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 our weekly rundown of cookery programs on TV.  If you watch any we’d love to hear your views in the comments, especially if you try any of the recipes!

Monday 9th March

Ready, Steady, Cook BBC 2 16:30 to 17:15

Gladiators James Crossley (Hunter) and Du’Aine Ladejo (Predator) pitch full-bloodedly into the kitchen contest. Ainsley Harriott presides over another classic twenty-minute cooking challenge.

Click here to rewatch old episodes and download recipes at BBC

Britain’s Best Dish: Celebrity Special ITV1 17:00 to 18:00

It is the first day of finals week, and eight celebrities have made it through from the previous rounds. Today the surviving celebs have been sent out of the studio to Hammersmith Catering College in West London where they will have to cook their signature dishes for three uncompromising food critics – Bill Buckley, Charles Campion and Sophie Grigson. Only six celebrities will make it through to the next stage.

Click here to find Britain’s Best Dish recipes at ITV

Tuesday 10th March

Ready, Steady, Cook BBC 2 16:30 to 17:15

It is definitely not a case of ‘here’s one I made earlier’ in the kitchen today, as former Blue Peter presenters Zoë Salmon and Matt Baker battle it out to see who is top of the hobs. Ainsley Harriott hosts the conversation and the cooking for another classic twenty-minute culinary challenge.

Click here to rewatch old episodes and download recipes at BBC

Britain’s Best Dish: Celebrity Special ITV1 17:00 to 18:00

It is the turn of the three remaining main course chefs in today’s celebrity cook-off. They must each come up with a pudding that perfectly complements their signature dish, and then prepare both dishes at once. Only two of them will make it through to cook another day.

Click here to find Britain’s Best Dish recipes at ITV

Heston’s Medieval Feast Channel 4 21:00 to 22:00

This four-part series follows renowned chef Heston Blumenthal on a gastronomic adventure as he attempts to create the greatest feasts from history. In the Middle Ages, food was used as a source of entertainment and escape from the harsh realities of everyday life.

Wednesday 11th March

Gastronuts BBC 1 16:05 to 16:35

Why Don’t We Eat Custard on Pizza?.
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. Roast beef and gravy, fish and chips, and chocolate with almost anything. Some food combinations are classics. But what happens when tastes clash, and can we make and break the rules of food? In an effort to find out Stefan and the Gastronuts eat the world’s weirdest combinations, cook with a steam roller and make a strange sandwich.

Ready, Steady, Cook BBC 2 16:30 to 17:15

It is off to Ambridge today in the company of Louiza Patikas and Tom Graham, better known as Helen and Tom Archer from The Archers. Will Tom bring home the bacon or will he end up looking a bit of a sausage? Ainsley Harriott hosts another twenty minutes of classic cookery.

Click here to rewatch old episodes and download recipes at BBC

Britain’s Best Dish: Celebrity Special ITV1 17:00 to 18:00

In today’s celebrity cook-off the three remaining pudding chefs must each come up with a main course that perfectly complements their signature dish. Then they must prepare both dishes at once. Only two celebs will make it through to cook again.

Click here to find Britain’s Best Dish recipes at ITV

Thursday 12th March

Ready, Steady, Cook BBC 2 16:30 to 17:15

Chico and Kenzie swap reality TV for the real thing in the kitchen as North Londoner Kenzie parades his food credentials against Chico’s exotic mixture of North African cuisine. Ainsley Harriott hosts another classic twenty-minute cooking challenge.

Click here to rewatch old episodes and download recipes at BBC

Britain’s Best Dish: Celebrity Special ITV1 17:00 to 18:00

We have reached the semi-finals and today the four surviving celebrity chefs must cook for a crowd of discerning diners in a swanky London restaurant. Only two celebs – one mains chef and one pudding chef – will go through to tomorrow’s Grand Final.

Click here to find Britain’s Best Dish recipes at ITV

Friday 13th March

Ready, Steady, Cook BBC 2 16:30 to 17:15

Comic actors Jan Ravens and Phil Cornwell battle it out to see who can make the best impression on the studio audience in the red and green kitchens. Ainsley Harriott introduces another twenty minutes of high-speed, top quality cookery.

Click here to rewatch old episodes and download recipes at BBC

Britain’s Best Dish: Celebrity Special ITV1 17:00 to 18:00

It is the Grand Final, and the two remaining celebrities go head to head. Former contestants will return to help the judges decide the series’ outcome. Which celeb will be crowned the winner?

