MasterChef finalists team up for Thai lantern festival dinners

Nation.Cymru staff

Two MasterChef finalists will cook a menu inspired by Thailand’s lantern festivals over two nights this November.

The £75-a-head dinners will take place at PAD restaurant at Newport’s Celtic Manor Resort on 20 and 21 November, with head chef and 2013 finalist Larkin Cen joined by 2025 finalist Sam Kaeokon.

The menu draws on Loy Krathong and Yi Peng, two annual celebrations in Thailand. During Loy Krathong, people float decorated banana leaf baskets on rivers and canals to honour the water goddess and wash away bad luck. Yi Peng, associated with northern Thailand, is marked by the release of paper lanterns into the night sky as people let go of misfortune and wish for good luck.

Kaeokon, who was born and raised in Thailand, will serve the nam tok barbecued steak he cooked during his time on MasterChef. It is one of several starters, alongside a hot and sour langoustine tom yum soup and smaller dishes including prawn money bags and miang kham.

Main courses include slow-cooked khao soi chicken, a Malaysian-inspired kaeng som curry and pad thai with chicken and prawns. Desserts include mango sticky rice and coconut panna cotta served with pineapple salsa and Thai basil gel.

Kaeokon said his cooking still drew on what he had learned from his family as a child, as well as on his time in the UK.

“My mother and grandmother taught me to cook growing up in Thailand,” he said. “Those early lessons still influence everything I create but after a decade living in the UK, I enjoy experimenting with traditional Thai flavours with subtle Western twists.”

Connection

Kaeokon said the dinners were a chance to share something of the way his family marks special occasions.

“Food has always been at the heart of my family and the way we celebrate special moments and I hope to share that same feeling of connection with guests at PAD,” he said.

Cen, who has also competed twice on Great British Menu, said he and Kaeokon had found common ground in the food they grew up with.

“Sam and I both grew up surrounded by the vibrant flavours and traditions of Asian cooking, and that’s something we’ve really connected over,” he said. “We wanted this menu to reflect that passion, combining the Thai flavours that Sam knows so well with our own influences and creativity.”

The Thai Lantern Festival menu will be available at dinner only.

The resort has published the full menu and booking details online.