A brand new food quiz that asks, do you know your onions? Hosted by the sharp-witted Sue Perkins, each week resident captain Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is forced to defend his cooking credentials as he is challenged by a different captain, a famous food personality, to establish who knows the most about all things edible. In every episode Hugh and his hungry rival will be flanked by celebrity guests with a passion for food and a determination for victory. Tonight Hugh is joined by Ben Miller, and they compete against kitchen magician Heston Blumenthal and actress Patsy Kensit.
I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of this show was; new and exotic foods or a tale of Souls Saved by Soup?
Jamie endeavouring to change things for the better isn’t a new notion of course, and it’s something he does well. He never seems overly patronising and appears ready to listen to others, but if the purpose of this new offering from the infinitely marketable stable that is Jamie Oliver, was only to demonstrate new recipes, why the liberal lobbing in of gangster gone good stories?
The moral of the show was fairly evident early on; a love of food and taking on a career in catering can get a person out of trouble and into a normal workaday life, which is all well and good, but the combination of the two things in last night’s show made for singularly clunky segues. Read more & comment »
Can you believe we’re nearly officially into Autumn?? It’s shocking!
However, with the return of darker nights and shorter days, at least the TV line-ups tend to improve somewhat, so as we go boldly into September, here’s what we recommend you take a squiz at on telly next week… Read more & comment »
Jamie Oliver is on the culinary journey of a lifetime as he discovers the heart of America, through its people, culture, music and – most importantly – its food. The six-part series is more than a straightforward cooking and travel show as Jamie delves deep into the social issues and diverse cultures of 21st-century America. In the first edition he visits Los Angeles. The city is synonymous with glitz and glamour. But Jamie experiences a very different version of the American Dream a few miles east of the Hollywood sign among America’s largest concentration of Mexican immigrants.
The newest offering from Jamie Oliver and Channel 4 is about to hit our screens. Jamie’s American Road Trip kicks off next week and we know that there will be huge demand (and about 1,000 emails) for the recipes from the show.
Luckily Jamie has documented his journey around the states and published a book with 120 brand new recipes, and Jamie’s diary narrative running alongside. This will be a celebratory cookbook of a country with a wide food heritage.
There’s a new Gordon on the chef block – Gordon Jones, a 26 year old who’s the head chef of a swanky restaurant in Bath.
He’s Scottish, he’s no nonsense and he swears, though not nearly as much as the other Gordon. He’s more a “cra*” man than an F man. Well, he was on the BBC so there are certain standards to adhere to when your show’s hosted by Aunty Beeb.
And a very nice man he is too; unassuming, personable, pleasant, but does he have the X factor that turns bog standard chefs into TV stars? Well, time will tell, but I’d have to say that on first glance, he doesn’t have the charisma of the other Gordon, but his laid back approach isn’t without charm. Nor is his just-tumbled-out-of-bed look… Read more & comment »
Ainsley Harriott is planning to drive around the UK in a converted chip van to launch No Chip Week.
In response to a survey which found that more than half of British people have chips at least once a week, Ainsley decided to promote healthy alternative’s to the fatty snack.
Vito Cataffo is the latest in a very, very, long line of chefs to parade his culinary and curriculum vitae wares on our screens, and though he’s a very likeable bloke, I suspect he’s the straw that broke the camel’s back in telly terms.
Granted, the concept of this show is sort of a new one as it follows Vito through the various stages of opening a restaurant in Italy that serves British food. But in terms of something new, that was it. The rest was a been-there-done-that-bought-the-boxset offering.
It was, as far too many TV shows are these days, a hybrid concoction of any number of cheffy programmes. It features a skilled gastronome who’s also got business savvy, but again, we’ve been there and done that with Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Aldo Zilli, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, etc., etc., ad infinitum. Read more & comment »
August 12th, 2009 by Lisa McGarry. Tags: Channel-4
In this brand new series, restaurateur and entrepreneur Vito Cataffo sets out on an epic quest, staking his personal fortune and his hard-won reputation on a deep-set personal belief that British food is the best in the world. Vito launches a culinary crusade to Italy, the country of his birth. The series follows Vito as he finds a failing Italian restaurant, rescues and renovates it, and then sets about transforming it into a shrine to British food.
Soap bitch Gemma Bissix has said that she would love to take part in Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me.
Bissix seems to be warming to the idea of reality TV she also apppeared on Celebrity Masterchef 2008 and had a fairly unsuccessful stint on Dancing On Ice earlier this year.
“I’d love to [do Come Dine With Me] – definitely,” she told PA. “I’d like to think I’d win this one, though – I’d just have to make sure what was in the underwear drawer was clean!
Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott has blasted Gordon Ramsay for his bad language and fiery temperament.
Harriot told The Sun: “You have to bring his temperament into question.
“I don’t bring up children like that. I have spoken in schools and I don’t think we should teach children about that sort of angry side, that dismissive side of things.
Sophie Dahl, author and food writer, is coming to BBC Two with a brand new series for 2010.
Made by Jamie Oliver’s Fresh One Productions, the series will feature Sophie cooking up delicious recipes and reminiscing on her own personal food memories..
Food for Sophie is a way of life, she says: “For me, food is more than just fuel; it’s a joy and an adventure.
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