Of Culture And Curry

EDDIE SCOTT, winner of MasterChef UK 2022, knew that he needed to expand the West's horizon of Indian food beyond the notion of butter chicken and curry. He tells Shraddha Kamdar how he has attempted to do it with his book Misarana

Eddie Scott's earliest food memory is of cooking with his mum. "I was about three years old; she stood me on a stool and left me in charge of stirring the scrambled eggs for breakfast," the 2022 MasterChef UK champion tells us. "I always remember like it was yesterday and it's still one of my favourite dishes to cook now!" Growing up in a family that loved to cook "great food," Eddie spent his childhood holidays touring France and learning about the variety of ingredients there. His family's Punjabi heritage played a large part in his culinary influences, with his grandparents both skilled cooksteaching him the art of cooking with spices. Later, as a marine pilot, he used his free time in the kitchen to "get the best out of himself."

As a youngster who loved cooking and eating - Eddie never missed an episode of MasterChef UK, promising himself that, one day, he would be on the show. Not only did he fulfil his promise to himself, he won! Post the show, he worked in some of the best restaurants in the UK, and came on a big trip to India, savouring the complex flavours in and around Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi and parts of Kerala. Life after the show has been so exciting and non-stop, he says, "I've quickly forgotten what it was like to have a day off!"