大象传媒

In an attempt to look after the pennies, countywide breakfast show presenter Matt Woodley was set the challenge of learning to cook for his family, providing a healthy meal without breaking the bank.

Meanwhile the show's producer Jess Dunbar wanted to be able to carry out some simple DIY tasks around the house without having to "call a man in"!

Donna cuts the quiche into slices.

Matt spent his morning helping Lyndsey and Donna in the kitchen of the Ockment Centre in his home town of Okehampton (in fact the building is where Matt spent his primary school years!).

He proved himself a worthy interviewer on that morning鈥檚 breakfast show when he asked Lyndsey, ahead of the event, "what colour is the apron I'll be wearing?".

Satisfied that it wasn't going to be pink - as previously threatened - Matt joined the team preparing lunches for the two large groups using the conference facilities.

Homemade Coleslaw

Matt found his simple task of grating cabbage and carrot into a coleslaw mix was extremely satisfying and admitted that it was "quite fun".

"I hadn鈥檛 quite appreciated the amount of effort and thought which goes into making sure I make the most out of the ingredients and keep the waste to a minimum," he said.

He also admitted that, by making the coleslaw from scratch, he knew exactly what was in it - possibly for the first time ever!

The clock was ticking and members of Devon Renaissance, who were meeting in the links conference room at the centre, expected their lunch in just 20 minutes.

Just enough time to cook the homemade quiches.

Matt鈥檚 egg-cracking skills were put to the test and under time pressure too!

After having to scoop out a couple of bits of shell from the mix, the finished dishes made it to the buffet lunch on time.

Keen to know how the final product went down with the diners, Matt grabbed his microphone and talked to two people attending a Probation Service training day.

Although the quiche was a hit, the coleslaw came in for some criticism as being "too dry".

Jamie Oliver, your job is safe!

If I were a carpenter

Carpentry: not something Jess would call one of her strong points - but Tony Whitehead from the RSPB was absolutely adamant that anyone could make a birdbox, if his plan was followed by the letter.

Matt pulled together the kit; a plank, a hammer, nails and battery powered drill.

All my own work! Jess and her birdbox.

On air it sounded chaos as Tony and Jess put their skills to the test in the garage of 大象传媒 Devon鈥檚 Exeter studios.

But this lay the foundation for Jess to improve her very rudimentary wood working skills with an evening class.

The Evening Class

She signed up at Exeter College for听five weeks, two hours a week.

"I'll be renovating our new home by the end of the year, surely?" said Jess.

"I've got to say it's a proper course, for proper professionals!"

The site, at Sowton in Exeter, is a huge warehouse with several half-finished houses all under one roof.听

The building is used by lots of people who learn real building skills, for the trade.

The five week adult education course will teach Jess how to hang a door, repair skirting boards and how to cut a straight line.

"OK, so I only got as far as mastering the straight line in the first week," said Jess "but I'll be making furniture before you know it, I'm sure!"

Tune into countywide breakfast each weekday morning from 0600 to follow Matt and Jess's progress.