Ex-Masterchef contestant accused of plagiarising Singaporean writer's cookbook
Stephanie ZhengMon, 11 October 2021, 4:06 PMChef Elizabeth Haigh. (PHOTO: YouTube screenshot)
SINGAPORE - British publisher Bloomsbury has withdrawn the cookbook penned by former MasterChef UK contestant Elizabeth Haigh for sale, after Singaporean cookbook writer Sharon Wee accused her of plagiarism.
Haigh, 33, is a Singapore-born chef who competed on MasterChef UK in 2011. She went on to become a relatively well-known figure in the London culinary scene, winning awards and accolades for Singaporean street food restaurant called Mei Mei in central London, hosted a BBC Radio 4 programme, and even won a Michelin star for her work at east London restaurant Pidgin. Earlier this year, she released her book "Makan: Recipes from the Heart of Singapore".
Singaporean Nonya Sharon Wee wrote and published her book "Growing up in a Nonya kitchen" in 2012. The book provides an insightful peek into the daily life of a Peranakan family in the early 20th century from Wee's point of view and memories, while Wee credited her mother and the other matriarchs in her family for the recipes.
Wee alleged that there were striking resemblances between the two titles – specifically 15 recipes and anecdotes from her work. A post by Wandering Chopsticks on Facebook highlights some of the resemblances.
For example, in the 2012 book, Wee writes: 'It faced many challenges along the way. It first started with converting her handwritten recipe measurements from katis to tahils (Old Chinese measurements) and learning the different daun (herbs) and rempah (spice pastes). Recipe testing in New York could be challenging. Shopping for ingredients necessary for our cuisine often entailed trekking down to Chinatown by subway...'
Haigh's one reads: 'I faced many challenges along the way. It began with my having to translate hard-to-read handwritten notes, or convert measurements, and moved on to learning about the different daun (herbs) and rempah (spice pastes). Techniques aside, ingredients were hard to find, but thankfully I was just a bus ride away from Chinatown in central London.'
