Meet Sarah Rankin: Highland Roots to MasterChef Finals

Sarah Rankin is a MasterChef finalist (2022), cookbook author, and passionate advocate for Scottish produce. Based in Perthshire, she works as a private chef, food writer, and event host, and through-out it all she champions seasonal cooking and local suppliers across Scotland.

From Home Cook to MasterChef Finals

Sarah's journey began during lockdown when she decided to reassess her life priorities. "I had this real sense of my own mortality," she explains, describing the midlife moment that prompted her MasterChef application. Despite not expecting to make it onto the show, she progressed all the way to finals week.

Her foundation in cooking comes from her family.

Growing up in Inverness, her mother cooked everything from scratch while her grandmother was renowned for her baking. "We were fed food from scratch all the time," Sarah recalls. "That was just what was normal for us."

The MasterChef experience completely transformed her career path. "It's given me a new career," she says. "I now write cookbooks and food columns. I'm a private chef. I run pop-up supper clubs from my house." The show also connected her with Scotland's broader food community and reinforced her appreciation for the country's incredible larder.

Celebrating Scottish Seasonality

Sarah's debut cookbook 'Kith: Scottish Seasonal Food for Family and Friends' showcases 100 recipes organized by season. Her approach to seasonality is both practical and passionate. "British asparagus is incredible," she explains. "It's a very short season, so let's just focus on that. Let's support asparagus farmers in Scotland rather than buying inferior products shipped from South America in November."

Living in Perthshire gives Sarah access to exceptional local produce. "We've got incredible game, incredible fish, fantastic Carse of Gowrie fruits," she says. The book features suppliers that everyone can access - local butchers, fishmongers, and farm shops.

Sarah particularly advocates for game as a sustainable protein choice. "We need to really look at how we consume protein," she argues. "Game is sustainable." Her Partridge Cordon Bleu recipe demonstrates how traditional Scottish ingredients can be approachable for modern home cooks.

Supporting local producers is central to her philosophy. "When you can, you support local business, you keep money in your own community, you support your local farmers. That's just better for us all."

The Chef Stage Partnership

We're excited to partner with Sarah for an exclusive free online cooking course available to all Chef Stage users. In this course, you'll learn how to cook beautiful, flavour-packed meals using accessible ingredients and simple techniques. Whether you're just getting started or want to elevate your everyday cooking, Sarah shows you how to do it with ease and joy.

The course features three recipes from Kith: Wild Garlic Soup celebrating spring's seasonal bounty, Arbroath Smokie Soufflés showcasing Scotland's protected culinary heritage, and Partridge Cordon Bleu making game cooking accessible to everyone.

"I honestly think that anyone can cook any of the recipes in that book," Sarah insists. "They are very straightforward, and the only way you're going to learn is if you do it." Her teaching philosophy emphasizes building confidence through practice rather than perfection.

Food is Love

The title 'Kith' - meaning the people you choose to surround yourself with - reflects Sarah's core belief that food is the ultimate expression of care. "I'm just a feeder," she laughs. "I just want people to come to my house and leave fed."

Many recipes in the book come from family connections - her late grandmother's handwritten notes and her mother-in-law's hotel industry background. "Food for me was the driving force for writing Kith - to share recipes that I know make people happy and make me happy to cook."

Sarah continues championing Scottish produce through supper clubs, food festivals, and BBC Radio Scotland appearances, proving that exceptional cooking requires connection rather than complexity.

Ready to cook with Sarah? Join her free course on The Chef Stage and discover the joy of Scottish seasonal cooking with accessible ingredients and simple techniques.