Josh Emett to cook at Fieldays

MasterChef New Zealand judge Josh Emett is ready to delight plenty of taste buds at this year’s National Agricultural Fieldays.

Emett, who has worked alongside Gordon Ramsay, will perform demonstrations three times a day at Kiwi’s Best Kitchen during the event.

“I might do a little bit of work with some really nice clams. I might do a duck dish,” Emett said.

“I’m thinking of featuring a couple of different vegetables because I think there’s some amazing vegetables in season that people generally hate, but I guarantee I can cook a dish that will change the way they think about them.”

The 40-year-old said growing up on a farm just outside Hamilton gave him a love for good produce.

He has also always been keen at cooking.

“I got bought up making cakes and biscuits. Mum was a good cook,” Emett said.

“When I left school I definitely didn’t want to go and do something conventional.”

Emett has fond memories of the Fieldays as a kid where he helped his father sell burgers at the Lions Caravan grill.

“I also use to roam around with mates of mine and cut loose in there for days on end,” he said.

“There was always motorcycle races and tractor stuff going on, and we were just into that because we were little farm boys.”

Emett said it felt natural demonstrating and hosting Kiwi’s Best Kitchen for the first time at last year’s Fieldays.

“I got a really good response from people and had a really good time,” he said.

This year Emett hopes spectators will learn some tricks from his demonstrations that they can use at home.

Fieldays communications executive Vicki Annison said they were looking forward to welcoming Emett back.

“Last year his sizzling shows in the Kitchen Theatre drew huge crowds,” Annison said.

“I hope people gain knowledge about simple cooking and good food and how easy it can be,” Emett said.

“That cooking is not really that complicated with great ingredients and a bit of simple technique.”