My Kitchen Rules “mystery” judge can now be revealed as British cook Rachel Khoo. The host of Little Paris Kitchen is set to dine alongside contestants in their homely instant restaurants.

The cook will appear on the Channel Seven cooking show alongside chef and fellow judge Colin Fassnidge. While her appearance is a fleeting one on air — just four episodes — she says Fassnidge lightened the long days with his Irish charm.

“The first day we arrived at somebody’s house I thought, ‘okay, I need to wear a really cheerful dress.’ So I was wearing this stripey white and yellow dress and as soon as I got out of the car, he said: `oh look, it’s little Miss Starburst.’ He always had these funny nicknames. We would just wind each other up, because he’s such a joker,” she said, news.com.au reports.

The Brit says she empathised with the contestants on the show.

“It’s nerve-wracking cooking for the judges and other contestants. I’m even feeling nervous!” she said. “I will give each team praise, or constructive criticism where appropriate. I want to encourage them to take on my feedback and improve their cooking skills. For me, the competition isn’t just about winning, it’s also about the experience of participating and becoming a better cook.”

Rachel has filmed five cooking and travel TV programs in the past four years, including Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Melbourne.

But MKR provides her with the rare prospect of having other people cook for her. “Having the opportunity to see and taste how people cook at home is something I don’t get to experience very often. So being a judge on MKR is the perfect way to experience some Australian home cooking.

“It doesn’t need to be fancy. It doesn’t need to be complicated. The most important thing is that the dishes the contestants cook are ones they’re passionate about. They should cook with their heart and be fearless with their flavours. I don’t want any half-hearted efforts.”

And while teams this year have hopefully learnt that the way to judge Manu Feildel’s heart is through a healthy dollop of sauce, they’ll soon learn that Rachel’s motto is: “Butter makes everything better.”

“I don’t have a particular style. I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to cooking. I pick out flavours and techniques from around the world and like to mix them up.”

My Kitchen Rules airs 7pm Sun and 7.30pm Mon-Wed on Seven.