The breakout star of this year’s Christmas Day television is a home cook from York.
Margaret Brown, of Sutton on the Forest, was a huge part of Michael Mcintyre’s Big Christmas Show on BBC1.
She was the unwitting leading lady in a brilliant prank by the team.
Helped by her husband David, Michael and his team visited her home to set up the joke.
They raided her freezer – taking her pre-cooked food in tupperware containers.
‘Really bland’
She was then taken out to Michel Roux Jr’s Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche.
There they reheated Margaret’s own food – and served it back to her, pretending it was off the menu.
When served with her own soup, rebranded as Cappuccino des Legumes, Margaret is taped by the hidden cameras saying, “It’s a bit like the one I just made.”
Margaret didn’t rate another of her dishes, a chicken korma, calling it “really bland”.
But Michel called her beef dish “beautifully cooked”.
‘Great sport’
Margaret’s starring appearance drew a lot of praise on Facebook.
One commenter said: “OMG that was mad! You have a beautiful home and are so organised with your meals.
“Great sport and the most entertaining thing I’ve seen in ages.”
Margaret, a former chairman of York Knavesmire Harriers, had the last word.
“Thank you it was a total shock David is in the dog house ?”.