Rick Stein’s Secret France – BBC2

(Image credit: BBC/Denham Productions/Arezoo Fa)

In this week’s Rick Stein’s Secret France on BBC2, the chef travels to the border regions of Alsace and Jura for a cheese and wine extravaganza

On a mission to find out if French food has really lost its mojo, Rick begins his second leg of his gastronomical travels in BBC2’s Rick Stein’s Secret France in Alsace, a region that borders Germany, which heavily influences its food and architecture (for full listings, see our TV Guide).

After a lunch of smoked meats and a French version of sauerkraut, he heads to a butcher that specialises in wild animals, especially boar, so dinner is a wild boar stew made, and eaten, with lashings of red wine.

Next is another border region, this time Jura, where cheese, and more cheese, is on the menu.

Good job as it's where comté, Rick’s favourite cheese, is produced.

Presumably after a long lie-down, Rick heads to Burgundy for – what else? – glorious wine.

Later, at his hideaway in Provence, Rick rustles up a simple but tasty tarte flambée, a blueberry tart, and stuffed chicken leg.

Magnifique!

TV Times rating: ****

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Joanne Lowles has been writing about TV since 2002. After graduating from Cardiff University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism, she worked for All About Soap magazine covering the ups and downs of life on the cobbles, the square and the Dales.

Next came nearly 10 years at TV Times magazine as a writer and then deputy features editor. Here she spent many happy days interviewing the biggest names in entertainment and visiting the sets of some of our most popular shows including Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing.

With a love of nature and wildlife she’s also interviewed the leading experts in this area including David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Steve Backshall. She’s also travelled the world visiting Mongolia, Canada and South Africa to see how the best in the business make the most brilliant natural history documentaries.

Freelance since 2013, she is now is a digital writer and editor for What to Watch, previews the best on the box for TV Times mag each week and loves being constantly surprised, entertained and informed by the amazing TV that she is lucky enough to watch.