Anna Haugh’s Big Irish Food Tour is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC Northern Ireland as the celebrity chef returns home for a special culinary journey

Celebrity chef Anna Haugh is embarking on a culinary journey from Ballycastle in County Antrim to Cork city for the new BBC series Anna Haugh’s Big Irish Food Tour.

Anna will be travelling around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, exploring the culture and cuisine of her home. In each episode, Anna will be joined by a celebrity guest to meet the people behind some local produce and sample an array of ingredients and flavours the island of Ireland has to offer.

Throughout this 15 part series celebrity guests including Katherine Ryan, Dennis Taylor, Ed Byrne, Shayne Ward, Laura Whitmore and Carl Frampton share their own Irish food memories and don their aprons to help Anna prepare a special meal.

The full series will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer after episode one airs on BBC One Northern Ireland on Monday 6 January.

Anna says: “Irish food is my passion and it’s a passion that took me from Dublin to London to pursue my dreams.

“In this series I am returning home to rediscover what is incredible and unique about Irish food.”

In the first episode, Katherine Ryan joins Anna in the city of Cork – the ‘foodie capital of Ireland’ – where memories of her grandmother’s ‘over-boiled and under-seasoned’ dinners have left the comedian with a bad impression of Irish food.

In episode two snooker legend Dennis Taylor returns to the snooker hall in County Tyrone where it all began and after a spot of fishing, Anna and Dennis do some outdoor cooking with one of the area’s most unique delicacies – the Lough Neagh eel.

Later in the series, in her native Dublin, Anna meets actor Eilish O’Carroll from Mrs Brown’s Boys in an area of the city where traditional markets mix with global street food, and in County Antrim she visits a Ballycastle farm with garden designer Diarmuid Gavin.

The pair are put to work during potato planting season, and Anna later creates a goat hotpot for Diarmuid using these local spuds.

Far from the bright lights of London, Anna explores the rugged landscape of County Mayo with presenter Angela Scanlon and travels to Portrush on the north coast to meet actor Ian McElhinney.

In the seaside town, Ian reminisces about childhood holidays spent enjoying dulse, a local seaweed snack.

Other well-known faces joining Anna on her tour include, presenter Vanessa Feltz, Father Ted actor Pauline McLynn, wildlife broadcaster Liz Bonnin, rugby legend Bundee Aki and The Saturdays popstar Una Healy.

Anna’s journey comes to an end with singer and actor Shayne Ward in County Louth. Shayne is keen to connect with his Irish Traveller heritage and Anna introduces him to one of Ireland’s last surviving tinsmiths. They also visit a local farm where Shayne gets his hands dirty picking cabbage.

Anna Haugh’s Big Irish Food Tour was commissioned for BBC Daytime and BBC Northern Ireland as part of the Hot House initiative with support from Northern Ireland Screen.

The series, made by Below The Radar TV starts on Monday 6 January at 8pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland. The full series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer after episode one airs and will be broadcast on BBC Daytime in Spring 2025.

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Interview with Anna Haugh

What made you want to get involved with the series?

I’m passionate about food. I’m passionate about everything that comes from Ireland, from the culture to the produce and the people.

And when the production company, Below the Radar TV came to me and asked, “Would I like to travel around Ireland with amazing people like Katherine Ryan and Dennis Taylor?” How could I say no?

So a series like this, I feel like it was written for me and I hope everyone really enjoys it.

What was your favourite thing about working on the series?

I think it was every producer I met. I felt like I was looking in the mirror.

I feel the passion I have for my job, those producers have for theirs. And it was such a reassuring feeling to know that our food is in the right hands.

Where was your favourite stop on the tour?

This is really difficult because, you know, there are 15 stops and all of them were amazing.

But I have to say, I’ve never been to Belfast before, and when I arrived in the city, I just felt like I was returning home, even though I’d never been there before.

So I would definitely say that Belfast is probably up there.

Tell us what viewers can expect?

I don’t know what I was expecting when I embarked on this adventure, but one thing I can say is that I’ve learned a lot about Ireland.

I’ve learned a lot about my culture, and I feel even more proud and strongly about the beautiful landscapes and the wonderful produce that we have.

And viewers can expect to learn lots of things about Ireland. You’ll see the most amazing produce and get to know the celebrities who are on tour with me a little bit more.

Did you learn anything new or surprising about Irish food during your food tour?

I learned so much on this food tour. I learned how to fish and how to milk a sheep. I essentially could become a mussel farmer now as Angela Scanlon and I had a crash course working on a mussel farm. And I also learned how to box with Carl Frampton!

What is your favourite Irish food or meal?

I would say one of my favourite foods, even though it sounds like it’s not a food, is butter.

I think butter is a really important thing when I’m cooking, when I’m making sauces and when I’m creating a delicious soup.

I’m also a big fan of the boxty, be it the dumpling, the bread or pancake variety. Everyone should know how to make boxty.

Were there any cookery mishaps… you’d be willing to share?

Not so many cookery mishaps, but what you probably won’t be able to tell when you watch the programme is the battle I had with the wind.

I was constantly using things like baking trays and chopping boards when I was cooking outdoors, and somehow had to try and stop the gale force winds blowing out the gas so I could actually cook!

Give us three words to describe Irish food?

Only three words? That’s hard! Passion, seasonality and innovation.