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Private Notes
The Bar Mitzvah is one of the most important milestones in a Jewish boy's life, signifying his transition from boyhood to manhood. It is also an excuse for his mum to throw a great party. The mums are given the daunting task of organising the key aspects of a 13-year-old boy's Bar Mitzvah. Judges Tracy-Ann Oberman and Professor Dovid Katz expect a show stopping cake as well as canapes, goody bags, entertainment and cocktails for over 170 of the boy's family and friends. The mums split into pairs. One pair can't agree over the colour of balloons while another pair must admit to using packet cake mix to chef Heston Blumenthal. Another mum has her first ever taste of vodka while one pair of mums risk all on planning a cold soup as a canape. At the end of the episode the mums have a show down with the judges, with two of them facing elimination.
The six remaining mums face the formidable task of matchmaking to find 29-year-old Nicola the perfect partner. The mums split up into pairs to find a chap and make him stand out from the competition with the hope that he can sweep Nicola off her feet. On date night Nicola and the guys visit an east London kosher restaurant, with the mums looking on and offering 'helpful' advice. The competition will be over for two more mums by the end of the episode.
For the third task the four remaining mums plan a memorable day out to Southend-on-Sea for 22 outspoken Jewish OAPs. The first pair of mums opt for a disco theme and a simple packed lunch for their day-trippers, while their rivals go for a more sophisticated buffet and a 1940s/50s movie theme. But neither outing goes entirely to plan, with one OAP opting to get the train home. It seems this challenge may have driven the mums to the limit.
The competition reaches its climax as the remaining mums take turns hosting a traditional Friday night dinner for a party of 16, including family, judges, the other mums, and celebrities including David Baddiel and Jay Rayner. Friday night dinner is a time for family to come together, an opportunity for a Jewish mum to shine, and an occasion that is as much about the food as it is about the people. The mums must devise the menu, cook the food, lay the table and host their meal at a boutique north London kosher hotel. The mums also try their arms at being agony aunt for the Jewish News and answering questions from listeners on a Jewish radio station.
