Competition Earlier this year, we ran a review-writing competition on the BBC Food website to find a guest judge for Celebrity MasterChef. Read the winner and four runners-up’s reviews here.

In this article

Winning review: Colleen Clyde Runner up: Bob H

Runner up: Shirley Fairall Runner up: Anne Parry

Runner up: Ian Williams

We asked you to email the BBC Food team a review of no more than 150 words of a dish eaten at home or in a restaurant. Our lucky winner was Colleen Clyde with her description of Irish scallops, champ and Clonakilty black pudding.

Colleen’s review won her the chance to join MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, plus two top food critics, at the MasterChef judging table. Tune in and find out what happened on Tuesday 26 September 7pm on BBC One.

Fish and potatoes. Comforting but unexciting? Not when it’s scallops, champ and Clonakilty black pudding. A marriage made in heaven, or Ireland - same thing!

Not piled into a fashionable tower, but presented on a long narrow plate, champ oozing along the length, with scallops and pudding intertwined on top. How lazy! A mouthful of every flavour on each forkful!

Vibrant colours from gold-tinged caramelised scallops, black pudding, white potatoes and the green speck of the scallions (spring onions for the posh!). The divine sweetness of scallops balanced by the creaminess of the champ, then the sudden spice from the pudding, leaves a feeling of honest unpretentious food perfectly cooked with the best regional ingredients.

Scallops, seared on the outside, creamy in the middle; potatoes, just the right texture, not too dry, not too sloppy; pudding, crispy outside, soft in the centre. No unnecessary garnishes: just perfection on a plate.

Colleen Clyde, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

This dish was discovered on a recent visit to Sardinia while visiting friends. I was enjoying the evening far too much to ask what it was called, but in essence we are talking about boiled potatoes. Not earth-shattering I accept, but these were like no other potatoes I have ever tasted, and I grow my own, so I know what new potatoes can taste like.

These were new potatoes, cut into small chunks, lightly boiled, tossed in garlic butter and with the lightest dusting of sea salt - they were then left to go cold.

Just before serving they were covered in what a modern chef would no doubt call ‘a drizzle of’ olive oil and a generous covering of finely grated Parmesan cheese. They were light, with an amazing nutty taste, succulent, buttery with a rich combination of local Parmesan cheese and garlic. ‘Sublime’ sums it up nicely.

Bob H, Staffordshire

A satisfyingly large bowl sits before me. A man brings a covered tureen. He lifts the lid and starts ladling and it’s so hard to wait for him to finish. I’m in Rules, London's oldest restaurant, and I’ve ordered the one starter I always want but never get because there’s usually something sexier on the menu. Now, as the curiously earthy tones of the lobster bisque come at my nose, I begin to feel as if I’ve finally made it home after too many distracting side roads.

It smells of deep. It looks like bronze velvet and as each ladle settles into my bowl, tiny, irresistible, buttery puddles form. Between squelchy bites of lobster that excite my teeth, it fills my soul with juicy fullness and my mouth with rich, creamy brandy-ness. I have to remind myself that it is unthinkable to lick my bowl in this polite establishment.

Shirley Fairall, Berkshire, Surrey

“Espresso?” challenged the waitress. We were sitting in St Mark’s Square in Venice, close enough to Florian’s to hear the four-piece orchestra, but far enough away to avoid €5.50 each for the privilege.

“Italians like espresso. Not Americans.” “Not Americans,” we chorused. “Quattro doppio.” She delivered them with a broad smile. Aromatic caramel-coloured crema, smooth and rich slurp, enough body to have a life of its own, yet flowing over the tongue like silk, pronounced delectable with and without sugar.

The boost erased end-of-morning weariness and hours of wandering along alleys and over canals to the Rialto Bridge, through San Paolo and into Dorsoduro. Passion for espresso reignited, I spent my last euros on a packet of espresso classico at the airport and unearthed the espresso machine banished long ago to the depths of a cupboard at home. A home barista is born!

Anne Parry, Sheffield, Yorkshire

There is something very special about the smell of freshly cooked fish and chips. You just know from the moment you get that first nostril-full of the aroma that you are in for a wholesome treat.

The cod served from the travelling chip shop in Brockham is fresh not frozen and a major selling point. The batter is handmade and uses sparkling water, which probably assists in making it so light and crunchy. As you break through the batter the delicate white flakes are soft, moist and cooked to perfection, begging you to eat them.

The chips are made from fresh potatoes and double-fried in sunflower oil, giving a crisp outer coating and smooth fluffy centre. A liberal shake of malt vinegar and sea salt flakes complete a truly great British take-away. Not the healthiest food around, but one of the tastiest.

Ian Williams, Surrey