TV Review: Heat is on as final 10 vie for MasterChef win

It’s Easter week – and this year, with lockdown still looming, most of us are hoping to cheer ourselves up with an egg-stravaganza.

From the traditional hot cross buns to the all-important chocolate eggs, there’s a war between supermarkets for a slice of the Easter pie…and Aldi has pulled out all the stops this year. It’s an extraordrdinary, well-thought out process designed to get us to buy and share on social media…and it works. I’m just dashing out to pick up one of those pink geometric eggs. It will make the perfect pic on Instagram!

As a foodie, there’s nothing I love more than a cookery show. And this series of MasterChef is definitely tickling my tastebuds. The 2021 trophy is almost in reach, and this week the final 10 are turning up the heat as they battle it out to be crowned MasterChef winner.

From a fashion designer with a creative flair and an architect to a restaurant manager and market researcher who quit her job to pursue a career in the kitchen, the contestants come from a range of backgrounds, but all share one passion – food.

The plates dished up in the studio wouldn’t look out of place in a high-end eaterie or the pages of a glossy cookbook. Tom’s chicken dish with corn puree and a side of tuna flake popcorn certainly captured the judges’ imagination. And Stefan’s Jackson Pollock-style splash of beetroot puree over the plate, topped with wood pigeon looked pretty impressive too.

In fact, I’m a pretty fussy eater but I don’t think there was a plate on the menu I wouldn’t have tried if I was stood there alongside Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

The most nail-biting part though was when the contestants ventured into a restaurant kitchen. As the old adage goes, if you can’t take the heat. I thought a flapping Laura was going to fold but she pulled through with professionalism.

Now, pass the popcorn for the final. Hold the tuna though, I’ll stick with sweet!

MasterChef, BBC1