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Great British Menu 2010


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This is a poor replacement for Masterchef. It feels very slow-paced. The Friday show is usually the best, the only interest coming from the interaction of the judges. I find Jeremy Lee fairly unwatchable. There's really no serious explanation about the food - in 30 minutes they could actually show you how each dish was cooked in detail. The same tired "local, seasonal" producer segments are completely pointless. We get it, you can buy vegetables/fish/meat in the regions. Again they supply no details which might bring it to life. The competitive banter between chefs is pointless and forced. The result this week seems inevitable, Tony Singh is not producing food as good as the other two. Going from 3 chefs to 2 seems extraneous, why not just pick the best/most interesting 2 chefs to feature in the programme? and don't get me started on Jenny Bond

It bugs me that TV this lazy is being commissioned in favour of serious food TV. I have to say the Raymond Blanc programme was a real refreshing change in actually not shying from the details of complex food preparation.

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at least the chefs on this programme have got a clue.

this interview answer pretty much sums up masterchef:

Caterer: What are your plans now as the MasterChef winner?

DB (Dhruv Baker 2010 masterchef winner) I want to get between three and six months experience in a professional kitchen. There's a huge difference between being a good home cook and cooking in a restaurant. After this I want to open my own restaurant, which I hope to launch within the next 18 months. I live in south-west London so it would be great to open restaurant somewhere local but there's no reason why I wouldn't look outside of London, too.

they should just stop the show after that. ridiculous.

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ok ok i know!!! theres always one isnt there? but winning an amateur competition shouldnt make you realise you can run a restaurant, i dont know many people who would want to work for a winner of 'master'chef.

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I know what you are saying but people have opened restaurants with much lesser qualifications than winning MasterChef!

Not to say it would be easy or even ultimately successful, but at least you can probably find some financial backing with all that profile.

The alternative is a TV career! How depressing ...

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Started watching this the other night, after Masterchef finally ground to a halt. Christ it's tedious, after watching the first Scottish episode and half the second, we decided to cut straight to the Friday show, as John suggested he might do, and that's what we'll do most weeks I think. I know the chefs in the first week weren't exactly scintillating viewing, but the format is awful now, absolutely awful.

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Well, I'm having to watch every night this week, what with it being north west. Cynical ba&tard that I am, I have doubts about how kosher the whole exercise really is - and therefore I'll suggest that this year it's Aidan Byrne's turn to win the heat.

As a more general comment, has the programme now got a format of having the third chef there really just making up the numbers. Last week, now this week.

John Hartley

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Well, I'm having to watch every night this week, what with it being north west. Cynical ba&tard that I am, I have doubts about how kosher the whole exercise really is - and therefore I'll suggest that this year it's Aidan Byrne's turn to win the heat.

As a more general comment, has the programme now got a format of having the third chef there really just making up the numbers. Last week, now this week.

I think that you may be a little bit too cynical :smile: , but it certainly seems to be the case that first time round many of them totally misjudge the "rules" and also don't fully understand the foibles of the judges, so second time round they do tend to do better.

My assumption about the third chef was that this was an attempt to revisit what they tried in an earlier series of having an "elimination" round where Matthew Fort choosing who went through to the competition proper. That way they can claim that more chefs take part, but without the extra time for the "real" judges. The other factor which it introduces, which may confuse things, is that the chef judge almost certainly has a very different viewpoint from the other judges, and might lead to some contradictions?

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I suppse the third chef is really a way of the producers tryin to cause a bit of friction or put them undr a bit of pressure. It somehow comes accross as a bit false. Again i dont think any of the food is that nice. Two types of pie and a bit of chicken. The food seems to have gone backwards this year. However at least there being judged by a fantastic chef. I think that lisa will get through... Aidens food just looks too complicated.

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Is it just me is is anyone else finding Aiden Byrne to be obnoxious, arrogant and a touch insecure? His behaviour appears to be rather odd and I have to say I'm not a fan of anyone who refers to himself in the third person.. "That's a very Aiden Byrne dish... these flavours are typical Aiden Byrne". Wierd.

Always hungry.

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I agree with you Chris, Aiden is showing some obnoxious and argumentative traits even to the point of prefering to trade jibes with Johnnie Mountain rather than making sure he wasn't boiling rather than poaching his delicate turbot. Does anyone else think Johnnie looks a little like a rabbit in the headlights and more than a little overawed by the experience? Especially when Marcus is hovering!

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I found Aiden the same last time, particularly with regard to talking about him self in the third person. I'm not sure why people try and portray that kind of persona, hardly good for business. Though I did hear some colleagues talking about the concept of him as a brand, he's been taken under Pat Llewellyns wing (or had, not sure if he's still nestling there) to be our next big TV face, clearly it's not working.

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I know nothing of these chefs but from what I've seen I'm actually siding with Aiden. That Mountain geezer would wind me up no end, he's acting like a complete tool.

Edited by Prawncrackers (log)
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I'm really not convinced about Aiden, he doesn't have any personality. I think Mountain will be back on our tv's. He's pretty good on all of the segments he does. He seemed compltely out of his depth earlier in the week, fair play to him he's pulled it around. I still think Lisa will get through on Friday however.

In an ideal world who would we have liked to see represent the North West..? My picks would be:

Mark Wilkinson

Simon Rogan

Steve Smith

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Really looking forward to this weeks show, its got a couple of big personalities in Daniel Clifford and Will Holland.

Can't comment on Richard Bainbridge but if he's anything like Galton he's going to be pretty laid back.

Glynn Purnell should keep em happy with his Brummie humour shining through.

Edited by david goodfellow (log)

"So many places, so little time"

http://londoncalling...blogspot.co.uk/

@d_goodfellow1

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Happy to accept that my cynicism last week was unwarranted. I wonder if this means Aiden Byrne's star is waning - can't see him being asked back a third time.

Mrs H is starting to mutter that we still havnt been to the Church Green even though it's just down the road. I'm starting to mutter about the bleeding prices.

John Hartley

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Happy to accept that my cynicism last week was unwarranted. I wonder if this means Aiden Byrne's star is waning - can't see him being asked back a third time.

Mrs H is starting to mutter that we still havnt been to the Church Green even though it's just down the road. I'm starting to mutter about the bleeding prices.

Just had a look myself and I agree with you John, quite a few dishes dearer than London, and how do you justify £12 for a soup? and thats the cheapest starter :blink:

We have been four of five times and there is no doubting Aiden is a top chef but he has changed focus which has cost him. In fact every time that we have been it seems to be less busy each time, could this be down to the pricing perhaps?

The bar menu looks a lot more workable, a few dishes on there I would like to try.

Cheshire may have its bevy of super rich footballers but everybody else has to put up with a normal income ( be it state or otherwise)

"So many places, so little time"

http://londoncalling...blogspot.co.uk/

@d_goodfellow1

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I didn't realise Aiden was a shining star to start off with .! In all fairness the food at the church green is hardly great. Completely over- priced for what it is. Im pleased Lisa went through. Am i being cynical or is this years GBM a bit of a previous boys club..... Lisa and Nigel on from Northcote. Mathew Fort involved in Nigels book.. Murchison and Will Holland .... I hope Aiden dosn't get on again, bring on some faces.

Looks like this weeks could be quite good. Daniels soup looked lovely, with a bit of tweaking Will's rabbit could be good.... I think Dan and will go through to be judged.!

Edited by hot trotter (log)
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