Latest news with #cookery
Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Molly Codyre
Only 12 cookery shows were commissioned this year, down from 100 in 2019. We take a look at where foodies are getting their fix instead
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef viewers blast 'tone deaf' BBC for 'bizarre decision' to push ahead with the new series after firing both John Torode and Gregg Wallace
MasterChef viewers blasted the 'tone deaf' BBC for their 'bizarre decision' to push ahead with latest series after firing both presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace. The controversial 21st series aired on Wednesday night after arriving on BBC iPlayer earlier in the day - after the broadcaster's decision to air the episodes. The popular show is set to return to television screens tonight after a last-minute scramble to re-edit it and limit the appearances of its stars Gregg Wallace and John Torode. Both presenters had been axed from hosting future iterations of the long-running cookery contest in recent weeks. And viewers watching on Wednesday felt confused that it had even been aired after what happened - while a body language expert said the presenters lacked 'on-screen chemistry'. They penned on X: 'Shame on the BBC for broadcasting the new series of MasterChef, about time we scrapped the licence fee, absolute joke.', 'Watching the new #MasterChef series on BBC - it's utterly bizarre they're airing it with Gregg Wallace and John Torode front and centre—after sacking both for misconduct allegation. Pre-recorded or not, this decision feels completely tone-deaf. What were they thinking? #BBCFail.', 'Why are these men still on masterchef?.', 'Odd watching masterchef with the 2 guys who were fired fronting it. Seems a long time ago that the allegations came out about Wallace in particular.', 'I did not know this was going ahead ! The poor contestants their series so overshadowed #MasterChef.', '#BBC #masterchef have you made a terrible mistake tonight and aired the wrong show #Unbelievable.', 'Who getting kicked off today. Weirdly its the presenters #Masterchef.', 'Watching Masterchef. I'm outraged that Wallace and Torode are on screen so much!!! Thought they were being edited out.', 'Typical bbc Showing masterchef, with the 2 judges who both been sacked #Masterchef.' Body language expert Judi James told The Mirror that the pair lacked on-screen chemistry. She told the publication: 'Torode and Wallace are not really presented as a double act here, more like two experts with little in the way of close communication or synchronicity. 'Nothing seems to hinge on any on-screen chemistry between the stars and any interaction there is seems to be either shot with a spatial distance at a table or in the style of one commenting solo to the camera while the other is filmed doing the reaction shots.' Wallace and Torode were both sacked from the program in quick succession last month. Wallace was fired after more than 45 complaints against him were upheld following a BBC investigation. Australian-born chef John, 59, also lost his job after two decades over allegations that he used the N-word, which he claims to have 'absolutely no recollection' of. One contestant, Sarah Shafi, will not appear on the programme after she complained about the behaviour of Gregg. She claimed she was 'eyed up and ogled' by Gregg on the show, while accusing the TV host of making an 'off' comment about his reputation with women. Gregg stepped down from the hit BBC cooking show after complaints were made about his behaviour and following a report into his conduct, in which 45 of 83 complaints were upheld. In total, 41 people complained. The review concluded that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour'. It added that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated', with 'one incident of unwelcome physical contact' also substantiated. The ex Eat Well for Less? presenter told the Sun that while he didn't deny being guilty of some of the claims, he believed things had been 'perceived incorrectly'. Gregg claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5% of those he has worked with 'found fault with me'. He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role. 'I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability,' he said. Gregg has previously said he felt the BBC failed to provide enough support for his condition during his 20 years working on MasterChef. 'My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,' he said. 'Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gregg Wallace to be replaced by Irish chef Anna Haugh in final episodes of MasterChef 2025 series
