GORDON Ramsay recently invited two of the Tavistock Food Festival organisers to take part in the final of The F Word's best local restaurant competition, being broadcast today (Thursday) at 9pm on Channel 4.

Chris and Lisa Hair took part in the filming of the final back in November, as diners in the F Word restaurant — which is actually built within a TV studio in Camden town, London.

They joined 48 other diners made up from food writers and critics, along with other food festival organisers from Ludlow and London.

Chris said: 'It was a interesting experience.

'We had four courses in all, one of the restaurant's starters both the main courses and the other restaurant's desert.

'We then had to judge whether or not we would pay for them. I was very kind and paid for everything; Lisa was a little more critical and refused to pay for two courses'.

Lisa Hair, who apart from helping run the food festivals is also about to open Taylor's Restaurant in Tavistock, said: 'The whole programme making process took so long, diners in a real restaurant would never put up with such slow service — the whole meal took over six hours to produce! Although Chris was interviewed on camera I doubt it will be used as there were much better looking people there!

'In fact, we don't know if we will be seen on the finished programme at all, but we are looking forward to seeing how it turned out.'

Lisa said planning for two major food festivals and up to five smaller food events in 2010 was now under way.

She said: 'Our first major festival will be held in the stunning surroundings of the National Trust's Buckland Abbey on May 1 and 2, where we will be drawing visitors in from both Plymouth and Tavistock as well as from across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.