After competing in the first ever all-female final, Irini Tzortzoglou has been crowned MasterChef 2019 Champion, becoming the fifteenth amateur cook to claim the title.
In Friday evening’s UK final, Irini worked her way through various rounds and seven gruelling weeks of culinary challenges and a close final cook-off, Irini was awarded the MasterChef 2019 trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
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On winning, and after asking if she could share the trophy with her fellow finalists, an emotional Irini said: “I’m trembling, I’m floating on air, I don’t think my feet are touching the ground right now. What an experience, I just don’t have the words to say how thrilled and grateful I am.
“I can finally say I believe in me; I believe it takes something tough at times, but that strength can surface, and when it does it can achieve wonders.”
On Irini’s winning menu, judge Wallace said: “Every little morsel of Irini’s three courses was beautiful.”
Fellow presenter and judge Torode added: “She’s introduced us to things we’ve never seen before, flavours we’ve never tasted before. She is able to take these flavours she loves so much and take them to a completely different food. It’s magical.”
Irini beat the sizeable challenge of 54 other inspirational chefs to the title.
A Cumbria-based City fan, she has been to many games with her husband John and is a huge fan of Pep Guardiola’s brand of football.
Now she has a prestigious title of her own and the coveted title of MasterChef champion 2019.
On her reasons for entering the competition, Irini said: “I decided to enter because I was driven by what felt like a higher force, which was telling me that my life had yet to start and that I still had work to do.
“Over the years, I felt I was not here to work in banking and having discovered my passion for food and all it signifies I knew that this was my calling.”
Congratulations to Irini from everyone at the Club!
