tom kerridge eats christmas

the playing mantis

ugo.santalucia wrote:

daviesee wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

well, vegetables and pulses can take centre stage...

Nope.
Not interested.
We'll just have to go to different places.

That's the problem... an innovative chef would broaden your views and change your mind and you would evolve from a carnivore to an omnivore, from a mountain lion to a bear, to put it in perspective.

But reality is there are a full load of smoke sellers (literally sometimes) jokers, but no real innovators among celebrity chefs.

The other thing I find tedious is how in the 21st century French cookery and to a lesser extent Italian are still seen as the reference point... let's move on, the world has moved on already

But French and Italian are delicious, so why change fir changes sake?

There are plenty of fusion chefs about, based often on Asian dishes, that imo are just tampering with something thsy was better originally often.

upperoilcan

MattC59 wrote:

He's a nice guy and an excellent chef. He took the time to come and have a chat with Mrs C and me the last time that we went to the Hand and Flowers, as it was our anniversary.

If you've not been to the Hand and Flowers, I highly recommend it.

He's also lost huge amounts of weight (he's still huge) recently.

He is a nice guy as ive met a few times when ive been on the p@ss in Marlow,he must be doing something right as the waiting list at the Hand and Flowers is as long as your arm....

joelsim

That honey glazed belly of pork looked good though

ugo.santalucia

Joelsim wrote:

That honey glazed belly of pork looked good though

Way too much honey... sweet meat can be sickening... there is a pub round here that cook amazingly tender and succulent pork ribs and then they ruin them with a sweet chillies sauce that really should not be there

the playing mantis

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Joelsim wrote:

That honey glazed belly of pork looked good though

Way too much honey... sweet meat can be sickening... there is a pub round here that cook amazingly tender and succulent pork ribs and then they ruin them with a sweet chillies sauce that really should not be there

Sweet chilli sauce is wrong full stop

Monkeypump

upperoilcan wrote:

...he must be doing something right as the waiting list at the Hand and Flowers is as long as your arm....

The reservations policy there is ridiculous now, and it strikes me that he's cashing in on recent awards (fair play) and TV/book fame (annoying).

H&F used to be my favourite local 'decent' restaurant, but lots of locals (myself included) no longer bother. Certainly last time I was there everyone within earshot were only there after seeing Big Tom on TV.

Now that they have the new bar perhaps things will improve. Whatever Tom says, it's not just "a pub selling good food", and it needs to make up it's mind what it really is. Nice bloke though he is, he needs to get that place back to what it once was (a good local pub selling great food) and open a proper restaurant (in London?) to compete with other 2-star establishments, if that's what he wants to do.

Oh, and get a new manager, because Lourdes Lista is arrogant and awful.

ugo.santalucia

Monkeypump wrote:

upperoilcan wrote:

...he must be doing something right as the waiting list at the Hand and Flowers is as long as your arm....

The reservations policy there is ridiculous now, and it strikes me that he's cashing in on recent awards (fair play) and TV/book fame (annoying).

H&F used to be my favourite local 'decent' restaurant, but lots of locals (myself included) no longer bother. Certainly last time I was there everyone within earshot were only there after seeing Big Tom on TV.

Now that they have the new bar perhaps things will improve. Whatever Tom says, it's not just "a pub selling good food", and it needs to make up it's mind what it really is. Nice bloke though he is, he needs to get that place back to what it once was (a good local pub selling great food) and open a proper restaurant (in London?) to compete with other 2-star establishments, if that's what he wants to do.

Oh, and get a new manager, because Lourdes Lista is arrogant and awful.

MIchelin starred restaurants are no different from other highly priced attractions, unlikely to be popular with the local crowds, when "invaders" are prepared to pay more... he will cash in as much as he can, it's the market law and nobody is immune, it's up to you to decide if it's worth that money or not.. if not, go elsewhere

joelsim

Monkeypump wrote:

upperoilcan wrote:

...he must be doing something right as the waiting list at the Hand and Flowers is as long as your arm....

The reservations policy there is ridiculous now, and it strikes me that he's cashing in on recent awards (fair play) and TV/book fame (annoying).

H&F used to be my favourite local 'decent' restaurant, but lots of locals (myself included) no longer bother. Certainly last time I was there everyone within earshot were only there after seeing Big Tom on TV.

Now that they have the new bar perhaps things will improve. Whatever Tom says, it's not just "a pub selling good food", and it needs to make up it's mind what it really is. Nice bloke though he is, he needs to get that place back to what it once was (a good local pub selling great food) and open a proper restaurant (in London?) to compete with other 2-star establishments, if that's what he wants to do.

Oh, and get a new manager, because Lourdes Lista is arrogant and awful.

There's always the Wimpy on the High St.

Monkeypump

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Monkeypump wrote:

upperoilcan wrote:

...he must be doing something right as the waiting list at the Hand and Flowers is as long as your arm....

