BEFORE hitting 50 later this year, former SNJ news editor Sandra Ashenford has compiled a bucket list of 50 goals to achieve before her birthday.

The aim is to do one every week.

Item no 6: Cook a dish in a Michelin starred restaurant

I DON’T think Heston Blumenthal need be worried, but I have spent a day in the kitchen of a Michelin starred restaurant.

My duties included preparing some fresh scallops, assembling the starters and plating up the main course and desserts.

This proved much trickier than my highly-talented, very experienced brother-in-law chef made it look.

His pumpkin-puree squiggles were highly artistic, mine looked like a three-year-old had done them.

I really don’t think presentation is my thing.

Still, with a bit of fine-tuning, by the time they made it to the table, the dishes looked as amazing as ever, and I know they tasted wonderful because I did plenty of sampling.

My brother-in-law, Marcus, has been a chef all his adult life, and earned his first Michelin star many, many years ago.

His restaurant in Winchcombe has been the venue for countless happy family occasions and I have often stood in the kitchen, drinking coffee, watching him work.

Like any skilled craftsman, he makes his trade look easy but as I have always suspected, creating food that is visually stunning and delicious, is no mean feat.

Unlike many top chefs, my brother-in-law is renowned for his laid-back attitude and exceptional patience, both of which were in evidence as I struggled to cope in the kitchen.

I am a passably good cook, but I am not an artist, and I won’t be sending in my application form for Masterchef anytime soon.

But I did learn a few tricks of the trade from my day in the restaurant, which I will be putting into practice in my own domestic setting.

And it seems I am not alone in wanting to try my hand at something more exotic than beans-on-toast.

Perhaps because cooking is such a popular spectator sport in this country, Marcus has had several requests from customers who want to see behind the scenes, and even have a go at cooking in his kitchen.

I wish them all the best of luck.