A budding chef from Bolton is to make her debut on the latest series of Masterchef tonight. 42-year-old NHS worker Nazya from Bolton will join the heats, with hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace putting the new recruits through their paces.
Nazya grew up in Pakistan, spending most of her time there in the city of Karachi, before moving to the UK 10 years ago, where she lives with her three daughters, aged 18, 15 and 8.
“I take inspiration from the cuisine of my heritage (Karachi, Pakistan), and love using recipes that have been in my family for years, but then like to add my add twist to them by incorporating different cuisine’s ideas,” she said.
Asked why she wants to be on Masterchef, she adds: “I want to show my girls and all the women that no dream is too big, and that you never know unless you give things a try.”
Joining Nazya will be Salford-dwelling Ioan, who was brought up in a farming community in North Wales.
“MasterChef has always been a dream of mine. I have avidly watched it over several years, always thinking ‘I will apply… one day’ – and here I am, I finally plucked up the courage!” said the 38-year-old marketing manager.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I want to demonstrate my passion, my ability to grow as a cook and most importantly I want to have fun. I am so excited being part of the Masterchef competition this year.”
This will be the third of five heats on the show, with two of the heats already having been whittled down to their semi final placees.
The series has produced a number of chefs from the north west over the years. Simon Wood, from Chadderton, won the series in 2015, first working for the Oldham Event Centre, before opening his first restaurant WOOD in 2017, followed by a second site in Chester a year later.
Meanwhile, 2019 Masterchef: The Professionals finalist Exose Grant Lopo-Ndinga studied catering at South Trafford College before starting out flipping burgers at Five Guys in the Trafford Centre.
He then got a work placement with James Martin Manchester, before pestering the celebrity chef for a job and eventually becoming chef de partie. While he made it down to the final three, he lost out to chef Stuart Deeley.
Prior to his near-win in Masterchef: The Professionals, he appeared as a contestant on Bake Off The Professionals earlier that year.