The reservations policy there is ridiculous now, and it strikes me that he's cashing in on recent awards (fair play) and TV/book fame (annoying).

H&F used to be my favourite local 'decent' restaurant, but lots of locals (myself included) no longer bother. Certainly last time I was there everyone within earshot were only there after seeing Big Tom on TV.

Now that they have the new bar perhaps things will improve. Whatever Tom says, it's not just "a pub selling good food", and it needs to make up it's mind what it really is. Nice bloke though he is, he needs to get that place back to what it once was (a good local pub selling great food) and open a proper restaurant (in London?) to compete with other 2-star establishments, if that's what he wants to do.

Oh, and get a new manager, because Lourdes Lista is arrogant and awful.

MIchelin starred restaurants are no different from other highly priced attractions, unlikely to be popular with the local crowds, when "invaders" are prepared to pay more... he will cash in as much as he can, it's the market law and nobody is immune, it's up to you to decide if it's worth that money or not.. if not, go elsewhere

Well, thanks for that insightful guidance. :roll:

As I said, I don't bother going any more. However, that has nothing to do with price, as I'm not even sure it's increased significantly. There are simply better places doing 2-star food, and sadly this place has lost touch with what it once was.

And Joelsim - not been for a while, but I honestly got better service at Wimpy than my last visit to H&F. :shock:

the playing mantis

Wimpy, do they still exist?! Can you still get a bender in a bun?

Monkeypump

the playing mantis wrote:

Wimpy, do they still exist?! Can you still get a bender in a bun?

Yes, but Marlow is the only one I know of aside from service stations.

I believe so.

I might pick one up on Christmas eve

upperoilcan

Monkeypump wrote:

the playing mantis wrote:

Wimpy, do they still exist?! Can you still get a bender in a bun?

Yes, but Marlow is the only one I know of aside from service stations.

I believe so.

I might pick one up on Christmas eve

There is also a Wimpy in Henley for the record.

joelsim

Monkeypump wrote:

the playing mantis wrote:

Wimpy, do they still exist?! Can you still get a bender in a bun?

Yes, but Marlow is the only one I know of aside from service stations.

I believe so.

I might pick one up on Christmas eve

Quite right. Many a school lunchtime spent in there in the 80s.

stoveman

ugo.santalucia wrote:

daviesee wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

stoveman wrote:

Lots of great chefs around these days.

I disagree... they lack creativity... all they can cook is meat and fish and surround those with 1000 pointless dots of various sauces and garnish... it's pretty boring food

As opposed to?

well, vegetables and pulses can take centre stage... think about a parmigiana of aubergines, a chana massala, falafel etc... My point is that all they do is tricks and embellishments on a rather tried and tested Anglo-French menu' that has not significantly evolved for a couple of centuries (essentially they are all variations of meat and potatoes or fish and chips, if you like).
I have been in very innovative restaurants, where they do cook unusual ingredients as main course, rather than dotted as sauces and mashes for garnish, but you don't see any of that from TV chefs.


Also, the use of spices is always very conservative, for a teenager palate, I should say... unexciting if you are accustomed to a more robust dose... in essence mostly bland dishes, cooked to perfection, but repetitive and boring

Have to disagree with you about innovative chefs around at the moment.there are plenty they just don't spend anytime on TV as they are pushing boundaries in taste,presentation and peoples perception of food in their respective restaurants..
Chefs I would place under this heading are Sat Bains, Simon Rogan ,Rene Redzepi, Ben Spalding and James Knappett to name but 5..All of these guys have cooked at minimum 1 Michelin star and most have attained 2 stars.For a palate that enjoys highly spiced flavours ,yes you will need to look further afield,but there is no less skill in balancing milder delicate flavours than heavily spiced flavours.
People all have different tastes and expectations,I for instance can't see the attraction of a heavily spiced curry where there is just heat and one or two flavour profiles,I much prefer a plate where 4 or 5 flavours are used to create a a complex flavour profile on the different levels.

essexeagle

How has a thread on tv chefs on a cycling forum managed to get to three pages with no mention of what a cyclist hating ubercunt James Martin is?

ugo.santalucia

essexeagle wrote:

How has a thread on tv chefs on a cycling forum managed to get to three pages with no mention of what a cyclist hating ubercunt James Martin is?

Probably because as a chef is a zero...

seanoconn

ugo.santalucia wrote:

essexeagle wrote:

How has a thread on tv chefs on a cycling forum managed to get to three pages with no mention of what a cyclist hating ubercunt James Martin is?

Probably because as a chef is a zero...

I have the James Martin collection and half the recipes in there are Delia's. He hasn't even bothered swapping the words about.

arran77

upperoilcan wrote:

Monkeypump wrote:

the playing mantis wrote:

Wimpy, do they still exist?! Can you still get a bender in a bun?

Yes, but Marlow is the only one I know of aside from service stations.

