Reflections on my 2023 MasterChef UK experience: Thank you to everyone!
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It was April 2022. On a whim (or a moment of madness ), I decided to complete an application form for MasterChef. There was no expectation at all that I would gain a place in the show. It was a sincere surprise to be selected for Series 19 airing in 2023. I was super excited, and it led to a flurry of creating menus, preparing dishes, and testing them multiple times on my wonderful partner, David. He was delighted to be the test “Guinea pig” although he’s now out running, an attempt to lose some weight! Personally, I would just have bought a girdle !
What was the filming like? How were the other contestants? The filming was a wonderful experience. The contestants in my Week 3 group (Series 19, Episodes 7–9) bonded very quickly and we supported each other both on set and in the evenings. It was a real privilege to meet and spend time with Hannah, Joseph, Linda, Michelle, Miles, Mirel, Ngoneh, and Owen. They are all incredible cooks, but also super people, and I know we will be lifelong friends. I tasted some of their dishes, which were astounding. As contestants (more like friends) left the show, we all felt genuinely sad. When Linda and Miles went through in the Quarter Final (Episode 9), it was very well deserved! They produced mind-blowing food under a lot of pressure. Although the end of my MasterChef journey, and that lemon posset was disastrous, I was really delighted for them both. Go Linda and Miles!
The crew deserve huge praise too for looking after the contestants so well. There was a massive, and much appreciated, effort on their part to be friendly, guide us as TV first timers in the studio, and ensure we were feeling okay both during and after the filming. Truly, it was outstanding work on their part! My sincere apologies for offering to snog one of the lovely chaps (Episode 8)…I was just very excited!
What were judges, John Torode and Gregg Wallace like? I absolutely loved meeting John and Gregg. I have been a huge fan of them both for many years. Sometimes we hesitate at meeting those we admire just in case they don’t quite live up to our expectations. John and Gregg met and exceeded mine – and massively! Aside from their huge expertise in cooking and food, they are genuine, friendly, lovely, and just wonderful to be around. It was an honour to receive their verdicts on my food, both good and bad, and I hope to continue to develop my cooking in response. Thank you both!
Thank you for your amazing support. I am grateful for all the encouragement from my fantastic family and wonderful longstanding friends. I want to thank: my mother for my passion for cooking; my father for teaching me never to give up even when things get tough; my brother for his unwavering love and support even when I am embarking on mad adventures; and the most incredible person ever, my David for his belief in me. Alongside this, I have also been hugely touched to receive support from many new friends who have supported me through, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I have been inundated with huge amount of wonderful messages and, if I miss responding to any, or take a while to respond, please accept my apologies. I also want to extend my gratitude to renowned food critic, Leyla Kazim, 2019 MasterChef Champion Irini Tzortzoglou, 2021 MasterChef Champion Tom Rhodes, and 2018 Semi-Finalist Nisha Parmar for lovely messages after I was knocked out in the Quarter Finals. They are brilliant people who I admire. Thank you to everyone so much.
So, what went wrong in the Quarter Finals (Episode 9)? The MasterChef kitchen is, quite rightly, a “pressure cooker”, which adds drama and excitement. It is why I love the show so much. Contestants are cooking to a tight timescale whilst being interviewed and filmed. Calls from John, Gregg, and the wonderful floor managers to keep to time are actually incredibly helpful. It is a very different experience to cooking in your own kitchen with your own equipment. Timings can be so different. With the best intentions and planning, something can go wrong leading to an unrecoverable situation. Often there simply isn’t time to put something in the bin and start again as you might at home. Even the best cook can so easily make a mistake. However, it’s that sense of “walking a tightrope” that makes the show exciting for contestants and viewers. My lemon posset recipe worked at home. It was tested successfully on my – very appreciative – partner and many times. Unfortunately, on the day, well, that is how life sometimes goes. The judges were quite right, and I deserved to go. Will I make a lemon posset again? Yes, and it will always bring fond, but slightly embarrassed, memories of serving esteemed judges a horrendous custard-like, lemon milkshake!
The MasterChef kitchen is certainly a “pressure cooker”, and rightly so, as this makes for a very dramatic show that is great fun. Nonetheless, everyone involved is so lovely from the other contestants to the crew, to the various judges you encounter. Thanks to Leyla Kazim, Nisha Parma, Tom Rhodes, Irini Tzortzoglou, and John and Gregg. Topped off with the amazing support I have received on social media, MasterChef has been an extremely memorable experience, indeed life-changing, and I would sincerely recommend that aspiring cooks apply.
So, what's next? I will continue to develop my website and hope to keep in touch with everyone over the coming months through my free Substack newsletter (see below for details). My newsletter will include cooking and baking discussions, cooking advice, recipes, and much, much more. I would love it if you could continue to support me in my food adventures!
With my love and appreciation to you all,
Thuy xx
I love all of your recipes with very clear instructions and I am looking for more dishes that I can try with my family.