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BBC One’s ‘Ready Steady Cook’ series returns in the New Year with a promise to be one of the most sustainable food shows on TV.
The production has pledged to:
- Replace plastic bags with reusable jute totes;
- Present ingredients on screen in a responsible way eg avoiding single-use plastic with glass jars and bottles being favoured over plastic alternatives;
- Use separate colour-coded waste bins both on set and backstage, which will be collected by a local recycling firm for anaerobic digestion (where waste is broken down to produce biogas and biofertiliser);
- Donate unused fruit and vegetables and non-perishable items to a local food bank;
- Source ingredients from local suppliers as much as possible, favouring Fair Trade items over others;
- Favour seasonal products to avoid excessive food miles.
The show will reflect contemporary food themes, from cooking on a budget to eating healthily and managing food waste, mirroring the changes in British cooking over the past decade.
Presenter Rylan Clark-Neal commented: “One of the biggest sustainability issues we face is from food and packaging waste, so ‘Ready Steady Cook’ is being brought bang up to date to play its part in tackling this. It’s going to be goodbye plastic bags and hello jute totes when we hit screens in the New Year. I can’t wait to get stuck in!”
‘Ready Steady Cook’ is produced by Remarkable TV (part of EndemolShine UK). Cat Lawson, executive producer of Remarkable TV, said: “The world has changed a lot since ‘Ready Steady Cook’ was on air last, and it’s more important than ever to source sustainable and ethically produced food. As such, ‘Ready Steady Cook’ will be favouring local suppliers and seasonal products, and avoiding single-use plastic and food waste as much as possible.”
The series will feature a diverse range of talent from the culinary world, offering a new line-up of chefs a platform to showcase their cookery prowess against the clock. Chefs include Mike Reid, Romy Gill, Akis Petretzikis, Ellis Barrie and Anna Haugh.
In every episode, two contestants are each paired up with a chef, going head to head in the newly designed ‘Ready Steady Cook’ kitchen.
In the first challenge, each contestant comes armed with their bag of ingredients, all bought within a £10 budget. They have just 20 minutes to create ‘delicious, surprising and inspiring dishes ready to wow the discerning studio audience’. The revamped second challenge is even faster, as each pair has just 10 minutes to create dishes, this time based on audience ingredients cards.
In ‘Ready Steady Cook’ tradition, the casting vote on the show’s winner will be left to the audience, who will have their say on the best dishes by voting with the iconic red tomato and green pepper voting cards.
