MasterChef: Doncaster contestant who 'believes strongly in the benefits of gravy and custard' set to test her skills on BBC cookery show
A woman who was born in Doncaster and has inherited a love for Scandinavian flavours is set to test her skills in the MasterChef kitchen.
Claire, 46, who works as a copywriter, will appear on tonight’s (Thursday) episode of the BBC One cookery show, where she will compete against five other contestants.
Claire, who says most of her favourite meals involve cooking with garlic, said: “My husband really pushed me to apply for MasterChef so that I could celebrate how much cooking has meant to me in the last nine years during a tricky time in my life.
“I would love to write a book that compiles delicious family recipes with life and cooking tips that have saved me during a hard time.
“I think teaching people to cook on any budget is a very powerful tool and a dream would be to push for a national cooking programme in conjunction with a budget supermarket.
“So much of our health and wealth starts at the dinner table.”
Claire was born in Doncaster and lived in Yorkshire as a child. She went to university in Lancaster during the late 1990s and then lived in Canada for 12 years where she met her husband, Paul. She now lives in Newark-on-Trent.
“I've loved food from a really young age,” she said.
“My dad grew lots of fruit and vegetables and I remember harvesting them from the age of six. I still remember what my first steamed beetroot tasted like.
“I remember being interested in how dinner was made when I was eight and then asking if I could help to measure and eventually start making whole meals when I was about 12.
“Through university and years of travelling, I have widened my repertoire and have always loved cooking for lots of people.”
Describing her style of cooking, she said: “I love to cook a huge variety of different cuisines – a jack of all foods and a master of none.
“The biggest influences are home-grown vegetables as I've grown veggies most of my life. I’m also influenced by dishes from my travels around the world and the strong culinary traditions of my husband’s Danish family.
“I’ve inherited a love for Scandinavian flavours and techniques, many of which have found their way into our own family’s food traditions.
“I'm a Yorkshire girl at heart so I believe strongly in the benefits of gravy and custard, and a weekly infusion of at least one portion keeps me grounded!”
MasterChef returned to TV screens yesterday (Wednesday) after a difficult period for the show.
Its presenters, Gregg Wallace and John Torode, were both sacked last month after a report into conduct on the programme upheld allegations against them.
The BBC decided to still show this year's amateur series - filmed before they were sacked - saying it was “the right thing to do” for the chefs who took part.
In the heats, six contestants first face the “basic to brilliant” round where they prepare a dish showcasing one particular ingredient.
Later, the cooks serve a two-course meal for a panel of previous finalists, with three then progressing to the quarter finals.
MasterChef is on BBC One tonight (Thursday) at 8pm. Episodes are also available to watch on iPlayer.