Jane cooks for Chris Evans and Foxy!
On Thursday 9th April I was invited to the London studios of BBC Radio Two for the Chris Evans ‘Drive Time’ show. Chris and Foxy were absolutely bowled over by the steak cooked on the plank. Chris was in disbelief at how moist and tender the steaks were and said ‘Gosh you don’t even need teeth’ Foxy said ‘It’s amazing!’
After the recording of the show the rest of the crew were invited to sample the steaks from the plank and all agreed how fantastic and fabulous the steak was.
Come Dine With Me and my plank
Marie Burchill South Manchester Reporter.
February 19, 2009
QUEEN of the kitchen Jane Bates has been crowned winner of the popular TV show, Come Dine With Me – and it’s all thanks to one secret ingredient.
Ditching top tips on how to marinade and which herbs go with what, Jane relies on just one secret weapon to guarantee mouth-watering success in her kitchen – a plank of wood.
The mum-of-three says that she owes her top spot on the Channel 4 show to her trusty 14 inch by 11 inch plank of oak wood – on which she has cooked all of her meat, chicken and fish dishes for the last 25 years. Jane first came up with the idea of using a wooden plank as the main ingredient in her cooking after gaining inspiration from a TV food show back in 1981.
And with a helping hand from her husband, Dave – who carved the piece of oak wood – Jane’s wooden plank was born.
Jane, who lives on Burnside Drive in Burnage, said: “I have had my plank for more than 25 years now.
“I saw a TV show where a similar technique was being used and I decided that I really wanted to give it a go.
“My husband made the plank for me and I use it all the time now. People think it’s a bit of a novelty, but the flavour that it creates when cooking food on it is amazing.
“The more you use the plank, the more the flavour from the food seeps into it so the aroma that it gives off and the taste that it leaves on the food is just delicious. I definitely owe my win on Come Dine With Me to my wooden plank.”
Following Jane’s appearance on the popular show – during which she cooked a Hollywood-themed three course meal for fellow dinners – viewers bombarded the Channel 4 website to find out where they could get their very own wooden block.
And now in response to their demands, Jane – who works as an advertising sales manager – has set up her own business selling the block, pictured below, called The Oven Plank.
Jane said: “I was amazed by the response that my wooden plank received, I really didn’t expect it at all. But I am very excited with how things have developed and I really hope that other people get as much joy out of their planks as I have mine.”
Jane’s wooden planks can be bought by clicking the products link and cost £39.99 each. The planks can easily cook six to eight steaks and can also be used to cook fish and poultry.
Jane grabbed the top spot on the show – which aired on Friday, February 13 2009 – after she cooked a tasty three course meal for her fellow three contestants.
Her Hollywood-themed meal began with a starter of smoked salmon pate – aptly named Vinnie Jones: Lock, Stock and Smokin’ Salmon. This was followed by the star of the show – a fillet steak cooked on Jane’s wooden plank – accompanied with potatoes, vegetables and herby cheese, while dessert came in the form of Dean Martin: Little old wine jelly, made up of wine jelly, strawberries and custard.
Watch the Oven Plank in action here in ‘Come Dine With Me’
Full article in the M.E.N newspaper
From the Delia Smith website ‘Delia Online’
Wood you believe it!
When Jane Bates won Channel 4’s Come Dine with Me last year after cooking her main course of fillet steak on the plank, the Channel 4 website was inundated with people trying to buy the plank. At that time it wasn’t available as Jane’s had been hand-made, but she’s now gone into production with it and sells it from www.ovenplank.co.uk for around £39. I was initially a tad sceptical but, having ‘seasoned’ the plank the day before with herbs and garlic and heated it very slowly, it really did give the steaks plenty of flavour and retained all their succulence. Use it for any roasting.
Article by Nigel Skinner Tameside Reporter
THE Reporter and Chronicle’s very own advertising manager Jane Bates has been crowned reality television’s latest star.
Jane became a familiar face on the box last week after pitting her skills as a hostess against four other hopefuls in Channel 4’s popular Come Dine With Me programme.
Her Hollywood-themed dinner party swept the table as the other contestants scored her the hostess with the mostest and Jane walked away with the £1,000 show prize.
One contestant even said Jane’s dining experience had “been the best dinner party he had ever been to,” rewarding Jane with a top 10 score – even if the show’s narrator mocked that he obviously didn’t get out enough! But Jane looks certain to have steak-ed her place in Come Dine With Me history after her unique method for cooking up her winning dish sparked a barrage of interest from across the nation.
Her main dish of ‘Johnny Depp Pirate Planked Steak’ – cooked on a wooden board in the oven to provide the steaks with their own unique flavour – prompted a huge response on The Come Dine With Me website about where the boards could be bought.
Jane said: “I was delighted to have won the Come Dine With Me prize of £1,000, and never expected to!
“I had a fabulous time filming the programme, and have made very good friends with the contestants, and we have all kept in touch ever since.
“The reaction to the ‘Pirates Planked Steak’ I cooked has been absolutely phenomenal, with people requesting where they can get the ‘plank’ from, so much so, that we have decided to now market the “planks” and have launched a website – www.ovenplank.co.uk – where full details of how to obtain the ‘planks’ are explained.”
Each ‘plank’ is made from carefully selected seasoned oak and individually hand crafted.
“I have been cooking on my ‘plank’ for over 25 years,” said Jane, “so they are definitely built to last!
“Each time you cook with it the flavours become absorbed by the wood and it gives off the most incredible aroma and cooks any type of meat, fish, chicken etc to perfection, so tender and mouthwatering!!”
Jane’s winning menu also included her Vinny Jones Lock Stock and Smokin’ Salmon starter (smoked salmon and chilli mousse) which also went down a storm with the other contestants.
Her dessert, Dean Martin Little Ole Wine Jelly, received a more wobbly response, but by then Jane had already earner her ‘Oscar’!
Jane added she has loved being a ‘celebrity’, and many people have stopped her in the street to congratulate her.
Her recipe will also feature in the Channel 4 Come Dine With Me book to be published at the end of the current season and out soon.
We’ll see you in the jungle Jane!