The new MasterChef 2025 series controversially features sacked hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode – but the final episodes will see Wallace replaced by Irish chef and restaurateur Anna Haugh. This morning (Wednesday 6 August), the first three episodes of the series launched on BBC iPlayer. The first episode will also air on BBC One this evening, with the next two following on Thursday and Friday. The Independent understands that Wallace will be replaced by Haugh towards the end of the new series, since allegations of inappropriate behaviour emerged against him during filming last November. It is understood that Wallace won't feature in the series after the semi-finals. Haugh, best known for hosting the BBC cookery show Big Irish Food Tour, has made appearances on Celebrity MasterChef in the past, and in 2022, she joined Wallace and Marcus Wareing as a judge for MasterChef: The Professionals. She appeared as a guest judge on Gordon Ramsay's US show Hell's Kitchen and as a chef on BBC's Ready Steady Cook, and often imparts her cooking wisdom on daytime shows, including Saturday Kitchen. On her Big Irish Food Tour, Haugh is accompanied by celebrity friends as they explore the history of Irish cuisine and try different recipes. Stars including TV presenter Laura Whitmore, comedian Katherine Ryan and presenter Angela Scanlon have all made appearances on the series. In May 2019, Haugh founded the modern European and Irish-influenced Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea, London. Restaurant critic and TV personality Grace Dent, meanwhile, was brought in to replace Wallace on the next series of Celebrity MasterChef, which has already been filmed. Wallace's MasterChef sacking came after an independent report substantiated 45 allegations against him, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. He has apologised 'for any distress caused', saying the report into his misconduct cleared him of 'the most serious and sensational accusations'. His co-host Torode was also the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of the Lewis Silkin review, but the TV star said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation. When the BBC announced the 2025 series would be broadcast despite the controversy surrounding its hosts, a statement said it had 'not been an easy decision in the circumstances'. The BBC added that 'broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process. We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series.' But the corporation said a decision had not yet been made regarding the celebrity series and the Christmas special. Six amateur chefs feature in the first heat of the current series, with both hosts appearing in the opening episode, in which Wallace says: 'Light the stoves, get yourselves a clean apron, and let's find some talent.' The pair's usual jokes appear to be considerably pared back, and there is less chatter between them and the chefs. In an interview with The Sun last month, Wallace apologised to anyone hurt by his behaviour, but insisted he is 'not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher'. He said: 'People think I'm a sex pest. I am not. I am not sexist or a misogynist, or any of it. There never were any accusations of sexual harassment.'
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Prue Leith: ‘If you've had a quarrel, a walk in the garden calms things down'
Prue Leith was born in South Africa and moved to London at 20 to attend the Cordon Bleu Cookery School. She later launched a catering business and opened a restaurant in Notting Hill, which was awarded a Michelin star, as well as her own cookery school, which she sold in 1993. As well as writing 12 cookery books and eight novels, she has appeared in several television series, and has been a judge on The Great British Bake Off since 2017; the show will return to Channel 4 in September. She was made a dame in 2021. Where do you live? I have lived in Gloucestershire for nearly 50 years. For 46 of them, I was in a big house about 500 yards away from where we are now. I bought it with my first husband, Rayne, when we were looking for somewhere to bring up our two children. It was a proper Cotswold farmhouse, with outhouses, a barn and 150 acres. Back then, the Cotswolds were very unfashionable. Everybody wanted to live in the Home Counties. As a result, our property was valued on the agricultural land, which was quite poor, so I got a big place for very little. But now the children have moved out, and since property prices have shot up, when I married my second husband, John, I decided it was time to downsize. I sold it all, except for 50 acres which had an old farmhouse on it. We knocked it down and built a modern one instead. It bugs me that having slaved away at cooking, catering, restaurants, novels and TV work, none of it would have made me enough money to do this. What kind of garden did you want to have? Our first job was to deal with the concrete. The previous tenant farmer couldn't make money out of his farm, so he farmed other people's land and had put down lots of concrete to park his vehicles on. To do anything, it meant we had to dig it all up, and we spent a year doing it. The garden at the previous house was very English, with herbaceous borders, a croquet lawn and a rose tunnel. I wanted this one to be simpler and more water conscious, so one of our first projects was to create a grass garden for a drier climate. I was inspired by Piet Oudolf's stunning perennial meadow at the Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Somerset – he creates the best grass gardens in the world. We've