Masterchef winner Nadia Lim treats hundreds at “ladies night”

Hundreds of women flocked to Te Rapa last night for bubbly, giveaways and cooking tips from Masterchef’s Nadia Lim.

Women braved the cold and lined up outside Heathcotes to be one of the first 150 through the door and receive a “goodie bag” at a “Ladies Night” event.

Packed with top cuisine magazines, make-up, samples and a free hairbrush, this was no run of the mill handout.

The demonstrations and tastings were scattered across the store, but everyone knew who the real star of the show was. Half an hour before her cooking demonstration, all the seats in front of the 2011 Masterchef winner were full.

Ms Lim entertained the crowd of 250 with anecdotes of her kitchen disasters, as she sipped away at her bubbly.

“Always cook with a glass of wine. It makes you feel better about your food,” she said.

She shared behind-the-scenes gossip of Masterchef, saying there was no bitchiness among contestants.

There has been a resurgence of home cooking because of Masterchef, Ms Lim said.

“That’s the best thing about Masterchef. If you can teach kids how to cook now, they won’t have to rely on fast foods.

“It’s the best way to change the health of the nation.”

As a dietitian, Ms Lim’s mission is to combine health and nutrition with good cooking. Her cookbook is so popular it has gone to reprint.

The attentive audience was treated to bruschetta with beef, caramelised onion and blue cheese followed by a pear tart and pineapple and basil dessert.

And the women certainly enjoyed seeing Ms Lim’s husband, Carlos Bagrie, clean up after her.

“The evening was really nice, I hope they do it again soon! I especially liked Nadia’s pineapple dish,” said audience member Mackenzie McCarty.

The big turnout meant many were too late for registration and missed out, but Heathcotes spokespeople said the event would be repeated.