MasterChef 2021: Disasters, lockdown cooking and the show’s new challenge

Like clockwork, our screens will once again be filled with the sight of Gregg Wallace and John Torode putting amateur chefs through their paces.

We caught up with the food-obsessed pair to chat about the new series.

The return of MasterChef must feel a little like a return to normal life again?

John: I love that people have been saying this, that MasterChef is back, therefore there’s a bit of normality. I think that’s great. Like it’s an old friend popping in for a glass of wine.

Gregg: I like the idea that MasterChef might be a symbol of normality for British society. It’s becoming like the shipping forecast on BBC Radio 4.

You were Covid secure and socially distanced during filming – how was it?

Gregg: One of the differences was really positive, that John and I got a dish each, rather than trying to elbow each other away for the choicest bits. That was a positive. Of course, the negative is we didn’t get to go travelling around the world. But the negative I found odd is that I couldn’t shake hands with people in the morning, or give people a hug, people that we’ve worked with for 20 years. There was no physical interaction. I found that a little strange.

John: What I really enjoyed was the fact the contestants had obviously spent so much time whilst they were in the first lockdown, practising and working at what they wanted to do, and becoming really good at it. And that meant we ate really, really well. There were only a few dodgy dishes along the way, which is really saying something for MasterChef. Well, I say a few, probably more than a few. There’s the odd bit of raw lamb and chicken here and there, and a few odd concoctions, but otherwise it was a really, really great series.

Which of the disasters particularly stand out?

John: The biggest thing this year is the rack of lamb. The rack of lamb has become one of these things… it has eight bones, one end of it is very, very thin, the other end is very thick. If you know the anatomy of the animal and the way in which the muscle works, different parts of the rack of lamb are very different, so it cooks very differently. So, we’ve been served up quite a lot of raw lamb, quite a lot of overcooked, fatty lamb. Lamb has been what we call this year’s “MasterChef chocolate fondant”. Quite disastrous.

What did you think of the new test, the favourite ingredient cooking challenge?

John: Well, I think it’s great because it either really is their favourite ingredient, or it’s a dish they’ve been practising all the way through, and when they’ve been told they have to bring their favourite ingredients, they’ve gone, “What am I going to do? OK, my favourite ingredient is milk, then I can make custard.” But it’s actually one of those things that exposes people’s knowledge quite quickly, or lack of.

Do you believe the pandemic has changed the way we cook and eat at home?

John: I don’t believe that everybody is cooking more. I think people are still turning on the oven and opening up a packet, still turning the dial on the microwave and going for “ping” cuisine.

Gregg: Or takeaways.

John: Yeah. I think the first lockdown, we saw a lot of people having to do stuff, but they could still buy a ready meal. There weren’t as many [available], but I think we have reverted fairly quickly.

How have you found the latest lockdown?

Gregg: I really like being at home, because I’m away from home a lot. But I’m missing going out. I’m really missing a pub, a restaurant – and that’s not to be away from the people in my house – I want to share that experience with the people in my house. There’s five adults here and the baby, I’m really happy. But, you know, I put clothes on in the morning and realise it’s pretty much the same outfit day on day; it’s a T-shirt and cargo pants. And I’m looking at my shirts and jackets thinking, “Will I ever get a chance to wear these things?” So yeah, it’s Groundhog Day, isn’t it?

John: I’ve embraced this bit really. I’m never going to have this amount of time off ever again in my life. And so, holistically, a bit of yoga here, an odd cycle there, a bit of time outside, a nice walk, a look at snow; it’s OK. And then we’ll go back to work. But what can you do? You’re in a set of rapids, and can you swim against it? No – just deal with it. It’s fine.

‘MasterChef’ starts on BBC One and iPlayer from 1 March