Great British Menu - General Discussion

[Pallida]

Wikipedia says there are two more weeks of heats: London South East and then Central.

[Athena]

Wikipedia says there are two more weeks of heats: London South East and then Central.

 

Oops. I forgot about one region. Gosh, there are so many heats. It's great, but I'm most excited for finales week so I want it to get here soon.

[Pallida]

I've found myself mostly watching entrees, desserts, and judging. This is the first time I've watched so I'm excited to see how finals work!

[Athena]

I've found myself mostly watching entrees, desserts, and judging. This is the first time I've watched so I'm excited to see how finals work!

 

It's fantastically cramped in that kitchen with all 8 heat winners competing and checking each other out. It's very tense when the scoring happens each day. I think you'll like it.

[shandy]

SouthEastern/London - The Matt/Daniel dynamic is so intense - it must be super hard to be judged by an old boss who remembers your triumphs and your disasters. 

 

I had no idea what the guy was thinking of with that contorted salmon. 

[Athena]

Matt and Mark looked so broken when they got their scores in the Appetizer round. Matt had watery eyes. Damn.

 

Lee is doing so well quietly on the side. I think both Matt and Mark have a lot of pressure considering that they know judges on this show.

[shandy]

Who'd have thunk it? Matt coming through and almost a photo finish. The goat must have been seriously impressive. A pity that the other courses from both chefs were uninspiring. I liked that Matt challenged himself with a vegetable appetizer but did giggle when O said what it needed was a burger underneath it. 

[M. Darcy]

 

Unsurprised who won North West.

Yeah, as soon as he went first on the fish episode, I knew he was going to win. Winnie's sister is so adorable!  Whew, finally caught up o the Northwest yesterday so I'm almost all caught up.

[M. Darcy]

All caught up and ready for the finals!

 

Though, if I remember correctly, only one woman has made the finals?

[Athena]

Finals Week! I encourage daily viewing since this is the last week and every day is tense.

 

Though, if I remember correctly, only one woman has made the finals?

 

Yeah which is about average for the final. They had more female chefs in the heats this year so I'm hoping they return especially Pip.

[M. Darcy]

 

so I'm hoping they return especially Pip.

Me too!  I really liked Pip.  I'm not saying that Rich didn't deserve to win but a part of me thought they just weren't going to make him fail yet again. 

[shandy]

A pity that Josh still seems to be the same snarky jock he was in the heats - yet can do no wrong in the judge's eyes. Man, that WI judge was hard to please.  Ah Jak, I so want her to win a course. Personally I would love soup and a sandwich. But I've always thought of this as North American, as my british roomies thought it a bizarre combo.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about changing dishes at this stage - it seems kind of disrespectful to the other chefs they were judged against originally. 

Edited October 6, 2015 by shandy

[Athena]

When people mark with others, they tend to influence voting. Matt seemed bitter that the chefs had basically knocked him out of the short list. Poor guy.

 

I love the reactions to Michael's presentation and dish. That was his worse dish. I can't wait to see how he does tomorrow.

 

 

I'm not sure how I feel about changing dishes at this stage - it seems kind of disrespectful to the other chefs they were judged against originally. 

 

This aspect has been part of the competition for years. I guess as the heat winners they get this "perk" of reworking their dishes. I don't mind it too much because it's hard to watch them fail again with the same dish. It's about creating the best dishes and menu in the end.

[M. Darcy]

Hour long episodes!  I have a life!  Ok, no I don't. 

 

 

I love the reactions to Michael's presentation and dish.

Yeah, total difference between the chefs and judges.  I think I agree with the judges on this one - it looked kind of gross.  And, I still think the egg looks silly.

[Pallida]

I don't know why but the big eggs make me think of A Clockwork Orange.

[Athena]

The hype around Michael's dish made me nervous that it wouldn't be as good as the heats because it's happened before. However, I was very pleased that it came off just as perfectly; I adored the chefs' reactions. Rich was flabbergasted. Some of the boys were so shocked and not even sure what they were seeing. Ben even took out his mobile for a photo. I have to admit that things felt a bit anticlimactic afterwards. I'm even a little surprised that he didn't win outright because he got perfect scores from everyone.

 

However, I am pleased that Jac got on the shortlist. I was very surprised how low the chefs judged her so I'm glad they kept her up. Still, I think Michael's dish will get it in the end.

[Pallida]

I noticed judge Matthew's hand got blackened while eating Michael's dish. That's my only concern with it going to a banquet. I got the sense that Jak didn't like it, but perhaps that was just worry that it was her biggest competition. The chefs scoring her so low was fascinating though!

