7C3’s Senior Food Producer Nadine Brown’s journey in food has taken her from Bucks Fizz to Bake Off. Here, she explains how she built a career in the culinary world and offers advice for anyone looking to do the same

Delia, Nigella and Mary Berry may have inspired a generation of cooks but, for me, there was only one iconic TV chef when I was growing up: Cheryl Baker. Yep, she of Bucks Fizz, Eurovision, skirt-ripping-off fame. Once upon a time, she hosted Eggs ’n’ Baker, a Saturday-morning TV show with musical guests – Blur made their first TV appearance on there – that included cooking segments in which Cheryl would demonstrate simple recipes and visit various locations to discover what we eat and why. It was fun, frivolous and didn’t take itself too seriously.

The show had an Eggs ’n’ Baker club, which I joined, and I’d get recipes delivered to my home. I still remember that large manila envelope, stuffed with neon A4 pieces of card, adorned with recipes with a very 1980s twist – chicken drumsticks coated in crushed ready-salted crisps, anyone? And though my ability to cook chicken has evolved since then, my initial desire to rustle up something tasty was sparked in my mum’s little North London kitchen.

Fast forward a couple of decades – during which I’d force friends to come to random dinner parties and feed my obsession with Loyd Grossman-era MasterChef – and I found myself employed as editor of teen website Mybliss.co.uk. Though I got to meet the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction in the job, I was much happier at home, poring over the numerous cookbooks I’d acquired over the years. And when I was suddenly made redundant, it was a blessing in disguise. Randomly bumping into Gregg Wallace in Tunbridge Wells’ Morrisons on my last day felt like a sign.

I completed a writing course at Leiths in which I met many future colleagues and, after a stint as a kitchen manager in a King’s Cross café/bakery/event space, I became a food intern for a free supermarket magazine called Live Well For Less that we produced here at 7C3.

Over the next 10 years, I progressed in my food career and became a food editor for Weight Watchers, a freelance recipe developer for a slew of foodie magazines and senior food editor at Olive – a particular achievement, as I’m still not aware of a black British woman who’d held a similar role before me. I’d never felt prouder. That was until I took on the role of Senior Food Producer at 7C3. I had come full circle.

It’s worth noting that I’ve never had any formal cookery training. The food industry can be cliquey and expensive, and at no point was my mum’s teaching-assistant salary going to cover the thousands of pounds needed to afford a top cooking course.

But what I do have in abundance is creativity, a passion for the industry and the ability to charm people’s socks off – trust me, that last one will get you a long way in a field in which being recommissioned depends on who you know and how you treat them.

I’ve been told on more than one occasion that my lack of culinary formal training would hold me back and, though I often wonder what difference it would have made to the type of cook I am, it didn’t hinder me becoming a standby on The Great British Bake Off (GBBO), working with some of the best photographers/stylists/writers in the business and having my own recipes included in the biggest-selling food mags in the UK. Believe enough in what you do and push for it, and you’ll be surprised how high you rise.

Now, back to that casual GBBO mention. Once upon a time, before I had a ‘proper’ job in the industry, I presented my buns to Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood at an audition semi-final.

I’m happy to say there were no soggy bottoms on the day and they deemed them ‘good’. Good wasn’t quite good enough to get me on the show, but I was selected to be a standby, which meant cooking everything the contestants would be making at home. That way, if anyone had to drop out, I would slot right in.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) nobody fell ill, but I’d been bitten by the bug of recipe creation. Ideation is probably my favourite part of the job, as I truly love researching and finding new and fun ways to present a dish. There have been some interesting creations along the way, but I hold a special place in my heart for homemade Viennetta, one-pot jerk chicken and rice (it drove the masses mad, but didn’t stop a well-known pair of food bloggers doing something very similar years later) and an Easter trifle with massive meringue bunny ears. Yep, it looked as bonkers as it sounds.

The food industry is so much bigger than you realise, and I didn’t even know that some of it –  testing recipes to make sure they work, for instance – was an actual job. Basically, there is something for everyone. If it’s a field you really want to get into, do your research, send emails to find out more (we’re mostly a friendly bunch) and work towards getting your foot in the door. Because once you’re in, you won’t want to leave.

Our highly experienced food team understand what works for both brand and consumer and have a long track record of delivering quality food content perfectly tailored to its audience. Here at 7C3 we work with a wide range of grocery retailers, food brands and suppliers to help build their foodie halo and grow their audience. If we can do it for them, we can do it for you. Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more: hello@seven.co.uk