AN ACCRINGTON man cooked up a storm to win Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me and secure the tasty top prize of £1,000.

Stephen Penketh, 39, was delighted that his mouthwatering menu earned the best marks and described filming the competition as a ‘surreal experience’.

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His TV debut proved a sizzling success and allowed him to use the cash to pay for a holiday to Orlando, Florida, that included trips to Disney World and Universal Studios.

He said: “I don’t usually enter things, but a friend told me that they were looking for people and I sent them a tweet.

“Two days later they turned up with a film crew. It was a bit crazy!”

Stephen, from Abbeydale Way, said his fellow competitors on the hit show provided plenty of entertainment with some of their antics.

He explained: “Louise was lovely and I’ve kept in contact with her, while Elaine was quite a formidable lady – posh and with a very expensive house.

“The last one was Dominic and the producers knew we would clash.

“I have a bit of OCD, if I’m honest, and I like things in just the right place.

“But Dominic was the total opposite – everything in his house was utter chaos.

“He even had a pair of curtains where one was orange and the other was green. It nearly sent me over the edge!”

Stephen served up a menu featuring some local specialities that impressed his fellow diners and made sure he won by a single point.

He first tickled tastebuds with a starter of smoked haddock, Lancashire cheese and spring onion fishcakes.

That was followed by chicken breast stuffed with red peppers and basil and accompanied by grilled asparagus, Parma ham and roast new potatoes.

Stephen’s desert course was a ‘millionaire cheesecake’, based on the popular chocolate and caramel-topped shortbread treats.

But Stephen added: “It was the first time I have done something like this and I absolutely loved it.

“When the camera is pointing at you you have to say something, then you think ‘I hope they don’t use that’, but the editing was quite favourable.”

His brush with fame has obviously given Stephen a taste for the bright lights.