The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Rutherford jumping for joy after MasterChef win
Cooking: Olympic champion adds TV crown to his list of titles
Greg Rutherford can add a new trophy to his collection of athletics accolades after being crowned the winner of Celebrity MasterChef.
The Olympic gold medallist won the cookery show based on his “ambitious” three-course meal in the finale, having fought off competition from 19 other famous faces during the series.
Rutherford, 32, faced reality TV star Vicky Pattison and retired footballer Neil “Razor” Ruddock in the final.
“I look forward to using the skills that I’ve learnt in the future”
They each had to draw on everything they had learned across six weeks of gruelling culinary challenges to present a flawless three-course meal to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace in two hours.
Rutherford’s winning menu was a starter of Scotch egg on a rosti nest with mayonnaise and asparagus, and a main course of crusted lamb cutlets with hasselback potatoes, baby carrots, savoy cabbage with a garlic and shallot puree and a mushroom puree.
His dessert was a shortcrust biscuit topped with dark chocolate cremeux complete with raspberry jelly and Chantilly cream.
Rutherford, who won the gold medal in the long jump at the 2012 London Olympics, said Celebrity MasterChef was an “incredible experience”.
“I used everything I learnt as a sportsperson to dedicate my time and energy into creating the best food I possibly could.
“I’m over the moon that John and Gregg appreciated the effort I made and everybody else that tried my food during this process.
“This is a massive achievement and I look forward to using the skills that I’ve learnt during this process in the future.”
Rutherford’s other athletics accolades include gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2014 and 2016 European Athletics Championships and the 2015 World Athletics Championships.