Government to fund TV food show

Amanda Lamb is best known as host of Channel 4's A Place in the Sun

The Food Standards Agency is to partly fund a new family culinary competition for digital channel UKTV Food.

Family Cook Off, to be co-judged in the autumn by Amanda Lamb, is being produced by the makers of the BBC's Masterchef series.

It is the first time that the government agency has directly given funding for a television programme.

UKTV Food will be relaunched on 22 June as Good Food and will also feature repeats of Jamie Oliver's shows.

The competition will see teams of two family members go head-to-head in a bid to produce nutritious meals.

Recipes and culinary skills across the generations will be tested in a series of heats, semi-finals and a final, with the winner being crowned Britain's best cooking family.

The teams will have to cook together at the same time in a bid to impress the judges, Lamb and chef Paul Merret.

The FSA's Rosemary Hignett said: "Family Cook Off will encourage family members to try new foods and make their traditional family meals healthier."