As Frankie Dunn moves into the knockout stage of MasterChef UK, we learn about her love of cooking, cooking for housemates during her student days, and her experience on the reality TV show.
Those lucky enough to live with Frankie Dunn (Chemistry 2010, PGCE 2011) during her time in Leeds enjoyed some high-quality student meals.
“I cooked for my housemates all the time,” says Frankie. “I used to cook us a Sunday roast. I think they liked it. They kept asking for it again which is a good sign.”
If Frankie’s performances to reach the latter stages of competitive cooking show MasterChef UK are anything to go by, they were luckier than they could have imagined. After progressing through the heats with a delightful Japanese tasting plate, and then winning over the quarter final judges with a South African inspired Bobotie dish, Frankie is one to watch heading into the knockout round.
“It’s been very surreal. I applied for MasterChef on a bit of a whim, but it’s been a brilliant experience.
“For me, cooking is the ultimate way to bring people together. There is honestly nothing better than the buzz of a full table and seeing people enjoy a meal I’ve made.”
Frankie began cooking long before she arrived in Leeds. She grew up in a family where she was encouraged to try different cuisines. “I don’t really remember a time when I wasn’t into cooking,” says Frankie. “It’s always been an important part of my life, and wherever I’ve lived, the kitchen has always been the centre of the home.”
As well as gathering culinary inspiration from travels to Australia, Thailand and South Africa, Frankie recalls happy memories exchanging recipes with a Spanish housemate while students. “I loved my time in Leeds. I was involved in so many societies, and I even met my husband on our chemistry course.”
She also gained some helpful experience of handling the pressures of the kitchen. “I remember the gas ignition button broke on our oven, so it would only work if you held it down. I was cooking us dinner, so it was a bit of a disaster. That’s when my friend’s new boyfriend offered to hold the button down – I think he was keen to impress her.
“It was only after 10 minutes of him doing that we realised we could just tape it down. They’re married, mind, so it worked!”
Despite years of experience entertaining friends and creating themed menus as a dinner party host, nothing could quite prepare Frankie for the atmosphere of the MasterChef studio: “It’s a pressure cooker in there. You’ve got people looking over your shoulder asking when you’re going to get the food out, you’ve got camera crews, and there’s nowhere to hide. The time is so tight to cook all those plates of food.”
Frankie described her two course menu as the “worst one hour fifteen of my life” – during which she set the studio fire alarm off – but was still able to deliver a perfectly cooked rib-eye steak, a chimichurri sauce, smoky asparagus, and “perfect” sweet potato fries. It was followed by an experimental sherry, fig and Manchego tart.
Her Bobotie – a South African mince dish inspired from her time living in the country – was described by restaurant critic and presenter Grace Dent as feeling like “when a shepherd's pie gets married to a Christmas pudding”.
The experimental aspects to her dishes are unsurprising after a decade spent as a chemistry teacher, but often left her with too much to do. “I hadn’t anticipated the challenge of juggling under that pressure and on the small worktop. I took feedback on board from the judges and tried to be more focussed on quality, not quantity.
“Ultimately, though, my approach is all about variety and crowding in the good stuff, not cutting things out. The more colourful and diverse the plate, the better.”
Frankie has spent time researching how food can affect hormone balance, stress levels and mental health – and how diet can help address things like brain fog, lethargy and sleep issues. The knowledge helps shape what she cooks at home, and over the years, she has put together ideas for a recipe book.
No matter how things progress in the next round, it means alumni might soon be able to enjoy Frankie’s dishes for themselves. “Often health recipe books contain quite similar recipes which aren’t necessarily that appetising,” Frankie says. “I’d like to change that.”
Further information
Watch Frankie on MasterChef on BBC iPlayer
Knockout week continues on Wednesday 20 May at 8pm, BBC One
For more information, email Ed Newbould, Digital Communications Officer at the University of Leeds, at e.w.newbould@leeds.ac.uk.