On The Hob

Welcome to our weekly look at new cookery programs on British TV.  For the week of 23rd March – 29th March 2009.  Here we look at new Cookery programs on Terrestrial and Freeview TV (No repeats are listed).

Monday 23rd March 2009

Taste The Nation ITV1 17:00 to 18:00 (1 hour long)

Nick Hancock hosts the cookery show that pits county against county in a nationwide cook-off amongst amateurs coached by celebrity chefs. Today, Perthshire takes on Leicestershire and Rutland in an incredibly close competition. The judges must decide which of the mouth-watering offerings, including roast loin of Perthshire lamb, prosciutto wrapped saddle of rabbit, and plum bread and butter pudding with spiced pink champagne sorbet, is the worthy winner.

Click here to go to ITV’s Taste the Nation website, catch up on the program with the ITV player, find out more about the chef’s and judges and download the recipes.

Tuesday 24th March 2009

Taste The Nation ITV1 17:00 to 18:00 (1 hour long)

Nick Hancock hosts the county vs county cookery competition, in which amateurs are mentored by celebrity chefs. Today Cheshire competes with Wiltshire, and the menus include an exciting mix of traditional fare like Cheshire cheese and apple cake and ham hock cakes, alongside more contemporary dishes such as venison carpaccio and burnt custard with poached pears. Will everything go to plan for our amateurs?

Click here to go to ITV’s Taste the Nation website, catch up on the program with the ITV player, find out more about the chef’s and judges and download the recipes.

Heston’s Roman Feast Channel 4 21:00 to 22:00 (1 hour long)

Heston Blumenthal is on a mission to use myth, science and history to create the greatest feasts ever known. Ancient Roman cuisine meant theatrical, devious and orgasmic food. The Romans had few boundaries and unusual appetites, eating everything from flamingos to parrot tongues and jellyfish.

Click here to go to Channel 4′s All about Heston’s Feasts website, read his blog, get the reciepes and more

Wednesday 25th March 2009

Gastronuts BBC 1 16:05 to 16:35 (30 minutes long)

Can We Eat The Same Food As Animals?.
Food fanatic Stefan Gates and his intrepid Gastronuts go on wild culinary adventures to discover the truth about how we eat, what we eat and where it comes from. Stefan and the Gastronuts find out what animals from dogs to lions, and penguins to pythons eat in their diet. They try their hands at eating the same things, sampling the fare of dogs, penguins and the king of the jungle.

Taste The Nation ITV1 17:00 to 18:00 (1 hour long)

County takes on county in the cookery competition where amateur chefs are tutored by celebrity captains. Today, it is Surrey v Suffolk, and regional ingredients feature strongly in dishes like Tillingbourne trout and Suffolk cure bacon. But judges Henrietta Greene, Richard Johnson and William Sitwell are divided. Nick Hancock hosts.

Click here to go to ITV’s Taste the Nation website, catch up on the program with the ITV player, find out more about the chef’s and judges and download the recipes.

Thursday 26th March 2009

Taste The Nation ITV1 17:00 to 18:00 (1 hour long)

Nick Hancock presents the cookery competition which pits county against county, each captained by a celebrity chef. Today is the last chance this week to reach Friday’s cook off, and Graham Tinsley leads Carmarthenshire against Rosemary Shrager’s Northumberland team. Tempting the judge’s taste buds will be a cheese souffle, Northumberland lamb, and a cream liqueur chocolate tart.

Click here to go to ITV’s Taste the Nation website, catch up on the program with the ITV player, find out more about the chef’s and judges and download the recipes.

Friday 27th March 2009

Taste The Nation ITV1 17:00 to 18:00 (1 hour long)

Nick Hancock presents the cookery competition that pits county against county, each captained by a celebrity chef. We reach another Friday gourmet feast as the week’s eight teams are whittled down to four. Today the amateur chefs must come up with their own recipes, and the judges are replaced by a team of inspectors. The menus feature hare, loin of pork, wild duck and venison. Only two counties will go through to the next round.

Click here to go to ITV’s Taste the Nation website, catch up on the program with the ITV player, find out more about the chef’s and judges and download the recipes.

