What an incredible week it’s been!
My usual posting routine has slipped — partly due to school holidays and partly because I’ve been caught up in a big competition. And I still can’t quite believe it: I won! 
Some background:
We’ve just started a house extension that includes a full kitchen remodel. I’ve been dreaming about fitting Neff slide-and-hide ovens — the kind you often see on The Great British Bake Off. Our current oven is ancient (it’s been in place longer than we have — about 10 years) and its grill sits so high I can’t properly see into it.
A few months ago I spotted that Neff were running a contest to find their next “cookaholic,” with the prize being a kitchen full of their appliances. They were asking for recipes with a twist, so I entered my Summer Beef Casserole — a slow-cooked, fall-apart beef casserole transformed into a lighter, summery dish by adding crunchy vegetables, Parmesan and couscous.
That entry somehow got me into the semi-finals alongside seven other contenders. After recording a short video answering some questions, I was chosen as one of the final two.
I hadn’t realised the final would be a live cook-off in front of a large audience. In hindsight, probably a good thing I didn’t know — I might have talked myself out of entering!
The cook-off took place on Saturday at Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival in Kingham. Have you been? It’s amazing: local producers, street food, kids’ activities, celebrity chefs and live music. You can camp or glamp on site, too.
I was so nervous on the drive there. Everything had been planned to the minute and I’d practised my fish pie “with a twist” to rehearse what I’d make on stage. Chris and the kids came along; they wandered the festival while I prepared in the green room.
I met my fellow finalist Janey almost right away. She was lovely — exactly the kind of person you’re glad to compete against. 
We checked out all the Neff equipment and then went in search of our secret ingredient while being filmed. I decided my fish pie would be a rich, creamy, cheesy classic topped with buttery mashed potato, but my twist was a crunchy topping made from cheddar, panko breadcrumbs and crushed Piper’s crisps — Piper’s were one of the festival producers and made a perfect salty crunch.
Before prepping we sampled some festival treats — salted caramel fudge, dairy-free maple and pecan ice cream, jalapeño mac ’n’ cheese and halloumi fries (I’m definitely recreating those). 
We met Stacie Stewart (MasterChef finalist), who was interviewing us on stage, and then started work in the prep kitchen. Helpful home economists assisted us as we prepared a single pie to finish on stage and a much larger one to serve to the audience for tasting. 
The kitchen was chaotic — even more so when celebrity chefs like Gizzi Erskine and Gennaro Contaldo popped in. Then the heavens opened: a huge downpour with intense thunder and lightning. We tried to carry on, but when it was time to go on stage we were told to wait because it was unsafe. I honestly thought the tent might get struck and the whole event could be cancelled.
Eventually the rain eased. We were mic’d up and called onstage — my heart was racing. When we walked out the tent was packed: a couple of hundred people, cameras linked to giant screens, and my family cheering from the crowd. Janey and I wore massive grins. Here’s a view from the stage: 
and some of the cameras filming us: 
We were interviewed as we cooked. Janey presented a brilliant, healthy fish pie with leeks, mustard, celeriac mash and a Welsh rarebit topping (she runs the blog Slice of Slim and focuses on healthy recipes after an impressive weight-loss journey). I went for the polar opposite — a rich, indulgent, creamy pie that was unapologetically comforting.
Tasting trays were handed out and the compère and Stacie sampled both pies. They praised each entry but were clearly impressed by Janey’s combination of health and creaminess. An audience member voiced a preference for Janey’s pie, and for a moment I thought I’d lost. Then another audience member said they preferred mine — at least one vote!
The final decision came from the crowd, who voted with big foam hands — red on one side, white on the other. I was red and Janey was white. I braced myself for a sea of white, but when the hands went up I saw lots of red. There was still some white, but red seemed to win out. Stacie could have overruled the audience but chose to go with their vote — and I was declared the winner. I nearly fainted.
After the announcement it was a whirlwind of cameras and interviews. The kids thought I was famous — which made the whole thing even more fun.
I’m still buzzing a couple of days later and have already started planning my new kitchen. I can’t wait to share the makeover with you in a future post!