To be really irritated by chefs over praising their own food?

I did wonder if that's all she eats as she is so slim.

I hope her Christmas cake recipe is good as I've just used it to make mine !

kittylester

Just watched Mary Berry (whose recipes I use a lot) savouring her own cooking with exaggerated enjoyment.

It drove me bonkers.

DH was heard to comment that it's different if it's Nigella!

Oh absolutely! 😂

I need you back on my telly, Nigella. I do love a touch of glam!

Me too , Merlot. I enjoy Nigella and find that her recipes work .
Sadly, I don't look quite so glamorous raiding the fridge in the middle of the night.

I’m guilty of this😳.

I find it quite hilarious when anybody over praises themselves, I think there are ways of doing it without being a complete big head recognising a strength or attribute but there are those who massively big themselves up, quite oblivious to how that might sound. I knew a mother down at the school gates, who was an aromatherapist, prone to saying something along these lines, "I have clients who beg, literally beg me to give them tips on clothes and make up because they are so envious of how I look" often to suppressed snorts of laughter from anyone in earshot as she boasted away without a flicker of embarrassment

Back to Mary Berry, I haven't seen her lately I do have one of her books, I suppose it could be a thing with tv chefs to stand back and admire their work, maybe we all do it to an extent. One of my sons sends me pics of some of his efforts with a "yes! before you say it, your son is amazing in the culinary department" said very much tongue in cheek.

I always think Mary Berry looks uncomfortable when tasting her food. I expect the production team insist as it is 'the thing' these days. She often puts out her tongue to meat the food, which is not a great look!

I do like Mary, though!

I use quite a lot of her recipes

They all do it. I keep waiting for one of them to say something like “that’s not bad” or “that needs some more salt”. Also presenters visiting some commercial enterprise and being asked to taste the product. It’s always a very positive response.

When cooking is featured on Daytime tv and the presenter swans in to taste-test the celebrity chefs offering they ALWAYS trot out the worn-out clichés: "that is soooooo deeeelicious!" "Mmmmmmm, sooooperrrr!" "fantastic!"

I half-hope that one day someone will say "well, I suppose it's OK..." or better still just throw up!

shysal

I always think Mary Berry looks uncomfortable when tasting her food. I expect the production team insist as it is 'the thing' these days. She often puts out her tongue to meat the food, which is not a great look!

I reckon these celebrity chefs should own up and profusely give tons of credit to the support team, literally behind the scenes, who do the majority of prepping.
Anyone can turn out a banquet in "just 20 minutes" if they have a regiment of trainee chefs tucked away in a corner of the kitchen doing all the donkey work.

The only person I have heard praise their home economist is Delia Smith and she praised her testers who she tries new recipes on.
I haven't bothered to watch bake off this year or strictly. As it's always the same . On bake off why do they need 2 presenters . I liked it better on the BBC with Mary Berry and Mel and Sue. They weren't over the top like the channel 4 lot are .

What I liked about Keith Floyd was if he made a mistake he admitted it . And then did it again how it should be .

We all have disasters in the kitchen why don't professionals admit they do .

I do find Mary Berry a bit irritating but do use her recipes. My favourites were the Hairy Bikers and so sad Dave no longer with us. James Martin amuses me. I love watching the cooking programmes and DH lives in hope my skills in the kitchen will improve 😂😂

GIvy, me too. To my late DH’s amusement, I call it my “Gastroporn” 😂

I love James Martin too.

There was a Capital Radio DJ on Saturday Kitchen yesterday who held her nose while trying a kipper recipe (I think) - that was taking things too far the other way, I thought!

I hate the close ups of chefs eating - some of them have awful table manners. The worst thing for me is when they put ingredients right up to their noses to sniff them, it’s so unhygienic. You’d think after Covid they’d be a bit more circumspect. I love Nigel Slater’s recipes but watching him handling, sniffing and slurping in his kitchen would put me off eating any of his cooking (not that I’m ever likely to be invited!).

Chocolatelovinggran

Me too , Merlot. I enjoy Nigella and find that her recipes work .
Sadly, I don't look quite so glamorous raiding the fridge in the middle of the night.

🤣🤣

mae13

shysal

I always think Mary Berry looks uncomfortable when tasting her food. I expect the production team insist as it is 'the thing' these days. She often puts out her tongue to meat the food, which is not a great look!

I reckon these celebrity chefs should own up and profusely give tons of credit to the support team, literally behind the scenes, who do the majority of prepping.
Anyone can turn out a banquet in "just 20 minutes" if they have a regiment of trainee chefs tucked away in a corner of the kitchen doing all the donkey work.

But this applies to any programme, from Digging for Britain to Gardening programmes or any factual programme.

The programme producers have to produce something that will be interesting to watch and only lasts 30 or 45 minutes, so of course all the boring bits are done out the back by the production team.

I am interested in archaeology and people used to make this same type of complaint about Time Team and on some community programme some group made a film about what really happens on a dig and it was so boring, just muddy fields muddy people taking 20 minutes to excavate a suare foot of earth down 5 cm and find nothing. I was so bored I turned it off half way through.

Everyone knows that on tv programmes we only see the highlights and that there is a large backup team. If they don't, they are probably not safe out.

I believe Mary Berry said that after losing her son, she lost her appetite and it never really came back again. I assume its why she stays so slim?

Does anyone remember Fanny Craddock's merciless putdowns of Gwen Troake the winner of "Cook of the Realm"?

Gwen had been selected to cook for a Foyle's Literary Lunch to be hosted by Ted Heath.

The BBC filmed Gwen with Fanny Craddock as part of their 'Big Time' series. Instead of helping and encouraging Gwen when they discussed the menu, Fanny kept grimacing and pretending to gag as each element of the menu was described by Gwen.

Jamie Oliver is another one who goes into raptures about his dishes. He can make his offerings look so quick and easy, something I’ve certainly never mastered.

It is about TV presentation. They need the hype to make the programme mor watchable. If they just stood there and mumbled there way through or did not speak at all, they could not sell their wares i.e. food. It is just part of marketing and media. However, I do have a gripe with chefs at big hotels who are very precious. I once stayed at a lovely hotel and the chose cauliflower steak. It was raw so I could not eat it. The chef came out personally and asked me what was wrong with his food. I said I can't eat raw cauliflower as it gives me terrible digestive problems. It has just seen one flash of the frying pan on each side and that was it.

Sorry about all the mistakes. I have a bad headache and am trying to get by without taking a tablet.