Mediaweek tracked down delicious. columnist team and MasterChef Australia winner Billie McKay in the UK. She is currently in the region working at Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant The Fat Duck. Blumenthal offered McKay the job in the grand final episode of TEN’s reality series.
How was the MasterChef journey?
Unbelievable. I never imagined I would learn so much through the process and that’s the biggest thing that has come out of the journey for me – knowledge.
Your journey after the TEN reality show.
It’s hard to describe it in a few words, but it has been the most wonderful experience. I have met some inspirational people and had the chance to do pretty amazing things like pop-up restaurants, cooking demos and food writing. I am now based in England taking up the job offer from Heston, so life is pretty busy at the moment!
How has winning MasterChef impacted your life?
Winning MasterChef has certainly changed my life. But I still feel the same as I always did, I just love food and cooking. I find it so astounding that I am now able to share my love of food with the world, I think that is a wonderful thing.
What was it like seeing your name in delicious.?
The opportunity to write for one of my favourite food magazines is unreal. I never imagined I’d see my own name in delicious. magazine. It feels pretty amazing!
The process you went through when you wrote your first article.
I wrote down all of my favourite food memories and really focused on creating dishes that reflected those memories. I expected to struggle big time with writing, but I could talk about food all day so putting it on paper was a little easier than I thought!
Would you be interested in having your own TV show?
It’s not something that I am chasing, but if the opportunity arose I wouldn’t turn it down! I like to give everything a go and see where it takes me!
Future plans.
I am looking forward to working! I really miss it! I haven’t “worked” since MasterChef with everything being so busy, so settling in to a job will be great. Not to mention that the “job” is at The Fat Duck! I still don’t believe it! Ultimately, I want to open my own restaurant. I love the country and would love my own small farm with a restaurant. I am a big believer in doing what makes you happy and picturing that little restaurant in the hills somewhere puts a big smile on my face.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I still have to pinch myself when I think about the whole MasterChef journey. It’s now almost a year since I applied and if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be in a position now where I can share my love of food and cooking with people who love it as much as I do!
Photo: Billie McKay (L) with delicious. editor Kerrie McCallum (R)