I apologise if you misinterpretted my emphasis for shouting - I don't shout but I was taught to use capitals when there is no bold facility in order to emphasize a point and it was something that was done as a matter of routine in the days when people used pens and paper to write. Sorry if I have upset you.

I hope I have cleared up this point

who is alain bourdain? do you mean anthony bourdain? i think he genuinely enjoys trying new things and being intrepid, and you dont know what you'll like untill you've tried it. also as a product of his shows he's probably done a heck of a lot more travelling than most. i think its good to see someone on tv who is not squemish, and shows respect for other cultures

I have to agree, lellysmum, Ainsley Harriot & Frank Bordini's arrival did have a whiff of the bottom of barrels.
GFL was at its best during the period it road tandem with Bites ~ Uncut was pretty poor I felt, although there was a renaissance period when Uncut went off the air & was replaced by those wonderful Master - class style programmes on the basics.
I still feel there was, basically, nothing wrong with the programmes pre Uncut - so why try & fix what a'int broken!?

Question: does anyone really like Ainsley Harriot? Yes, yes he has a range of couscous, but really, doesn't he make you cringe??

When he came on GFL it was certinaly an odd event. But he was pushing his new[?] book, as was Anthony Bourdain.

Bourdain, though, I think is a serious chef with real talent and a real successful reaturant that I've eaten at. Whilst it is not high cuisine his interpretation of French Bistro style food is spectacular.

He has several good *cookery* books that I would highly recommend (there's no photos though) His appearance on GFL made complete sense and I enjoyed it.

The very worst thing about this who GFL Vs MK 'debate', is that Market Kitchen is EXACTLY the same format, with the SAME 'celebrity chefs' cooking up their wares. The only difference is the studio (looks like some 80s yuppie apartment) and the presenters (I shall say no more on these as it will only get deleted by our forum moderators).

Who's been on MK recently: those blonde Irish ladies and Mamma Cherry (who is constantly on the defensive for some reason.....) -- These all appeared on GFL too...... So what's changed exactly besides the huge, bloated side ordering of pretention?

biscuit me

Have I missed part of the thread here. Boycott? Suffragettes and French Revolution? This is a TV programme we're talking about here. Watch it or don't watch it - it's your perogative. Switch to another provider who doesn't offer UKTV - do it, that's your perogative. But boycott a supermarket chain because they sponsor a TV programme? Boycott for something important in the world. Boycott the supermarket if they contravene ethics or if the Market Kitchen promotes ethics with which you disagree - but because they sponsor a programme which you don't like?..

jan

Dear Jan,

Since the 1960s there has been the notion of 'the personal is political'. It is the small things that we do that change things. For me, avoiding waitrose and its myth that it supports local farmers (which it doesnt) or that it is Green (which it isnt: it regularly purchases prawns from Thailand for example); or that it cares about recycling (overuse of plastic) is crucial in making the world a better place. it's advertsing contract with Market Kitchen is part of it creating that myth and Martket Kitchen in its own way supports that myth too.) It's a myth that is part of the wider myth that is suffocating the planet.

It's the small things that make the difference Jan.

Hi biscuit me

As I said in my post, boycott if you don't agree with their ethics. In which case I assume that you only use local suppliers and avoid any supermarket chain because they're all the same. Good for you. If only others were in your position but sadly, due to the situation in this country, we don't all have that luxury.



jan

Correct. I buy my food at the local farmer's market. I cycle. I take the train instead of the plane. I grow at least some of my own vegetables too even though I barely have a garden; I'm always broke because I was a student for 10 yrs too! I also reduce my costs by only eating meat as a luxury (which is good for the environment too).

Unfortunately I cannot agree that " it´s the small things that make a difference ", because I don´t believe that to be true at all .
Mind you , some people would have us all believe that the French Revolution started as a "food " issue . Marie Antoinette decided that the hoi poloi should eat cake instead of the bread they wanted but could´nt afford. ( Did we fall for that one ?! ) Is that what you meant bisuit me ?
Somehow I cannot see the inhabitants of the UK marching on Waitrose with a portable guillitine ,( excuse the spelling ) Mind you , it might take people´s minds of the more important things that are going on I in the UK.
I admire you for your principles BM , and I´d like to think that it could make a difference , but I don´t.
For all of you who write wanting JB back , I´d like to think that you would , ( though NOT at the expense of MK , a far superior product in my humble opinion. ) At least then we woud be back to more balenced threads on these boards. If she was dominating another show , at least she would´nt be dominating this .

