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Nottingham Law School student wins Young MasterChef 2023

Keziah Whittaker, a third year Law with Psychology student has been crowned winner of the first ever Young MasterChef competition.

    Keziah holding a Young MasterChef trophy
    Photo is courtesy of MasterChef UK, BBC

    Keziah went up against 14 other aspiring chefs aged between 18 and 25 during the show which spanned ten episodes on BBC Three.

    Keizah took part in numerous challenges throughout the programme from replicating a fine dining recipe given to them by two-time Great British Menu champion James Cochran, to cooking a meal with a budget of £30.

    The competition was judged by professional chef and TikTok star Poppy O’Toole and professional chef Kerth Gumbs.

    Keziah said filming the programme was "daunting at first but everyone was so nice and I enjoyed the whole process, I was doing what I love so it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be."

    When asked what inspired her, she said "My mum and grandparents are my biggest inspirations when cooking."

    Everyone has always said I am passionate and smart so Law always interested me.

    Keziah Whittaker

    Keziah is in her third year at Nottingham Law School, studying Law with Psychology. When asked what she enjoys about University, she stated "I have the opportunity to always learn new things, there are always trips available, opportunities to gain experience and so much support from all of my lecturers."

    "I wanted to be able to help people and using my voice is something that I have always been good at. Everyone has always said I am passionate and smart so Law always interested me."

    She also enjoys cooking whilst at University. "My favourite meal to cook at Uni is Rasta Pasta and jerk chicken, its inexpensive, filling and tastes amazing."

    In the final, the contestants were asked to produce a starter and main course within two and a half hours.

    Keziah’s winning menu was a starter of Caribbean shrimp and coconut curry soup, garnished with coriander, lime and chilli served in coconut shells accompanied by a coconut mojito. Her main course was Jamaican spiced sea bass with escovitch pickled vegetables and carrots served three different ways, roasted in jerk, pureed and used as flavouring in a beurre blanc sauce.

    The whole series of Young MasterChef is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

    Published on 27 January 2023
    • Subject area: Law, criminology and justice
    • Category: Nottingham Law School