Stars feel the kitchen heat as TV cookery show returns

MasterChef is on hiatus at the moment, so if there’s a gap in your life for a culinary competition, fear not.

Emma Willis and Tom Allen are back with another run of Cooking With The Stars on ITV1 on Tuesday at 9pm

Once again, it will see a bunch of famous folk being paired with a chef, who mentors them, honing their skills so that they can prepare a recipe with at least some measure of skill.

Hopefully that will see them through to the next round, but if it doesn’t, the dreaded cook-off takes place, with the loser departing the contest.

Taking part are Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, model and presenter Abbey Clancy, Olympian Linford Christie, actor Christopher Biggins, presenter Carol Vorderman, comic Katherine Ryan, YouTuber Harry Pinero and former Strictly pro Pasha Kovalev.

“I’m so excited to be heading back into the Cooking With The Stars kitchen alongside Tom for an all-new series,” says Willis.

“We have a brilliant new line-up of celebrities who are set to be put to the test. You never know what their capabilities are which makes it a lot of fun. And if we’re lucky, we get to mop up the leftovers from the worktops!”

Allen is perhaps even more excited about it: “I cannot believe how lucky I am to watch another batch of celebrities - all pretty much clueless in the kitchen - turning out the most amazing dishes. All in a bid to get their hands on my golden frying pan. Emma and I are back in the kitchen and we are over the moon!”

The celebs will be paired with a professional chef who teaches them how to make a dish they hope will go down a treat. Those who don’t impress will have to fight for their place in the contest during the dreaded Cook Off, which is judged blind by the mentors - it’s possible a celeb may even be sent home by the person who has been guiding them.

Although Allen claims that mostly the celebs are clueless in the kitchen, one person who fancies himself as a cook is Kovalev.

“I cook a little bit but it’s always nice to learn new skills in that department and there is no better way of learning than when you are under pressure, as you have to learn fast and I love learning and this is the best show to mix those things together.”

He also reckons there isn’t much he can take from his experience on Strictly to Cooking with the Stars: “They are very different, but at least on Strictly the pressure ends after a minute and a half! Either way on this show, the pressure lasts for an hour at least and so many things can go wrong or if you are lucky they can go right!”