The Next Episode
In RyeZine No.1, we visited Chef Rosie in Rye. We spoke about her background and the development of the café/restaurant The Fig. Now, we are back to hear the next episode.
What inspired you to put yourself forward for MasterChef: The Professionals?
Rosie. I have this thing inside me; I’m always trying to do something new and push forward. I have a fear of being stagnant and not developing. At The Fig, things have been evolving all the time. After I renovated the flat above The Fig, turning it into four bedrooms, I thought, what’s the next challenge?
The Fig has been a massive part of my life for the last eight years, so I wanted something new outside of the business, just for myself. There are a few restrictions at The Fig, from the layout and location; it is a listed building, etc., so it’s not fine dining. I don’t want The Fig to be fine dining, but on a personal level, it would be nice to see if I could compete with chefs working in Michelin-star restaurants.
I had been considering applying to MasterChef for a while. I’ve watched it religiously for years. I took the plunge and applied, and then went through the processes. My interview went well. I decided I needed to be prepared if I got on the show.
I thought, what if I actually get on? You don’t know if it will affect your life, so there were moments of cold feet. Was I putting my whole career and personality on the line, on TV for millions of people to watch? But I was so excited, and that took over the nerves. It was amazing getting on the show. I hope I came across well; that was always a scary thought. When I got the phone call to say they wanted me in the competition, I was terrified and excited.
We had to be strict about not telling people we would be on the show, so I had to keep it secret. I told my colleagues the reason I wasn’t working so much at The Fig was that I hoped to open a new restaurant and felt I needed to improve my skills. And some of that is true; I did need additional skills to move forward and be on MasterChef: The Professionals. Otherwise, I’d be caught out because I knew I have massives holes in my knowledge and lack of training. I never entered MasterChef: The Professionals to win it. It was more about having a challenge to focus on.
“It’s almost like I want to make things a bit difficult for myself. If things are settled and easy, I get bored.”
Now you know you’ll be one of the MasterChef: The Professionals contestants, how do you prepare for it?
Rosie. So, I went to Jamie Wickens, our lovely butcher, over in Winchelsea. Jamie and I are very close, and he has been a part of The Fig since day one; I also used to work for him before I opened up. He gave me a butchery master class an hour a week over three weeks, which was a fantastic opportunity. I also went down to the Rye Fish Market; they’re great down there. I asked them loads of stuff while buying fish. They were so helpful; however, from my skills test on MasterChef, you wouldn’t know I did so much research; I messed it up.
Also, I went to The Fordwich Arms in Canterbury, which has been my favourite restaurant for however long it’s been running. I like to go there when I’m feeling flush. So, I had an exhausting week of work there, from 9 am until 11:30 pm, which was amazing, but by Sunday, well, I had never known exhaustion like it! Kudos to them for doing it week in and week out. I had never stepped foot in a Michelin-star restaurant before. It is incredible to see the attention to detail.
At The Fig, I am fussy about quality, but we prepare dishes with timing in mind because of the sheer numbers. I can’t spend half an hour chopping chives, so they’re consistently two millimetres long. So, it was great to experience a different environment where they do smaller numbers. But the food they are producing is not only beautifully refined but so delicious with massive punchy flavours. Owners Dan and Natasha Smith are incredibly talented with their two Michelin-starred restaurants.
We were allowed to announce that we were on MasterChef: The Professionals a week before our first episode aired in November. My first episode was filmed earlier in the year on my birthday. Different heats all filmed their episodes, so that spread it, and we had some time in between. That was great because it meant more preparation time for the next round. But that speeds up as you reach the final 12 as we merge into one group.
“Watching that episode on TV with my parents and hearing their feedback about something utterly my creation was special. I’d cooked under time pressure for three renowned critics who loved it. Yeah, it’s surreal and one of the proudest moments of my life.”
Pan Seared Scallops - Find Rosie’s recipes here.
Please walk us through your time in the competition.
Rosie. I met Chefs Charlie Walters and Tommy Thorn from the first round and the others at the hotel in the morning before entering the studio. The three of us got on so well; it was so gorgeous that we all got through to the quarter-finals together. Three people from the same heat at the beginning rarely get into the final 12 together. They are lovely boys; I knew they’d get into the final because they are so good.