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA Channel 4 21:00 to 22:00 (1 hour long)

Black Pearl.
Gordon Ramsay visits a struggling seafood restaurant in Manhattan. The Black Pearl is hampered by debts, and the problems in the kitchen are multiplied by three different owners: Brian, David and Gregg, all of whom are trying to run things. The result is chaos and confusion, above all for the staff trying their best to make sense of it all.

Click here to go to Channel 4′s Kitchen Nightmares website, find the recipes and learn with Gordon’s training videos

Saturday 28th March 2009

Saturday Kitchen BBC 1 10:00 to 11:35 (1 hour and 35 minutes long)

James Martin presents another menu of mouth-watering recipes, great chefs and celebrity guests, including top chef Bryn Williams and West End musical star Lee Mead, who faces his food heaven and hell. Plus helpings of the Hairy Bikers, Rick Stein and Keith Floyd, another dramatic omelette challenge and more top wine choices from Olly Smith.

Click here for the Saturday Kitchen Website and fin out what’s cooking

Rachel Allen: Bake! BBC 1 11:35 to 12:00 (25 minutes long)

Recipes and cooking tips with Rachel Allen. Rachel makes a wonderfully rich baked cheesecake with blueberries, and visits virtuoso pastry chef Gerhard Jenne who shows her the spellbinding secrets behind his magic cakes. The cookery school students get to grips with choux pastry to make the ultimate teatime treat: eclairs.

Click here for the BBC’s Rachel Allen Bake Website, see whats coming up or rewatch episodes on the Iplayer

Sunday 29th March 2009

Come Dine with Me Channel 4 20:00 to 21:00 (1 hour long)

Four competitive cooks from Huddersfield take it in turns to host their idea of the perfect dinner party over four nights. When kitchen designer Neil Hemingway invites his prized pooch to sit at the table it puts hair salon owner Christine Wright, who hates dogs, off her food.

Click here for Channel 4′s Come Dine with me website.

Shop at the BBC Shop for all your favourite chef’s cookery books, dvds and more, or subscribe there to BBC Good Food and never be lost for Kitchen ideas.  Click here for the BBC Shop

Welcome to a new segment of On The Hob, where we aim to inform you of what Cookery and Food programs are on Terrestrial and Freeview TV this week.  If you watch a show leave a comment and share your thoughts and any recipes you might try!  Note – We do not list repeats.

Monday 2nd March

18:00 – ITV1 – Britains Best Dish: Celebrity Special

Famous faces try to convince judges John Burton Race, Jilly Goolden and Ed Baines that theirs is the tastiest original recipe. TV presenters Cleo Rocos and Anneka Rice cook lemon chicken tequila fajitas and chicken pie, while singer Toyah Willcox and actor John Altman go head to head with apricot tarte Tatin and sherry trifle, hoping to win a place in this week’s Friday final.

Tuesday 3rd March

16:30 – BBC 2 – Ready, Steady, Cook

Watchdog presenters Nicky Campbell and Julia Bradbury ensure there is no dodgy dealing in the kitchen, but that will not stifle the rivalry between them. Ainsley Harriott hosts another twenty minutes of fast and fabulous cooking.

18:00 – ITV1 – Britains Best Dish: Celebrity Special

Four more famous faces prepare their signature dishes hoping to impress the judges and go through to Friday’s cook off. The battle in the mains kitchen is between Carly Hillman’s stuffed lambs’ hearts and Michelle Gayle’s monkfish curry puddings. In the dessert kitchen, Alison Hammond’s Caribbean bread and butter pudding takes on Rebecca Wheatley’s Kadayif. Mark Nicholas hosts.

21:00 – Channel 4 – Heston’s Victorian Feast

Heston Blumenthal is on a mission to use myth, science and history to create the greatest feasts ever known. The Victorian age was filled to the brim with invention, madness and imagination, and food was often grandiose, naughty and surreal. In this first episode of the four-part series, Heston takes his inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, the quintessential Victorian novel, to create his ultimate version of the Mad Hatter’s tea party for celebrity diners including journalist Rageh Omaar, actress Gemma Redgrave, TV journalist Dawn Porter, food critic Toby Young and radio presenter Richard Bacon.

