Television series

Delicious

Name: Delicious
Genre: Drama
Released: 2016
Cast: Dawn French, Emilia Fox, Iain Glen, Sheila Hancock, Ruarí O'Connor

Drama

A Cornish drama about two women bound by betrayal—a chef and her husband's new wife—who must navigate secrets, scandal, and unexpected friendship while their shared past threatens everything. Sensual, character-driven, funny when it counts. For anyone who loves domestic complexity wrapped in beautiful settings and excellent food.

TVMaze rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like messy, sensual family drama where two women who share a man's history are forced to be civil, and the food and Cornish setting do real emotional work.

Skip it if the plot runs on slow-burn secrets and soapy melodrama, so if you tire of betrayal-driven storylines, the wait can feel long.

What it asks of you: Twelve hour-long episodes across three seasons, unhurried and talky, with long stretches of kitchen and cliff-top scenery that rewards patience more than attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Fleabag2016

Razor-sharp writing about messy women navigating love, family, and self-sabotage with brutal honesty and infectious humour. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's command of tone—swinging between laugh-out-loud and quietly devastating—is masterful.

But The fourth-wall breaks take adjustment, and the relentless self-awareness can feel exhausting if you're not in the mood for that much internal monologue.

Normal People2020

Intimate, unflinching portrayal of two people whose connection spans years and repeatedly fractures. The quiet intensity of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal makes every glance matter. Genuinely moves you.

But Long stretches have almost no dialogue, which some find meditative and others find punishing. The relationship dynamics can be painful to watch.

The Affair2014

Structures itself around unreliable memory and competing versions of truth. Each episode retells the same events from a different character's perspective, revealing how we lie to ourselves. Sophisticated and gripping.

But Five seasons is a commitment, and the later ones lose momentum. Some storylines outstay their welcome considerably.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Delicious

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Burnt2015

Both centre food as the visible expression of internal chaos; both show how ambition and love collide catastrophically when the same person is at the heart of both.

Bradley Cooper plays a chef destroying and rebuilding himself through obsessive pursuit of Michelin stars. A character study disguised as a kitchen drama, with food as the language of ambition and atonement.

But Stylish but hollow—the film believes in its protagonist's redemption more than you will. Some find it aggressively one-note about male genius.

Olive Kitteridge2014

Four-part miniseries about a retired teacher navigating small-town life, regret, and unexpected connection. Beautifully acted by Frances McDormand, with the kind of quiet emotional depth that lingers after you finish.

But Nothing much happens in the conventional sense. If you need plot momentum, this will feel like standing still.

Broadchurch2013

A child's murder tears apart a picturesque seaside village, exposing secrets everyone thought were buried. David Tennant and Olivia Colman are phenomenal, and the writing never takes the easy way out.

But Relentlessly bleak and sometimes gratuitously cruel. The third series divides viewers sharply—many stop after season two.

Happy Valley2014

A tough Yorkshire police sergeant confronts her daughter's killer while raising her orphaned grandson. Sarah Lancashire is extraordinary—funny, furious, heartbroken, all at once. Writing that treats violence with moral weight.

But Contains sexual violence and its aftermath as central plot points. Not light viewing, and the violence is never presented as entertainment.

The Split2018

Family law drama centred on an all-female law firm unpicking the messy business of marriage, divorce, and what we owe each other. Sharp writing, excellent ensemble, genuinely funny about how we betray ourselves.

But Some plots feel slightly overstuffed, and the final season rushes to wrap things up. The scope occasionally exceeds the grip.

Godless2017

A Western town run by women hires a man who doesn't quite fit. Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery are magnetic, and the show uses genre tropes to explore power, faith, and how we wound each other.

But Pacing can be uneven across the single season, and some secondary plots don't land. The premise is stronger than some of its execution.

Doctor Foster2015

A woman discovers her husband's infidelity and methodically dismantles his life in return. Suranne Jones is magnificent, and the exploration of justified rage and how revenge corrupts the avenger is genuinely gripping.

But The protagonist's actions become increasingly unethical, which puts some viewers off. The second series loses the tightness that made the first so deadly.

Under the Tuscan Sun2003

Both use gorgeous European landscape and cooking as a language for rebuilding after betrayal; both insist that friendship between women can be more durable than marriage.

A woman buys a crumbling villa in Italy on impulse after her marriage falls apart, and gradually builds a new life among unexpected friendships. It's optimistic without being naive, and genuinely lovely to spend time in.

But Aggressively romantic about fresh starts and self-discovery. If you're allergic to that register of hope, this will feel saccharine.

The Killing2011

Both explore how a lie at the centre of a relationship radiates outward, poisoning everything around it; both treat infidelity not as melodrama but as a structural crack that brings the whole edifice down.

A Danish detective hunts a child's killer while her personal life disintegrates. Bleak, methodical, and hypnotic—Sarah Lund's singularity of purpose comes at a cost that the show unflinchingly measures. Magnificent television.

But Brutally slow-burn, subtitled, and morally uncompromising. If you need resolution or catharsis, it will frustrate you. The third season is weaker than the first two.