Turriff born Masterchef contestant looks to her aunt as a source of inspiration
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As MasterChef returns to TV screens for a 20th series on April 1, one Turriff born contestant is looking to her aunt’s home-cooking for inspiration.
MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace return to embark on an exhilarating journey across eight weeks, to discover the UK’s best amateur cook, one plate at a time, serving up surprises and extra special occasions along the way.
The first episode of the new series airs on BBC One at 6.30pm and features 53 year-old Muir, who was born in Turriff. Now living in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, Muir is a Children’s Mental Health Services Manager. Growing up in Banff and Perth, Muir now lives in Yorkshire with her 13-year-old daughter and wee dog Millie.
She describes her cooking style as “Eclectic. I love cooking for a crowd, developing a theme and adding different dishes. Yotam Ottolenghi has been my favourite chef for many years, but I am getting more and more interested in different cooking techniques like sous vide or making culinary foams and gels.. I enjoy cooking with friends and experimenting with different flavours and styles.”
“I helped mum out with cooking and we baked a lot when I was growing up. I started to get interested in cooking when I left home at 18 and my aunt Una taught me how to make lentil soup and leek and tattie soup. I can remember watching MasterChef when Lloyd Grossman presented – it was very serious and the studio was very black. I’ve watched this MasterChef a lot over the past 20 years and love the range of styles people bring and the challenges it presents to home cooks.”
She continued: “I think MasterChef really encourages people to be more adventurous with their cooking and also brings a whole new language to our kitchens. I have always fancied entering MasterChef just to see how I get on. It’s the ultimate cookery competition, so I wanted to check it out.”
On her own cooking ambitions she said: “I would like to run a supper club in a local café – the main objectives being fantastic food and fun, fun, fun! I’d like to own a restaurant which offers opportunities to young people and adults who are struggling to get into the workplace. I’d like to offer training and NVQs for the staff. I’d like to provide high quality food and a good experience for staff and customers alike.”
