THEIR culinary prowess and haughty demeanour won them both scorn and admiration from viewers, but it was the judges – and an overcooked quail – that ended the My Kitchen Rules dream of Walcha’s Anna and Cathy Lisle last night.
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The mother and daughter team, tipped by many to make the finals of the reality TV cooking show, were sent packing from the competition after a sudden-death showdown with South Australian mums Bree and Jessica last night.
Speaking with The Leader following their pre-taped elimination, the Lisles said they were “devastated” at being knocked out.
“It was pretty gut-wrenching, pretty emotional,” Anna said.
“I don’t think the quail was overcooked, but so be it.”
The final challenge saw the teams asked to cook their signature dish.
The Lisles cooked a chermoula quail with roasted baby carrots and quinoa salad, and while judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel praised the salad, they both agreed the quail was overcooked.
“We were both so exhausted because we’ve spent the last few months filming,” Anna said.
“We were really proud of our dishes and when you hear it’s not good enough, it’s hard to take.”
The pair made no apologies about their competitiveness on the show, saying they were happy with the way they were portrayed.
“People forget you’re there to win $250,000,” Cathy said.
“I told Anna from the start, ‘you’re the head chef, give me the orders’.”
Anna said the tightly edited show meant viewers only “got a small snapshot of our lives and one side of our personality.”
“People can be highly judgemental but anyone with half a brain could see we were there to win,” she said.
Despite being eliminated, the Lisles said the show had been a growing experience for them both.
“I’m more confident as a person and I hope it allows Anna to pursue her dream,” Cathy said.
Anna said she was “open to opportunities” and hopeful of crafting a career as a chef or releasing a cookbook.
“It’s also been great to represent Walcha,” Anna said.
“We’re so proud of the town and whenever you walk down the street, everyone is so pumped.
“We feel like we’ve let them down a bit though.”
As for who they would like to win, the Lisles said they were behind Paul and Blair “400 per cent”.
“They’re top blokes and they represent everything good about the competition,” Anna said.
“They’re home cooks, they’re passionate, they’ve given up a lot to be on the show and they’re learning as they go.”
