Come Dine with Me

11 May 2011

Would you love to host and constantly be invited to dinner parties but are too lazy to bother and don't have any friends? Fear not. Channel 4's award-winning Come Dine with Me, is here to help.

Every week five strangers, who love to entertain, take it in turns to throw a dinner party in their own personal style. But this is no ordinary supper - after each dinner, the guests secretly score the host a mark out of ten. The food and the atmosphere are taken into account when scoring and at the end of the week the top-scoring host wins £1,000.

Filmed all over the UK, hosts from all walks of life take the Come Dine With Me challenge - providing astonishing and hilarious insights into their homes and their dinner party secrets.

 

First to host is Geoff and talk soon turns to John's love of hunting, including shooting rabbits, much to bunny owning Mandy's disgust. Geoff's beef satay starter heads straight down the pan with all his guests describing it as looking like something their pets might deposit in the garden. Undeterred, Geoff ‘enlightens' his guests with continuous chat about his travels in Asia and his limitless knowledge of Asian cusine.

Day two and it's Mandy's turn. She has billed herself as the perfect host and describes herself as ‘Mandy Poppins' but she soon reveals she's not at all shy about taking shortcuts.  Her ‘homemade' roast turns out to be a medley of vegetables all washed and peeled by someone else and delivered to her door. And her supposed crowning glory ‘Mandy's Marvellous Medicine' (aka gravy) turns out to be nothing more than the water she used to cook her veg in and a couple of spoons of gravy granules. To top it all, her guests are quick to realise that her so-called ‘homemade' custard is also a cheat and straight out of a tin. She does however curry favour with John by serving up a live rabbit - all for comedy effect.  John makes out that he would love to wring its neck but Bugs is saved by Beka, just in time.

Third host, hunter, Maggie Thatcher lover and all round toff, John G. Wills Esq, serves up two curries - venison and rabbit (of course) - much to Mandy's horror.  She refuses to eat rabbit, leaving her host more than a little disappointed. Geoff has a set to with Beka about spicy food and Thai cusine, which leads to a row at the dinner table. John then serves crème Anglaise (genuine homemade custard) with his apple pie, but Mandy declares she prefers it from a packet anyway.

The final day and Beka is under pressure as she is cooking a Thai meal knowing that Geoff  - the spice expert - will be watching her very closely. The minute starter is served (Thai fish cakes) Geoff is straight onto her and questions their authenticity. Beka soon calls order at the table and pulls Geoff into line. The night ends with the four dinner guests examining their opinions of one another. Despite being from opposite ends of the social spectrum, John and Beka find they have truly bonded. But who has done enough this week to secure that £1000 prize?

 

Day two and Ritu's turn to host, but the day doesn't get off to the best start when her dessert goes a little awry. That night a poor starter leads on to a lengthy wait for an even poorer main. Even Ritu slates her own food, something the other guests see as a major faux pas. Everyone now warms to Julie, who seems to have quietened down compared to the previous night.  Mark continues to turn on the charm with Ritu still totally convinced that he's genuine.  Unfortunately for her though, the night culminates in a dessert disaster, leaving the guests disappointed and the host in tears.

Having worked his self-proclaimed 'magic' on the three ladies all week, Mark reckons he's got the prize in the bag by the time it comes to his night. With a red carpet and paparazzi entrance, his showy evening gets off to flying start although the starter he's nick named ‘the knicker dropper' certainly fails to get the ladies falling at his feet. He pulls out all the stops with a posh main, a cocktail demo and a surprise gift, but by now both Julie and Liz have got his number.

Finishing off the week is Julie, who's been the main object of Mark's flirting all week. She's aware he's been doing it to win brownie points but Ritu is convinced that love may actually be in the air. With Julie out the way in the kitchen, Mark decides to announce to the others that he's been keeping a secret from them all week - the fact that he does actually have a girlfriend and none of the flirting has been real. This, predictably, goes down like a lead balloon and Ritu feels that her genuine nature has been betrayed. As the night unfolds a different Mark comes to light, or as Liz puts it "Prince Charming was gone and the Prince of Evil arrived!"  With Mark seemingly doing his best to take over Julie's evening there's just the matter of the winner to announce before the three women can be rid of him. But will the right man - or woman - win?

