Food and Drink Revamped

BBC’s Food & Drink  classic 1980’s series was one of the first popular magazine shows about food.  After a break of eleven years the show has re-appeared, with new presenters and a new look.  Will it run for another twenty years?  Will it inspire a nation to push their culinary boundaries? Danny aka food blogger, Food Urchin, gives his verdict.

It’s not often I get to say things like this but the original series of Food and Drink was a little bit before my time. I do have some faint memories of the show, which reached its peak in the late 80’s before ending its run, quietly and discreetly in 2002. Mostly of wine critic Jilly Goolden and her florid descriptions of plonk - “I am getting ecclesiastical loganberries nestled betwixt some bushes on the savannahs of the Serengeti. “ And I also vaguely remember Anthony Worrall Thompson impishly fondling some Victoria plums, whilst raising a titian eyebrow suggestively to the camera.

But that’s about it. Back then, food television had to complete with Dungeons and Dragons and Michaela Strachan, so it’s no wonder that I hardly remember the programme. After all, what is food to a pubescent boy with a mullet and spotty chin?

However, I am all grown up now and I have been watching the latest series with keen interest. Updated and reworked with Michelin starred chef Michel Roux Jr at the helm and with Kate Goodman matching the wine, this version certainly looks a lot slicker and crisper than its predecessor. Gone are the lurid, bright lights and technicolour studio and in comes the Ideal Home kitchen. Complete with space age ovens, clean neutral lines, plenty of space, a couch, a huge wine rack tucked in the corner and loads of natural daylight. It is quite possibly a kitchen that I will never ever know but it represents a great return of investment for the family that hired out their second home. 

The mantra from the off is to look at the ‘what, how and whys’ of food and to delve into the current trends that influence us. And it is Michel Roux’s job, resplendent in blue shirt, to get down to the nitty gritty of the food issues of today. So how has he done so far? Well, to be frank, so so really.

There is no doubt that Michel is a fantastic, inspiring chef who can show the public a nifty trick or two, especially when demonstrating how to make a vegetable Tart Tatin or some deliciously delicate Madeleines. Yet sometimes, his delivery and exposition can seem clunky. Watching Michel throw in a casual aside at the table, about drought and the impact it will have on the cost of meat due to the rising price of grain, was slightly painful.

Of course, these sound bites serve as links into relevant features within the programme (or VT’s as they are also known) where a well-known food presenter will champion some produce or a cause within two minutes. So far we have had Stefan Gates argue the case for switching from meat to insects as a source of protein, much to the distain of the farmers he interviewed, both old and young alike. Oliver Peyton has suggested that in the UK, we should have a classification system, similar to that in France and Italy, to protect and promote indigenous produce such as single Gloucester cheese and forced rhubarb from Yorkshire.

Rachel Khoo whirled around Paris to talk about the importance of buying local, artisan food and laughed maniacally at a box of cakes. And William Sitwell has revealed that he is in fact, proper working class, by arguing for the Chorleywood process and cheap white bread against the virtues of snobby, life enhancing, hand crafted sourdough. Although I do suspect that Mr Sitwell was indeed playing devil’s advocate for the camera on this occasion, whilst his Roller was kept running outside.

Guests have appeared in the form of Mary Berry from Great British Bake Off, doyenne of baking, cakes and hollandaise in jars; and man mountain Tom Kerridge, proprietor and Head Chef at The Hand and Flowers. Now, is it me or does Mary seem to be everywhere at the moment? I know that baking in vogue, what with the recession and all that but she must be costing the BBC a small fortune. Tom Kerridge, on the other hand was great value for money and a man after my own heart.

In the first episode, he brought a much needed sense of enthusiasm and humour to proceedings, extolling the threefold benefits of cider (for dancing, sleeping and fighting) and quite simply, he introduced a humble joy for food. You know how the saying goes regarding chefs and their size; well I would trust Tom with my children’s lives. Then again, have you seen his avatar on Twitter?

