ABSTRACT
Following on from our discussion of food writing, this chapter considers how food, and, in particular, the meaning of cookery, is represented on TV. This takes place in a context in which there is a strong relationship between the cookbooks that become bestsellers and television cookery shows: many of the bestselling cookbooks in the UK are written by television chefs. However, as this chapter goes on to explore, if television now plays an important role in mediating how we understand food, cookery also makes an important contribution to contemporary television culture as part of the expansion of lifestyle programming. Therefore, the first part of this chapter examines the relationship between television cookery shows, the television industry and the restaurant business. In the process, we explore how celebrity chefs become ‘brands’ and how their cultural significance is also related to industrial concerns. The second part of the chapter examines some of the ways in which cookery shows mediate food knowledges and the implications this may have for everyday food practices.
