MasterChef South Africa

Matthew Arnott (25), Freelancer and Former Teacher, Cape Town

Signature dishes: Apple and pork belly risotto, lamb shank with gnocchi.

Favourite heritage food: waterblommetjiebredie, malva pudding with custard, brandy snaps.

Cooking since age five, Matthew combines his interest in other food cultures with comforting classics. Quiet but definitely not a wallflower, his cooking styles are mainly Greek and Italian, with some Middle Eastern and French influence. Matthew began experimenting with different cultural flavours and cuisines as a teenager, but it’s his recent experience teaching English in China that stepped up his game, as he learned to cook from the locals.

Known for preparing meals with thoughtfulness and care for his family and friends, his passion for cooking was reignited when he took a year off to care for his mother when she contracted Covid-19. It was she who motivated him to enter MasterChef South Africa.