Wigan nurse appears on new MasterChef series

Ruth Monreal who lives in Orrell with her husband, six-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son, will appear on Heat two of the BBC One programme today Thursday (August 7) as the debate continues as to whether it should be aired after the sacking of its presenters.

The 38-year-old was born and grew up in the Philippines. She moved to Australia in 2012 after being given the opportunity by her aunty to study nursing again.

She met her now husband there and after living in Darwin, Northern Territory, for six years, they moved to England in 2018 after finding out she was pregnant with her second child.

When asked about her style of cooking, Ruth said: “I think my exposure to different cuisines has made me even more adventurous with food. I love Indian and South East Asian food, Mexican, American, Spanish and of course championing flavours from my own country, the Philippines. Filipino cuisine is very much influenced by Spanish flavours. I don't cook so much English food as I find it a little bit bland.

"Although I love a good fish and chips - you can't go wrong with that.

I’m a person who finds joy in cooking naturally and goes by feeling rather than by strict recipes.

"I love experimenting with different flavours and ingredients that are available to me. I trust my instincts and let creativity guide me in the kitchen.

"For me, cooking is a personal expression, not a science. It’s about using all my senses, always tasting, adjusting and enjoying the whole process.”

The BBC confirmed after “careful consideration” it had decided to air the new episodes of MasterChef despite sacking both presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode amid inappropriate behaviour allegations.

The amateur cooks who take part in the heats will be hoping to make it all the way to the quarter-finals tomorrow (August 8).

Just three of the chefs from each heat will make it through to the next round - with six facing the critics at the end of the week.

The best chefs from the quarter-finals will make it through to the MasterChef semi-finals and will return later in the season.

During the early weeks of the competition, it will follow the format of heat, heat, and then quarter-final.

There has been much debate as to whether the series should be screened after the much publicised investigations into the presenters, particularly Wallace.

But in the end it was decided that those who took part in the competition should be the highest consideration. Winning such a prestigious competition very often changes the lives for the better of many of those who not only win but also reach the final.

Wallace was accused of exposing himself to one woman and making sexually inappropriate comments to numerous other people while working on the show, while Torode was accused of making a strongly racist comment several years ago.

MasterChef has been on UK screens since 1990 when it was presented by Loyd Grossman. It relaunched with Wallace and Torode 20 years ago.

Several TV chefs have been tipped to replace them for future series including Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt and The Great British Menu's Andi Oliver.