Cooking for our Queen

[Carlovski]

BTW - That bloke Rimmer who used vegetarian black pudding needs a good kicking for that alone.

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I actually quite liked the guy - from his advert appearances and UKTV Food spots I didn't but he came across as a genuinely nice bloke with enthusiasm for food and learning more about it. Re the veggie black pudding, yes it sounds wrong (I used to live in Bury, so I know!) but if it tastes ok (And Marcus Wareing seemed to enjy it) then why not?

[Carlovski]

You would of thought they could of at least put in a tandoor oven for Atul's Tandoori Chicken.

The regional thing makes very little sense. Some weeks it is a chef from nowhere near the area representing it because they have a restaurant there, next week someone who was born there but who lives in london and probably never goes back except for every other Christmas. I love the token regional nods as well - one small spoonfull (Well to be honest you wouldn't want any more) of laver bread does not make a dish welsh.

Oh, and while i'm on a rant, could someone please buy Oliver Peyton a new jacket. Oh and stop all of them shoving there noses in the food in every scene.

[gethin]

one small spoonfull (Well to be honest you wouldn't want any more) of laver bread.

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I would personally always prefer two small spoonfulls to one small spoonfull, and two large spoonfulls would be even better, especially if it's from the laverbread stall in Swansea market rather than a tin. That said - the tinned stuffs not bad !

Gethin

[Charlie O]

In fact, I'm racking my brains to think of a single one of our 'celebrity' chefs who's come out of this with any distinction at all.

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I'm watching the odd episode on UKTV Food so am a few weeks behind the BBC's output.

What continues to amaze me is that so many chefs with reputations to maintain have volunteered for this programme and put themselves in a position where the judges can trash their dishes.

I agree that a number of elements haven't come off well - and the amount of padding in the prgramme is annoying - but I admire the original, ambitious concept.

[Tim Hayward]

Tonite at 18:30 BBC2. Great British Menu for seven weeks.

Top chefs compete for the honour of cooking a dish for the Queen's 80th birthday. Tonight: starters.

John Burton Race and Michael Cain doing the Starters and the judges are:

Oliver Peyton - Prue Leith - Matthew Fort

You have less then than one hour to program your Sky box.

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I'm intrigued that we've blessed this programme with this much discussion.

It takes a subject we love and care about and reduces it to the level of early evening opiate for the slobbering addicts of the glass-fronted swill bucket.

It's a calculated insult to food lovers across the country. Everything that we come to this site to talk about has been put on national television in a way that makes it look shallow, pointless and debased.

I don't care for sport, but I'm fairly sure that if there was a programme going out at six every evening, seemingly forever, in which the country's top sports stars were expected to dress up as telly-tubbies and play with My Little Pony for the edification of the masses there would be revolution in the streets.

There was national outcry when a politician and a feminist academic humiliated themselves on Big Brother.

If we regard ourselves as lovers of cooking, restaurants, food writing, food criticism or just food,

why are we not up in arms at this crap?

[Andy Lynes]

Because its actually not that bad? Serious chefs cooking some nice food and visiting suppliers, talking about produce and how they use it - what's not to like? The format is astonishingly irritating and Jenny Bond needs a slap around the chops with a wet fish but for an early evening tele programme it'll do for me.

[JudyB]

Was at a press event today with a chef/contestant and one of the food stylists from the show who ruefully confirmed that Gary will indeed win, by royal command, as predicted by Popbitch (and our own ChampagneSadie) over a month a ago.

I can believe that Gary will win this heat, since I find it hard to believe that the judges, given the prejudices shown so far, will think that the Indian meal is suitable.

However, unless the BBC are lying outright, they can't know yet who will win since the final menu will be decided by a viewer vote.

Reading next week's Radio Times it seems that the judges will pick the top 3 dishes for each course and the viewers will phone in to choose the final menu.

Although they quite possibly will include one of Gary Rhodes' dishes in the top 3 for each course it really is stretching it to assert that he will "win" all four courses.

