MasterChef contestant sent home after making one huge mistake that 'nearly poisoned' judges

When you're cooking up a storm on MasterChef, you better bring your A game.

The landmark 20th series of the BBC's competitive cooking show is currently fascinating foodies across the UK, but despite it being on air for two decades, some contestants are still making very silly mistakes.

We all know very well by this point, that if the amateur chefs can't handle the heat, Gregg Wallace, 59, and John Torode, 58, make no bones about slinging them out of the kitchen.

So when one of them 'nearly poisoned' the judges, it's hardly surprising that he got the boot from this year's MasterChef.

Poor Peter didn't get a great reaction to the dish that he served up in Wednesday night's (3 April) episode, which was supposed to include some caramelised carrots.

BBC

In a classic case of mistaken identity, the 49-year-old accidentally chucked something else in the pan instead of the ingredients he was supposed to use, and well, the state of Gregg and John's faces said it all really.

Social media users were left feeling very sorry for the bloke, from Ayrshire, Scotland, due to the blunder which cost him his place in the competition.

One viewer said in a post on X: "Bless him. Taxi for Peter!"

Another wrote: "Peter is already a series highlight."

A third added: "I'm sure Peter's a decent cook, but he's had an utter nightmare under pressure."

BBC

Someone else joked: "Peter going down in a blaze of salty glory. And sugary tears."

While a fifth chimed in: "Peter has broken my heart. Poor guy."

So, how exactly did this IT consultant almost 'poison' Gregg and John?

Well, as well as raising their blood pressure by accidentally cremating his cabbage and making a mess of his fish dish, Peter also caused it to spike by overloading the pair with lashings of salt.

You see, while he was hovering over the stove and sorting out his carrots, the contestant made a schoolboy error and covered the veg in salt instead of sugar.

BBC

After getting a taste of the salty orange sticks, John hilariously grimaced as he asked: "What’s the acidic heat on the carrots?"

A panicked Peter responded: "There was none - that was just butter and sugar," before the penny finally dropped as the judge explained he had made a classic mistake while under pressure in the kitchen.

Discussing the gaffe after losing his spot on the show, Peter said: "Nerves really got the better of me with that dish there. I feel disappointed, I can’t hide that.

"I nearly poisoned John and Gregg with salt rather than sugar."

Poor old Peter.