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Anything you Tandoor I Tandoor better!

Originally printed in the Telegraph & Argus

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bradford got a flavour of Ready Steady Cook when they went head to head in a cookery challenge.

And it was the Lady Mayoress, Zahida Rangzeb, who triumphed against her husband, Choudhary Rangzeb in a hard-fought battle for bragging rights in the mayoral kitchen.

The contestants, both assisted by a professional Bradford chef and a student chef were competing at Bradford College's Level Six restaurant to raise cash for the Lord Mayor's Appeal.

About 50 paying guests were able to watch the challenge while enjoying a five-course dinner cooked by Year 3 students at the college. The students chose the ingredients, which were kept secret, and the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress had to devise a menu and cook their dishes against the clock.

The victorious Lady Mayoress was helped by Abdul Hamid from Zouk's Tea Bar and Grill, while the Lord Mayor teamed up with Zafar Malik, a chef from Kebabeesh. A panel of judges, including the Honorary Recorder for Bradford, Judge Stephen Gullick, and Telegraph & Argus editor Perry Austin-Clarke, voted unanimously in favour of the Lady Mayoress.

She said I expected to win of course. My team worked very hard.

The Lord Mayor joked I think it must have been fixed. We did extremely well, were well organised, we set our stall out and knew what we were doing, unlike the other team who had no clue what they were doing. I don't know where it all went wrong.

The fact she took twice as long to cook her dishes means I'm not surprised she cooked twice as much. I really enjoyed the challenge and I didn't think I was going to.

Earlier in the night, the Lord Mayor had appeared more laid back in the kitchen than his wife, only getting flustered on one occasion when he burnt his finger on a very hot plate.

The Mayor and Mayoress in their cook-off.

The couple exchanged banter across the kitchen, with the Lord Mayor, who is said to have little cooking experience, preffering to allow his assistants to take the lead role.

After the event, Curtis Serrant, 18, a Bradford student who helped the Lord Mayor's team said: If we had worked better as a team we might have done better. But I loved it and it was very interesting to meet the Lord Mayor.

Gemma Clegg, 18, a fellow student on the opposing team said: It was great experience and I really enjoyed myself. I thought we did really well.

Students from Bradford College's media department were on hand to film the antics in the kitchen, with pictures being beamed onto a big screen in the restaurant where the guests could watch the contest as it developed.

Proceeds will go to the Lord Mayor's Appeal which is supporting Bradford Sport and Recreation Assistance for People with Disabilities and the Born in Bradford project.

Download a Video of this event:

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