THE audience was captivated as they listened to Gregg Wallace tell jokes as he cooked up his own dish alongside MasterChef winner Simon Wood.

During a live cooking demonstration, MasterChef judge Gregg showcased a liver on brioche recipe accompanied with Beaujolais sauce, made with shallots, garlic, herbs, red wine and brandy.

While working his magic, the father-of-three shared one of his television bloopers with the audience, recounting a time when he was live on MasterChef with fellow judge John Torode.

He said: "I was on stage and I was trying to whip up double cream", he said. "It was taking a long time and I eventually realised I was whipping up single cream.

"I was getting more and more flustered. I didn't know what to do. Thankfully John came over and replaced it with double cream.

"That was one of my biggest cooking mistakes."

While cooking, he took part in a Q&A with the audience.

The Inside the Factory presenter spoke about some of the challenges of working away from home. He has been on location, filming for about one month, but said he was looking forward to being reunited with wife Anne-Marie Sterpini tonight. The couple's had their first child together in May this year.

Gregg said that he won't finish filming for the next Inside the Factory series until 2021.

“I’m very proud of the series”, he said, “but it is some of the hardest work I have done in TV. I spent three days in the factory filming, with all that gear and a hair net on, and factories are nasty, dirty places, and either hot or cold. But the rules are the rules; they won't let anyone in the factory without that stuff on.

He added: "I love the programme though. Keep watching because my wife would like a bigger car."

The 54-year-old was reunited with a former MasterChef contestant, dentist Chris Harbour, from Walkden.

The Bolton School boy featured on the series in 2018, when he made it through to the final nine candidates.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the experience", Mr Harbour said. "It was the best adventure you could have ever wished for.

"I love cooking food and cooking for people. I have become part of a new family as a result of the show. We all met up at Simon Wood's restaurant last year. It was great fun."

Simon, from Oldham, revealed that he is planning to open a third restaurant in early 2021 but he kept the location under wraps.

Other visitors praised Gregg's sense of humour and Simon's cooking skills.

Visitors Suraj and Reena Patel, from Bury, said: "We really enjoyed it. Gregg is really funny. He tells old dad jokes.

"We have seen all his programmes and it was great to see him live."

Alison Hitchen, from Egerton, was just as pleased with the cooking demonstration experience.

She said: "I think his banter was really good. There were a lot of laughs. I really enjoyed it.

"We are also a big fan of Simon Wood and hope to visit his restaurant soon.

"The whole event has been fantastic. It is great to see the town centre so busy. The atmosphere is brilliant."