Is Karen Phillips Britain’s top hostess? That is exactly what new ITV show House Guest attempts to find out.
The series, which started on Monday May 19, is searching for the nation’s best dinner-party hosts. Five people from across the UK spend five nights competing for the accolade — and a £1,000 prize. Each night, one of the hosts entertains the other four by cooking dinner. One person is then picked to stay over for the night.
Contestants are scored on the quality of their cooking, overnight accommodation and warmth of their welcome. “It was quite an adventure and a fun-packed week,” Mrs Phillips tells People.
A North-London property consultant, Mrs Phillips runs her own Hampstead-based company Karen Phillips & Co, but loves to cook and entertain whenever she can. She saw the advertisement for the show in her local bagel bakery. “I was at the counter paying for a chollah or something. There was a sign saying; ‘Do you love entertaining and cooking? If so, call ITV on this number.’ And I thought, that’s me. I love entertaining and do it so much that I thought this would be second nature.” But the mother-of-two admits that it was tough. Did she mind staying over at a stranger’s home? “I have never stayed in a stranger’s house before, but my hostesses made me feel very welcome.”
