Who is chef Verity Hurding MasterChef: The Professionals 2023 quarter-finalist?

Ahead of MasterChef: The Professionals 2023, which airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Monday 23 October, we find out more about the chefs taking part.

Introducing Verity Hurding, Chef Owner, Scottish Highlands.

Chef Owner, Verity, 32, lives on the West coast of the Highlands (Glenelg) with her wife Jenny.

Verity worked across award-winning restaurants in Scotland before opening her own Catering and Supper Club business five years ago.

Name

Verity Hurding

AGE

32

Where are you from/where do you live

Isle of Skye, Scotland.

CURRENT AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Verity’s first experience in a professional kitchen was after college, when a friend asked her to help out in a pub on the Isle of Skye. 

With no formal training, Verity has learnt on the job as well as completing stages at Noma and Inver. She now owns her own catering company Eòlach, which means ‘familiar’ in Scottish Gaelic.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO COOKING AND WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT IT?

“I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and being creative. I started working at a local inn on the Isle of Skye at 19, with a wonderful head chef who was using lots of local, seasonal produce and making simple delicious food with respect and care from scratch. From there I just wanted to learn as much as I could. Even before working in kitchens I’ve always loved cooking for people.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF COOKING AND ANY INFLUENCES ON IT?

“I’m hugely inspired by my surroundings. The natural environment in Skye and Lochalsh has a big impact on my style which I would describe as Scottish, natural and fresh. I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of this diverse landscape and able to get some of the best produce straight from the source…directly off the boat, croft and foraged by hand.”

WHY DID YOU WANT TO TAKE PART IN MASTERCHEF: THE PROFESSIONALS?

“I’ve been watching MasterChef: The Professionals for many years and I have always imagined myself in that kitchen in front of the judges. I am more confident in myself now, and it felt like it was time to go for it. I’m nervous and excited to really be in the MasterChef kitchen!”

OUTSIDE OF COOKING WHAT ARE YOUR PASSIONS?

“My passions outside of cooking often revolve around being outside - foraging, woodworking, weightlifting, camping and making fires. I spend a lot of time reading as well. I read all kinds of books, mostly non-fiction.”