Since winning Celebrity Masterchef in 2008, Liz McClarnon has been making a name for herself in the kitchen. When she’s not working, the Liverpudlian can often be found hanging out at the King’s Head pub in Wye near Ashford. Reporter James Scott went to meet her.

Liz McClarnon has emerged from the King’s Head kitchen in chef’s whites carrying a beautiful looking plate of food.

It is the de-constructed beef wellington dish which won her the Celebrity Masterchef title - and also happens to be the latest special on the pub’s menu.

Her recipe comprises a flash-fried fillet steak on top of a disc of puff pastry with mushrooms cooked in truffle oil accompanied by creamed potato and savoy cabbage and a port jus. It comes as no surprise that it led Whitstable’s Gregg Wallace and John Torode to crown her Masterchef winner.

What is surprising is that the 31-year-old singer, who lives in London, could not even cook until she went on the show five years ago.

“I had never cooked before I went on Masterchef,” she admits. “I was a pop star from the age of 16 so I lived in hotels because of my job. I was completely different to everyone else because I never needed to learn to cook. My mum made me do it because she loved the show.”

Liz, who had three number one UK hits with Atomic Kitten, will be creating a monthly special for the King’s Head at Church Street as a favour to her best friend and manager Scott Richardson.

He and partner Mark Lightfoot - alongside Gordon Thompson and wife Sharon, who also run the Honest Miller at Brook - have completely renovated the former Victorian coach house, which is owned by Shepherd Neame, to create a modern and yet rustic-looking country pub.

As it turns out, Liz is no stranger to the village and the surrounding area.

“I’ve been coming here for years and years now,” said Liz, who is accompanied by her pet chihuahua Coco-Belle.

“I came to view houses with Mark and Scott when they first moved down here. I’m in love with it. We just love Wye so much. It’s a close village and it’s tight knit. It’s an old-school village where everyone knows everyone.

“I would love to move here but it’s east and I’ve got a lot of family in the west, in Bath and up north so it would be too far.”

She added: “We’ve been to Canterbury a lot too. We have a lot of fun there and we like the smaller local areas like Brook and other places around there.”

Despite her hectic schedule which includes her work as an ambassador for British produce, and which recently saw her rejoin former bandmates Kerry Katona and Natasha Hamilton for ITV2’s The Big Reunion, she still intends to come back to the pub to demonstrate each recipe in the kitchen before it goes on the menu.

“I really get on with the head chef (Vernon Mcfarlane) so I would like to come down when I can,” she said.

“Cooking’s a relaxing thing for me. This seems like a day off. I could never not be on stage because I love being on stage but I will always be able to cook. It’s nice to make a hobby into a job.”

Locally sourced

The King’s Head menu features meat from local farms, locally caught game and bread from the village bakery.

Small plates, which cost between £6 and £8, include pan-fried pigeon breast with Stilton salad and pepper tiger prawns with warm salsa and herb crostini.

Mains feature three-cheese stuffed burger with hand-cut chips for £11, bourbon-barbecued pork belly ribs for £15 and Liz McClarnon’s deconstructed beef wellington for £18.

The bar serves lagers, local real ales, wines and cocktails.

For more information visit www.kingsheadwye.com