A DUNFERMLINE Rugby Club winger has swapped tries and tackles for pots and pans as he attempts to score a pristine white apron and be crowned champion on this year's Masterchef competition.

Zane Chetty, 42, is originally from South Africa but now lives in the town with his wife and two daughters, who will be glued to their TV screens on Monday as he takes part in the hit BBC cooking show – although he's dreading it.

He laughed: "I'm not looking forward to it. Not at all! I hate the idea of seeing myself on TV."

Zane's wife, Jane, put him in for the competition while – no pressure – his two daughters have been playing the roles of judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

"I think Lilly and Savannah are my biggest fans. Every time I cook they give me marks out of 10 – although Thursday night they always have McDonald's!" he said.

Zane is in heat seven and while he's not allowed to say if he hit on the recipe for success on the show, he's already planning to open a restaurant – possibly in Dunfermline – in the future.

He said: "Masterchef is very different from what you see on TV, it's not what you think it is, but it was so enjoyable.

"Gregg is obviously very chatty and John is a bit more reserved but it was lots of fun.

"We saw them for a short period of time, there was more interaction with the other contestants, which was nicer."

He spiced up the competition with ingredients brought from his homeland for his signature dish, a coconut prawn curry and steamed dumpling with a pork filling.

Zane said: "I've cooked that dish hundreds of times so I was very confident. I always make everything from scratch so the only thing I really practised was putting it all together in time.

"It's a fusion dish. People assume South African food is all meat and barbecues but it's mostly fusion as the culture is very mixed, including my own!

"Whenever I tell them, people are very interested in my life story."

He continued: "Growing up in Durban, we didn't have much money, it was hand-to-mouth with mum, dad, my sister and me in one room.

"I remember the days when baked beans and spaghetti out of cans – my mum would put some extra spices in it – was the best thing ever.

"I'd walk four miles every day to and from school and while there were a lot of good times, there were traumatic times as well.

"Sometimes you don't realise how you got through it. Life got very bad but now it's good; I'm a qualified engineer with a wife and family, Jane called it a real rags-to-riches story."

Zane loves his job with Amey Defence Services but already has the taste for something different.

He said: "I want to go into cooking and have my own restaurant: it'll definitely be South African fusion food.

"We've already stared writing a book with recipes as well. Masterchef has given me a little bit of a platform to take my food further and I'm really passionate about it."

You can judge for yourself how good Zane's food is if you're lucky enough to win a three-course meal, cooked and delivered by him on March 19, as he's raising money for Red Nose Day.

To donate to his JustGiving page and be in with a chance of winning, go to bit.ly/3btpKRq.