Nigel And Adam’s Farm Kitchen

A TV chef is on a learning curve in the Cotswolds
Ben-Felsenberg-176He doesn’t shimmer with vampish va-va-voom like Nigella, or blind us with science à la Heston, and – pace Jamie – the aitches remain firmly undropped, but for the culinary cognoscenti, Nigel Slater is the TV chef we adore and trust. For one thing, his recipes actually work (only when I turned to that miraculous miniature bible, The 30-Minute Cook, does my klutzy male presence in the kitchen merit anything more than the contemptuous indignation of my long-suffering hausfrau). Graced with debonair charm, he’s also refreshingly undiva-ish, the rare television personality you’d be delighted to have as a house guest, which perhaps explains why Cotswolds’ family the Rightons have invited Slater for an extended stay in Nigel And Adam’s Farm Kitchen (BBC One, 8pm on Wednesday).

Joining him are the broad shoulders of Adam Henson, who is lending his farming expertise to the four-part series in which they ‘sow, grow and cook’ and bring some of Britain’s top 50 supermarket purchases from seed to plate. A steep learning curve awaits Nigel when it comes to the livestock: ‘No names – we’re not naming anything we have to eat,’ is Adam’s steely counsel. This week the duo invite us to resist the temptation of convenience meals, delight in the glory of the traditional roast and discover the taste of pasta grown in a Cotswolds’ field. An hour to savour – and put those ready meals away.

NOT TO BE MISSED

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QUEEN VICTORIA AND THE CRIPPLED KAISER (Channel 4, Sun, 8pm)
Documentary tracing the roots of the Great War to the dysfunctional childhood of the old queen’s grandson.

BRITAIN AND THE SEA (BBC One, Sun, 9pm)
David Dimbleby  unleashes his inner sea dog as he voyages our shores.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (BBC Four, Tues, 10pm)
Forget car chases, this is how you do a Cold War drama: thrill to the pensive spectaclepolishing of Alec Guinness’s George Smiley.