Click here to find Britain’s Best Dish recipes at ITV

Saturday 14th March

Saturday Kitchen BBC 1 10:00 to 11:35

James Martin presents another menu of mouth-watering recipes, great chefs and celebrity guests. James is joined by top chefs Nic Watt and Glyn Purnell, and former EastEnder Todd Carty faces his food heaven or hell. There are helpings of Celebrity MasterChef, Rick Stein and Keith Floyd, plus another dramatic omelette challenge and more top wine choices from Tim Atkin.

Click here to find out more about this week’s show at the Saturday Kitchen Website

Rachel Allen: Bake! BBC 1 11:35 to 12:00

Recipes and cooking tips. Rachel shows how to make a wonderfully fragrant lime yoghurt cake with rosewater and pistachios, and meets French chef and master bread-maker Richard Bertinet, who believes that the best way to make the perfect bread does not involve kneading the dough; the technique might sound unusual, but the results are fantastic. And the cookery school students learn how to make a classic sticky toffee pudding. This guaranteed crowd-pleaser features a gorgeous sweet toffee sauce.

Sunday 15th March

No New programs, just repeats

This year Denby are celebrating their 200th birthday.  In 1809 production of salt glazed pottery begun using clay from a local seam discovered in 1806.  In the late 1800′s Denby diversified into more Kitchenwares and the richly coloured glazes which are now their trademark.  Today Denby is still a major producer of quality pottery focusing on Dining ranges.

These are a few of their most popular sets available today.

Denby Imperial Blue 16 Piece Boxed Tableware Set

Denby Imperial Blue has vibrant blues and crisp whites making the perfect combination. A modern classic, both bold and confident, if you want to make a statement then Imperial Blue is the tableware for you.  Click here for more information and to buy

Jet Black 16 Piece Boxed Tableware Set

the Jet collection combines matt and gloss finishes for a contemporary look with timeless appeal. Whether serving coffee or hosting a dinner party, Denby Jet adds eye catching style. Click here for more information and to buy

Denby Caramel Stripes 16 Piece Boxed Tableware Dining Set

The Caramal Stripes range is good enough to eat, Caramel by Denby is the ultimate feel-good range, available in a selection of drinking, eating, serving and cooking pieces. Add a dash of Caramel Stripes to create an appetising look for any dining table.  Click here for more information and to buy

If you want to find out more about Denby the book Denby Pottery 1809 – 1997 is a great resource to discover the history of the company and more about the ranges.  Click here for more information and to buy.

Denby Pottery 1809-1997: Dynasties and Designers

You could go out for dinner on Valentines day but you make it an even more special evening by cooking yourself.  Its never too early to start planning and with that in mind here are a few suggestions of kitchen cookware items to put the finishing touches to your meal.  Click on the images to find out more and buy.

Heart Shaped Chocolate Fondue Gift Set

Enjoy desert together by sharing a chocolate fondue.  Perfect for chocoholics!

Le Creuset Stoneware Heart Casserole with Lid

Le Creuset are well known for quality bakeware.  They have extended their range with these fun Heart shaped casserole dishes (shown above) and Ramekins (shown below) these would be perfect for serving your meal in.

Le Creuset Stoneware Heart Ramekin

Non-Stick Heart Cake Pans 10cm

Why don’t you bake a cake, these non stick heart cake pans will make cute mini heart shaped cakes.

A di Alessi "Big Love" Ice Cream Spoon

Finally for now, they say its the little touches that make the big difference.  Make any dessert special with these heart shaped ice cream spoons by Alessi.

Welcome once again to our cookbook picks, this time for January.  This month we look at One pot and Slo Cooker recipes, some celebrity chef books, frugal cookery and finally some soups to keep you warm in these cold months.  This month our biography choice is Raymond Blanc.

If you’ve  cooked any of the recipes from these books leave a comment and let us know how it went.  If you want more information on a book or to buy just click on the book cover image.

101 One-pot Dishes: Tried-and-tested Recipes, BBC Good Food

A pot of something delicious simmering away on the stove never fails to tantalise the tastebuds. Whether it’s a creamy soup, a fragrant curry or a traditional English pudding, there are endless ideas for one-pot cooking in this book.

The team at “Good Food Magazine” have gathered their tried-and-trusted recipes together, to create another fail-safe book of ideas in the hugely popular “101″ series. Each recipe is accompanied by a full-page colour photograph, so you can create a winner every time. With ideas for starters, main course and desserts, you’ll find all you need for inspiration in this handy little book.

