A Nottingham-born woman who has reached the finals of MasterChef revealed she only decided to apply for the show after a work contract ran out.
Lorna Robertson, 22, grew up in West Bridgford and graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a print journalism degree in 2015.
Lorna, who works in public relations, wants to become a food writer and entered the BBC competition on a whim as one of her contracts came to an end.
And she has made it past the initial heats and quarter and semi-finals of the culinary competition, impressing judges John Tarode and Greg Wallace along the way, and will compete in finals week, which starts tonight (May 8).
She will compete with four contestants to cook a five-course menu created by Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth for the US ambassador in London.
Lorna, Giovanna, Alison, Saliha and Steve are heading to FINALS WEEK. 🏆 #MasterChefUK pic.twitter.com/ajZ5vSixG0
— MasterChef UK 🍴 (@MasterChefUK) May 5, 2017
Lorna said: “I was between jobs when I applied and one of my contracts was coming to an end. It was that horrible stage in life where you think ‘Oh my God, I don’t have a job – I don’t know what to do’. I thought ‘I might as well apply for MasterChef’.
“It’s the most fun in the entire world. In the first heat I was a bundle of nerves and you can’t really think; you’re not yourself and your brain isn’t in gear – you have no idea what you’re doing. But once you get through that first round it’s so much fun.
“If you do well, getting praise and amazing feedback is unlike anything else. I don’t want it to end, I just want to do MasterChef for the rest of my life.”
Lorna, who now lives in Berwick, Northumberland, has just set up her own ‘private dining’ business, an in-house dining service, and she says her journalism background and PR experience has prepared her well for the competition.
She said: “[In the competition] I just think ‘I’ve got to cook a dinner – I’ve done that before’. I’m quite relaxed and chilled about everything to be honest. It takes a lot to stress me out.
“I work quite well under pressure. Journalism in general does prepare you for working to deadlines and working in a high-pressure environment – you get used to it.”
She added: “I’ve always wanted to be a food writer – that’s my end goal. I didn’t know if I wanted to go to university because to be a food writer you can either do a journalism degree, which is what I did, and then branch out and specialise in food, or go and do a professional catering course and tailor that to writing.
“Professional catering’s something I don’t want to do. I really want to do private dining, summer clubs and pop ups and things like that – but I don’t want to be stuck in a kitchen for eight hours a day.
“At the minute it’s definitely a hobby, but anyone who gets into the final can easily turn it into a career – and most people do. This is amazing, I want to keep doing MasterChef – I don’t want it to end.”
MasterChef finals week starts at 9pm tonight on BBC One.
