A Hamilton flavour to TV dining show
Contestant James puts his town on the map
Fans of hit Channel 4 four show Come Dine With Me are in for a treat next week when contestant James Kane makes his dinner guests wear ‘I love Hamilton’ t-shirts.
Viewers can tune in on Tuesday night to see James, a Hamilton superfan, compete on the popular programme.
The 44-year-old was delighted when he made the final cut and knew exactly what he wanted to theme his night around – his hometown.
James, a primary school teacher, explained: “I wanted to show all things great and positive about Hamilton.
“I was up against others from parts of Glasgow and I was keen to give my night a real Hamilton feel to it.”
James themed his menu around the town and asked local restaurateurs for help when creating his menu.
His starter was named Hamilton Cluckies – honey, soy and garlic chicken.
And he enlisted help from the staff at the town’s Junkyard Bar, who showed him how to make the dish.
He also invited some staff to his house in Rederech Crescent, Earnock, to prepare cocktails for his guests – which included a Hamiltini! His main course was entitled Avon Kiss – a monkfish and prawn curry with homemade chapatis.
Again, he was helped out by the town’s award-winning chef Ajmal Mushtaq.
And lastly James wowed his guests with a Limekilnburn Sundae, made with the fresh ice-cream from the town’s Equi’s at Peacock Cross.
His successful night was rounded off with entertainment from Colin Lowe from Hillhouse – who performs as an Elton John tribute called Hamelton John.
James rounded off the evening with a poem about his beloved town.
He said: “I’ve been brought up in Hamilton and wanted to celebrate all things good about the town and I couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone.”
James also said his wife Laura was a great help to him behind the scenes too.
He added: “I had a great experience on the show. I loved it.
“Hopefully those watching can look out for a few town landmarks like the mausoleum too.
“You don’t actually get to see the finished edited programme until the day it gets screened so I’m not sure of the comments that have been made or the scores by the other contestants.
“But we have all remained friends since the show so I don’t think they will be too bad.
“We have a formed a little restaurant club and plan to meet up every couple of months and I can’t wait to bring them to Hamilton so they can have proper Hamilton cuisine cooked by decent chefs.”
The Channel 4 dinner party combines cooking skills and one-upmanship as four contestants take it in turns to play the host in a bid to impress their fellow diners and win £1000. Comedian Dave Lamb’s wry commentary has helped make the show a cult classic.