The Cook and the Chef
Season 4
The Cook and the Chef was an Australian television series featuring cook Maggie Beer and chef Simon Bryant. The Cook and the Chef was screened on ABC1 and was filmed in the Barossa Valley, South Australia.
In July 2009, Maggie and Simon announced they had decided to end the series after four years. The Finale aired on 16 September 2009 with "Party" as the theme of the episode.
In July 2009, Maggie and Simon announced they had decided to end the series after four years. The Finale aired on 16 September 2009 with "Party" as the theme of the episode.
Where to Watch Season 4
32 Episodes
- Australia Now
E1Australia NowMaggie and Simon reflect upon their own experience of the evolution of Australian food. In the kitchen Maggie cooks a meat pie, but one with a difference: hers has rabbit. She follows it up with an iconic Aussie dish, the pavlova, throwing in some macadamias. Simon makes a delicious kangaroo salad, followed by some refreshing green tea. - The Italian Influence
E2The Italian InfluenceIn this episode Maggie and Simon explore the huge influence of Italian migration on Australian cuisine. Maggie explains how her early childhood led to Italy and a cooking school in Tuscany. Simon recreates some classic Italian dishes and adds a twist and we visit Armando and Maria Matteucci, an Italian couple whose abundant garden and kitchen give us a taste of the Italian food culture that has helped to shape the way we eat today. - Native Foods
E7Native FoodsIn this episode Maggie and Simon cook with Australian Native Foods – ‘old’ or wild foods that have not been altered by breeding so they retain high levels of vitamins and antioxidants. These foods provided indigenous Australians with a varied and rich diet for over 40,000 years before European settlement. Maggie and Simon demonstrate how native foods can add unique flavours to everyday recipes, we visit the Spirit Festival for some traditional bush tucker and see how students at Renmark High School are cultivating a commercial crop of Kutjera or Desert Raisins. - The 1970's
E9The 1970'sMaggie and Simon revive some classic dishes from the 70s, with Maggie making a Chook Veronique - the first meal she ever served at a dinner party - while Simon cooks up his version of Duck a L'Orange, along with Dauphinoise potatoes. Food critic Leo Schofield reminisces about the bad old days of stodgy French provincial restaurants and to finish off, Maggie and Simon serve up a chocolate mousse and Apple Fool. - The 1980's
E13The 1980'sThis week the 1980s are making a comeback, as Simon and Maggie celebrate the time when Aussie food came of age and the work of three very special cooks: Gay Bilson, Tony Bilson and Janni Kyritsis. In the 1980s Maggie was busy running her famous restaurant The Pheasant Farm. Simon fondly remembers eating there as a teenager but he did think it all looked like organised chaos! Maggie realises that she wasn’t the only one working hard in the '80s though: it was an age of growing wealth but as disposable incomes expanded our spare time dwindled. To save precious time more people were going out to eat, so it was a great age for Australian restaurants as emerging chefs carved out a distinctive Aussie style. - Early Settlement
E15Early SettlementIn this episode Maggie and Simon travel back around 150 years to a time in Australia’s history when rations were doled out to workers and meat became not just a symbol of Australia’s prosperity, but a major part of the Australian diet. With the challenge of using meat, flour, sugar, tea and salt Maggie starts simply, but can’t resist going upmarket while Simon cooks some real bush favourites, making sure to use a good measure of rum! To top it off, we visit a hard-working shearer’s cook to see if mutton still plays a big part in the shearing crew’s diet. - Modern Chef
E16Modern ChefIn this episode our Cook & Chef pay homage to the one of the young chefs making a name for himself in Australia today. With his restaurant named as one of the top fifty in the world, Melbourne based chef Shannon Bennett is pushing the boundaries of modern French Cuisine and fine dining. Inspired by Shannon’s unique style and technique Maggie & Simon cook four irresistible dishes, Steak Tartare and Slow Cooked Lamb, followed by Chocolate Mousse and Quince and Prune Croustillant. - Recipe Books + Charmaine Solomon
E17Recipe Books + Charmaine SolomonMaggie and Simon both love cookbooks so this week Maggie shows off her collection and admits that acquiring cookbooks is a bit of an addiction! Simon still loves and uses one of the first cookbooks he ever bought: Charmaine Solomon’s famous guide to Asian cooking, a book which helped to change forever the way Australians shopped, cooked and ate. - Modern Chinese
E21Modern ChineseMaggie and Simon pay tribute to chef Kylie Kwong, attempting some of her famous recipes from one of her cookbooks. Simon first prepares a simple but delicious dish centered on a classic Chinese ingredient, fresh silken tofu while Maggie tries her hand at Sung Choi Bao. Later on, Simon shows off his take on Kylie's Chinese fried eggs while Maggie reproduces Kylie's oxtail. - Talking Thai
E22Talking ThaiTonight Simon revels in his favourite Thai food, and encourages heat- avoiding Maggie to “dip a toe” into this chilli laden cuisine. The resulting savoury and sweet dishes are delicate, exquisitely complex and beautifully balanced in flavour, and surprisingly Maggie friendly! - Andrew Fielke
E23Andrew FielkeThis program has a real Australian flavour. Lemon Aspen, Anise Myrtle, Davidson Plum and yabbies are just some of the fantastic Australian native foods Maggie and Simon experiment with this week. In fact, they reckon that if we all planted native bushfoods in our gardens and used them in our cooking, a unique Australian cuisine would evolve that’s jam packed with bold flavours and nutrition and perfectly suited to our climate. - Lebanese Food
E26Lebanese FoodTonight Maggie and Simon tip their hats to the magical Mediterranean flavours of Lebanese cuisine. Pomegranate, lemon juice, pine nuts, olives and walnuts are just some of the fresh ingredients employed to embrace the food and the shared style of dining typical of Lebanese culture. - The Barossa
E27The BarossaMaggie and Simon pay homage to the regional food culture of the Barossa Valley. Graham Linke provides an insight into the centuries old method of smoking meats before Maggie cooks a dish from her first days in the valley, and after teasing some secrets from numerous bakers and butchers, Simon valiantly attempts some old German specialities. - A Party
E32A PartyAs they say, all good things have to come to an end and sadly tonight’s program is the very last of the Cook and the Chef, but to go out with a bang and to celebrate four fabulous years, Maggie & Simon are cooking for a party, to thank everyone who has helped make the show a success.
