MOST people would be scared to boil an egg on Masterchef, never mind cook a three-course meal. But, every year, hundreds of people apply to appear on the BBC series, knowing their culinary powers will be scrutinised and criticised by John Torode (right) and Gregg Wallace.

If a contestant is talented, sometimes a look of ecstasy will appear on John or Gregg’s face. When Gregg tasted a particularly successful pudding, he enthused, “If you put that in a bucket, I’d stick my head in it!”

But there can also be the grimaces every contestant dreads and many will recall the moment John cut into a piece of undercooked poultry and said that he didn’t dare eat it.

Though a very successful chef and restaurateur, John is refreshingly down to earth about his own abilities. 

“If it wasn’t for the fact that I have had a lifetime’s experience in some of the best restaurants, I don’t think that I would stand a chance on the programme. You have to remember that the people we judge are not professional chefs. They have day jobs. It’s their love of cooking that brings them to us.” 

The contestants viewers see on Masterchef have already been selected from countless applicants.

“The ones who make it on to the show are committed, but there are dozens and dozens who aren’t, who fall by the wayside,” Gregg reveals. “We don’t like turning people down, but cooking is a serious business. Our advice to those selected for the programme is to tell them to go home and cook everything, using ingredients they’ve never used before. Because, once they get on the show, they might be asked to cook with things that aren’t your common or garden ingredients.”

Not only that, but they’ll be asked to cook in a real restaurant kitchen.

“It’s one thing cooking at home in a leisurely way,” John says, “but when you’ve got several dozen people in a restaurant waiting for a meal that has to be served within a specific time limit, you’re sitting on top of a volcano. It’s all about timing and every meal has to be perfection.”

In the later stages of Masterchef Goes Large, the contestants are really thrown in at the deep end, cooking in the open air for the Army under the steely eye of a catering sergeant, serving up for the cast of Casualty or producing school lunches for 500 pupils. Then there’s the test of working in the kitchens of top restaurants in Paris, New York and London, serving meals to world famous chefs. 

John is no stranger to the pressures of cooking both on TV and in a successful kitchen. Having arrived in the UK from Australia 15 years ago, he worked in several prestigious restaurants, introducing Australasian food to many, and now runs Smiths of Smithfield in London, near the famous meat market. John was also resident chef on ITV’s This Morning with Richard and Judy for four years. 

John is settled in London with his wife and family and seems to have no desire to move out of the city or take things easy.

“I couldn’t stand living in the middle of nowhere. I like the hustle and bustle of city life. Give me London, Sydney or New York rather than fields.” And when he’s at home, he’s not sitting with his feet up. “I do a lot of work about the house. When we bought our home, we had a lot to do on it, so every spare moment I get I’m doing something.”

Gregg comes across as more laid back than John and it’s no surprise to discover he has quite a different background.

“I started out as a London market trader, working on a vegetable stall at Covent Garden, which is the major vegetable market. I love fresh produce.” 

With the expert knowledge he gained, he was able to begin supplying restaurants and soon set up his own greengrocer company which he now runs from a farm. The chance to also work in the media came about when Radio 4 asked him to air his views regularly on Veg Talk. Now, as one of the judges on Masterchef, he is able to share his enthusiasm for fresh food.

“I like simple but good foods,” he says, “using the best fresh produce that you can get.”

John and Gregg are often very argumentative about which contestants should go through to the next round, but do they really have to get so worked up?

“Yes,” laughs Gregg. “There’s a lot more to our different opinions than you ultimately see on screen, but it’s all quite professional. We’re good friends and have been for years and socialise quite a bit, too. We have had some fierce arguments, but nothing serious.”

They certainly don’t pull any punches when tasting contestants’ food. But aren’t they a little harsh sometimes?

“No, simply honest,” John says. “They learn far more from that. But we’re never nasty. We’re given total control and nobody interferes with our decision.”

It has been suggested that viewers should pick the winner, or help in the elimination process, but Gregg and John don’t see this idea working.

“We’re doing the tasting and they aren’t. There would be the possibility that viewers would vote for the personality of the chef, rather than their cooking talents.”

All the hard work seems to pay off for winners as many go on to land jobs in top restaurants, publish cookbooks and work as food writers. So what would John’s advice be to potential Masterchefs? 

“They need the ability to work as a team player and to lead in the kitchen. They need a talent for food and, above all, stamina.”