[M. Darcy]

 

However, I am pleased that Jac got on the shortlist.

Me too! I was getting a little worried that the other chefs scores would make knock her dish out.

[Athena]

Two nights in a row the chefs that made the shortlist were bottom in the next course. Poor Jak. Also kudos to the adorable Adam for being even more helpful than most during this round.

 

I'm glad that Matt won outright just because I also like goat. I've been mixed on him, but it does look like an amazing course so he should go through.

 

Onwards to the drama of the dessert round.

[Badger]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/great-british-menu-chef-michael-6598640

 

News about Michael O'Hare. Nothing bad, but he's got a new look now.

[M. Darcy]

I just saw that picture on twitter.   I like the look a lot better than his old haircut. 

[Athena]

I think Michael looks more handsome. He has a really good personality and I hope this means he gets more TV gigs like Tom Kerridge did after he was on this show.

 

Without spoiling the final menu, I really feel commiserations for the other chefs.

[Christina]

I think I'm happy with the choices. There were a few who could have gone through and I would have been happy for them, but I think they made the correct call.

[M. Darcy]

Watched the final 3 episodes last night so all caught up! I really enjoyed all the finals episodes. I'm going to miss seeing these guys - they should give that group their own series.

Hee, I think Rich's sister was a bit tipsy at the banquet.

[shandy]

The Parliament Chamber is tiny. It was surprising. I do appreciate how the BBC combines education and entertainment so easily.

 

I was expecting a rather sedate banquet of the great and the good in a grand setting - those ladies were there to get trashed - it was fantastic! 

 

Jak looked so pretty and so generous about Michael's fish course. 

[Athena]

BBC2 has put out its press release for the next series, but it has not listed an air date. The release includes information about the brief, the cheftestants, the guest judges, and the chef judges participating this year.

Chefs and Chef judges:

Spoiler

Not that many women again. Sigh.

Michael O'Hare will be back as guest judge, but no Marcus. That's the first time in years that Marcus has skipped out. I'll miss him, but at least Lisa Allen is back as guest judge.

[txvoodoo]

Yeah, but we get 

Spoiler

Michael O'Hare judging, which should be interesting!

[biakbiak]

I watched the People's banquet and I found it crazy slow and repetitive. It could have been because I streamed it but I was so freaking bored by the finale because I had seen the dishes so many times I didn't care. Quite frankly I often didn't care when the chefs did the full menu for the judges. I didn't learn anything from the earlier chefs so they cold easily heavily edit in the earlier rounds and stay a little bit longer on the tweeks  in the semifinal and also limit the trash talking?

[Athena]

The new series premiered today with Scotland.

[shandy]

Thanks Athena, much appreciated. I know public television doesn't need to chase ratings, but the BBC's publicity for this airdate has been so quiet. I'm so pleased sweet Jude is back, too bad it's with meathead Josh again. I'll catch up with Scotland on the weekend but no Jak in her pink Chef's Whites - it's a travesty!

[Christina]

When Michael received a 10 for his fish dish and Daniel was telling him that he thought it was the best fish dish he has had in the competition and that he was trying to keep his face and voice non-expressive so he didn't give it away during the tasting, it looked like it was taking all Michael had to not break down in tears. That choked me up a bit. It was nice seeing the other two smile at him and being positive about it. I think receiving recognition by someone you admire and respect is one of the best feelings, and I like seeing it happen. It's even better to watch when the person receiving the compliment is humble as opposed to arrogant.

[Athena]

On 2016-09-01 at 2:36 AM, Christina said:

I think receiving recognition by someone you admire and respect is one of the best feelings, and I like seeing it happen. It's even better to watch when the person receiving the compliment is humble as opposed to arrogant.

Completely. It's happened a few times on this show when a chef judge raves about something and you can clearly see how verklempt the contestant gets about it. It's one of the best things about this show because as much as I like to see amateurs, there is something really satisfying watching people who do this work on a daily basis pour their passion and experience out for this competition. I liked how emotional Daniel got about it; he seemed so proud and genuinely moved by Michael's dish and the three dishes in general. I replayed him tasting it; you could see him hide his smile. Awww.

I feel a bit for Ally because unless he somehow gets 10 on his dessert, this really is a two man race between Adam and Michael. Adam was a finalist on Masterchef: The Pros a few years ago. He soared through the whole competition until at the very end where for some reason, his last menu deflated. He is very talented and one of the most critically acclaimed young chefs so not a surprise he is doing well. He's not an emotive chef though and he approaches his work much more technically.

