[kate1]

The dishes are fine, but boring, old and all been done before. Non creative non different and same old same old. So we had pasta bake with Porcinis (ceps), cheese sauce chucked on pasta and baked. Scallops done two minutes either side. Its so old and so boring and so done before. I think thats why Heston turned to the scientific side.

[grimtales1]

Originally Posted by AdamDowds

That pudding at the end looked lovely!

That sticky toffee pudding certainly did - yum yum!

[Snikpoh]

Enjoyed the programme - that sticky toffee pudding looked delicious.

[la chatte]

Music a bit loud and the usual overworked emphasis on lifestyle and decor but at the heart of it was Hopkinson, who demonstrated lovely dishes that any averagely good cook could follow. And we all know what a good cook he is. Also liked his tips. Not too cheffy and not too lifestylee.

[kate1]

Unfortunately the same format, and nothing new

[wmoore]

I found the program enjoyable..but it was like they took a bit of Nigella, a sprinkling of Nigel Slater
and some Matrix type film effects with slow mo shots.

[degsyhufc]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ook_Episode_2/

With useful tips and tricks of the trade, Simon demonstrates how to make the tastiest risotto, delicious Parma ham and asparagus pancakes, a quiche Lorraine and a very simple yet impressive coffee granita.

[SolarSail]

Because Simon's a trained chef (unlike Nigella and Nigel who are cooks and happy to describe themselves that way, so no offence to them) I like to learn the science that he explains.

I think people are being over critical because they don't know his provenance.

[Sad_BB_Addict]

I made his coq au vin (from last week) on Wednesday. Easily the best coq au vin recipe I've tried.

[degsyhufc]

I still don't like the ecclectic and loud music and the matrix visual effect is cringy but it's a nice little cooking program.


It was a shame he didn't go more into the tandoori spice mix. I guess you can't really recommend brands on the beeb but he could have mentioned the ingredients if you wanted to make your own.

[wildbenji64]

Wasn't sure last week, but loved tonight's, I think it's because I'm now used to the slow mo, and his style of presenting. He is far less irritating than Nigel Slater.

[lynwood3]

Originally Posted by degsyhufc

I still don't like the ecclectic and loud music and the matrix visual effect is cringy but it's a nice little cooking program.


It was a shame he didn't go more into the tandoori spice mix. I guess you can't really recommend brands on the beeb but he could have mentioned the ingredients if you wanted to make your own.

It's not worth making your own, it has too many ingredients, you would have enough to last a life time.
Better to buy it in a packet from your local Asian shop.

[aligail]

I worked with Simon for a couple of years , many years ago - he was about 18 and cooking in a hotel in Pembrokeshire, He was passionate about food even then and opened his first restaurant called The Shed - and it was literally a corrugated iron shed with about 6 tables - a couple of years later. He's a lovely man and has done exactly what he wanted to do with his life and career. Its great to see him get this BBC series.
I have enjoyed the first 2 programmes - except for the music which I think is unnecessary .

[kate1]

I think I will scream if I see another tv chef cook risotto AGAIN - Tandoori chicken and any other dish that has been done a million times over.

[SolarSail]

Kate1 you're really not listening to the brief of this programme at all are you? The premise has been widely publicised and discussed but here again -

Over the series, Simon will create straightforward, timeless and above all tasty dishes to make at home. He will reveal the everyday ingredients and storecupboard staples that he can't live without and the inexpensive ways to produce the best results...

Simon's genius lies in his understanding of what makes a great dish and in his desire to do things properly. Classic dishes, perfected over time are, for Simon, the secret to getting the best out of ingredients. Discover why the wine you choose is as important as the chicken in a coq au vin; why breast of lamb is such an underestimated treasure; why a simple Indian masala paste will transform a dish of baked aubergines and tomatoes.

BBC Press Office

Clearly this isn't the programme for anyone looking for new and innovative, but it's never pretended to be.

Aligail, nice to hear the personal view. I think TV companies have been after him for a very long time.

[kate1]

It still dosent derive from the fact that its all been done before, how ever you try to disect the programme. Its the same stuff dressed up and packaged differently, but ultimately the same

[ktboils]

The irrelevant, overpowering music ruins it for me.

[PompeyBill]

Being somebody who likes cooking myself, I tuned into this last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thing I found with this programme is that it grabbed me in a 'I could try that' way, rather than most of the other cookery programmes which seem overly fussy. Stephen's presentation came over well too (although, I agree, I could lose the music and slow motion effects).

I'm definitely going to try the tandoori chicken. Buy it out of a shop sure, but there's something good about producing your own food. I also liked the fact he's going to do steak next week by the looks of things, hope to pick up some tips there

[r.a.i.n.b.o.w]

Originally Posted by alternate

I once saw Piers Morgan in Waitrose.

Seriously though. I have seen Capons (castrated roosters) in the butchers but they usually sell for more per kilo then the hens - ironic as roosters are considered inferior and were once cheap meat for stewing. I think there is a serious lack of supply as commercial farming kills most of the males as chicks.

Capons are also pumped full of female hormones to give it bigger breasts.

Shame you can't generally buy plain old rooster now - would be a cheap alternative to chicken.

[kate1]

Better flavour aswell

[degsyhufc]

Originally Posted by lynwood3

It's not worth making your own, it has too many ingredients, you would have enough to last a life time.
Better to buy it in a packet from your local Asian shop.

I think you could make a basic cheats version, the same you do with a standard curry without using curry powder.

I'm not a curry fiend but I still have a good dozen or so spices in the rack to knock up a curry or spice mix and have made tandoori chicken before in my own way (I used food colouring to get it bright red).

[ktboils]

I know it's not quite the same but I can highly recommend this very easy tikka recipe.

http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/catw/jasmine1.htm

[ichou]

I just don't agree that it's boring or all been done before. I've eaten all the dishes that he cooked, but not cooked in the way he did them. I've never seen sticky toffee pudding actually shown step by step. The porcini elevated the cheesy pasta and the coq au vin was completely different to other recipes I've used. I actually wanted to eat HIS stuff and it all looked delicious. Wasn't that the point?
If someone is so jaded that they're bored with food of this quality, then they must have lost their appetite, not just for food, but maybe for life.

Conversely, neither was it at all elitist. What do people expect - that he will do poached eggs on toast, open a tin or throw a frozen pizza in the oven. He's not Delia Smith!

[degsyhufc]

tonight

With useful tips and tricks of the trade, Simon demonstrates how to make stuffed roasted peppers (Piedmontese peppers), the perfect steak and chips, roasted aubergines with feta, a smoked haddock pilaf and a scrumptious rhubarb crumble.

Across the series Simon will introduce the ingredients he cannot live without. In this episode, Simon shares his love for olive oil and Guernsey cream.

[lynwood3]

I enjoy the fact that he is showing how to cook classic dishes perfectly..
There is always something to learn about cooking well.

If you want exotic 'cheffy' dishes there are plenty of recipe books by TV chefs that you can follow if you want to fill your cupboards with ingredients that you will probably never use again.
They don't give you the basic skills to make the most of every day ingredients that this programme does.