A painter and decorator from Bristol became emotional last night as he explained the reason for his sugar-free dish to judges on MasterChef. John, who lives in the city with his partner and four children, was one of nine home cooks to appear on the show last night in the fifth and final week of heats.
John, 40, whipped up a chocolate tart with 'drunken' raspberries, although the seemingly simple dessert had a big twist - it didn't contain any sugar. The base of the refined sugar-free tart was made from crushed almonds and hazelnuts, egg yolk and a bit of sweetener.
As he prepared the dessert ready for John Torode and Gregg Wallace to taste, John sampled his own cooking, having to bin the first batch of chocolate mixture, which he said tasted 'gross', after forgetting to add sweetener. As John knocked together the final tart, which he topped with vanilla cream and toasted hazelnuts and served with a raspberry coulis, brandy-soaked raspberries and salted caramel, his fellow contestants commented that it looked 'delicious'.
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Prior to appearing on the show, John explained how he was "championing low carb, refined sugar free cooking" for a reason very close to his heart. "Since my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I have had to entirely rethink my cooking," he said.
"I am now championing low carb, refined sugar free cooking for her (aged nine) and also for my three other daughters (step daughters who are 10 & 13, and daughter aged seven) but ensuring it is still playful, creative, and ultimately, delicious."
When he brought his tart into the tasting room, Gregg and John were very pleased with the dessert. "You've got strong cocoa chocolate inside there," Gregg commented. "I do like the amount of vanilla you've got across the cream and I'm enjoying the odd boozy raspberry but in the middle there, it's a little wet."
John Torode said: "Without any sugar, I'm surprised because it's sweet enough for me. I really love all the vanilla in that cream, that definitely doesn't need sugar in it.
"Your pastry, I think, is a revelation. Almost like a cheesecake base with those nuts going through it, so thank you. I think it's a really, really good tart."
When Gregg started asking about John's daughter Leeya, the painter decorator broke down in tears as he explained how she misses out on foods everyone else gets to enjoy as a result of her Type 1 diabetes. "She's missing out on school dinners, desserts, she's missing out on ice cream when everyone else has ice cream; we have a barbecue, all the kids get a lolly, she misses out on all."
As John became emotional in front of the judges, John Torode comforted him by praising his efforts and innovation. "What you're trying to do is to give her what you want to give her, and that's great. I think it's admirable, so good on you."
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