Kitchen Rat

Great British Menu 2010 - the line up

2010-02-24T16:48:05Z

The Great British Menu 2010 hits our TV screens in a few weeks and as ever we are keen to find out which chefs are taking part.

There have been rumours flying around for a few months as to the format this year and with the help of Caterer's forum, Table Talk we can start to reveal the line-up.

Competing chefs are first judged by a former winner, with one chef getting knocked out. The remaining two have the chance to cook for the judges, Oliver Peyton, Prue Leith and Matthew Fort.

The participating chefs have been allocated a National Trust House, and have to source their ingredients from the surrounding area.

So here it is: The Great British Menu 2010 line-up so far...

London region

Tom Kerridge, The Hand & Flowers, Marlow
Anthony Demetre, Arbutus, London
Tristan Welch, Lauceston Place, London

Judge: Jason Atherton, Maze, London

Central region

Daniel Clifford, Midsummer House, Cambridge
Will Holland, La Becasse, Shropshire
Richard Bramble, Morston Hall, Norfolk

Judge: Glynn Purnell, Purnell's, Birmingham

NE region

Kenny Atkinson, Rockliffe Hall, Darlington
Lee Bennett, Le Pont de la Tour, London
Tim Bilton, Butchers Arms Hepworth, Yorkshire

Judge: Nigel Haworth, Northcote, Lancashire

Scotland

Alan Murchison, Paris House, Woburn
Tony Singh, Oloroso, Edinburgh
Michael Smith, The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye

Judge: Jeremy Lee

Wales

James Sommerin, The Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouthshire
Aled Williams, Plas Bodegroes, Gwynedd
Richard Davies, Bybrook Restaurant, Manor House Hotel, Wiltshire

Judge: Stephen Terry, The Hardwick, Abergavenny

NW Region

Aiden Byrne, The Church Green, Lymm
Lisa Allen, Northcote, Lancashire
Johnnie Mountain, Mosaica Restaurant at the Factory, London

Judge: Marcus Wareing, Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London

SW region

Nathan Outlaw, Nathan Outlaw Seafood and Grill at St Enodoc Hotel in Rock
Chef 2: TBC
Chef 3: TBC

Northern Ireland

Sorry, once again, no info on this as yet!

Spend a night with Twilight hearthrob Edward Cullen

2010-01-05T14:39:28Z

Calling all fans of the Twilight triology, US hotel is cashing in on the phenomenon and has opened six Twilight themed rooms.

The Pacific Inn Motel, in Forks Washington (where the books are based) has dedicated these rooms to harden fans of the vampire novels and movies.

Sadly for the female fans, there is no sign of the hero himself.

Guests will have to settle for the gothic themed rooms with red and black walls, black curtains, red lampshades and framed Twilight posters on the walls.

The bedding is also black and red, with a floral pattern, and there are even pillows with some of the characters on! And if that wasn't enough, the bathroom has a black shower curtain and black towels with red Twilight logos embroidered on them.

Is it me, or are these rooms startint to sounds more like a teenage girl's bedroom, not a hotel room!

You can check out photos of the room by clicking here. Let us know what you think?

How did Apple appear on the menu of a Blackberry sponsored event?

2009-12-08T11:19:44Z

A friend of Kitchen Rat recently attended an event sponsored by mobile technology giant Blackberry.

Despite the success of the event, eyebrows were raised at the pudding on offer to guests.

When you consider Blackberry's biggest market threat in recent years has been the hugely successful iPhone, it begs the question: who's idea was it to serve apple and blackberry crumble for dessert?

A catering faux-pas or a pastry chef with a sense of humour?

The classic pud is one of the few ocassions these two brand giants are ever likely to be bedfellows, if the following two videos are anything to go by.

No more ministers at Artizian

2009-10-20T11:19:18Z

Bizarre job titles are made more traditional at Berkshire based contract caterer Artizian after it lost faith in the title 'minister'.

The firm said the "negative slant and connotation" now associated with the title 'minister' prompted the change.

"Whereas in the past it was regarded as an esteemed position and one to look up to, due to our government this appears no longer to be the case," it added.

New job titles, taking into account the "need for greater clarity on the roles", have been announced.

Pauline Vallance, previously minister of calm, is now senior manager - HR & team player insight
Martin Dibben, previously minister of excellence, is now senior manager - food & procurement insight
Kenny Tranquille, previously nutritional therapist, is now simply a nutritionist
Judith Owen previously consultant minister of fun & development, is now training partner

This Kitchen Rat can't help thinking that Judith must have been disappointed by the change.

Who wouldn't want to be the minister of fun?

James Martin cycling 'terror' prompts Twitter fury

2009-09-16T10:01:07Z

Celebrity chef James Martin has been forced to apologise for creating "sheer terror" for a group of cyclists while test driving a car.

The Saturday Kitchen presenter, who is known for his love of fast sports car said in his Mail on Sunday column, "that he had intentionally forced them into a hedge as he turned a corner" and it was the best thing he had "ever seen in my rear-view mirror". He also spoke of his "hate" for cyclists in the article.

Not only have these comments sparked fury from cycling groups, but users of social networking tool Twitter have also been tweeting their thoughts on the issue.