 

First to host is Jane who thinks a tramp has arrived on her doorstep in the form of long-haired, lager-drinking Simon, and she's also rather shocked by Matthew's make-up. But not as shocked as Matthew, who declares no-one has ever guessed he wears make-up before... (Perhaps they were just being polite!)  Jane has high hopes for her "£64 lamb" but is rather irritated to learn that Matthew doesn't like his meat rare and that Simon doesn't seem to know which cutlery to use. Simon is flabbergasted by Matthew's male grooming and Jane decides Kate is "naïve and opinionated" for having her whole life mapped out... complete with 15 year plan!

Day two is Simon's turn to host and he's hoping his retro menu of prawn cocktail and good old squirty cream will be a hit. Unfortunately his guests just find his choice of menu hysterical, with Matthew declaring it "a bit common" and Berkshire born Jane saying she didn't expect anything more from Essex!  Snob Jane decides to try and educate the group with some etiquette lessons and Kate is shocked to learn that Simon once proposed to his "woman" and then took it back, having thought better of it the following morning!

Kate is host number three and she goes all out with a Spanish themed menu...just as long as her kitchen remains clean and tidy!  Her evening gets off to a sticky start when the ‘Fiesta' dress code results in Jane turning up with fruit on her head, only to find the host hasn't made nearly as much of an effort. Things get even stickier when Jane announces that her first impression of Kate was that she was "a power-hungry bitch."  But, ever-the-diplomat, Kate refuses to react. Simon comes under close scrutiny from Jane for saying "ain't" and the fact that Kate eats with her knife and fork in the wrong hand doesn't sit comfortably either.

The final night is hosted by first class cabin crew member Matthew and, unsurprisingly, it's all about the presentation. His theme is ‘glitz and glamour' and he kicks off his night with some special awards for his guests. The women waste no time in rummaging through Matthew's make-up bag, much to the bemusement of Simon, who is equally baffled by the menu - he has never even heard of banoffee pie!  The old rocker regales the group with tales of his on-the-road antics, but beyond the jolly camaraderie who will scoop the £1000 prize?

First up is dog lover Zed, who slaves away over an authentic Turkish Cypriot menu only to have her guests mistake it for Greek. On arrival, Brenda is frightened by her host's pet sausage dog Bentley, and Zed immediately labels her an attention seeker. But, over the course of the evening, it's Salvo who causes most offence. He asks Zed outright if she's rich, forgets both his host and Brenda's names and tells Amanda she looks like an escort - perhaps not the best way of currying favour with your rivals.

Day two is fancy dress loving Amanda's chance to impress and she knows she's got a job on her hands keeping Salvo in line. She cooks an unusual aphrodisiac menu and employs a 7 foot butler to help welcome everyone to her home.  The food, however, turns out to be more of a ‘passion killer' as all the guests struggle to eat it.  Salvo takes a timely trip to the loo to escape the starter and then later finds a hair in Zed's food. Amanda's dislike of Salvo erupts and she alleges that he ‘planted' said hair.

Brenda's our third host and with Amanda and Salvo now at loggerheads she'll have a job keeping the peace this evening. Her Hollywood theme means the guests are pretty glammed up for what, perhaps inevitably, becomes a night of tension. First there are the bubbles, laid on by the host, which Amanda persists in blowing over Salvo's dinner, but then she plays a more dangerous game by insulting his mother - not a thing taken lightly by any Sicilian, let alone a hot tempered one.

The final night sees Salvo hosting in his East London pad.  After winding them up all week, he's now determined to charm his three female companions into giving him high scores. He is seemingly unprepared for the criticism he encounters as the women get their own back. They are quick to stick the boot in over his starter, and then main, which winds him up until his temper can't be contained any longer - the results are explosive, with Zed's main ending up in the bin. Salvo tries everything to salvage the situation but will they forgive him enough to award him the £1000 cash prize?

