A chef has shared what it was like to be on television for the first time.
Nina Matsunaga appeared on The Great British Menu on BBC Two last week, competing against some of the best chefs in the northwest.
The owner of The Black Bull in Sedbergh, Nina made it through the first round but narrowly missed out on the regional finals on what was her first time in front of the cameras.
Read more: Sedbergh chef misses out on finals on The Great British menu | The Westmorland Gazette
Nina said: "It was nerve-wracking and it was easy to be overwhelmed, especially with finding recipes to fit the briefs and themes each time.
"But, when you're doing it, you don't even think about it being on TV, which is probably because I've never done it before."
Nina was up against three other competitors, two of whom had appeared on the show in the past.
Read more: Sedbergh chef competes on BBC's Great British Menu | The Westmorland Gazette
Much to her credit, Nina was the last standing of the newcomers by making it to Wednesday's episode but was well aware that her lack of media experience worked against her.
"I'm not the sort of person who puts themselves in the line of fire," she explained.
"I don't seek out the limelight, but I knew that it was too good of an opportunity to showcase what we're doing to miss.
"Really, it was surprising just how pressurised the competition is - I'd put it on par as being as stressful as having a child or opening our restaurant in Sedbergh."
On Tuesday's episode, Nina was seen working in The Black Bull, giving the award-winning restaurant a dose of national attention.
"We want people to come to this side of the motorway when they visit the Lake District because I think people tend to forget about the Yorkshire Dales when they think of the Lakes," she said.
"Hopefully, being on the show will have all sorts of benefits for the area and the restaurant itself - we've been able to show people that we're not just the typical gastro pub you automatically think of."
You can catch up on Nina's episodes of The Great British Menu on BBC iPlayer.
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