I can't think of many people's cooking I would rather eat than Giorgio Locatelli's. A meal at Locanda Locatelli, his restaurant in London's West End always feels like a special occasion. It is quietly glamorous (last time they sat me next to Liz Hurley) and the food is elegantly understated rather than of the 'bells and whistles' variety so boorishly prevalent elsewhere.

Now Giorgio has his own television series in which he cooks,shops,shoots and fishes alongside entrepreneur and restaurateur Tony Allan. Tony's queasy tuna burger aside, much of the food is positively dreamy, be it Giorgio's silky tortelli with wild mushrooms or Tony's tender salt beef with mustard dumplings.

The series is so engrossing you probably won't have time to write down the recipes for, say, risotto with quail or eggless chocolate cake so you may be glad to know that the accompanying book, Tony and Giorgio (Fourth Estate, £20) is a TV cookbook that is, for once, worth the price of admission. Here are some of Tony and Giorgio's ravishing recipes, and a bit of their kitchen wisdom too. If you watch only one TV cookery series this year, let this be the one.
Nigel Slater

Scallops with bacon and bubble and squeak cakes
Capesante con pancetta e crocchette di patate e cavolo

As far as I'm concerned, scallops are the king of shellfish. This is a killer recipe that combines the lovely sea-fresh sweetness of scallops with the campfire smokiness of bacon, the tang of a gribiche-style vinaigrette,and the comforting texture of bubble 'n' squeak.
Tony

Serves 4 12 hand-dived scallops
12 thinly cut dry-cured smokes bacon rashers
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bubble and squeak cakes:
500gleftover roast potatoes
250gany leftover cooked greens,e.g.cabbage, Brussels sprouts,spring greens
a little semolina or flour,for dusting
2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the red wine vinaigrette:
8 tbsp good-quality vegetable oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small hard-boiled egg,shelled and chopped
2 tbsp capers,rinsed,drained and roughly chopped
2 cocktail gherkins,finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped mixed tarragon,parsley and chervil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper, then remove the corals and set aside. To make the bubble and squeak cakes, finely chop the scallop corals and put them in a bowl with the roast potatoes and greens. Mash with a fork until the mixture begins to hold together and then season well to taste. Divide the mixture into four and shape into cakes.Dust lightly with semolina or flour and chill for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the vegetable oil and red wine vinegar together. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.Set aside until ready to use.

Wrap a bacon rasher around the edge of each scallop and secure with a cocktail stick, then set aside. Heat a frying pan, add the vegetable oil and fry the bubble and squeak cakes for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Keep warm until ready to serve. Heat a ridged griddle pan until hot, put the bacon-wrapped scallops in it and cook until the bacon is golden all over, rolling the scallops over with tongs to colour it evenly.Then lay the scallops flat and cook for one minute on each side. Put the bubble and squeak on 4 serving plates and arrange the scallops on top. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Spaghetti with anchovy and tuna
Spaghetti all' acciughe e tonno

This is storecupboard cooking at its easiest. Virtually all you need is a can of tuna and a can of anchovies plus a couple of tomatoes,and in a matter of minutes you'll have one of the classics of Italian cooking on the table. The great thing about it is that it tastes as if you've gone to a lot of effort.
Giorgio

Serves 4
350g spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, each cut into quarters
4 anchovy fillets in oil,drained
250g canned tuna in olive oil,drained
50ml white wine
50g capers, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, diced
10 basil leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 8 minutes, until al dente - tender but still firm to the bite. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and fry over a gentle heat for 3 minutes. Add the anchovy fillets and cook very gently until almost melting. Increase the heat and add the tuna.Toss for a few minutes, then add the white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Stir in the capers and tomatoes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce, mix in the basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil and season to taste. Add a little of the cooking water if the pasta seems too dry, then serve. In Italy,you wouldn't put cheese on a pasta with any sort of seafood,even canned tuna.

