On The Hob

Welcome to our weekly look at new cookery programs on British TV.  For the week of 16th March – 22nd March 2009.

Monday 16th March 2009

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

Nick Hancock presents a competitive cookery show, which pits amateur cooks from different counties against each other in culinary battle. The contestants are mentored by well-known chefs – Antony Worrall Thompson representing the Midlands, John Burton Race the South West teams, Ed Baines the South East, Rosemary Shrager helping those from the North East, Martin Blunos aiding the East of England cooks, Merrilees Parker guiding the teams from the North West, Nick Nairn coaching Scotland’s teams and Graham Tinsley tutoring the Welsh. Judging the dishes are Henrietta Green, William Sitwell and Richard Johnson. This first cook-off pits Cornwall against Nottinghamshire, and dishes include Cornish lobster and trout fishcake, with summery strawberry shortcake and Bakewell tart to follow.

Tuesday 17th March 2009

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

Nick Hancock hosts the competitive cookery show that pits amateur cooks from different counties against each other in a culinary battle. Today, Middlesex takes on Aberdeenshire, and judges Henrietta Green, William Sitwell and Richard Johnson must decide between the mouth-watering dishes prepared – Arbroath smokie, Aberdeen Angus steak, and Islington baked cheesecake made with home-grown ricotta.

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

Heston Blumenthal is on a mission to use myth, science and history to create the greatest feasts ever known. The royal court of Henry VIII revelled in the most spectacular and sumptuous feasting British shores had ever known. Heston creates an extravagant, flamboyant and spectacular Tudor feast for a group of celebrity diners – singer Sophie Ellis Bextor, food critic Jay Rayner, TV presenter Alex Zane, hotelier Ruth Watson and Cilla Black – including frog blancmange, a mythical beast and bone marrow rice pudding.

Wednesday 18th March 2009

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

What Would Happen If We Didn’t Fart?.
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. The Gastronuts cook up the world’s fartiest foods to find out what would happen if we tried to stop ourselves from parping. Stefan and the team also catch their trumps in a swimming pool and see what a whole week’s worth of stored up wind would do to the human body.

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

Nick Hancock hosts the competitive cookery show that pits amateur cooks from different counties – each mentored by well-known chefs – against each other. Today, Lancashire takes on North Yorkshire, and judges Henrietta Green, William Sitwell and Richard Johnson have a tough time deciding which of the dishes, including rib-eye of beef, Yorkshire lemon curd tart and Everton toffee ice cream, have the winning edge.

Thursday 19th March 2009

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

Nick Hancock hosts a competitive cookery show that pits amateur cooks from different counties – each mentored by well-known chefs – against each other. Glamorgan and Lincolnshire compete for the final spot in Friday’s second round, and the judges’ tastebuds are tested by dishes including prawn cocktail, sea bass with a Burry Estuary cockle dressing, Gower salt marsh lamb and Glamorgan honey ice cream.

Friday 20th March 2009

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

Nick Hancock presents the cookery competition pitting county against county each captained by a celebrity chef. All this week the teams have been battling to reach today’s Friday gourmet feast, and today the amateur chefs will not have the added advantage of preparing their chef captain’s recipes, but will have to come up with their own culinary ideas. To make things more interesting the judges take the day off, and a team of inspectors arrive – including a former director of the Michelin guides. Only two teams can go through to the next round.

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

Handlebar.
Gordon takes on a time-warp at the Handlebar restaurant and lounge in Mount Sinai, New York. Co-owners Bill and Carolyn LeRoy have their heads stuck in the clouds, and their fond memories of the 1980s, and are completely in denial over the restaurant’s crumbling decor and their head chef’s lack of enthusiasm. Can Gordon force them to see sense, or will they close for good?

Saturday 21st 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. He is joined by top chefs Michael Caines and Lawrence Keogh, while pop legend Chris de Burgh 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 Susie Atkins.

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

Recipes and cooking tips. Rachel shows how to make a rich poppy seed cake, smothered with a vanilla buttercream icing. She meets Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar, renowned for his masterful use of spices, and he takes her on a culinary trip back to his childhood, baking some sweet treats his mum will be proud of. And Rachel teaches the cookery school students a great recipe for bagels, revealing the surprising fact that they get their dense chewiness from being poached first, then baked.

Sunday 22nd march 2009 – Just repeats

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