I'm sorry, they're not all bad but some of them are beginning to get right up my nose with their patronising, egotistical drivel. Anybody share that view before the boot is firmly applied?

Not really - I have a switch channel gizmo. A "remote" I believe.
The Hairy Bikers irritate me greatly - well one of them does more than the other- as they seem to think they are a wonderful comedy double act.
Having had the misfortune to see them live in a theatre (a gift) I can confirm they are excruciatingly crass with minimal cooking content.
I seek out most cookery programmes just for the food content rather than the "celeb chef".
I particularly enjoy Saturday Kitchen and James Martin"'s "Home Comforts".
I like the recipes to be "do-able" at home as opposed to Heston's "incredible creation" type recipes. His "perfect chilli con carne" is a prime example of impracticality. From memory he used a ridiculous number of varieties of chilli - many unobtainable - and several different cuts of meat.
Nonsense.

I love Saturday kitchen and Home Comforts too. James Martin is a watchable chef.

I bet it is the smaller Hairy Biker which is the annoying one Don't know his name as I can't watch him (but he was on Strictly) and think they are awful cooks.
James Martin is ok but wish he would not put so much butter in his food.
One of my favourites is Simon Rimmer on Sunday Brunch but the programme goes on too long and I don't have 3 hours to sit and watch TV on Sunday Morning so just dip in and out of it when he is cooking.

Generally speaking, I like TV chefs. Their programmes are a useful and entertaining way of learning more about cooking.

It's easier to list the ones I dislike.

Rachel Allen - her presentation style makes me feel like I'm in a school lesson.

Delia Smith - as above.

Nigel Slater - whilst I enjoy his recipes and books, the sound of his voice is grating.

Anthony Worrall-Thompson, Marco Pierre White - I don't think either comes across well on TV.

He was on Room 101 and tried to heckle with Lee Mack.
Yeah, good one trying to take on a very successful professional comedian.

They do come out with some guff.


I posted this a while back
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=904559

actually, for me it's the other one who seems to think he's Eric Morecambe reincarnated.
I can tolerate Dave Myers and believe he's the more talented and passionate of the two.

At one point in their hilarious "evening with" show they turned their backs on the audience and bared their buttocks. Sadly, the audience were in stitches. The cookery content was minimal and less than beginner standard.
An awful night.

I love Raymond Blanc, he has the most adorable personality and his food looks delicious.

Nigella is very soothing and her recipes are extremely doable.

I loved Gordon Ramsey's cooking shows but all he does now is programmes where he shouts at people in restaurants.

Watch Bitchin Kitchen lol. Nadia G is the best tv cook ever lol. If you have never seen her you will be amazed.

With you on Raymondo. Love his programmes and his recipes vary from the easily achievable to something that will stretch you. Good mix.

My ultimate irritant is Greg Wallace's role in Masterchef.
I've no idea why his contribution is valued.
And then there's the critic Charles Campion, straight out of Family Guy, who makes a living out of eating whilst managing to look utterly bored with it.

She amuses me but her food looks revolting. She appears to have been banished from Food Network too.
I like James Martin and Ina Garten, but my favourite is always Nigella. I can watch her all day and her recipes always work.

She has a show currently airing on Food Network UK called Bite This with Nadia G.

Is Saturday Kitchen the one with the omelette challenge?

Watched it a couple of times, and they were some very under cooked omelettes...

That's just a novelty game for a laugh - none of the chefs would serve or eat their offerings. Though there have been a few acceptable plates at 20 seconds or less.

To be pedantic, neither of them are TV chefs, nor do they pretend to be, but I agree that both are irritating, especially Greg Wallace whose every word and gesture manage to grate on me massively. Charles Campion, aka Peter Griffin, is marginally less irritating to me. I can totally understand his boredom, being faced with plate after plate of identical food, complete with unappetising smears of puree. That's down to the yawnfest that is UK Masterchef these days.

I like Nigella, Heston, Raymond, Tom Kerridge, Hugh F-W, Michel Roux Jr, Rick Stein - all very watchable, IMO. Keith Floyd was my all-time favourite, and I loved the Two Fat Ladies too, though not so much for their rather old-fashioned food. I used to love the sadly cancelled Market Kitchen. Good non-cheffy but knowledgeable presenters (Tom Parker-Bowles and Matthew Fort) and they always had interesting less well-known chefs on.

I absolutely loathe James Martin - he's such a smug little git and his food is just too rich for my liking, and rather pedestrian. He's a terrible presenter, always messing up his lines. I don't know why he's so popular. Nigel Slater's food is lovely, but I find him a bit creepy for some reason. Don't like the Hairy Bikers, for all the reasons others have mentioned. Jamie Oliver has always irritated me, but I do admire him for his ethos and what he's achieved.

I generally like food programmes/TV chefs, but of those mentioned on this thread, I also find the Hairy Bikers and Gregg Wallace hugely irritating.

I like Saturday Kitchen and James Martin. I'm surprised anyone finds him smug, I think he's actually quite self-deprecating at times.

Like - Nigella, Raymond Blanc, Lorraine Pascale, Rachel Allen, Jamie Oliver, James Martin, Mary Berry, Tom Kerridge & Dick Strawbridge and son (The Hungry Sailors). These ones I enjoy watching and do dishes that I might one day make.

Used to like the Hairy Bikers when they first appeared, but not so much now.

Not keen on - Delia Smith, Gary Rhodes, Heston Blumanthal, Gordon Ramsey & Marcus Wareing. No real reason for disliking them, just can't really be bothered watching them.

Everyone else I can take or leave.

Oooh yes ^ Lorraine Pascal is fab.

I agree with most of your points except The BiB.
He's been presenting longer than most on telly and I find him accomplished and natural.
It's when he has stand in's' you notice the difference.
I've seen John Torrode, Cyrus Todiwala and the HB's deputise and they have all struggled to cope with timings, in-ear cues from the producer, managing guests and camera cues, making them all look unnatural and ungainly.
There's a huge difference between recorded and highly edited episodes that they are all used to and cooking and presenting in real time and managing to converse with guests, whilst cooking, for 90 minutes week after week.

Edit: I can't watch Nigel Slater without thinking of Alan Bennet or waiting for him to mention "Mother"

Thanks for the heads up I hadn't seen it advertised.

His job is as the restaurant critic, even if he isn't one by name. I'd rather they got Jay Rayner in full time though.

I'm aware that Wallace and Campion are not chefs but they're central characters in a popular TV cookery programme.

If you like Jay Rayner, walter, I can recommend this book - very funny.
An account of his worst dining out experiences.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1870...9780241963203/

I watched a repeat episode today and was reminded of another telly chef I quite enjoy watching "Simon Hopkinson Cooks".