It’s been a few days since the final of The Restaurant and I’ve had a chance to digest the news that Russell and Michelle beat out James and Alasdair. I was so convinced that the latter would do it, simply because the momentum seemed to be theirs and I still wasn’t convinced about Michelle. But they were a lovely couple and I wished them all the best. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – I spoke to Sarah for the last time this series on Friday morning and wanted to get her views on a riveting and tense final. Read on…

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Sarah Willingham: So what did you think?!
TV Scoop: Well, I was explaining to my new best chum Michael (Sarah’s partner) that I was a little bit surprised. It was a great show again, but the only thing I would say was that it ended a bit abruptly – I wanted to see James and Ali’s reaction. That wasn’t anything to do with you though, and I did think it was a really fantastic show. It was so tense. I loved the fact that there were little cutaways to rattling plates and cups. They seemed to mirror the couples’ tension.

SW: Yeah, you’re right. There was one guy who did all that, a guy called Tom. He was like Head Of Beauty, an he was the guy who did the little cutaways… when you see poppies in the field and that sort of thing.

TVS: But Russell and Michelle… why did they when in the end do you think?
SW: Well… they consistently every week… one of the big things for us was that they took onboard what we said and they implemented it, and we saw the changes. Of course you’d see mistakes in all of the restaurants, including theirs, but every week what we did see was progress. They never took a step back. In the areas we focused on and asked them to stuff during the weekend service, they did it. We did the takeaway service, and they were the only ones who kept it on. That was very typical of them and they were very, very good at listening.

TVS: And this is despite Russell tendency to go into his shell a bit when the pressure was really on? And despite Michelle’s not-quite-there-yet front-of-house?
SW: I think with Russell he’s just naturally very introverted. I think he’s a very quiet guy. One of the things I would say is that he had the most loyal team out of all the couples _ his team loved him in that kitchen. He managed to get tremendous loyalty from his team, and that was amazing. He actually trained some people in that kitchen; people who had never done anything like that before. That was amazing too. In addition to that, while some people might see him as a bit moody or a bit indifferent – there were times when we thought that as well – he really didn’t panic under pressure. And that was quite something.

TVS: So they’re winners!
SW: Yes, congratulations to them both.

TVS: There has obviously got to be a loser though, and James and Ali just came up short.
SW: Runners-up we say not losers! They came second, which was an outstanding achievement in the end.

TVS: Why did they ‘lose’ it in the end do you think?
SW: I don’t think it was quite so much why did they lose, but I think it was more that Michelle and Russell won. I think the boys would have also been a great choice. I really do. When we got down to those last few couples, to be honest any of them could have won and we were choosing the best for Raymond.

TVS: I really, genuinely could not call that final. I know a lot of it is done in the editing…
SW: Yes, they did a really good job with that. The boys have just been in the heart of the nation, haven’t they? We’ve willed them on so much. My heart was just so with them, I just thought “Please, please pull it out of the bag”, because you just wanted them to do well all the way through because they were such a comedy of errors all through the week. They had this tenacity and this passion, and they kept getting on with it. They had an amazing attitude. I think they’ll be doing some training with Raymond too. So although they didn’t get the prize, I don’t think all is lost with those two. I think I said it one week – I really think those two are rough diamonds. But if you have to pick a partner to go into business with now, perhaps you don’t need such rough diamonds. But if those two stick at it, get the training… I think the boys could be great.

TVS: I thought they nailed it when Ali gave that impassioned speech about ill as a kid…
SW: I know! Oh my God! Did you see Michelle’s face? I think she was sitting there going, “That was brilliant!”

TVS: That sequence illustrated that it must have got emotional…
SW: Very! I think I’ve been shown with tears in my eyes about four times. I’m really emotional anyway and cry at anything. I really struggled. There were times in that room I thought I wasn’t going to be able to keep it together.

TVS: Did you get emotional at the end? I thought it was quite said when Raymond asked you and David to leave the room…
SW: I know! It was quite strange because having been so integral to everything all the way through. But, y’know, that was down to the producers, so if they wanted us to leave, we leave. But it added to the drama. It was quite strange for us and quite strange for Raymond too – he got so used to having his wingmen there with him.

TVS: The Oriental Express then…
SW: Oh my God, that was fab!

TVS: I could tell you were enjoying it. Did you nick anything as a momento?
SW: Hahaha! I didn’t nick anything, I can’t believe it. It was one of those experiences that I wished I wasn’t filming and just enjoying it with my family and friends. It was such fun.

TVS: And you got Russell and Michelle’s food, which was pretty good all round…
SW: It was. I think, despite what Russell said, they still played it very safe. It was quite a surprise to be on The Orient Express and not get any proper hot food. But, as a result of playing safe they didn’t mess it up at all.

TVS: Conversely, on the other side, James’ food wasn’t quite up to scratch. And that has been the weird thing about those two – James started off as the brilliant one, and now Ali has overtaken him.
SW: Yeah, Ali has had a real coming-of-age moment. To be fair, and in James’ defense, it was tough cooking conditions on the train. Very, very tough conditions, then.

TVS: And now it’s all over. What am I going to do on Wednesday and Thursday nights?
SW: I know… David phoned me yesterday and said, “Hello… it’s finished hasn’t it? I feel like there has been a death in the family!” We just got so used to seeing it every week and being part of it again. Now it’s onwards and upwards.

TVS: What are your abiding memories?
SW: I’m such a fan of being part of anything where people give things up to try and live their dream. I did it and I know how hard it is. Having succeeded in it, I just want to help anyone else who wants to do the same. And I’ve just met some wonderful people along the way. Papa Blanc will be a friend for life.

TVS: That’s not a bad name to have in your phone address book! All the contestants came over as nice people too…
SW: Lovely. Absolutely lovely. What we’ve managed to do this year is totally get rid of any comparisons to The Apprentice. Last year there were comparisons drawn, but this year you can’t compare - there was no backstabbing. It was The Apprentice for sophisticated people, almost. Hahaha! But the couple were really, really nice people. They all still see each other too. I think Tim, Lindsie, Peter, Laura, Chris and Caroline all got together last weekend. They’ve truly made friends. It’s an experience all of us will never forget. I’m so proud to have been part of it.

TVS: What was the funniest moment for you?
SW: It has to be something to do with Chris and Caroline. I didn’t see the Mexican episode. I did find it extremely amusing when James was telling Raymond that he was really stingy with the turbot. He was telling Raymond he was getting his portion sizes wrong! That was hilarious. There were so many moment where we had tears streaming down our faces. It’s weird actually because we sought of put it bed, then re-watched on television. It all gets awakened again, but now it’s already on to the next thing. It was such a big part of our lives, but it’s strange that I’ve moved on already.

TVS: What was the most emotional moment for you?
SW: For me was when Lindsie was telling us about missing her son Noah. As a mum myself I empathised and just thought she had given up so much to be there.

TVS: What was the most surprising moment for you?
SW: When Raymond asked Tim if he could go into business with himself, and Tim said no. It was such a big moment.

TVS: So you’d be up for coming back next year?
SW: Who knows? It has to get commissioned first! I think life needs to be progressive, and it needs to be bigger and better next time or else there’s no point doing it. Let’s see what they come up with!