[summer57]

Very pleased Michael won.

I had the feeling that Adam approached GBM as just another competition and brought out his repertoire of competition-worthy dishes that he tried to tweak to fit the brief. For example, the ham hock terrine in the GBM starter was also in his Masterchef Pro final menu. I didn't see anything particularly original in Adam's plates -- I've been watching GBM since season 5 and there have been some stunningly original and exciting dishes. On the other hand, Michael and Ally were, in my opinion, cooking from the heart. In Michael's case, he cooked from the heart and  also created some highly technical and risky elements. So in my opinion, the right chef won. Though my heart broke for Ally and his dessert!!

[Badger]

Michael O'Hare is going to be a judge later this series, but I don't know when.

[Christina]

I came across this review of week one earlier. There doesn't seem to be a media thread for this show, but there also doesn't seem to be much media about it, so that's why I posted it in the episode thread. There are also  pages summarizing the three Scottish chefs and one for the upcoming chefs of the South West

[shandy]

Adam reminded me  a little of the tennis player Andy Murray in looks and temperament - he's clearly talented and ultra competitive but  I was interested in the Highland Wagyu beef. I too was glad Michael won and that all the judges loved his fish dish. Pru continues to 'save' the judges for me - she actually has a sense of humor - 'it's a blackberry' (big deal). The Irish guy is so permanently appalled by everything I get frustrated.

I am confused about the regional element, as it seems that many Scots were irritated that 2 England-based chefs are representing them this year. Perhaps demonstrates the London domination of the UK scene, or more likely, laziness of the advance production team who didn't want to leave the metro area. But I'm sure there were lots of Scottish-based chefs who would gladly have welcomed TV exposure.

 

I had not heard of stovies before.

[Athena]

4 hours ago, shandy said:

I am confused about the regional element, as it seems that many Scots were irritated that 2 England-based chefs are representing them this year. Perhaps demonstrates the London domination of the UK scene, or more likely, laziness of the advance production team who didn't want to leave the metro area. But I'm sure there were lots of Scottish-based chefs who would gladly have welcomed TV exposure.

The regional aspect of the element means the chef can either be from the region itself or in some cases, they have adopted the region as their home with a restaurant there as well. Since I've watched this show, the Scotland region is the one that almost always has actual Scottish chefs. Other regions tend to have a couple more "adoptive home" chefs. On the whole, those chefs are a minority and most chefs enter based on where they grew up. I think Scots would be irritated anytime England is mentioned, but the South is where the chefs and money is. Also, Scottish chefs are a really talented group as a whole. It's similar to how Canadian, British, and Australian actors have to move to Hollywood or get Hollywood representation to make it in the business. The actors are talented, but to get consistent work and development, they need to go to L. A. sometime.

Both Ally and Jak from last year are based in Scotland so the show will never have all three chefs be based from another region.

I don't think the advance production team leaving the metro area has anything to do with it. All the chefs have a feature with locals in their region. Adam event went home up north to see his parents and visit that amazing RAF pilot.

16 hours ago, summer57 said:

Very pleased Michael won.

I had the feeling that Adam approached GBM as just another competition and brought out his repertoire of competition-worthy dishes that he tried to tweak to fit the brief. For example, the ham hock terrine in the GBM starter was also in his Masterchef Pro final menu. I didn't see anything particularly original in Adam's plates -- I've been watching GBM since season 5 and there have been some stunningly original and exciting dishes. On the other hand, Michael and Ally were, in my opinion, cooking from the heart. In Michael's case, he cooked from the heart and  also created some highly technical and risky elements. So in my opinion, the right chef won. Though my heart broke for Ally and his dessert!!

Yes, I agree that Adam approached it with his uber competitive nature. I knew he was competitive, but it sorta irked me how much this was just a competition to him where for both Michael and Ally, it seemed a bit more. As I mentioned though, in Masterchef Pro, he really struggled to cook from an emotive place and he still doesn't. He is talented and passionate, but the drive is not the same as some other chefs. Poor Ally. It's really rare to see a dessert do so well at the last minute. I hope he comes back next year.

[M. Darcy]

Yikes!  If I hadn't been looking at the food section of Iplayer, I wouldn't have known my other favorite British cooking show is back.  I'm almost caught up with all the Scotland episodes.

