"Food is first in our family."
Nitin Ganatra made a name for himself in the BBC’s EastEnders as Masood Ahmed.
Now, over seven years after making his final appearance in the soap, Nitin is looking to return to the BBC to expand his horizons.
The actor will be appearing in Celebrity MasterChef 2026 as part of the second batch of celebrities.
In this second batch, along with Nitin, are the likes of Donna Preston, Emily Steel, Eric Underwood, and Tom ‘TommyInnit’ Simons.
Speaking to the BBC, Nitin Ganatra said: “I’m doing the show for my mum whom I was extremely close to.
“She was the best cook in the world. Food is first in our family.
“The first question she always asked was, ‘What do you want to eat?’
“I’m a vegetarian and pre-diabetic; therefore, I have recently undergone a food revolution where I have explored cooking to utilise it in the healthiest way.
“My mum and sister taught me to blend spices, so I’m very influenced by Indian cuisine.
“My favourite secret family recipe is my mum’s garlic pickle, It’s unique and I’ve never found the same taste anywhere else.
“You only need a small amount but my goodness it packs a punch.
“I was born in Kenya so we had a lot of cassava and yam growing up. My siblings would also pick mangoes from the trees.
“The first thing I learnt to cook at age of seven was poppadoms.
“I’ve never been a fan of desserts because I grew up in a sweet shop – I had 18 fillings by age 18!
“I’ve tried to eat ‘clean’ in the last few years, I’m obsessed with gut health.
“I try to cook Indian food without the oil and use dates instead of sugar.
“I’m a cheese freak. I put raw garlic on cheese – I swear it’s life changing.
“I also learnt to curry a tin of Heinz beans when I was younger – it’s still my comfort food.
“I’ve been a lifelong vegetarian. I wouldn’t know what to do with a fish if you slapped me in the face with it.”
Nitin added tha his weakness in food is Walker’s cheese and onion crisps.
In the first batch of Celebrity MasterChef contestants is Shakira Khan, who is famous from Love Island 2025.
Speaking about joining the show, Shakira said: “I’m always up for a challenge and I love cooking, but I’m a simple cook.
“I’m good but I want to go out of my comfort zone and learn ‘sick recipes’ – it will be fun.
“I want to make my family proud and show the flavours I grew up with.”
“I also want to prove to myself that I can improve and surprise people.”
Before joining EastEnders, Nitin Ganatra appeared in films, including Bride and Prejudice (2004) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
He was cast in EastEnders in 2007 as Masood and remained in the show until 2019.
Nitin was later revealed to be a hugely talented artist.
DESIblitz interviewed Nitin Ganatra in 2025. You can check it out here.
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