A RESTAURANT run by two reality TV show contestants has been given the thumbs-up by its first customers.

Eight at the Thatch opened in Thame under the guiding hand of husband and wife Jane and Jeremy Hooper - winners of BBC2 TV series The Restaurant.

Mr and Mrs Hooper, originally from Devon, were among contestants taught by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc for the programme.

They eventually emerged as winners after eight weeks of intensive training.

Mr Hooper, a chef for the Royal Marine Corps, and Mrs Hooper, a trainee teacher, were then sent on a ten-day intensive training course at Brasserie Blanc in Walton Street, Jericho, before receiving their prize of a chance to run their own restaurant.

Their new business in Lower High Street was fully refurbished ahead of its first night, where the couple played host to 20 specially selected diners last night.

Carolyn Wright, from Maple Road, Thame, and her mother Liz Reavill were among the guests, having won a table for the first night through the website of the TV show.

Ms Wright said: "We watched the programme avidly because it was Raymond Blanc. We have been to his other restaurants and we knew what a brilliant chef he is.

"We were very excited. I had mentioned that we were coming here to lots of my friends and they were all terribly jealous. They wanted us to wish Jane and Jeremy luck while we were here.

"The meal went very well. The overall impression was great - we are definitely going again."

Ms Wright said she had been greeted with a glass of champagne and the opportunity to pick out a table in the cosiest section of the restaurant, which was fitted with a clay tile floor and original wooden beams.

She said: "The service was super. We had a young girl who had only just started there and she was brilliant.

"Jane was fizzing about and Jeremy came out at the end, which was lovely. Raymond also came over and said hello.

"The food was great. The steak was cooked perfectly and my mum had the duck which she thought was fab."

Mrs Hooper said: "It feels amazing to be open. We opened the doors at 6pm and it feels great - the restaurant looks amazing.

"Everyone has been very positive and very welcoming. It really is a dream come true - it is what we have always wanted."