So – Season 4 has really hit the ground running this year, with some serious talent already showing through. I have to admit to having kicked myself when I saw Audra’s extraordinary dark chocolate raspberry tart. As Matt Preston rightly said, it was magazine cover material. Note to self – order Matt to keep me on speed dial when filming…

Naturally, everyone here at the MasterChef Magazine office is already placing bets on who’s going to make it through to the final. And we were all quite surprised – and some of us a little sad – when ‘first in’ Big Kev became ‘first out’ after that pasta elimination.

Among the highlights in our June issue, we’re really excited about our exclusive new series, which will give readers an inside look into what the contestants get up to after a hard day’s filming – as if you needed to ask. They cook! Each night, someone’s allocated to make dinner, so we’ve asked the top 24 to share a few home-cooked favourites over the next three months. There are some great dishes in this month’s ‘House Rules’ story, Beau’s seafood jambalaya among them. It’s quick, delicious and made from leftover ingredients from one of the challenges – half their luck!

And we just couldn’t resist featuring recipes from last night’s sandwich invention test – Matt’s reaction to Sam’s scary cheese sanger was priceless. Our food team has worked its magic to bring you rather less stressful (and heart-stopping!) versions of the top six creations to make at home. We’ll save the bread-making for another time…

In Part 2 of our new Master the Basics collection, Sophia takes you step by step through the essentials of chicken – which cuts to use for different cooking methods, preparing, cooking and serving – with four simple recipes to add to your repertoire. Her classic roast chook is pure gold and those chicken pot pies are perfect for the cooler months ahead.

And then there are our fabulous Top 6 easy modern Mexican recipes – brought to you by our very own ‘Tex-Mex’ stylist, Kristine. She’s had plenty of practice cooking and eating this ‘so hot right now’ food, and she also styled the story with her own collection of wacky Mexican memorabilia. Ay caramba!

As usual, our regulars are all there to inspire you – Matt Moran’s lovely comfort food menu, Curtis Stone’s healthier options, and Kate Bracks’s heavenly apple and rosemary pudding. Then, there’s our own take on George’s masterclass, in the form of Sophia’s ultimate cheesecake, which takes pride of place on our cover this month. Not a bad alternative to Audra’s chocolate tart, even if we do say so ourselves! And it really does taste like strawberries and cream, so give it a whirl. Happy cooking!

Sally Feldman is the Managing Editor of MasterChef Magazine. Read her bio here.

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