'This will be the biggest year of my career so far.' Olivia Burt, MasterChef: The Professionals 2019

It's finals week on MasterChef: The Professionals 2019 - find out more about Olivia Burt, Sous chef at claridges.

Name: Olivia Burt

Region: London

Age: 24

Profession: Sous Chef

Place of work: Claridges

Cooking Background

“I was born in Worcestershire and educated in Shropshire and Cheltenham. Cooking doesn’t run in my family but I’ve loved it from as early as I can remember. In my A-level study breaks, I would head to the kitchen at home and cook to relax, so to be able to cook for a career feels like the best job in the world. I was trained at BallyMaloe in Ireland with Darina and Rachel Allen, then at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris. I now live in Fulham, London, and work as Sous Chef in the restaurant of a five-star Mayfair hotel. I knew I’d 100% made the right decision in my career at about 20 years old, when I realised how lucky I am to be able to cook every day in the professional kitchen, and still get excited to cook in my own kitchen when I get back home.”

Influences

“So many people have influenced me, from the very earliest days baking with my Mary Berry book in hand, to working with my team day in day out. My career took a real turn when I met Simon Rogan with Head Chef Dan Cox. I knew from the minute I walked through the doors there was nothing I wanted more in the world than to work in that kitchen. Simon continues to influence me with his passion and use of truly British ingredients, foraged herbs and flowers.”

Food Passions

“My passion for British food gets stronger with every year of learning. I am very lucky to be able to experiment and learn about what the UK has to offer through the seasons and to work with the very best of ingredients.”

On MasterChef: The Professionals

“I entered MasterChef to take on a huge career challenge – to see how I could develop, learn more about myself under pressure and come out on the other side stronger. It is so tough knowing every time I get through a round I need to come back stronger and better - playing a constant battle against myself. Getting to The Finals is absolutely incredible. It’s what everybody dreams of when they enter MasterChef and it is very much a once in lifetime opportunity.” Cooking ambitions: “I want to continue developing and showcasing the best of British ingredients. It would be amazing to get published, of course, and share my knowledge of the professional kitchen in the everyday home – beginning a journey towards my own restaurant. This will be the biggest year of my career so far, I have some very exciting work in the pipeline. I can’t wait to share it all.”