A St Albans MasterChef contestant has wished her fellow foodies good luck ahead of the competition’s dramatic finish tonight (Friday).

Despite making it to the semi-finals the heat of the kitchen got too much for Sarah McCready, of Colney Heath, whose dish of salmon, watercress soldiers and egg en cocotte failed to impress the food critics on the BBC show last Friday.

And though she does not have any regrets about the competition, Sarah admits she is disappointed about being knocked out so close to Finals Week.

The 24-year-old who works as a property developer said: “It was disappointing to get so close and I was annoyed at myself.

“The problem with that dish was that we didn’t know who we were cooking for and it was just too gimmicky for the critics who wanted something more elegant.”

She went on: “When I was in it I always felt like I was the weak one there but watching it back I’d had a really strong week - I just had a bad day.

“It’s just about not letting the pressure get to you; everyone is good and everyone has proved themselves, it’s just about who makes the least mistakes that day.”

Sarah, whose passion for rustic Italian cooking and creative Mexican cuisine repeatedly wowed judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, will definitely be looking back on the experience fondly.

She said: “It was really fun which was the main thing. It does look really stressful but the sense of achievement you feel when you have accomplished something makes it worth it.

“I never thought I would get as far as I did when I saw the standards of everyone else but I came in with a positive attitude every day.

“The whole thing has been mad, my social media has exploded which is so lovely and I just wasn’t expecting it to happen!”

As for who is tonight’s winner?

She said: “I think they all have very different skills. Simon is the most ambitious cook and has been amazingly consistent recently.

“Emma understands flavour the best while Tony is really good at showstopper kind of cooking and one of his dishes had the best feedback out of the whole competition, so he might just pull it out of the bag!”

Looking towards the future, Sarah said she will carry on with her food blog, doing restaurant reviews and cooking for friends and hopes to cater for more private events.