National Trust Cookery Theatre at BBC Countryfile Live

Marcus Bean on the Cookery Theatre stage at Countryfile Live

From 1–4 August, you can catch some of the country’s best-loved chefs as they take to the stage of our Cookery Theatre at Countryfile Live.

They'll be giving demonstrations and sharing top tips, so you can discover how to make the most of quality meat, fruit and veg, or learn how to bake the perfect loaves and cakes. 

Our chefs will be using some of the tasty and environmentally-sustainable food and drink produced by our tenant farmers, and there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to try some for yourself.

We’ll also be announcing the winners of this year's Fine Farm Produce Awards in the Cookery Theatre on Friday 2 August. Now in its 14th year, the event recognises the best food and drink being produced on the farms and estates in our care.

See below for more information about the live cooking sessions, and to download the full session schedule.

Bread making

View the Cookery Theatre session schedule 

All sessions will be taking place in our Farmyard Cookery Theatre at Countryfile Live. Come along to pick up handy hints and maybe meet your favourite chefs.

Tom Herbert

Bread making

TV chef Marcus Bean, winner of Iron Chef UK and Tom Herbert, one of ‘The Fabulous Baker Brothers’ and author of Do Wild Baking, will demonstrate how to make the best of three simple ingredients - flour, yeast and water.

Henry Herbert

Cooking with meat

Want to find out how to make the most of British meat? It all comes down to knowing what’s in season and how to bring out the flavours of any cut of meat. Join Marcus Bean, butchery expert and one of the 'Fabulous Baker Brothers' Henry Herbert, MasterChef winner Saliha Mahmood Ahmed and chef and cookery writer Gill Meller to find out how to get the most from your Sunday roast.

Clive Goudercourt

Free from...

More and more people are choosing to go gluten-free, or finding themselves to be gluten intolerant, so chefs and recipe-writers have started creating and adapting lots of delicious gluten-free options Join Marcus Bean, Tom and Henry Herbert and the National Trust’s very own chef Clive Goudercourt who will be sharing their tips on how to make gluten free dishes for everyone to enjoy.

Melissa Hemsley

Sensationally seasonal

Using food that is in season is a sustainable and delicious way to cook. Marcus Bean, Melissa Hemsley, of the Hemsley sisters, MasterChef winner Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, and chef and writer Gill Meller will all be taking to the stage to demonstrate how you can make the most of fresh seasonal produce.

Martha Collison

Afternoon tea delights

No English summer afternoon is complete without tea and cakes. Join experts Marcus Bean, chef patron of Couch’s Great House Richard McGeown and Bake Off contestant Martha Collison to help make sure your homemade treats always rise to the occasion.

Richard McGeown

Brilliant baking

Sometimes you just can’t beat a piece of cake. From pastries to puddings and even the humble biscuit, baking is something that the whole family can get involved in. Showcasing some of their favourite recipes will be Marcus Bean, Richard McGeown and Martha Collison.

Steve Conisbee in a field with sheep

Fine Farm Produce Awards 2019

Every year we reward and celebrate the ingenuity of our best farmers and producers with the annual Fine Farm Produce Awards. Find out more about the awards that recognise the talent of the tenant farmers that work on the land we care for.