Taahir Patel and Patrick McKenna from The Cellar Door in Durham have begun appearing on the latest series of Bake Off The Professionals, which started on Tuesday, May 26. The pair, who have worked together for most of their more than 14-year relationship, are bringing a Durham kitchen to one of Channel 4’s best-known food competitions.

The new series is already drawing attention because the first episode aired on Tuesday last week, putting the Durham duo in front of viewers just as the competition got under way. Patel, 37, and McKenna, 31, have known each other for more than 14 years and Patel said they are now like brothers, spending far too much of that time working and laughing together.

That bond grew out of the kitchens they have shared. Patel moved to Durham from London for university and originally planned to spend a year in hospitality management after graduating, but that year stretched on after he was pulled into the kitchen to cover an absence. He said he was then drawn further into the work, managing several businesses before taking on The Cellar Door on Saddler Street.

For Patel, the show came after invitations to apply had been landing for years. He entered last year while he was in Italy with friends, and said the decision was as much about the appeal of the unknown as the chance to compete. “It’s always fun to challenge yourself further and compete with some of the best out there,” he said, adding that the uncertainty is part of what makes it exciting because no one knows how well or how badly it will go.

The hardest part was not the baking itself but the pace. Patel said the first task was the most challenging because they had to adjust to the equipment and the time constraints, and he said the pair had to change the tidy, clean way they usually work in professional kitchens and focus instead on speed and creation, even if the mess piled up around them.

He said their best moment came in the final minutes of the last challenge, when the kitchen turned chaotic but they still pulled it together. How far Patel and McKenna progress in the series has not been revealed, but for now The Cellar Door has a national stage and a Durham team in the competition while viewers wait to see whether their pace matches their experience.