An artful plateful to wow the judges (From The Bolton News)

An artful plateful to wow the judges

8:55am Wednesday 13th March 2013 in News

An artful plateful to wow the judges

ONE of the best known faces on Bolton’s amateur theatre circuit will be adding some drama — and spice — when he appears in Food Glorious Food, ITV’s new cooking contest to find Britain’s best recipe tonight.

William “Donny” Howcroft, aged 81, will present his original smoked salmon cheesecake to the nation in a bid to see it put on the shelves of Marks and Spencer.

And in true thespian style, Mr Howcroft added a little drama to the proceedings by dressing up as at the Artful Dodger, with his wife Nora, as Nancy. He said this was not only to reflect the title of the programme — which is a song from the hit musical Oliver — but to recreate the parts they played when Walmsley Church Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society staged it in 1968.

Mr Howcroft said: “When the programme makers heard I had played the Artful Dodger they got costumes for both Nora and I from the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

“We had a whale of time.”

With judge Tom Parker Bowles describing the couple as “divine” in his Mail on Sunday column and presenter Carol Vorderman, pictured below, asking them for cuddles, judges were certainly won over by their personalities.

But were they won over by the recipe?

Mr Howcroft, who lives in Sharples, said: “I have to keep that under wraps.

“The recipe is an original, it entirely mine, and not a variation on different recipes. I made this for my 80th birthday. I enjoy cooking and experimenting. It went down very well with the guests.”

Mr Howcroft took up cooking 20 years ago after falling ill and spending 11 months in hospital.

He said: “They filmed at our house three times, and we have been all over the country including Harrogate, Cotswolds and London. Carol Vorderman was delightful and so charming. My mentor was Anne Harrison, vice-chairwoman of the Women’s Institute and was a lovely lady.”

Food Glorious Food will be on television at 8pm tonight and Mr Howcroft’s recipe will be included in the book which accompanies the series.

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