In the first episode, Prof Alice Roberts reveals that three quarters of us are taking home a food poisoning bug with us from the supermarket. It is a health food scandal that few of us have even heard of. Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK. When chickens are slaughtered, the bacteria can contaminate the surface of the bird. It has been found on fresh chilled chickens bought from all the major supermarkets. The food industry has promised to reduce the levels of contamination, but has it? We commissioned our own survey of campylobacter levels on supermarket chickens to find out. Tom Kerridge is on a mission to improve our cooking skills one dish at a time. He responds to the public's kitchen disasters - everything from rice that turns to mush to Yorkshire puddings that fail to rise. Tom travels around the country turning kitchen fails into a kitchen success. This time he's in Poole in Dorset to help a viewer who just can't seem to cook fish without ruining it. And he shares his trade secret for perfect pork by using a process called brining. Supermarkets offer a range of own brand products at different prices, ranging from basic, standard to premium. So when is it worth spending more on premium and when is a money-saving basic just as good? With the help of food scientists, our consumer journalist Sean Fletcher is pulling apart the ingredients in some everyday foods to find out - this time it's pasta. Pasta has really only one ingredient, yet premium pasta can be over £1 more expensive than budget, so just what are we paying for?
One of the fastest growing trends in our supermarkets is gluten-free foods. You can buy everything from gluten-free bread and cakes to tins of soup. So is gluten really that bad for us? Should we all be going gluten free? Prof Alice Roberts tests the claim that some people feel less bloated and more alert when they cut out gluten. 30 volunteers embark on a gluten-free diet to see if they feel healthier. But there's a twist. One half will be adding gluten to their diet and the other will be gluten free - but they won't know which is which. We find out whether going gluten free delivers health benefits or is just a fad. Tom Kerridge has been a professional chef for over 20 years and in that time he has learned many tips and tricks to deliver food that consistently tastes great. He's keen to share these trade secrets so we can all improve our cooking. This time, he reveals how a garnish can transform an everyday dish into something special. Forget coupons - when it comes saving money on your shop, online cashback apps are taking over. Our consumer journalist Sean Fletcher reveals how one savvy shopper saves around £1,500 a year by using these apps. She can do this while still buying the brands she likes and the food she needs. So we asked our bargain hunter to do a mid-week shop to see how much she could save. Find out how she slashed her supermarket bill in half simply by using these new cashback apps.
We spend a staggering four and a half billion pounds on diet drinks a year. They now make up almost half of the fizzy drinks market, but do diet drinks deliver on their promise? Do they help us keep the weight off? In this episode, Prof Alice Roberts finds out about the latest research which suggests that drinking artificially sweetened drinks can encourage us to eat more than we might expect. Chef Tom Kerridge is on a mission to help with another kitchen fail. This time he's in Glasgow to sort out a viewer's yorkshire puddings and help them cook perfect yorkies every time. The supermarkets offer own-brand products across a range stretching from basic standard to premium. But is it worth paying for a premium product or is a money-saving basic as good for our health and our taste buds? To find out, our consumer journalist Sean Fletcher is dissecting a store cupboard favourite - baked beans.
Last year, one story about food and health dominated the headlines and it was the claim that processed meat causes cancer. In this episode, Alice Roberts investigates the chemical that's causing the problem and asks: how worried should we be about eating meat? Also, do aphrodisiacs actually work? Forget oysters, champagne and strawberries as there's no evidence they work, but research does point to a couple of substances that could claim to be aphrodisiacs. Tom Kerridge reveals the store cupboard essentials that as a professional chef he won't be without and he answers a cry for help from a viewer whose risotto always ends up a disaster. And our consumer journalist Sean Fletcher pulls apart the ingredients in cheap and expensive mayonnaise to find out what we're really paying for.
Can chillies help us lose weight? Prof Alice Roberts carries out an experiment to test the claim. In a sealed chamber, a volunteer eats a meal containing chilli and one without. Over the course of nine hours, their metabolic rate is carefully monitored to reveal if eating chilli really can help us burn calories. Chef Tom Kerridge travels to Dunoon on the west coast of Scotland to help a viewer with another kitchen fail. This time, it is how to cook the perfect steak. Also, if your gravy always ends up lumpy, don't despair. Tom shares his tips and tricks for silky smooth gravy every time. Nutritional labels on food packaging are designed to help us make healthy choices at a glance. But as our consumer journalist Sean Fletcher has found, they can be confusing. Sean investigates why a system intended to help us choose healthy food is often doing exactly the opposite.
Can changing your surroundings alter how food and drink tastes? Prof Alice Roberts and a group of diners enjoy a culinary experience with a difference. The music, lighting and even the shape of the plates are changed throughout the meal to see what effect this has on how we perceive the taste of food. Sensory gastronomy is a new field of scientific research and although it may sound unfamiliar, its findings have practical applications. For instance, it has been found that drinks can be made to taste 10% sweeter simply by adding red food colouring. Also peanut butter - is it a health food or a junk food? Alice investigates the science behind this popular spread. If you have ever tried and failed to cook roast potatoes, don't despair - chef Tom Kerridge has the secret to perfect roasties every time. He also reveals another of his trade secrets and this time it is how to transform a simple piece of fish into something any professional chef would be proud of. With the help of food scientists and a panel of taste testers, our consumer journalist Sean Fletcher investigates the ingredients in the great British banger. He wants to find out if own-brand basic sausages are just as healthy and tasty as the expensive premium variety.
