Ready Steady Cook

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Ready Steady Cook is a BBC daytime TV cooking programme first aired in 1994. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994-2000 until celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host. The usual duration of the programme was 30 minutes.

1 Basic format
2 The Main Course
3 Quickie bag
4 Scheduling
5 Celebrity Chefs
6 External links

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Basic format

Two members of the public, or occasionally sporting or other celebrities provide two celebrity chefs with a bag of ingredients they have bought, usually to a set budget of £5. These are designated the red tomato or green pepper kitchen. Occasionally the permitted budget is increased to introduce more luxury items. It is implied that the chefs have no prior knowledge of the ingredients they will have to prepare, although it is rumoured the show's participants are provided with the items they bring to the show by the producers.Template:Citation needed

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The Main Course

The chefs proceed to make several dishes out of the said ingredients (and a generously stocked kitchen containing basic ingredients and spices) in twenty minutes, with the help of the contestants and the programme host. The chefs have to give a suitably humorous name to the dish, based on either the ingredients or the participants name and describe exactly how they created the veritable feast. Tasting by the contestant is mandatory! The creations are then voted upon by the studio audience, who hold up a card showing either a red tomato or green pepper to represent each of the teams. The winner receives a cash prize of £100 and the runner-up receives a wooden spoon (most often a hamper).

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Quickie bag

The quickie bag section of the show then follows. This was introduced in or around 2001, extending the programme to 45 minutes. The two chefs describe what they would cook using a bag of ingredients provided by the show. The audience vote for who they want to see cook. Typically, both chefs and the host will join in the hectic preparation of the chosen chef's suggested dishes, often with a slight element of chaos and ad-libbing along the way. A viewers question relating to a cooking problem is usually put to the chefs, further adding to the pressure upon them to complete their dishes in the time allowed.

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Scheduling

Each programme lasts forty five minutes and is aired five times per week on the BBC Two channel and repeats are often shown on UKTV Food.

A similarly themed program entitled Ready Steady Cook began on Australian television station Network Ten in early 2005. It was hosted by Nick Stratford in 2005 and the show was aired in the 1pm timeslot. This year, in 2006, Peter Everatt replaced Stratford and the show changed timeslots, to 2pm.

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