Joe Swash aims to 'transform lives' across the UK with latest TV show
Joe Swash has cemented his position as a TV cook after landing a second run of his Channel 4 series Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less.
The show, which he fronts alongside batch-cooking expert Suzanne Mulholland, pulled in more than a million viewers for its first run earlier this year, as families across the country tuned in to discover how to make their time and money go further.
Now bosses have decided the pair can expand on their useful advice about cooking and freezing meals to help avoid unhealthy processed food, and have ordered another six episodes for next year.
Joe and Suzanne told the Mirror: 'We're both excited to keep spreading the word about the power of batch cooking and look forward to teaming up again to transform the lives of families around the UK.'
Joe is the main cook for his family, which comprises wife Stacey Solomon and their household of five kids. Between them, at their home in Essex, they have teens Leighton and Zachary plus younger trio Rex, five, Rose, three, and two-year-old Belle.
His role as a TV chef came after he reached the final of Celebrity MasterChef in 2021. Joe, 43, says that he loves to cook, with his favourite meals being Sunday roasts and the Christmas dinner. That will come in handy because Batch from Scratch, made in partnership with supermarket Lidl, will also have a festive special at the end of the year.
In the programme, families who are striving to eat well while sticking to a budget sign up to try out nutritious, stress-busting recipes and clever kitchen hacks. The plan is to help cut meal prep time right down by batch cooking, freezing and storing multiple meals.
When the series first launched, Joe said: 'The last few years have seen every one of us juggling so many stresses, not least the rising cost of our food. Suzanne and I are hoping to give households the tools to not just save the pennies and the pounds, but also have more time to spend on being together as a family.'
Joe's co-host Suzanne, is a bona fide expert having published five books about batch cooking.
One family last time around were spending more than £250 a week on food - double the national average for their family of five, and were also relying heavily on convenience food. Suzanne and Joe created a 28-day meal plan for the family, showing them how to make a healthy macaroni cheese and burgers from scratch, using pre-grated cheese and pre-chopped vegetables to save time.
Made in Cardiff, the six-part second series will air next year. Casting opens tomorrow, and families interested in being on the show should head to channel4.com/take-part.
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