British-Pakistani wins Masterchef 2017

Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed wooed judges at the prestigious cookery competition Masterchef with her visually appealing and equally delicious platter in the final round to finally win the competition.

The British-Pakistan, who is a medical doctor from Waterford, told media she has been cooking since 12 and has also won School Chef on the Year competition at 15.

Judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode were impressed with her three-course final meal, calling the 29-year-old’s dishes “extraordinarily good” and a “class act.”

Saliha competed with 64 cooks in the competition, finally winning the prize by beating competitors Giovanna Ryan and Steve Kielty in the final round.

A mother of one, she had to swap on-call shifts with colleagues to make it to all rounds of the contest.

Here are the dishes that were part of her final meal:

Venison shami kebab, with cashew and coriander green chutney, chana dal and a kachumbar salad, which she says is in memory of her grandmother's house in Pakistan.

Kashmiri-style sous-vide duck breast, with crispy duck skin, spiced with dried barberries, walnuts and coriander, a cherry chutney and a duck and cherry sauce.

Saffron rosewater and cardamom panna cotta, served with a deconstructed baklava with various condiments—a dessert she says was inspired by her childhood love of baklava.

Photo: BBC