TWO Yelverton golfers will be swapping their clubs for pots and pans next month, when they appear on the popular TV show Ready, Steady, Cook!
Jean James and Pat Gove applied to go on the programme almost a year ago and went to the auditions in August — they have just heard they have won through to the final few lucky applicants and are due to go for filming later this month.
Jean said: 'It's rather exciting really. Just to go up there and meet the chefs and Ainsley Harriot in the flesh and be on TV — it's great.'
She said she was looking forward to seeing what the chefs could do with the limited ingredients that will come out of the famous red tomato or green pepper carrier bags — although she and Pat won't actually have bought the ingredients themselves — that's the job of the TV researchers!
'We had to fill in quite a lengthy questionnaire, obviously they are wanting to know what our tastes are and what our favourite foods are, so hopefully that gets taken into account,' said Jean, a keen cook who loves all types of food, from Thai and Far Eastern food to traditional British dishes.
The pair have already been told which chefs will be cooking for them — James Martin and local chef James Tanner, of Tanner's Restaurant in Plymouth.
'We were delighted, because we'd asked for both of them,' said Jean, who is a regular watcher of the show.
Pat said she was surprised to find she and Jean had been chosen to go on the show.
'When we went there for the auditions it was very low-key and there were quite a selection of characters there, so I thought we wouldn't hear any more from them, so it was quite a shock,' said Pat.
She said she was hoping the chefs would cook up something from the sea, as she is a great fan of sea food — and she too was delighted with the choice of chefs.
'Jean was adamant she wanted James Martin and I thought coming from Plymouth and loving fish it should be James Tanner, but we didn't think we'd get both,' said Pat.
Pat and Jean are due to go to Wandsworth to film Ready, Steady, Cook on October 22.