I see that the latest controversy on the Great British Bugger Off is that they have swapped the KitchenAid Artisan food-mixers for Kenwood ones in the big tent. While Mrs FEEG swears by (and sometimes at) her Artisan, I cannot see that this really makes a lot of difference. Mary Berry is still an annoying old dear, Paul Hollywood still deserves a bit of a slap, and the contestants are still fairly weird. Some nice, but sometimes overcomplicated, breads, cakes, pies and pastries result from the contest, though.
There is an ITV alternative, the BBQ Championship. It is a similar thing, but using charcoal grills and ovens rather than electric ones. Also, the contestants are (even more) weird, and judges just as annoying. Still, the results look great and make a chap slobber. There is one other big difference. The GBBO is presented by Mel and Sue, while the BBQC presenter is Myleene Klass. Which to choose………???
Boadicea's Chariot 
Can you please translate? None of this makes any sense to me – a poor antipodean. 🙂
I feel deprived! I have no place to bake anything.
Glossary for Boadicea:
GBBO = Great British Bake Off. A competition that starts with ten or so contestants who claim to be good bakers and have to bake various items within a set time limit. They are judged by Mary Berry who used to write cookery books about a million years ago, and Paul Holloway who used to work as a baker. Each week the baker judged to have produced the worst items is eliminated. This is, believe or or not, is one of the most popular programmes on British TV at the moment (now the Ashes have been won 🙂 ). Also, there is nearly always some, somewhat contrived, controversy in each series.
KitchenAid Artisan. = A popular make of American made food mixer
Kenwood = A British (well, nominally) firm that makes food mixers amongst other kitchen appliances.
Mel and Sue = Mel Gedroyc and Sue Perkins. A couple of middle aged TV presenters (nominally, ex-comediennes)
BBQC = BBQ Champ. A similar competition to the Bake Off but using charcoal barbies and various meat, fish and veggie dishes cooked on them or in a charcoal oven. It is on an alternative TV channel, and the two barbecuers who are deemed to have cooked the worst dishes in each round have to have a “grill off” to see who is eliminated. Also, there is a £25,000 prize at the end of this one, and no-one has heard of the judges.
Myleene Klass = a bit of a babe, who is a TV presenter, former pop-star, classical pianist, model and all round good egg.
Hope that clarifies the issue for our Antipodean friends. 🙂
Thanks FEEG! I avoid all cookery programmes since I have never, ever understood why people will spend hours making something that will be eaten and gone in a matter of a few minutes. I expect a blast from Christina here!
I was in the UK in May this year – and decided that the UK programmes are worse than they are here – since they all seemed to be about cooking. How boring! (Another blast from Christina expected!)
I find it especially odd that the UK has so many cookery programmes since the ready-to-cook food industry there is so wonderful. 🙂
TV food shows? Cures for insomnia. Not content with teaching grannies to suck eggs they even ask wannabe celebrities to join in. The only TV cook I warmed to was Keith Floyd whose advice was excellent – in his cups.
Actually Bo, I rather agree with you. I detest cookery programmes. Either over the top, over complicated. full of poseurs etc etc. In real life the odd recipe here and there is long winded but there are generally ways and means of short cuts all over the place, generally known to the professionals who don’t have the time to waste. Some very ugly results too by the odd still I have seen from the papers of the GBBO. One wonders why these people think they can cook?
I used to have a Kenwood in the UK, (wedding present!) I was singularly unimpressed with it, seemed to spend all its time clarting up the ingredients against the walls, endless scraping down etc. Flogged it! (after a suitably diplomatic period of time!)
Took one look at the Kitchen Aid and thought it would have the same problems here. I use an electric hand held beater for creaming and whipping. Short cut-20 seconds in the microwave for the butter before you begin! I’m all for speed, too much to do! The one electric appliance I would not be without is a Cuisinart food processor, chops, slices, grinds, liquidises -totally bloody brilliant and goes in the dishwasher. Also a hand held wand liquidiser, marvelous for processing passata.
Yesterday I rendered 7lbs of figs into a compote for the freezer, Made a cauldron of passata for the freezer, (haven’t bought a tin of tomatoes in years!) Picked all of the above from my garden. I only eat real food, nothing preprepared, disgusting muck.
Have you ever washed off a lump of so called chicken from a ready meal?
Don’t! It is frightening, looks somewhat akin to a lump of foam rubber, air holes in a matrix of ground beak, foot and soy! Then people wonder why they get cancer? Cancer of the bowls is I believe the next prevalent to lung cancer as a prime killer in the UK, one wonders why! Or rather one doesn’t! The chemicals used in meat processing plants for the fast food industry are seriously frightening. Which is why I went organic and grow your own 20 years ago. Well worth the time and effort.
We seem to be getting more and more Australian TV here on the Public Service stations, must say they are very good indeed, very watchable.
Interestingly the Kitchen Aid in the papers was touted to be 386.00 sterling or so, well it is the same price here in dollars, so at 1.55 exchange that makes it 50% or so dearer. What a bloody rip off the UK has become. Same is true for all these sports shoes, Nike etc. A friend asked me to price some for her son. 50% dearer for internet delivery into the UK. Robbers.
Interesting J, I actually have his recipe book of round Britain recipes here and now. Useful for bizarre regional dishes. I never saw him, was away at the time, gather he was permanently pissed on the show?
Now how about a Singing Hinnie?
Yes please, C! With my afternoon tea. 😊
Bugger, haven’t made one of them in 30 years. Now I’ll have to.
Used to love old fashioned lardy cake, but here you cannot get the lard anymore, only the inestimably bloody awful Crisco. There ought to be a law against that stuff! I suppose the only people who buy are mechanics.