After Wednesday night’s mammoth service challenge on MasterChef Australia, Tamara, Sarah and Karlie found themselves in the bottom three.
However, Sarah decided to play her immunity pin, which meant Eliza was left to battle it out against Tamara and Karlie.
Unfortunately the judges felt Eliza’s dish was a touch too dry last night, and it was enough to send her home from the competition.
TV WEEK caught up with Eliza to find out what’s next for the theatre nurse from Victoria.
How was your MasterChef experience?
From start to end it was thrilling, exciting, challenging and exhausting. We never knew what was around each corner and the surprises just kept coming and coming.
Favourite moment from your time on the show?
It’s hard not to say Japan – it really was incredible; exploring the streets of Tokyo, cooking in a Michelin-star restaurant with George and learning sushi from a Sushi Master. But the road trip with Heston [Blumenthal] was up there too.
Most embarrassing moment?
I attempted to “wow” Heston and the judges with a bit of culinary theatre using dry ice to create a smoky effect on one of my dishes and I failed miserably.
What dish are you most proud of?
I loved the “embers” dish I put up for the Fire Challenge in Heston Week as well as the White Asparagus and Quail Egg dish I served as part of the Kappo degustation in Japan.
What is your relationship like with the other contestants? Who were you closest to?
We had such a great group of contestants. I think it’s what made the experience so special and I think I will remain friends with most, if not all, of the contestants. But my closest friends are Karlie, Diana and Sarah.
Who was your biggest competition and why?
Karlie, Diana and Sarah – I just happened to make close friends with the strongest cooks in the house.
Did you have a favourite judge?
If I had to pick a favourite, it was probably George. He was really invested in each cook we did, he understood the pressure we were under and gave practical advice and was great at the pep talk when you felt like giving up.
Which judge did you find the most intimidating and why?
Gary isn’t afraid to tell it how it is and often threw a curve-ball at you when you had 15 minutes left in the cook. But it was only to get the best out of us and we would always serve up a better dish because of it.
What’s next for you?
I have such grand plans for life after MasterChef. I’m going to start up my own catering company ‘The Grazing Table’, catering that specialises in beautiful and stylish grazing tables and cheese boards. I hope to write a cookbook with relaxed and delicious recipes ideal for sharing with friends. I am going to get some work experience in some of my favourite restaurants around Melbourne. But, my ultimate goal is to open my own wine bar with a small thoughtful menu and lots of wonderful cheese, which I hope to do in the next year.