Chorizo sandwich with tomato salsa
Panino di chorizo con una salsa piccante

We Brits are pretty proud of our bangers but it's hard to beat a Spanish chorizo, with its belt of garlic,smoked paprika and chilli. It's one of those sausages that turn into an instant meal as soon as you look at them.
Tony

Serves 4
4 fresh chorizo sausages
8 thin slices of sourdough bread
50g rocket
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tomato salsa:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion,finely chopped
1 garlic clove,finely chopped
1 red chilli,finely chopped
400g can of chopped tomatoes
10 sunblush (semi-dried) tomatoes,finely chopped

For the salsa, heat the olive oil in a saucepan,add the onion, garlic and chilli and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and sunblush tomatoes and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture has reduced to a thick paste. Season to taste. Heat a ridged griddle pan until very hot. Slice the chorizo sausages in half lengthways and cook on the griddle, cutside down,for about 5 minutes, until they are charred and the paprika-red juices and oil run out. Turn the sausages over and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Place the bread on the hot griddle, pressing it down on to the pan until it is golden and charred and has soaked up the chorizo juices (you will probably have to do this in batches). Remove from the griddle, spread the salsa over 4 slices of the bread and top with the chorizo. Toss the rocket in the lemon juice and place on top of the chorizo. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with the remaining pieces of bread. Serve immediately.

Hake in a bag with fennel salad
Nasello in scabeccio e insalata di finocchio

The flaky flesh of hake really suits the 'cooking in the bag' method, which steams the fish without breaking it up and imbues it with the flavours of the lemon and parsley. I very much like the idea of serving the fish with a hot vinaigrette of herbs and garlic - the vinegar seems to wake up everything on the plate.
Giorgio

Serves 4
4x200g hake fillets,skinned
juice of 1/2 lemon
125ml olive oil
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
8 sage leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
4 bay leaves
100ml white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fennel salad:
2 fennel bulbs,very finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Place each hake fillet on a large square of foil and drizzle over the lemon juice and a little of the oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over a third of the chopped parsley. Wrap the fillets in the foil to make 4 parcels,sealing the edges. Bake for 15 minutes. Heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan until very hot, then add the garlic, sage leaves, rosemary sprig,bay leaves, the remaining parsley and a pinch of salt. Slowly add the vinegar a little at a time,being careful not to let it reduce the temperature of the oil, and simmer for 2 minutes.

For the salad, toss the fennel with the olive oil, lemon juice, chives and some salt and pepper. Arrange a pile of fennel in the centre of 4 serving plates. Remove the fish from the foil parcels and place on top of the fennel. Pour over the hot oil and vinegar sauce and serve immediately.

Real sherry trifle
Zuppa Inglese a base di sherry

This is no short-cut sherry trifle, but the real thing in all its great British glory, right down to the home-made fruit jelly and proper old-fashioned custard.
Tony

Serves 6-8
6 sponge fingers or slices of sponge cake
8 macaroons
150ml sweet sherry
300ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

For the fruit jelly:
500g mixed strawberries and raspberries
175g caster sugar
250ml water
300ml fresh orange juice
6 gelatine leaves

For the custard:
200ml whipping cream
200ml milk
1 vanilla pod,split open lengthways
5 egg yolks
1 egg
3 tbsp caster sugar

Arrange the sponge fingers and macaroons on the base of a 1.8 litre trifle bowl. Pour over the sherry and leave to soak. For the fruit jelly, set aside about 12 small strawberries and 15 raspberries. Place the remaining fruit in a large saucepan with the sugar, water and orange juice, bring gently to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until very soft. Pour through a sieve into a bowl, pushing gently with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Return the juice to the saucepan, discarding the fruit pulp. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes and then squeeze out the water. Add the gelatine to the warm fruit juice and whisk in well, until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Add the reserved strawberries and raspberries, then leave to cool. Pour the mixture over the soaked sponge fingers and macaroons and place in the fridge to set.

For the custard, put the whipping cream, milk and vanilla pod in a pan and bring almost to boiling point. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. Beat the egg yolks, egg and sugar together in a large bowl. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream mixture, pour the cream over the eggs and mix together. Pour back into the cream pan and cook very gently over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened. Be careful not to overcook. Remove from the heat, strain into a bowl and leave to cool,covering the surface of the custard with a circle of greaseproof paper to stop a skin forming. When the custard is cold, pour it over the set jelly and return to the fridge to chill. Whip the double cream with the icing sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Pile on top of the custard and chill once more, until ready to eat.Serve scattered with the toasted almonds.

· To order a copy of Tony & Giorgio by Giorgio Locatelli and Tony Allan,for £17 plus p&p (rrp £20),call the Observer book service on 0870 066 7989.Published by Fourth Estate.