Ex-Dons striker on celebrity TV show
Former Reds striker on Celebrity Masterchef
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FORMER Aberdeen FC star Noel Whelan traded his football boots for a frying pan.
The former Dons striker cooked up a storm in the kitchen taking part in the latest series of Celebrity Masterchef.
But sadly the dad-of-two didn’t make it through to the next round.
His culinary creations were beaten by the efforts of actress Wendi Peters, who played Cilla Battersby in Coronation Street.
Dad-of-two Noel attempted to impress the judges with his starter of broccoli and stilton soup followed by the main course of fish with mint potatoes and salsa.
Noel, 33, said: “It was very close but she just beat me to it.
“I thought to myself I was going through but it wasn’t to be.
“Wendi has been cooking most her life for her family so she had a head start”, he laughed.
Noel and the other competitor, DJ Spoony, were asked to cook two courses and had to work a lunchtime shift at Belgo restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.
He admits it was a totally different pressure from performing on the football pitch. Noel, who is married to Emily, 25, said: “I sweated a lot more in the kitchen.
“Playing football was my trade but cooking is something I like to do in my personal time.
“I enjoy cooking and a lot of it came from helping my mum in the kitchen when I was younger.
“But it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it.
“It was a real eye-opener the pressure you go through.”
Noel’s food was judged by chef and restaurateur John Torode and food writer and ingredients expert Gregg Wallace.
Noel, who signed for Aberdeen in 2004, said: “They seemed to enjoy the soup and my fish dish was popular.”
