So Macho
I make no secret of the fact that as well as eating lots of food, I love watching food shows too. From Masterchef to Simple Suppers to Man versus Food - my appetite for food in both the physical and the visual sense knows no bounds.
That said I'm also quite vocal about which shows I don't like and after a quick chat with a fellow tweeter Nisha Katona (if you're on Twitter, follow her. Not only is she lovely but she will transform your thoughts on Indian cooking!) we realised something was getting our goat - that being Saturday Kitchen.
I have a love/hate relationship with Saturday Kitchen. On the one hand it's food - which as I've already said, I'm a big fan of. On the other is a man I find boorish, arrogant and downright annoying - and that's me being polite, normally I call him far worse but hey, my mother reads this so I'll not repeat them here (no mother, of course I don't use four letter words).
Nisha had tweeted her annoyance at the lack of female presence on the show, aside from the two members of the public who sat at the side giggling at James' wit and smiling pleasantly as the boys verbally sparred and did fancy things with fire and meat in the kitchen.
It got me thinking, how often do you see a female chef on the show? Silvena Rowe is the only regular that springs to mind. I love Silvena - she's ballsy, opinionated, cooks great food and makes James whimper in the corner like a scolded puppy. It's fantastic TV. Sadly most weeks it's just James and the boys cracking egg jokes (see what I did there James, it's not hard, anyone can do it) and comparing the size of their knives. Dull, dull, dull.
Looking more widely the only female chefs with their own shows on the Beeb are split into two distinct categories - Sexy/Ex-models (Nigella, Lorraine Pascale and, dare I say it, Sophie Dahl) and Motherly (Rachel Allen and St. Delia). The first group have a wonderful life flitting around delis in Paris and Milan, dipping their fingers suggestively into melted chocolate and (in the case of Miss Dahl) wittering on about cheese on meloncholy days. The second are more likely found in sunny kitchens weighing out flour for cheese scones and telling you how to poach the perfect egg - they're matronly, safe and, let's face it, occasionally patronising.
Compare this to the boys - Valentine Warner scampering down rocks to cook fresh crab on the beach, Heston searching out perfection by making a home-made pizza oven out of a barbeque and a household fan only for it to explode, Rick Stein tearing around the coast of some far off country bemoaning the British for not eating what's right under their noses. When was the last time women were allowed to have this much fun in the name of food? When have you seen Nigella tearing off her knee-high boots and getting her waders on to search our crayfish? Or Rachel getting out of the kitchen and constructing her own bread oven in the garden out of a few bricks and a lot of elbow grease? No, they stay in the kitchen, primped and pretty.
Not since the days of Two Fat Ladies have women on TV escaped the kitchen in search of a good meal. You were more likely to find Clarissa and Jennifer tearing off on their bike to shoot grouse ready for the pot than gliding into Paris on a Vespa in search of the perfect macaroon. And by god did I love them for it.
So Auntie, it's time to ditch this Madonna/Whore complex you have about women chefs and let us out of the kitchen ready to have adventures of our own. You never know, it might make good tele.
That said I'm also quite vocal about which shows I don't like and after a quick chat with a fellow tweeter Nisha Katona (if you're on Twitter, follow her. Not only is she lovely but she will transform your thoughts on Indian cooking!) we realised something was getting our goat - that being Saturday Kitchen.
I have a love/hate relationship with Saturday Kitchen. On the one hand it's food - which as I've already said, I'm a big fan of. On the other is a man I find boorish, arrogant and downright annoying - and that's me being polite, normally I call him far worse but hey, my mother reads this so I'll not repeat them here (no mother, of course I don't use four letter words).
Nisha had tweeted her annoyance at the lack of female presence on the show, aside from the two members of the public who sat at the side giggling at James' wit and smiling pleasantly as the boys verbally sparred and did fancy things with fire and meat in the kitchen.
It got me thinking, how often do you see a female chef on the show? Silvena Rowe is the only regular that springs to mind. I love Silvena - she's ballsy, opinionated, cooks great food and makes James whimper in the corner like a scolded puppy. It's fantastic TV. Sadly most weeks it's just James and the boys cracking egg jokes (see what I did there James, it's not hard, anyone can do it) and comparing the size of their knives. Dull, dull, dull.
Looking more widely the only female chefs with their own shows on the Beeb are split into two distinct categories - Sexy/Ex-models (Nigella, Lorraine Pascale and, dare I say it, Sophie Dahl) and Motherly (Rachel Allen and St. Delia). The first group have a wonderful life flitting around delis in Paris and Milan, dipping their fingers suggestively into melted chocolate and (in the case of Miss Dahl) wittering on about cheese on meloncholy days. The second are more likely found in sunny kitchens weighing out flour for cheese scones and telling you how to poach the perfect egg - they're matronly, safe and, let's face it, occasionally patronising.
Compare this to the boys - Valentine Warner scampering down rocks to cook fresh crab on the beach, Heston searching out perfection by making a home-made pizza oven out of a barbeque and a household fan only for it to explode, Rick Stein tearing around the coast of some far off country bemoaning the British for not eating what's right under their noses. When was the last time women were allowed to have this much fun in the name of food? When have you seen Nigella tearing off her knee-high boots and getting her waders on to search our crayfish? Or Rachel getting out of the kitchen and constructing her own bread oven in the garden out of a few bricks and a lot of elbow grease? No, they stay in the kitchen, primped and pretty.
Not since the days of Two Fat Ladies have women on TV escaped the kitchen in search of a good meal. You were more likely to find Clarissa and Jennifer tearing off on their bike to shoot grouse ready for the pot than gliding into Paris on a Vespa in search of the perfect macaroon. And by god did I love them for it.
So Auntie, it's time to ditch this Madonna/Whore complex you have about women chefs and let us out of the kitchen ready to have adventures of our own. You never know, it might make good tele.
Comments
I tried to think of other female chefs who've been out and about in their TV shows and don't fall into the 2 stereotypes you describe. I think Thomasina Miers fits the bill. I really enjoyed her Mexican Food Made Simple. It's perhaps the only thing I've ever watched on Channel 5!
Not seen Thomasina's show but loved her no-nonsense style as a contestant on Masterchef all those years ago.
I think TV execs need to rethink how they package these shows as it's just getting dull!
I can't stand watching SK because James Martin is unable to do two things at once. Which means when he has a guest on he can't concentrate on interviewing them while he cooks. Which leads to (more often than not) a terrible interview and confusion for the viewer about how he's actually created the thing he serves up.
Also, why are the wines always sourced at the local supermarket? They should be supporting local wine merchants.
And dont get me started on the Omlette challenge. What a waste of time! The show is in desperate need of a format revamp.
Wow - I never realised how strongly I felt about this programme until reading your post!
"Agree, I loved the Two Fat Ladies but couldn't imagine them being commissioned now, even though we're only talking about 10-15 years later.
Not only did they not fit into any convenient category, they cooked a really wide range of food. Seems that women cooks on TV are now limited to little more than variations on the theme of cupcakes.
And James Martin is a rubbish presenter. Far too pleased with himself and clearly has no interest in anyone else."