Receiving the call for Celebrity MasterChef

There cant be a single person in the UK that has not watched MasterChef. Why would you not want to watch people who believe they can cook being put under pressure? Then sit in the comfort of your home, having had 3 hours to prepare dinner and say, “Why would they put that with that, or my 3 year old could do better presentation than that”

And yes I was one of those people. Until I got the call asking if I would consider Celebrity MasterChef.

So in the back of my mind I am thinking, “I can cook”, I may not have the experience in fine cooking, but when I cook it tends to come out well. Especially on the BBQ. I am king of the BBQ. It is a family trait. You have to have a large BBQ and lots of sheds; it’s a man thing. I have however switched to gas, at the utter disgust of my Dad and brother, who stuck with charcoal. I will return I promise!

Also in the back of my mind I was thinking, it’s the celeb show. They will go easy on us and help out a bit.

The day the call came, I was in Burnham-on-Crouch trying to buy a chippy lunch for and control 4 boys under 8 years old (my boys are as lively as me!!). I was actually putting the vinegar on the chips as I was told I was on the show, standing there in a state of bewilderment with 4 kids running around and 5 portions of chips in front of me, and able to tell no one.

So, I enlisted the help of my Aunt who is a dab hand in the kitchen, and set about learning as much as I could. I even went to a local restaurant; yes a fellow rugby player is head chef there, see if you read my earlier blogs, always a rugby connection. Learning to cook “properly” in short time is no easy task, what’s a roux, what’s a sauce???

I also tried every Jedi mind trick to find out what our tasks would be and who else was in the competition, nothing worked, not even a cheeky Essex boy smile.

Sadly that’s all I can share for now, you will have to watch the show tonight at 9pm on BBCOne to find out who I am against and how I get on.