Chinese Food Made Easy

Ching-He Huang is one of the brightest stars in modern Chinese cooking in the UK. Each week in her new BBC2 series she re-invents the nation’s favourite Chinese dishes, modernising them with fresh, easy to buy ingredients, and offering simple practical tips and techniques. These are brought together in this beautiful book to accompany the series.

Drawing on the experiences of top chefs, her family and friends, growers and producers and celebrity enthusiasts Ching sets out to discover the best Chinese cooking in the UK today, introducing easy-to-make Chinese food to sometimes resistant Brits, and painting a picture of modern Anglo-Chinese life in the UK as she goes. Chinese Food Made Easy begins with some of the most familiar dishes from a Chinese takeaway menu – Sweet & Sour Prawns, Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Chop Suey and Cantonese Vegetable Stir Fry, each with Ching’s special and imaginative twist.

Later we explore spicy Szechuan food: Noodles, Dumplings and Dim sum; Seafood; Fast Food; Desserts and finally Celebratory Food, where Ching presents a complete banquet of dishes to celebrate the Chinese New Year.Ching’s knowledge, charm and enthusiasm shine through as she shares the ‘basic principles’ of Chinese cooking including some of the simple techniques and tips taught by her Grandparents for tasty results. Using ingredients from high-street supermarkets and some imaginative suggestions for alternative ingredients, these classic Chinese dishes are updated, fresh and healthily prepared so that anyone can make and enjoy them.

Nigella Express

Nigella and her style of cookery have earned a special place in our lives, symbolising all that is best, most pleasurable, most hands-on and least fussy about good food. But that doesn’t mean she wants us to spend hours in the kitchen, slaving over a hot stove. Featuring fabulous fast foods, ingenious short cuts, terrific time-saving ideas, effortless entertaining and easy, delicious meals, “Nigella Express” is her solution to eating well when time is short.

This new book is every working mother’s dream and a joy for everyone who wants to cook but can’t seem to find the time. Here are mouthwatering recipes, quick to prepare, easy to follow, that you can conjure up after a long day in the office or on a busy weekend, for family or unexpected guests.This is food you can make as you hit the kitchen running, with vital tips on how to keep your store cupboard stocked, freezer and fridge stacked. When time is precious, you can’t spend hours shopping, so you need to make life easier by being prepared.

Not that the recipes are basic – though they are always simple – but it’s important to make every ingredient earn its place in a recipe. Minimise effort by maximising taste. And here too is great food that can be prepared quickly but cooked slowly in the oven, leaving you time to have a bath, a drink, talk to friends, or do the children’s homework. Minimum stress for maximum enjoyment. This is a new generation of fast food – never basic, never dull, always do-able, quick and delicious – for the busy lives we lead. The Domestic Goddess is back but this time it’s instant.

New Recipes for Your Slo-cooker

Slo-Cookers are so useful, if you’re not sure when your going to get home or want to eat it will cook good quality food and its ready whenever you want it. We previously featured the Morphy Richards Slo Cooker here

Annette Yates is a free lance cookery writer and has written over 20 cookery books.

This is the details from the back cover of the cookbook. Making the most of your slo-cooker.

If you’re a slo-cooking fan looking for fresh ways to get more from one of the greatest assets in your kitchen, you’ll love this book and if you’ve never cooked with a slo-cooker before, then here you’ll discover just what you’ve been missing and you’ll stimulate your appetite for a whole new culinary lifestyle.

Slo-cookers have never gone out of style. But with most of us now having minutes rather than hours to spend in the kitchen, there’s a major surge in sales. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about cooking exceptionally good meals for you. Just set it to work and forget it – day or night. Dinner will be ready when you are, whenever you get home. And if you’re looking for something a little faster, your slo-cooker can turn up the heat without getting all steamed up about it.

Annette Yates has taken classic cookbook to new heights, with great recipes – old and new – delivering everything from sublime gourmet breakfasts to favourite family meals and taste-tempting desserts.

Just a few ideas to tempt your taste buds:
Stuffed Plaice with Orange; Braised Danish Bacon; Hot Spare Ribs; Greek Mushrooms; Creme Caramel; Pears Beaujolais; Ginger Rhubarb.

Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life

Jamie Oliver is passionate about us eating fresh healthy food. Cook your way to a good life is part of this. Hear what Jamie Oliver says about his own book…

“This book is very close to my heart. It’s about no-nonsense, simple cooking with great flavours all year round. When I began writing it, I didn’t really know what recipes I would come up with, but something began to inspire me very quickly… my vegetable patch! I came to realise last year that it’s not always about looking out at the wider world for inspiration.

