Interview with Cooking With The Stars 2023 contestant Samoa Longchambon

Why have you decided to sign up for the show?

I’ve wanted to do this show for a long time because I love cooking. I’m a family cook - I cook for my kids and my husband and apart from in the summer when you have barbecues, I don’t really cook for a lot of people and I tend to do the same things for the family. I wanted to broaden my repertoire.

How would you describe your cooking abilities? How would you rate your abilities on a scale of 1 to 5?

I’d probably say I’m a three - middle of the road. I do my best, I like trying new stuff but I always have to follow a recipe exactly, I’m not very intuitive.

Who is the chef in your house?

We both cook. I probably do a bit more but it just depends on whoever is at home. I plan the meals a bit more whereas Sylvain will just see what we’ve got in the cupboard and throw something together and it’ll be brilliant.

Do you like going out for dinner? Would you consider yourself a foodie?

We do enjoy going for nice meals and date nights and stuff. We don’t do it very often, we’re more let’s get a takeaway on a Friday night type of couple.

What’s your favourite cuisine?

I love curries. I love a Friday night curry at home with a glass of wine, watching a box set. But Lebanese food will always have a special place in my heart because my Dad was Lebanese - that’s a special kind-of food for me.

Do you have a bit of a guilty pleasure when it comes to food?

I actually love a Pot Noodle. Whenever we go on holiday we always get a Pot Noodle on the plane for the kids or if we’ve had a few too many drinks the night before. Once the Pot Noodles come out on a Sunday morning we know we’ve had too many the night before.

Have you ever had any cooking disasters at home?

I try to bake with the kids, moreso when they were younger and I’ve probably had a few disasters when it comes to cakes having soggy bottoms and things like that.

Have there been any funny moments or cooking disasters yet during filming?

There was a disaster in training actually when I burnt all my fingers and my thumb. It was a really stupid mistake - I was taking a pan out of the oven and Jean-Christophe had told me to put a tea towel over the pan handle which I did but I also forgot the lid had also been in the oven. With my other hand, I took the lid off and burnt all my fingers and thumb and had to get medical assistance but I’m fine now.

Who did you think could be your main competition when you met your fellow celebs for the first time?

I’m not really competitive, I just feel like I want to cheer everyone else on but there are a few who say they love cooking. I feel like Claire does a lot of cooking, she seems really knowledgeable. Jo is so gorgeous and lovely and she’s quite self-deprecating but I think she’s really good in the kitchen.

What has it been like working with Jean-Christophe?

Jean-Christophe is just a dream. I adore him, he’s brilliant. I couldn’t have asked for a better chef.
He’s so patient, knowledgeable and supportive.

Do you feel like you have learnt a lot from him?

Definitely. I’ve learned loads from him. He’s always there if I’ve got any questions or anything. We’ve talked about cauliflower until the cows come home!

If you were hosting a dinner party and could invite three famous faces, who would they be?

Jean-Christophe - he could do the cooking! Madonna because I’ve always been a massive fan. And Michael McIntyre to provide the laughs!

Are you in it to win it?

I would love to win but I just want to walk away from this having done my best and not being frustrated with myself or not thinking that I could have done more. I want to give it my all.

ENDS