The Charles vs The Marks (heat one)
In heat one the Charles family from Yorkshire take on the Marks family from London.
Published: 28 July 2017
In heat one the Charles family from Yorkshire take on the Marks family from London.
The Charles family
“Dan’s list maker and I’m in charge. You’re to just do as you’re told!” - Betty
Betty (29) and her mother Jean (59) are originally from Bedfordshire but moved to Bridlington in Yorkshire with their family’s work. It was here that Betty met her husband Dan (32) 12 years ago. They married in 2015 after Dan proposed to Betty while on holiday in Rome.
Jean works for a children’s centre, Betty works in payroll for a construction company and Dan works for his family’s bookmaking business. He’s been known to leave betting slips scattered around the house with new recipes scribbled on.
They take inspiration for their food from their travels across Europe and Asia, to come up with new and exciting dishes for their family and friends. They don’t consider it a proper meal unless "there’s at least a starter and main” which they’ll cook fresh and from scratch.
The greenhouse in Betty and Dan’s garden is their pride and joy and a focal point of the house for the family. Dan loves being able to pick fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables that they’ve grown and use them in his dishes.
The Marks family
“We like working together. But part of our strategy actually is to keep my mother in check because that can also be quite challenging."
Torun (86) was born in Sweden, came to the UK when she was 30 years old and worked as a fashion designer. In her spare time enjoys going to her community church to socialise and for the tasty pastries people make. Torun has a real lust for life; she enjoys dancing in the kitchen and having a gin and tonic every day at 6pm.
Torun’s daughter Jessica (55) is a mother of three and lives in London. Jessica had a successful career in retail before becoming a nutritional therapist. She specialises in meal planning, health coaching and nutrition education.
Jessica’s eldest child, son Oskar (29), works at an independent record company. The Marks family enjoy cooking Swedish dishes that Torun has passed down to her family. Oskar tends to adapt the recipes using more exotic ingredients.
