Celebrity Chef Kevin Woodford Inspired by the Crossroads Motel

Kevin Woodford, celebrity chef on such shows as Ready Steady Cook and Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook, has revealed it was ITV soap Crossroads that lead him to a catering career.

Woodford recalls that motel chef Shughie McFee  was his inspiration, “I think it was the chef’s hat that did it. I liked the idea of the uniform. It was a simple as that,” he told the Halifax Courier.

Crossroads, ITV’s first daily daytime soap opera, ran for nearly 25-years and commanded up to 18 million viewers at its peak. The saga, produced by ATV in Birmingham, was set in the village of Kings Oak and centred on the staff and customers of the Crossroads Motel, including its kitchen.

“I’d watch crossroads every day and I loved it when Shughie came along. Word has obviously got around about this now because when I was lucky enough to be the recipient of the This Is Your Life red book, who should come out from behind the screen than actor Angus Lennie who played the role. He was a lovely chap and he even brought the hat with him.”

Woodford is in Yorkshire as part of the Halifax Food and Drink Festival.