MasterChef’s Gary Mehigan: “I was scared to meet Camilla!”
If one of the judges on MasterChef was terrified to meet the royals, imagine how the contestants felt having to cook for them?!
While the reality TV cooking show has featured many famous guests over the past decade, this week, for the first time in MasterChef Australia ’s history, the contestants are faced with a huge challenge – cooking for none other than Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at the Royal Flying Doctor Service base in Darwin.
Speaking to NowToLove, judge Gary Mehigan admitted everyone was shaking underneath their chef aprons.
“We were nervous as hell!” Gary admitted. “Our pride and professionalism were on the line. All we could think was, ‘What if the contestants properly stuff up?!’
The judge continued, “George and I were probably a lot firmer than we’d normally be and dispensed advice [to the contestants] rather than clues.”
On top of the pressure of having to cook for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the contestants “were also cooking outdoors in 37-degree heat and 90 percent humidity”, Gary explained.
So, what did everyone think of Prince Charles upon meeting him?
“The thing that struck all of us was what a wonderful sense of humour the Princes of Wales has,” Gary shared.
“At the royal reception he navigated the room perfectly, spending time with every group in the room.”
But when it came to Camilla, Gary admitted he was a little star-struck!
“I was a little nervous meeting the Duchess of Cornwall,” the judge confessed.
“I should be old enough and wise enough not to be fazed, but it was a slightly surreal experience! She was lovely, obviously, and gave us her full attention.”
He continued, “We laughed and talked about food and Prince Charles. My job was to get an idea of what he loved to eat on an ordinary day of the week and when they were travelling.”
Are you looking forward to watching Royal Week on MasterChef? Tell us in the comments below.