The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dad in a stew at MasterChef surprise spot
Akeen amateur cook from Carnoustie stars in the news series of MasterChef – and he didn’t even enter the popular TV competition.
Ross Smyth’s daughter has enjoyed her dad’s cooking over the years so much that she put his name forward without him knowing.
The first Ross realised he would be making a screen debut was when he received a call from the team at MasterChef last year telling him he had made it on to the 17 th series.
Businessman Ross, 58, says had it not been for his daughter, Catherine Barnett, he would never have entered himself, despite being a big fan of the show.
The latest series of the BBC1 show will air this Monday with Ross appearing in episode one alongside four other amateur cooks. They will compete against one another for two quarterfinal places.
Ross said: “It was my daughter Catherine who applied on my behalf unbeknown to me. It was amazing.
“I got a phone call from the MasterChef team and was thinking that they had the wrong person, that was until she fessed up and told me she had entered my name.”
Ross, owner of a fibreglass manufacturing firm, travelled to London in October for filming.
“As a family we enjoy watching MasterChef and having seen it on TV to then being in the actual studio, it was hard to believe – I had to pinch myself just to take it all in,” said Ross.
“On set they were very good and were very compliant with Covid-19 restrictions.
“We had to wear masks, there was hand sanitiser everywhere, and they even had people in place to ensure we were socially distancing all the time.”
John Torode and Gregg Wallace return to judge the MasterChef contestants once again having fronted the show since it began in 2005. Ross said: “The whole MasterChef team, including John and Gregg, were really lovely. We only got to meet the judges very briefly though.”
This year’s competition features a new round in which each cook must showcase their favourite ingredient.
Ross turned to showcasing Scottish seafood, more specifically lobster, for his signature dish – something he says he cooks a lot with at home.
Teasing about the dish he made but not revealing all the ingredients, Ross said: “My signature dish was a seafood dish. I cooked a dish with lobster and I accompanied it with chips.
“It was high end meets low end. Arbroath is five miles along the road from Carnoustie and so I cook lobster quite regularly.
“It is an excellent larder for seafood to have on your doorstep. Cooking is my main hobby and I love to cook.”
Angus businessman Ross Smyth is going head to head with other keen amateur cooks to be named TV’s new MasterChef.
His bid for the title came after his daughter Catherine filled in an application without his knowledge.
Let’s hope Ross excels or there’s bound to be an awkward silence or two at the family dinner table.