Having triumphed on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win, Laura Sharrad joins the Test Kitchen team! Following in the footsteps of Australia’s original MasterChef, Julie Goodwin, Laura will be sharing her recipes in our monthly magazine and in our new memberships program, My Women’s Weekly.
Laura sat down with Genevieve Gannon to speak about her plans with The Weekly, and she reveals The Australian Women’s Weekly recipe she still cooks every Sunday…
AWW: Laura, welcome to The Weekly! We first met in 2014 when you competed on MasterChef Australia aged just 18. What was your cooking style and food aspirations back then?
Laura: Eighteen-year-old me was a very enthusiastic cook who just loved to explore new cuisines. I grew up in a big Italian family, and that was all I knew about food. I’d spend my pay going to Asian and Indian restaurants to learn about different cultures and food. To be honest, I didn’t really think that food was a career option. I thought I’d go on MasterChef for fun. But I never thought what eventuated would happen. I thought I’d end up back at uni studying to be a teacher.
AWW: We understand you skipped your uni exams to audition.
Laura: I did! I had an option to fly to Melbourne to compete at the Top 50, or to sit my uni exams. My parents were very much towards one option, and I took the other.
AWW: It paid off. You were runner-up aged just 19. What did that do for your confidence?
Laura: The night of the finale, the executive producer said, “Which restaurant do you want to work in?” Then she put me in touch with Jock [Zonfrillo], and I started working for him. I just loved it. I was learning so much and went, “I think I really want to do this.”
AWW: What did you learn working for Jock at his restaurant, Orana?
Laura: It was the most intense two-and-a-half years of my life! I don’t think I slept. I was learning, not just about being a chef, but about native Australian ingredients and culture. It was so different and new for me. Getting an insight into the native culture from Jock was amazing. We used to go foraging, understanding what to pick and what not to pick. We’d do mushroom days in the Adelaide Hills. It was incredible. I met my husband there as well.
AWW: You came back to MasterChef: Back to Win in 2020, making it to the final against your friend Emelia Jackson. Was it different the second time around?
Laura: The biggest thing for me was confidence. We [with husband Max] already had a restaurant. I’d been working as a chef for six years, so it was more about, “I know I can do this, I know I can cook, I have nothing to lose, have fun.” But also, I got to show everyone how much I’ve grown since the first time I came on, which was amazing.
AWW: You and Emelia shared a flat during filming. Were battlelines drawn in the kitchen? Or did you help each other out?
Laura: We went in with very different perspectives. I thought, “I’m here to win. I know I can do this.” She was like, “I’m just here for fun.” We’d cook next to each other and help each other, which was amazing. She’s incredible at pastry, so she’d teach me things. We’d have pasta-making classes together in our room. It was very wholesome.
AWW: You came back for a second Back to Win last year and took the title. By this time, you were a business owner and a mother to Florence.
Laura: It was the best maternity leave ever! When they invited me back, I thought what a great privilege. I brought Florence with me, so I was feeding her at the same time, which was insane. That kitchen allows so many doors to be opened for you. I thought I didn’t have to go back and win. Obviously, I wanted to, but I felt like I had the respect of everyone. I thought I was just going to have fun, and it was amazing! I’m so glad I said yes.
AWW: You were feeding Florence the food you were practising with. She must have a very sophisticated palate!
Laura: Yes! I was doing the allergens with her in our apartment while we were filming. That day from set I was given a box of marron, so we tested her shellfish allergy on marron, and the next day it was lobster. She was just sitting there eating marron. I was like, “Girl, do you know how expensive that is?” Her palate is amazing. With two chef parents, I think we’re doomed. Our grocery bills will be astronomical by the time she’s eating properly.
AWW: What are her favourite dishes?
Laura: She’s a pasta animal, and she loves soup. She also definitely has a sweet tooth, like her dad.
AWW: You’ve said becoming a mum changed how you cook. How?
Laura: I think you hit an age where you go, I need to look after myself more. For me, that was when I really started cooking for her. I feel like I cook really well at home. But you have a kid, and everyone’s like, “Are you putting bone broth and whipped bone marrow in this? And what are the nutrients you’re smuggling into her food?” It made me think differently about what we put into our bodies, and gave her the best start to life.
AWW: How do you and Max divvy up the cooking duties at home?
Laura: The words “divvy up” don’t exist in our house. It’s very rare that Max cooks. It’s solely because I’m a control freak and I hate the mess. For a simple soup, I’d use one pot and one chopping board. Maybe a mixing bowl. With him, there’s stuff everywhere. I can’t do it! So once a month, Max will cook.
AWW: Many people grew up with The Weekly’s recipe books. Were any of our dishes part of your childhood?
Laura: One of the first books I was given was one of the original thick, classic recipe books from The Australian Women’s Weekly. Every Sunday, I make crepes, and it’s the original Women’s Weekly recipe that my mum used to make as well. So that’s our little family tradition. And I grew up with all the celebration cakes, which are just so iconically Australian. The Women’s Weekly stuff always works. It’s failsafe, and it’s good.
AWW: What can we expect from you at The Weekly?
Laura: My cooking is seasonal and wholesome. More of what I cook at home during the week, instead of entertaining stuff, which I think is what people want. Budget-friendly, too. I just want to normalise what we have at home. Very basic but yummy Italian food.
What’s Laura Sharrad’s first recipe with The Weekly?
And her first recipe is exactly that. It’s a spiced lamb ragu with pappardelle. The recipe is personal for Laura. It was one of the first pasta dishes that she and her husband put on their menu at their restaurant in Adelaide. Diners loved it so much that it’s still there.
“This lamb is one for all occasions – a weekend feast or make ahead for a midweek winner,” says Laura.
Find the recipe here and watch Laura make her spiced lamb ragu in the video below.
See Laura Sharrad’s masterclass
For exclusive access to Laura’s fresh egg pasta pappardelle recipe and pasta-making masterclass, become a member of My Women’s Weekly, your home for curated meal plans and more.
Become a My Women’s Weekly member today.
This interview originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Subscribe so you never miss an issue.
