As good as ever and set in New York, one of my favourite cities in the world. The producers of Hell's Kitchen must look at Top Chef and weep ...

read more

This is the Masterchef I want to see. Forget the amateurs and the celebrities, I don’t want to see mediocre cheffing, I want to see professionals who have passion for food, talent for cooking and can inspire me.

This short series came to a close last night with Derek from Scotland the deserved winner. From his initial appearance it was obvious that he had real talent. Though as the series continued and the contestants were whittled down to the final three, there was a brief moment where I thought that Murray was going to steal the title from him. There was obviously no love lost between them and Murray’s insistance to go solo and not ask for help when the 3 finalists were preparing food for 30 Michelin starred chefs probably was a factor in his downfall - teamwork,  I would think is a major requirement in a professional kitchen.

Overall the series was very enjoyable. The standard of cooking was excellent. In particular the work that went into the meal for the Michelin chefs stood out. It was immense, intricate and a credit to the contestants that they survived! Though I would have preferred more food challenges where the chefs are given a set number of ingredients and have to create a dish.

The replacement of John Torrode by Michel Roux Jr. was definitely a good idea. Though Gregg Wallace seemed to flounder beside Michel. His opinion of any of the food he tasted after Michel tended just to be “what he said”. Michel’s critique tended never to be all negative, he could find something in most dishes to praise and encourage the chefs.

Fingers crossed the BBC will drop the celebrity and amateur masterchefs and continue this series.

read more

Not quite Top Chef but the presence of Michel Roux transforms it. High end cooking and great TV.

read more

I've just watched the second episode. Are these people really the best that applied to be on the show? Sauages and a can of tomatoes or 50c chicken breast ...

read more