A new season of MasterChef is under way – hosted by food critic Grace Dent and renowned chef Anna Haugh – and a civil servant is in the mix to win the title of the country’s best amateur cook.
Frankie Dunn is a Cabinet Office official who had always wanted to appear on MasterChef – but it was a career move into the civil service in 2024 which finally gave her the “headspace and flexibility” to make it happen.
Prior to her episode airing on BBC2 at 8pm on Thursday 14th May, CSW caught up with Frankie to find out more about her route to culinary stardom.
What do you do for your day job – is it cookery-adjacent at all?
My current role is digital, data, innovation and AI capability lead, so it couldn't be further from cooking! I joined the civil service in 2024 after 12 years as a chemistry teacher. The career move meant I finally had the headspace and flexibility to take my ambitions as a cook more seriously.
I've always loved working with food, and applying to MasterChef just seemed like an obvious step in the right direction. I never expected to actually get through! This is the second time I've applied, but I would never have been able to make it work logistically when I was a teacher.
Both my careers – as a teacher and as a civil servant – have taught me to think on my feet, which is definitely a skill I used in the MasterChef kitchen. And while my career change felt like a huge leap, it has proven to be absolutely the right move for me. It's made me think now that anything is possible.
What do your Cabinet Office colleagues think about this brush with fame?
I'm relatively new to my current team, but they have been brilliant and very excited. Prior to that I led a team within the Cabinet Office working on building capability across government – they were a huge source of support during filming, especially my line manager and friend Amy.
They all certainly have very high expectations of my food now!
What made you think you had a chance on MasterChef?
I have watched MasterChef for as long as I can remember, and my bad habit is that I watch people doing really complicated things and think (from the comfort of my sofa) I can do better than that!
Where does your interest in food stem from?
A few years ago, I started researching how different foods can affect your hormone balance, stress levels and mental health, even addressing things like brain fog, lethargy and sleep issues. My approach is all about variety and crowding in the good stuff, not cutting things out. The more colourful and diverse the plate, the better.
I find inspiration everywhere – from the cookbooks at my local library to cooking shows and my own travels. I’ll never forget the sensory overload of the markets and street food in Thailand, which really cemented my love for fresh, punchy ingredients.
Interestingly, some of my absolute favourite cuisines to experiment with (Japanese, Italian, and Mexican) are places I haven’t even visited yet! To me, that’s the beauty of cooking; you don’t need a passport to experiment with the world’s best flavours.
How did you keep your nerves at bay on the show?
I played ‘90s music (usually 5ive) in the car on the way to the studio to hype up all the contestants. It was a great atmosphere. We started filming very early so we needed something to get us going!
Outside of cooking what are your passions?
My main passion is my family and my kids are everything to me. I’m a big advocate for the outdoors, and love taking my kids on bike rides and nature walks. My favourite way to keep active is field hockey and I play for Warrington ladies, who are an absolutely brilliant bunch.
I’m obsessed with travel and love planning trips and exploring new places, especially where there is food involved! Top of the list to visit are Japan, Mexico and Vietnam, but we have so many amazing foodie spots here in the UK too, so maybe I’ll start a little closer to home.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankiedunn/