Cook like the pros: our top recipes from famous telly chefs

We’ve loads of chefs on lovefood, but they don’t come any bigger or more famous than this lot.

Heston Blumenthal

The Chef’s chef, Heston is revered by every chef I’ve ever met. Yet he’s also carved out a TV career giving us a peep into his wonderful mind. Here are some of his easier recipes, with no liquid nitrogen required. 

Cheeseburgers: Homemade cheese, homemade sauce, and a char-grilled gherkin mean this burger is no ordinary offering. 

Chilli: it’s the spiced butter that gives the South American classic the edge – try it today

Beef and dumplings: (pictured above) good rib-sticking stuff from Mr B here. You can even prepare most of it three days ahead

The Hairy Bikers

Hair, bellies, bikes, it’s fair to say Si King and Dave Myers brought something fresh to TV cooking when they roared onto our screens. Here’s a selection of our favourite recipes. 

Potted salmon: kick off a meal in style with the boys’ fish in a dish

Meatloaf: Like a bat out of hell the bikers’ tasty meatloaf will be 'gone gone gone' in no time

Mac ’n cheese: this recipe sees pulled pork and crayfish added to the familiar pasta and cheese

Swiss roll: nothing neutral about this pud, instead it gives both barrels of luscious lemon

Michel Roux Jr

The French master, and most famous of the Roux clan, Michel is best known for dishing out stern glances and disappointment on Masterchef: The Professionals. Of course in real life he’s a total gent, as you can see from our exclusive video. Recipe-wise, we’ve got these two simple but effective dishes.

Cheese and ham pie: great served warm but equally great cold. Perfect for a buffet.

Baked apples with fruit mince: baked apple is the simplest of desserts, but the addition of spice and dry fruits make this a dessert for a special occasion.

Paul Hollywood

Popular with the ladies we hear, Paul plays bad cop to Mary’s good cop on Bake Off. It’s fair to say he knows his way around a bench and a bag of flour. Here then are our favourite Paul Hollywood recipes. 

Marble cake: remember to serve it ready sliced so everyone can appreciate the marble pattern.

Bacon and cheddar loaves: 'an absolute winner with the kids' says Paul.

Grilled vegetable picnic loaf recipe: this is great for picnics, but equally at home as part of a buffet in the colder months

Lorraine Pascale

The supermodel mum turned TV pastry chef, her Baking Made Easy was one of the BBC’s hit shows of 2011. Try some of these fabulous recipes.

Whoopie cakes: a tasty combination of sponge cake and buttercream icing, and far easier to eat than a cup cake.

Toad in the hole: sausages baked into a Yorkshire pudding mix, what’s not to like?

Mojito Genoese cake: a very light, buttery textured cake, which uses no chemical raising agent. Consequently it needs the living daylights whisked out of it!

James Martin

Host of Saturday Kitchen and lover of expensive sports cars, James Martin has been on our screens since 1996. 

Beef fillet with bacon and mushroom puree: good beef is key for this dish; the accompanying flavours are intense too.

Chicken livers and mushrooms on toast recipe: chicken livers are one of the few remaining inexpensive meats, just don't overcook them.

Pan-fried duck breast: duck has a great flavour and the combination of sweet pomegranate sauce, wilted watercress and spinach is perfect.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

The King of River Cottage, saviour of fish, and eater of all things lovely, Hugh has calmed down since the crazy days of Cook on the Wild Side and TV Dinners where he famously cooked and ate a placenta. He now campaigns for better fishing practices and animal welfare (issues we should all get behind). Despite doing all this, he’s still a dab hand in the kitchen, as these easy-to-follow recipes demonstrate. 

Sausage, parsnip and onion roast: easy, one-tray cooking. You can use cubes of potatoes instead of parsnips if you like. 

Celeriac, sprouts and bacon soup: celeriac sure ain’t no looker, but when cooked and blitzed in this soup it delivers a warm, earthy flavour. 

Grilled lamb, tomatoes and feta recipe: a taste of summer; if you want it more wintery, swap the feta for a blue cheese. 

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