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Applications now open for next series of MasterChef

Applications now open for next series of MasterChef

Glasgow Times09-07-2025
The show is looking for enthusiastic home cooks from across the country to impress the MasterChef judges.
Whether you have been cooking for years or are simply confident in your skills, this is your opportunity.
To apply, go to masterchef.tv.
All application information will be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
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Gregg Wallace hits back at sexual misconduct claims in latest online rant as sacked MasterChef star insists no one came forward during BBC investigation
Gregg Wallace hits back at sexual misconduct claims in latest online rant as sacked MasterChef star insists no one came forward during BBC investigation

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Gregg Wallace hits back at sexual misconduct claims in latest online rant as sacked MasterChef star insists no one came forward during BBC investigation

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In the six, seven month investigation there was no evidence of sexual harassment. 'Do you know why? Because nobody ever brought that complaint to the investigation in the first place. Now, after everything you've been reading and listening to, doesn't that surprise you?' Wallace appeared to be reiterating earlier claims, made by the sacked presenter in an Instagram post the previous day, during which he insisted there were 'no findings in the investigation he took his trousers down in front of anybody'. He said: 'Would you like the truth about the stories regarding me taking my trousers down, listen. There are no findings in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody 'And any claim that the investigation report says any different is simply not true, no matter where that comes from. 'So I'll say it one more time. There is no finding in the investigation that I took my trousers down in front of anybody. Any claim that the report says differently is not true. 'I hope that clears it all up for you.' Last month, Wallace hit out at critics for comparing him to disgraced presenter Jimmy Savile and former newsreader Huw Edwards, insisting he is 'not a groper, sex pest or a flasher'. Wallace tearfully apologised to anyone he had hurt in the wake of dozens of allegations of inappropriate behaviour, including claims that he dropped his trousers in front of staff. In his first interview since being sacked by the BBC in light of the complaints, Wallace broke down in tears as he spoke of the 'hurt' suffered by him and his family, insisting he had been unfairly treated in the media spotlight. He told The Sun that he understood some of his actions may have offended people and 'weren't socially acceptable' but denied being a 'wrong-un'. 'I'm not a groper. People think I've been taking my trousers down and exposing myself - I am not a flasher. People think I'm a sex pest. I am not,' he added. Wallace said that being discussed in the same breath as notorious sex offenders Savile and Edwards was 'horrific' and admitted he was scared to go outside in case people 'abuse' him in the street. He insisted he is 'not trying to play the victim' and claimed his autism diagnosis was partly responsible for some of his alleged behaviour as it means he struggles 'to read people' and can be perceived as 'odd' at times. The former presenter also defended revelations that he would not wear underwear while working on the cooking show, saying it was due to his 'hypersensitivity' as a result of the condition. Wallace claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5 per cent of those he has worked with 'found fault with me'. He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role. 'I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. 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MasterChef 2025 contestants - Meet the Heat 4 hopefuls

