Shoreditch was lit up by a touch of Essex glamour last week, when Brentwood’s finest from the cast of TOWIE crossed saucepans to support a poverty campaign.

Reality TV stars from The Only Way is Essex, including Lauren Goodger, James ‘Arg’ Argent, and Lauren Pope competed in the charity cook-off at the Waterhouse restaurant in Orsman Road.

The two teams named ‘Salty Potatoes’ and ‘Reem Rovers’ produced dishes using only the most frugal of ingredients, to help raise awareness of awareness raising organisation The Global Poverty Project’s initiative, Live Below the Line.

It challenges people to live off �5 for 5 days for all food and drink, to experience the daily reality of those living in extreme poverty.

Lauren Pope, the glamorous DJ and entrepreneur, said: “Having barely �1 a day to live off is madness.

“Until I took part in the Live Below the Line’s cook-off, I didn’t really understand what extreme poverty meant,” adding she was proud to support the campaign as it has taught her a lot.

She is now urging people to join the challenge from May 7 to 11, where people are sponsored to live off �1 a day for a week.

For more information visit www.livebelowtheline.com/uk