MasterChef (BBC One, 9pm) had cooked itself up a world of trouble following the controversial departures of long-serving host-judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. But it has redeemed itself and found the perfect sweet spot with the new presenting duo of Dublin chef Anna Haugh and food critic Grace Dent, who go together like Tayto and red lemonade.
MasterChef needed to swap up its menu following complaints about Wallace’s behaviour. Torode’s subsequent departure was more of a surprise – he was let go after an allegation against him of using an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld.
But after that storm in a soup can, the new duo are a joy. Smartly, the BBC hasn’t overthought things by trying to pair opposites. If anything, Haugh and Dent are two presenting peas in a pod, united in their instinct to look to the positives in a dish rather than focus on the negatives.
What hasn’t changed is the MasterChef formula itself, and fans of the show will enjoy watching foodies rustle up pretentious variants of household favourites. There is also a competitive edge as sharp as those Japanese knives you received as a gift but which you will never, ever use.
The contestants, a likable hodgepodge from all walks of life, approach MasterChef as if it’s X Factor bulked up on protein bars. When two early hopefuls are eliminated and walk away without a coveted MasterChef apron, they look as if they’re about to combust with devastation. Later, three top-ranking contestants from last year are brought in as judges and swagger about as if they’ve come straight from sweeping the boards at the Oscars.
Haugh and Dent make it worth watching, however. They are chipper and supportive, but they don’t over-egg their enthusiasm and are (very mildly) critical as required. “Your miso caramel… a little heavy handed with the miso,” Haugh says of one punter’s dessert (he is shown the kitchen door not long afterwards). “The egg is beautifully cooked – however the Hollandaise sauce is vicious,” says Dent later on. She has the expression of someone who worries she’s gone too far.
The biggest relief is that viewers are spared Wallace’s fake mateyness – a backslapping routine we now know was contradicted by his off-camera behaviour. Not only do you not miss the artery-clogging banter, but MasterChef is actively improved by its absence.
Haugh is from Tallaght and is the founder of Myrtle restaurant in London, which specialises in fine dining with an Irish twist (the menu features a beetroot starter with the brilliantly bonkers name Siobhán’s Quest).
On MasterChef, she does that very Irish thing of widening her eyes and nodding when someone is talking to her. I think we’re all guilty of it when encountering strangers and trying to get their measure without coming across as nosy – but it is just a bit jarring to see it on screen. Otherwise, this is a dish finished to perfection and which banishes the sour taste that has lingered since the previous hosts got the chop. Chef’s kisses all round.