Srinagar: A British Pakistani doctor who has been crowned 2017’s MasterChef champion after beating 64 amateur cooks has paid tribute to her family for supporting her hobby of cooking – starting with Pakistani and Kashmiri dishes, a media report said.

Dr Saliha Ahmed, 29, triumphed in the final of MasterChef after defeating two rivals and made headlines around the world for impressing the judges with her Pakistani-Kashmiri-inspired three-course meal, the report said.

A record 6 million viewers tuned into BBC to watch Saliha storm to victory over music teacher Giovanna Ryan and DJ Steve Kielty who are considered amongst the top chefs, the report added.

In an exclusive interview with Geo News, Dr Saliha credited her family with her cooking skills and reserved special thanks to her doctor husband Usman Ahmed for pushing her to take part in the coveted competition, the report said

“I couldn’t have reached here without putting in a lot of hard work. The whole family supported me in my endeavour and it’s been worth it. After I was crowned the MasterChef 2017 champion, I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback, so many people from Pakistan contacted me to congratulate and to give positive feedback. It’s impossible to describe in words the happiness I have felt. I must say Allah has been kind to me,” she was quoted as saying.