Shropshire cook has recipe for TV success on Come Dine With Me

Kavita Comerford, from Loggerheads near Market Drayton, shared the prize of £1,000 after receiving the joint highest score of the four contestants on last night's episode of Come Dine With Me.

She impressed the others, which included Telford man Roger Summers, with her "normal" dinner party, featuring a well-presented chicken curry.

A dash of irritating contestants, a mix of cringeworthy entertainment and a slice of slightly strange recipes – these are the ingredients of cult classic television "reality" show Come Dine With Me, writes William Tomaney.

We all have to admit we've watched – and enjoyed – it at least if just a few times. But how has this popular cooking and entertainment programme lasted 10 years – and how many courses does it have left?

It's a perfect recipe – there is always the one who can actually cook and seems offended that others are making light entertainment out of the art of food, there is the nasty person who hates everyone else and everyone else hates them, there is the game player who scores tactically and creates fake relationships with the others, and then there's the normal person who always wins.

And I must admit I enjoyed last night's show and I enjoyed watching Shropshire's contestants on it. Roger Summers, from Brookside in Telford, played no games. He didn't try anything fancy in the kitchen but impressed the others with what he did do. He didn't think he was going to win and he didn't.

As for Kavita, from the beginning she caught my eye as the winner. She created no enemies, didn't try anything bizarre – like come downstairs as a strange alter-ego or disturbing "entertainment" performance – and she deserved to win.

After the show, Telford contestant Roger, who finished in third place, said: "

It is a cooking show but really more about the personality of the contestants. I think it will keep going."

So it looks like Come Dine With Me will keep simmering away, its loyal followers would never let Channel 4 live it down if it were to boil over.

But if it were a contestant on its own show, it would be branded safe, tried and tested, unadventurous by the others. And for that, I'd have to give it a five.

The hit Channel 4 programme follows four people as they take it in turns to cook a meal for each other and then rate the food and how much they enjoyed their evening.

And the 35-year-old, who works as a mobile beauty therapist and has two children, 10-year-old Xia and five-year-old Savannah, said she had always been a fan of the show but would not go on it again.

"I have always watched the show and was a massive fan – I would never miss an episode," she said. "I also really enjoy cooking so wanted to apply for the show."

She added: "I would not do it again. If it was about cooking then yes but it was more of a fight for fame. I never missed an episode of Come Dine With Me before but I haven't watched the show since."

She also revealed she had kept in touch with Roger. "I immediately got on with Roger, the Telford contestant, and he is the only one I wanted to keep in contact with," she added.

Roger, from Brookside, said he watched last night's show with family and friends and was happy with the way the show was edited.

He said: "I came across a lot better than I thought I would. I was still really shocked by the other contestants, the one contestant I was dreading watching was not the one I thought it would be. I thought that Andrea would slate me but she did not and Simon did."

Simon was critical of Roger's "safe" cooking. Programme makers had built a rivalry between Roger and another contestant Andrea but in the end, the two were complimentary of each other.

Roger said he felt Kavita should have been the outright winner, rather than joint with Simon.

He said: "Kavita was absolutely the right winner. I was shocked at the time that she had to share her winnings with Simon. I'm not going to take it away from Simon he made a lot of effort but he was playing the game.

"I am still in touch with Kavita, we meet up quite a lot and she will be my friend forever. She was a great support during it all as well. I would definitely do the show again."