I believe so.

I might pick one up on Christmas eve

There is also a Wimpy in Henley for the record.

I can't believe that Henley and Marlow would have a Wimpy :shock:

Do they still do bent egg and chips?

upperoilcan

arran77 wrote:

I can't believe that Henley and Marlow would have a Wimpy :shock:

Do they still do bent egg and chips?

Yup,this is as close as it gets for us as quite simply a Mcdonald's/Burger King would lower the tone.

Although i hear a Domino's pizza has been given the go ahead in Marlow. :shock:

Not sure about the bent egg and chips but im sure you can still get the bendy sausage in a bun,i will have a look tomorrow whilst out on the p*ss.

Paulie W

ugo.santalucia wrote:

essexeagle wrote:

How has a thread on tv chefs on a cycling forum managed to get to three pages with no mention of what a cyclist hating ubercunt James Martin is?

Probably because as a chef is a zero...

He's an idiot but he is actually a pretty good chef.

joelsim

upperoilcan wrote:

arran77 wrote:

I can't believe that Henley and Marlow would have a Wimpy :shock:

Do they still do bent egg and chips?

Yup,this is as close as it gets for us as quite simply a Mcdonald's/Burger King would lower the tone.

Although i hear a Domino's pizza has been given the go ahead in Marlow. :shock:

Not sure about the bent egg and chips but im sure you can still get the bendy sausage in a bun,i will have a look tomorrow whilst out on the p*ss.

Is the curry take away still on Spittal St? That's the only one I can remember. Back there next week to see the folks so will have a look.

upperoilcan

Joelsim wrote:

Is the curry take away still on Spittal St? That's the only one I can remember. Back there next week to see the folks so will have a look.

No mate that one has gone but there are a good few to choose from,i hear the one on the corner next door to The Prince of Wales ( Used to be the Chippie) is good.

overlord2

essexeagle wrote:

How has a thread on tv chefs on a cycling forum managed to get to three pages with no mention of what a cyclist hating ubercunt James Martin is?

Please explain then I'll see if I agree. I actually like the Saturday Kitchen but this might change when...

BillyMansell

Overlord2 wrote:

essexeagle wrote:

How has a thread on tv chefs on a cycling forum managed to get to three pages with no mention of what a cyclist hating ubercunt James Martin is?

Please explain then I'll see if I agree. I actually like the Saturday Kitchen but this might change when...

He wrote an article having test driven an electric car and relished in the idea of silently driving up behind cyclists and blowing the horn to scare cyclists off the road. He later apologised.

overlord2

tbh if I had an electric car thats what i'd do.

pinno

the playing mantis wrote:

Paulie W wrote:

the playing mantis wrote:

He's...

It's terrible isn't it? If we look at celebrity chefs it's a struggle to find a good role model:

Ricky Stein, had an affair left his wife and kids
Nigella, alledged druggy
Ramsay, sweary, alledged unfaithful, popper pusher, allegedly.
Worral Thompson, squashed bg shoplifter
Nigel Slater, looks a bit iffy
Gary Rhodes, as above and is comes across as a weirdo.
Kerridge, morbidly obese and encouraging fatness on others
Jamie Oliver, fake cockney facade, puts on a front.
Michel roux, looks emaciated, face seemingly has a life of it's own.
Raymond blanc, speaks with a funny accent
Delia, pisshead

I guess that leaves good old Ainsley as the upstanding flag waver for chefdom

The thing that stands out most of all with these celebrity chefs, is their arrogance.
I don't know who remembers the 'Fly on the wall' series when G Ramsay was going for his Michelin stars, the guy was such a pr1ck to his staff. The worst one was Marco Pierre White. My sister did the photoshoot when he opened Harvey's in Wandsworth because he had to clear £1800 a week in 1989 to break even and could not afford a photographer of note. I knew a guy called Derek who spent 2 years in depression after M White held a meat clever to his neck one lunchtime, whilst being pressed up against a fridge - the guy is a psycho.
Suffice to say, Derek picked himself up and got a job at the Japanese Embassy for all the European visitors/functions. £60k a year and about 100 days per annum work.
Pru Leith is another one, the most condescending cow to hit the telly. She used to talk to her staff like they were stupid.
Raymond Blanc to me is the best. If you ever get a chance to go to the Le Quatre Saison, his kitchen is calm. No shouting, bullying or hostility. His gardens are extensive, worth a visit on their own. Even he has gone down the contemporary route of the funny coloured squiggles on the plate.

Rick Stein and Gary Rhodes are just arrogant whankers. Rhodes: "Look at that [what i have created], doesn't it look wonderful [what I have created] etc etc", not an ounce of humility in them.

Si I agree with Ugo - all those squidges on the plate look like a locust with a bad dose of the squitters has come along and left a marker.

That is my twopence worth - back to Perry Como, those skaters have got great legs.