Big Cook, Little Cook

Did You Know?

• An official magazine was launched in August 2005.
• Cake Entertainment holds worldwide distribution rights to the revival.
• The original series is available on BritBox, Prime Video, and DVD.

Format

Each episode typically begins with Big Cook Ben or Jen and Little Cook Small engaged in an activity or facing a problem, after which a customer arrives at the café door. Small gives hints to the viewers and the other chef about the customer's identity, then tells a short story about the visitor, ending each story by proclaiming himself the real hero. The cooks then decide to prepare a meal for the customer from Big Cook's recipe book, collecting ingredients from the fridge, freezer, cupboard, fruitbowl, or vegetable basket (the latter two added in series 3). If an ingredient is missing or if one of the two wants to know how an ingredient is made, Small flies away on his magic spoon-mobile to visit factories or plantations, primarily in the UK, Germany, Austria, France, and occasionally other countries. During preparation, Big Cook reminds viewers to ask a grown-up helper about knives, allergies, and electrical appliances. Once the meal is finished and served, they sing a cleaning-up song, and the customer gives them a gift that solves the original problem. Each episode ends with Ben or Jen and Small saying "See you soon. Activities like washing and tidying are accompanied by songs and dance routines. The cooks speak in an expansive, overblown style and frequently rhyme, with Big Cook doing most of the actual cooking and instructing viewers, while Small handles some preparation or sets the timer. Some aerial shots of Small flying were filmed over Skipton, North Yorkshire. In the revival series, the pattern remains the same except that the part where Big Cook collects the ingredients is omitted, and there is always one ingredient missing.