“We didn’t properly taste each other’s food, but there was a lot of leaning on the benches and dunking your finger in their sauces to try them. And their food was incredible.”
I had never been so nervous when I first walked into the studio to do the skills test. I couldn’t tie my apron up, so I had to start again; I was trembling so much. It’s surreal to be on the set of something you’ve watched on TV in your own home.
Because the production team and all the camera people were so funny and friendly, I forgot they were filming once that first task was done. I still felt anxious because I was under pressure cooking in a competition, but I didn’t think about the TV side of things. Even though whenever anything went wrong, if something boiled over, people would be filming it.
Most of the other chefs have worked under chefs holding a Michelin-star. So, if Marcus Wareing is watching them prepare a dish, it’s not dissimilar to what they experience daily at their jobs from their Head Chef. I have no poker face; what you see is what you get. So, if I am having an absolute meltdown, you will see it. But equally, when things go right, you’ll know about that, too.
From the get-go, the other guy’s plates were more refined and more fine dining. As I was plating mine up, I thought what I’d made wouldn’t stand up to theirs. But all the judges said my dishes were delicious. It was overwhelming to receive that kind of feedback.
Then came the blind challenge, and I lucked out. For some reason, I was convinced it would be based on nuts. I’d gone into this round with an idea of what I wanted to do. I’d already told Charlie and Tommy; I bet it would be nuts. When they took the cover off, they were like, how did you guess that? So, with that round, I knew what I was doing; I’m comfortable making food using nuts; we use them a lot at The Fig.
Then, the critics round, and I got fantastic feedback; one of them called it extraordinary, which was incredible. Tracey MacLeod said it was her dish of the day. I hadn’t seen the feedback for this round at the time, only when it was aired. I wish I had heard it at the time because it might have given me more confidence in the next round because, at this point, I was thinking I was only just scraping through!
For the two rounds I did well in, I practised repeatedly; I tweaked them until I nailed them. With the dish I did for the critic’s round, I received such fantastic feedback because I’d practised it so much.
I was having a complete freakout in my last round. There were tears and swearing, and choccy smeared all across my face. The pressure was just too much. In the end, naturally, I was gutted, but I also felt relief. I wasn’t crying because I’d been knocked off. I was crying because I was disappointed in the dessert I’d made, what I’d imagined in my head vs what I’d produced. Let’s face it; it resembled one of the BFG’s shoes!
Mexican Spiced Pork Cheek - Find Rosie’s recipes here.
After completing your last episode and filming, how do you feel about the experience, and did you watch it?
Rosie. All the chefs were trying to prove a point to themselves while still rooting for each other. It was a cooking competition, but there was no nastiness or competitiveness that you might imagine. I have made friends for life from the experience.
When I was allowed to tell people I’d be on MasterChef: The Professionals, I invited my nearest and dearest to watch the first episode at my house. About 30 of us and I set the living room up as a bit of cinema. We drank lots of Prosecco, and I saw it for the first time with everyone else; I was so nervous. Looking back, maybe I should have watched it privately; it was pretty emotional for me.
I’m open and honest. I’m extroverted and loud. But I’m also a bit of a sensitive soul for those who don’t know me well. I put up a bit of bravado in my day-to-day life, so I watched myself when I was vulnerable, stressed and tearful towards the end. That was quite hard. I’ve spent my life trying to come across as ballsy, and now I’ve just been on television, and my most vulnerable side has been exposed.
I needed a challenge, and MasterChef: The Professionals filled that beautifully. Running The Fig is a full-time job; I also do outside catering for weddings, parties and things, but I am always on the lookout for new opportunities. Watch this space.
MasterChef: The Professionals validated that I know what I’m doing and need to be more confident in my abilities. I can make things taste great; I’m good with flavour, which has always been my priority.
Rhubarb Panna Cotta - Find Rosie’s recipes here.
• Read Rosie’s first article from RyeZine No.1 here.
Rosie Furnival
The Fig, 2 High St. TN31 7JE
www.thefigrye.com
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