Great British Menu 2013

I watch pretty much have 'all' the cookery shows series-linked on iPlayer and i'm finding it really annoying where I go to watch an episode of something that clearly says "expires in X" where X is 2-3 weeks in the future... but when I play it, it say "there was an error downloading this video" then removes it from my list....

Then when I check the listings online, it's been removed from the site?!

I've missed several episodes of The Good Cook, Comic Relief GBBO (HD) and Indian Food Made Easy... getting reallllly annoying now :(
 
Thought Scotland was pretty average this week, starting to get tired of the chefs not fulfilling the brief a lot of the time and using the fun is in the eating or performance on a plate excuse or just tacking on something unrelated (like putting it in a book with a red nose) at the end. So much so that i didn't really care who went through in the end, though i did lean toward the eventual winner slightly

I liked the North African goat dish though, i thought the way it fulfilled the brief was good and different.

Also thought the guest judge was annoying and unfunny.
 
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Saetia said:
Michael Smith's starter was great. It showed a lot of dark humor.
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Actually, that's a good shout.

The drudgery of the cooking on show had largely made me ignore that dish, which was a pretty accomplished idea and hit the brief square-on.

molinari said:
This week and last week, several of the chefs have said that the fun is in the eating when it is clearly a nice restaurant dish, and that shouldn't stand.
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A fantastic point, eloquently made.

I'd obviously started blocking that particular phrase out, such was the regularity of its appearance last week. If all they can say about a dish is that it's pretty damn obvious they've missed the brief by some margin.

molinari said:
Scotland has disappointed for another year
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Is it just me, or does anyone else detect a slight chip on the collective shoulder of the Scottish entrants for the past few years?

It annoys me how they seemingly feel compelled to shoehorn their national identity on a dish first, then think about the brief second.

Glaucus said:
Oh god you aren't funny, you're just annoying.
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Almost toe-curlingly bad in her attempts to raise a laugh.

Another shining example of the 'funny woman' stereotype.
 
Glaucus said:
Oh god you aren't funny, you're just annoying.
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I'm assuming that was aimed at one of the Scottish chefs/comedian judges and not me? *sniffle* :p

Not sure if I like the new format, with the judges seeing the menus (and their respective chefs) beforehand... kinda ruins some of the surprise in my eyes!

Interesting to see some of the chefs blatantly not bothering adding anything humorous and then coming up with vague responses like "well the humour is in the eating"....wat?
 
OCdude said:
Not sure if I like the new format, with the judges seeing the menus (and their respective chefs) beforehand... kinda ruins some of the surprise in my eyes!
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I really don't see the point of this addition in the slightest. It doesn't even seem to add anything.

So the judges get to see what each chef is going to come up with for their menu before it's served... but are still voting on the menu as a whole? And they are asked to give each dish a points score... yet we don't get to see all of the scores or even the respective points totals?

Stupid idea.
 
It just seems like another way to throw results.

And can they actually please judge on the brief and not just the taste. It needs to start in the kitchen judging if its not fun, it needs to get sub 5points.
 
Glaucus said:
It just seems like another way to throw results.
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But they aren't even showing the scores, so why does it even matter?

We just seem to see any dishes which scored a 10, so unless there's some sort of godawful redemption feature later on, what's the point?

Glaucus said:
And can they actually please judge on the brief and not just the taste.
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I'm a little more comfortable with that arrangement than you seem to be, as it is first and foremost a cooking competition, but I do agree it needs more focus on the brief.

Have we actually had a fun dish so far this year? Only Michael Smith's chicken starter seems to have had any humour behind it, the rest have been 'accessory' dishes for the most part.
 
glitch said:
But they aren't even showing the scores, so why does it even matter?

.
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Judges and to score it before they knew which chef cooked it. Now they know which chef cooked it and so can score accordingly.

Yes it is a cooking, but that does not mean fun dishes have to be crap. It just wants you have to full fill the brief and cook exceptionally.

There's been a few funny dishes, but nothing spectacular.
We've seen more fun and interesting dishes in the past and they've gone on to win. Like the shake in the bag chicken, although that was fun rather than funny. But it fitted the brief really well.
 
Glaucus said:
Judges and to score it before they knew which chef cooked it. Now they know which chef cooked it and so can score accordingly.
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I'm pretty confident that the judges of GBM are looking for the best quality dishes for their final banquet and there's nowhere near as much favouritism as you seem to think there is, if any at all.

But even if what you said was accurate - why would it matter?

Previously they'd score each dish after they'd tasted it, then be given the menus at the end and pick their winner based on the menu as a whole. It was never a case of the highest points total winning, nor was it a question of favouring a certain chef - and Matthew and Oliver especially would have a pretty bloody clear idea of who cooked what.

And while they now know the chef behind each menu, they still score the dishes, although we don't get to see the numbers, and they still pick their favourite menu at the end. Nothing meaningful has changed; it's just been made unnecessarily complicated.

Glaucus said:
Yes it is a cooking, but that does not mean fun dishes have to be crap.
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What was rather the point I made.

I'd rather all the cooking was fantastic and the jokes lacking than the other way round - humour should be within the dish, not something on or around it.

Take Tom Aikens menu as an example. His starter was very similar to last year's winner, and was all style and little substance. His fish course was quirky rather than fun, his main was just boring and his dessert relied upon props.
 
I disagree, if its crap it won't make it through to the finals.
And dishes that don't fulfil the brief should not make it through either.

There is no need for I would prefer better dishes that don't fulfill brief. And by allowing them to score highly just compounds the problem year on year. With chefs knowing they can loosely acknowledge the brief in some rubbish way.

And I have not said there's lots of bias. But there has blatantly been some in previous years. Especially in the kitchen judging.
This adds no beneift to the show and can increase the chance of this happening.
 
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I ate at the little restaurant run by the lady who did the bath tub starter on tonight's episode. Had a tasting menu that lasted about four hours, came out thinking I was going to die from the gluttony.

I'd recommend going though, there's only a handful of tables and all the food seemed to be done by just her and her husband in this tiny kitchen. Interesting experience - like eating in someone's front room.
 
Just caught up on Wednesday and wow just wow. I want that longhorn beef dish.
That was just epic, fully compliant with brief and just looked and sounded awesome. Would be very happy if that went all the way.
 
Just finished the North West dessert. Not really surprised to see Chris Holland go out, although I think his dishes were slightly better than Mary-Ellen's.

I'm sure she's lovely, but Mary-Ellen comes across as really "delicate" and easily flustered... I just think of this whenever I see her doubting herself and making silly mistakes:



I'm almost certain Aiden Byrne will make it through to the next round, if not only for his main!
 
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Have just caught up with last weeks, Mary-Ellen came across as rubbish, so glad Aiden went through, nice bloke and by the looks of it a great cook! Loved his main!

Did someone say this is their final banquet?! If so I will be gutted, I look forward to this every year!
 
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