I'm pleased to report that 11-year-old Amber, the Junior MasterChef contestant and maker of dream latkes, has made it to the final four. You can see if she gets crowned queen of the young cooks this afternoon at 4.35 on BBC1 or CBBC.

Among her semi-final tasks was preparing the favourite dessert of new Doctor Who Matt Smith: treacle sponge with custard.

Amber's cooking took off after she did a charity barbeque for Chai Cancer Care.

Her favourite Friday night meal, she tells me, is "chicken soup with all the bits in, roast chicken with roast potatoes, carrot puree, and lots of onion gravy, followed by chocolate mousse and fruit salad". 

Her least favourite dish is MasterChef judge John Torode's Thai soup – "I really don't like coconut milk".