus, but I’m so happy for them,” she remarked.

Poh shared that although Declan and Sarah appear to be complete opposites on paper, she believes they are a “perfect” match and understands why they fell for one another.

“I don’t think anyone expected it, because I think they’re such different people, but in many ways, I can see how they were really attracted to each other,” she said. “Because Sarah is actually super down to earth, she’s really quiet and introverted, and Deckers is just sort of like, all out. And I think they’re just like, such a great contrasting match.”

Declan told Stellar Magazine last month that he and Sarah “instantly got along and started spending a lot of time together” when they began filming season 17 in November last year.

“Nothing was ever rushed or forced – we just enjoyed spending time together,” he added. “And Sarah, being from Melbourne, knew all the places to go. So we’d go to the beach, or go-karting, and we went out for lots of dinners.”

It was only when Sarah was facing elimination that he realised he felt more than just a friendship and asked her on a date, and after taking time to recover from the challenge and digest Declan’s offer, they spent a “very romantic” weekend in Grampians National Park.

The first MasterChef love story

Declan and Sarah aren’t the first couple who have found love in the cooking competition, with Chris Badenoch and Julia Jenkins developing a spark during season one in 2009.

The pair officially tied the knot in 2013 and will celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary next month.