MOTORCYCLING chefs Dave Myers and Si King, better known as the Hairy Bikers, not only headed the guest list at a sumptuous dinner in Wilton House on Friday night, they also provided the menu for the five-course meal.

The famous pair, whose recipes are cooked on make-shift kitchens as they tour the world on their motorbikes, are attracting big television audiences and they laid on a gastronomic tour of the globe for guests at the glittering extravanganza.

The special event was held to raise money for Salisbury District Hospital's Stars Appeal and other guests included Radio 2 DJ Johnny Walker, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt, of television's Green Wing fame, plus TV and radio panellist Dr Phil Hammond, from the popular programme Trust Me, I'm a Doctor.

Tickets for the exclusive dinner cost £250 each and the evening included an auction of eight lots, which alone raised £12,900. The Stars Appeal is set to benefit by more than £30,000 from the evening as a whole.

Director of fundraising for the appeal Dave Cates said the event represented a "significant step forward".

He said: "It was a fantastic evening and we were delighted to have the support of so many people. The tickets were sold out very quickly."

The Hairy Bikers drove down from Newcastle for the dinner, which was held in Wilton House's famous Double Cube Room at the invitation of Lord Pembroke, who is president of the appeal.

He welcomed the guests as they arrived for the evening, which began with a reception on the lawn.

During the candle-lit dinner, the two Hairy Bikers talked guests through the menu, telling them where the food came from and the recipes they had recommended to the chefs.

Johnny Walker was in charge of the auction, which included exclusive hand-made jewellery that sold for £3,000. Among the other lots were fine claret, lunch in an exclusive London restaurant with Julian Rhind-Tutt and Stephen Mangan, dinner for two in London and FA Cup Final tickets for next year.

The after-dinner speaker was Dr Hammond and, as everyone left, they each received a signed copy of the Hairy Bikers' latest book.

The Stars Appeal is an ongoing campaign to raise money for new state-of-the-art equipment at the neonatal intensive care unit and to equip a dedicated cancer keyhole-operating theatre.

The main thrust of this year is to raise £100,000 for the neonatal care unit and then £300,000 to equip the new cancer operating theatre.