My blogger friend, David Crichton of Fine Dining at Home went all the way to the end of Master Chef UK, 2018! How COOL is THAT? I have to admit, I’m always a little envious of people who actually want to be in front of the camera, I always shy away from it. You may recall Dave and I met in 2016, in London and again in 2017, when he captained a Thomas Cook airplane to Toronto and JT and I were able to reciprocate his hospitality. Dave is so easy to get along with, that we fell right back into conversation as if no time had passed. When we got together, he mentioned that he was thinking of applying for Master Chef UK, Season 14. If anyone can do it, it would be Dave.Fine Dining at Home is a blog about upscale restaurant food you can serve in your own home. Dave makes the recipes easy to follow and uses unusual ingredients. JT and I were in Arizona when his episodes aired and they were addictive! We watched each show intently, fingers crossed that he would make the next round. Judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode never had a bad thing to say about Dave’s food. It was awesome. According to Wikipedia, more than 20,000 people applied to audition for the series in 2010 (45,000 THIS YEAR) and they whittle it down to 56! Can you imagine how stressful that would be? Dave kindly let me ask him a few questions about his experience and I thought you might enjoy it.
Master Chef UK
June 25, 2018 by Eva Taylor
What is the process to become a contestant?
Dave: Quite straightforward. Fill in the online form. Then a telephone interview, if you’re successful with that you’re asked to take some food in and more questions. I guess after this it’s the luck of the gods that get you to the final 56.
Were John and Gregg the judges in the interview process?
Dave: Invention tests are exactly that. No preparation, just cook. After this, you are given a little warning of a theme for the next round. This gets especially more difficult as the competition goes on and general life eats up your time. John and Gregg decide everything. They are the only two people you need to impress/influence.
How much time did you have before you had to appear on the show? How did you determine the dishes you would cook for the show? How many times did you practice each one?
Dave: I had about six weeks warning before my first heat. It was quite easy to determine what I’d cook. Just chose my favourite dishes that really say this is me on a plate. It then just became a matter of timings. Each dish would be only be tweaked to fit into the timescale. The hardest dish to practice for was actually my dessert in the final. It was a pistachio/Tonka bean panna cotta with citrus meringue, macerated berries and a basil gel. I had to invent my own way of making the gel. Trying to keep it green is very difficult. This probably took the best part of a day when I only had two to play with for the final three dishes.
Did MC UK provide all of the ingredients for each dish? And were you able to put in an order for special ingredients? Were you limited by budget?
Dave: MC UK provide all the ingredients, which generally were amazing. There was no budget, but I chose to cook cheap food that everyone has access to and can relate to. I thought the judges can then appreciate the skill of the cook more. I blew the budget in the final though, one truffle for two portions of the starter!
How much time were you given with each brief before the show taping? Did you get the briefs in advance, all at once? What was the taping schedule, was it all at once or once every couple of days?
Dave: The whole show runs on a rolling schedule. Everything is drip fed to you. Themes for the next rounds etc. It was all generally filmed Monday-Friday.
It’s always a challenge to cook in someone else’s kitchen, did you get a chance to review the layout and equipment before taping the show or was it baptism by fire?
Dave: The first round really is a baptism of fire. You go in there completely blind. No one has any idea where the equipment is or what there is. You all just have to think on your feet. A great leveler.
One thing we kept commenting on was your controlled composure throughout the series, do you feel that your experience in being a commercial pilot helped? What were some of the techniques that you used to help control stress?
Dave: I certainly think my job helped. Panicking doesn’t solve anything. Problems will always occur, the sooner you can think straight to solve them, the better your chances of success. I was nervous, but I thought if I’m nervous how is everyone feeling? I just took it as if I was fighter, show no weakness. One of the best quotes I’ve ever heard was from Conor MacGregor(UFC fighter)
“Winners concentrate on winning, losers concentrate on winners”
I believed in myself and didn’t worry about what anyone else was doing. Not in a cocky way, but why stress about something you have no control over.
Name two things that you learned from the Michelin Star chefs that you did not know before. Will we see them incorporated in dishes on the blog?
Dave: The Michelin star chefs were the highlight of the show for me. Just watching the way they work, learning their ethos quickly rubs off on you. From Tommy I finally learnt the secret to perfect ice cream and making the rocher shape. It’s all in the texture! From Ashley Palmer-Watts I learnt so many things, but mainly just to take the attitude of every ingredient and “what can I do to make it taste great?”
Do you know what you will do with your celebrity?
Dave: I wouldn’t say I have much celebrity, but I want to do a pop up once/twice a month so everyone can come and eat my food. I’d also like to explore the private dining and corporate dining world. It all fits in better with my flying. I’d also like to write a book based on my website. Just enough to keep me out of trouble.
Thank you so much for this lovely interview. JT and I are so happy for your success. I hope one day to sample your tasty dishes and not just drool over them on the computer! Hope to see you soon.
If you want to watch Dave in action, some kind soul posted the series on YouTube, Dave’s part starts at Episode 13 and goes all the way to Episode 25.
I’m with you! I’d rather be behind the computer screen than on camera! Congrats to Dave—so talented!
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Very cool! I’ve often had many of those questions when watched these kinds of shows. I would be such a disaster in that arena!
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I was amazed at his composure. Thanks for your comment Jeff.
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I’m so glad you shared this Eva, utterly cool. David, I just brought episode 24 into the kitchen with me while making dinner. I’m amazed by your composure and, of course, your beautiful creations (that red cabbage fluid gel tho). Being a participant is already a great accomplishment but your results were stunning. What an an experience it must have been! Huge congrats; wonderful to see.
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Thank you for your comment, Kelly. I thought his dishes were superior but then again, I was a bit biased!
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He sounds so nice! And no wonder you are friends because you’re equally as lovely Eva!
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Awe, what a lovely thing to say, thank you sweet Lorraine. The blogging world is made up of some very special people, like you!
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Wonderful interview! Count me as another who’d rather be behind the camera rather than in front of it, though. Really fun read — thanks.
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Thank you for the comment John, the TV cameras would make me feel so nervous, I would probably forget how to boil water.
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Great interview! I saw bits and pieces on YouTube. I couldn’t have done it.
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Thanks for the comment Chef Mimi. I know, the TV cameras would make me freeze up.
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How exciting! GREG
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Thanks Greg. Dave is running a few pop-up restaurants every month which is very cool too.
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Congratulations to Dave! Whenever I watch MC everyone always looks so stressed! Good on him for keeping his composure and a healthy perspective. And thanks for the tip on where to find the series. I’ll take a look!
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Thank you for your comment, Michela. It was really fun watching the show knowing Dave.
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Thumbs up for your friend! Love the presentation…very trendy and beautiful.
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Yes, Dave is quite the home chef! Thanks for your comment, Angie.
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Eva, thank you for this interesting interview. And congratulations to your friend Dave! I sometimes watch this tv program and always think it’s difficult to believe these are home and not professional cooks! (Certainly nothing to compare to my low level of skills). Dave’s dishes look particularly impressive.
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Yes, we were so excited for him during the run of the show. He was able to work confidently through all of the stressors, and that is a feat in itself! The plates also had a professional presentation that some of the other contestants did not have.
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