Would you love to host and constantly be invited to dinner parties but are too lazy to bother and don't have any friends? Fear not. Channel 4's award-winning Come Dine with Me, is here to help.

Every week five strangers, who love to entertain, take it in turns to throw a dinner party in their own personal style. But this is no ordinary supper - after each dinner, the guests secretly score the host a mark out of ten. The food and the atmosphere are taken into account when scoring and at the end of the week the top-scoring host wins £1,000.

Filmed all over the UK, hosts from all walks of life take the Come Dine With Me challenge - providing astonishing and hilarious insights into their homes and their dinner party secrets.

 

First to host is Geoff and talk soon turns to John's love of hunting, including shooting rabbits, much to bunny owning Mandy's disgust. Geoff's beef satay starter heads straight down the pan with all his guests describing it as looking like something their pets might deposit in the garden. Undeterred, Geoff ‘enlightens' his guests with continuous chat about his travels in Asia and his limitless knowledge of Asian cusine.

Day two and it's Mandy's turn. She has billed herself as the perfect host and describes herself as ‘Mandy Poppins' but she soon reveals she's not at all shy about taking shortcuts.  Her ‘homemade' roast turns out to be a medley of vegetables all washed and peeled by someone else and delivered to her door. And her supposed crowning glory ‘Mandy's Marvellous Medicine' (aka gravy) turns out to be nothing more than the water she used to cook her veg in and a couple of spoons of gravy granules. To top it all, her guests are quick to realise that her so-called ‘homemade' custard is also a cheat and straight out of a tin. She does however curry favour with John by serving up a live rabbit - all for comedy effect.  John makes out that he would love to wring its neck but Bugs is saved by Beka, just in time.

Third host, hunter, Maggie Thatcher lover and all round toff, John G. Wills Esq, serves up two curries - venison and rabbit (of course) - much to Mandy's horror.  She refuses to eat rabbit, leaving her host more than a little disappointed. Geoff has a set to with Beka about spicy food and Thai cusine, which leads to a row at the dinner table. John then serves crème Anglaise (genuine homemade custard) with his apple pie, but Mandy declares she prefers it from a packet anyway.

The final day and Beka is under pressure as she is cooking a Thai meal knowing that Geoff  - the spice expert - will be watching her very closely. The minute starter is served (Thai fish cakes) Geoff is straight onto her and questions their authenticity. Beka soon calls order at the table and pulls Geoff into line. The night ends with the four dinner guests examining their opinions of one another. Despite being from opposite ends of the social spectrum, John and Beka find they have truly bonded. But who has done enough this week to secure that £1000 prize?

 

Day two and Ritu's turn to host, but the day doesn't get off to the best start when her dessert goes a little awry. That night a poor starter leads on to a lengthy wait for an even poorer main. Even Ritu slates her own food, something the other guests see as a major faux pas. Everyone now warms to Julie, who seems to have quietened down compared to the previous night.  Mark continues to turn on the charm with Ritu still totally convinced that he's genuine.  Unfortunately for her though, the night culminates in a dessert disaster, leaving the guests disappointed and the host in tears.

Having worked his self-proclaimed 'magic' on the three ladies all week, Mark reckons he's got the prize in the bag by the time it comes to his night. With a red carpet and paparazzi entrance, his showy evening gets off to flying start although the starter he's nick named ‘the knicker dropper' certainly fails to get the ladies falling at his feet. He pulls out all the stops with a posh main, a cocktail demo and a surprise gift, but by now both Julie and Liz have got his number.

Finishing off the week is Julie, who's been the main object of Mark's flirting all week. She's aware he's been doing it to win brownie points but Ritu is convinced that love may actually be in the air. With Julie out the way in the kitchen, Mark decides to announce to the others that he's been keeping a secret from them all week - the fact that he does actually have a girlfriend and none of the flirting has been real. This, predictably, goes down like a lead balloon and Ritu feels that her genuine nature has been betrayed. As the night unfolds a different Mark comes to light, or as Liz puts it "Prince Charming was gone and the Prince of Evil arrived!"  With Mark seemingly doing his best to take over Julie's evening there's just the matter of the winner to announce before the three women can be rid of him. But will the right man - or woman - win?

