Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

All about our feathery friends. This 'Best Of' episode of The Mind of a Chef opens the birdcage on some of our familiar (and some not so familiar) poultry dishes. Chinese chicken noodle soup, and chicken and dumplings make an appearance, but also stuffed Faroe Island puffin and duck-on-a-string get some screen time as well.

Around the world, food allergies are surging to near-epidemic levels. Medicine is just beginning to understand why some people react to seemingly harmless foods. Scientists race to understand what's changed in our bodies, while farmers and chefs contend with new challenges.

Spring has sprung at Diddly Squat Farm, and that heralds the release of cows and chickens from their winter captivity. Jeremy's restaurant plans are in tatters, but that's not the end of his dealings with the council, who are also sending letters raising issues about what's being sold in the shop itself. From here on in, Jeremy decides that he and all around him must operate in a world of loop-holes and just-within-the-law cunning wheezes. Pepper the prized heifer still isn't pregnant and her last chance saloon arrives in the shape of a bull called Break Heart Maestro.
A chat with Alan the builder provides a Eureka Moment: the restaurant idea is not dead after all! There's much excitement as building work begins and Jeremy meets a chef called Pip. There's less excitement when he has to take his first steer to the abattoir.

Jeremy's restaurant opens in a matter of days, but it's all on the QT. Jeremy does not want the council to find out until just before it opens. Which is why Jeremy and Kaleb are laying pipes for water and electrics across a field in the dead of night. Pepper the heifer is still very much alive and is enjoying the company of Break Heart Maestro a lot.
Two days until Restaurant Opening Day, Jeremy informs the council and it's game on: Alan and his team of builders work at full throttle, Pip and her team of chefs do too, and the blend of excitement and panic is affecting everyone. The day itself arrives. Will the Diddly Squat Farm Restaurant sink or swim? Or will the council shut it down before the first steak hits the grill?

This eye-opening documentary puts a simple but provocative question to the test: how much does what we eat really shape our bodies and our health? In a tightly controlled scientific experiment, identical twins adopt radically different diets and lifestyles for eight weeks, allowing researchers to isolate the impact of food itself. By combining cutting-edge science with deeply personal experiences, the series reveals how diet influences everything from energy and metabolism to long-term wellbeing.
In the first two episodes, the experiment begins as each pair of twins commits to either a plant-based or an omnivorous diet. As they adjust to unfamiliar routines, some changes feel surprisingly easy while others expose cravings, doubts, and unexpected challenges. Along the way, questionable dietary advice is put under the microscope, and a celebrity chef rethinks his approach to cooking, highlighting how habits, culture, and taste all collide when science meets the dinner table.

This beloved culinary travel series follows Phil as he journeys across the globe with boundless curiosity, a contagious laugh, and an appetite for connection. More than just a food show, each episode blends local traditions, heartfelt conversations, and cultural discoveries, as Phil shares meals with chefs, families, and friends who reveal the soul of their cities through flavor. With warmth, humor, and genuine enthusiasm, the series celebrates how food brings people together in the most unexpected and joyful ways.
In the first two episodes, Phil dives into Amsterdam’s vibrant culinary landscape, tasting everything from herring and smoked eel to sweet stroopwafels and fluffy pancakes, while sharing a memorable meal with Bridgerton star Claudia Jessie. He then heads to San Sebastián, the gastronomic jewel of Spain, indulging in exquisite pintxos, world-renowned seafood, and crisp Txakoli wine, savoring every bite in a city where culinary artistry is a way of life.