Cookery chaos as Come Dine With Me hits Shrewsbury

Amateur Shropshire chefs put their cooking skills to the test in front of a TV audience as show Come Dine With Me hit the county.

The Channel 4 programme saw four county people bidding to be crowned the host with the most in order to claim the show's £1,000 prize.

Around the dining table were Andrea Claydon, Wayne Hinds, Robina Hooper and "Magic" Kevin Duffy, who are all from Shrewsbury.

The show lived up its billing with a healthy serving of raucousness, drunken chaos, friction, frights and tears.

But after four days of indulgence and more than 70 hours of filming it was Mr Duffy who scooped the cash prize — despite rattling his fellow competitors with his firm political beliefs.

Hosting on the final night he served tiger prawns, pork wrapped in banana leaves, followed by a croissant with caramelised apples securing 22 out of 30 points.

He said he would be buying a "shiny electric guitar" with his prize money.

"I'm very political, I'm very left-wing and I like to think I'm a bit of a revolutionary," said Mr Duffy.

"This does not change my political persuasion, I'm still a socialist. I'm just a socialist with a guitar."

Serving on the first night was Ms Claydon who attempted to charm her guests with a chicken-and-chips special and a chocolate peanut butter cooking-pizza for pudding. She said: "I like my portions like myself, I like them large."

Despite her best efforts she recorded the lowest score with 18 points.

Next to host was lover of rural life Mr Hinds who welcomed his guests into his impressive country house.

He said: "My pursuits include pheasant shooting during the season and I also follow the hunt — something I may not have understood 10 years ago as a townie."

Aiming for a sophisticated supper he dished up monkfish wrapped in Parma ham, but it was the stuffed fox head in his kitchen which caught his guest's attention.

Ms Hooper's lemon sole didn't quite hit the mark. She said: "It looks horrible, I wouldn't want to eat it. I'm hoping the colours of the vegetable will deter from the blandness of the fish."

A slip in the kitchen saw her spill her own desert and, after helping herself to her guests' deserts, she came third with a score of 19.