Sadly, and maybe not through any fault of her own, the resident wine buff Kate Goodman seems to be the one who isn’t translating well at the moment.  If the remit of dumbing down wine has been put to her by the powers-that-be, and some wine producers are certainly encouraging this, then Kate has taken the horse by the reins. The explanation and information surrounding her choices for matching alcohol or soft drinks with the dishes that Michel creates is very limited indeed. Portuguese wine is Portuguese. English sparkling wine comes from England. Tea for afternoon tea is tea. And her vocabulary for describing the wines also leaves you wanting more. I am not wishing for the mad cat lady flourishes of old but it would be nice to discover more about the wine other than its “Acidity.”

Kate obviously knows her stuff; she evoked an orgasmic “Yes! Yes! Yes!” out of Michel with her recommendation of an unknown Riesling but I am worried that producers have seen her little as an attractive blonde to stick on telly, more than anything else.

So two shows in and my opinion is decidedly mixed. This is definitely not the Food and Drink of yesteryear. Yet the new show’s identikit approach has failed to capture my imagination so far and engage me properly. Rather than a revamp, there is a foreboding sense of a rehash about the programme, cobbling together bits and pieces of food telly that has already exists, filling the screen with well-known celebrity faces.

Like I said, I am not that familiar with the old format but I sort of get the impression that the approach was different back then, that the perspective or point of view came from impassioned yet anonymous gourmands and that the focus was purely on food. To recreate that sort of atmosphere in the current climate which is full of competition, fashion and porn (food porn I mean) would be difficult I am sure. But if a production company stuck it’s neck out and tried to concentrate just a bit more on the subject at hand, to encapsulate a touch more geekiness, thrash out a bit of history and to really, really look at the ‘what, how and whys’ of food. Then I would be caught, hook, line and sinker.

Because at the moment, Food and Drink, revamped or otherwise, is just another random show, about food, on the telly, sitting amongst the hundreds of others, not saying much at all really.

Did you watch Food & Drink and what did you think of it?  Which food programmes on TV most inspire you?  Which do you find the most irritating?  Let us know!

Are Ready Meals Healthier than TV Chefs Recipes?

You may have seen a report in the press today that researchers from Newcastle University have found that recipes by TV chefs are not as healthy as ready meals!  On average, they stated that meals in the chef’s books were less healthy and “more likely to achieve red traffic light labels”. Are things as simple as the research states?

At Great British Chefs we aim to bring you hundreds of delicious recipes from some of the country’s greatest award winning chefs.  Many of our recipes include butter, cream, sugar, cheese, duck fat and other ingredients that if eaten every day would not necessarily do a lot to tackle obesity.  So the claim from the students at Newcastle Uni could easily be levelled against most food website and indeed a number of best selling cookery books.

The research which was published in the BMJ, is not stating that ready meals are the answer to great health either.  Prof Martin White, from the Institute of Health and Society at the university, told the BBC: “Both ready meals and those by TV chefs are not as healthy as they could be.  We’re not bashing TV chefs, among them are chefs that have done a huge amount for healthy eating and tackling obesity.”

Just as well, as one of the chefs in their study was Jamie Oliver who has long been campaigning for healthy eating in schools.  A spokesperson for Jamie quite rightly said the following:  ”We welcome any research which raises debate on these issues.  We would regard the key issue to be food education so that people are aware of which foods are for every day and which are treats to be enjoyed occasionally.”

Isn’t this one of the key issues?  We’ve all heard the phrase “a little of what you fancy does you good”.  One argument is that using good quality ingredients (regardless of the fat content) means that you can potentially use smaller amounts.  Also well sourced food is not laden with preservatives that are found in ready meals.

The researchers also said that most people take it for granted that home-cooked food is better for us than something that comes ready-prepared in a carton.  However, the researchers have not really looked wider than calorie content when making this claim.

How do you measure the joy and satisfaction of preparing a meal from scratch to popping something in a microwave?  Much of the satisfaction of a meal also comes from the look of a dish.  It’s impossible to compare a microwaved lasagne or macaroni cheese with a well baked one that’s come straight from your oven.

Then there is the issue of packaging.  Most would agree that ready meals are over packaged which not only adds to the cost of the meal, but brings along environmental concerns too.

What are your thoughts on the research?  Do you think ready meals are healthier than the recipes from your favourite chefs and their recipe books?  What about nutritional information?  Would you agree with the researchers in that nutritional values that you find on packaged food should be put on websites, TV programmes and in cookery books? What of the argument that some TV chef’s dishes are so unhealthy they ought to be subjected to the 9pm watershed?

