It has long been soured by scandal, but MasterChef is back with new judges \u2013 and they don\u2019t want anyone to have a bad time. Grace Dent and Anna Haugh talk about eating like T rexes and why they don\u2019t think about the show\u2019s past<\/p>\n
Grace Dent grew up with MasterChef. She and her dad would watch it together at home in Carlisle. \u201cWe\u00a0used to laugh our heads off at the critics,\u201d she says. \u201cJust utterly ridiculous people, with their overblown egos, thinking their opinions on food matter. Who are these people? And then lo and behold \u2026\u201d She smiles. Dent, who is also the Guardian\u2019s restaurant critic, is the show\u2019s new co-host with the Irish chef Anna Haugh; both have been guest judges across various MasterChef series for several years. Watching the programme as a child did alter the course of Dent\u2019s life. \u201cThere was also a little thing in my head, thinking that looks like an amazing job. You get to go to restaurants and\u00a0talk about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
The two hosts knew of each other, says Dent, sitting next to Haugh, \u201cbecause the restaurant and hospitality world, especially in London, is minuscule\u201d. But in working alongside each other, \u201cour relationship definitely took a much closer turn because we were together,\u201d Haugh steps in, \u201call\u00a0the time. Finishing each other\u2019s sentences.\u201d Dent hadn\u2019t reviewed Haugh\u2019s London restaurant Myrtle. \u201cAnd I wouldn\u2019t review it now. For a start, it would be quite difficult to sneak in. I might arrive in a wig and glasses.\u201d Haugh laughs. \u201cI would love that. If you come, you have to wear a wig and glasses.\u201d<\/p>\n
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