While I worked at Leith’s’ School of Food and Wine I had the opportunity to do some television, I was first asked to be an expert on the Generation Game with Bruce. As you can imagine, that was good fun and slightly hair raising when the sugar was either too hot or too cold for the sugar baskets I was making. I later did sausage making again with Bruce, plenty of innuendo and jokes. My third appearance was the Christmas Special with Jim Davison; I produced a chocolate log for the Christmas show and got to dance with Roy Wood as Wizzard played ‘I wish it could be Christmas Every Day’ .
Whilst at Leith’s I also did ‘Tricks of the Trade’ with Prue Leith, We did 10 programmes, mainly showing skills. Chefs School was filmed at Leith’s following the students as they progressed through the course. It was a cross between a cooking show and a documentary. I taught the youngest class, who were also the naughtiest so we were on it a lot.
I then did Ready Steady Cook about 3 times and that followed on to the Food and Drink programme. I was pregnant with Tilly when I tried out for it and I had to cook and eat all the things they say you shouldn’t eat. I believed I had a cast iron stomach after my time at Leith’s, having to taste so different foods and from people sometimes with questionable hygiene. It all went well and I got the job!
I did about 4 years on the Food and Drink Programme. We moved out of London and the rest as they say is history. My girls are now 10 and 7 and I am happy to combine family life with cooking, writing and teaching. I could be persuaded back to television, you never know!
Click here to view Emma’s Evening Telegraph article
“My thanks to you again for the wonderful dishes of food, beautifully presented and delicious. You are a star- don’t ever move away as I would never get anyone as good as you again.”