Being at home, feeling relaxed and open, can also offer this. I love to spend time at home in the village where I grew up, working with the boss, Mother Nature, in my garden and seeing all my beautiful veggies coming out of the ground. Inside you’ll find over 100 new recipes, plus some basic planting information and tips if you fancy having a go at getting your hands dirty as well!”

Delia's Frugal Food

At a time when money worries are front-page news, Britain’s most trusted cook, Delia Smith, is once again on hand with a wide range of tasty recipes that are cheap and easy to prepare. Also at the time of writing this book is currently a frugral purchase too.

Being frugal can be fun once you’ve learned a few simple tricks, among them:
• buying fresh produce when it’s in season
• replacing more expensive ingredients with humbler alternatives
• experimenting with different cuts of meat
• being creative with leftovers.

Thirty years on, the message of Delia’s Frugal Food has never seemed more relevant. With some 170 recipes, from luxury soups to paupers’ puddings, this new illustrated edition shows you how to eat well without having to spend a fortune.

Chapters include:
• The Cheap Charter
• Luxury Soups
• Eggs and Us
• Frugal Fish
• Chicken’s Lib
• Forequarter Front
• Offal – But I Like You
• Bangers Are Beautiful
• Cook for Victory
• Go with the Grain
• Who Needs Meat?
• Quickening Pulses
• Back to Baking
• Pauper’s Puddings

Preserves - River Cottage Handbook 2

Preserving is a centuries-old way to make the most out of every season, stretching the more bountiful months into the sparser ones – and what’s more, it is fun, rewarding and easy to learn. Explaining the history, science and basic processes of preserving, Pam Corbin guides us through a world of jams, jellies, butters, curds, pickles, chutneys, cordials, liqueurs, vinegars and sauces that can be made from local produce throughout the year.

She includes 75 recipes, covering everything from traditional favourites such as raspberry jam, lemon curd, quince cheese and sloe gin, to fresh new combinations such as apple butter, cucumber pickle and nettle pesto. The handbook includes seasonable tables, regional maps, flow charts of all the preserving processes and full-colour photographs throughout, and is completed by a directory of equipment and useful addresses. With a textured hard cover and an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Preserves is destined to join Mushrooms (Handbook No.1) as an indispensible household reference.

Gordon Ramsay Recipes from a 3 Star Chef Limited Edition

Gordon Ramsay has earned an extraordinary 12 Michelin stars for his restaurants in London and New York. Now a celebrated television presenter too, his award-winning television series include Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word and Hell’s Kitchen.

Gordon Ramsay has recently become almost more famous for his award-winning TV shows “Kitchen Nightmares” and “The F Word”, than for his expertise as an awardwinning chef and restaurateur. However, at the heart of his talent is a passion for good food and an eye for perfection that has consistently seen him receive three coveted Michelin stars.

He has been called the best chef of his generation, and this book sees Gordon at his day job – running a three-star kitchen and producing food often described as ‘sublime’. Getting right to the heart of why Gordon is such a celebrated chef, the first part of the book shows 50 classic Gordon Ramsay recipes presented as they would be in one of his restaurants.

The second part of the book shows the dishes presented in a domestic situation with full recipes and step-by-step instructions to recreate them yourself. Dishes include Gordon’s signature Lobster Ravioli, Corn Reared Beef Fillet with Marrow Crust, Ginger Mousse and a Bitter Chocolate Cylinder with Coffee Granite.

Raymond Blanc - A Taste of My Life

Raymond Blanc – A Taste of My Life is our Biography choice for the month. From the cover… Raymond Blanc knows more about food and cooking than pretty much anyone else on earth, and his life to date has been a search for culinary perfection. Now, for the first time, he tells the story of that search and shares the secrets he has learned along the way.

Woven around stories from his childhood years, when Raymond learned the love of good food at his mother’s knee, are tales from the sharp end of the food business today, his thoughts about where food is going in the future and a passionate appeal for a more sustainable cuisine. From his days as a young boy collecting frogs’ legs in rural France to his career as a prodigiously talented chef cooking at the very highest levels of cuisine, Raymond’s passion for food has remained a constant. And in A Taste of My Life, his story takes us to every corner of the culinary universe, from simple, rustic cuisine to the rarefied realms of molecular gastronomy.

A Taste of My Life is a wonderfully engaging memoir by a culinary genius and essential reading for anyone with an interest in food and cooking.

