The 29-year-old South Londoner is the new Masterchef champion after beating Andrew Kojima and Tom Rennolds in the 2012 BBC culinary challenge.

Permalloo is of Mauritian background and she learned all about cooking from her parents labours on the family stove in Southhampton.

”I only ate Mauritian food growing up as it gave our family that affinity of being close to the island. Mauritian food is very frugal which is great in these economic climates but at the same time full of flavour, heady with aromatics, nutritional and damn tasty.”

She also paid tribute to her mother, who she described as “a brilliant cook.”

“I learnt everything from her. I’m basically her sous chef. She taught me to cook by intuition: never by using scales, always by sight and taste. So I developed a strong palate from a young age,” she said.

Throughout the series, 20 other contestants tried to claim the Masterchef title for themselves but Permalloo fought them all off.
John torode described her performance as special.

“She is an exceptional talent, who always wears a smile and cooks with care to assault the senses and bring sunshine to a plate.”

The winning menu:

Starter
Octopus served on marinated fennel, pickled ginger, sliced baby beetroot and carrots, tomato concasse; served with brown shrimp jelly; mango and apple vinegar; and tobiko (fish roe).

Main
Mutton curry with mustard seed and turmeric-marinated bone marrow; biryani rice; Swiss chard roulade stuffed with green banana pickle; and chilli pumpkin quenelle.

Dessert
Mango cannelloni filled with lime curd; coconut and rum blancmange; white chocolate creme fraiche; pistachio samosa; and mango jelly squares.