 

First to host is Jane who thinks a tramp has arrived on her doorstep in the form of long-haired, lager-drinking Simon, and she's also rather shocked by Matthew's make-up. But not as shocked as Matthew, who declares no-one has ever guessed he wears make-up before... (Perhaps they were just being polite!)  Jane has high hopes for her "£64 lamb" but is rather irritated to learn that Matthew doesn't like his meat rare and that Simon doesn't seem to know which cutlery to use. Simon is flabbergasted by Matthew's male grooming and Jane decides Kate is "naïve and opinionated" for having her whole life mapped out... complete with 15 year plan!

Day two is Simon's turn to host and he's hoping his retro menu of prawn cocktail and good old squirty cream will be a hit. Unfortunately his guests just find his choice of menu hysterical, with Matthew declaring it "a bit common" and Berkshire born Jane saying she didn't expect anything more from Essex!  Snob Jane decides to try and educate the group with some etiquette lessons and Kate is shocked to learn that Simon once proposed to his "woman" and then took it back, having thought better of it the following morning!

Kate is host number three and she goes all out with a Spanish themed menu...just as long as her kitchen remains clean and tidy!  Her evening gets off to a sticky start when the ‘Fiesta' dress code results in Jane turning up with fruit on her head, only to find the host hasn't made nearly as much of an effort. Things get even stickier when Jane announces that her first impression of Kate was that she was "a power-hungry bitch."  But, ever-the-diplomat, Kate refuses to react. Simon comes under close scrutiny from Jane for saying "ain't" and the fact that Kate eats with her knife and fork in the wrong hand doesn't sit comfortably either.

The final night is hosted by first class cabin crew member Matthew and, unsurprisingly, it's all about the presentation. His theme is ‘glitz and glamour' and he kicks off his night with some special awards for his guests. The women waste no time in rummaging through Matthew's make-up bag, much to the bemusement of Simon, who is equally baffled by the menu - he has never even heard of banoffee pie!  The old rocker regales the group with tales of his on-the-road antics, but beyond the jolly camaraderie who will scoop the £1000 prize?

First up is dog lover Zed, who slaves away over an authentic Turkish Cypriot menu only to have her guests mistake it for Greek. On arrival, Brenda is frightened by her host's pet sausage dog Bentley, and Zed immediately labels her an attention seeker. But, over the course of the evening, it's Salvo who causes most offence. He asks Zed outright if she's rich, forgets both his host and Brenda's names and tells Amanda she looks like an escort - perhaps not the best way of currying favour with your rivals.

Day two is fancy dress loving Amanda's chance to impress and she knows she's got a job on her hands keeping Salvo in line. She cooks an unusual aphrodisiac menu and employs a 7 foot butler to help welcome everyone to her home.  The food, however, turns out to be more of a ‘passion killer' as all the guests struggle to eat it.  Salvo takes a timely trip to the loo to escape the starter and then later finds a hair in Zed's food. Amanda's dislike of Salvo erupts and she alleges that he ‘planted' said hair.

Brenda's our third host and with Amanda and Salvo now at loggerheads she'll have a job keeping the peace this evening. Her Hollywood theme means the guests are pretty glammed up for what, perhaps inevitably, becomes a night of tension. First there are the bubbles, laid on by the host, which Amanda persists in blowing over Salvo's dinner, but then she plays a more dangerous game by insulting his mother - not a thing taken lightly by any Sicilian, let alone a hot tempered one.

The final night sees Salvo hosting in his East London pad.  After winding them up all week, he's now determined to charm his three female companions into giving him high scores. He is seemingly unprepared for the criticism he encounters as the women get their own back. They are quick to stick the boot in over his starter, and then main, which winds him up until his temper can't be contained any longer - the results are explosive, with Zed's main ending up in the bin. Salvo tries everything to salvage the situation but will they forgive him enough to award him the £1000 cash prize?

