A café owner has reached the knockout week of the professional version of MasterChef.

Rosie Furnival, 34, made it to the next stage of the hit BBC cookery competition after wowing judges with dishes inspired by her travels to Mexico.

Rosie, who is head chef at The Fig in Rye, also shone with an invention test involving pistachios. She will now compete alongside 11 other cooks to be named the 2023 champion.

Speaking after getting through to the next stage, Rosie said: “I’m so happy, I feel so overwhelmed. I’m going to really focus now and believe in myself a bit more.”

Inspired by her travels to central America, Rosie cooked pan-seared scallops and a scallop ceviche served on a tostada.

The starter impressed food critics including The Independent’s Tracy McLeod who said the dish had “lots of intriguing, complex flavours”.

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She also cooked a braised pork cheek served with a fennel salad which critic Jay Rayner described as “perfect”.

In the invention test, Rosie was tasked with creating a dish which showcased nuts and chose a pistachio frangipane tart with a pistachio ice cream and a pistachio caramel tuile.

MasterChef judge Marcus Wareing described the dish as “beautifully made” while Gregg Wallace hailed it as “absolutely superb”.

Rosie has run The Fig in Rye High Street since 2015.

The Fig in Rye features a range of brunch, lunch and dinner dishes with focuses on “fresh, vibrant and healthy food”.