Celebrity TV Chef Phil Vickery to reveal his recipe for success

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 Shereen Nanjiani 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 ninth Recipe for Success show working 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: sautéed chicken with lime, mango and peppers served, with a coriander and cucumber salad, curry pilaff with cashews, rare tuna with a spicy cauliflower salad, Cajun trout and sautéed peaches with lime, Madeira, allspice and yogurt.

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 6.30pm 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 07508 076408 and providing a postal 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.

For further information please contact Maria Tocher on 01224 285120.

1. The event will take place in the Ayrshire Suite of The Princess Royal Conference and Events Centre at Ayr Racecourse on Tuesday 6 October 2009 between 7pm and 8.30pm (doors open for complimentary sandwich buffet from 6.30pm).

2. Recipe for Success won the Best Live Event category at the Scottish Communicators in Business Awards 2007.

3. The Agency's website http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/ 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 food.gov.uk/ and salt.gov.uk/ is the Agency's dedicated site on salt.

4. 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.

5. Biographies

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 – Shereen Nanjiani

Shereen Nanjiani was the main presenter of 'Scotland Today' for nearly twenty years and is still one the best-known faces on Television in Scotland.

She joined Scottish Television straight from university in 1983, having achieved an MA Honors in Philosophy at Glasgow, and began as a trainee journalist working her way up to be a reporter.

Her big break came in 1987 when the then presenter of 'Scotland Today', Sheena McDonald, was off sick and Shereen was brought in as a stand-in.

Despite it being 'the most terrifying moment of her life' she must have done something right and obviously made an impression as she was made the permanent presenter just two weeks later.

Over the years Shereen has reported on all the major stories affecting Scotland today: Piper Alpha, Lockerbie, Dunblane, as well as the opening of the new Scottish Parliament.

She's done a lot of travelling in her career, and has produced a number of special reports from some of the world's trouble-spots: the plight of the AIDS orphans in Romania, the first multi-racial elections in South Africa, the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan post 9/11, the famine and AIDS pandemic in Zambia and Eritrea.

In addition to 'Scotland Today' Shereen has presented a number of other programmes for Scottish Television including the documentary series, 'Secret Scotland' and the religious magazine programme, 'Eikon'. She has hosted live debates and election programmes and for the past five years has presented the prestigious 'Scottish Politician of the Year Awards'.

After many happy years at Scottish TV, Shereen departed in May 2006 and currently presents a weekly review programme on BBC Radio Scotland.