Excitement on the menu

Hayley Bilton loves cooking savoury dishes, but desserts she's not so sweet on. Photo / Supplied

Hayley Bilton considers herself to be a calm cook - but throw a dessert challenge her way and you're likely to see a look of panic on her face.

The 31-year-old Papamoa woman is one of 24 contestants who made it through the first round of the new season of TV show MasterChef New Zealand, and will on Sunday cook off against the others as the contestants are whittled down to 16.

"I'm 100 per cent savoury. Everything about desserts scares the hell out of me."

She made it through the first round with her chilli and lemongrass risotto with baked snapper, although had to cook off against four others for the final two spots after favourite judge Al Brown gave her a "maybe".

"I was a little bit gutted about that."

Miss Bilton grew up in Rotorua and spent much of her life there, returning after university, before moving to Papamoa about a year ago.

Never far from a kitchen, Miss Bilton said she entered the show "to show I can cook and to prove to myself I can".

"I really wanted to prove to myself that I do have the skills."

She said she was known for pairing "outrageous flavours" together and making them pop.

Making lemon sago at her Nana's house when she was about 3 years old was what started the cooking love affair, although she admits to sponging cooking knowledge off almost everyone she meets. Working as a waitress at a restaurant saw her passion grow even further. "I'm always in the kitchen. I get anxiety when anyone else is in there."

She said her dream was to start her own cooking school. "Hopefully this gives me the extra confidence to do that."

She describes her cooking style as working with ingredients most people have on hand and using what's in the fridge and cupboards to make amazing things. She loves food that can be shared and eaten together.

A longtime MasterChef fan - "I think I have watched every single one" - she almost missed out on entering, only discovering applications were open after a former boss suggested she enter the day before they closed.

Favourite past contestants include Nadia Lim - "she's definitely a mentor ... she has followed her dream".

MasterChef New Zealand screens on TV3 on Sunday at 7pm. From August 9 it will also screen on Mondays at 7.30pm.