Cooking is still king on TV and the current Masterchef Goes Large contest has inspired thousands to seek fame through kitchen flame. Viv Hardwick talks to York housekeeper Katherine Haworth about taking part in the competition.

THREE nights without sleep and late notice of contest rules still didn't dent York freelance housekeeper Katherine Haworth's pursuit of TV's biggest cookery prize for 2005.

The revamped Masterchef Goes Large on BBC2 attracted 4,000 contestants who aimed to be declared the series winner on April 1 by judges chef and restaurateur John Torode and produce expert Gregg Wallace.

But 47-year-old Katherine will be seen on Thursday cooking up a storm as she competes with unknown ingredients, under pressure and using her best two-course meal.

She says: "I knew I'd be nervous but I knew I could deal with it because I know my cooking is up to it. It was very stressful and the worst problem was that I was staying with friends in London but just not sleeping because of the noise. After three nights without sleep I was on my knees."

Katherine moved two years ago to Husthwaite, near York, after going north with her husband Roger's job and giving up her career in the civil service.

"I had to find something to do which left me completely flexible," she says. "A nine to five job proved impossible so, after I heard my mother complaining about the problem of finding a good and reliable cleaner, I approached three select friends and they pay me to cook and clean. It's not something that I ever saw myself doing but it's totally without stress and I go, do the job and come away again. But I'm not one of those women who hates housework."

The combination of her career change and housekeeping skills means that Katherine eventually hopes to open a "small, super-dooper, high quality B&B, where you can really look after guests."

Her other ambition is to become a recipe tester and developer. "The thought of being paid to make up recipes is just amazing."

Talking about the contest, she says: "There was originally the Masterchef fronted by Loyd Grosman, and then Gary Rhodes, and that died a death a few years ago but the BBC never signed off the name and decided to revive it in a completely new format. I always felt that what was wrong with the original format was that the contestants only had to cook their own menu, which obviously they could practice a million times in advance. With this you literally go in not knowing what is going to be thrown at you. Eventually you do cook your own menu but you have to get through most of the heat first."

Katherine began her journey to culinary fame in August last year. "I saw an advert in the BBC Good Food magazine and I thought 'shall I apply' and I ummed and ahhed and at the last minute I submitted my application on-line. Then I got a phone call and an interview, then I got another phone call saying 'come to London' and then I got a letter and a contract."

The filming began in October. "It all seems far in the past now but it's all coming back to me. I'm glued to the TV, absolutely, I wouldn't miss a minute of any of it."

Katherine reveals that there was actually a cook-off before the six are seen on air to drop three of nine starters. "We went in to nine work stations and the mystery task of taking two fillets from a plaice, skin them and cook them for the judges."

Viewers will see her next ingredients challenge as a piece of goat's cheese, mushrooms, avocado, watercress and an onion which became a Jalousie dish - "like a rectangular pastie with lines cut across it like a ladder".

"The only thing they really slated me for was for putting some orange juice in the salad dressing instead of just lemon. John Torode said, 'I think you're a good cook and you've tried to be a clever cook, stick to being a good cook'. But he did upgrade me after another stage."

She and the two other contestants did the cooking pressure test in the Charlotte Street Hotel in London doing "really smart breakfasts" including eggs Benedict. Katherine reveals that none of the trio's creations were actually served to paying guests.

"We were there all morning working away, but not for real customers. I was pretty low in the pecking order at that stage because I was too slow for a professional kitchen. I was definitely anxious approaching the two-course meal finale so I tried to wow them with my Marinated Seared Tuna and Baked Honey Peaches which have both been included in the Masterchef book."

Katherine also reveals that her BBC contract meant signing away all rights to recipes.

"I sat there for some time reading this but eventually I realised that if I wanted to do the competition I had to sign. So I signed it all away."

* Masterchef Goes Large runs all week on BBC2 at 6.30pm with Katherine Haworth's heat on Thursday.

* Henry Robinson Moore, a Gateshead financial planning manager, appears on tonight's Masterchef heat.

* Masterchef Goes Large, containing four recipes inspired by Katherine Haworth is published by BBC Books at £14.99.

Published: 01/03/2005