General Chat

I like to try the things that are on cooking shows Tess, but last nights breads seemed such hard work, and I'm not that much of a bread lover to spend so much time preparing and cooking it :-)

I still like to look at other people doing it though, and see the constants skills come out, like those that are wonderful at cakes, who are useless at flans, the ones that are great at bread and are no good at pies, then there are the ones who are pretty good at everything, and there are the ones who shine through with there personality, like Brendan, he's a great cook so far, and always has a twinkle in his eye and there's the man from the Isles of Scotland, he's so inventive, and enjoys every minute he cooks. My Grandson watches it, he's 8 he loves cooking and we discuss who we think is the best:-D

i love it when they do the cakes, seeing there different designs its fab,

lookig forward to next week lol

Stray, next week they have to use some unusual flavour combinations in their tartes tatin, that should be interesting, might have a go at one of those :-)

oh new flavours, the tomtaoe upside down cake the first show made me think yuuuk!

Think the bloke who did the tomato upside down cake was just trying to be a bit clever, but it didn't work did it, it looked awful, and I don't think it tasted any better either. I reckon he is next to go, he just doesn't seem to have the passion for cooking like the others have, thought he was lucky not to go this week.

Is on now :-)

my friend tried the 8 plait bread, she dd pretty well x

I've never thought of putting lavender with apple.
Interesting combination, but it sounded as if it worked OK.

Gwyn

Did it taste good too Stray?

Nor have I Gwyn, the judges seemed to like it too.

The star baker James, has such interesting idea's, he deserved to be top of the class this week :-)

Hi all I love it although I did think some of the tarts were a bit lame but hey what do I know? lol
Rachx

At last I am beginning to be able to put names to faces.
Young James is really good isn't he?

Enjoyed it again. Think that the two judges must have to taste an awful lot of food in the opening rounds.
No room for a good dinner later.

Good programme and very enjoyable. But......
I wish they would stop running their hands through their hair (never see them wash hands before starting to bake), or better still, hair covered up.
And that infuriating habit of sitting on the floor looking into the cooker at their anticipated finished product.
Suprised at Mary Berry, tolerating anything like this.

Julia in Derbyshire

Tess I like it more when I can put the faces to names, it makes it more interesting, James, is my hot tip for winner, he is just so inventive.

Rose, i sometimes look at what's made and think it isn't very good, then I think could I do better, the answer is mostly no I can't :-)

Julia, I have wondered about the sitting on the floor business looking into the cooker, I assume one of them must of done it, then the others followed, either that or it's the new way to cook :-D I've also noticed the hair not being covered, sometimes it hangs all over the cake, yuk :-0

Hello Lynda, Good Afternoon.
Cleanliness in cooking, ie touching hair, and indeed, having uncovered hair when doing food preparation, was among the things we were taught at school in Domestic Science.
And, although we were taught to make all types of pastry including Rough Puff, I was never taught to make Full Puff, as done by the young lad with the Shetland sweater. I must give it a go, some time.

Julia in Derbyshire

A reminder for us "bakers" ;-)

Wasn't Brendan chuffed he won tonight, I wish he lived next door to me, he seems a lovely neighbour :-)

Cathryn is a bit too twee for me, James is still a big favourite.

Think I will be trying out some new meringue recipes :-)

Good to see Brendan so pleased.

I liked the look of his 70's creation, would love to have one like that on my table.

Would be tempted to have a photo of it as my Avtar.

I think that the right persin went as well. He was gettng a little out of his depth.
Hope though that he continues to bake, and isn't put off by some of his "little hitches" during the programme.

It's pies tonight, using equipment the contestants haven't used before...should be interesting :-D

Lynda, I saw a trailer for this week's programme, and noticed they were using moulds for Pork Pies, which I have been trying to find for years. I have looked in Lakeland, but with no success. They are the old fashioned ones where you mould the pastry OVER the wooden pie mould.
So, I shall be watching carefully.

Julia in Derbyshire

Juiia, It would be a good idea if, after the programme, they told us where to get certain things, like the baking paper that Cathryn used last week, to make a pattern for her cake.