Natalie Coleman describes herself as “the girl from Hackney done good” and a “techno lovin’ foodie.”
In 2013, she wowed Masterchef judges John Torode and Greg Wallace with her unique British dishes, and was crowned champion after serving up a lobster, pork belly and scotch egg dish and a perfect vanilla chocolate panna cotta in the show’s final.
Decks to dishes
She is now a head chef, creating British-Indian inspired dishes (think tandoori scotch egg!) at Mr Fogg’s, a collection of eccentric Victorian-style bars and restaurants.But it wasn’t too long ago that Natalie could be found behind the decks at Fabric nightclub.
The 2013 Masterchef winner spent her childhood in Bethnal Green, but moved out of her family home to Haggerston at the age of 18, and began to run club nights and DJ at local events. Meanwhile, she was working in finance and itching to try something new. “It was just so boring,” she says.
With a friend, she ran an underground house and techno club night called ‘Mooch’ at the Horse and Groom on Curtain road. In a way, being behind the decks isn’t worlds apart from being a head chef, she observes. “In a job I like to be busy, I’ve always got a million things going on at once in my head.”
A family affair
Natalie learned to cook at a very young age from her grandfather. Her youngest aunt, a choreographer, told her to apply for Masterchef. She applied for five years unsuccessfully, until finally, she made it on to the show’s TV line-up.
“Before filming week I was panicking and crying but she pushed me to do better,” she recalls. “And my mumma said just look to get through each episode.”
“Cook from your heart”
Natalie remembers suffering a frightening panic attack when she was put through to the show’s last ten finalists, and decided to take time off work to concentrate on cooking. For this year’s Masterchef hopefuls, she offers some advice. “Cook from your heart and always be organised!”
She says her style has always been to stay true to her own culinary taste. Natalie describes her own style as “quirky, things that I like to eat. I see something I like and I cook it.”
The big jump
There were six months between the end of filming and the Masterchef final and the questions became relentless, Natalie says. She made the decision to quit her job two weeks before the final and pursue a career in cookery.
After being crowned Masterchef champion, Natalie published her own cookbook ‘Winning Recipes: For Every Day in 2014’. She also teamed up with Central Street Cookery school to teach children in the area to cook in the half term holidays.
“There were so many things that kept coming my way,” Natalie remembers. She cooked at countless pop ups and food festivals around London. Since winning, she has completed an impressive array of stages at some of the UK’s top restaurants including Le Gavroche (Michel Roux Jr), Viajante (Nuno Mendes), and The Kitchin (Tom Kitchen).
“I like to run my kitchen differently”
According to the Office for National Statistics, only 17 per cent of chef positions in the UK are held by women. Is this something Natalie felt held her back during Masterchef or side? After all, she was the third ever female Masterchef winner.
“I know some women are intimidated in the kitchen,” she says matter-of-factly. “But ‘I don’t really care what men think of me. Man or woman, if they want to have an argument I’ll shout at them.”
“I like to run my kitchen differently,” Natalie says. “Women sometimes are better than men as head chefs… sometimes less testosterone and more love and hugs works better’.
Natalie’s top spots in Hackney
- Hanoi café, a laid-back, easy going family-run Vietnamese restaurant.
- Brindisa tapas, a modern Spanish restaurant serving small plates and great tapas
- Hill and Szrok in Broadway Market – an old fashion butcher and cook shop that specialises in specialising in organic, free-range meats
- Horse and Groom – 2-floored pub that turns into a night-time disco at weekends, with DJs until late
