It was famous for seasoning with a bit of Suzie salt and Percy pepper but now Ready Steady Cook is introducing viewers to a variety of exotic spices... including a little dash of Sally sumac.
Former host Ainsley Harriott, right, says the revamped show, which returned earlier this month, has become more middle class with its modern makeover.
“It’s reflecting how we eat today,” he tells the Mirror.
“We want to be challenged a little bit. You go: ‘Ooh, what’s that?’ And you do look it up. Most of us are getting our phones out going ‘sumac? Ooh, citrus-y flavours, spicy. Yum. I’ll try a bit of that.’ And it’s one click away. It’s modern-day.”
New host Rylan Clark-Neal, left, oversees contestants making meals with £7.50 of ingredients, before chefs raid the on-set larder.
Ainsley has been lending the new presenter his support.
He says: “Rylan has been in touch and I went back to him and said: ‘Keep going, be positive’."
Ready Steady Cook debuted with Fern Britton in 1994, and Ainsley is thrilled that, after a decade off-air, it has been given a new lease of life on BBC1 every weekday afternoon.
He says: “It’s lovely, it’s back. It’s a fantastic format – a bag of ingredients, 20 minutes later you’ve got a meal.”
