Interview with BBC Celebrity MasterChef 2023 contestant Marcus Brigstocke

What made you want to do Celebrity MasterChef?

I’m a foodie - borderline obsessed with it and there’s also at nothing I don’t like. So that played a big part. But also a good friend of mine won Celebrity MasterChef a few years ago, and I'm absolutely done with him holding that victory over me. Alexis Conran - he's a really great mate and a brilliant chef.

What was it like walking into the MasterChef kitchen?

It is genuinely daunting. I’ve seen it on telly for so many years so to walk in and take part is surreal and intimidating. John and Gregg were so nice, very friendly and welcoming. But you’re still cooking for people who really know their stuff and also working in a kitchen where you don't quite know where everything is or how it works. In your own kitchen, there's a rhythm to how you cook and that all goes away on MasterChef. You’re like, ‘oh, what's this? I've run out of that. How do you turn these on?!’ That said I’m enjoying it.

How have you prepared to take on the challenge?

I have done a fair bit of practice cooking. I've been up to see Alexis a couple of times. I walked in and demanded, ‘come on, man, give me the tips, give me the juice, give me the inside stuff’. I’m trying so hard. I want to do well.

What do your family think of your cooking?

They like it, generally. I made something recently for my son that he would not eat and he wasn't wrong, it wasn't good. But that was partly me practicing something brand new for MasterChef, so that's okay. It was gross and it all stuck together and felt grainy and weird in your mouth. But I do the cooking much of the time and I really enjoy it, and they are mostly pretty complimentary.

What would be your desert island dish?

Probably Paella. It’s perfect for a desert island. Lots of wonderful fish fresh from the sea. I’d just need to grow rice, onions, tomatoes and saffron… Mmmm paella!

What are the three things you always have in your fridge and why?

Cheese. Other cheeses and cheese. I'm a level one cheese master and an international cheese judge. Seriously.

Favourite dish to cook at home?

For the last year or so it's been biryani. A proper biryani is really something. I always thought it was just rice with the meat mixed in, but if you do it properly it's exceptionally good. There's something about breaking the pastry lid on a biryani and those aromas coming out that I hugely enjoy.