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Without being too 'Little House on the Prairie' and too wholesome about it, think anything between 'Anne of Green Gables' to 'Chocolat' and 'Amelie' to 'Julia Childs' or 'Mrs Beeton'. It's vintage, budget, homely food, made with passion and emotion, grown and reared by people who care - if possible - and a homage to Ireland, with a hint of Italian. Food is getting increasingly expensive and feeding your family home-cooked food rather than ultra processed is a real challenge with money, time and advertising power. How did you get into cooking? Earliest cooking memory? How I got into cooking involves my dad, who died from cancer when I was in my first year at university, he taught me to cook as a very young girl. I have memories of standing on my dad's toes holding his knees for dear life and being danced around the kitchen as we waited for the oven to produce the roast or the cake to rise. As I grew older, he would role-play being Head Chef and I would be his Sous. 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My impulsive streak came out and I just started filling in the initial application, despite my fear. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? In my work, I see some patients who have to be amputated due to diabetes and circulation problems. I'm inspired by my patients every day to stop the flow of chronic disease and go upstream to prevention. Food and movement are key here. Fighting obesity, diabetes and peripheral arterial disease starts with the food we eat and how much we move. So I aspire to help young people to cook and find joy in food and pleasure in cooking – remember how to gather around a table and put away our phones and connect. When I was a podiatrist back home, I'd sometimes travel to people's homes, farms and islands to treat them. I would always be offered a tea cake or scone or the family brown soda bread. I would love to capture those recipes and keep them alive. Fay Financial Management Consultant, Aged 31 Fay lives in London. 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I've never had ambitions to win the competition, I just wanted to see where I was at. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? Moving forward I would love to be able to start a supper club with taster menus. I wouldn't want to focus on one particular cuisine but allow people to give suggestions then I can create a menu accordingly. I absolutely love planning and designing menus. Peter Floor Fitter, Aged 45 Peter lives in Cumbria. He was born and raised in Staffordshire. How would you describe your style of cooking? I would describe my cooking style as traditional, taking inspiration from locally-sourced, wild produce that includes fish and game. How did you get into cooking? Earliest cooking memory? I was first interested in cooking in my early 20s, with my first of many cookbooks being The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver, which I still refer to today. I'm a self-taught cook, although my mum is a great cook and my grandparents were always baking. I was very lucky at home; my mum always cooked really well and in particular a Sunday lunch. My cooking nowadays ties back to what my mum did when we were younger - traditional home-cooked food. My dad would often go to the butcher's on the weekend. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? Wild game like pigeon and pheasant has a beautifully distinctive flavour so I think that tops the list of favourite ingredients. It's also a healthy choice and tastes incredible when cooked simply, especially over open coals. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? I entered MasterChef on a complete whim. I've always loved cooking. I think I'd had a glass too many of red wine one evening and just fired an email off after watching an episode at my mom's and then never gave it another thought. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? 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MasterChef 2025 contestants - Meet the Heat 3 hopefuls
MasterChef 2025 contestants - Meet the Heat 3 hopefuls

