TV chef Tom Kerridge said it was “genuinely an honour” to travel around Italy for his new food programme.
The 52-year-old Michelin-starred chef will star in Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy, which will see him travel around the country in a vintage food truck meeting people who grow and produce ingredients.
Kerridge has said he is “super excited and chuffed” to return to his food travels, and reflected on how “magical” it was to explore the country.
He said: “For a chef, it’s a dream come true being able to hang out with producers and suppliers that have care and heart and soul for produce. The same way that chefs want to cook it.
“Being able to travel to one of the world’s most renowned food nations is genuinely an honour. The landscape and the scenery, everything about it is magical.”
Kerridge added that he thinks Italy is a special place for food as it is “driven by passion”.
He said: “The country is a place that has so many people with a passion for life, for conversation, for work, for everything that they do.
“A lot of it revolves around food, it revolves around lunch and dinner.
“This is reflected in the simplicity of dishes, and the way that those flavour profiles are driven by the actual produce. It’s all brought together by the passion of people.”
The show will see Kerridge, who was born in Salisbury, visit locations including Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, the Northern Dolomites and Emilia-Romagna across six 30-minute episodes.
He will look at the way items such as pasta, blood oranges, Calabrian chillies, passata, truffles, and chestnuts are produced, cooking a recipe from the produce he finds in each location.
Kerridge added: “Italian food isn’t just a cuisine – it’s a religion – dishes aren’t just cooked, they are a lived experience.
“I’m looking forward to showing viewers what I’ve created and sharing some accessible recipes that everybody can use to bring a taste of Italy into their homes.”
The series comes after Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain in 2024, and Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain – which aired last year.
Kerridge has also featured as a judge on the BBC’s Great British Menu, where he appeared as a contestant on two occasions in 2010 and 2011, and has hosted a number of shows on pubs, health and the hospitality industry.
Among his restaurants, Kerridge owns The Hand And Flowers, which has been awarded two Michelin stars, and the Michelin-starred The Coach, both of which are located in Marlow.
Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy, which is supported by M&S, will launch on ITV1 on July 16 at 7.30pm.
The series will also be available to watch on ITVX.
