Lyndsay Evans fails to impress in first MasterChef semi-final
She said she’d had ‘a blast’ on the cooking show.
Lyndsay Evans crashed out of the first MasterChef semi-final as eight hopefuls went through to the next stage.
The 36-year-old DJ and drummer failed to impress with her seared tuna, on a seaweed salad, with courgette flowers stuffed with scallop crab mouse, and a dashi broth with crispy seaweed on top.
Host Gregg Wallace was full of praise beforehand, saying: “Very few cooks I’ve seen are as exciting and creative as Lyndsay.
“Her knowledge is incredible – she crams twice more cooking in than most contestants you’ll ever meet.”
But his co-host John Torode wondered: “Is there enough seaweed on show?”
After tasting it he said: “The tuna’s nice, the seaweed salad’s nice but there’s nothing wow in it.”
Gregg said: “I think it’s very, very pleasant – I don’t think it’s setting the world on fire.”
After the show, Lyndsay tweeted: “Thanks for all the support over the last few weeks – it’s been a blast! I still love Japanese!
“Good luck to all the other contestants! I’m gonna cook along at home!”
Viewers were put off by the sound of Giovanna Ryan’s choice of favourite ingredient – fennel – to make a pannacotta and a baked wafer known as a tuile.
Louise Hector tweeted: “If I live to 150 I don’t think I’d ever want to try fennel pannacotta.”
Allotmenteer added: “MasterChefUK Mmm, a fennel pollen tuile. Said no-one, ever.”
Steve Kielty was almost on the sharp end of Gregg’s tongue after confusing his favourite ingredient with Lorna Robertson’s.
He said: “I’m doing rhubarb today – not rhubarb, that’s what she’s doing.
“Got it stuck in my head, I’ve been listening to her going on about it for the last 10 minutes.”
Gregg threatened to hold him to it, saying: “No. You’ve said it now, you have to cook rhubarb.”
His beetroot risotto did not get the reaction he was hoping for either, with Torode likening it to “baby food”.
Brodie Williams beamed as the hosts savoured his ginger pudding, with a ginger crumb, gingerbread ice cream and butterscotch creme anglaise.
“Today he got it spot on,” Gregg said.
MasterChef continues on BBC One at 8pm on Wednesday.
