Best Christmas Cooking Show: Mary Berry, Bake Off, MasterChef, etc.

Do you think there’s nothing better at Christmas than having a glass of festive bubbly and settling down to watch someone else cook up a winter feast? If so, this guide is for you.

There are some classic repeats you might want to catch on Dec. 17, then the fresh festive cooking kicks off on Dec. 19 and continues into the new year.

nigella

Nigella fans will be shocked to learn that there is no new Nigella Christmas special this year. However, those who can’t handle a Christmas without Nigella (that’s all of us) can stream a repeat of the Cook, Eat, Repeat Christmas special on iPlayer.

You can also get inspiration for festive recipes via Season’s Eatings (heh) posts on her website: www.nigella.com

But now let’s tuck in a napkin and start studying the menu.

saturday december 17

Mary Berry’s Festive Festivities (11.30am, BBC One) (Repeat)

It’s a repeat, but it’s a great way to start what we might call the festive celebrations (so sorry).

It is followed by…

Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas (12.30pm, BBC One) (Repeat)

It’s a repeat again, but it’s a great way to enjoy an hour and a half of Christmas TV cooking while thinking about your weekend plans / nursing your Christmas party hangover in the office.

Monday, December 19

Mary Berry’s Last Christmas (8 p.m., BBC One)

New content starts here. Mary Berry is back and staying true this year with a show dedicated to her best recipes: the traditional Christmas dishes she’s been perfecting for 50 years. This includes a lemon and herb roast turkey with crispy roasts, red cabbage and an apricot and chestnut stuffing.

She’ll go on mini-adventures with chef Angela Hartnett, Monica Galetti and TV host Rylan, and create a Christmas centerpiece out of foraged greenery. This is good news for my Christmas table and bad news for my neighbors’ hedges.

Friday, December 23

Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook-Off 2022 (Part 1) (BBC One, 8 p.m.)

In the first of two parts, a group of celebrities, including Happy Mondays’ Bez, athlete Iwan Thomas, singer Lesley Garrett and pop star Josh Cuthbert, use their culinary skills to compete for the coveted Celebrity MasterChef Golden trophy. Whisk. It seems chaotic. I’m in.

Gino’s Italian Christmas Party (8.30pm, ITV)

Gino D’Acampo, Gino’s friends, Gino’s family, Gino’s dogs, and various members of the production crew will enjoy an Italian Christmas at the D’Acampo family’s Sardinian villa. On the menu, gnocchi, Florentine biscuits and a revisited bread and butter pudding.

Please note: Christmas sweaters will be worn.

Christmas Eve

The Great Christmas Bake Off (8:25 p.m., Channel 4)

Is there anything more Christmas than a bunch of celebrities in a tent, getting all mealy and anxious? The answer, very clearly, is no. This year’s Christmas Bake Off is a Channel 4 themed all-star episode honoring the 40^e birthday. Sir Tony Robinson, Gaby Roslin, Miquita Oliver, Terry Christian and Claire Sweeney will throw cakes.

Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding will be on hand to offer tips and tissues. As Lucas has announced he is leaving the show, this will be one of your last chances to see him working in the iconic tent. (Crying emoji.)

Friday, December 30

Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook-Off 2022 (Part 2) (BBC One, 9 p.m.)

Part 2 of Celebrity MasterChef comes long after you’ve finished the turkey sandwiches (hopefully) but before the New Year’s resolutions kick in. This time drag artist Kitty Scott-Claus, X-Factor winner Megan McKenna, dancer AJ Pritchard and actor Chizzy Akudolu dons the apron and wields the wooden spoon in the final part of this contest. festive cooking.

New Year’s Day (Sunday January 1)

The Great New Year Bake Off (7:40 p.m., Channel 4)

Kick off the new year with this Bake Off special. Lottie Bedlow, Chigs Parmar, Manon Legrève and Antony Amourdoux return for more tent competition.

For more must-see holiday TV, read our guides to the best Christmas TV from Channel 4, the best Christmas TV from ITV and the best Christmas TV overall. We also have an article on the best Christmas movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and NowTV.