Contest hots up for Ulster chef

Food & Drink

Ulster chef Jonny Stevenson talking to Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace

Lisburn dad believes he can serve up win in BBC show

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

By Lisa Smyth

An aspiring Ulster chef is well on his way to scooping the prestigious Masterchef title as the competition's final kicks off.

Jonny Stevenson entered the popular BBC contest after spotting an advertisement in a local newspaper and has seen off stiff competition to make it through to the final round.

In a series of programmes running every evening until Thursday, the finalists - including the Lisburn father-of-two - will face some of the toughest challenges yet as they battle it out to win the competition.

Up against two other food enthusiasts - 18-year-old student Emily Ludolf and 33-year-old former legal eagle James Nathan - Jonny has already faced controversy on the road to culinary greatness.

The single father entered the popular BBC competition as an amateur, which the rules require, but some months into the show he acquired a part-time job at Ed's Bar and Grill in Lisburn.

At the time, a BBC spokesman said: "Both production and fellow contestants were aware of his part-time job. His job involves re-heating pre-packaged foods - he does not do any cooking from scratch. This is entirely in keeping with the rules of Masterchef."

Jonny himself explained: "I get paid to put out kids' meals, and the BBC are fully aware. I don't consider it working as a chef."

The aspiring chef is hoping that his success to date will help him fulfil his ambition to open up his own restaurant and judging by the current careers of the programme's previous finalists, he is already well on his way to making his mark in the culinary world.

"My aim when I entered the show was to start my own restaurant, a French haute cuisine sort of place, but I've changed my mind a bit since then - I don't want this to sound snobby but I don't think Northern Ireland is quite ready for that," he said.

Having already clearly demonstrated his flair in the kitchen, Jonny explained that he only developed a passion for cooking at the age of 21 when he made a meal for a group of friends.

However, his early attempts were not as successful as the work that has got him to the Masterchef final.

"I invited a group of friends round and cooked Ainsley Harriot's 20-minute coq au vin from Meals in Minutes," he said.

"It was disgusting, and took a day and a half to prepare. Now, I'd do it properly and take a day and a half cooking."

Jonny has now progressed to a higher level of cooking, but it wasn't until a trip to London with his partner that his eyes, and palate, were opened to the possibilities of really good food.

He said: "This was a life-changing moment and I still have the menu.

"For my main course, I had duck and Puy lentils with a classic sauce Bearnaise. This food was in a different league."