Mastercheat!
Pippa’s brother in law sig ns up Michelin-st arred chef to help him win MasterChef, telling friends: ‘I know it’s a bit naughty...’
THE recipe is simple but appealing – well- known stars struggle to conquer challenging cooking techniques in a bid to be crowned Celebrity MasterChef.
And few things make more entertaining viewing than a hapless amateur who doesn’t know his braising from his blanching.
But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal t hat Pippa Middleton’s brother-in-law Spencer Matthews has been going against the spirit of the show – by having secret lessons with multi-Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.
The pair were introduced by his father David, a millionaire businessman who owns the £ 5,000a- night Eden Rock hotel on St Barts in the Caribbean.
Sources on the set of the BBC1 show, which started last week, say the 29-year-old former Made In Chelsea star told the other 19 contestants he had sought expert assistance because he was ultra-competitive and wanted to stay in the competition for as long as possible.
It is believed to be the first time that a contestant has been rumbled in this way.
A source said: ‘Spencer was making no secret that he wanted to do well – so much so that he used his connections to get ahead. He was boasting to the others that he’d got some expert help. He knew that it was a bit naughty.
‘ David Matthews and Jean-Chris top he meta while ago and Spencer first visited the chef at a food festival. He was determined to stay in the show for as long as possible.’
Novelli, who was chef to the Rothschild family before setting up a series of successful restaurants, runs his own academy and appeared on cookery show Hell’s Kitchen in 2005. Sources claim two other contestants appearing in this week’s line-up alongside Mr Matthews have also sought professional advice. Former EastEnders actor John Partridge, 47, has enlisted the help of a senior chef who spent a week talking him through recipes and helping him with time limits. Meanwhile, One Show presenter Jean Johansson has received private cooking tutorials, according to sources at the BBC.
While a source close to Novelli confirmed he had helped Mr Matthews, the reality star last night claimed he had ‘never heard’ of the chef. A spokesman for MasterChef said: ‘As with any role or job, we would expect the celebrities to do some research before appearing on the show.’
‘He was boasting he’d got some expert help’