Seems we were verging into the realm of prophesy last night when, after the penultimate episode of this week’s Channel 4 Come Dine With Me from Croydon, we wrote: “Now if Preston manages to outdo that on Friday, that will be a surprise.”
And when Surrey Street resident Rob Preston duly scooped the £1,000 first prize tonight, thanks to his eclectic mix of pizza (dough sourced from the Green Dragon pub, of all places), “Badger salad” (he likes an acronym, does Rob), a decent risotto and, it has to be said, a dollop of eccentric charm, there was no one more surprised than Preston himself.
The week’s five programmes lacked an edge of clashes between the characters, because all five contestants seemed to get along pretty well, with the exception of the rising irritation over first-night host Keith Preddie’s ludicrous vocal clicks and Shamoning.
In tonight’s episode, Vanessa D’Souza – or @Vanity_Vanessa as she is known on Twitter – put the attention-seeking Preddie right on that matter, and moments later found that she had become the amorous desire of skateboarder Preston. “He’s really not my type,” said the woman who at the start of the week had been introduced as a trainee solicitor, but who is now being described as a make-up specialist.
So no romance, but nor was there any real #thatissoCroydon disasters after the first night. And the chances are that the drinks in the Green Dragon will be on Rob, the meat-eating vegetarian. Ah, Croydon, so full of contradictions.
- Read our previous daily reports on the Croydon week of Come Dine With Me:
- Monday: Shamon! Wacko TV cookery contestants skewer Croydon
- Tuesday: Bit of a dog’s dinner in Croydon
- Wednesday: Meat-eating veggie brings out the best in Come Dine hostess
- Thursday: Snakes alive: cookery show discovers hidden talents
