Jason Mohammad's attempt at gnocchi on Celebrity MasterChef was branded a "disaster" by the judges, dealing the Welsh presenter an early setback in the competition.
The BBC TV and radio host is among the celebrities taking part in the 21st series of the show. In the first episode, he competed against actor and author Joe Pasquale, Jay McGuinness from The Wanted, weightlifter and Olympic medallist Emily Campbell, and Love Island star Shakira Khan.
Cookalong Challenge
After presenting their signature dishes, the contestants were tasked with preparing a gnocchi dish alongside judge Giorgio Locatelli in the Cookalong Challenge. They were told that the one whose dish most resembled the chef's would win the MasterChef pin and a time advantage.
Jason got to work quickly, but his meal failed to impress Giorgio and his fellow judge, food critic Grace Dent.
Judges' Verdict
As he carried the dish up to the judges, Giorgio laughed: "When I look at the shape of those carrots, I wonder what have you learned from me?"
While the chef conceded that Jason's gnocchi was "tasty", Grace said: "These are the biggest gnocchi I've ever seen in my life."
"The sauce, you really put a lot of pepper in it, but I really like that," said Giorgio. "Obviously, the vegetable inside needs to be a little bit more refinely cut. But the disaster in this one is the gnocchi."
Grace suggested they were "weighty", adding: "In fact, after two or three, you need to have a lie down with your ankles raised."
"Too much flour went in there," said Giorgio, while Grace added: "This is not a perfect plate of gnocchi, but it's definitely dinner."
Jason's Reaction
Speaking afterwards, Jason admitted it was a "kick up the backside" for him. "Probably what I needed," he confessed. "You know, this isn't like food that's being chucked on a kitchen table and you're tucking into it. This is MasterChef."
The next instalment of the competition will see Gladiators star Emily Steel - also known as Dynamite - up against actress Donna Preston, former Royal Ballet Dancer Eric Underwood, EastEnders' Nitin Ganatra and YouTuber Tom Simons, aka TommyInnit. In the third heat, Saturdays star Una Healy, Loose Women's Sue Cleaver and former I'm a Celebrity camper Melvin Odoom will be cooking alongside comedian Max Fosh and paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman.
Celebrity MasterChef is airing on BBC One.
