Meghan Markle finally made her MasterChef Australia appearance in what was one of the most highly anticipated episodes of the season. On Sunday, July 26, the Duchess of Sussex entered the kitchen on a rolled-out red carpet, leaving the top four contestants – Vinnie, Aaron, Casper, and Petro – and the rest of the top 24 contestants watching from the gantry in shock.
The former Suits star set the top four a Mystery Box challenge with immunity (and a spot in the Top 3) on the line. The box was filled with ingredients she loves to cook with, including celeriac, lemons, Brussels sprouts, local Australian honey, macadamias, Jerusalem artichoke, quince, apples, mandarins and strawberries.
Tasked with making a “dish fit for a Duchess”, the contestants had to choose one of these ingredients and make it a feature in their final product.
Despite her global influence, passion as a home cook, her own food brand ‘As Ever‘, and her own Netflix cooking show, fans were still apprehensive about her cameo. Many even threatened to boycott the episode.
However, those who did tune in had nothing but praise for the Duchess and how she handled herself in the MasterChef kitchen.
MasterChef fans praise Meghan Markle’s appearance
“I am not a royalist in any way but honestly, Meghan came across as kind, interested, intelligent and knowledgeable,” one fan wrote on social media. “Way to go, Meghan.”
“The Duchess was absolutely awesome,” another viewer agreed. “What a stunning young woman she is, and to have the Prince [Prince Harry] come into the criticism of Aaron’s dish! “
“Well done, MasterChef. Loved The Duchess, such class,” added a third.
While viewers were pleasantly surprised by Markle’s on-camera demeanour, they were, naturally, also curious to know what she was like behind the scenes.
“I would like to know what she was like when the cameras were off,” one fan commented.
Speaking to WHO, Aaron, Casper, and Vinnie gave fans the answer to their question.
‘She made everyone feel at ease’
Aaron told us that “Meghan was a fantastic guest judge”, and “had such a deep knowledge of the produce we were working with and a genuine understanding of food, which really came through in her feedback”.
“She was thoughtful, eloquent and incredibly fair in her judging, and it all felt very natural,” he said. “What stood out most to me was her connection to food and how down-to-earth she was.
“She made everyone feel at ease, and that warmth made her incredibly relatable and personable.”
Vinnie also described Markle as “kind” and appreciated that she set “a really generous challenge with interesting ingredients”.
“She made us feel comfortable,” he said. “She also gave us really insightful and constructive feedback on our dishes.”
‘An incredible judge’
Casper also revealed how generous Markle was with her time both on and off camera.
“Meghan was an incredible judge,” he said. “You can tell she has a real passion for food, and that really came through in her judging.
“Everything think she said was incredibly articulate and well considered – like she’d been doing this for years.”
He added: “It was also very quickly apparent just how much she was enjoying being in the kitchen with us! She had such a calming nature and so much time to listen and engage with the four of us individually, which was incredible. It was something I think we all really appreciated in probably our most stressful and high-stakes cook to date.”
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