The other oddity of this system is that quite clearly the Radio Times seems to expect that each winning course will be from a different chef and it certainly won't be a complete menu from a single chef. This is totally at odds with the comments all the way through about "of couse, the judges must vote for the whole menu and cannot pick dishes from each menu"...

[Peter H]

Oh, and while i'm on a rant, could someone please buy Oliver Peyton a new jacket.

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I can understand why Jenny Bond might have to wear the same outfit in each episode in a given week, but have the judges worn the same clothes on each Friday showdown, or is it my imagination?

[Andy Lynes]

Well Oliver has definately had that green jacket on in every episode. It makes you think that they filmed the whole thing all in one go over a very short period of time.

[Jon Tseng]

I disagree this is the nadir of telly chefs. Far from it; a flawed series certainly with the problems focusing, as has been noted, around pacing and choice of presenter. Nonetheless there is much to recommend it:

1) (Generally) good chefs putting thought and effort into assembling seasonal banqueting menus. You get a reasonable idea of the thought process behind each dish.

2) It is interesting seeing name chefs what is basically a tarted up cookery competition scenario - its the sort of thing chefs enter into fairly early on in careers to build cv points, experience and gain recognition but something you rarely see senior chefs trying their hand at.

3) Jenny Bond immensely irritating, largely because she gives the impression, either unintentionally or not, of knowing nothing about the subject in hand. But thankfully the judging panel have enormous credibility, although their egregious disagreements sometimes feel a little manufactured. I don't think anyone here can quibble with their breadth of genuine industry experience and track records.

4) Worth the price of admission seeing Galston Blackiston kick AWTs ass. Astute shoppers will note he has also just released a cookbook, although flicking through it at Borders it appears worthy but uninspired.

J

Edited May 25, 2006 by Jon Tseng (log)

[Carlovski]

If the final menu choice comes down to a viewer vote any sort of menu balance could go out of the window - could easily end up with salmon followed by salmon for a start.

Also aren't the public are more likely to favour things with a bit more impact over something more subtle? - could you have seen Marcus Wareing's custard tart beating Simon Rimmer's toffee bread and butter pudding thing on a viewer vote? Most people like a bit of fruit on the side!

Some of the ingredient sourcing scenes have been a bit contrived, visting the farm for your beef or a fisherman fine but going to see a spice importers warehouse or a fishmonger seemed pointless - and how many wholesale places are going to be impressed when you take up a load of their time and then buy two fish (Although I suppose supplying the Banquet for 350 would be worthwhile - I guess they could stick on the royal crest afterwards too!)

[Basildog]

If you have a TV crew in tow and it's going to be on the BBC, then most wholesalers will welcome you with open arms

[algy]

If the final menu choice comes down to a viewer vote any sort of menu balance could go out of the window - could easily end up with salmon followed by salmon for a start.

Also aren't the public are more likely to favour things with a bit more impact over something more subtle? - could you have seen Marcus Wareing's custard tart beating Simon Rimmer's toffee bread and butter pudding thing on a viewer vote? Most people like a bit of fruit on the side!

This is so true.

I'm always amazed that TV programmes appear to be aimed at pleasing hoi polloi, rather than the sophisticated, well informed and those who are able to demonstrate a modicum of savoir faire. And as for allowing these people to vote! Whatever next - universal suffrage?

[Champagne Sadie]

Because its actually not that bad? Serious chefs cooking some nice food and visiting suppliers, talking about produce and how they use it - what's not to like? The format is astonishingly irritating and Jenny Bond needs a slap around the chops with a wet fish but for an early evening tele programme it'll do for me.

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I disagree - Monday to Thursday it is a truly awful programme. Friday it's just about watchable if you whizz through or mute Jenni Bonds bits.

I'd also contest the "serious chefs" comment.

How the programme ever got commissioned to be shown every evening is beyond me - I personally don't know anyone that has stuck with it (Monday to Friday, rather than just Friday) other than your good self Andy, and I er, personally don't know you.

[Andy Lynes]

I'd also contest the "serious chefs" comment.

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At least it not all the usual suspects - Wareing, Corrigan, Caines, Kochhar - you can't dismiss names like those. Who would you rather have seen?

