The Best of British Takeaways

In episode one, Michelin star Chef Tom Kerridge travels the country to find out what makes the best fish and chips and the trade secrets behind them, leading him to one of Britain's oldest fishing ports, Brixham Harbour. There, three of the Nation's top chippies are invited to take part in a contest: each is passionate about their own style of cooking but they all have very different ideas about what makes the best fish and chips. For one it's haddock and beef dripping, for another it's cod, and for the third it's a re-invention of the dish itself.

It's down to Tom and his expert judge, fish restaurateur Mitch Tonks, to decide who makes the best takeaway on the day, while Cherry Healey discovers that the origins of our national dish aren't actually British at all.

Episode two looks at our current favourite takeaway food - Chinese.

Three of the nation's award-winning Chinese takeaways are invited to take part in a contest in the heart of London's China Town. Each is passionate about their own style of cooking, but they all have very different ideas about what makes the best Chinese dishes: for one it's the classic recipes we are familiar with here in the UK, handed down through three generations; for another it's a fusion of styles from across Asia; and for the third it's traditional Chinese home-cooking using exotic ingredients.

Each believes their version of the takeaway is the best, but it's down to Tom and his expert judge, writer and chef Ching He-Huang, to decide a winner.

This week, Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge travels the country to find out what makes the best Indian curry and uncovers the trade secrets behind our takeaways, while Cherry Healey explores the fascinating stories that helped shape our communities as well as our palates, and learns how Queen Victoria put curry on the British menu.

Then three of the nation's award-winning Indian takeaway chefs are invited to compete in a contest in Bradford, the curry capital of Britain. Each is passionate about their own style of cooking, but they all have very different ideas about what makes the best Indian takeaway. For one, it is family recipes passed down through the generations, for another it is using the freshest ingredients grown on his own allotment and, for the third, it is taking inspiration from across India and adapting it for modern British tastes.