Jack

Is English your first language? I didnt say take a guillotine to Waitrose, I said that if you truely believed in local food you should boycott supermarkets.

Since you also believe that the small things/ 'personal is political' doesnt have any impact, I assume that you leave houshold goods on standby and on an international level that you deny the existence of the Velvet Revolution of the Czech Republic which was inspired by the smallest of things, that of laughter! On that note perhaps you should read the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco , there a whole series of murders takes place as a result of an image of Christ laughing (ooops! told you the ending!).

I don't normally bother to participate in these debates, but the one programme I used to tun off on this channel was GFL. Jenni was the most irritating, interupting presenter and nowhere near as funnyas she thought she was.Why she couln't pipe down occassionally and keep her frame out of the way of the chefs I don't know.

Dear Issues/Blood

I dont think Jenny every thoguht she was funny; she was just a human being that is fundamentally flawed as we all her. I think that was her charm, whereas your comment reagrding her 'frame' is rather offensive. Would you say that about a man?

I can't believe that my post telling everyone where and when we can see the repeats each day was removed. I am loving them.

I'm sorry! Let's say they are both rotund.

Hey , who's taking the biscuit here !!?
Wind your neck in , you brought up the French Revolution , and obviously are not a fan of Waitrose , I just suggested you may want to combine the two . Yes english is my first language ,why would you ask ?
No , I don't leave household goods on , never , but for totally different reasons I would suspect to you . On an international level I have lived and worked in three countries other than in the UK ,but I would'nt say I would get involved in their politics , nor want to .
To get back to this debate , well said Blood , I endorse everything you say ,could'nt have put it better myself . You've jolly well gone and upset BM though have'nt you ? We are apparentlly all "fundamentally flawed ", however some of us I would say are more "fundamentally flawed " than others.
On the question of obesity , she certainly looked overweight although it never seemed to be an issue with her and from that point of view , good on her , not to worry about her size , I'm proberbly totally wrong , but Matthew Fort does'nt look at all obese to me , and not knowing his height and weight , and not being a doctor , I could'nt say that he is from a "clinical perspective " , but perhaps BM is , which is why he's pointed it out to us laymen.

To get back to

the thing about obesity is that you dont have to be as big as people sometimes imagine to be overweight or even clinically obese.
yes, jeni barnett was overweight, but she's recently been on a health kick and has lost about two stone according to her blog, good on her i say! i think theres nothing wrong with men or women having a fuller figure, just as long as its not damaging thier health.

I don't have a problem with JB being overweight or anybody else for that matter , you could tell she loved her food and when you have a tendancy to gain weight then that's a killer , part of her job was the taste the tempting results of the various chefs ,it would have been difficult not to gain weight . Perhaps thats why she has now lost 2 stone . We are always being told ( by the media ) that being overweight is bad for your long term health and that women who are "apple shaped " tend to be candidates for heart problems . I just was'nt overfond of her inclination to wear low cut tops and then keep leaning over everything but that is just from my personal perspective. However I definately did not enjoy her manner of presenting the programme , for all the reasons mentioned before.

i've heard (and i stress that i'm not a health proffesional so i dont know whether this is true or not) that women who are apple shaped tend to be candidates for more serious problems because they put weight on around vital organs like the liver etc.
i'm not sure about the tops though, i think considering her shape, she probably would have looked rather strange in a high necked top, or so trinny and susannah would have us believe, lol

Dear Jack

I am actually a woman. I am also a Doctor, though of Philosophy rather than a medical practioner.

One of the most annoying things in this country is that men/the media find it very acceptable to refer to women as obese, 'menopausally overweight' but male counterparts are exonerated from this. Matthew Fort is overweight, but you find that ok.

IS Matthew Fort overweight? I wouldn't have said so in a medical sense.

