Come Dine With Me pals cook up a reunion

From a plumber-cum-podium dancer to a psychic care worker, Come Dine With Me found an eclectic group of people on its visit to the Black Country last year.

But despite fireworks over the four days of feasting, Amanda Challenor, from Wednesbury, Ian Jones of Kingswinford, Khakan Qureshi, from Bearwood, and Sophie Robbins from Iverley, found they actually rather liked each other.

So much so, that just over 12 months on, the contestants from the Channel 4 show met up for a reunion.

And this time someone else was doing the cooking.

The meeting, at Birmingham's TGI Friday's, was organised by winner Ian aged 57, a financial adviser, who also brought along the Come Dine With Me cook book — in which three of the contestants have recipes.

Father-of-two Ian, aged 57, said: "Khakan and I clashed, particularly after I had too much to drink on the first night, but it was all good banter and we have all kept in contact since then."

Since appearing on Come Dine With Me, Sophie, aged 25, has had a baby daughter, Sunny-Rae, but is as busy as ever, plumbing by day and working in a pub and as a dancer and fire eater by night.

She said: "As a group I don't think we were half as bad as some I have seen on the show, although we were all very different."

The show is famous for the sarcastic narrator Dave Lamb but no-one felt they got more than they bargained for.

The group is unanimous in having no regrets about doing the show — and have become something of celebrities in the Black Country.

Estate agent Amanda, a mother-of-one, said: "I kept getting stopped in Merry Hill by people calling my name. I loved it. I'd go on again in a second."

Spurred on by the show care worker Khakan has auditioned for another Channel 4 hit, Coach Trip, as well as ITV Lifestyle's, May the Best House Win.

He said: "Maybe my next calling is as a reality TV star. I have got the fame, now I just need the fortune."