Let us know your thoughts over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page.

The Future of Food TV… is Twitter?

With new series of Celebrity MasterChef and The Great British Bake Off both starting this week, the BBC expect millions of us will be gleefully following the successes (& failures) of celebrity & amateur chefs. Indeed, it’s hard to watch any TV without being aware of a cookery show of some description. Simon Cowell joins in later this year with cookery competition he hopes will rival MasterChef.  Alexandra Roumbas Goldstein wonders where the proliferation of cookery shows is heading and what armoury the successful TV chef or TV programmer needs to have to win the TV food wars.

Blog post by Alexandra Roumbas Goldstein for Great British Chefs

If skill in the kitchen were measured by the amount of time spent glued to food TV, I’d be worth a couple of Michelin stars by now at least. And if the continued commissioning of any format imaginable is any indication, the general public’s obsession with food programming is going nowhere any time soon. It can sometimes be hard to see what’s left to cover, though, with the extraordinary proliferation of shows and channels dedicated to food.

Even over the last couple of decades, some things really haven’t changed at all.  Rick Stein’s ranty fishfests are almost indistinguishable from the late Keith Floyd’s sloshed travelogues. All that’s changed between Delia’s heyday and that of Nigella and Lorraine is a softer, more sensuous delivery. The era of the shouty chef seems to be – thankfully – abating, though Ramsey’s barking had nothing on the stern, narrowed eyes and ruddy cheeks of Albert Roux anyway.  MasterChef might have injected some more drama and swapped transatlantic Grossman for Antipodean Torode, but the amateur cooking contest is still essentially what it’s always been.

Gok Wan on Gok Cooks Chinese

And yet in the UK, at least, it’s very much MasterChef and its ilk that are defining the next stage of food television: a strong emphasis on interaction with the audience. Social media are my everyday business, so perhaps I give them greater emphasis than most, but the massive numbers of food bloggers – many of them right here – suggest that I’m not wrong to do so. Social channels have for some time now been an absolutely essential addition to the genre, and the frantic tweeting hits its height during cooking competitions. It would be unthinkable to sit down to the imminent next series of The Great British Bake Off without having a Twitter hashtag at the ready. I wouldn’t know how to cope with the next season of MasterChef Australia ending if I didn’t know I could follow Gary Mehigan on Twitter – to whom I have an almost unhealthy attachment – and his spoilerific updates.

Urvashi Roe on Great British Bake Off 

Great British Chefs might be unrelated to any of this, but with a former GBBO contestant as a regular blogger and comprehensive coverage of the ultimate in professional competitions, Great British Menu, it’s clear that digitally savvy foodies are just as hooked as those of us who watch on in indolent envy as others perfect their pulled pork spice mix. It’s nothing new that the BBC has been pulling in the ‘buzz’ from blogs into its own online coverage. But what makes it even more exciting than just a bunch of us drooling collectively over multiple screens – the bit that really feels like a proper shift in broadcasting - is that the chefs are increasingly in the middle of the conversation too.

When Johnny Mountain opted to crash out of Great British Menu in spectacular style, his last word was delivered off-screen, through blog posts and tweets. I’ve always been faintly ambivalent about Nigel Slater with his earnest and slightly fractured delivery, until I spotted this brilliantly laconic response to a concerned query. Consider the next closest thing – the Saturday Kitchen style phone-in – and there’s simple no comparison.

That, of course, is where the other big trend in programming comes in: the campaigner-chef. I can only be grateful for the fact that marketers and producers have resisted the urge to add a social media voting element to contests, but campaigners have found a natural home online. Whether school dinners or fish quotas, grabbing the opportunity to continue hammering home the message after the broadcast is over is only sensible – and, with any luck, successful.

While the remaining formats are mainly falling into a handful of oft-repeated categories (quick food for busy people! Pretty cakes! Look at me visiting this place you’ll never go! Grow everything yourself!), the dominating forces right now are contests and campaigns. When those are the things that most lend themselves to online participation - giving producers access to feedback far more valuable than ratings figures alone, too - is it any wonder that this seems to be the future?

As far as I’m concerned, long may that continue.

