As viewers sit down to enjoy the new series of BBC's Farm to Feast: Best Menu Wins, people across the city of Derry may spot a familiar face.
Seana McCafferty aka 'Seana McAirfryer' is a social media star who shares innovative air fryer recipes and tips.
Now, she has taken on an entirely new challenge as one of the seven competing cooks in the new series celebrating local food and produce.
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Seana spoke to MyDerry about taking part in the BBC series and what she learnt about herself during the process.
She said: "Basically the crew members were going around Derry looking for recommendations and my name came up and they went into Hegarty’s butchers in William Street and spoke to my husband who phoned me and they said they were looking for me to audition.
"I said, 'Oh my god no way, I only started cooking during lockdown.' My husband told me, ‘You're doing it.. you'll be great.’ So I did it!
"The hardest part was not being able to use the air fryer! In one of the challenges they told me I could use the air fryer and then took it off me at the last second. I was devastated! The 30-minute recipe challenge was hard and being under the microscope and being scrutinised by chefs and the pressure you’re under when you’re cooking."
While she was taken out of the comforts of her own kitchen, Seana expressed how the experience made her self-confidence grow.
She said: "The best part was meeting new people and friends. The experience was amazing, you learn to appreciate what goes on behind the scenes.
"I’ve learnt to believe in myself a bit more and don’t doubt myself. When I was going up I was thinking, ‘Oh my god I am no good for this. I am not going to do well’ and then you realise that you can do this.
"I would love to do it again, I would love the challenge again, definitely."
Luckily for Seana, the prospect of her friends and family tuning in to watch her is not overly daunting due to her social media presence.
She said: "People watching me on screen is like water off a duck’s back now. It can be a bit nerve-wracking because you don’t know what people will think of you but you just have to go for it and go along with everything, it’s an experience. Life is too short and you just have to enjoy every minute!"
The cookery competition celebrates award-winning produce from farms and fisheries across Northern Ireland. This series introduces seven brand new amateur cooks, who move into a castle in Fermanagh to live with and compete against each other, until one is crowned the winner.
The series is made by Stellify Media and will able in its entirety on BBC iPlayer from Friday 24 March, and also shown weekly from the same date on BBC One Northern Ireland at 7.30pm.
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