Hestia and Sonshine.... watch The Kitchen

The Clapham Boys

So if you enjoy the insanity of Gogglebox (where you watch (on TV) people watching TV) have you tuned into The Kitchen?

It's on BBC2 and is sort of like Gogglebox, but with food.

The cameras follow a wide variety of families as they eat their way through their lives.  You can meet the Barry-Powers in Wales.  A blended family with several grown up children and a dog that comes out and in the kitchen window.

The Mitchell-Cotts who have named all their children after plants live in a sprawling (gorgeous) old farmhouse where their brood live a Swallows and Amazons life while their frazzled father does the cooking.



The Clapham boys who share a flat who prompted Blair to announce that he hoped that he would have a gay friend to share a flat with at University as they are 'very tidy'.  He is Tartarus's son without a doubt.  The tidy bit, not the gay friend bit.  They drink wine with dinner and do a lot of laughing together round their tiny kitchen table.

My favourites are the Harrars from Staffordshire where Mr Harrar has spent thousands on various kitchen gadgets (which don't seem to work - at least the crepe maker looked a bit crap) while his long-suffering wife and bemused adult sons look on.  Mr Harrar has Parkinson's Disease and has taken at least one item of food in the face to raise funds for charity.

My other favourites are the Evans - a mother/daughter/son combo who seem to live like best mates.  They say grace before every meal.  They are immaculately turned out in every episode - but would you expect anything less from fashion bloggers?

Last night Sonshine and I were  transfixed by The Bradshaws - a retired married couple who eat simple fare and clearly adore each other.  Mr Bradshaw has an amazing collection of brightly coloured clothes.  Mrs Bradshaw has eyebrows that would rival Amanda Palmer.

In last night's episode, the Bradshaws youngest son came to visit.  Mrs B opted to make chicken chausseur 'because we can all eat it'.

Their son turned up.

Troy.

With his friend Jeremy.  They had met at uni and now shared a flat.  Troy and Jeremy are 40.

Blair and I look at each other.

'So are they like the Clapham Boys then mum?' asks Blair.

'Maybe.'

'I don't think Mrs Bradshaw knows, do you?'

The chicken chausseur was removed from the oven.  Mr Bradshaw would only be eating his without the mushrooms and then, bafflingly, Mrs Bradshaw then washed off the sauce from one of the chicken breasts because she just took chicken 'plain'.

The two boys got the proper dish.

They all looked at photos of Mr and Mrs Bradshaw on their wedding day.  They were all celebrating the day that Mr Bradshaw had proposed to Mrs Bradshaw.

I don't even remember what YEAR I got proposed to in.  To be honest, Tartarus didn't so much as propose as I spotted a ring that I liked in a jewellers while we were out shopping for clothes for our forthcoming holiday to Lesbos.

Watch The Kitchen - I couldn't tell you a thing about the food, but the families are addictive!