Blog post by Alexandra Roumbas Goldstein for Great British Chefs

What do you think?  Do you think we will ever tire of cookery shows on TV? Or will different “two screen” formats make them even more popular? Do you have a favourite TV chef or cookery show?  What is about it that keeps you hooked?

A seat at TV Chef Simon Rimmer’s Restaurant by Foodographic

TV chefs have been in the news a lot recently.  We see their faces all the time, but how often do we get to eat their food?  Great British Chefs were delighted when Deanna Thomas from Foodographic went to Earle restaurant  run by Simon Rimmer (from BBC2’s weekly show Something for the Weekend).  Can a chef who admits to having no formal training, yet is watched by millions every week, produce a meal to wow our blogger?  Let’s find out 

Photography by Deanna Thomas

In quiet moments of pontification, I like to reflect on the definition of success. Is success to do with being a celebrity, having money, a happy family life or a business empire? Obviously it’s a transient thing – over an average lifespan, you’ll win some, and you’ll lose some. So how would your average celebrity chef measure success?

Television appearances pay well and a high media profile translates inevitably to restaurant bookings, but if a celebrity chef spends too much time on the telly and not in his own kitchen, it could end up being counterproductive.

I went to visit Simon Rimmer’s restaurant ‘Earle’ in the affluent Cheshire suburb of Hale. Simon has also co-owned the successful ‘Greens’ vegetarian restaurant in Didsbury near Manchester for over 20 years, and regularly splits his time between stints at both kitchens, various television appearances and live demo’s at food festivals up and down the country. His recipes can be seen in many popular middle band magazines and he also has a few cookbooks to his name. This is not bad going for someone who admits to having had no formal training.

Apart from hard work, the answer to the definition of success is to achieve some kind of balance so it’s essential to have a strong team behind you and to not overcomplicate things. Earle’s ‘modern brasserie’ menu is unfussy, unpretentious and many ingredients come from local suppliers they’ve developed a good relationship with over the past few years.

My starter of venison Carpaccio lay on punchy Asian inspired coleslaw complimented by a quenelle of earthy mushroom duxelle. Flavours and textures combined well, but I had to ignore the totally unnecessary pot of dressing that tasted like some kind of industrial cleaning fluid.

 ‘Slow roast pork belly, apple compote, caramelised baby onions & roasted garlic puree’ (£9.25) was a straight forward, reasonably executed dish with crispy crackling that compared visually to a happy pig gambolling through an Autumnal forest (well it did after a few glasses of wine.)

Another friend ordered minced fish balls, rustic pepper & tomato sauce with parmesan shavings (£6.50). The portion was very generous and she thought the sauce was a little over-sweet for her taste but I’m a fan of the humble fish ball so ‘helped’ her to polish off the lot.

My main course of pheasant with honeyed parsnips and roast potatoes came from the seasonal specials menu. Like the other dishes it lacked any finesse and wasn’t pretty but it was hearty, seasonal and satisfying.

Another main course was pan-fried fillet of sea bass, with creamed butter beans, lemon & thyme crust, braised kale, white wine & caper sauce (£17.50) Again, a simple idea using complimentary flavours and textures with slightly clumsy presentation and no real desire to think outside the box.

Desserts continued to reflect this is the form of classic treacle tart, a lemon crème brulee and a Bailey’s cheesecake with a shot of warm butterscotch sauce. No attempt at nodding towards seasonal or local winter puddings and all decorated with the same old-fashioned mixed berry garnish. Every course tasted like Sunday lunch would at a friend’s house whose mum’s not bad at cooking.

My friends, who would happily admit to not being particular foodies, really did enjoy their meal though. They chose this venue mostly for the convivial atmosphere, and definitely did not want to be intimidated by an edgy cooking style.

Service was slow, as the place was full of large pre-Christmas parties but we, like most of the guests, were easily mollified by ordering another bottle from the safe mid-priced wine list.

Rimmer comes across as an affable bloke both on television and in person. He wandered around the tables after service in an approachable manner, happy to chat about footie or share a joke with customers. His easy going appeal translates across his menu which also offers a section of ‘Earle classics’ such as fish pie, burgers, gammon, fish and chips - all hearty fayre at £10.95.

