The MasterChef dream came to an end for Oxfordshire home cook Zizi, as she took on the heat of the kitchen with her love for spice and vegetarian food.
The journey to find the UK's best amateur cook has started. Over the seven-week competition MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace will be taking on one plate at a time to find the winner.
Tuesday night was the fifth and final week of Heats, nine home cooks arrived with their ingredients ready for their first test, the Audition Round.
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One of those home cooks was Zizi, a 56-year-old IT Business Analyst who lives in Eynsham with her dog called Woody.
The cook grew up in Derbyshire but says her style champions her Mauritian roots and her vegetarian diet. She said: "I love using spice and try to pack as much flavour as I can into hearty dishes."
She added: "I love the social side of cooking - bringing people together with food, sharing stories and talking about the dishes. I'm a feeder!"
This year judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace did not witness them cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they tasted each dish in the new Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judged each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them.
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The judges then picked their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks a well-earned MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round.
To give the judges a taste of her father’s Mauritian roots she cooked a Mauritian rougaille with celeriac steaks, coconut chutney, coriander chutney and little chilli bites.
The home cook won the judges over with her crunchy chilli bites, but they were not convinced the celeriac worked with her “watery” rougaille and wanted to see more intense flavour.
Six contestants did not win themselves that coveted apron in the first round and got another chance to impress the judges. The hopefuls were tasked with cooking a sweet dish if they delivered a savoury dish in the first round and vice versa.
Zizi made a bread pudding flavoured with mango and lime.
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After the judges tried her flavourful pudding Zizi said: “On reflection I should have probably upped my game a bit, done something differently. But the fact that they enjoyed it, I am happy about that.”
However, the stakes were high and Zizi’s sunshine flavours were not enough to win her an apron.
Zizi said: “I could have given it so much more, but its is always with hindsight, isn’t it? I will look back with very fond memories. It has been a hoot. It really has.”
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