Did Cairngorms park board member win over Gregg Wallace and John Torode in Masterchef?

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Spoiler alert: part of the result of the first episode is included in this article.

There was a familiar face to many in the Highlands amongst those lining up for the new series of the BBC's Masterchef.

Cairngorm National Park Authority board member Geva Blackett was aiming to win one of the famous white aprons in the first episode on Monday evening.

But sadly a split Hollandaise sauce in the first round and a lack of ambition in the knock-out meant that she was one of two contestants sent home by Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

There was plenty of praise for some of her cooking but she made the cardinal sin of serving up the sauce which was more like scrambled eggs.

Geva, from Braemar, was up against eight other contestants in the first heat.

In a bid to grab one of three aprons up to go straight through to the quarter-finals, she made haggis wrapped in filo pastry, served with Swede Duchess potatoes and a Hollandaise sauce.

But on her first visit to the microwave to collected the finishing sauce, she said: "The Hollandaise is just not working it has turned into scrambled eggs. I think the microwave might have been too hot."

With five minutes left to complete her dish, she tried again but alas to no avail.

On her second visit she observed: "It still hasn't worked; it is just not thickening. I am just going to try and present it as best as I can and hope the flavours are there."

Serving her plate to the two Masterchef stars, she told them: "I've brought you a dish from Scotland."

Wallace told her: "I love that haggis. It is peppery and there is a hint of smoky whisky about it but the Hollandaise is a disaster. If it doesn't work, don't serve it."

Torode said: "Your Duchess potatoes are nicely made – they are creamy and you have managed to get a crust on the top of them. Your filo pastry is crisp on the outside but when you have it with the neeps and tatties you have the flavour of a really good pasty.

"But we can not ignore the fact that the Hollandaise has not worked."

Geva summed up: "They enjoyed my food and from two people like Gregg and John that is one hell of a compliment but I will probably not get an apron because of my Hollandaise but I'll keep battling on."

And so it proved to be with Geva not getting an apron and progressing and instead going into sudden death with the two contestants from six serving the worst dishes in the round being knocked out.

Geva told the cameras: "I'm feeling quite nervous still. It's my last chance."

She decided to keep it simple and make a family favourite – pancakes with apple and bear with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

She told Wallace, who is renowned for his sweet tongue: "I hope that this leads straight to your heart, Gregg, as I know you love sweet flavours"

Asked why she was making pancakes by the presenter, Geva replied: "They are something that we make at home and it is quite an easy thing to do, she said who messed up her Hollandaise, but everybody loves them."

Torode said: "For Geva, there is nowhere to hide. The pancakes have to be lovely and thin and not doughy. The fruit has to be cooked just so; it can't be too crunchy, sharp or sweet.

"It could be lovely but does it show enough skill?"

And sadly for Geva it was not the perfect recipe requires for such a simple dish to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Torode said: "The pancake is nicely made but the pears and apples have not been cooked very much and when you bite in you have this juice rushing into your mouth which washes away the flavour of the caramel but also that juice from the pancake has made it go slightly soggy.

"Across the top, the nuts and the caramel are a lovely, lovely idea but it is really salty."

Wallace said: "It is lovely to eat but it is not showing a great deal of knowledge and technique."

Geva said after the verdict on her dish: "I'm feeling a bit despondent. I certainly did not do as well as I could have done. I should have put more into it but what's done is done."

She has been a long-time member of the Cairngorms National Park Authority board.

Geva told the Strathy of her Masterchef appearance: "I never expected or wanted to win. I entered because, post lockdown and with so many mental health issues affecting people, I wanted to show that it’s really good to push yourself out of your comfort zone and you find you either appreciate what you have – and why would I want to change my life? – or see what needs changing and maybe find a new direction.

"It was a great experience, if pretty stressful, and I would just say to people 'Be brave, you don’t know what you can achieve until you try it'."

Geva recently became an Aberdeenshire Council nominee on the CNPA board replacing ex-councillor Peter Argyle, and having previously been a community representative.

And just to prove that she can cook up a great Hollandaise sauce, here it is....

The first episode of the new series of Masterchef is available on the BBC iPlayer.

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