This is a chef who hasn’t burnt himself out under the weight of continually striving for awards and accolades. He’s run two busy restaurants for a number of years, maintains a happy family life and a continual media presence. So, regarding the definition of a successful chef? Who knows, maybe meriting a continuous ‘B plus’ can trump a bright but short-lived Michelin star.

Review of Earle for Great British Chefs by Deanna Thomas 

Which TV chef’s food would you most like to try?   We’re discussing this over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page.

Rick Stein’s Place in Australia - reviewed for Great British Chefs

Rick Stein said it himself: he’s dreamed of south coast New South Wales seafood since he was here in the ’60s. But it was only a handful of years ago that he found Mollymook, the place where he felt happy to open a restaurant serving that same food. Bannisters is a quality (but relaxed) hotel and spa, and Rick’s fish place is a perfect fit. It’s the right balance of buzzy and romantic, and the service is on the professional side of easygoing.

This was my second visit to the restaurant but it was just as good this time as it was more than a year ago. Rick has come up with a menu that fits in perfectly with the notion of “Mod Oz” cuisine: fresh Australian ingredients with southeast-Asian-influenced flavours. There are a couple of token non-seafood options available, but you’d have to be completely anti-fish to even think about it. 

I had a hard time deciding but settled on a starter of Stir-Fried Mussels with Black Beans, Garlic, Ginger, and Coriander. I did not regret this choice. I come from eastern Canada, known for its mussels, but these were the biggest, plumpest, sweetest bivalves I can recall having. The savoury black bean sauce pooled at the bottom of the bowl, and I was able to dunk each fat mussel in it before popping it in my mouth.

The desire for big flavours hadn’t deserted me, so my main course was the Indonesian Seafood Curry with Ling, Squid, and King Prawns with Green Bean and Fresh Coconut Salad. This really had it all: the pieces of ling (the Australian kind) were firm, the strips of squid were tender, and the prawns were big. It turned out to be more fish than it had, at first, appeared to be.

Likewise, partway through the dish I fretted that the rich, earthy curry sauce wasn’t going to be enough to go around, but I was wrong. It all mixed together to create warming bites of intense flavour.

Our choice for wine - a local white, 2009 Coolangatta Semillion - was the perfect counterbalance to all this spiciness. It was cool and fresh and wiped the palate clean after every bite, making each new mouthful taste like the first one.

The only thing that didn’t sit right were my sides for the curry: a bowl of steamed rice with crispy fried onions, and a salad of green beans and shaved coconut with…crispy fried onions. Both were nice, but if they’d left the onions off the salad it would have made each a little more unique. But that’s a pretty small complaint after the meal I’d just had.

I’ll likely keep going back to Rick Stein at Bannisters every time I’m in the area. It just goes to show you that great British chefs aren’t just doing their thing in Britain.

Review of Rick Stein at Bannisters for Great British Chefs by Tim Dickinson 

What’s the best fish or seafood dish you’ve eaten?  Where was it?   We’re discussing this over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page.

At Great British Chefs we love the latest Specsavers ad featuring  chef Gordon Ramsay.

Gordon Ramsay said: “I read the script and concept which was funny and appealed to my sense humour. It was a fun project to be involved in plus I think it doesn’t do any harm to poke fun at your own public persona from time to time. Filming was hilarious, although I must admit that I had the easy job! I really felt for Nick having to play the chap at the centre of it all, it’s easy enough to injure yourself in a kitchen fully clothed, never mind stark naked! Luckily he made it through the filming without a hitch.”

Graham Daldry, creative director for Specsavers, said: “People often ask me how much life is left in ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’. I think this ad provides the answer. A great performance from Nick Wilton, beautiful direction from Daniel Kleinman again and, of course, Gordon Ramsay to really make the joke count. It’s got to be worth three Michelin stars.”

How many Michelin stars would you give this ad?  Which other chefs do you think have a good sense of humour?   We’re discussing this over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page

PS if you like a good food joke don’t forget to enter our Christmas Cracker competition.

River Cottage Veg! Has Hugh revitalised the humble potato?

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall caused a bit of a publicity storm when promoting his new book & Channel 4 TV Series River Cottage Veg.  He said that in principle puppy farms were OK and that if we ate pigs we shouldn’t be averse to eating any animal. Great British Chefs’ guest blogger Monica Shaw watched the first episode of his show (which aired on Sunday night) about living on nothing but vegetables for a whole summer.

