origamicrane

Good question. Yes, the programme did appear to make it very clear that you won last night's pudding course. From what I have seen the format is supposed to be that they get one winner per course from each day, giving them 12 contestants for the regional final. They then compare the dishes and decide which 6 will go on to cook again. Although it looked like all 12 were in the studio at the start of the "Friday" programme I am not entirely certain if they were all there. One possibility is that you were "there", but that they had decided you would not go on to cook since they don't actually need the constestants there to make the decision. Is it possible that they just got it wrong when they called you and that it was simply that they decided you were not one of the best 6 who would cook? It looks like we need to watch the Friday programme carefully to find out exactly what they have done... ← arrr... ok thats makes a bit more sense then, although that was never explained during the competition. I thought it was a standard tournament format rather then a regional ranking thing. oh well live and learn

Sorry to hear that - and what a strange way to run a competition! Ah well, fingers crossed for next time... Caroline ← Hi caroline yeah i thought so too. but the judges decision is final and as they say thats show business!! ← They have just finished the first week of the "regional" rounds - the first one was the "West" which includes Wales, Southwest England and (Northern?) Ireland. Watching the programme the regional selection was very confusing - the way they presented it they went straight from the first auditions to the first TV round. I searched for this thread since I had a vague memory you had entered, and your comments seem to indicate that there was at least one round before the TV round. Do you know if the "next" round was the TV regional heats, or if there was more before that? ← The first "round" was just the audition then it was on to a cooking round. I think they are just editing the filming to fit into there "regional" classifications. I haven't actually caught a single episode of this series as i am at work at that time. I was actually on yesterday's episode. Didn't manage to catch that either. Friend watched it and said the program does actually show that i won my round...... I wonder how they explain that I don't appear in the second round?? hmm....

I think the chef there is ex-hakkasan I've been meaning to give it a try.

Hi anyone know where i can get a vacuum brewing coffee maker? like a cona? but need it in london or a online store that can deliver quickly

Sorry to hear that - and what a strange way to run a competition! Ah well, fingers crossed for next time... Caroline ← Hi caroline yeah i thought so too. but the judges decision is final and as they say thats show business!!

Or not as the case maybe. I don't believe this. ITV just called me up and said that even though I won my round I cannot go to the next round as I have been eliminated because a runner up in another of the rounds was better!! oh well! c'est la vie I'm just glad i didn't have to take a day off work to do the filming! ho hum!! back to the chopping board

yeah maybe a a square block of green ice cream and a red triangle of fruit. maybe make a triangle of 6 banana slice and put a strawberry/ raspberry on top of each slice? it will look very geometric

I'm actually looking into that right now. will probably use a heavily buttered metal ring mould and line the bottom with parchement but just worried that by the time i got it out and moving it around the souffle will have collapsed. but will definitely have a look into plating without the ramekin

hello I's like some help plating a souffle. This was what I served yesterday in a little cooking competition I am in. I managed to get through the first round but as you can see this is not particularly pretty. Ideas i've had: chocolate sauce drizzled around , some icing sugar, seperate dishes for the fruit and ice cream? fruit arranged around the ramekin. as you can tell i'm pretty crap with plating so any ideas,help, advice, inspiration, photos would be appreciated thanks

Thanks Duncan. The fruits pieces were marinated in orange blossom water, cinamon, sugar and vanilla. I think if I was serving this there would only be three pieces of fruit. but there were 3 judges and I wanted one piece for each of them hence the rather cluttered plate. I thought about serving with a sprinkling of icing sugar on the souffle or sugar coating the tips of the raspberries or sticking some mint leave on for decoration but it all seemed a little old hat. I would really appreciate if you or anyone has any platting suggestions as I could do with the help thanks in advance.

I got through Round 1 I was up against a raspberry, rosewater and champagne jelly served with madelines. I tried my competitors dish and i thought that the jelly was a little too sour. None of the competitors heard the judges comments so no idea what comment they made about my dish except it was too runny. The other competitors: for the starter course it was a trout and vegetable tartlet versus a fish soup for the main course it was Fish and Chips versus Chicken Curry and Roti. Not going to say who won in those rounds but the competitor that made the fish and chips was a 14 year old boy versus a (probably) late 40's lady. It was good fun, a lot of waiting around and I actually undercooked my chocolate souffle. But my excuse is i didn't think the oven had the right temperature calibration but heck even if I served it uncooked they would have liked it!! it's chocolate. Anyway next round is in a few weeks time fingers crossed i get passed the next round and win some prize money!!!

arrr... I'm trying to capture that delicious moment then the souffle is at it peak of culinary perfection, before it collapses into a deflated lump In the same way that if I ordered it in a restaurant and the souffle was served collapsed I think I would send it back.

