Family Cooking Showdown

In the opening episode we meet the Marks family from west London, hoping to impress with their Scandinavian-inspired dishes. Eighty six year-old grandmother, former model and fashion designer Torun was born in Sweden and came to the UK when she was 30 years old. Her daughter Jessica (55) is a nutritional therapist and mother of three children, including her eldest Oskar (29), who works at an independent record company.

The Marks family enjoy cooking Swedish dishes that Torun has passed down to her family, but Oskar tends to adapt the recipes using more exotic ingredients. Toren has a lust for life and rules the roost in the Marks kitchen - but will her age-old family recipe for Swedish meatballs hit the mark?

Facing them are the Charles family from Bridlington in Yorkshire, who take food inspiration from their travels across Europe and Asia to come up with new and exciting dishes. Betty (29) met her husband Dan (32) 12 years ago and they married in 2015 after Dan proposed to Betty while on holiday in Rome. Her mother Jean (59) often lends a hand in the kitchen and completes their team. Betty's the boss in the Charles family - but will her decision to serve up a risotto to Italian chef Giorgio pay off?

The Karim family from west London go up against the Dawes from Hampshire. Will the Karims, with their simple Indian recipes, curry favour with Rosemary and Giorgio, or will the Dawes and their ambitious flavour combinations earn them a place in the semi-finals?

It's heat three of the competition, with two more families facing each other for a place in the semi-finals. This week the Pigotts from Oxfordshire go head to head with the Hilliards (pictured) from Essex.

Will the Pigott brothers and their bold, globally inspired flavours impress the judges, or will the classic home cooking of the Hilliard sisters and their mum be what Rosemary and Giorgio are looking for?

In this episode, the Massaccesi family from Wiltshire go up against the Gangotras from Birmingham. The Massaccesis are mum, dad and their 16-year-old daughter. Italian home cooking is at the heart of their family and it is with these dishes they hope to win over the judges. In their way are the Gangotra sisters, whose flair for traditional Indian food draws on their heritage. Which family's clever use of flavour will see them through to the semi-finals?

Tonight the Ayoubi family from Essex are up against the Herberts from Gloucestershire. The Ayoubi family originally hail from Syria and their food is steeped in history. They are hoping their clever use of simple ingredients and generous sharing dishes will have the judges coming back for more but to secure a place in the next round they need to outcook the Herberts. For the Herbert family, cooking, particularly baking, runs in the blood. They love to experiment with weird and wonderful flavours but will this be a recipe for success or a step too far for the judges?

In this programme, the Kings from south west London compete against the Codougan family from Northamptonshire. The King family motto is 'backbone', and they are hoping that this approach, along with their favourite home-cooked dishes, will earn them a place in the semi-finals. Standing in their way are the Codougans - a mother, son and daughter combo who want to impress the judges with their spicy Caribbean-inspired food.

It's the final heat round in the Cooking Showdown and two more families are battling for a place in the semi-final. Tonight's programme the Boyes family from Liverpool are up against the Rignalls from Buckinghamshire.

Sixteen multigenerational family teams of passionate cooks battle it out for the chance to be crowned the nation's best family of home cooks. Judging their efforts every step of the way are top Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli and renowned cookery teacher Rosemary Shrager. In each episode, two families face a series of challenges based on the realities of everyday meals, cooking up their favourite dishes both in the studio and in their own homes. At the end of each show, the judges decide which family make it through to the semi-finals.

In the first of the semi-finals, three families go head to head. Only one can go through to the final.

It's the second semi-final and three families face three demanding, new challenges: What's In The Fridge? Perfect Puddings and Nation's Favourite With A Twist. Returning to the studio kitchen this week are the Kings, the Gangotras and the Buoys, all hoping to impress judges Rosemary and Giorgio enough for a place in the Cooking Showdown final.

It's the last of the semi-finals. Three more families return to the studio kitchen where they go head to head with each other - but with a surprise twist. The Piggotts and the Bellamores are joined by a wildcard family, chosen by Giorgio and Rosemary from the runner-ups. They've been given another chance to get to the final.

The families face three demanding, new challenges: Perfect Puddings, Nation's Favourite With A Twist and What's In The Fridge? While tonight's episode is packed with eye-wateringly tasty dishes by talented home cooks - meatballs, moussaka, lemon meringue pie and chocolate fondant - the one thing that almost breaks the families is poached egg.

Which team will have what it takes to earn a place in next week's final showdown?

It's the Big Family Cooking Showdown final, and it's down to judges Rosemary Shrager and Giorgio Locatelli to decide which team will be crowned the nation's best family of home cooks. Over the last 11 weeks, 16 multi-generational family teams of passionate home cooks have been battling it out and now only three remain.

This week they face one long, continuous challenge: preparing food for a big family get-together, including a range of nibbles, main courses and desserts.

In the nibbles round, one family struggle with the definition of bite size and are taken to task over their ‘man portions' while the other family take on the dish that Italian chef Giorgio has become known for: his favourite food in the world - arancini balls.

There can only be one winner. Let the showdown commence!