The new voice Skill allows the user to enjoy a hands-free cooking experience, giving a richer, more interactive experience controlled entirely by voice on Alexa-enabled devices, including Amazon Echo and Echo Dot.

The Skill, which was built on behalf of BBC Good Food by digital product and innovation consultancy Hi Mum! Said Dad, is designed to be as intuitive as possible, tailored to consumer behaviour while optimising the listening experience. BBC Good Food users can search the entire Good Food recipe database, select a recipe and let Alexa do the talking.

The BBC Good Food Skill has a range of categories to search from, including ingredients, dishes, diet types, time (“quick”), difficulty (“easy”), cuisine, course and chef. All of these can be combined to find the perfect recipe.

In addition, there are special features that enhance the experience. For example, listeners can ask for:

• “A quick chicken recipe”
• “A recipe for roast potatoes”
• “An easy brownie recipe”
• “A vegetarian lasagne recipe”
• “A Mexican recipe with beef”

Or simply ask, “Alexa, ask BBC Good Food what should I cook today?”

The BBC Good Food Skill enables hands-free cooking and guides the user through the recipes step-by-step. If paused or interrupted during the method Skills, the Skill will remember where the user was when they return.

Hannah Williams, Head of Digital Content, commented: "At BBC Good Food, we’re committed to providing quality food and recipe content however and wherever our audience wants it. The way in which our users rely on and interact with us changes and deepens with every technical advancement – and voice is just that.

“What better case for hands-free technology than being elbow deep in flour and butter? We’re thrilled our audience can now enjoy the same quality recipes on this new and emerging platform…without even lifting a finger.”

The BBC Good Food voice Skill is live on Alexa now.