Irini Tzortzoglou


Irini Tzortzoglou is a Greek cook and winner of the MasterChef 2019 UK TV show competition.
Her final challenge was to prepare a three-course meal for judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Tzortzoglou's winning menu consisted of:
Her first book Under the Olive Tree: Recipes from my Greek Kitchen was published on 23 July 2020.

Early life

Tzortzoglou was born in 1960 and raised in a small village on the island of Crete, Greece. When she was 20 years old her father died prematurely and she began working in her uncle's hotel, where she met her first husband who was English. She subsequently moved to London in 1980 where she got married.
She began her career in banking with the National Bank of Greece in London. Her career in banking lasted nearly thirty years and she became involved in numerous activities while also studying at Kingston University for a History of Art, Architecture and Design Degree. She married her second husband John and moved to the small village of Cartmel in Cumbria in 2010.
Her Greek upbringing and family influence with food and cooking inspired her to enter MasterChef.

Publications