Latest news with #WineTour:Australia
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gary Barlow pleasantly surprised after eating kangaroo for first time
Gary Barlow tucked into some kangaroo meat during the opening episode of Wine Tour: Australia. Having got a Sydney-based Take That gig out of the way, the musician was seen hooking up with local comedian Tim Minchin for a bite to eat at Port Jackson Bay, and after sampling a plate of rock oysters together, the pair were served a marsupial fillet. Although fans might've had their fingers crossed for a struggle, Barlow absolutely loved it. "Kangaroo may be an Aussie icon, but it's also one of the most sustainable meats you can eat," the popstar told viewers in a voiceover. "These guys don't need much water, they don't churn out methane like cows and they leave a tiny carbon footprint compared to the traditional livestock. Nutritionally, the meat is lean and packed with protein, and when it's cooked properly it's apparently delicious." Read more: Gary Barlow removed all mirrors from his house after weight gain Robbie Williams 'knew' Gary Barlow 'didn't like or trust' him Gary Barlow reveals surprise friendship with Andi Peters The chef seasoned it with thyme, salt, and pepper, before searing and then over-cooking the fillet for 10 minutes. It was then served with "posh mashed potato" and a quandong jus. "Oh my goodness. It's so good!" grinned Barlow after enjoying his first forkful. "Great food, great wine, great day, great company." Minchin, meanwhile, was relieved to finally taste kangaroo when it's been cooked properly. "That is not how kangaroo used to taste when I cooked it," he said. "I could never get it right, that is so good! We used to feed kangaroo to our dog, it used to be pet food. I just don't think many people know how to cook it. "It's actually environmentally the much smarter meat for us to eat down here." Elsewhere on the show, the 54-year-old caught up with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose tune 'Murder on the Dancefloor' rocketed up the music charts again following a viral Saltburn scene. She was the support act for Take That's vineyard concert and proceeded to drink wine before going out on stage. Barlow didn't similarly throw caution to the wind though; simply swilling the booze around his mouth and spitting it out. Gary Barlow's Wine Tour: Australia airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
Telegraph
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Gary Barlow's Wine Tour: Australia, review: like dining with your nice but boring uncle
Popular myth dictates that in any city, you're never more than 6ft away from a rat. On terrestrial TV, you're never more than half an hour away from a travelogue by a middle-aged man. The genre reached its nadir with Gary Barlow's Wine Tour: Australia (ITV1). As a screen presence, the singer rivalled his Coronation Street namesake Ken in the excitement stakes. The cardigan-clad duffer taking us on a tour of Weatherfield's municipal car parks would be more entertaining than this televised tedium. After a debut series in South Africa, Barlow was back. This time, he sampled the delights Down Under, where he just happened to be touring with his band, Take That. This meant multitasking. We were treated to footage from not one but three concerts as Barlow fitted filming around his day job. No wonder it all felt hurried and half-hearted. He was joined by 'celebrity friends', starting with lunch in Sydney Harbour with his 'old mate', comedian and musician Tim Minchin. Their interactions displayed all the easy warmth of two near-strangers who'd met once on the red-carpet circuit and were now obliged to act like best buddies. Almost as awkward was a Hunter Valley picnic with fellow singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Even though she's the support act on Take That's tour, it was like a stilted first date with someone whose number you'd block on the bus home. Ellis-Bextor called the wine 'sleepy-time juice' but any drooping eyelids might have been down to the scintillating company. Having launched his own range of wine (with signature piano key label, so you can avoid it in the supermarket), you'd think Barlow might offer insights into what he was eating and drinking, but nope. It was like dining out with your nice but boring uncle. Food was invariably 'amazing', wine 'delicious', scenery 'epic' or 'iconic'. Even a trip to the pioneering Saint Peter seafood restaurant – where nose-to-tail eating has become fin-to-gill, with even the plates made from fish bones – was dragged down by the Barlow charisma vacuum. His repeated insistence on being 'just a little lad from Frodsham in Cheshire who can't believe his luck' might have been endearing if he hadn't been a multi-millionaire pop star for three decades. All fluff and no substance, this was daytime TV that truly felt like it. I'm tempted to compare it to Jane McDonald's endless cruising programmes on Channel 5, but that would do a disservice to the Yorkshire diva, who at least looks like she's enjoying herself. Barlow had zero enthusiasm. Less of a wine tour, more of a whine tour.