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

MasterChef 2025 contestants - Meet the Heat 3 hopefuls

MasterChef is back uncovering the country's best amateur cooks as they battle it out in the MasterChef kitchen. Who will be the 2025 Champion? Let's meet the Heat 2 contenders... Please note this information is accurate at the time of filming; certain aspects may have since changed but this represents the contributors as the competition starts. Watch MasterChef Heat 4 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from Wednesday 13 August at 8pm Read more: Meet the MasterChef 2025 contestants - Heat 4 GM Aileen School Admission Assistant, Aged 51 Aileen lives in Cheshire with her daughter and son. She was born and raised in Hong Kong where she's lived for most of her life. She has also lived in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and went to university in Canada. How would you describe your style of cooking? I would describe my style of cooking as versatile. I like to make classic Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Italian, French but I also like to twist things to make them fusion. How did you get into cooking? 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I entered MasterChef because it's something I always watched growing up. There was no such competition in Hong Kong and when I moved here, I thought, 'why not'? I was new to the country and thought this is an exciting opportunity to start a second life and to do something I could only ever dream of doing before. I also really want to see if I'm really that passionate about food and see if there's a possibility to turn it into a new career path. I perform best under pressure, and I want to see how far I can reach on my creativity. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? What is it? My food dream is to run a B&B with a farm to table bespoke meal prepared by me. Hazel Home Maker, Aged 32 Hazel lives in London with her partner and daughter. She was born in London and grew up in Essex. How would you describe your style of cooking? My style of cooking definitely varies but I like to cook delicious, relatively healthy meals that don't scrimp on flavour. I like to rotate flavours from Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern and Italian influence. Nutritious and healthy comforting food that fills your belly and gives you a hug is what I like to do. How did you get into cooking? From very young, as young as I would have been able to stand on a small step and reach the kitchen countertop, my mum would get me and my brother in the kitchen. She would have us baking bread, making biscuits and other treats. I've been cooking ever since. Being able to make something delicious when I'm craving something delicious is what I live for. Earliest cooking memory? My mum used to make a fish pie with a cornflake topping when I was very young and I remember that so vividly and how much I loved it! Then my dad would make a pasta bake dish every Friday. It was so simple, filled with olive oil, mozzarella and tomatoes but it came out with a crispy top and I just loved it. It was comfort and I've tried to recreate it ever since. I remember always making Christmas biscuits to hang on the tree, cutting out Christmas shapes and piercing a hole in the top with a pencil to thread the string. All the biscuits never made it to Christmas day; they got picked off the tree way before that! What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? My favourite cooking ingredient is garlic! I put four cloves of garlic in everything as a minimum and I don't know if that's just become a habit, but I do love garlic. Maybe I'm even immune to garlic now I have so much of it. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? I entered MasterChef to do something for myself, to regain something that was mine, just mine! I had just had a baby, and it was coming up to a year and honestly, I was feeling very out of sorts. I wasn't sure who I was anymore, I had completely lost my flow in the kitchen and sometimes didn't even know how or what to cook so I suppose it was me trying to regain or take back a part of myself. I have watched MasterChef for years and have been cooking for so long. I've always thought I was a decent cook and when I cook for friends and family, they always enjoy it but I want to know how good I am. I want to show my baby girl that you should go for what you desire. I'd like to think I've got a really good shot so I'm going for it. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? I hadn't a food dream before MasterChef, but now I'd like to help post-partum mums heal themselves with food. I don't know what that looks like but whether it's teaching, cooking for them or sharing how I cook nutritious, family-friendly meals as a mum, that's my first port of call. Marcella Global Development Director, Aged 39 Marcella lives in Brighton. She was born and raised in West Sussex and then moved to London. How would you describe your style of cooking? Hosting for my friends and family is what inspires my food. I love a dinner party, garden party, summer party. I love most kinds of meet ups where food brings people together. My house has become the hub of our social gatherings, and this gives me the chance to try new things or just whip together some good old classic crowd pleasers. My style is definitely hearty, wholesome, flavourful. Everything has to be delicious or it's not worth having! I'm inspired by my Persian/Mauritian roots, but I love the classics too. Mexican, Italian and Asian food all have big flavours that I like to eat and cook. My technique could do with developing but I feel my flavours hit the mark. How did you get into cooking? I've been inspired to cook by my mum and her sisters. We're a large family and food is everything. Choosing a restaurant for a family birthday includes lots of sign off! But it was actually my best friend Clare who, after living with me for a few years in my early 20s and was no doubt getting sick of my microwave jacket potatoes, taught me to cook a spaghetti bolognaise from scratch and that's what got me going. Earliest cooking memory? My earliest memory is in my parents' kitchen, me sat on the worktop, and my mum letting me help her bake something. My Mum is one of five, but it's memories of her and her sisters in the kitchen, cooking Persian meals for hours, only for me and my cousins to scoff it all up in seconds, that has made me love food. I've been working on a family recipe book to make sure that our family favourites are not lost but can be handed down the generations. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? This is a tough question - I love it all (apart from turnips!) but probably the potato is what I like cooking with best. It sounds so basic but so versatile, delicious in every form and goes with pretty much everything. