IT IS the smash-hit television show where perfect strangers get to rate and slate each other’s cooking skills in competition for a £1,000 prize.

But before signing up to take part in the Channel 4 programme Come Dine with Me, Lucy Richmond had little idea of what she was letting herself in for.

The 30-year-old, from Southampton, had never seen the show, but will be in an upcoming episode alongside other Hampshire contestants this month.

Lucy, of Bassett Avenue, Bassett, filmed the episode back in October last year, but we will not reveal if she walked away with the winner’s cash.

She said: “It was great fun and a great experience; it was worth it.”

The show works by each of the competitors taking it in turns to host a dinner party, choosing their menu and entertainment.

They are given marks out of ten and the highest overall scorer wins. However, despite its popularity, Lucy had never seen the programme when she signed up by filling out a form at a bar.

Lucy, who used to work in advertising for the Daily Echo, but now runs her own PR consultancy, competed against night club promoter Jay Paul, from Southampton city centre, fish and chip shop owner of The Codfather, in Hedge End, Beverley Rees, from Horton Heath, and lorry driver Phil Whyte, from Eastleigh.

The mother-of-two chose a nautical-themed evening because of Southampton’s coastal location and went all out with a Titanic model in her garden, dry ice and a nautical clothing dress code.

She admitted her competitive streak had got the better of her as she had warned producers during the preliminary stages of the selection process.

Lucy said: “The producer said ‘why do you want to do the show?’, I said ‘to win’ and he said ‘that’s the answer we want’.”

She served up French onion soup as a starter, beef with dauphinoise potatoes, mange-tout, asparagus, green beans and garlic buttered mushrooms for the main course and, for dessert, poached pears in red wine with stilton cheese and espresso martinis.

The Come Dine with Me format allows contestants to have a look at the host’s bedroom during the evening so Lucy decided to leave out letters from her long-time penpal.

Lucy said what had surprised her was how exhausting the filming proved to be, with the film crew turning up on her doorstep at 9am and only finishing at 3am the next day.

“They filmed you walking to the front door then walking back, it was so longwinded that you are eating at 11pm at night, but it’s really good fun,” she said.

• Come Dine With Me will be on Channel 4 on April 24, at 7pm.