Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook: London

Rachel celebrates the quirkiness and individuality of London fashion in her kitchen – proving it’s more about creativity than the price tag when it comes to getting your food looking and tasting good. She samples some inspired cooking at a pop-up restaurant nestled in the back of a boutique and visits a hip rooftop venue to sample some food that’s bang on trend. Back in her kitchen she revamps a classic Seventies dessert, shows us how to make a salad the star attraction and transforms everyday pasta into a real head-turner of a dish.

Rachel discovers the ways London’s food scene is pulling in the crowds and thinks about some crowd-pleasing food she can create in her own kitchen. She joins the party at a foodie gathering with a festival atmosphere in east London, and discovers the simple secret to the success of a legendary 24-hour bagel shop that she’s loved since she was a student. At home she puts a twist on chilli and tortillas for friends to tuck into, creates some simple colourful canapés perfect for a party and creates a sophisticated jelly for grown-ups.

Being back in London where she was born and bred, Rachel is feeling nostalgic about the food she enjoyed growing up. She relives her childhood joy of ice cream and discovers a very modern take on this treat at a unique ‘ice cream lab’ in north London. She also visits a little Austrian café and joins the chef in the kitchen to create one of her family’s favourite bakes – strudel.

From gourmet burgers to high-end patisserie, London is awash with delicious fast food. Rachel samples a selection of the capital’s exciting fast food, and demonstrates how such treats can be effortless to cook at home. She meets Lisa, whose popular hot Taiwanese sandwiches bring back memories of Rachel’s own childhood. And in south London, Rachel gets into the kitchen with Trinidadian cook Brian to create some intense flavours for his Caribbean Jerk Chicken. Back in her kitchen, Rachel creates a twist on an icon of fast food and shows us how to create breakfast, lunch and dinner from one quick bread recipe.

London is a vast and fast city, and life can be hectic – but sometimes it’s important to take things easy. Rachel enjoys some lazy days, uncovering the city’s quieter corners where she can wind down and take things easy. A peaceful bike ride along the canal melds into a lazy brunch and she meets with Tom, who rustles her up a summery salad from his urban garden – a space that acts as his larder as well his sanctuary. Back in her kitchen, Rachel cooks comforting food to suit a relaxed mood – with a cake perfect for a picnic, a melt-in-the-mouth pork dish that practically cooks itself and a vegetarian twist on a classic dish.

Rachel explores London’s love affair with the East and reflects how this mirrors her own European and Asian family mix. Reviving a favourite childhood tradition with some friends, Rachel selects lunch from Dim Sum trollies in China Town. She also joins Andrew, a young chef in west London, who teaches her a spectacular noodle pulling technique. Back in her kitchen, Rachel shows us how to use up leftover meat from a roast in an Asian bun, makes her favourite Malaysian dessert with a traditional British twist and cooks an intensely flavoured chicken dish from her mum that captures the fusion of East meets West.

London is full of tradition and whilst the new and creative inspire Rachel, dishes that have stood the test of time intrigue her too. This time she explores some of her most loved culinary traditions and puts a twist on some time-honoured favourites. Rachel meets Austin to discover the family recipe that keeps generations of customers coming back to his traditional café. She also enjoys the great British tradition of going to the pub, and finds out the secret to why this pub’s bar snack of Scotch eggs are so successful. Back in her kitchen, Rachel puts her own mark on a traditional fry-up, cooks a no-fuss Sunday roast and creates posh patisserie from some traditional pudding flavours.

London’s transport systems are iconic and ingrained on the Londoner’s psyche, not just as an essential part of life but part of the capital’s identity – and it’s London on the move that inspires Rachel’s cooking this time. She’s the guest at an unusual supper club where the food served up in a tube carriage, and she rolls her sleeves up to make sausage and mash for some hungry taxi drivers in one of London’s historic cab shelters. Back in her kitchen, Rachel creates a posh packed lunch and a healthy soup for busy people on the move, plus a sweet and colourful homage to the London Underground.

Rachel looks beyond the capital’s numerous chain stores and the mass-produced, and instead seeks out the individual, quirky and homespun food trends that catch her attention. She visits Ole, who has turned the basement of his north London home into a Norwegian style smokehouse for salmon. She also meets Lillie, a shopkeeper whose shelves are lined with bespoke preserves – all produced by hand on her hob at home. Back in her kitchen, Rachel gives us a cheat’s guide to smoked fish, finds delicious success in salting her own beef and takes home-baking to new heights.