Our Co-Founder Michele is an official ‘chinwagger’
You heard it here first, our very own Michele Rodriguez-Wise (Creative Director at L’una Design) has been asked to become an *official* BBC Radio Gloucestershire ‘chinwagger’ – oooo, go Michele!
Now, what does being a ‘chinwagger’ entail I hear you ask? Well…
She’ll be chatting through the week’s news with local BBC Radio legend, Steve Kitchen
Every Tuesday & Thursday afternoon from 2:00-3:00pm on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Steve Kitchen and his ‘chinwaggers’ will chat through what has come up in the news that week, asking his fellow chinwaggers *cue Michele* their opinions on the week’s stories.
They’ll also be chatting through what’s happening in the local area, including any events or new openings the people of Gloucestershire just NEED to know.
Michele is well clued-up on the goings on in Cheltenham, so we think she’ll be a great addition to the ‘Chinwaggers’!
When we asked Steve what does it take to be a ‘Chinwagger’, he said:
“Chinwaggers are people across all walks of life in Gloucestershire who join me on my show, looking at stories from the week that are on the lighter side of life. These people range from Masterchef contestants and Pride of Britain winners to paralympians and even England’s Walking Football Manager.
It’s also a great space for representatives from Gloucestershire’s many charities to have a bit of fun whilst being given the opportunity to spread the word about what they get up to and their fundraising events. We have around 30-40 Chinwaggers who are on a rota and join me when it works for them.”
Did you know this isn’t Michele’s first time on radio?
That’s right, Michele’s first venture onto radio was back in May 2021 when she appeared on TalkRADIO as a guest chef! Cooking up her famous tapas dishes, Michele showed the audience (online viewers) how to create some of the dishes that led to her reaching the quarter finals of MasterChef in 2021!
This is her Montadito of Pork Fillet with Grilled Manchego Cheese and Padron Pepper – if you weren’t hungry I bet you are now…
Well, you’re in luck! Here is the recipe:
You’ll need:
- 1 Whole pork fillet, 1 cm slices. 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 Large French Baguette
- 12 Padron Peppers
- 2 Cloves of garlic crushed
- 300 gms Manchego Cheese or Mature Cheddar (grated or thinly sliced)
- Salt & Pepper
- Pimenton Dulce (Spanish Sweet Paprika) for Garnish
- Take off any white sinew from the fillet and slice into 1 cm slices. Sprinkle sliced pork with salt and a little black pepper.
- In a medium non-stick frying pan, heat oil to medium to high heat. Add pork slices, you may need to do this in two batches.
- Fry pork on medium heat until browned nicely, turning frequently for approximately 3 – 4 mins.
- Turn heat down, add garlic and stir until light golden brown. Leave the pork to rest in the pan.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a separate frying pan and bring it to a medium to high heat. Add padrón peppers and fry for approximately 2 mins, turning constantly. The skin will turn opaque/ brown – this shows they are ready. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and pop them onto a piece of kitchen roll.
- Slice baguette into 1/2cm slices. Gently toast either on a griddle or grill until lightly golden. Bring the grill up to medium heat.
- Arrange toasted bread onto a grill or oven tray. On top of the toasted bread, add a slice of pork fillet with cheese on top. Pop under the grill until the cheese has melted / gently bubbling.
- Quickly remove from the grill pan and arrange on a long serving dish or large round dish. Add one patron pepper on top and secure with a cocktail stick.
- Lightly sprinkle Pimenton over Montaditos and serve.
So how did Michele become a ‘chinwagger’?
It was only a few weeks ago now that Michele and her fellow Masterchef co-star Claire Bruce teamed up to host a Brilliant Breakfast to raise money for the Prince’s Trust.
“I came across an advert in The Times to support the Brilliant Breakfast campaign and as a mother of daughters, it simply pulled at my heartstrings. Our daughters have been very lucky to have been supported all their lives so I’d love to make a difference to the lives of those young women who need it most. “
The pair cooked up a storm – Michele with her ‘Favourite Spanish Breakfast’ which is ‘Huevos Vaqueras’ – Fried potatoes with roasted pepper and tomato paprika sauce, chorizo and a fried egg on top!
While Claire went for a ‘Decadent Brunch’ – a brioche French Toast, with baked spiced plums served with Italian meringue, creme fraiche and edible flowers.
To promote the Brilliant Breakfast, Michele’s PR team at Hexe Digital arranged an interview with – yes, you guessed it – Steve Kitchen at BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
Steve was so impressed by Michele and the way she came across on air, that he invited her back to become a regular guest – aka a Chinwagger!
You can listen back to Michele’s debut show through BBC Sounds here (12 minutes in) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0d51f9b.
