A man from Caerphilly will be in the knockout rounds of MasterChef UK.
Stephen Ford, 49, is one of 16 remaining contestants on the show, which sees amateur chefs cook meals to impress judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode.
Mr Ford is one of the organisers of Caerphilly’s annual live music event, Megaday, which he has been involved with for more than 20 years. He is also the lead singer of a local band, The Love Handles.
Mr Ford, who is a married father-of-five, said: “There’s a lot of emotion attached to being on MasterChef.
“I lost my father recently which was a catalyst in me applying for the show.
“I’m going to be 50 soon and when you get towards that milestone, a switch clicks inside you.”
He added: “I wanted to be able to tell the story of my parents’ food. My father influenced the spices I use today, a lot of which are Asian-inspired.”
Mr Ford told Caerphilly Observer: “It’s singularly the best experience I’ve had without my friends and family and I would recommend it to anyone who can cook. It has been a great experience so far.”
Overwhelmed by the comments last night! Thank you! x #MasterChefUK pic.twitter.com/K2J0JCq8N4
— stephenfordie (@stephenfordie) February 21, 2019
During the first round of the show, Mr Ford cooked a salmon dish with an Asian spiced consomme.
In the second round, he cooked king scallops with an apple syrup and whiskey sauce, as well as a haggis dish to honour his Scottish ancestry.
Mr Ford, who regularly posts recipes on social media, cooked a traditional Welsh laverbread dish during the quarter finals.
Laverbread Ravioli with Cockle, Samphire & White Onion Broth. @gracedent thank you for your amazing comments that get me into Knock Out Week! @MasterChefUK #masterchefuk #masterchef pic.twitter.com/a9Rd9k3m4R
— stephenfordie (@stephenfordie) 22 February 2019
He said: “I’d probably say my best moment on the show has been getting through the opening round.
“It was literally my first time cooking for respected people within the industry.”
He added: “It pushed me to move on and succeed in the quarter finals.
“It was wonderful to hear the people you respect within the industry. There’s no feeling like it.”
MasterChef will air on BBC One at 7.30pm on Sunday, March 10 and again at the same time on Monday, March 11.