A FORMER banker who now lives in South Lakeland has made it to the final three of BBC MasterChef.

Irini Tzortzoglou, who was born in Heraklion, Crete, and now lives in Cartmel, has made it to the final three and is one step closer to become MasterChef Champion 2019. 

In yesterday's episode, the four amateur cooks were mentored by internationally-renowned Chef Raymond Blanc.

Each cook had four hours to recreate an iconic classic dish from Raymond's menu at Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons. 

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Irini showcased her culinary talents right from the outset once she entered the MasterChef kitchen. She breezed through every stage of the competition, competing against 57 other cooks during the televised stages of the show.

Using unique Greek products and flavours, Irini amazed not only John Torode and Gregg Wallace, the two judges and presenters of the show, but also visiting chefs and food critics.

Irini moved to England in her 20s and graduated at London’s Kingston University before working in the British financial sector.

She now divides her time between Cartmel and her native island.

After an arduous seven-week journey, tonight the three finalists will have to push themselves to the limit for one last time before the judges. 

You can find out on tonight's episode (BBC 1 9PM) whether Irini will be crowned the next MasterChef champion. 

You can catch the MasterChef episodes on BBC iplayer.