Guiding hand behind the scenes for cookery show

VIEWERS to last night’s latest reality food show saw two families fight it out in The Real Food Family Cook Off.

The show is presented by two former celebrity Masterchef winners, Matt Dawson and Lisa Faulkner, but behind the scenes was North Yorkshire food expert, Annie Stirk.

She has helped to produce a prime time television series that aims to find the best dishes prepared by real home cooks across the UK.

Annie, from Stillington near York, was chosen to become the official chief foodie on the UK version of The Real Food Family Cook Off TV series – sponsored by Tesco’s Real Food Campaign – which started on Channel 5 last night.

The Real Food Family Cook Off, sees eight family teams pit their culinary wits against each other in a televised cooking tournament to produce a 30-minute meal judged by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott.

The programme-makers were keen to get Annie on board as chief foodie and a member of the judging panel for her expert food knowledge, creative approach, sharp thinking and extensive TV experience. With more than 35 years in the business, Annie is one of the country’s most prominent food stylists, home economists and food festival judges. She is also a respected broadcaster, both in television and radio, and has worked alongside top chefs including Gary Rhodes, Brian Turner, Ken Hom, Anthony Worrall Thompson and Sophie Grigson, as well as presenting on numerous TV shows including Open House with Gloria Hunniford and Channel 4’s You Are What You Eat.

Annie, who runs a food PR company Absolutely Food, has been right in the thick of things, responsible for all manner of tasks on the multi-platform project.

Initial work included vetting, editing, testing and photographing recipes submitted and uploading hundreds of entries onto the Tesco Real Food website.

As the project progressed to TV filming, Annie and her team supported contestants with recipe feedback and development, liaised with the production crew on studio kitchen set-up, and obtained all the ingredients needed for each programme.

“I was really delighted to be asked to be chief foodie for the TV series,” said Annie. “We’re used to connecting and communicating with an audience and, backed up by my talented team, I knew we’d be able to provide the essential background support needed to produce a first-class TV series.

“It was great to work with so many other foodies and produce a programme about real, family food – something I’m very passionate about – and it will be really exciting to see the finished product.”

The series was ordered by Channel 5’s commissioning editor for entertainment, daytime and soaps Greg Barnett, who said: “The Real Food Family Cook Off is all about bringing families together through cooking.

“It’s a great format and as well as providing fantastic entertainment through the fabulous talent and teams that were attached to the series, there are inspirational and accessible recipes everyone can try at home.”

Former rugby international Matt Dawson said: “The Real Food Family Cook Off is all about uniting people through cooking food and creating mouth-watering dishes that will match any mood.

“We all have hectic lives, and we often don’t have the time to spend hours over a hot stove and so the idea of a good healthy meal that can be made in a hurry is ideal.”

* The Real Family Cook Off is on Channel 5 on Tuesdays at 7.30pm. It is also being shown on UKTV Good Food Channel on Fridays at 5pm and 8pm.