Who is MasterChef’s Ping Coombes?

PING Coombes is a chef and author and the glorious winner of MasterChef 2014.

The keen cook decided to enter to test how good her cooking really was. Here's what we know about her...

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Who is Ping Coombes?

Ping Coombes was born in Malaysia.

She grew up in a town called Ipoh.

The capital of the state is Perak, and it is renowned for its cuisine.

People around Malaysia travel to there simply to enjoy the good food.

Ping shared how she didn't really get a chance to experiment cooking wise growing up as her mother was super protective of her kitchen space.

Once she moved to the UK to study at Oxford in 2000 Ping began to experiment, cooking the Malaysian food familiar to her with long distance assistance from her mum.

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Ping lives just outside Bath with her husband Andrew and their daughter Alexa.

When did Ping Coombes win MasterChef?

In 2014 after being made redundant, Ping was a full-time mum when she applied for the 10th series of MasterChef.

She didn't believe that she would even get on the show, but says that it pushed her to her limit and is the best thing she has ever done.

Ping's mix of East Asian flavours with European techniques won over judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Her Malaysian inspired dishes were beautifully presented and packed full of flavour making her an easy choice for champion.

What is Ping Coombes doing now?

Since winning MasterChef, Ping has began hosting virtual cooking classes.

Her debut cookbook Malaysia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen was released in 2016.

She has made many appearances at food festivals and various restaurants and she also runs street food classes.

Ping was the Consultant Chef of Chi Kitchen, the pan-Asian restaurant in the Oxford Street Debenhams.

The MasterChef winner has made guest TV appearances on subsequent MasterChef competitions and other foodie TV shows like Sunday Brunch.

She is the culinary partner for Scott Dunn - a premium travel operator.

Ping is responsible for designing their winter and summer menus and also trains their chefs.