MasterChef Anna Haugh says food is ‘meaning of life’

The 45-year-old Irish chef, restaurateur and television personality will take to the stage at the Cotswolds festival, where food, music and shared experiences will be blended together to create the kind of memories she believes matter most.

Since being catapulted into the industry out of the Dublin School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology 25 years ago, Anna has gone on to appear on a myriad of shows, including BBC’s Ready Steady Cook and Gordon Ramsay’s US Hell’s Kitchen.

MasterChef (Image: BBC/Shine TV)

She was announced, alongside Grace Dent, as a co-presenter and judge of the 22nd series of the BBC’s MasterChef in September 2025, taking over after Greg Wallace stepped away while allegations of historical misconduct were investigated.

Stepping into the limelight was a “gift” for Anna, who expressed gratitude for her three roles as a home cook, television star and restaurateur.

The 2024 Big Feastival held on Alex James’ Farm in The Cotswolds (Image: Justin Goff)

But now, the 45-year-old will appear in Alex James’ (hopefully not too wet) farm near Kingham from August 28 to 30.

Reflecting on how the food industry has changed during her career, she said the success of events such as Big Feastival shows how food has evolved from something people simply eat to something that brings people together.

“Food is more than just fuel”, she said, “It’s a time to connect with people and share. It should be fun and inclusive – the Big Feastival is the exact thing people want.

“The idea that families are included more in festivals is because people saw that this is a type of get-together that could have great music, brilliant food, and children could be welcome.”

When presenting a demonstration, with modern Irish cuisine influence to around 20,000 people, Anna will bring “interest, freedom and expression” to her dishes, preaching not to ‘dumb down’ complicated ideas.

Anna is set to descend on the Cotswolds, bringing Irish-influenced cuisine to her not too complicated dishes (Image: Brian Dandridge)

She said: “As a chef, we always follow rules as we have so much knowledge and experience, but we should be able to relate this to people in a reasonably achievable format.

“I don’t like the idea of saying a recipe is quick and easy, as you lose the whole point, which is that it should be exciting and grab your attention – without being overly complicated.”

Her homeland isn’t the only thing which has influenced her cooking, nodding to the Oxfordshire culinary icon Raymond Blanc, who has influenced her since first appearing on television as a youngster.

(Image: Contributed)

While Raymond is one of the chefs Anna hinted at as sticking to the rules, she respects his appreciation for the classics and for “protecting the industry with finesse and passion”.

She said: “Cooking isn’t just about numbers and rules. While it’s important to protect the industry, it’s about explaining the fundamental basics, and that’s exactly what Raymond role models.

“His charm and frivolity have grown with empathy as his experience did. He’s the type of person that would stand up for the rights of workers, and I think that’s a wonderful legacy.”

More than 20,000 people will descend on the Cotswolds farm for the Big Feastival (Image: Big Feastival)

With chefs stereotypically being known as ‘hot-headed’, the phrase: “If you can’t handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen” springs to mind; a respectful, non-authoritative relationship between the head chef and those below is most important to Anna.

She said: “I’ve worked with some incredible chefs, but sometimes they get stressed. They were not bad people or malicious, but different characters come out in the kitchen.

“If the head chef is being nasty to somebody, whether a sous chef or kitchen porter, then you’re next down the line. I think our industry only gets better by people standing up to behaviour like that.”

She boasts of her love for a dinner party, but also a picnic, too, admitting she has to change her style to appease guests and their taste buds.  

She said: “When I do a dinner party, I have to try to climb inside their head and give them what they want.

“For my sister, last time that was a porchetta (a richly flavoured roasting pork joint). We went out to two different restaurants and they were rubbish. I had never made it before, so I had to practice, but it was such a delight to be praised when it turned out well.”

Her go-to picky bit choice, though, is arguably much simpler – a spicy dip with Southeast Asian (Laotian) influence from a friend’s mum. “It’s absolutely to die for”, she said.

At Christmas she loves all the trimmings, again rooting her flavours and influence from Ireland with a spicy beef, also with turkey and ham on the side.

Just like any normal person with a 9-to-5 job with a hobby of cooking on the side, Anna battles with her limited home supply, unlike the “conveyor belt of stuff that you have in your restaurant”.

Anna says sharing food with loved ones is the ‘meaning of life’ (Image: Big Feastival)

While most white-jacket Michelin-starred chefs love the hustle and bustle of a professional stainless-steel kitchen, Anna enjoys the slower-paced home-cooking life.

She said: “Food is the connection with the people you love. The best way to do that is to eat with them or cook for them. This is a basic value for contentment in life and is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures for me.”