Wednesday 4th March

16:30 – BBC 2 – Ready, Steady, Cook

Temperatures sizzle in the kitchen as actors Ben Hull and Terri Dwyer explore their passion for food and reveal behind-the-scenes details of their TV soap romance. Ainsley Harriott discovers the chemistry of food and love in the red and green kitchens.

17:00 – ITV1 – Britains Best Dish: Celebrity Special

Day three and four more celebrities prepare their favourite dishes hoping to be picked to go on to Friday’s cook off. Scott Henshall’s Yorkshire puddings take on Garry Bushell’s spicy pie and mash, while Sherrie Hewson and Aggie MacKenzie battle it out in the dessert kitchen. Mark Nicholas presides over the proceedings.

Thursday 5th March

16:30 – BBC 2 – Ready, Steady, Cook

Olympic double gold medallist Rebecca Adlington swaps a swimming cap for a chef’s hat while, in the other kitchen, her mother Kay reveals the secrets behind her daughter’s record-breaking success. Ainsley Harriott presides over another twenty-minute cooking challenge.

17:00 – ITV1 – Britains Best Dish: Celebrity Special

It is the last chance this week for four celebrities to impress the judges with their signature dishes. Who will go through to tomorrow’s cook off? In the mains kitchen Sharon Marshall’s slow roast lamb takes on Rowland Rivron’s Morrocan lamb puddings, while in the dessert arena, Nora Sand’s carrot cake plays against Eddie Edwards’ apple and blackberry crumble.

Friday 6th March

16:30 – BBC 2 – Ready, Steady, Cook

Wildlife TV presenters Steve Backshall and Terry Nutkins cook up some unusual ingredients and reveal the extraordinary things they eat when living in the wild. Ainsley Harriott is on hand to ensure they don’t go crazy in the kitchen during another classic twenty-minute cooking challenge.

17:00 – ITV1 – Britains Best Dish: Celebrity Special

On the second and last Friday final, eight celebrities battle it out to reach next week’s shows – but four will be disappointed. Who will do enough to impress judges Jilly Goolden, John Burton Race and Ed Baines?

19:00 – DAVE – Mitch and Matt’s Big Fish

Mitch Tonks and Matt Dawson continue their seafood-themed road trip. In Cornwall, they go night fishing for sardines. Back on dry land, they enjoy roasted seabass and sardine tapas.

21:00 – Channel 4 – Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA

Jack’s Waterfront.
Jack’s Waterfront, at St. Clair Shores, Michigan, is a lakeside restaurant in a popular summer spot. The views from the tables are fantastic, but the food fails to match them. It is run by local body-builders Bill, Scott and Tamer, and the reality is that uninspiring seafood and confused management are conspiring against their ambition to achieve year-round success, and the restaurant is sinking fast.

Saturday 7th March

10:00 - DAVE – Mitch and Matt’s Big Fish

Mitch Tonks and Matt Dawson continue their seafood-themed road trip. In Cornwall, they go night fishing for sardines. Back on dry land, they enjoy roasted seabass and sardine tapas.

10:00 – BBC1 – Saturday Kitchen

James Martin presents another menu of mouth-watering recipes, great chefs and celebrity guests. He is joined by TV cookery legend Madhur Jaffrey and Michelin-starred superchef Jason Atherton. There are helpings of Celebrity MasterChef, Rick Stein and Keith Floyd, plus another dramatic omelette challenge and more top wine choices from Olly Smith.

11:35 – BBC1 – Rachel Allen: Bake!

Delicious recipes and cooking tips. Rachel Allen demonstrates a fantastic recipe for baklava, made from sweet layers of filo pastry, with pistachio nuts and almonds. She also meets Declan Ryan, an Irish cooking legend who started making bread as a hobby ten years ago, but whose pasttime has now grown into a hugely successful artisan bakery. And the cookery school students overcome their fear of rolling a swiss roll, with a technique that makes the dessert a breeze.

Sunday 8th March

No new shows

Please leave a comment and let us know what you’re looking forward to, what you liked, what you’ve tried or anything we missed