PIEGATE. 12TH APRIL 2024. MASTERCHEF.
Fellow pie afficionados and MasterChef fans… Were you as outraged as me at the sight of two this-is-not-a-pie-pies rearing their ugly, half-dressed faces on the pie challenge set by Jay Rayner on last night’s MasterChef? I mean, come on. REFEREE! In fairness, Pete was pulled up on his Vietnamese beef stew with a puff pastry lid and Shreya was mildly remonstrated for her jackfruit galette (clue’s in the name there, kiddo). But what were they thinking? And is it a bit harsh to say they should both have been de-robed of their MasterChef aprons and marched by the elbow from the kitchen? FAKE PIES! For the avoidance of doubt, The…
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF 2023: WEEK THREE – BREAD WEEK
Ten bakers, three challenges and one judge who knows *everything* about bread . On your marks. Get set. BAKE! **** SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of the outcomes of each of the challenges, this week’s star baker and the third of The Class of 2023 to go home. Please don’t read on if you have yet to watch the bread week episode and don’t want to know the outcome! **** With the bakers acutely aware of Paul’s expertise when it comes to baking bread, there was a new level of jitteriness in the tent this week – neatly summed up by Rowan: “I don’t know if it’s the nerves…
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF 2023: WEEK TWO – BISCUIT WEEK
I know we are only two weeks into series 14 of The Great British Bake Off, but I’ve got to tell you that I am completely in love with it already. Alison Hammond is a pure joy to have in the tent. I love the return to more traditional bakes. And I have a *huge* girl crush on Saku. It was slightly odd watching Biscuit Week when it aired last night as I already knew the outcome. I was lucky enough to get tickets to the recording of Bake Off Extra Slice on Sunday just gone. And as part of the process, you watch the full episode before the recording…
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF 2023: WEEK ONE – CAKE WEEK
Well there we have it: series 14, week one of The Great British Bake Off 2023. Done. And (at least for me, in any case), it didn’t disappoint. All the elements of the GBBO we have come to love so dearly were there: laughter, jeopardy, joyfulness, nervousness and plenty of baking innuendo. Boom! **** SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of the outcomes of each of the challenges, this week’s star baker and the first of The Class of 2023 to go home. Please don’t read on if you have yet to watch the cake week episode and don’t want to know the outcome! **** THE SIGNATURE BAKE Here we…
BAKE OFF IS [FINALLY] BACK!
It's back. Tonight. And I couldn't be more excited. The Great British Bake Off. Series 14. Week One. Bring on the cakes!...
FOODIE CHATTER: THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF (A POTTED HISTORY)
It probably won't surprise you to learn that I am a huge Great British Bake Off (GBBO) fan. I have watched every single series (there have been thirteen so far) and I have many a fond memory from each of them. Here's my potted history of GBBO...
THE RISE AND RISE OF ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD (AND HOW SMALL PRODUCERS CAN HELP YOU EAT LESS OF THEM)
You quite often see food in the news. Well, at least you do if you’re a foodie with a radar permanently on receive for foodie news! But this time it’s for all the wrong reasons. Unless you have been out of the country or on a self-imposed blanket media ban this week, you won’t have failed to see the food industry in the spotlight with scientists, doctors and health experts highlighting the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in our diet, their over-use by food manufacturers and the potential links between consumption and numerous health conditions. Amidst all the current media coverage highlighting the prolific rise in production of ultraprocessed…
FOODIE CHATTER: ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY WAFFLE
I recently bought a waffle maker after resisting the temptation for years. I had always feared it would end up in the cupboard of unwanted electricals after a couple of uses. But then the Aldi aisle of dreams got me good and proper.
FOODIE CHATTER: THE GREAT BISCUIT DEBATE
What is a biscuit? When is a biscuit a biscuit and when is a biscuit not a biscuit but a cookie? What is the difference between a biscuit and a cookie? What makes a biscuit good for dunking? Indeed, should biscuits ever be dunked? So many questions! And just to add to that list of questions, do we even care what the difference is between a biscuit and a cookie or would our time be better spent just enjoying eating them dunked (or otherwise) in cold milk or our favourite brew? Well yes, probably. But I’m a baking geek and I let these questions get the better of me all…
