Check out our complete guide to who's who on Masterchef here.
Last night saw the welcome return of Masterchef to our screens, and it felt like most of the UK had sat down together to enjoy the high-impact cooking. In fact, around 4.75 million viewers tuned in, representing 19.7% of everyone watching TV between 9 and 10pm. Twitter, which seems to thrive on the show went into foodie overdrive, while many viewers found themselves suddenly wanting a second supper. But what is it about this series that seems to attract young and old viewers from all walks of life?
I think it's probably the very diversity we see on the show, and the leveling impact of the universal love for food that makes it such a huge success. It doesn't really matter whether you're male or female, good-looking or plug ugly, highly educated or not, all that matters here is whether you can rustle up decent grub.
In this series we have an astrophysicist, a plasterer, a former
diversity manager and a range of other professional backgrounds, all
competing for the coveted apron. Several of them have already left their day jobs (or speak with such dread about returning to them that they might as well have quit), lending a certain danger to the show that you're unlikely to find elsewhere!
The show reflects real life in this respect: we all know someone who just has all the skills in the kitchen - and you can't always predict who they are or where they're hiding. Isn't dating a huge risk in this respect? You never really know whether a potential partner can cook amazing food until you've spent serious time together!
And there were tears! Let's not forget that food is an area that brings out true passion: it's one of the few subjects that grown men seem happy to cry over, and never has a series gone by without a Masterchef dish being seasoned with an extra salty seasoning of bodily fluids. They started early this series, when the unfortunate Alec cried over a steak. As one Twitter fan put it:
@BrokenBiros: Poor Alec. His meal was served with a jus of tears. #masterchef
So who are we rating this series of Masterchef: our favourites of the six remaining contestants are:
Tom RennoldsYorkshire plasterer Tom Rennolds is just adorable, and we're just a little smitten with his cheeky boyish charms. The judges have given away perhaps a little too much on how much they seem to love him too, so we're eager to see whether their fickle minds will change. Modest and mild-mannered, Tom quietly turns out the most adventurous dishes, and looks awfully cute in the apron. Check out his recipe for spiced salmon with avocado mousse and lime jelly here.
Shelina PermallooShelina Permalloo is a rarity in many respects: firstly, she describes herself as an 'unpretentious foodie', and having been to Borough Market, I feel we could certainly do with a few more of those in the world! She also specialises in Mautitian food, which is one of the few world cuisines that many of us cosmopolitan diners may have never tried: it's a true melting pot of influences, which should make her attempts to impress the judges a little more interesting.
Aki MatsushimaPhD Student Aki Matsushima is one of those 'real characters' that looks set to keep the show bouncing along at a marathon pace, just as she did around the kitchens of Gilgamesh in Camden, despite mounting pressure from a head chef doing his best to make Aki and the rest of the team sweat.
A diminutive ball of energy, she has an extensive repertoire of cooking skills, and we look forward to seeing them put to good use throughout the series. Check out her recipe for cold udon noodles with dashi dipping sauce here.
Missed it? You can catch up with Masterchef on iPlayer, here!
