Mary Berry explores the exciting world of quick cooking. Inspired by the places she visits, she brings some failsafe recipes that deliver on flavour but save on time.
Starting her travels in Italy, Mary makes her first ever visit to Rome. With a cuisine and cooking culture she has always adored, Italy’s vibrant capital city offers some of the world’s best food and produce. After a moped tour of the sights, she tries a delicious new take on traditional pizza, uncovers a hidden gem in Rome’s old Jewish quarter and cooks a speedy Roman classic with Michelin-starred chef Cristina Bowerman. Doing what she does best, Mary whips up a mouthwatering bruschetta on a beautiful central Rome rooftop, some super speedy pasta dishes and an irresistible tiramisu - all inspired by her Italian adventure.
Mary is joining the crowds and heading to her first ever music festival, but it is not the bands she has come for. She wants to explore the wonderful world of festival food pop-ups, seeing firsthand how these exciting outdoor cooks draw mega crowds as they whip up delicious delicacies in a flash. During her festival adventure, Mary enlists the help of one of the festivals headliners, Rick Astley, together making her speedy cheesy muffins all from her very own food truck. She also creates some surefire kitchen successes with her scrumptious rosemary lamb steaks, vegetable kebabs and a delicious rum and raisin ice cream.
Mary is heading to the hustle and bustle of Marrakech in Morocco. Immersing herself in the mayhem of the medina on a mission to explore every side of Moroccan cuisine, Mary is inspired by the aromatic flavours and smells and rustles up some quick dishes that make the most of them. From the mounds of olives and heady spices at the markets, to the slow-cooked tagines made in the heart of a family kitchen and the high-end delights of the country's greatest chef, Moha Fedal. In her own kitchen, she brings the fragrant flavours home cooking a speedy lamb tagine, a spicy carrot humus and a fresh summer salad.
Mary is off to join the Navy onboard one of its most powerful warships, the HMS Defender, to learn how they turn out hundreds of meals a day against the clock and on a tight budget. Whilst the crew run a war-training exercise on board the ship, Mary heads to the galley to see if she can help the kitchen team with the mammoth task of prepping, cooking and serving 240 meals from scratch in just 75 minutes. Known as ‘action messing’ Mary is really cooking against the clock. In her own kitchen, Mary creates dishes inspired by her experience at sea - a tempting crumble fish pie, special cauliflower soup and moreish mini sausage rolls.
Mary is out for a day, and a night, on the town. London’s busy West End attracts millions of visitors every year, and Mary is joining them as she seeks out the secrets of getting busy people fed quickly and well. She will discover the art of high speed wok cooking in Chinatown, sample the delicious sweet treats being made daily from London’s first ever patisserie before catching a show and a late night cocktail with some of its cast. Exploring the West End old and new, and the history behind this ever changing and evolving food epicentre of London. In her own kitchen, Mary creates dishes inspired by her trip - an Asian beef and pepper stir fry knocked up in no time, a heavenly chocolate cappuccino pie and an easy, speedy breakfast for those on the go!
In this episode, Mary is given an access-all-areas pass as she heads behind the scenes at Heathrow airport. Where everyone has one eye on the clock and a flight to catch, Mary wants to see how the restaurants and cafes feed the 80 million people that pass through the terminals each year in record-breaking time. Mary throws herself into the different roles needed to keep one of the busiest airports in the world fed and running smoothly, including a stint as an airport firefighter. In this episode, Mary whips up wonderful quick delights, including a rich chicken korma, a delicious apple sandwich cake and some extra special roast scallops.
