Getting a sneak peek behind the scenes of one of our favourite celebrity food programmes is not a chance you get every day, so we jumped at the opportunity to see what really goes on in the heat of the kitchens of Tv3’s The Restaurant. Driving down from Dublin midweek to The Wineport Lodge in Glasson, Co. Westmeath our stomachs were certainly ready for a tasty meal by the time we got there. With no clue as to who the celebrity chef was, things got underway pretty quickly with perhaps the most famous Maitre D in Ireland John Healy kicking things off. As everyone got camera-ready (and were given some extremely tasty wine to get things started) it was off into the restaurant we went. Cameras and lights were the name of the game and we should be forgiven for being a bit awestruck at the magnitude of the work that goes on behind the scenes in order to have this show ready to air. But most importantly it was dinner-time. First up was a choice between chicken broth with matzo balls or prawns konikam. Choosing the broth, we were left with a massive taste of salt in our mouths and a grumbling stomach as to why we hadn’t opted for the prawns. With the bit of a miss starter behind us, the main more than made up for it. With a choice between Duck A L’orange (complemented with herb stuffing, sauté spinach, French beans and croquettes) or grilled black sole on the bone (with chived mash potato) we plumped for the duck – and were not disappointed. Tasty goodness overtook the need to have (yet another) sneaky peek at what the judges were making of the whole meal – including guest judge for the night, Rachel Allen. With a full belly at last and a sigh of contentment, we continued to watch the goings-on of the other diners as they really voiced their opinions to the cameras (this will certainly make interesting viewing to say the least!) before we were presented with a double serving of dessert – a monster of a sherry and rum trifle and zobaione. Washed down with the necessary cup of tea (the mammy was with us – it was a must!) desert went down a treat (chortle) and the countdown to the big celebrity reveal was on. On top of all that, it was revealed that the delicious food (including that succulent duck… *drools) and all the ingredients came from Aldi.. we will certainly be dropping in there for our next attempt at cooking as it certainly tickled the tastebuds. With everyone in the restaurant chattering about who it could be, there was much debate at our table as to whether the chef was male or female (we picked male – and won! Yay!). There was a somewhat startled silence when the chef of the pretty decent food turned out to be former Justice Minister Alan Shatter, but credit must go where credit is due and he’d served up a tasty meal all round – despite the salty start! Here at Her Towers we may have got a peek inside the restaurant, but we can’t wait to get to see the show (which airs tonight) and see exactly how well Alan Shatter coped in the high pressure environment of the kitchen. We wonder did he do enough to impress the critics Tom Doorley, Paolo Tullio and Rachel Allen? All will be revealed… make sure to tune in to The Restaurant tonight (Wednesday) at 9pm on TV3 to find out how it all went in a new, hour-long episode.