Who is Laura on MasterChef 2021?
MASTERCHEF 2021 is coming to an end and finalist Laura Michael is one of the contestants hoping to be crowned the winner. Here’s what we know about the musician. Who is Laura on MasterChef 2021? Laura Michael is a 46-year-old jazz musician and music instructor living in Carluke, Lanarkshire with a dream of winning this […]
MASTERCHEF 2021 is coming to an end and finalist Laura Michael is one of the contestants hoping to be crowned the winner.
Here’s what we know about the musician.
Who is Laura on MasterChef 2021?
Laura Michael is a 46-year-old jazz musician and music instructor living in Carluke, Lanarkshire with a dream of winning this year’s MasterChef.
Despite her struggles with cooking scallops early on in the show, Laura has found her place as one of the strongest competitors this season.
Her well-presented quarter-final dish was branded by judge Greg Wallace as “the smartest looking crumble I’ve ever seen.”
The Prestwick born musician decided to apply for the competition after finding herself bored during last year’s lockdown.
Juggling full-time work with home-schooling her two children, Laura looked for a new challenge as an escape from Covid.
She said: “It would have been hard to enter without lockdown.
“I just thought I’m going to seize this negative moment and do something positive”.
Her passion for cooking began while travelling several years ago, however, it was only in 2020 that she finally chose to follow her friends’ advice and enter the MasterChef kitchen – her first-ever cooking contest.
Her inspiration stems from Scottish cuisine, presenting the judges with haggis bon bons and fillet steak drizzled with whisky cream.
She told The Scotsman: “I’m very into using local produce.
“Scotland has an abundance of a food larder to pick from.”
Laura admits her family were subjected to taste-testing each of her practice dishes on several occasions.
She said: “I’ve subjected my poor husband Paul to the same dish 20 times.”
She also showcases her passion on Instagram, under the handle @lauramichaelcooks, posting snaps of her dishes, from roasted bone marrow to her highly-requested crumble sandwich.
What has Laura said about being on MasterChef?
Laura is no stranger to performing in front of audiences and even released her debut album in 2000.
The working mum of two said: “Being on MasterChef compared to being on stage are dramatically different. It was terrifying.”
Speaking in awe of her judges, Laura admited to initially being starstruck by the celebrity chefs.
She said: “Seeing John Torode and Gregg Wallace was such a shock. But a really positive shock.
“I thought he was so calm and had such wisdom about food, just being around him he was so knowledgeable.”
During her time on the show, Laura has powered through injuries in the kitchen, burning herself while preparing her own take on her kid’s favourite takeaway dish – crispy duck.
Laura said the challenge “was really tough”, but she was pleased to get through without setting “myself on fire or crying.”
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When is MasterChef next on TV and how can I watch it?
MasterChef 2021 continues tonight – April 8, 2021, at 9pm
The competition will be airing on BBC One and the final of the 17th season will be on Friday, April 9.
You can catch the show on BBC iPlayer if you miss any episodes.