A BRADFORD woman will battle for a place in the semi-final of a popular TV cooking programme tonight after wowing the judges.

Radha Kaushal-Bolland, 23, reached tonight’s semi-final of BBC One’s MasterChef after making a deconstructed apple crumble and Chocolate Orange guilty pleasure dessert in last night’s quarter-final.

She was one of four contestants to make it through to tonight’s programme.

After advancing to the semis, Radha said: “I can’t stop smiling.

“To call myself a MasterChef semi-finalist is absolutely amazing.”

In the first of her two challenges during last night’s show, law graduate Radha made an apple crumble featuring vanilla ice-cream and walnut brittle. This was the invention test/market challenge where the contestants chose food stuffs from the MasterChef pantry.

 

The judges sent her through after this opening challenge but John Torode said it was ‘all out of proportion’ despite having good flavours. Meanwhile, Gregg Wallace said Radha’s dessert had some nice ideas and good flavours.

Before she advanced to the second challenge, an emotional Radha conceded: “I don’t think I showed the best of me.”

 

She added she was in shock to make it through to the second phase of last night’s show but said she was shedding happy tears.

In the second challenge, Radha was tasked with making a guilty pleasure-style dish.

She chose to make a Chocolate Orange at Christmas-inspired dessert.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Radha in the MasterChef kitchen during an earlier heatRadha in the MasterChef kitchen during an earlier heat

Guest judge, food critic William Sitwell, and Wallace both admitted they were not fans of Chocolate Orange.

Radha’s dessert featured a fudge brownie in chocolate soil, dark chocolate sauce, kumquats wit orange cream and orange sorbet.

This dish impressed the judges, Wallace said: “The sorbet was absolutely superb. That dessert was different class. I loved her orange sorbet.”

Sitwell said: “For someone who is a Chocolate Orange sceptic, it’s palatable and delicious.”

After the judges’ verdicts’, Radha said: “I’m very happy.”

Durham-born Radha spent part of her young life growing up in County Durham before the family moved to Bradford.

Radha boarded at the now closed Malsis School and Repton School, Derbyshire.

She lives with her parents, brother and 14-year-old yellow Labrador, Elsa.

Despite just completing her law degree, Radha has dreams of working in the food industry.

Radha will now battle it out against Mark, Hannah and Farokh in tonight’s quarter-final which will be shown on BBC One at 8.30pm.

Meanwhile, Angela, Dean and Martin were knocked out of last night’s heat and missed out on the quarter-finals.