Laura Sharrad knows all too well what it’s like to be within reach of the MasterChef grand finale – and she was incredibly close to falling short of her dream.
The fan favourite came second in 2014 and fell short behind Emilia Jackson in 2020.
This time around, she was incredibly close to her dream of winning slipping away.
During the July 13 episode, she went up against Snezana Calic in a duel, where they both had to hero hazelnuts.
Unfortunately for Laura, her dish did not go to plan, and she had to ditch her hazelnut gelato.
The reason? It was too icy, which is what cost her the grand finale five years ago.
“It’s just not right,” she said, looking at its texture.
Told by Andy Allen to take a breath and pull it together, she decided to ditch it and pivot to using mascarpone and including hazelnuts in it.
During the cook, she said her stomach was in a “knot”, and by the end of the first round, she was in tears.
Despite the encouragement from her friends, she was in low spirits.
“I just deep down have this feeling I’m going home today,” she lamented. “I’m just so broken.”
For the two-time competitor, the overwhelm she felt was part of a bigger picture.
A proud mother to her young daughter, Florence, she said she was missing out on spending time with her.
While she had no regrets about doing the show, she wanted to end on a high note by taking out the competition.
Unfortunately, she had to cook for her place in round two against Alana Lowes.
But Laura was determined to stay.
Both tasked with cooking a dish that shone a spotlight on fennel seeds, Laura channelled her Italian heritage.
Luckily for her, it was enough to save her, and Alana was eliminated.
The MasterChef star is currently tipped to win the competition, so we will have to wait and see!