Would you love to host and constantly be invited to dinner parties but are too lazy to bother and don't have any friends? Fear not. Channel 4's award-winning Come Dine with Me, is here to help.

Every week five strangers, who love to entertain, take it in turns to throw a dinner party in their own personal style. But this is no ordinary supper - after each dinner, the guests secretly score the host a mark out of ten. The food and the atmosphere are taken into account when scoring and at the end of the week the top-scoring host wins £1,000.

Filmed all over the UK, hosts from all walks of life take the Come Dine With Me challenge - providing astonishing and hilarious insights into their homes and their dinner party secrets.

 

First to host is Geoff and talk soon turns to John's love of hunting, including shooting rabbits, much to bunny owning Mandy's disgust. Geoff's beef satay starter heads straight down the pan with all his guests describing it as looking like something their pets might deposit in the garden. Undeterred, Geoff ‘enlightens' his guests with continuous chat about his travels in Asia and his limitless knowledge of Asian cusine.

Day two and it's Mandy's turn. She has billed herself as the perfect host and describes herself as ‘Mandy Poppins' but she soon reveals she's not at all shy about taking shortcuts.  Her ‘homemade' roast turns out to be a medley of vegetables all washed and peeled by someone else and delivered to her door. And her supposed crowning glory ‘Mandy's Marvellous Medicine' (aka gravy) turns out to be nothing more than the water she used to cook her veg in and a couple of spoons of gravy granules. To top it all, her guests are quick to realise that her so-called ‘homemade' custard is also a cheat and straight out of a tin. She does however curry favour with John by serving up a live rabbit - all for comedy effect.  John makes out that he would love to wring its neck but Bugs is saved by Beka, just in time.

Third host, hunter, Maggie Thatcher lover and all round toff, John G. Wills Esq, serves up two curries - venison and rabbit (of course) - much to Mandy's horror.  She refuses to eat rabbit, leaving her host more than a little disappointed. Geoff has a set to with Beka about spicy food and Thai cusine, which leads to a row at the dinner table. John then serves crème Anglaise (genuine homemade custard) with his apple pie, but Mandy declares she prefers it from a packet anyway.

The final day and Beka is under pressure as she is cooking a Thai meal knowing that Geoff  - the spice expert - will be watching her very closely. The minute starter is served (Thai fish cakes) Geoff is straight onto her and questions their authenticity. Beka soon calls order at the table and pulls Geoff into line. The night ends with the four dinner guests examining their opinions of one another. Despite being from opposite ends of the social spectrum, John and Beka find they have truly bonded. But who has done enough this week to secure that £1000 prize?

 

Day two and Ritu's turn to host, but the day doesn't get off to the best start when her dessert goes a little awry. That night a poor starter leads on to a lengthy wait for an even poorer main. Even Ritu slates her own food, something the other guests see as a major faux pas. Everyone now warms to Julie, who seems to have quietened down compared to the previous night.  Mark continues to turn on the charm with Ritu still totally convinced that he's genuine.  Unfortunately for her though, the night culminates in a dessert disaster, leaving the guests disappointed and the host in tears.

Having worked his self-proclaimed 'magic' on the three ladies all week, Mark reckons he's got the prize in the bag by the time it comes to his night. With a red carpet and paparazzi entrance, his showy evening gets off to flying start although the starter he's nick named ‘the knicker dropper' certainly fails to get the ladies falling at his feet. He pulls out all the stops with a posh main, a cocktail demo and a surprise gift, but by now both Julie and Liz have got his number.

Finishing off the week is Julie, who's been the main object of Mark's flirting all week. She's aware he's been doing it to win brownie points but Ritu is convinced that love may actually be in the air. With Julie out the way in the kitchen, Mark decides to announce to the others that he's been keeping a secret from them all week - the fact that he does actually have a girlfriend and none of the flirting has been real. This, predictably, goes down like a lead balloon and Ritu feels that her genuine nature has been betrayed. As the night unfolds a different Mark comes to light, or as Liz puts it "Prince Charming was gone and the Prince of Evil arrived!"  With Mark seemingly doing his best to take over Julie's evening there's just the matter of the winner to announce before the three women can be rid of him. But will the right man - or woman - win?