Edited May 25, 2006 by Andy Lynes (log)

[JudyB]

I can understand why Jenny Bond might have to wear the same outfit in each episode in a given week, but have the judges worn the same clothes on each Friday showdown, or is it my imagination?

I think Jenny wears the same clothes for each week's filming for the same reason as the judges are wearing the same clothes throughout: in a response to a letter in the Radio Times they said the following about the filming and the judges' clothes:

Each regional heat is shot over four days. On the first three, the chefs perfect their four dishes. This footage is included in the Monday to Thursday shows. On the fourth filming day, the judges arrive and the two chefs cook their full four-course menus. The judges have always worn the same clothes for filming because, alongside their specific comments on the menus, we needed them to make general points about British food. These comments have been included in a variety of shows across the weeks, and we felt that it might be confusing for viewers if the judges' clothing changed during the course of a programme.

My guess is that they may film Jenny on the "final" day of each week and edit it into the Monday to Thursday broadcasts.

[Champagne Sadie]

I'd also contest the "serious chefs" comment.

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At least it not all the usual suspects - Wareing, Corrigan, Caines, Kochhar - you can't dismiss names like those. Who would you rather have seen?

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Some chefs were serious yes. But hardly all. (I understand that they were also paid pretty well for taking part - the "serious" ones that is.

[Mike Hunt]

Because its actually not that bad? Serious chefs cooking some nice food and visiting suppliers, talking about produce and how they use it - what's not to like? The format is astonishingly irritating and Jenny Bond needs a slap around the chops with a wet fish but for an early evening tele programme it'll do for me.

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This just goes to underline that there is absolutely no accounting for taste (or the lack of it).

[Andy Lynes]

This just goes to underline that there is absolutely no accounting for taste (or the lack of it). 

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Luckily there's still people aound like you Mike, with taste and standards, for the rest of us to look up to and learn from.

Edited May 25, 2006 by Andy Lynes (log)

[Mike Hunt]

This just goes to underline that there is absolutely no accounting for taste (or the lack of it). 

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Luckily there's still people aound like you Mike, with taste and standards, for the rest of us to look up to and learn from.

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Good to know that you know your place in the great pecking order

[Champagne Sadie]

Who would you rather have seen?

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I would have been delighted to have seen some of the more interesting UK chefs.

Tony Flinn, David Everitt-Matthias or the chap from L'enclume.

Much of what has been prepared has been boring and safe.

[Andy Lynes]

Boring and safe - not sure I would agree with that, but can you really imagine parmesan air for the Queen and 200 guests (or however many it is) at the Mansion House?

[Gary Marshall]

I'm intrigued that we've blessed this programme with this much discussion.

It takes a subject we love and care about and reduces it to the level of early evening opiate for the slobbering addicts of the glass-fronted swill bucket.

It's a calculated insult to food lovers across the country. Everything that we come to this site to talk about has been put on national television in a way that makes it look shallow, pointless and debased.

I don't care for sport, but I'm fairly sure that if there was a programme going out at six every evening, seemingly forever, in which the country's top sports stars were expected to dress up as telly-tubbies and play with My Little Pony for the edification of the masses there would be revolution in the streets.

There was national outcry when a politician and a feminist academic humiliated themselves on Big Brother.

If we regard ourselves as lovers of cooking, restaurants, food writing, food criticism or just food,

why are we not up in arms at this crap?

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To paraphrase michael winner, 'calm down dear'!

It's light entertainment. It happens to have food theme, Yes, i'd much rather it was an hours masterclass from pierre gagnaire on cooking fish but that aint going to get the viewers in is it?

so why aren't we up in arms? because we really couldn't care less who cooks for the queen and don't watch it, or are so obsessive that we'll watch any old shite if there's a half decent chef cooking.

be thankful roxy beaujolais isn't on

[Matthew Grant]

Don't mention her name, it brings me out in a rash

[Champagne Sadie]

can you really imagine parmesan air for the Queen and 200 guests

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I think the dish you are refering to is the white onion risotto - which would actually work perfect for 200+ guests. Have you had it?