Hey ho! Here I go again! yep it's your celebrity chef wannabe. Just got through the audition for a new ITV cooking program called Britain's Best Dish. Basic premise is that amateur cooks, cook one course at the competition and have regional heats again others until there is a winner. There are three rounds and the final round is going out live and there is a prize money of £10,000 for the winner. The three judges are Ed Bains (who?), John Burton-Race and Jilly Goolden. I was meant to have gone for the audition last month with a main course of chicken ballotine but it was the FA cup final so I couldn't be bothered and I didn't know there was a £10k prize Anyhoo they called me up as they didn't have enough entrants for the dessert course and wanted to know if I was interested. Once they told me there was a prize I perked up a lot I gave them a list of desserts I can make and in the end they plumped for chocolate souffle. In the audition it turns out that my souffle was more a fondant as I had cream or tartar in the ingredients so renamed it to molten lava cake anyway 1st round end of the month and the final is in October. anyone else got through the audition?

interesting might actually give that a try thanks

bingo! yep its the molten lava cake kind. I want a shot where i can see the chocolate ozzing out. just wondering if there is some ingredient that can be added to actually set the souffle once it has risen.

Hi all I am trying to do a photo shoot of a chocolate souffle. The problem is that by the time I get the souffle out of the oven, demoulded it, sprinkled icing sugar on and placed it in the right position for the shot it has already started to deflate. Does anyone know if there is a way to stablise the souffle so that it will not deflate (or not so quickly)? it doesn't matter if the souffle is not edible as i'm only after the shot. I'm thinking of just increasing the amount of corn flour in the souffle but not sure if it will effect the amount it rises? will be grateful for any tips thanks

http://www.degustibus.co.uk/experience.html haven't been in over ages but degustibus is really good loads of fresh fillings and loads of different breads to choose from.

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1348.html here's my version

Thanks moby went to have a look at Randalls today, very pretty but prices are on the high scale (get what you pay for?) I also walked passed Elizabeth King Butchers on New King Road they looked pretty good anyone ever tried them? Anyway I was hunting for a Bronze turkey for Xmas and checking prices Randalls £11.50/kg Elizabeth King £11.00/kg Macken brothers £10.00/kg

anyone know of any good butchers in the putney area?

Superstar or Joy King Lau are probably the best two there at the moment. Superstar are very good for sea food also recommended are pe pai duck, steam razor clam, the barbeuce skate, the frog legs. Joy King Lau seem to specialise in poultry the nam yu roast chickens is good so is the peking duck and their supreme seafood hotpot is good too.

tonka bean tastes great shame it's toxic!

Thanks, Origamicrane, now I really need to go there! I passed in front of it and I didn't stop and I ended up going to a nearby place where I had a very cheap and satisfying lunch for 5 pounds (eggplants rolls stuffed with lamb and pickles plus rocket salad). ← cool let me know your thoughts after you tried it. If you live in that area and like your meat you have got to go to http://www.buenayre.co.uk/ they are an argentinian bbq place and the meat there is EX-CE-LLENT!! Staff are friendly, it's buzzy has a covered outdoor dining area out back and the meat is just about the best I have had in London and portions are very generous. If you been to Gaucho grill and like that you will be knocked out by Buen Ayre I would say this place is at least 3 times better but at half the price. I recommend you go in a minimum group of 4 otherwise you won't get to try all the different cuts, also get there before 8pm as they start running out of short ribs and flank steak,etc. I was there last friday and a certain Argentinian west ham player was dining there too.

I do like kebabs when they are made well best one I had recently was in Stoke "be careful you might be mugged" Newington at Mangal1 http://www.mangal1.com/ have a look check out the meat on the couter they even had quails! don't see those at your local kebab shop very often. See those three lamb cutlets on the slab that was dinner at only £4 and they were really meaty and juicy and cooked to perfection the bread and salad were good too. check out the smoke from that bbq! This place was rammed and from what my friend said it's packed everynight with people queuing 10 deep even in the rain. only reservation I have about this place was that I had a major thirst attack a few hours later... I suspect MSG lots of it... or does sumac have similiar thirst inducing symptoms?

err.... sorry but being a harrow local I have to play devil's advocate and ask how does kebabland compare to other kebab shops you have tried??