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? This was a milestone year for me… I turned 40. The last decade has been a combination of dealing with grief and pushing my career forwards at an accelerated pace. This has given me lots of amazing opportunities, but I wanted to do something that was just for me, something that propelled me out of my comfort zone and perhaps sparked something in the form of a new passion from within, but most importantly just have some fun experiencing something new! Do you have a dream of working in the food world? My dream has been to produce a family cookbook, taking favourite recipes from family and friends and combining them into one book. This would be a little bit of a hot pot of cuisines and food styles but some great tasty family go-tos. I also love the idea of creating a food show, where we would focus on a certain location (Southern Italy, the French countryside or as far-fetched as Vietnam or Mexico). We'd go into a family home and learn their family recipes, food hacks and learn about the culture behind the food we eat. Food is just a great way of bringing people from all backgrounds together, and a great way to break down cultural barriers. I would also like to produce a dinner party hosting show, something that combines the creativity of hosting a dinner party with my event management skills. I'd have trendy tablescapes, a fun twist on a drink, take a concept, and make an event out of it at home. Something to impress your friends with, that's easy to do and affordable but, impactful and fun! Sam Vocational Trainer, Aged 28 Sam lives in Swindon with his boyfriend, Danny. He was born in Thailand and moved to the UK 10 years ago. How would you describe your style of cooking? My core style of cooking is authentic Thai food. However, I sometimes love to be creative with Thai fusion, taking inspiration from the countries I've visited. How did you get into cooking? Growing up in Thailand was challenging, so I had to learn how to cook from a very young age and how to be frugal and inventive with what I had. I would often help my mum and grandma in the kitchen, and my grandmother taught me the basics in Thai cuisine and my love for cooking grew from there. Since moving to the UK, I've done all the cooking myself. Social media food videos have become my best friend. Earliest cooking memory? When I was at school, as a team of three, my mum, grandma and I won the cooking competition. But my first memory was cooking rice on an open fire. I ended up with charcoal everywhere, and all over my face, but the rice was perfect! What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? This is a hard question! I love spicy food so my favourite ingredient would have to be chilli, closely followed by the perfect jasmine rice. There is nothing more comforting than rice. I grew up eating it every day and it's my go to. Chilli is the cornerstone of my cooking, however it be used - from a chilli dip with pineapple and unripe mango to the perfect pad-kra-pao (chicken basil). Why did you enter MasterChef this year? Before I moved to the UK, I had never seen the show before but now I absolutely love the show and have been hooked on it ever since I moved over here. Over the last five years, I kept saying to my boyfriend, I want to apply but never did. I've never had much confidence in my ability to cook and really wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone! Do you have a dream of working in the food world? I would love to have my own cookbook that celebrates Thailand and my style of cooking. Trevor Project Manager, Aged 50 Trevor lives in Kent with his wife Joanne. He was born in Sidcup and grew up in Chislehurst. How would you describe your style of cooking? My cooking style is diverse and versatile, as I enjoy experimenting with various cuisines and dishes. I have a passion for creating food that is not only delicious, but also artfully plated, with really impactful flavours. I love trying dishes from all over the world, from French cuisine to small-plate Spanish tapas, to Italian food and pizza, through to dishes from across Asia. As long as it tastes amazing, I'll cook it, add a twist here and there to give it my own spin. There's nothing I enjoy more than entertaining friends – sharing great food and good wine together makes me happy. How did you get into cooking? Earliest cooking memory? Cooking, for me, started when I was a child. My dad enjoyed entertaining and had a real interest in travel, so we were fortunate to visit some amazing destinations growing up. I remember going shopping with him on Saturday mornings when I was about nine or ten - picking up things like balsamic vinegar and saffron, which weren't everyday ingredients in our house in the early 1980s. We would come home, and I would loiter in the kitchen doorway, watching him cook dishes that were quite different from the usual meals we had during the week. Looking back, those moments sparked my curiosity about food and where ingredients came from. What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why? My favourite ingredient must be the humble tomato. It's incredibly versatile and brings so much character to a dish. Whether it's the freshness of a simple tomato salad with shallots and a vinaigrette dressing, the comfort of tinned tomatoes on toast, or its essential role in global favourites like curries, pastas, and pizzas, tomatoes are the backstage hero everywhere! They can be sweet, sharp, smoky, or soothing depending on how they're prepared, and that adaptability makes them a joy to cook with. They're a staple in my kitchen and often the starting point for creativity. On a personal note, tomatoes evoke memories of my mum's Dutch spaghetti - a family favourite that's packed with flavour and nostalgia. It's one of those meals which brings everyone together, and it's where I first saw how a simple ingredient could be transformed into something truly special. Why did you enter MasterChef this year? Having faced some serious health challenges over the last year, and having just turned 50, not only is competing on MasterChef an exciting prospect, it's also an awakening of 'if not now, when'. It all began quite casually, my friend and neighbour started the application process and encouraged me to do the same. I kept hearing, 'You should go on MasterChef' and eventually thought, 'Why not?' So I completed the application (thank you Tom!), and to my surprise and delight, I was selected. It's been an incredible journey already. Do you have a dream of working in the food world? My food dream is to carve out a space as a down-to-earth writer and critic, sharing thoughtful reviews of restaurants and hotels while celebrating the stories behind the dishes and the people who create them. The idea of hosting or appearing in cookery shows also really excites me; it would be a wonderful way to combine my love of food with storytelling and connection. I love cooking at home and would enjoy sharing my own recipes with others — whether through writing or presenting. Follow for more

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