Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and DJ Zoe Ball are in the recipe for success at a new cooking contest set to heat things up at the BBC.
The Big Family Cooking Showdown is the latest foodie series to be commissioned by the broadcaster and will launch in the autumn on BBC Two in a search to find the UK’s best family of cooks.
Nadiya, who has carved out a successful career in food programmes since winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015, will present the competition alongside Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host Zoe and chefs Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager will judge.
The team at The Big Family Cookery Showdown (BBC)
The Chronicles Of Nadiya star said: “Family and food have always gone hand in hand and I’m looking forward to getting to know the recipes and traditions of the different families taking part.
“Having been through a food competition as an amateur cook myself, I know exactly how tough it can get and so I’ll be there for them, alongside Zoe, as the pressure really builds.”
The Big Family Cooking Showdown, which was first announced last year under the working title The Big Family Cooking Challenge, will pit 16 families from around the UK against each other with challenges set in their kitchens at home and at the programme’s studio.
Nadiya is fronting the new contest (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Zoe said: “It’s time to celebrate passionate foodie families all over the country and this series will show us home cooking at its best, even if it’s using old pans and mismatched crockery.
“We’re meeting 16 very different families over the course of the show and witnessing their team dynamics. I’m not the world’s best cook – as my kids will vouch – but I’m learning so much from these families and from Nadiya.”
The families taking part will showcase their favourite home recipes during the series, which will have 12 one-hour episodes.
Zoe Ball is one of the hosts (Ian West/PA)
Giorgio said: “I strongly believe that cooking at home is at the base of healthy family relationships. For Rosemary and I to be given the opportunity to taste people’s family dishes within their home is such an honour.
“I am looking forward to exploring people’s heritage through the dishes they prepare.”
Rosemary said: “It’s wonderful to be meeting families with their own recipes and to be judging good honest family food. I’m hoping to be inspired and surprised by the dishes these families cook at home to put a smile on each other’s faces.
Rosemary is one of the judges (ITV)
“We’ll be searching for a household where food is at the heart of their family, with kitchen duties and recipes shared between the generations.”
The Great British Bake Off, which was a ratings hit for BBC One, aired its final series with the broadcaster last year and has been bought out by Channel 4.
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