Nadiya Hussain to present The Big Family Cooking Showdown

The Great British Bake Off 2015 winner Nadiya Hussain is to present The Big Family Cooking Showdown, a major new competitive food show that celebrates favourite family recipes from across Britain. Coming soon to BBC Two, co-presenters Zoe Ball and Nadiya Hussain meet a diverse variety of home cooks from across Britain over the 12 part competition. The series will delve into kitchens up and down the country, showcasing family food that creates the heart within the home and brings generations together.

In search of Britain’s best family of cooks, judging their efforts are renowned cookery teacher Rosemary Shrager and top Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli. The two judges will set challenges in both the studio kitchen and home kitchens, whittling down the 16 teams of cooks over eight heats, three semi-finals and one grand final.

In each episode, two families represented by three family members will go head to head, tested by these three challenging rounds:

• The £10 Challenge – Showcasing the very best the teams can do to feed 4 with a budget of £10, in 1hr 15 minutes.
• Home Visits Challenge – Both families must cook a main course and a dessert for Rosemary and Giorgio in their own homes in 90 minutes.
• Impress The Neighbours Challenge – Both families return to the studio for the deciding round, creating a starter and a main course in 2hrs 15 minutes.

About Zoe Ball

“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.”

Zoe is one of TV and radio’s best known presenters, currently presenting on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Two’s Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.  She wouldn’t describe herself as the world’s best cook but has enjoyed learning some handy new kitchen tips from the families and from Nadiya throughout the show.

About Nadiya Hussain

“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.”

Nadiya, who was crowned winner of the 2015 series of The Great British Bake Off, has worked on a number of BBC projects recently, having made films for The One Show and presented The Chronicles Of Nadiya in 2016, and also fronting her own cookery series Nadiya’s British Food Adventure on BBC Two this summer.

Nadiya loves cooking for her three children and is known for being very creative in the kitchen. As a presenter, she’s especially interested in meeting the competing families with different recipes and traditions and is always on the look-out for new food inspiration.

Meet the judges

Judging their efforts are renowned cookery teacher Rosemary Shrager and top Michellin starred chef Giorgio Locatelli. The two judges will set challenges in both the studio kitchen and home kitchens, whittling down the 16 teams of cooks over eight heats, three semi-finals and one grand final.

Rosemary Shrager

“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 an accomplished chef with a career including restaurant kitchens, cookery schools and TV appearances. She has recently appeared on BBC series The Real Marigold Hotel and The Real Marigold on Tour. Rosemary is an experienced judge having featured on The Chopping Block and Rosemary’s School for Cooks – and has also been a haute cuisine teacher on reality television programme Ladette to Lady.

As a judge, Rosemary is looking for a family with food at its heart that shares both the kitchen duties and recipes between the generations.

Giorgio Locatelli

“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.”

Michelin star chef Giorgio has had a number of series on TV including Tony and Giorgio, Sicily Unpacked and Italy Unpacked on BBC Two.

As a young boy Giorgio dreamt of being a waiter but he discovered his love for cooking while working alongside chefs in his family’s hotel kitchen. He now runs one of the finest restaurants in London and was recently awarded the Commendatore OMRI by the Italian Ambassador for services to Italian gastronomy.

As a judge, Giorgio is particularly looking forwards to experiencing the different family’s heritages through the dishes that they serve.

The Big Family Cooking Showdown is a 12×60 series coming soon to BBC Two, produced by London based independent production company Voltage TV. It was commissioned by Channel Controller, BBC Two, Patrick Holland. Executive produced for the BBC by commissioning executive Catherine Catton, and by Voltage Chief Executive Sanjay Singhal and Kathleen Larkin.