Barry Finnegan (29) is originally from and now living in Dundalk, Co. Louth. He lives alone but his daughter Abbie (7yrs) spends weekends and holidays with him. He entered MasterChef through the John Murray Show on RTE Radio 1 competition, winning a place at auditions.

He started cooking for himself when he moved out of the family home, though before that learned a lot from helping his mother out in the kitchen and his grandmother with her baking. He says his grandmother was a keen advocate of ‘what you grow you cook’. He still remembers the fresh aromas wafting to his nostrils when he would walk into her kitchen, the large country table piled high with mixing bowls and the freshest ingredients pulled from her garden. Barry wants to challenge, test and push himself by taking part in MasterChef, moving outside of his comfort zone, hoping to prove himself and win the competition outright!

His audition dish was Seafood Melody Fishcake served with lemon mayonaise, wild asparagus, broad bean flower and lime cured salmon and mustard leaf.