New Covent Garden Book of Soups: New, Old and Odd Recipes

Over the winter I’ve been enjoying New Covent Garden soups as many of the supermarkets have had them on offer. But there is nothing like a home cooked soup. Now you can combine the two with New Covent Garden Soup recipes.

The New Covent Garden Food Company was founded in 1988 to make homemade quality soup using entirely natural ingredients, and despite many imitators over the past eighteen years New Covent Garden are still the bestsellers in the fresh soup market. This enduring popularity is a result of New Covent Garden’s continuous passion for fresh soup, which they expound as the ultimate, easy-to-make, healthy, delicious meal.

Featuring over 100 of the New Covent Garden Soup Company’s most popular soup recipes, this kitchen classic is as appealing today as it was when it was first published ten years ago. Repackaged in keeping with New Covent Garden’s latest branding, the original “Book of Soups” is being relaunched to coincide with the publication of the new title, “Soup in Season”.

The Infinite Circulon 5 piece set features TOTAL hard anodized food release system, which combines the unique hi-low relaxed wave technology with a state of the art non-stick formula. The hi-low interior groove system gives a high resistance to abrasion and requires little or no oil when cooking, making for ‘healthier’ cooking. The exterior coated hard anodized body is dishwasher safe and is complemented by close fitting contemporary stainless steel lids providing a controlled cooking environment, preserving nutrients and textures.

Meyer Circulon Infinite Cookware Set, 5 Piece

Also with stylish cast stainless steel riveted handles for maximum durability which are oven safe up to 240C/475F/Gas Mark 9. The revolutionary fully encapsulated base makes it suitable for all cooker types including induction and ensures even heat distribution with no ‘hot spots’ – a perfect cooking performance every time. Made for cooks who appreciate beauty and performance, this 5 piece set is the best way to invest in cookware. With an assortment of pans and sizes, you’ll always be ready to entertain.

Infinite Circulon – Meyer’s most technologically advanced Circulon ever! This beautifully crafted collection is the first completely dishwasher-safe hard-anodized cookware on the market. In addition, Infinite Circulon offers breakthrough engineering with its impact-bonded stainless steel and aluminium base, which allows for stove top use with any kind of burner, including today’s popular glass and professional-style induction cooktops. The collection’s ultra-chic cast stainless steel handles are oven-safe to 240C/475F/Gas Mark 9, and the professional-quality stainless steel lids seal in heat, flavours and nutrients. The distinctive styling is enhanced by a smooth, charcoal-grey nonstick exterior, which provides quick and easy cleanup and resists staining to keep the cookware looking like new.

Circulon Infinite 5 piece cookware set comprising of

• 20 cm/3.8 litre saucepan,
• 18 cm/2.8 litre saucepan,
• 16 cm/1.9 litre saucepan,
• 24 cm frypan
• 20 cm frypan

Click here to buy the Meyer Circulon Infinite Cookware Set, 5 Piece

Here’s an interview from 2007 walking through the product features.

Click here to buy the Meyer Circulon Infinite Cookware Set, 5 Piece

Many people complain of a busy lifestyle and never time to cook good food, this should never be the case and a slow cooker can help.  The healthy alternative to ready meals, slow cookers offer a convenient way to make fresh food. Easy to use, a slow cooker can be left safely cooking away while you are out and about so you can enjoy freshly cooked meals without being tied to the kitchen. Simply add the ingredients to the crock pot and the slow cooker will gradually cook your meal over the course of several hours meaning you’re in control of the ingredients and when you eat.

Morphy Richards Oval Slow Cooker 3.5L

• Capacity 3.5 litres – Other sizes available
• 3 settings – low, medium and high
• Toughened glass lid to monitor cooking without letting heat escape
• Dishwasher proof/removable ceramic pot
• Cooltouch handles
• 150 Watt
• Non-slip feet

Click to buy the Morphy Richards Oval 48710 Slow Cooker

The name Le Creuset is well known in kitchens around the world.  They say “Good Food deserves Le Creuset”.  The 5 piece volcanic gift set is a great start.

Le Creuset have been making cookware since 1925. Traditionally known for cast iron, Le Creuset have taken their knowledge and expertise to develop a range of stoneware with the same quality in mind, thus providing a strong and durable product that resists chipping, cracking and staining.

Le Creuset Stoneware Gift Set, 5 Piece, Volcanic

The set contains

All of these lines are Oven, Microwave, Grill, Freezer and Dishwasher safe.  Not suitable for use on the hob.

Click to buy Le Creuset Stoneware Gift Set 5 Piece in Volcanic