Vijaya, 37 works as an IT consultant. Born in Andhra Pradesh, South Indian she now lives in Dunfermline, Scotland with her husband and two children.

How would you describe your style of cooking?

“I’m a home cook with lot of passion towards authentic Indian dishes and presenting them with a modern touch! My mum is my biggest inspiration for starting off my cooking journey. Now my daughter inspires me a lot to experiment and explore different cuisines depending on what she fancies eating.”

What is your earliest cooking memory?

“I remember helping my mum when I was four years old and trying to name each spice by smelling them, it was a fun game we liked to play.”

Why did you enter MasterChef?

“MasterChef is one of best platforms to showcase the dishes that are close to your heart. I want to challenge myself to push the boundaries with food and my own cooking. It was in my bucket list for a long time and I am so thrilled to be taking part.”

What is your food dream?

“I would like to open my own restaurant in Scotland where I can cook and share the very authentic flavours of Southern India.”