Welcome to my new blog. I’ve loved cooking and all things food related for as long as I can remember. I love to feed, love to eat and love to put a smile on people’s faces with something I’ve created.

I am a busy person to say the least but always have time to cook. I want to share my recipes, my musings and my shortcuts to show that no matter how busy you are; there is always time to rustle up something impressive.

MasterChef was the turning point in my life and I am truly overwhelmed and somewhat humbled by how much support I had for my food. It was the toughest few months of my life; way bigger than anything else I had been through. That is not meant to belittle any other major events; but none of those were going to be televised to millions of people!

Walking through the doors of the studio on my first day – I genuinely thought my knees were going to buckle I was that nervous. Surreal doesn’t even come close to describe seeing John and Gregg standing there. There was a small part of me that wanted to turn around and exit but I am not a quitter, no matter how tough I think something is likely to be. My only objective – don’t be the first one out. If nothing else, I had to leave with my pride in tact!

Waiting for judgement….waiting for the first fork to reach their mouths….waiting for them to swallow the food and talk…longest few minutes of my life. Gregg’s first words; “Mate you can cook, that is superb” John; “watching you work today was a joy.” The relief came pouring out. I hadn’t made the mistake of my life entering the competition!

I’d love to think of a better analogy than roller coaster but that’s exactly what it was. The high’s; an amazing first invention test with Monica Galletti praising my food. The low’s; disappointing John and Gregg with my lack of ambition on the scraps test. There was so many good things in between. It was like a crash cookery course on the highest level – from beginner to Michelin starred in less than three months!

I learnt so much. Not only how to be better a cook, but how to cope with the most extraordinary pressure, how to take every ounce of criticism on board and learn from it and how to continually push the boundaries. I went so far out of my comfort zones at times I needed a compass to find my way back but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

Doing MasterChef was the best thing I ever did. I’ve walked away with the confidence to take cooking into a professional capacity and I’ve met some of the most  amazing people along the way, people I am now proud to call my good friends.