Angeline in final of chef contest

MASTER chef Angeline Al-Alawi has reached the finals of a national cooking competition thanks to her culinary skills.

The contest launched by Mecca Bingo required entrants to prepare and cook a meal for four in less than 90 minutes with just £5.

Angeline (51), a member at Mecca Bingo’s King Street branch in Oldham, will face other finalists in London on Monday when she will cook her dish in a professional kitchen for a tough judging panel.

The mother of three, from Middleton, said: “I am absolutely over the moon. My family loves this recipe for Chicken Surprise Arabic.

“My husband is Arabic and when we first met 19 years ago that was the first meal he cooked for me so it reminds me of when we first got together.

“ I love the dish as much as I love him, so it’s great to hear that others like it, too.

“Cooking this special recipe for a panel of judges will be slightly scary but I’m really looking forward to the trip to London.”

Emma Foster, general manager at Mecca Bingo Oldham, said: “I’m not surprised that Angeline’s recipe was the regional winner. I can’t wait to see this appearing in our charity recipe book — I’ll certainly be buying a copy.”

The winner will have their meal cooked and served at a celebratory evening at their local Mecca club and receive £500 of supermarket vouchers.