crumpetorium
Oct 25, 20212 min
Updated: Nov 7, 2021
Back in April, I received a surprise email (that I initially thought was spam!) from a film company who said they wanted to feature Crumpetorium as part of the legendary Ainsley Harriott's new ITV show. After realising it wasn't a hoax and jumping at the chance, it wasn't long until the film crew depended upon Wreningham in Norfolk and spent a lovely day with me, where I showed them how I make our different flavoured crumpets!
I was so nervous, but the the host, Joseph Denison Carey, and the rest of the crew were such a lovely bunch of people and straight away made me feel at ease, and we had a lot of fun capturing all the necessary shots.
I learnt a LOT about the behind the scenes of film making - there was a lot of repeating shots in different angles and making sure the lighting was just right.
After the crew left, I sent some crumpets down to the main man himself, Ainsley, in Cornwall, where he was busy filming the rest of the series.
6 months later, and it all seemed like a distant dream. But once the email came through with Crumpetorium's airing date, the nerves started to build up again with every episode I watched! Finally it was our turn, and at 11.40am on Saturday 16th October 2021, we were on national TV! We were on the 'Grains and Pulses' week, along with Shipton Mill millers.
It was a surreal experience watching it back, and being bombarded by message and pictures from friends and family who were watching it too.
As the feature went on, my phone started to go mental with pings of orders coming in! It was so amazing to see that people had loved what they'd seen on the telly and wanted to give the crumpets a try! And it was a bit manic to try and keep up with them all, but I'm so so grateful for every single one!
I've watched Ainsley Harriott on TV since I was a kid watching Ready Steady Cook, and you can't help but smile at his infectiously joyous personality and constant dancing and singing around the kitchen. It was a massive honour to be on the show, and I'll never forget it!
Thank you so much to Katy at Fabulous Food Finds who recommended me for the show, Rock Oyster Media and Joseph Denison Carey for making the day so fun, and of course Ainsley Harriott for always being such a legend!
You can catch up on the show here > (or below):