James May: Oh Cook!

- Season 1

(2020)

After a de rigueur opening tease giving away all the best bits from the series, James starts his culinary journey by taking on the food of Asia. As the publishers of his new recipe book are in attendance, he immediately starts with a glass of wine. The first dish of the day is a Thai noodle soup, a staple of Southeast Asian cuisine. It's a delicate balance of flavours that the literary folks, thankfully, seem to enjoy. James also whips up a quick rice and seaweed breakfast made with Nori, the sheets of seaweed you get when you buy sushi. Then it's time for some proper...

The pub is a British institution, once a bastion of warm ale and smelly carpets, many are now known for their excellent food. James decides to kick off the show with the most classic of pub grub: the pie. However, this particular pie has been given a modern makeover. As a growing number of us now choose to eat less meat, James has designed a half meat, half vegetarian pie to keep everyone satisfied. The two halves are separated by an unbreachable wall of pasty that would make Donald Trump proud. The difficult part is remembering which half is which. James then moves ...

Coeliacs take cover, it's pasta time. And what better way to start than with a lasagne double header: one beef, one vegetarian. Key to the latter are aubergines and lentils - perhaps not traditional, but certainly delicious. This recipe also gives James the opportunity to wax lyrical about his rotary parmesan grater, a gadget he's lovingly maintained since he was a student. Next, James tackles the perennial problem of what to do with leftover spaghetti. After being attacked with a pair of herb scissors, and with the addition of a few extra ingredients, they can be ...

Making a curry from scratch is often seen as more hassle than it's worth, particularly when you want it with all the obligatory accoutrements: fluffy rice, dal, chapatis, chutney, and raita. But that's exactly what James is setting out to make, only occasionally calling on the help home economist Nikki. Lamb keema is the first thing to get going, beginning with a fragrant base of fried onions, garlic, and ginger. Spice and flavour comes courtesy of shop bought curry powder, added along with the lamb mince and fresh tomatoes. With the curry simmering away, James moves ...

From crumbles and cakes to sticky toffee and bread and butter, puddings are undoubtedly the gastronomic calling card of the UK. James kicks off this sugary half hour with Spotted Dick, an amusingly-named culinary relic that deserves a bit of a revamp. James leaves his Dick to steam for two whole hours and starts work on a Victoria Sponge. A favourite snack of the former monarch, it's been a tea-time staple for over a century. And while it looks deceptively simple, James and Nikki demonstrate the tricks needed to make it perfect every time. Or at the very least this ...

Breakfast is back in vogue and more varied than ever. Bloody Mary in hand, James begins by making kedgeree. This lightly curried dish of flaked, smoked fish in rice was a favourite of the British Raj. James tops it with a poached egg, cooked with the help of an ingenious gadget. A potato and black pudding hash follows next and it's not completely smooth sailing. After chopping the potatoes with another new gadget, James gives them a quick blanche before frying them with onion and chili. The introduction of the black pudding yields a less than ideal result, both ...

The Sunday Roast is a challenge of technique and timings, often involving tips and tricks passed down generations. James sets out early to slay a sacred cow: he's going to make Yorkshire puddings with roast chicken, the batter for which is the first thing to be prepared. There then follows a scene of James massaging herby butter into a dead animal. It's fowl, but necessary to get crispy skin and moist flesh. With the bird in the oven, roast potatoes and cauliflower cheese are up next, along with preparing the carrots and sprouts. The Yorkshire pudding batter is ...