Do you enjoy watching cookery shows?

[MrsDThomas]

I like watching them -only if nothing else is on.

I like James Martin and Mary Berry.

But Nigella, Jamie Oliver and Nadya, they’re too much. Too many ingredients, nothing basic.

And why do cooks drown food in so much olive oil?

I maybe old fashioned and prefer my gran’s cooking🤷🏼‍♀️

I love them...Jamie Oliver is my favourite and the pioneer woman

Not James Martin. He reminds me of a shifty junior estate agent trying to flog you a money pit with a coat of magnolia flung over the wreck. Or Mary Berry, whose popularity via Bake Off I’ve never understood. She’s what I imagine Thatcher would have been like if she’d had a cookery programme.

But I do enjoy Nigella’s slightly mad archness, and old reruns of Keith Floyd getting pissed on a boat frying halibut. I like quite a lot of Nigel Slater’s recipes, but find his tv persona bizarrely whispery and finicky. Jamie Oliver’s bish bash bosh stuff is a bit laddish. Nadiya is sweet, but I much preferred her travel shows. I love old Madhur Jaffrey reruns.

Unfortunately, a lot of brilliant chefs are just no good at tv. I have a friend who has a Michelin-starred restaurant which regularly wins worldwide food awards, and who has written lots of award-winning cookbooks, but his guest appearances on other people’s tv shows make it plain he’s just not comfortable doing it. They wouldn’t cast him in the final 12 on GBBO even if he baked like an angel as he’s just so ill at ease on camera.

So you’re choosing a persona/location as much as recipes. Which is why I really liked Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen series — she was chic and boho and the fact that she was cooking in her own tiny studio flat with her own chipped and mismatched implements, in glorious lipstick and nipping out to gorgeous markets, was just fun.

I like watching the Christmas ones, saw the Nigella chocolate salami years ago and now I make it every Christmas (although I make it a log, can't be arsed stringing it up like a sausage)

Which is why I really liked Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen series

Oh I absolutely loved this show...

I have never watched one

Actually I think I did watch Bake off with the kids when it first came out - but not in last 7/8 years

I love cooking shows.
Getting ideas, seeing techniques, criticising from my arm chair.😀

@formerbabe

Which is why I really liked Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen series

Oh I absolutely loved this show...

Yes, it was very likeable, wasn’t it? I think in part because it both looked lovely — Rachel and her lipstick swanning round Paris markets in a trench coat were entrancing — but also because her cooking set-up also looked a lot more like cooking in the average person’s small flat kitchen, plus she did her washing up herself while waiting for things to cook.

I think there were also only a few episodes, so quite different to endless Jamie Oliver series — though I prefer his less manicured early ones, too.

I’d gladly watch a programme where Jamie Oliver and Mary Berry had to cook a meal together under time constraints, in Rachel Khoo’s little Paris kitchen. Mary would get to give him a small electric shock every time he said ‘bish bash bosh’ or ‘lovely jubbly’.

I like watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (if that's how you spell his name?), Mary Berry and occasionally Jamie Oliver. I don't enjoy cooking at all though!

Nope. Hate them. Hate cooking. Can't* think of watching anything more boring than masterchef, bake off etc.

• possibly game of thrones

Love, love, love them.

Although I find some of his mannerisms irritating Ainsley Harriott's latest series has inspired me to make a few things. I am making the coconut and lime fairy cakes this weekend.

I also loved Rachel Khoo's series. I just love watching cooking, and have done ever since I was small, and my sister, cousins and I would sit at the kitchen counter and watch my auntie bake.

The Mary Berry thing isn’t new though. I have her books from decades ago which belonged to my mum.

Nigella grates on me. So smiles and pouts like that when cooking?

Absolutely love them, really enjoying Masterchef too at the moment. Also love Sunday mornings with coffee and watching Sunday Brunch 😃

I love cookery shows, rheyre probably 90% of the shows I watch. Masterchef Australia is my favourite at the moment.

There's some wonderful clips on youtube of Mary Berry cooking on tv in the 1970s...on one of them she talks about cooking when there's gas available and shows you how to cook a meal on a camping stove if you've got no fuel. They are a wonderful look back in history.

And I also like watching old Delia Smith shows...she's so wonderfully comforting to watch. Just comes across as so middle class and dependable...love it!

old reruns of Keith Floyd getting pissed on a boat frying halibut. I like quite a lot of Nigel Slater’s recipes, but find his tv persona bizarrely whispery and finicky.

I love the old KF slots on Saturday kitchen, they are a breath of fresh air and bloody hilarious. Definitely what cooking should be
Absolutely Agee about Nigel Slater too, I find him cringe to watch cos I half expect him to start making love to the food it something!

I personally love watching The Pioneer Woman, although I have never attempted any of her recipes.
I often find myself watching food network and if you leave it on in the background long enough, Man vs Food comes on, which is my true guilty pleasure

Love them and very excited that this thread has told me of a new one I'm yet to discover

@MrsDThomas

I like watching them -only if nothing else is on.

I like James Martin and Mary Berry.

But Nigella, Jamie Oliver and Nadya, they’re too much. Too many ingredients, nothing basic.

And why do cooks drown food in so much olive oil?

I maybe old fashioned and prefer my gran’s cooking🤷🏼‍♀️

Can't offer TV shows but if you would like recipes with few ingredients watch Youtubers Simple Cooking Channel and Emmas Goodies Also recommend How to Cook That because she creates some amazing things. She makes giant replicas of well known chocolate bars. They look fantastic.

I’m addicted to them! The only ones I don’t like are Rick Stein and Gordon Ramsay. My favourites are Mary Berry and Nigel Slater - oh and old episodes of Delia Smith!

Generally I find them boring. However, I flicked across to Nigella a few weeks back and I’m enjoying analysing her character & why she has changed, every week. I’d never cook anything though. LOVE the old Keith Floyd progs. He was a legend!

I'm not a fan of Nigel Slaters programmes...I can't relate to the achingly trendy kitchen and the ingredients beautifully wrapped in brown paper and string...I'm a stressed out mother and everything is in plastic from the supermarket not an artisan deli.

His books are fantastic though

I like James Martin - I loved his cakes in America series. Don't like Jamie Oliver being smug or Nigella trying to be slutty. Mary Berry's recipes are good but she comes over as a bit school-marmish.

I love cooking programmes- but I only watch the Saturday morning!

Enjoy James Martin especially his trip around America. Like Jamie Oliver. Quite like Nigella - the pouting doesn't bother me and she just loves making nice food. Love Delia - she reminds me of my mum.

Nigel Slater butted in front of me in a queue when it was very obvious I was waiting. Partly blame the fawning shop owner but I hold a grudge (annoyingly his recipes work wonders).

I love watching cookery programs, Keith Floyd was the best. I watch them on iPlayer when I have a soak in the bath with a glass of wine, leaving DH to his American Pickers in the front room!

I also like Nigella, James Martin, Nadiya, Rachel Khoo's Paris program and the Hairy Bikers. Basically I want a bit of humour, light entertainment and travel combined if possible. I enjoy watching the recipes, but in all honesty I've only used a handful that I've seen (ham in coke- cheers Nigella).