Jamie Oliver is going off-menu—and off the beaten path—for Channel 4. The longtime food personality fronts Jamie Cooks: Georgia, a one-off travel special set to air Monday, May 26 at 7 p.m., diving into the country’s deep-rooted food culture from the capital to the vineyards.
Shot on location across Georgia, the hour tracks Oliver as he trades his Essex kitchen for the spice-laden markets of Tbilisi, the clay wine cellars of Kakheti, and a seat at a traditional Supra—the region’s ritualistic feast where food, music, and toasts collide.
In Tbilisi, Oliver is led through the Dezerter Bazaar by local chef Meriko, learning how herbs and seasonal produce drive much of the country’s cooking. From there, he gets hands-on with Khinkali, Georgia’s iconic dumplings, and tries his hand at rolling them under the eye of local experts.
Out in wine country, Oliver joins a family preparing Chakapuli—young lamb cooked with tarragon and spring greens—over open flames. Other dishes on the table include cured meats, wild asparagus salad, raw beetroot, and cheese aged in clay pots. The feast wraps with sizzling pork grilled over grapevines and hit with a pomegranate glaze.
The episode balances Oliver’s on-the-ground discoveries with a return to home turf. Back in Essex, he builds a Sunday roast chicken using Georgian spices, charred roots, and a sharp walnut salsa verde.
Part culinary tour, part cultural deep-dive, Jamie Cooks: Georgia comes as travel food formats continue to perform in primetime and on-demand, with buyers chasing titles that carry both visual flair and regional flavour. While no series has been announced, Oliver’s ongoing pivot toward immersive food travel—previously seen in Jamie’s Italian Christmas and Jamie Cooks the Mediterranean—suggests room to expand.
“Jamie Cooks: Georgia” airs Monday, May 26th at 7:00 PM on Channel 4.
