A High Wycombe resident won a kimchi- themed cook-off competition at the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London.

Charttrapat Hirunsiri, also known as Alice, 37, managed to keep her cool during the 90-minute cook-off using Korean Jongga Kimchi in her winning dish, which wowed the judge Emil Minev of MasterChef fame, and earned Alice the first place and £3,000.

Growing up in Bangkok inspired the IT consultant Alice’s Coconut Kimchi Curry and Beef dish – for whom cooking is a passion to help her feel happy through her ongoing battle with lung cancer.

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Alice said: “I am so surprised. Every dish I saw today was amazing and everything looked incredible, so I was already proud of myself for even being shortlisted.

“Being in the kitchen with Emil was a once in a lifetime experience. I found him incredibly inspiring and with it being my first time in a professional kitchen, he made me feel comfortable and was super helpful.

"Every moment of the competition, from the entry to the awards ceremony, has made me unbelievably happy and winning first place is beyond what I could have dreamed of.”

Judge Emil commended the recipe for its “well balanced flavours and textures”, “excellent combinations” and “perfect cooking”, all of which worked together to create a “very elegant dish.”

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