All photography by Monica Shaw

Has the Potato Taken Vegetarian Cookery Back to its Roots?

By Monica Shaw

Sunday night saw the first episode of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new series, River Cottage Veg. While the episode aired, tweets with the #rivercottage hashtag poured in, most of which expressed one clear message: people were inspired to cook more veg.

Sure, a lot of this had to do with the celebrity factor of Hugh and his team of chefs (whose collective lack of hair did not go unnoticed by tweeters). But the food got people talking, too, particularly the tumbled potatoes and new potato and halloumi kebabs. 

Could it be that the humble spud is the way to win the world over to vegetarian cuisine?  Why did the tumbled potatoes (basically roasted potatoes with a few extras) inspire viewers while the beet top and ricotta tart went mostly unnoticed?

There’s a simple answer: we’re familiar with potatoes. They’re a classic comfort food. We know we like them. And it takes very little effort to make them delicious.

So why not use the potato’s near universal appeal to convince people to eat more veg?

Of course, for many people, part of the spud’s appeal is its effectiveness for sopping up meaty gravy. But as River Cottage Veg proved on Sunday, even without a traditional Sunday roast to go with it, the potato can still inspire.  The trick is to make the potato less of delivery device for gravy, and more of an event in itself.

If you can roast or boil a potato, then it takes very little extra to make them stand on their own.

For example, try topping your roast potatoes with spicy harissa as they do at the Vegetarian Cookery School. Even a whole baked potato can become extraordinary with the addition of a simple mustard dressing and a couple handfuls of arugula, as vegetarian chef Heidi Swanson does in her sea salt baked potatoes. If you’re feeling more ambitious, use boiled potatoes to create a lively potato salad such as Yotam Ottolenghi’s crushed new potatoes with horseradish and sorrel.

Hugh was right to use the potato in River Cottage Veg. The potato illustrates the basic premise of learning to cook with more vegetables: start with what you know, use good ingredients and cook it simply. After that, it takes little more than a few fresh herbs, spices, salsas and sauces to turn humble vegetables into something inspiring, delicious and beautiful.

Did you watch River Cottage Veg on Sunday? Will you be cooking more vegetables as a result?

Blog post for Great British Chefs by Monica Shaw

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Defends Eating Puppy meat?

We know know that River Cottage TV Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has eaten some strange things in his life, but is his latest statement just a publicity stunt to promote his new book? He spent more than five months being a vegetarian for the  latest series of his River Cottage TV show and has penned non-meat recipes for a new cookbook, River Cottage Veg Every Day!

Cookery Book Sales October 2011 - Infographic by Great British Chefs

Fearnley-Whittingstall has eaten placenta pate, curried fruit bat, giraffe and calf testicles in the past.  Asked whether he would try loin of Labrador or cat liver, he told the Radio Times: “Not unless I was on the point of starvation. In principle, but not in practice, I have no objection to a high-welfare organic puppy farm.”

From our infographic above you can see that Hugh’s book is currently number two in the charts for cookey book sales. So, like others, we couldn’t help but wonder if his vegetarianism was a gimmick to write another book as part of a £1.9 million publishing deal. However he told Radio Times: “That money is for a series of eight or nine River Cottage handbooks, which I don’t write, so the money is shared.

“But I don’t think we’re gimmicky. I started by looking at where food came from, rearing our animals and growing our food.”

Back to the subject of  puppies as food, he said “You can’t object, unless you also object to the farming of pigs. It’s an artificial construct of our society, a cultural decision, to make pets out of dogs and meat out of pigs.

“Both animals could be used the other way round, although pigs probably do make better meat than dogs and dogs better pets than pigs, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.”

Hugh, has campaigned for sustainable fish and has highlighted issues surrounding the mass production of chickens,  and said: “That’s what we’re still doing. I hope we have an influence and like to think we’re driving the agenda.”

For the full story see The Press Association.

What do you think?  Is this all a publicity stunt?  Or should we think of it as a way of looking at how we eat meat?  After all many farmers name pigs, chickens and other lifestock and almost treat them as pets before they are killed.  Or has Fearnley-Whittingstall gone a step too far by suggesting that puppy farms in principle are OK?  We’re discussing this over on Facebook.