Episode 1

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where we live, laugh and love. And it is central to one of the most powerful traditions in modern life - the family meal. In this documentary series, BBC Two follows eight very different households in their kitchens, capturing the spirit of life in Britain, as they cook, eat and share their lives at the kitchen table.

It is late August and Britain is in holiday mode. We meet the Barry-Powers blended family in Cardiff, where mum Louise is juggling the demands of five children and cooking multiple meals to keep the peace; the Evans family in Birmingham, where single mother Sue and her grown-up daughter Ginny are a double act to 10-year-old Gabriel; the Harrars in Staffordshire, who are passionate about their Punjabi recipes with a twist; and London flatsharers and serial daters Matt, Dave and Xanthi, who launch into a low-carb, muscle-building regime after over-indulging on a holiday abroad.

In Gloucester, the Garbutt family are enjoying a staycation, while Devonshire pensioners Marylyn and Wilfred are packing enough sandwiches to last their holiday to Wales. In Suffolk, the aristocratic Mitchell-Cotts family is coming up with imaginative ways to rustle up meals for a family of eight on a very tight budget, and in Buckinghamshire, the Gales are facing up to their 19-year-old son flying the nest.