It’s Masterchef season again – the original TV programme where amateur cooks compete to find who has what it takes to become Masterchef Champion… or something like that! The programme has had to remake itself for various reasons, and we have two new judges who I like very much – although I understand there has been some criticism and prejudice against them. They are food critic Grace Dent, and chef Anna Haugh. In case you don’t know, Masterchef is a cookery competition where cooks are challenged in various ways to try and show they are the best in the competition – amateur, professional, celebrity and specials (at Christmas for example). This year’s competition has only just started and the preliminary heats are in full swing, the elimination rounds to whittle down the cooks with fairly straightforward (but still challenging) challenges.
I used to imagine what I might cook if I entered, but the competition, even at amateur level is very tough and the skills and knowledge these home cooks have is extraordinary. Many of them have travelled widely, and many of them – because Britain is multi-cultural, have family origins in other countries. I wonder how many different nationalities have taken part in the history of the show!
We are great fans of the series, we love food, cooking and eating, and we’re fascinated by the way the competitors approach the challenges, and how much their personality can affect their chances. Some people are over ambitious, some people play it too safe, some people clearly have never or seldom watched the programme and don’t seem to grasp how it works (although I would have thought they would watch compulsively to understand what they need – and not just actual cooking, but speed and skills, preparation and planning) There are some people who we would love to sit round their dinner table and eat what they’ve cooked, but as contestants they just haven’t got that competitive nature or focus to succeed in the studio. There are some people who have us scratching our heads at how they are in the competition at all – lack of skills, lack of focus, lack of originality – even though at home no doubt they cook lovely meals for their families who may be forgiving if dinner is late, or the sage and onion stuffing has no sage!
Being viewers who never actually meet any of the contestants, and only see what the edited programme shows, we sometimes wonder at the bizarre and crazy flavour combinations, the mixing of different styles or techniques to make something which on the screen looks unappealing, and watching the judges expressions may also taste unappealing (and even on occasion, inedible!)
This year we have been impressed by all the contestants, their skills, their ideas, their creativity, the mouth-watering dishes they produce, the international cuisines they present, and their characters. Sometimes, I confess, we semi-judge contestants on aspects of their character – cocky, snide, self-important, showy-offy – but I’m sure they are really nice in private, the tension and nerves make them seem like that (or maybe not!!) There are some chefs who – for us, produce the absolute best food “perfection on a plate” who have to bow out – but of course we have to remember, we don’t actually taste or eat the food!
The preliminary rounds are continuing so we haven’t yet seen all the contestants, so it’s early to have favourites or try and guess the winner, but as viewers, we think that so far this is one of the best series yet, and the chefs have been of an incredible standard. Whoever wins really will be a master-chef!
Lois Elsden 