filming for channel 5

update-

my episode can be seen on-line at channel 5. please watch it if you get time- i am very proud of it.

so, a few weeks ago i got a call from a lovely lady called Nicky who works for a company called 'Hotbed media' who were interested in my participating in a show they are making for channel 5 called 'street market chefs'. It wasnt a straightforward invitation for a few reasons, including the staff shortage at work which meant i had to make arrangements for cover there and then go in and work after a long days filming too. As well as all that, i didn't know for certain i would be involved until two days before filming as there were a few chefs in the running for the filming of what was the first episode to be filmed for the series. I submitted a copy of my C.V., sent a few food photo's and some links to food videos i made a few months previously as well as four recipes which they were to choose from. Then i waited.
and waited. and got fed up and emailed them. and waited.
then, on the monday evening (we were due to film on the wednesday and thursday...) i got the shout from nicky that, yes they would like to offer me a place on the show, cooking two courses in front of the cameras and talking about the dishes with the lovely host, Amanda Lamb.

Wednesday.
a crew came to the hotel and spent about two hours doing 'stylised shots' of me, the hotel and the boys in the kitchen going through their jobs and getting ready for lunch service. Although quite time consuming, this was fun and a good experience. it also meant that having met the main members of the crew, i was a lot more relaxed than i thought i would be on the thursday. doing lots of shots of the same thing from several different angles and general repitition can be surprisingly tiring, and even though that was only a few shots for the opening titles etc it was a long day before the main event on....
Thursday.having been instructed to be at the Abergavenny market hall at around 9a.m. i had to get to work for 7 to give me time to check my lists, get all the ingredients and equipment i needed. despite double and triple checking my lists, i still managed to miss a few things off the lists, including a bottle opener, rolling pin and my blow torch. surprisingly important little things, which i overlooked.
as soon as i arrived at the hall, i was made very welcome by Nicky and Hannah (producer) and was assigned my own 'helper' in the shape of 'little' hannah, who was the shows home economist and all round good girl, literally running to the local hotel to pick up my forgotten items, and applying my plaster when i cut my finger two minutes into filming! luckily it was only a nick, but it was annoying none the less.
the whole day was great fun, and the time really flew by, making a whole day seem like just a couple of hours. meeting all the local suppliers who work at the market was also rewarding, some of whom i already knew and use at the hotel, but also a few who i didnt, but am now in talks with.
after filming the two of us cooking our dishes, we had a brief 'questions and answers' session with a few of the audience members, and then there was a break whilst the judges made their decisions and then we filmed a brief ending, where the winner was presented with a prize, and the judges critiqued the dishes. this was a good part, as it is always interesting to hear what people think of your performance, especially informed people like iain sampson, who was one of the judges and was recently crowned 'wales chef of the year'.
at the end of the day, i was happy with the food i cooked, and pretty pleased with the way i felt i came across on camera. although i am not allowed to talk about anything which may be constituted a 'result' on the day, i wanted to share my experience on here. as soon as i find out when 'my' show is aired (the series starts in september, but may be shown in a different order to filming) i will be letting everyone know about it, and then once it has been on, i will discuss the day in more detail.