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Amateur chef Shivi impresses Masterchef judges to gain place in quarter-final

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An amateur chef who usually cooks for her pet dog has gained a place in the quarter-finals of a top TV culinary competition. Shivi Ramoutar, 27, beat hundreds of cooks to appear on Wednesday's episode of the BBC's Masterchef. And while judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace hated her the "watery and burnt" mushrooms she dished up in the first challenge, she stormed through the final three tasks to gain a place in tonight's(5) programme. After finding out she was through, the singer-songwriter who grew up in Leicester, told viewers: "This competition just keeps astounding me. My muscles are shaking and I am just so so happy." Shivi, who moved to London still has family in Leicester, and told viewers her cooking inspiration was her Latin-American, Trinidadian, and Indian roots. At the beginning of the show, she told judge Gregg: "I usually cook for my dad. And my dog. The dog gets the leftovers. The dog eats very well." In the first round Shivi disappointed Gregg and John with her mushroom filled mince, served with chargrilled vegetable salad and a garlic ciabbatta. "In the middle of that plate we've got a mushroom that's burnt underneath and inside we've got minced beef which has been boiled in red wine and has no seasoning at all," said John. Undeterred by their comments, Shivi knuckled down, and in the next round which involved tasting and replicating a chicken pot pie and coleslaw made by John, the judges said her dish was a "tasty little thing." A relieved Shivi told viewers: "I felt I approached the actual cooking with a little bit more calm which made all the difference." Two of her competitors were sent home, and Shivi and two other cooks headed to exclusive London restaurant Bistro 51 to be put through their paces during a lunch shift. Shiva was tasked with preparing portrait of duck - duck and orange sausage, smoked duck mash, crispy duck breast, all served with blueberry jus and blanched asparagus. Despite never having cooked duck before, her determination saw her through to the final challenge where she was allowed to cook two dishes of her choice. She made pan fried fillet of seabass with saffron polenta, muscles and a sauce vierge, and a Moroccan floating island for pudding, with orange blossom meringue, rose and cardamom creme englaise and pistachio praline. Tasting the main, John said: "You've got some lovely exacting flavours in there. Your fish is cooked really well and your sauce vierge is delicious." And while he did not like her pudding, Gregg said John's taste for desserts "lacked expertise" and said her pudding was "lovely." Another competitor was sent home and Shivi was put through to tonight's semi-final, which will be on BBC One at 8.30pm. "I just want to show that I can do something wonderful and not do anything dramatically wrong," added Shivi.

Amateur chef Shivi impresses Masterchef judges to gain place in quarter-final


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