The Big Family Cooking Showdown facts for kids

The Big Family Cooking Showdown was a fun cooking competition show from the BBC. It was also known as Cooking Showdown or BFCS. In this show, families worked together to create amazing dishes.

The first season had two hosts: Nadiya Hussain, who won Great British Bake Off, and Zoe Ball. Two famous chefs, Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager, judged the food. Each week, two families of three people cooked in three different challenges. The winning family moved on to the next round. The show started on BBC Two on August 15, 2017. It later moved to Thursday nights so it wouldn't be on at the same time as The Great British Bake Off.

The show came back for a second season on October 15, 2018. It had a new look and new hosts. Angellica Bell, who won Celebrity MasterChef, and chef Tommy Banks hosted and judged the second season. Sadly, the show didn't return for a third season.

How the Show Was Made and Played

In both seasons of The Big Family Cooking Showdown, each team had three members from the same family. However, the two seasons were quite different in how they were made and how the game was played.

Season One

The first season's kitchen was in a big barn at the Quadrangle Trust, near Shoreham, Kent. There were 12 episodes in total, with one new episode each week.

The first season had two judges, Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager. It also had two presenters, Nadiya Hussain and Zoe Ball. One presenter would visit the contestants' homes for a special challenge. Both presenters were usually in the barn, except for the final episode.

Heats

In each heat episode, two families of three competed in three timed cooking rounds. The family that cooked the best won and moved on to the semi-finals.

• Round 1: The £10 Challenge (1 hour and 15 minutes): Families had to cook two courses for four people using ingredients that cost no more than £10.
• Round 2: Home Visits Challenge (1 hour and 30 minutes): Each family cooked a main course and a dessert for the judges right in their own kitchen at home.
• Round 3: Impress the Neighbours Challenge (2 hours and 15 minutes): The teams came back to the barn. They had to create their best starter and a main course, with no budget limits.

Semi-finals

All three semi-final challenges took place in the Cooking Showdown barn.

• What's in the Fridge? This challenge tested how creative families were. The judges gave them a small number of ingredients. Each team had 1 hour to cook a main course for four people.
• Perfect Puddings For this challenge, the judges chose a popular family dessert. Teams had 1 hour and 20 minutes to make it.
• Nation's Favourite With a Twist Families had to take a classic British dish and give it their own unique spin. They had 2 hours for this challenge.

Final

In the final episode, the teams faced one big, continuous challenge. Each family had to prepare a whole meal for a large family get-together. This included snacks, main courses, and desserts.

Season Two

The second season was filmed in Wales. All the cooking happened in a studio kitchen. There were no challenges in the contestants' homes this time. A total of 16 families took part. There were 14 episodes, shown over three weeks. Sometimes, up to five episodes aired each week on weeknights.

In each episode, families had two tasks. One task they could practice at home beforehand. The other was a complete surprise, testing how well they could work together and think quickly.

This season had a new duo hosting and judging: Tommy Banks and Angellica Bell. They also narrated the show.

Heats

Unlike the first season, four families competed in each of the four heats. Each heat lasted two episodes. At the end of the first episode, one family was eliminated. The remaining three families returned the next day. Another family was sent home, leaving two families to compete in the play-offs. The winners of the play-offs went to the finals.

• Round 1: The £10 Challenge In season two, this challenge was different. Contestants had to make a £10 meal for a family of four using a surprise selection of ingredients bought in the studio. If they spent too much, they had to return ingredients.
• Round 2: Nation's Favourite with a Twist Each team cooked a popular dish but added their own special touch. Families knew about this dish before the challenge.
• Round 3: The Head-to-Head Challenge One family member had to cook alone. The dish was a surprise. They could choose an easy, medium, or hard recipe, or create their own dish using extra ingredients. The other family members watched secretly and commented on their progress.
• Round 4: Two Key Ingredients Challenge Families cooked a meal using two main ingredients chosen by the judges. They knew these ingredients before the show.

Results summary

Season One

Season Two