MasterChef 2022 winner Eddie Scott describes winning as ‘the best feeling ever’

Eddie Scott has been crowned MasterChef’s newest winner, with judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace impressed by his culinary skills in the BBC’s popular competition

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Masterchef: Eddie Scott announced as the winner

Marine pilot Eddie Scott became tonight’s 18th winner of MasterChef after wowing the judges with his fusion of French and Indian dishes.

John Torode, 56, said the contestant was a “food powerhouse” while fellow judge Gregg Wallace, 57, said the series’ winner was “a natural born chef”.

The BBC’s competition ran for seven weeks ago, in which he saw off 44 other amateur chefs including Pookie Tredell and Radha Kaushal-Bolland – who finished second.

Eddie said his win was like “everything”. “I feel like my whole life has built up to this point,” he explains. I can’t believe I’m standing here as a MasterChef champion.

He further commented on the experience: “It was the most stressful and most enjoyable experience! I felt like I just discovered I was a chef. It was the best feeling ever. “

Torode considers Eddie a well-deserved winner, commenting: “His love of classic French food mixed with Indian spices has us really standing up and taking notice. “

He also praised the winner of the BBC’s latest food show series – which ends tonight – who is “bold, adventurous” and “didn’t play it safe.”

Wallace choked: “When I look at you, I really can’t imagine you doing anything but cooking, you’re a born chef. I couldn’t give you a better compliment.

“I think we’ve just seen the birth of a great future chef. [He] Impressed from the moment you step foot into this kitchen. He barely misplaced a foot throughout the competition. “

Eddie said he spent years building the courage to apply. “I think every amateur chef secretly dreams of being on a show like MasterChef,” he commented.

The marine pilot says the hit BBC show – which debuted in its original format in 1999 – is “an opportunity to completely transform your life in what you love.”

He further commented on the show: “It’s been the greatest joy in my life to be sitting here and cooking for both of you the food I love. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Over the past week, Eddie has traveled to Ireland to learn from Irish chef Myrtle Allen’s philosophy and also work with Gordon Ramsay, host of this year’s Chef’s Table.

Under great pressure, he produced dishes for some of the country’s finest chefs, with former three-star Michelin legend Pierre Koffmann describing his account as: “10/10 is a lot of heads. The kitchen can’t do that. Perfect.”

Eddie, raised in Leicestershire, now lives in East Yorkshire with his fiancée. He spent eight years as a navigator in the Merchant Navy and for the past five years has sailed on the Humber.

His love of cooking comes from the family – from his mother’s baking skills, to his dad’s experimental dishes and his grandparents’ perfection of Punjabi classics.

He recalls his youth: “Growing up, we packed up our little Ford Fiesta and spent the summer vacation camping in France.

“I was amazed at how the French present ingredients and how delicious dishes are found in the simplest cafes and restaurants. The way food has become so ingrained in French culture is a complete revelation.

“I wanted to recreate it and that’s how I actually got into cooking. I admire classic French and Indian cooking and wanted to create my own fusion of two fascinating culinary cultures. “

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Now he is hoping to get a job in the food industry. “It’s amazing to be able to cook in a top restaurant – it would also be fun to write about food or even do some extra TV. What I really enjoy is owning a restaurant of my own. .

“I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in food one day, and now MasterChef has made me realize that this can happen.”

Last night’s win was secured after he cooked up a three-course menu that started with a starter of caviar, oyster tempura, cucumbers pressed in dill oil and beurre blanc champagne. .

Tasting, Wallace declares, “Here you are cooking to a standard that many professional chefs have not yet met.”

The main course is Hyderabadi Dum – a chicken biryani dish topped with caraway seeds and nigella, seasoned basmati rice with crispy onions, chicken thighs cooked from the bone.

The dish is flavored with saffron, Kashmiri chili powder and cardamom, with cucumber raita.

Torode said he simply couldn’t get it enough: “I have a problem with this dish – I just want to shovel it in my mouth. It’s phenomenal and addictive.”

Eddie’s “extremely delicious” dessert is a chocolate mousse with a heart of prunes, prunes soaked in Armagnac, almond frangipane, almonds, and crème Armagnac Chantilly.

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