Celebrity TV Chef Phil Vickery to Work His Magic in Aberdeen

Phil will demonstrate how easy it is to cook up delicious and nutritious meals, as well as how to handle food safely and hygienically. Broadcaster Andrea Brymer will be hosting the evening.

Director of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland, Charles Milne, said: 'We are delighted to be running another series of ‘Recipe for Success’ shows. Our research with consumers shows that more and more people are taking an active interest in the food they eat so these events are an important way for us to speak directly to the public about issues that matter to them, such as reducing salt in their diet, labelling, eating a healthy balanced diet, cooking nutritious food for themselves and preparing food safely.'

'It’s very important that consumers have as much clear and reliable information about food as possible in a format that is accessible, useful and appealing. This is what these shows are all about – and they have proved a highly entertaining and inspiring evening, where people are encouraged to ask questions about Phil’s cooking or indeed on any food-related topic.'

This will be Phil Vickery’s tenth ‘Recipe for Success’ show in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency in Scotland ,and he commented: 'I hope the demonstration encourages more people to make healthier eating choices and take up cooking at home as well as trying new dishes. It's important that people know about food safety and how to cook food properly to make sure it is safe as well as tasty.'

Phil will impress the audience with his culinary skills and the ease and flair with which he will produce a variety of mouth-watering dishes including: warm aubergine salad with almond pesto, clear velveted chicken soup with roasted peppers and lettuce wedges, quick stir-fried rice with avocado and horseradish, juicy turkey and mango couscous, spiced potato and lentil stew with yoghurt and breakfast muesli muffins.

As well as delicious food, hot topics such as saturated fat, food labelling, how to reduce salt in your diet and how to avoid food poisoning will be on the menu for discussion.

The latest information on diet and nutrition, including the FSA’s food labelling traffic lights scheme, as well as food safety and hygiene will be on display before the cookery demonstration starts.

A complimentary sandwich buffet and drinks will be available from 6.15pm and there will be opportunities to win prizes during the evening.

The event is free to attend, and tickets can be booked by emailing RFS@speak.co.uk or phoning 01738 825001 with their name, address, telephone number and number of tickets required. The Food Standards Agency in Scotland is particularly keen to welcome local community groups and voluntary organisations to the event.

• The event will take place in the Boyd Orr Suite of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on Tuesday 1 December 2009 from 7.00pm – 9.00pm (doors open for complimentary sandwich buffet from 6.15 pm).
• Recipe for Success won the Best Live Event category at the Scottish Communicators in Business Awards 2007.
• The Agency's eatwell website is a stand-alone consumer advice and information site covering nutrition, food, hygiene and food labelling issues. The Agency's main web-based source of food news and in-depth reports, guidance and scientific research continues to be this website, food.gov.uk.
• The FSA is an independent UK wide government department set up as a food safety watchdog to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in relation to food.

Chef – Phil Vickery
Phil Vickery cooks great British food and is rated as one of the top 20 chefs in Britain.

Born in Kent, Phil trained in the Lake District before working at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex and Restaurant 74 in Canterbury. He moved to Taunton, and became the head chef at the Castle Hotel. During his nine years there, among many awards, he won Michelin and Egon Ronay stars four years in a row.

Phil appears regularly on Ready Steady Cook and This Morning, as well as many other programmes. Phil also writes for several magazines and is married to TV presenter Fern Britton. They have four children.

Host – Andrea Brymer
Andrea Brymer is one of the main anchors for the Northern Scotland edition of STV News at Six.

Hailing from the Angus town of Brechin, Andrea graduated with a BA Hons degree in Media Communications from Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh.

Andrea's television career started at STV in 1994 where she worked as features reporter on the lunchtime edition of Scotland Today. In 1996 she became the main presenter of lunchtime Scotland Today.

In 2003, Andrea moved back to the north east of Scotland and joined Grampian Television (now STV North) as a newsreader and reporter for North Tonight and Grampian News. While at the station, Andrea has also presented non-news programming including the cookery show Desert Island Chefs and social affairs series Grampian Midweek. Since June 2007, she has also been a regular presenter and producer of STV North's online video blog, Northern Exposure and is the narrator/producer for the North edition of STV News Review, the weekly news programme for the deaf.