She takes few prisoners as a culinary judge on television, but Roz Laws finds Monica Galetti to be charming – even after a trip to the dentist.

I admit it, I’m a little scared as I pick up the phone to talk to Monica Galetti.

She’s the ferocious judge on the BBC series MasterChef: The Professionals, the one whose amazingly mobile face instantly signals her disapproval.

I’m even more nervous when the phone, in the kitchen of Le Gavroche, is answered by her boss, Michel Roux Jr himself.

“Are you sure you want to talk to Monica?” he says. “She’s very grumpy, you know.

“She’s just come back from the dentist.”

Oh dear. I brace myself, but it turns out that Monica could hardly be nicer – and that Michel was joking.

“It’s fine,” she says, with the air of someone used to the high pressure environment of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant and who isn’t going to let a little pain stop her.

“I’ve just had a filling and the front of my mouth is numb. They’ve all been making fun of me.”

You might think it would take a brave person to laugh at stern Monica, but when she’s not concentrating hard on her work, she’s a lot of fun.

Midlanders will be able to see for themselves when she appears at the BBC Good Food Show, which has just started at Birmingham’s NEC and runs until Sunday. Monica is teaching at the MasterChef Cook School and urges people to give it a go, because she won’t bite.

“People are surprised when they meet me, they say ‘Oh my God, you’re smiling!’” she chuckles.

“Of course I am! I love meeting people and I’m very kind to the people at the show. They’re not professional chefs, they’re there to have a good time.

“I am very happy, knowing I’ve taught them something. Some people are brave enough to get up there and have a go when they’ve never cooked before. If they continue cooking at home, that’s great. I love inspiring people.

“This is my fourth time at the show. I love walking around and looking at all the other stands and demonstrations. I’m keen on gardening and there’s an amazing variety of food on offer – I like shopping for things like olive oils.”

Monica, 36, was born in Western Samoa but trained as a chef in New Zealand. She moved across the world for the chance to work with Michel at Le Gavroche, starting as a very junior cook and working her way up to his sous chef.

Her husband, David Galetti, is the restaurant’s head sommelier and they have a five-year-old daughter.