David Farnor | On 22, Mar 2018

BBC iPlayer is rummaging in its cupboard of tasty archives this Easter as it prepares to serve up a feast of classic cookery shows.

Food fans can indulge in culinary programmes dating back decades this Easter weekend, with a handpicked menu of popular BBC cookery shows added to BBC iPlayer’s From the Archive section.

From the Archive launched on BBC iPlayer last September, hosting over 400 programmes from the BBC’s vaults. The category includes a wide range of programmes from 1946 to the present day, featuring BBC documentary series Horizon, Storyville and Imagine, alongside popular classics and programmes from legendary BBC stars like Louis Theroux, Dawn French, David Attenborough and Barbara Windsor.

Its new cookery selection will star some of the nation’s most loved cooks, including Fanny Cradock and Delia Smith, providing a snapshot of Britain’s evolving tastes over time. With programmes spanning from 1970 to 2012, viewers can watch how eating and cooking habits, technology and presentation styles have developed as Britain has embraced flavours from across the world.

The earliest programme in the collection, Fanny Cradock Invites You To… A Cheese And Wine Party, was first broadcast in 1970. It sees the legendary TV cook prepare a sumptuous spread for a sophisticated soiree. With her over-the-top glamour, Fanny enticed the British public to create extravagant meals on a budget. Her recipes went on to define British food, particularly in the post-war period, and her Escoffier-inspired dishes were a mouth-watering change after years of rationing.

Other highlights from the collection include the no-nonsense cookery series where Delia Smith made her name, Delia Smith’s Cookery Course. The 1980s programme first taught viewers how to use a wok. Others include Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery and the classic Caribbean cookery show, Caribbean Food Made Easy, with Levi Roots.

Here’s the full list of the programmes being dished up:

Fanny Cradock Invites You To… A Cheese and Wine Party [1970]
Delia Smith’s Cookery Course (10 episodes) [1979]
Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery (8 episodes) [1984]
Floyd On France (7 episodes) [1987]
Madhur Jaffrey’s Flavours Of India (6 episodes) [1995]
Rick Stein’s Seafood Odyssey (8 episodes) [1999]
Caribbean Food Made Easy (4 episodes) [2009]
Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh And Easy Food (6 episodes) [2012]

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