Good Food Blog

Food on the telly

Posted at 11:39AM, 24 February 2008 by Gregg Wallace - TV presenter, greengrocer

Food on the telly is a good thing, of course it is! I make a living out of food on the telly for goodness sake! At its best it entertains and educates. Many an important message regarding our nation's eating habits are broadcast on our televisions. I watch a lot of telly food, and not just programmes featuring me and John Torode.

The one problem with people cooking on telly is you can't taste or smell it. This is why I think many people are spending too much time considering the appearance of their plates, and not enough time on the texture and taste.

I'm prepared to give evidence. For one there's the food tower! Why does food have to be stacked up in some sort of weird 'Scooby Snack'? It has to be demolished before eating! My Nan was one of the best cooks I know, and her food only ever went as high as a roast potato. The other one that drives me mad is the raw herb. Where on earth did that one come from? A branch of rosemary or thyme is inedible. If it's inedible, what's it doing on the plate?

Then of course the other by product of chef TV is 'Chefspeak'. I can now hear people using it all over the place. Nothing is ever fried now, it's pan-fried. Nothing is roasted, or grilled, it's fried off or grilled off. What is all this 'off'? 'Rustic' is the other one. Don't get me started on 'rustic'...

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Comments

  • Binder photo cutielou
    26 February, 12:45PM

    cutielou

    Open QuoteGregg, I could not agree more with your points. The food tower I find so imposing I am frightened to start taking it apart for fear of some mad chef charging from the kitchen to restack. As you say about your nan putting up a fantastic plate of food and not one item over an inch in height (short of very puffy pastry!). The other thing that drives me mad is the fad of 'over fiddling' with food in this obsession to decorate the plate. I don't need it to look like a masterpiece, just a good quality, well flavoured, well cooked dish reasonably presented is fine for me. And don't get me started on herb branches and the preverbial 'rustic'. Loving Masterchef 2008 by the way, keep up the good work.

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  • Binder photo Lilletia
    26 February, 1:48PM

    Lilletia

    Open QuoteFood stacking just gets rediculous. I was enjoying a Pub Sunday lunch the other week, and it was completely stacked - gravy, with veg and potatoes on top, with meat on top, with yorkshire pudding on top, with stuffing on top. Please! The meaning of "haute cuisine" is not how high can the food on the plate get!

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  • Binder photo Oktee
    27 February, 7:01PM

    Oktee

    Open QuoteA delightful man I used to work for, when nouvelle cuisine first appeared, used to ask the waiter "Am I supposed to eat this or hang it on the wall?!!!!"

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  • Binder photo Sian
    28 February, 10:13AM

    Sian

    Open QuoteYesterday, for a laugh, I made my 2-year old a quick lunch of toast, stacked with fish fingers, then fried egg, then baked beans, then peas and finished off with an elegant 'drizzle' of tomato ketchup in the shape of his first initial (yes, I know that wouldn't win any cooking competitions but it looked great!). Anyway he poked at the tower suspiciously with his knife and then said, "Couldn't you just have made it a sandwich?"

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  • Binder photo brazelljames
    28 February, 10:34AM

    brazelljames

    Open QuoteI'm always being told that my food is great but it generally looks like a dogs dinner! But aren't we always being told that we eat with our eyes? And Chefspeak, "Its got rosemary running through it". Running through it? Surely in it!

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  • Binder photo smartie
    29 February, 8:23PM

    smartie

    Open QuoteI just love it when Greg Wallace goes off on one!! Spot on once more Greg. ps; loved Masterchef this season but was gutted all three finalists couldn't win!!

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  • Binder photo Gregg
    1 March, 1:38PM

    Gregg

    Open Quotewe all see eye to eye then. we dont really eat with our eyes, not really sure where that one came from. no one has yet mentioned eating with your nose! Smartie, you are such a softee! all three finalists will do very well out of this much exposure dont worry. Brazeljames, get in touch with cutielou she seems to know what good presentation is. I'll wait for the wedding invite!

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  • Binder photo Sarah
    1 March, 2:32PM

    Sarah

    Open QuoteI can't believe Masterchef is over and so soon!! What other programme can I salivate at, cry with, and cringe over all in one session? Evenings will not be the same again...

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  • Binder photo Jane
    2 March, 9:26AM

    Jane

    Open QuoteCouldn't agree more with all that has been posted. Food tastes the same however it's presented. As to raw herbs - yeuck. Just to say have really enjoyed Masterchef - looking forward to hearing what all 3 finalists are doing now.

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