tried to do something similar to create wonderful tonal colours and differing heights, just on a smaller scale. My favourites are Stipa gigantea, Festuca glauca and Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'. What's your husband's favourite area? Well, when John and I moved into this house, I said to him that we weren't going to start growing veg because I'd done enough midnight harvesting, trying to freeze things like the spinach crop. And then you've got the inconsistency of vegetables… 500 courgettes one year and none the next. It's all exhausting! But, one day, I saw these big containers arriving and I asked John what they were for. He said, 'Ah, they're for my vegetables.' I said: 'I thought we weren't going to have a vegetable garden?' He replied: 'It's not a vegetable garden, it's just pots.' So, we've now got more than 50 pots, and every pot has veg in it. Having said that, he's just pulled out our first new potatoes and I couldn't think of anything nicer for supper than new potatoes with lots of butter and mint. What types of trees do you have? We wanted a large apple and pear orchard with heritage varieties, so we bought 250 saplings, only to discover that the bloody heritage apples look like scabby golf balls and are as sour as hell. Every autumn, we make apple juice and tonnes of apple jelly, but there's only so much you can foist upon friends and local charities. We do, however, have the most wonderful pears, and nothing beats a good pear tarte Tatin or a pear and chocolate bread-and-butter pudding. We also planted a nuttery for the birds and an avenue of oaks and rowans through one of the fields – I just wanted an avenue! I then realised we ought to have something at the end of it, so John built a hill with leftover spoil and the local blacksmith is now making a dovecote to put on top of it. I just hope the doves crap on the neighbours' house and not ours. Over the years, have your gardens become a place of memories? When I think of my first husband, I think of the lake we created in the field opposite our house. He was an author and expert on China, and it was his dream to have a Chinese garden – like a scene on a Blue Willow plate. Beside the lake, we had a pagoda, a red bridge and a weeping willow. We loved it. He was ill for the last 15 years of his life, but even towards the end of it, he loved looking out at the garden, and that's when I decided to create a box parterre. I took 2,000 cuttings and prepared them while I sat at his bedside. I had an old-fashioned frame and was very careful to use the right mix of sand and soil to start them in. There was only one hiccup: our cat. I came out one day to find him sitting in what he thought was the best litter tray ever. Did you have a garden as a child? I grew up in Johannesburg where we had a house with a large garden full of plants and trees. My father was the director of a big chemical company; my mother was a well-known actress. Some of my earliest memories are of her weeding with a big hat on. South Africa has a great climate: it only rains at 4 o'clock every second day and the skies are blue all winter. The tree I particularly remember is the jacaranda at the front with its beautiful blue flowers. My brother and I were given vegetable plots to look after, but I was more interested in riding my bike. I'd line up a series of logs on the lawn and pretend I had a pony… jumping over them. When my children were little, I was probably out in the garden weeding, too. They were fortunate enough to have real ponies. What do you love about your garden now? As I get older, I walk around less due to boring old-age complaints, like my knee or my back. But in our courtyard, I've found such joy in filling large troughs with spring bulbs. They add such colour and when they're finished, John and I plant them in the fields, although we do have our gardener Philippa to help us with such tasks. I did vow to give up on herbaceous borders, but I miss roses and peonies so much, I've decided to make a new one. We've installed tanks by two barns to collect rainwater, so I won't have to feel too guilty about watering it. John also bought me a Polaris, which is a cross between a tractor and a buggy; it goes through water and snow, over bumps and ditches, and when the pasture is 3ft high, I can charge through it! What does the garden mean to you? A garden is many things. Certainly, if you've had a quarrel with a child or your beloved, a walk in the garden calms things down. Stay inside and you brood. One of my favourite places to go is a little wood we have that we call the dell. It was very soggy, so having cleared the brambles, John drained it and created a stream and a path. We then planted wild garlic and bluebells. It's beautiful… so peaceful. Other times, I love the noise of kids running around. We've got 12 grandchildren between us and not long ago, we bought 12 different trees, one for each child. Everyone came over to plant them; the older ones dug holes, the little ones poured water over their feet. It made me think of that lovely Chinese proverb: 'Society thrives where old men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit.'