In a fashion sense yes I suppose he is. But not one I would agree with.

One could say that Brian Turner is overweight or obese, the Two Fat Ladies both were, (and knew how to dress appropriately), The Hairy Bikers too? Sophie Grigson has put on weight, but dresses well, Antonio Carluccio, AWT, Ashbell McElveen are all large men, Lotte Duncan and Nancy Lam, Rosemary Shrager aren't tiny women.

Compare most of or all of the above and Matthew Fort is very average in build, so I am curious as to why he has been singled out as being overweight.

Sorry Biscuit , doctor of philosophy you may be , but I don't think you see very well . Matthew Fort looks no where near as big as JB . One of us may need new glasses , I collected mine from spec savers last Tuesday.
Rosti mentiones "The Two Fat Ladies ", loved their programmes and had no problem with either of them being fat , and obese ,which of course they both were , and Clarissa still is .
If I see fat men like , "The Hairy Bikers ", then yes , they are fat , they don't repulse me in any way at all , I don't consider Matthew Fort to be in that sort of league at all , he's hardly even chubby .
I have no issues with JB being fat , overweight , rotund ,whatever ,
I felt sorry for some of the younger chefs ,most took it in their stride , but some were embarrased by her , and not just by her bust , but by her comments .
. Cheese is proberbly right , high necked tops would have made her a bit "bolster-like ", rather matronly , but she could have worn V necked tops that were higher cut , other women on television her age and shape do .
Putting it rather bluntly :
Big mouth , big breasts , did'nt appreciate either in a presenter , both kept under control - Fine absolutely no problem.

Jeni Barnett was always so full of herself regardless of chefs around her, Good then Great Food Live turned into the Jeni Barnett Show.
Beyond any bounds even for her. Thank the Lord she has been dispensed with.

Market Kitchen is as entertaining as the 'Test Card' Whoever thought that this format could replace Good Food Live is taking money under false pretences. Put your snobbery away, TV is about entertainment, and I bet Jenny Barnett brought more people to the delights of food and cooking than the combined line up of presenters on Market Kitchen. These people shop on a different plane to the rest of us, I couldn't tell you where my nearest Waitrose is and we don't all have a 'Borough Market' on our doorstep. I'd love to see a comparison table of viewing figures for the two shows but I doubt the producers could bare the embarassment.

Dear Jack

Have a good look - hipsters (almost at the waist) and a loose shirt. Personally it doesnt bother me. I like seeing flaws. You obviously perfer the pert Tanya Ramsey to the strong, assertive Amazonians such as Jenny and Nigella: terrifying because they think.

I cant say I ever noticed male chefs being embarassed by Jenny, young or old. Perhaps I'm not used to the conservative and prudish nature of the great British public who like women to be covered up, or have their bresats completely exposed on the front of most national newspapers and weekly/monthly magazines.

My favourite episode of Good Food Live was where Jenny and her guests discussed food as the breaking of bread amongst friends, hence the word companion. In this episode eating food became an expression of what it was that made us human - the ordinary experience of sharing food with friends.
Of course the antitesis to this is making comments about a fellow human's visual appearance.

I dont know why, and I'm puzzled, but Market Kitchen is a sort of bland stylised Marks and Spencer type of programme, tasteless. The only food programme I really watch now is Saturday Kitchen with James Martin. I think he is quite sweet, he has a really passion for food which he expresses in the most simple and ordinary way, by shaing ideas - his grandmother's cake recipe. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes wrong, but he is gentle and human. I'm sure that all the presenters on Market Kitchen are human beings, but its just a silly pretentious programme that is too crafted, too edited and lacks spontonaiety - it isnt even live.

I'm sure Jenny will appear somewhere else, as much as I am sure that Market Kitchen will have to at least a change direction: it's as natural as a bouquet of flowers bought from a supermarket garage. They last for ages but you always wonder if they are really real, living things. UKTVFOOD must have lost so many viewers. Even if you dont like GFL, there are better alternatives to MK on mainstream TV. Even the Worral-Thompson programme has a bit more snap to it. I've nothing left to say. Take care of yourselves. Bye