Q&A with Poppy

What has the experience of being a judge been like for you, especially being on a show like Young MasterChef, which is part of a larger global brand?

It’s been so genuinely exciting, of course a bit nerve-wracking because this is the MasterChef brand, but this is Young MasterChef, so it’s brand new. But, also, like you said, MasterChef is the one of the most iconic food brands in the world, let alone the UK, so it's been an internal challenge to step up to the plate a little bit – I want to make everyone proud – the whole brand, as well as myself. Overall, it's been incredibly exciting and thrilling, and a joy to be working with such great people.

What’s the calibre of contestants been like on the show?

The contestants have been better than I could have imagined! You come in without any sort of thoughts or expectation because you don't want to have preconceptions of anyone, but it has been so good – these cooks are all very talented, they've all got a spark for food, and they've got an interest in it. It's lovely to be around people who have a passion for something that I'm also passionate about, I really just enjoy watching them develop and see their creative ideas grow, it’s so interesting to watch.

What kind of qualities are you looking for in a winner?

That's hard – I change it every time I think about it, but it’s passion – that's the main thing. It's about having a love of food, loving the feeling around food, and enjoying making it. Being a chef or cooking shouldn't be a burden to anybody, it should be something that they really enjoy doing. So, what I’m looking for in the Young MasterChef winner is for them to have a genuine passion for cooking, a love for it, a love for produce and everything to do with food.

You got to spend quite some time with the contestants, and you've really seen them progress throughout the competition. How did you find not only being a judge, but being a mentor?

Well, I've always loved teaching people – that's my favourite thing to do, and that's what I try and do through my own platforms and social media. I love seeing people growing, and I love being able to show them new things that they may not have thought about before. Being able to see these young people learn, adapt and improve throughout the process has been incredible to see, and you can see the slight changes every time a new challenge comes up when we've been able to give some constructive feedback to them. And they are taking it on board.

Are you a soft or strict judge?

I’ve had a few moments of both! I’m mainly positive because I think that these cooks are really trying, and also their food is good. But, I do have a chef background so there’s a part of me that's really does want people to expand and get better. So it's about trying to be constructive in the best way possible but you do have to get down to the nitty gritty otherwise people will never learn from their mistakes.

You’ve built an incredible audience for yourself online. How has that kind of passion and drive help with your work now on screen with Young MasterChef?

Now, that's a difficult question, I suppose – it's sounds very corny – but it's natural for me because I love what I do. I loved what I did when I was a chef, and I love what I do now. So being able to expand it even further to help young contestants has been really exciting for me. Also, being able to bring a bit of silly personality to the kitchen always helps – I really do hope that people can see the genuine love that I have for MasterChef, and for cooking in general.

What's it been like working alongside Kerth? Can you tell us a little bit about your on and off-screen dynamic?

It’s been great working with Kerth! I think we are we have a really good connection on and off-screen, and we bounce off each other well. He’s such a good mentor to the contestants as well as to me – he's helped me out with some of my ideas and dishes along the way. He's also been really been very supportive which is lovely, he's got a lot of depth, intellect, and so much knowledge.

What does a show like this that puts young people in a position to really show off their talents mean for the future of the food industry?

It’s going to do a lot, I really do think that it is. We are in a position where not that many people are interested in creating food anymore; we've got so many things, takeaways and delivery apps, food boxes, and it’s all incredible, but we still need people to be interested in cooking at home. So, being able to see people of your own age – whether you’re gen Z or millennial – enjoying food, cooking food, taking time to get into food, is inspirational.

Some of the contestants coming to Young MasterChef may have a presence on social media (like YouTube, TikTok) do you think that’s an advantage when competing? Is it important to have a social media presence?

I think it's inevitable now that almost everyone has some sort of social media presence – it’s a really great way to get inspiration, and we can see so much of the world through these platforms – plus if you can be inspired by some delicious ideas as well, it's really useful. It broadens the repertoire of recipes in your mind and helps you think of things you otherwise might not have. There's so many things you can do, so it's a very, very useful tool.

Finally, what can viewers expect from the show? What do you hope they take away from it?

I think the viewers can expect to see excitement, passion, vibrancy, and also a real show of creativity in the younger generation. It's been such a creative experience and being able to see first-hand where the food scene and hospitality industry is going has been exciting, as well as just seeing how talented these contestants are in the kitchen, too!