Kineton man to be contestant on BBC cooking series

Sean Hughes, aged 37, will join nine other contestants in the second season of the eight-part series.

The first episode starts on Thursday January 2 from 8 to 9pm on BBC One.

The second season comes with a new addition to the judging line-up, with Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett joining the queen of home cooking Mary Berry, and fruit and veg expert Chris Bavin.

During the series, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the ten home cooks embark on the ultimate immersive cooking competition, living together in a shared house and competing against each other while the trio of judges look on and put their cooking prowess to the test.

Cooking competitions aren't new for Sean, who won the Aubrey Allen 'Home Cook of the Year' award at the Leamington Food Festival held in September of this year. He came in runner-up in the same competition at last year's food festival.

Sean, who is a business IT project manager, has been cooking since he was child and was taught by his father who was the main cook in the house.

Now Sean is a devoted father himself and loves to spend his spare time in the kitchen with his young son, Jacob.

A self-confessed peacock Sean loves to dress flamboyantly and wants his food to stand out too. He’s happy cooking family staples, but he’s also a big fan of European fine dining and prides himself on his restaurant style presentation.

Sean's competition in the series includes Kate, aged 62, who is a farmer’s wife from Devon, Katie, aged 33, who a supermarket supervisor from Basildon in Essex, Sarah, aged 42, who is pharmaceutical recruitment partner from Wilmslow in Cheshire, Ayo, aged 28, who is an accountant from South London, Georgia, aged 24, who is a professional model from South West London, Robin, aged 63, who is a a maintenance supervisor from Bristol, Suzie, aged 36, who is an accountant from Northern Ireland, Oli, aged 34, who is a restaurant supervisor from Nantwich in Cheshire and Elisabetta, aged 52, who was born and raised in Milan, Italy, but has lived in London for 30 years and works as an NHS receptionist.

Each week the cooks are faced with two challenges, starting with Mary’s Ultimate round, where the contestants produce their tried and tested food for special occasions.

Up next, it’s Chris’s incredibly difficult Rustle Up challenge - one star ingredient and one hour to create a mid-week masterpiece.

Those who haven’t impressed enough across these two challenges will be picked to take part in Angela’s dreaded Eliminator Challenge, where the cooks go head to head and must follow one of Angela’s recipes - perfectly. Easier said than done when the decision of who goes home is based on that dish alone.

The Eliminator is judged blind, and the judges will send home the cook responsible for making their least favourite version of the dish. They will not know which cook has cooked which dish until they’ve made their decision.