 

First to host is Jane who thinks a tramp has arrived on her doorstep in the form of long-haired, lager-drinking Simon, and she's also rather shocked by Matthew's make-up. But not as shocked as Matthew, who declares no-one has ever guessed he wears make-up before... (Perhaps they were just being polite!)  Jane has high hopes for her "£64 lamb" but is rather irritated to learn that Matthew doesn't like his meat rare and that Simon doesn't seem to know which cutlery to use. Simon is flabbergasted by Matthew's male grooming and Jane decides Kate is "naïve and opinionated" for having her whole life mapped out... complete with 15 year plan!

Day two is Simon's turn to host and he's hoping his retro menu of prawn cocktail and good old squirty cream will be a hit. Unfortunately his guests just find his choice of menu hysterical, with Matthew declaring it "a bit common" and Berkshire born Jane saying she didn't expect anything more from Essex!  Snob Jane decides to try and educate the group with some etiquette lessons and Kate is shocked to learn that Simon once proposed to his "woman" and then took it back, having thought better of it the following morning!

Kate is host number three and she goes all out with a Spanish themed menu...just as long as her kitchen remains clean and tidy!  Her evening gets off to a sticky start when the ‘Fiesta' dress code results in Jane turning up with fruit on her head, only to find the host hasn't made nearly as much of an effort. Things get even stickier when Jane announces that her first impression of Kate was that she was "a power-hungry bitch."  But, ever-the-diplomat, Kate refuses to react. Simon comes under close scrutiny from Jane for saying "ain't" and the fact that Kate eats with her knife and fork in the wrong hand doesn't sit comfortably either.

The final night is hosted by first class cabin crew member Matthew and, unsurprisingly, it's all about the presentation. His theme is ‘glitz and glamour' and he kicks off his night with some special awards for his guests. The women waste no time in rummaging through Matthew's make-up bag, much to the bemusement of Simon, who is equally baffled by the menu - he has never even heard of banoffee pie!  The old rocker regales the group with tales of his on-the-road antics, but beyond the jolly camaraderie who will scoop the £1000 prize?

First up is dog lover Zed, who slaves away over an authentic Turkish Cypriot menu only to have her guests mistake it for Greek. On arrival, Brenda is frightened by her host's pet sausage dog Bentley, and Zed immediately labels her an attention seeker. But, over the course of the evening, it's Salvo who causes most offence. He asks Zed outright if she's rich, forgets both his host and Brenda's names and tells Amanda she looks like an escort - perhaps not the best way of currying favour with your rivals.

Day two is fancy dress loving Amanda's chance to impress and she knows she's got a job on her hands keeping Salvo in line. She cooks an unusual aphrodisiac menu and employs a 7 foot butler to help welcome everyone to her home.  The food, however, turns out to be more of a ‘passion killer' as all the guests struggle to eat it.  Salvo takes a timely trip to the loo to escape the starter and then later finds a hair in Zed's food. Amanda's dislike of Salvo erupts and she alleges that he ‘planted' said hair.

Brenda's our third host and with Amanda and Salvo now at loggerheads she'll have a job keeping the peace this evening. Her Hollywood theme means the guests are pretty glammed up for what, perhaps inevitably, becomes a night of tension. First there are the bubbles, laid on by the host, which Amanda persists in blowing over Salvo's dinner, but then she plays a more dangerous game by insulting his mother - not a thing taken lightly by any Sicilian, let alone a hot tempered one.

The final night sees Salvo hosting in his East London pad.  After winding them up all week, he's now determined to charm his three female companions into giving him high scores. He is seemingly unprepared for the criticism he encounters as the women get their own back. They are quick to stick the boot in over his starter, and then main, which winds him up until his temper can't be contained any longer - the results are explosive, with Zed's main ending up in the bin. Salvo tries everything to salvage the situation but will they forgive him enough to award him the £1000 cash prize?