Poles apart: Firefighter by day, baker by night, Louise Fletcher is really using her loaf

A firefighter in Wellington by day and a talented baker by night, the Waterfairy (as she's known down the station) juggles saving lives and battling infernos with her passion for food. And she does both to an exceptional standard.

In fact, 41-year-old Louise is so skilled in the kitchen that she'll appear on chef James Martin's new BBC One show The Box next Monday, June 15.

The Shrewsbury woman tells us: "The Box is a new series where contestants are presented with a box of mystery ingredients and have to make something with them.

"The application form for the show was sent to me on Facebook by a couple of people - a colleague at the fire station actually – and after having a glass of wine one night, I thought I'd give it a go. I'd have loved to have applied for the Bake Off but I'd never be able to get the time off work or dedicate as much time to it as they'd need. I thought that this was manageable, so I applied and they called for a chat and seemed to like me and so I was invited to take part. I'm banned from saying what we cooked or who won, but it was a great experience."

When Louise isn't battling blazes at work, she's dedicating her time to developing her skills as a cook and baker.

"I'm at Wellington red watch at the moment where I work two day shifts from 9-6 and then two night shifts from 6-9. I then do one day of my four off at a bakery to fit in with my shifts and work extra in my holiday too."

Louise began learning the art of baking at Robert Swift's bakery in Ludlow, after meeting him at Shrewsbury Food Festival. The Swift family has been baking bread in the region since 1863, and there's is no one better for Louise to learn from.

"I volunteer at Shrewsbury Food Festival, and work closely with them. Now I'm part of the main crew and I absolutely love it. I've met some brilliant producers over the years. I first met Rob Swift there, and I convinced him to teach me at his bakery.

"It's a hobby; I don't get paid but Rob is amazing and is teaching me all about bread and running a bakery."

Though her own cooking heritage doesn't go back as far as 150 years, Louise's interest in the skill developed early on.

"I started cooking at a very young age. My mum taught me when I was very small and my grandmother worked for Manweb, the same company that Mary Berry started out working for. Like Mary, she was a cookery demonstrator when modern cookers were first introduced. When I was 10 or 11, my mum would give my money to buy ingredients so that I could make a meal for the family on a Saturday night."

Louise and her husband Mark are both passionate foodies, and so it's a hobby they can indulge in and enjoy together.

"My husband was a firefighter until he retired three years ago. He was a chef in the navy before he joined the fire service, and so we both share a love of food. We've been together for 15 years, and he made a lovely fudge cake for my birthday on Monday. We're both as accomplished as each other, and he cooks as often as I do.

"We don't have children which is why there's enough time to be involved in so many things. We have a cat, a dog, three chickens and two rabbits. I grow my own produce and it's wonderful to harvest things like beans and prepare them at home."

Being an accomplished cook means that her fellow firefighters look forward to her arriving at the station, especially if she comes bearing treats.

"I love the process of cooking savouries, especially the technical creations such as breads. It's thrilling to bring out my own pitta bread or focaccia at a dinner party. But, I do love baking cakes too. The last thing I took to the station was a coffee and walnut cake. The lads like their cake!

"My nickname at the station is Waterfairy Louise, and I've been called that since training school. The trainer said to us that we're all water fairies at the end of the day – going where we're needed and putting out fires. It just stayed with me, and it was my name on email, so it stuck as it was so unusual. Sometimes I'll be in a supermarket and someone will recognise me as the Waterfairy!"

Being a firefighter is a demanding job, but it's one that Louise loves. The only woman on red watch, she's developing her baking and cooking skills to invest in her future as she knows that she may not be fit to fight fires forever.

"I don't directly work with other women on my watch, and they still only make up around three per cent of the national average. Firefighting is something I've always been interested in. It started when I was working towards my pilot's licence. I was waiting so long for the weather to turn so that I could get in the air that I just decided to become part of the fire crew. My husband was in the fire service, and for seven years I had quite a good job as a manager of residential homes. It paid well but I can't say that I loved it.

"Now I'm a firefighter, I'm working for a promotion and hope to achieve that once I've taken my exams.

"I absolutely love my job, and I don't particularly ever want to leave it. But I have to be realistic, and it may not last forever, particularly as a woman – my fitness levels may not allow it. So at the moment, I'm indulging my hobbies with a view to enhance my skills. It allows me to enjoy my job that I'd like to do well in, while also being realistic.

"I'd like to progress to crew manager. But it's often a case of waiting for people to retire, as it's a lifelong job and those roles don't come up very often.

"I've been in a job that I wasn't happy in and I'll never do that again. I feel lucky and blessed to do what I'm doing and hope to work my way – if you'll excuse the pun – up the ladder."

See Louise compete on The Box on Monday, June 15 at 4pm on BBC1.