Anjeza for MasterChef 2025 / BBC
Age: 28
Occupation: Money Laundering Investigator
From: Nottingham via Albania and Somerset
How would you describe your style of cooking?
“My cooking style is a fusion of tradition and curiosity, I draw inspiration from the dishes of my homeland, Albania. I also enjoy exploring the flavours and techniques I’ve discovered through exploring other cultures and cuisines. My goal is always the same: to create food that feels like home to be shared with loved ones around the table.
“Albanian food is very farm to table type cooking, cooking along with the seasons and what grows best at that time. I also really enjoy Mediterranean and Asian flavours and South American cuisine just because it’s so different and exciting compared to the usual comfort food I eat on a day-to-day basis.”
What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why?
“I’m obsessed with tomatoes! Whether you eat them raw, as a sauce, salsas, soup, pickled, juiced or fried, they’re just incredible. Not to mention the smell of fresh tomato vines being the most incredible scent in the world.”
Why did you enter MasterChef this year?
“For most of my life, I followed the expected path, university, career, climbing the ladder, and left my love for cooking on the back burner. Now that my life feels more settled, I’m making a conscious choice to pursue what truly makes me happy. I don’t want to look back and regret not exploring my passion for food, and what better way to dive in than stepping into the MasterChef kitchen?
“I’ve also been a fan of the show for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never seen another Albanian contestant. Year after year, I’ve watched others represent their cultures, and I thought ‘why not me?’ This felt like the perfect chance to bring something new to the table.”
MasterChef continues weekly on BBC One and iPlayer.
