Great British Food Revival - Season 1

In this first episode of the series, two-star Michelin chef and co-host of Masterchef - The Professionals, Michel Roux Jr., gets passionate about the lost art of bread making. He's concerned that mass-produced, bland-tasting loaves have made us forget what real bread should taste like. He campaigns for the return of the artisan baker to the UK high street and shares his own unique recipes to show how easy and rewarding home baking can be.

Hot on his heels, the Hairy Bikers get revved up and join the Great British Food Revival campaign to highlight the plight of the British cauliflower. It's fallen out of fashion as other greener vegetables have become more popular and have taken its place in our shopping baskets. The Bikers are determined to show that not only is it nutritious, but it can also be versatile and delicious. They rustle up three mouthwatering recipes where the overlooked cauli becomes the star ingredient.

In this episode, greengrocer cum MasterChef host Gregg Wallace makes a case for the revival of the humble spud. All too often replaced by rice or pasta on our plates, tasty tatties need more respect in Gregg's opinion. He tracks down some heritage varieties that are full of flavour, and whistles up three fabulous dishes including a definitive shepherd's pie and his own favourite, dauphinoise potatoes.

Pinning her flag to the mast of rare breed pork is Clarissa Dickson Wright. Never one to mince her words, Clarissa believes that government meddling in the 1950s has left us with flavourless commercial pigs, with none of the character of our native breeds. She meets some of the hardworking farmers battling to preserve our rare breed porkers and lets us in on some of her cooking secrets, including how to get perfect crackling on your Sunday roast.

In this third episode of the series, chef and proud Yorkshireman James Martin takes on the challenge of reviving the British apple. Forced off the supermarket shelves by identikit fruit that have been shipped in from as far away as New Zealand and Chile, James is determined to show off the qualities of our native varieties. He discovers that we can all play our part in the revival by checking if that tree at the bottom of the garden is one of several hundred varieties thought to be extinct, and by showing us three delicious recipes that highlight the variation in flavour of this under-appreciated fruit.

Leading the charge on behalf of mutton is chef Matt Tebbutt. Knocked for six by cheap imports of lamb, mutton has lost its place as a family staple. But Matt is determined to win back its reputation and discovers that the cause is being taken up from the mountains of Wales to the markets of London. He also demonstrates how tasty and versatile this meat can be by cooking a melt in the mouth stuffed shoulder and a spicy North African inspired tagine.

In this fourth episode of the series, one of the UK's best known chefs, Ainsley Harriott, shows off his sweet side as he starts a campaign for the revival of British honey. With bees under threat from disease and a lack of awareness of our native honey production, Ainsley has to criss-cross the country to find out how we can all play our part in its revival. He also takes to the kitchen to show how honey can add its signature flavour to glazed duck breasts, a warm goats' cheese salad and a fabulous fig dessert.

Then its time for Michelin starred chef and Great British Menu favourite Glynn Purnell to ride to the rescue of British cheese. Cheap foreign imports, misleading labelling and a lack of public knowledge of the sheer variety of British cheeses available mean Glynn has his work cut out for him. But on his journey of discovery he meets some truly passionate cheese makers, samples some great tasting cheeses and shows off his own restaurant quality dishes.

In this final episode of the series, culinary legend Gary Rhodes wants us all to appreciate the virtues of the British tomato. Unlike our Italian or Spanish cousins we view the tomato as a year round product so ignore the British growing season when our own fruit is at its best. To show us why we should change our ways Gary discovers the wealth of varieties out there, learns how easy it is for us to grow our own and demonstrates a three course menu that has great tasting British tomatoes at its core, including an innovative white tomato sorbet.

Then Michelin starred chef Angela Hartnett attempts to find her sea legs when she delves into why crab is so unloved in Britain. Although our coastal waters are teeming with sweet tasting brown and spider crab, the majority of those caught by our fishermen are destined to be shipped abroad where they are highly prized. Angela cooks three fabulous recipes that show why this crustacean deserves its place on British plates.