Times
01-08-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
Seven delicious things to put on toast (that aren't beans)
Whoever said toast isn't a real meal needs to speak to Katie Marshall, the cookery writer and food stylist who has dedicated her latest book, Toast, to the subject. 'It's a celebration of all the things I've found to round up into a delicious meal by being delicately presented on a steaming, golden, aromatic slice of toast,' she says. There's nothing wrong with resorting to a piece of toast piled with beans or topped with a poached egg, but Marshall's book is a guide to all the possibilities beyond. 'I want to expand the horizons of your toast-based feasting,' she adds. There are breakfasts, spreads, dips and desserts — yes, really. My favourite in the book is her take on sausages on toast, made with fennel, stock and a splash of cream, which transcends meal times and makes a fuelling breakfast to kick-start the morning or a comforting dinner after a long day. 'It's a fantastic combination. The rich fattiness of the pork works so nicely with the sweet anise hints of the softened fennel,' Marshall says. Just as important as the toppings are the breads. Marshall has a whole chapter on them, from brioche (best for desserts) to melba toasts (best for pâtés and spreads). 'There's a dish for every occasion: snacks to be relished alone on the sofa; meals that will give amazing leftovers for the next day's lunch, and dishes to share,' she says. 'Something for everyone.' • The healthiest condiments according to our expert — and the ones to avoid Serves 2 • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve• 3 garlic cloves, sliced• 8 anchovy fillets in olive oil• 200g queen chickpeas (drained weight)• ¼ tsp chilli flakes• 2 tbsp capers, drained• Juice of ½ lemon• 2 tbsp double cream• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper• 2 slices of light rye or brown sourdough• 1½ tbsp roughly chopped parsley 1. Heat the olive oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for 5-6 min, stirring, until the anchovies have broken down, the garlic is turning golden and the oil is foaming. Add the chickpeas, followed by the chilli flakes and capers. 2. Sizzle and cook through for a minute before adding the lemon juice. Cook for a minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Grind in a little salt, if liked, and plenty of black pepper. 3. Toast the bread, drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil over it, then pile on the chickpeas and serve sprinkled with parsley. • Read more restaurant reviews and recipes from our food experts Serves 4 • 4 eggs• 120ml light soy sauce• 3 garlic cloves, sliced• 1 chilli, deseeded and sliced• 2 tbsp mirin• 2 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar (or black vinegar, if possible)• 220ml water• 150g kimchi, finely chopped, plus 20g for serving• 100g cream cheese• 4 pieces of milk bread, or milk bread buns, toasted• ½ tbsp toasted sesame seeds• 2 spring onions, finely sliced 1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Carefully lower in the eggs and cook for 7 min. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of iced water and leave to cool while you prepare the marinade. 2. Put the soy sauce, garlic, chilli, mirin and vinegar in a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 min. Peel the eggs and put into a small, heatproof bowl. Pour the marinade over the top. Marinate for at least an hour (or overnight if you have time). Refrigerate when cooled (if marinating for more than an hour). Drain before serving. 3. Combine the kimchi and cream cheese in a bowl, then spread onto the toasted bread. 4. Top with extra kimchi and a halved egg. Scatter with the sesame seeds and spring onion. Serves 4 • 6 medium eggs• 40g mayonnaise• 2 tbsp gochujang paste• 1 tsp rice vinegar• 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced• 2 milk buns, halved • Crispy onions, to serve 1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the eggs and cook for 8 min. Run the pan under cold water, then transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water (iced if possible) to cool completely. Peel the eggs and set one aside. 2. Roughly mash the remaining eggs in a bowl before adding the mayonnaise, gochujang, rice vinegar and the spring onion whites. 3. Put the milk bread under the grill to toast. Cut the final boiled egg into four lengthways. Top the toasted milk buns with the gochujang egg mayo and an egg quarter, sprinkle with the spring onion greens, and finish with crispy onions. Serves 2 • 1½ tbsp olive oil• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved• 3 Cumberland sausages• 1 tsp fennel seeds• 2 garlic cloves, crushed• 125ml chicken stock• 50ml single cream• 25g parmesan, grated• Juice of ½ lemon• 2 large slices of sourdough• Freshly ground black pepper and chilli flakes, to serve 1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a wide-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fennel and cook for 6-8 min until softened. Tip into a bowl. 2. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining olive oil. Squeeze the sausage from its skin (if it has one) directly into the pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon to make little nuggets. Fry for about 2 min until brown. 3. Return the fennel to the pan with the fennel seeds and garlic and fry for another minute until fragrant. Add the stock and cook for 2 min until the stock has almost completely reduced. 4. Turn down the heat and stir through the cream, parmesan and lemon juice to combine. Season with pepper. 5. Toast the sourdough and top with the sausage mixture, finishing with the fennel fronds and a sprinkling of chilli flakes. • Three recipes for delicious dinners in 30 minutes Serves 2 • 200g red grapes on their vine• 2 shallots, thinly sliced• 1 tbsp olive oil• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked• 2 slices of seeded sourdough, or bread of your choice• 120g brie, thickly sliced• 20g walnuts• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with parchment. 2. Put the grapes onto the sheet with the sliced shallot. Drizzle with the oil and scatter with the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven and cook for 8 min. 3. Lightly toast your bread in a toaster, then top with the brie. Put the brie toast and the grapes separately on another baking sheet and cook for 8 min, adding the walnuts to the tray for the final 3 min. Allow the walnuts to cool slightly before roughly chopping. 4. Use a fork to pull the grapes away from their vine. Top the brie on toast with the grapes and shallot, then scatter with the chopped walnuts and add a good grind of black pepper. Serves 2 • ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped• 1 garlic clove, crushed• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil• 1 tsp honey• 1 tsp Dijon mustard• 1 tsp white wine vinegar• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper• 1 flat or round peach, sliced• 12cm piece of ciabatta, cut in half• Handful of rocket• 4 slices of Parma ham• 1 ball of burrata, 150g drained weight 1. Put the chilli and garlic in a heatproof bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, pour over the chilli and garlic in the bowl, before stirring in the honey, mustard and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, then mix to combine. 2. Place a griddle over a high heat. Add the peach slices and cook for about 2½ minutes on each side until charred. Set aside. 3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan and set over a medium-high heat. 4. Add the ciabatta, cut-side down, and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden. Top the golden ciabatta with some rocket and 2 pieces of Parma ham per slice. Divide the burrata between the plates and top with the peach slices, then the dressing. • Jamie's cooking guide for kids: the recipes and skills they really need Serves 4 • 200ml white wine• 300ml water• 200g golden caster sugar • Pared zest of 1 lemon• 2 conference pears, peeled, halved and cored• 200g blanched hazelnuts• 1 tsp ground cinnamon• Flaky sea salt• 4 thin slices of sourdough 1. Combine the wine, water, caster sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan big enough for the four pear halves. Set over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, then add the pear halves so they are submerged in the liquid. Cover with a disc of baking parchment and weigh down slightly with a smaller pan lid which will sit on the liquid surface just above the pears. Simmer gently for 15 min, then leave to cool in their liquid. 2. Pour 100ml poaching liquor into a small saucepan and return to a medium heat. 3. Boil to reduce until you have a third of the liquid remaining. 4. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. 5. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 7-8 min until golden. Set 1 tablespoon of the nuts aside to be chopped, then transfer the rest straight into the small bowl of a food processor and blend until it has formed a paste (scraping down the sides intermittently to get any nuts that are escaping the blades). Add a good pinch of flaky sea salt and the cinnamon, and mix briefly to combine. 6. Toast the sourdough then spread with the hazelnut spread. Slice the pear and fan across each toast slice, drizzling with a little of the reduced syrup and finish with a scattering of the chopped hazelnuts. Toast by Katie Marshall (Headline £18.99). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
