Lam cries foul as Channel 5 axes cookery show

Nancy Lam, the television chef, has been ditched by Channel 5, she revealed yesterday.

Channel 5's first chef, known to viewers for her rude, no-nonsense style, was distraught at the decision to axe her eponymously titled show.

"I think they have swept me under the carpet," said Mrs Lam. "I don't really know why, I can't tell. I am disappointed because they have given me such huge publicity and I am worried about the future."

The move follows Channel 5's decision to scrap its lunchtime show, 5's Company.

Mrs Lam, who is from Indonesia and is known for her multi-coloured hairstyle, bad language and treatment of her Ghanaian husband Ben, who acts as her downtrodden sidekick.

The pair run a restaurant called Enak Enak (which means "yum yum" in Indonesian) in Battersea in south west London and she has just published a cookery book, Nancy Lam Stirs It Up.

They were on the verge of selling their business during the recession but a favourable newspaper review is credited with reversing their fortunes and her reputation was enough to secure her television spot.

Channel 5 confirmed yesterday that it had not commissioned another series.