The BBC is at its finest when it makes shows like NADIYA'S FAMILY FAVOURITES.

This is a new cookery show that was traditional, yet at the same time it also had this original fresh feel to it too.


After she won over the hearts of the nation by winning The Great British Bake Off three years ago, Nadiya Hussain's television career has truly blossomed in a somewhat overcrowded genre.  Nadiya is a natural on camera and definitely has the likeability factor about her.

This first episode was entitled 'Family Days Out'.  It was thirty minutes long and not once did it drag.  There was this sunny effervescent energy to it all that made it really appealing to watch.  What with her very enthusiastic nature as well, Nadiya was the one that made this show interesting.

The cooking elements of the show were never boring, instead they were rather captivating.  Nadiya obviously comes across like an extremely talented cook, but none of the things she made seemed out of reach for the good amateur cooks amongst us.

We saw her make a samosa pie that conjured up the emotions of 'I love you' she said.  Other things she made included cheese biscuits with a tomato jam as well as a huge pot of prawn saffron biryani.

In order for the cooking sections not to stagnate, the most interesting elements of this episode were when we saw Nadiya come away from her kitchen.  Firstly, we saw her meet Cornish pasty amateur world champion, Gillian.  Here, Nadiya learnt what exactly goes into a Cornish pasty and how to master the tricky art of crimping pastry.

Secondly, Nadiya then went and investigated the use of cold pressed rapeseed oil.  For example, how it tasted different to other cooking oils and the health benefits that it has too.

On two or three occasions we got these stunning almost all yellow, breathtaking establishing shots of rapeseed fields in the glorious British countryside.

The duration of this programme absolutely flew by. Throughout it was informative, educational and entertaining to watch.  A highly encouraging debut episode that fully deserves we tune in for helping number two next week!

- Watched on BBC2. 16/07/2018