I’m a Masterchef quarter finalist, nothing more, nothing less.
On Friday I wrote about the 4th heat of the competition which showed Simon and I going through to the quarter finals where we met Pete and Sarah from heat 3. You all seemed to like reading it so here goes the next instalment.
Having experienced two of the most stressful days ever, Simon and I arrived early at the studio ready for our third consecutive day of culinary scrutiny. We were really feeling the pressure and although we’d so far managed to get by on a selection of uppers (coffee, sweets) and downers (beer, wine) I felt like a very tired person. It also felt a lifetime ago since I’d actually practised the dishes I was about to try and make!
Quarter final day felt very different to the heats, perhaps because I did feel a small sense of achievement; I knew if nothing else I had made the last 16 and all things considered that was actually pretty decent! The good thing about taking part in Masterchef is that everyone is just as passionate about food as the next, not like normal life where I’m the ‘one obsessed with cooking’ and although I have an equally obsessed sister, the opportunity to talk about food in such detail and for so long rarely presents itself.
Enter Sarah and Pete! Having become so attached to Natalie, Tina and James from our heat we were relieved if a little intimidated to meet Sarah and Pete who had filmed heat 3 the week before. What a selection of cooks in the room!
I loved the vegetable brief but have to admit that I felt confused in the planning. The wording on the brief we received seemed to suggest that a single vegetable had to be the star and although I did ask for clarification, I wasn’t clarified so had to just go with my interpretation. I decided to play safe and stuck to one specific, that being beetroot. Beetroot does seem Mastercheffy but I love it, it’s so versatile, nutritious and looks beautiful on the plate.
I had a good first round. I love eating all those textures and flavours together, and although John didn’t love it, I honestly enjoy a plate which doubles as a bit of a pick and mix; every bite is whatever dish you want it to be! Perhaps I have an impatient palate that constantly needs stimulating with something new, probably why I don’t understand mash potato, it’s just so samey. Generally everything I make has to have at least one element of crunch (you’ll soon see that if you read any of the recipes on sistersdofood.com).
I really struggled with the next brief ‘fruit and spice and all things nice’. I’m not a fan of anything spiced and sweet so thinking of something I wanted to eat was a challenge. I changed my mind so many times, probably ditching some really good ideas in the process. My mind had attached itself to the cinnamon ice cream so my menu was engineered almost backwards, resulting in something I wasn’t happy with at all. I should have gone with my instincts and made the watermelon/chilli/coconut/ginger extravaganza I had originally planned. I’m not sure if anyone else feels the same but I feel like I lost the courage of my own conviction at some point in the weeks preceding the start of the competition. I started doubting everything – flavour combinations, complexity, timings, my own palate, you name it! As summer is approaching I’m going to make my original dish soon, I’m hoping it will give me some closure!
Despite its slightly unorthodox conception, the peach dish looked so beautiful and tasted so moreish when I practised at home. My Nan was particularly impressed. From what I can vaguely recall months on, I mistakenly put brown sugar in to the pan with the butter and the peaches causing a catastrophic caramel failure. It was also a mini fail to choose peaches which were at the time a couple of weeks off being in season. I really struggled to peel them neatly and after two goes of plunging them in to boiling water my stress levels were souring. From that point on I lost control of my nerves, overcooked the biscuits, took the peaches too far (with sugar in the pan, why!) and topped it all off with rushed plating.
The feedback you see is probably a tenth of what they actually say, so maybe I seemed to be inappropriately happy during the mini interview after the second lot of feedback. They had all loved the ice cream and even the brittle got a fair bit of praise but nothing was going to be right if I’d stuffed up the lovely fruit the brief had centred around.
I wasn’t 100% sure I was a goner but felt it was likely. It felt like the lamb had come back to haunt me, it was only two days ago so I was sure they’d still have it very much in their minds. I think if my first day in the competition was better they might have found it harder to choose between us all, but alas I could not turn back time and had to accept that my time could very well be up. The pockets of time we spent waiting were naturally tense and quite the opposite of the kitchen where minutes felt like seconds, sat on those sofas time seemed to spread out in to the distance, like waiting for your starter when you’re totally starving. So we waited for hours and hours (realistically about 20 minutes) to be called back in to the kitchen to be told our fate.
I hope it doesn’t sound ungrateful to admit that I almost felt a sense of relief when I crashed down on to the chair back in our waiting room. What isn’t shown or mentioned on the show are the weeks and months from application to the day your heat is aired. Menus must be submitted well in advance of arrival at the studios pretty much taking over the lives of the contestants in the process. It takes bags of drive, effort, time and determination to even appear on the show, not to mention a bit of guts.
Regardless of the outcome, quarter final day was the last day of filming for all four of us as the others were to return at some point in the future to film Knockout Week. Simon and I happen to live about 2 miles away from each other, so we booked the same train back toManchester Piccadilly and enjoyed a few (!) wines on the way home.
Now Masterchef has drawn to a close for me I’m going to continue to write the blog, to live my life happily and to cook and eat as much as possible (I do admit to a lengthy break after I was sent home). I’m enjoying being part of the group of bloggers writing with and for The Cooperative #onthelist and we’ve also been lucky enough to have a couple of our recipes published in Woman and Woman’s Own. I’m also looking forward to running something for kids and parents at the primary school where I am a governor.
Sisters Do Food 