London - MasterChef UK bosses have been criticised by viewers for allowing contestants to get away with “stomach-turning” hygiene standards on the show.
Viewers of the hit BBC1 show, hosted by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, say they have been turned off the cookery contest by the contestants’ kitchen habits.
In one episode, viewers watched as a contestant’s sweat dripped into a sauce, while in another a chef’s long hair was seen dangling over her lamb tagine.
Other turn-offs included contestants wearing jewellery and nail varnish in the kitchen and cross-contamination of food.
Viewers have posted on a BBC message board complaining about the standards of hygiene.
One poster wrote: “When you are cooking food for other people I think that hygiene standards need to be somewhat higher!
“Rings and nail varnish on fingers and greasy hair falling into food is not really nice and I often wonder how Gregg and John can so happily tuck into it when they must surely have seen how the food is prepared. It puts me off.”
Viewers said they were disgusted by an episode in which the cooks were sent to Heathrow Airport to prepare lunch for 200 employees.
During the challenge 27-year-old contestant Shivi Ramatour’s long hair was seen spilling out of her chef’s hat as she stirred her lamb tagine.
Dozens of viewers took to Twitter to point out the incident.
One viewer tweeted: “Why are none of these chefs in #masterchef wearing hairnets in the professional kitchen? I hope the customers like beef a la hair.”
The contestants’ failure to use the correct chopping boards during this episode was also a hot topic on Twitter.
One viewer tweeted: “Does #masterchef not know the environmental health laws? Hair must be totally covered in the kitchen, the boards have colours for a reason. #Appalling hygiene examples peppers on a red board is a no-no also two young ladies whose hair hanging over the food. Bad bad bad.”
Meanwhile, other frustrated viewers criticised the show’s bosses for failing to provide chef whites for the contestants during studio-based challenges.
One viewer tweeted: “People cooking in chunky hooded tops doesn’t inspire hygiene confidence #masterchef”.
A MasterChef spokeswoman said: “When filming in professional kitchens we always follow the guidelines required by the restaurant in question.
“Any contestant with long hair will be asked to tie it back or wear a hat because they are cooking for the general public.
“We do not insist on using hats and hair nets in the studio kitchens, but hygiene remains an issue of great importance.” – Daily Mail