A RUNCORN mum made her TV debut in Channel Four’s Come Dine With Me and won £1,000.

Single mum-of-three Cindy Meah, aged 43, filmed the show almost a year ago and didn’t tell anyone she had scooped the top prize until the show was screened last Thursday.

She was competing against Gareth from Dukesfield in the old town, food photographer Geoff from Appleton and Sally from Liverpool.

They took it in turns to host a three course dinner party and then scored each other in secret.

Cindy from Norton was egged to enter by her cousin, Karen McGarry and confessed that she doesn’t usually cook.

She said: “I’m not a chef. I usually do spag bol or a pan of scouse.

“I’ve never cooked anything like that before.

“I wasn’t expecting to win at all.”

Her starter was chick pea, chorizo and shrimp stew, followed by rack of lamb, red cabbage and mash. For dessert, she served lemon posset with mango mojito and a shortbread biscuit.

Cindy works full time as an account manager and runs a part time business to help people save money.

She is not a debt collector as the TV show portrayed.

She said her children, Daniel, aged 20, Molly, aged 18, and Benjamin, aged 12, teased her about her fancy food.

She said: “They were all mortified I was going to be on the telly.

“I have two jobs and work 60 hours a week. I don’t have time to cook.

“I normally get a chicken from Lidl.”

After completing a seven-page application form, TV crews recorded an audition video at her home.

She then spent a week recording the show.

Cindy said: “It was brilliant but very tiring. They picked me up at 4pm each day and I didn’t get home until 3am.

“When you were talking they’d get you to stop and do that bit again.

“Most of the food was cold when we ate it.”

With her winnings she went on holiday to Benidorm with one of her sons and had a white gold ring made with the ashes of her dad, John Knox, who died in 2007, aged 61.

Cindy added: “He was my hero.”