[Pallida]

I like marathoning a full week at a time, so I'm a little behind.  While I'm happy for Michael's win, I think there was a bit of score fixing in the dessert round to make sure he got to the judges round so that his fish dish can get to the banquet.  From all of the comments, it's completely deserving (and I really like the simplicity of his presentation for it), but I felt for Ally.    

[Athena]

Southwest: What did everyone think of the week? I felt that newcomer Chris missed the brief a bit. I agreed with Lisa that a couple of his dishes was a bit more style than substance, but I liked he started to really get it at the end similar to how Jude was last year. I really like Jude's style of food, but Josh really pulled it out of the bag. It was also good seeing Lisa Allen and Simon Rogen as judges too. I remember how great Lisa was when she got the banquet and she's such a cool chef in general. I don't think Simon's been on this show since he won which is too bad.

[Pallida]

I think Chris had too much whimsy, and Jude not enough. For example, Jude's fish course had vibrant colors, but it was simply composed on a plate. If the plate had looked like sea glass, maybe with some rope to look like a floater, I think his theme would have been clearer.

I don't necessarily want over the top, but a bit of symbolism works better. I really liked Josh's layout for his fish dish even though it was relatively simple. I think he'd have to make some changes to beat Michsel to the banquet though. 

[shandy]

I'm not a great fan of Josh, mainly because I disliked his frat house trash talking last year. I generally try not to indulge cultural stereotyping as it's usually untrue so forgive me, but I can't help thinking there's a gulf between Jude's NZ Pacific background and the sort of updated british classics the judges seem to fall over themselves for. When he tries to update British flavors they don't like the imposition of tropical fruits or Eastern spices.  I'm pleased (from google) he seems to be adored in his adopted County Cornwall but I'm convinced his style of cooking would find much greater favor outside the UK, or at least  the narrow confines of the GBM panel. The Guest Judge looked like and seemed to think she was some kind of bargain basement Michelle Visage. I thought she had done a line of something in the dressing room- she seemed slightly 'cooked' herself.

I love Lisa Allen - I wish she was cooking rather than judging - Lisa and her old boss, mentor and friend, Nigel (forgotten his surname) were a real class act - never mean about anyone, passionate about regional cooking, and created fantastic food.

Edited September 16, 2016 by shandy

[Christina]

I thought Adam from the Wales region would go on through to the banquet based on his dessert and the theater of smashing the cricket ball. There was no mention of how close it was, either, and usually, it seems that if it is within a point or two they say so. 

The chefs from the Central region aren't impressing me much, and I'm wondering if it is because they are not being scored highly, so I am subconsciously ranking them low, too. For main, I stopped at each completed meal and asked myself if I would enjoy eating it, and the answer was yes. But then they are discussing it with the judge, and it's like it doesn't sound as good as it did just looking at it a minute before. Heading into desserts, I'm still just "meh" on this group. I don't know if they are not as impressive, or I'm just not as hungry while watching.

[Athena]

Catching up to London & SE now. I watched the Fish episode and as it seems very typical, Fish course is the most competitive again this year.

Richard's face when he tasted the soup portion of Russell's dish! He couldn't keep it in. While Russell was not as verklempt as Michael was earlier this season, he was so overjoyed. Again, I love that he received that feedback from a chef that he admired.

I won't be able to watch the rest for a little bit, but I like the look of all three of these chefs.

The guest judges this series have been more "general" food people than ever as they seem to be mostly food writers and restaurateurs. No real big theme there. During Wales, the woman guest judge seemed a bit... prickly and disagreed with the others quite a bit. There was even a shot of her hearing Prue disagreeing with her. Wonder if the TPTB weren't keen on her to include that kind of editing. Central's guest judge was more congenial and the main three judges tried to pressure him to keep the scores low. Awww.

[Athena]

Finals Week!

The grading has gone upwards over the years. I have never seen this many 10's. People use to get 7's and 6's and now 8 seems to be the new "OK" grade.

[OoogleEyes]

Oh! I love British cooking shows, and didn't know this existed. It's on YouTube . I'll be back after I watch an episode or four. 

[Athena]

I noticed that this showed up on Netflix Canada and Netflix USA. One of the best years too in terms of competition.

[txvoodoo]

YES! I've been hoping GBM would end up on a streaming service.

Now if they'd just get all the Masterchefs (UK) - pro and regular.

[GaT]

I just saw this, so happy!

[GaT]

I'm up to episode 12. The show is interesting, but the dishes seem overly complicated to me. Each dish has too many ingredients, if they're supposed to be such great chefs, then they should be able to cook a simple meal that tastes amazing IMO.