NOTHING FANCY PLEASE

Mary is adamant that the judges are looking for proper home cooking. ‘I think the show is unique in that sense,’ she says, while confiding that after chatting to me she is off to make a lovely fish pie with ‘lots of hard-boiled egg’ and the last of the leeks from her garden. ‘Masterchef is wonderful and I love seeing what they’re doing, but you wouldn’t do it all the time at home. It’s nice to see people making all-round family food in a contest.’