Guest Author - Pam Lawrence

Take two beefy, hairy Northern lads, two big Triumph motorcycles and add a dash of culinary exploration. What you have is a recipe for a unique and often hilarious look at world cuisine, The Hairy Bikers Cookbook.

Dave Myers and Si King make the show work because they aren't actors with any pretensions, or any experience as presenters. They are, however, absolute naturals in front of the camera. The two met 18 years ago while working on the set of a Catherine Cookson drama. Myers, formerly a furnace man from Barrow-in-Furness was working as a make up artist- specializing in prosthetics, and King was a first assistant director, and locations managers.

When the pilot for The Hairy Bikers Cookbook aired in the UK in 2005, public reaction was extraordinary. After exploring Portugal for this initial show, BBC TWO took the fellas on board for twelve programmes, with six regions are featured in two half hour segments each. The first series charts adventures in Namibia Ireland/Isle of Man, and Transylvania, with the second exploring Turkey, Vietnam and Mexico.

BBC Canada viewers are lucky to have the show right now, and I caught it on Saturday afternoon, quite by chance. This first episode opens as the boys go roaring through the deserts of Namibia. Great place for a barbie, they reckon, so the next thing we know, here they are with drum BBQ and a table set up for prep, with nothing around but acres of pure African desert. There they sit, preparing crocodile satay, zebra burgers, and oryx rolled steak. It all looks delicious, and the commentary is priceless. My favourite line came as they prepare to eat : “It's Longleat on a platter !” (Longleat being a well known safari park in the UK)

Their 'have a go' enthusiasm lights up the screen, as their absolute gusto for what they are doing shines through. As they talk locals into sometimes intoxicated chat, they serve up a delightful eyeful of social mores from other cultures, and they're so likable and charming, it's infectious. Who wouldn't give them another beer ?

For some more interesting insights into what the Hairies are up to next, their web site is well worth a visit. There are some great recollections and pictures from the shows, and some yummy recipes. Apparently, they are in Southern India at the moment, researching another culinary conquest. If you love your curry like I do, I can't wait to see what they get up to there.

The Hairy Bikers Cookbook is a refreshing change from old potty mouthed Ramsay and his primadonna attitude that food is best left to chefs. These guys show us anyone who is a foodie can do it- with a certain hairy flair.