During the 1980s and 1990s, she regularly appeared on the ITV daytime magazine show This Morning, cooking recipes for viewers as the programme's resident chef.
[9] In 1980, she applied for a job as a researcher, and worked on programmes for Granada Television in Manchester, beginning with Live From Two, followed by The Krypton Factor.
[2][8][9][10] Brookes was persuaded to do a screen test with Oenone Williams of Exchange Flags, a lunchtime current affairs programme for the North West of England.
The series, which developed from "Talking Shop", a slot Brookes had on Exchange Flags, focused on seasonal foods and cooking with bargain buys.
They don't deal with the kind of things that go through your mind when you're going round the shops," Brookes commented, prior to the programme starting.
[13] Brookes, a former amateur theatrical, applied to be a producer for ITV's new daytime show This Morning, but was instead chosen to be its resident chef, to her surprise.
[19] Her third book, Susan Brookes' Yorkshire Kitchen (1996), had a foreword written by playwright Alan Bennett, a fellow resident of the Yorkshire Dales, who wrote, "Susan's recipes are for good, straightforward, tasty stuff with not a lot of time wasted on exotic garnishes or elaborate presentation.
[8][3][23] In the 1980s, Susan was resident in nearby Giggleswick, the same village as television personality Russell Harty, a family friend who was best man at her wedding.
[25] During the 25th anniversary edition of This Morning in October 2013, which featured appearances from former cast members, it was noted that Brookes was unwell, and she did not take part in the programme.