GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF winner Nadiya Hussain looks set for a showdown with the programme that shot her to fame when she appears as host of a new BBC cooking contest.
The Big Family Cooking Showdown is thought have been rustled up by the broadcaster as a rival to take on Bake Off when it returns to screens on Channel 4.
Nadiya and Zoe Ball will search for the nation’s best family of cooks in the series, due to launch in the autumn on BBC2, with chefs Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager as judges.
Nadiya, who was crowned Bake Off winner in 2015, said family and food “have always gone hand in hand”.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the recipes and traditions of the different families taking part.
“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.”
The Big Family Cooking Showdown will pit 16 families from around the UK against each other with challenges set in their kitchens at home and at the programme’s studio.
Zoe said the show will “celebrate passionate foodie families all over the country, even if it’s using old pans and mismatched crockery”.
The Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host added: “I’m not the world’s best cook, as my kids will vouch, but I’m learning so much from these families and from Nadiya.”
The families will showcase their favourite home recipes during the series which will have 12 one-hour episodes.
Giorgio said: “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.
“I am looking forward to exploring people’s heritage through the dishes they prepare.”
Rosemary said: “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.
“We’ll be searching for a household where food is at the heart of their family, with kitchen duties and recipes shared between the generations.”
The Great British Bake Off, which was a ratings hit for BBC1, aired its final series with the broadcaster last year after being bought by Channel 4.
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