Season two of ‘Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted’ kicks off in SA

Gordon Ramsay laces his boots, grabs his knives and buckles up as he hits the road again in the second season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, premiering 26 August at 9pm on National Geographic (DStv 181, StarSat 220).

The multi-Michelin-star chef and Ironman athlete continues his adventure across the globe in his relentless pursuit of culinary inspiration.

Starting in South Africa, cooking with popular local chef Zola Nene, Ramsay turns up the heat and feasts his way through Indonesia, Louisiana, Norway, India, Tasmania and Guyana.

“We are exploring seven new regions this season, each with vastly different culinary customs and history,” said Ramsay. “We get the opportunity to learn from the locals and hear their stories, and that gives us a much deeper experience and understanding of the world around us.”

Gordon Ramsay in South Africa. Picture: National Geographic

In this new season, Ramsay journeys deep into the landscape of each place he visits, scaling mountains, battling three-metre waves, braving frigid temperatures and bushwhacking his way through the backcountry to forage for some of the finest ingredients in the world.

From swimming in great white shark-infested waters to participating in a traditional bull run, Ramsay risks life and limb in his biggest and boldest missions yet to achieve edible excellence.

Under the guidance of local experts and food legends he meets along the way, he partakes in culinary customs and learns about delicious delicacies and fresh flavours unique to each region.

Every ingredient he harvests, dish he tastes and person he meets will inspire him to create a recipe from scratch, intended to represent the heart of that culture.

Each episode concludes with Ramsay challenging himself during a final big cookout with a local food legend by his side, as they prepare a meal together for locals he met during his journey.

Gordon Ramsay prepares a feast using local ingredients in New Zealand. Picture: National Geographic

Some of the adventures – culinary and otherwise – that Ramsay has this season include:

• Leaping from a helicopter into high waves to harvest mussels along the South African coast;
• Participating in a traditional bull race in a remote West Sumatran rice paddy field;
• Braving Tasmania’s stormy waters to hose-dive among the rocks for giant spiny lobsters;
• Exploring a bat-infested Indonesian cave system in search of giant prawns;
• Racing a four-wheeler through Louisiana’s dangerously muddy back roads to forage for fresh greens and hunt for bullfrogs and crawfish;
• Plunging into Norway’s frigid waters to uncover the bounty of ingredients within the fjords;
• Battling strong surf to catch fish using traditional techniques in South India – that is, with a 90kg net out at sea.

“Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted became a firm favourite on the channel when it launched last year and we are thrilled that his latest journey begins right here in South Africa.

“Chef Zola brings her delightful charm and unique expertise to the table, guiding Ramsay on how to pull off the perfect chakalaka among other distinctly and deliciously local dishes,” said Evert van der Veer, vice president of Media Networks for The Walt Disney Company Africa.

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