A talented cook has given a glimpse inside the Masterchef kitchen after wowing judges with her own recipes. Cliodhna Gibson, 25, first appeared on Masterchef last Tuesday (April 25).
She appeared on two episodes of the nation’s beloved show, cooking four dishes in total, with one of the judges even saying he would pay to eat her dish in a restaurant.
Personal Trainer Cliodhna, from Oswaldtwistle, runs her own gym but her family are no strangers to the kitchen, with her mum running a sandwich shop and younger sister owning a bakery.
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She told LancsLive: “I have always had a passion for cooking and I wanted to challenge myself. I thought it would be fun to enter the show.
“I have a good palette. I love going to different restaurants and trying food and recreating things at home and putting my own spin on things. Being on the show was an incredible experience and it was great to meet other contestants who were passionate about food like me and I have made friends for life.”
She made sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce, caramelised banana ice cream and peanut praline for judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Commenting on the sticky toffee pudding, John said: “That’s quite a thick big bit of peanut brittle. As for the rest of it, I think it’s delightful.
"Your pudding itself is really nicely spiced, it’s not too sweet. Across the top of it we have a really lovely, thick, toffee sauce made with molasses.”
Gregg said: “I wrote it off as being too sweet. I was wrong. Your sponge is moist and really light. That is brilliant ice cream. It’s shiny, smooth and creamy. You also get a hint of banana as you’re finishing each mouthful. That is really well made. I almost want to let you go back in there and have another go at the praline.”
Cliodhna and other contestants were given one-hour-and-15-minutes to make a dish from a collection of ingredients to decide who would remain in the competition after they missed out on the first aprons. She made sea bass with pasta coated in a pesto sauce and green beans. John described the fish as being ‘cooked beautifully’, while Gregg was not keen on the pistachio flavour.
Her meal saved her a spot in the contest and she was given an apron to progress to the next stage. She says she felt like she excelled at the first three dishes but began to feel the heat of the competition towards the end.
Cliodhna left the show on the episode aired last Thursday, but she says being in the competition will be an experience she will always cherish. She impressed judges John and Gregg, plus guest judge, food critic Jay Rayner, with her first dish of tempura squid with black garlic and squid ink aioli. John even said he would pay for the dish in a restaurant.
Cliodhna was eliminated from the competition following a baking disaster with her dark chocolate and sea salt tart. It collapsed in her hand during the second round of the competition.
Cliodhna continued: “It was a privilege to cook for Jay, John and Greg. The whole thing felt so surreal and watching the show with family at home felt surreal.
“It was an amazing experience that I will never forget and always cherish. My friends and family have been so supportive. It has been overwhelming and I am so grateful and humbled by it.”
Cliodhna has her own gym called No Body Better personal training in Darwen where she currently lives. The personal trainer says she enjoys hosting dinner parties and sees food as a great way to bring people together.
Her mum Jackie runs a sandwich shop called Bulloughs Sandwich Bar and Eatery in the Globe Centre, while her younger sister, Alannah Gibson, owns a bakery called Alannah’s Bakes and Cakes in Accrington.
Masterchef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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