Frequently Asked Questions
Who are you and where do you come from?
How did the whole MasterChef thing start?
How do you enter the competition?
What stages do you have to go through with
the competition?
What happens when you get through to the television?
When do things happen?
Were you surprised when you got selected
to go on the television?
Who were the judges for final?
What did you win?
What has happened since the final?
Would you recommend others to have a go?
So what next?
What did you cook?
Who are you and where do you come from?
I’m originally from Auckland in New Zealand but have now settled in the
UK since 1990. I’m married to Jayne and have one daughter, Georgina, who’s
six. Of course I can't forget to mention our two lovely dogs - Wootton
the bassett hound and Symi the Old English Sheepdog. We all live
in Upper Swainswick, which is just outside Bath. I am the first New
Zealander to have won the competition.
How did the whole MasterChef thing start?
My interest in cooking began when I was about 20. I used to cook
at the Auckland Technical Institue ski club for fun. I entered the MasterChef
competition the previous year but didn’t get selected so I thought I’d
try again - I first tried in the London region but this time I entered
in Taunton and was successful!
How do you enter the competition?
If you are interested in entering the competition then application forms
can be obtained by contacting:
MasterChef
PO Box 359
Kerdiston
Norwich,
NR10 4UU
What did you cook?
(You will find some pictures and recipes if you follow the links)
Clear Gazpacho
-o-
Smoked Venison fillet with Liquorice & Game Jus, grilled Polenta,
Morel Mushrooms, Runner Beans and Pears
-o-
Almond Sourdough Cake with Plum Compote and Orange Curd ice-cream
The venison was smoked in New Zealand ti-tree, which dad sent over specially
Roasted beetroot and goats cheese tower with potato wafers
-o-
Anchovy larded Blue Fin tuna with garlic mash, green beans and Wasabi
vinaigrette
-o-
Orange scented Manjari Chocolate mousse wrapped in a stripped sponge
with citrus fruit salad and chocolate and orange sorbets
Olive oil poached
tomatoes with peas and a veal jus
-o-
Fillet of pork,
apple and fennel salad, fennel puree, apple chips, and mustard vinaigrette
-o-
Peanut Butter
mousse wrapped in chocolate with raspberry jelly and chocolate sauce (with
smiley face presentation)
What stages do you have to go through
with the competition?
Basically there is - the entry form, non-televised regional cookoff, televised
first round, semi-final and final. There are 2000-3000 applicants
to the competition every year which is narrowed down to 16 people for each
of the nine regions who enter a non-televised ‘cook off’. This is where
you cook a two-course meal at a local catering college for the judges who
are usually local chefs and the programme’s producer, only three people
are selected to go in the first round which is shown on TV. An overview
of it is here.
What happens when you get through to the
television?
Once you know you’ve been picked, the TV crew come round to film your biography.
You’re not allowed to list cooking as a hobby so you have to think up all
these obscure interests that they can show you doing which is why everyone
suddenly becomes a stamp collector or fitness enthusiast! I listed
skiing as another main interest, but sadly they didn't suggest we all go
off to a suitable ski resort.
You also have to put together the menus, a time-plan and complete recipes
for the first two rounds of the competition and a menu for the final. The
biggest dilemma is deciding whether to cook your best thing in the beginning
so you get through to the semi or wait and use it then, it’s quite difficult.
I had two months to submit my menus which meant trying out lots of different
dishes and getting quite stressed. Towards the end Jayne had had
enough and went away and left me to it for a weekend!
When do things happen?
It’s a long process, there was over a year between sending in the application
form and the final being televised. (Have a look at the detailed timeline.)
The whole competition was filmed during July 1998 doing two shows a day.
The sets are very expensive so they try and get the filming done as quickly
as possible, which can be really difficult for some contestants. For instance
the final was filmed on a Tuesday and one of the other finalists, Janine
Lishman-Peat, had her semi-final the day before! Luckily my semi was on
the previous Friday so I had a long weekend to prepare in.
Were you surprised when you got selected
to go on the television?
I was hopeful that I may get selected to get on the television as I had
learnt a lot from the previous year and knew the standard that was expected.
I never dreamed that I would get through to the final, let alone win!
Who were the judges for final?
The judges were Lord Lichfield and Gordon Ramsay. I didn’t really know
what Gordon was like but he was fine on the day, very civil but you could
see that he has very high standards. He wasn’t interested in chitchat and
just asked about techniques and ingredients. I was the last one to be judged
and he’d been quite disparaging about the other two contestants, saying
things like "Stodgy" and "Over-cooked" so I got a bit nervous. But when
he got to me he seemed to quite like it and even made a few favourable
comments - he really tucked into the pork!
What did you win?
A food processor (all the contestants get one), a weekend at Hazlewood
Castle in Yorkshire where the chef (John Benson-Smith) cooks my meal, a
week at Alastair Little’s cooking school in Italy and £3000 to spend
on a gastronomic holiday anywhere in the world. I’m going to use the money
on a few holidays over the next couple of years and really make the most
of it.
What has happened since the final?
Some of the highlights have been:
-
Lots of local press - mainly the Bath Chronical
-
Press in New Zealand as well, including a food magazine - Cuisine, and
shortly NZ Homes and Gardens.
-
I am endorsing the Nobel 2000 heat storage cooker
from Trianco Redfyre.
-
Have cooked in a few local restaurants - mainly Green Street Seadfood Cafe
and Green Park Brasserie
-
I was auctioned off at the Bathford School Auction of Promises, to cook
a dinner for 4 people.
-
Have cooked several dinner parties for friends and paying guests - great
fun.
-
A gourmet dinner at Harveys restaurant in Bristol with Louis Jadot wines
and chef Daniel Galmiche.
And finally ...
-
The number of times I get invited to dinner has dropped considerably!!
Would you recommend others to have a go?
Definitely!! It is a wonderful experience, hard work, but great fun
- and you learn so much about cooking.
So what next?
I won't be opening a restaurant but if you would like to taste my food
then I can cook for dinner parties, special occasions, do outside
catering and cooking demonstrations. If you are interested - please
get
in touch. Alternatively come along to one of my future
events.