MasterChef finalist Ben Borsht is turning his recent failings on Ten’s famed cooking show into a new sponsorship with Birds Eye frozen peas.
Borsht famously bombed in this year’s MasterChef finale after serving-up a dish of fish and frozen peas.
The wannabe chef is now calling all Australians to ditch the over-hyped, overdone smashed avo in favour of Australia’s more affordable, reliable and often forgotten green alternative – smashed peas.
Borsht is now back in the kitchen with new stripes as Australia’s first pea ambassador, ready to free the pea from freezers across the country and make amends for his pea flunk.
The offending finale dish – deep-fried whiting and whole peas with parsley and garlic emulsion – resulted in Borsht getting a roasting on social media and so his path to redemption is quite rightly, partnering with Birds Eye Aussie-grown peas.
“I eat and cook with peas all the time. Obviously, I’m devasted that I didn’t do them justice. The pressure got to me,” says Borsht. “If I could do it all again, I would have treated the peas with a bit more respect for sure.”
In collaboration with Birds Eye, Borsht has developed a selection of bespoke brunch recipes raring to usurp the avocado on toast trend.
“We’re reintroducing Australia to smashed peas in a way they’ve never seen them before. A pack of peas where you can eat like a king for a week or one expensive avocado – it’s a no brainer,” Borsht said.
“And the truth is, about three in four Aussie households have peas in the freezer but we just aren’t sure how to use them beyond bangers, mash and mushy peas. We’ll change that.”
The nutritional value of peas is high, according to accredited practicing dietitian Kim Tikellis. Peas are a nutrition powerhouse, packed with nutrients such as fibre, protein, folate and vitamin C. Plus peas are kinder to both your wallet and your waistline than trendy creamy avocado.
Accompanying the campaign, Borsht and Birds Eye have launched a nationwide search on social media to find Australia’s favourite smashed peas on a cafe menu.