Needless to say, tweets have not been that complimentary with comments such as:

"James Martin, what a total c**k - http://tinyurl.com/mfrn8g - over rated no hope z-list chef too no"

"Sorry, my arse! James Martin sorry for cycling 'terror' http://bit.ly/Romrl Another reason to hurl bricks at the TV on a Sat morning"

"See that the 'I hate James Martin' fbook group has been renamed 'why does James Martin hate cyclists"

"I'm thinking of blasting James Martin with a foghorn as he takes a massive hot dish from an oven. Be a laugh for any cyclists I reckon!"

To read more on what people are saying click here.

Hungry for hospital food?

2009-09-15T13:56:58Z

Hospital food has long had a less-than savoury reputation in the UK.

It turns out it's a gripe shared by patients across the globe.

A scroll through Hospital Food reveals a broad selection nutrionally balanced dishes of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and fibre that have never looked so unappealing.

Tales and photos of hospital mealtime treats are invited by the blog owner Reno Dehareng, a social worker from Brussels.

Visual delights include a dish made almost entirely of soggy, boiled carrots; unidentifiable meat; and a bacon and canned spaghetti combo that looks like it's made a two-way journey through a patient's intestines.

It's not all bad though. The bacon wrapped carrot batons and green beans served in Greece look top notch and a three course feast served in a Paris hospital is awarded five stars.

Top prize for appetising grub must surely go to the pancake breakfast on offer in Michigan, USA.

Who wouldn't want to wake up to this when trudging the road to recovery?

But part of a healthy, balanced diet? Well... perhaps not everyday.

Lay your head on a bed of hay

2009-09-08T14:31:15Z

Times are hard and the staycation" is becoming more and more popular as consumers try to be less extravagant in their spending.

And to ease these troubled times, our European neighbours in Germany, Switzerland and Austria have come up with a novel way to make the most of their farms and barns.

Holidaymakers can bed down for a long weekend in a converted barn - sleeping on a bed of freshly raked hay.

Heuhotels ('heu' is German for hay) offer exactly what their name suggests. A cheap alternative to a hotel and very eco-friendly, couples, friends and families can snug up in a fresh bale of hay for the night in open lofts or feed stalls furnished with wooden platforms.

While some Heuhotels have privacy curtains and bottles of wine to take to 'bed,' most still require that guests bring their own sleeping bag and towels, so if you are looking for the romantic getaway this might not be for you!

And its certainly not an ideal place to go if you suffer from hayfever... achoo! But still if you want that alternative, eco-friendly holiday then book yourself in!

Le Pain Quotidien customer reports flying chicken

2009-08-21T14:01:48Z

Whilst happily dining with a friend at the St Pancras branch of artisian bakery Le Pain Quotidien, a former colleague was about to take a sip of his coffee when the most surprising and frankly horrifying thing happened.

Just as he lifted the cup to his lips, a large piece of raw chicken landed on the top of his hand.

"It was horrible," he said. "It seemed to come out of the sky and landed straight on my hand. I could smell an unmistakable whiff of raw chicken and instinctively flipped it off."

On closer inspection, my friend realised that the chicken had been propelled over a partition that separated the kitchen from the customer seating area.

"I made sure the staff knew about it and they were very apologetic but to be honest the damage had already been done," he said.

Peter Andre to publish cookbook

2009-08-10T14:59:42Z

Oh dear, oh dear! Not content with being on every tabloid newspaper and magazine in the country, the other half of glamour model Jordan aka Katie Price, reports have been hitting the web that he is to publish his own cookbook.

According to the Daily Mirror, the "Mysterious Girl" (or should that be Mysterious Grill?) singer has signed a deal worth £1.5m to write a cookbook series inspired by his Australian and Greek heritage.

A source told the paper: "It will start with barbecue food - which all men will love - and ways to spruce up a juicy piece of meat."

And as the Jordan and Pete love affairs come to a head this will be yet another battle the couple will have to fight it out: the book charts!

Andre's estranged wife has achieved huge success in the book charts since the release of her first autobiography, Being Jordan, in 2004. And Pete takes is ready to take this on!

With Peter's popularity growing as a family man - while Katie parties in the Med - publishers are confident that the cookbook with prove to be really popular and the public will jump at the chance to get their hands on his family's old Greek recipes!

Whatever next? Will he be next hitting our screens in "Andre goes kitchen side"... I do hope not! Or that'll drive me Insania!

Schools tweet what they eat to an unlikely audience

2009-08-06T08:51:49Z

Twitter isn't just about learning that Stephen Fry is stuck in a lift. Nor is it just a platform to witness Lance Armstrong's public spat with Tour de France rival and 2009 winner Alberto Contador.

More and more, Twitter is being used as an information service and Somerset County Council has become the first local authority to use the micro-blogging site to keep parents informed about what's on the menu.

Apparently it's not just the parents who are keen to know what grub is going into the Somerset tiny-tums during the school day.

When a Kitchen Rat colleague investigated they discovered @SCSSchoolmeals already had its first follower.

I'm not sure Camilla is the audience the school dinners service had in mind...

Clearly @SCSSchoolmeals agreed because it wasn't long before Ms Shaw no longer appeared on the list, most likely blocked.

It's a Thriller at the Savoy

2009-06-26T11:53:39Z

The Savoy has confirmed the news we've all known about for some time - it has delayed its re-opening until 2010.

On the phone to the hotel's general manager to get a quote on the story, one of Kitchen Rat's colleagues was rather taken aback to hear the choice of hold music.

Thriller by Michael Jackson. Yes, the Michael Jackson who sadly passed away just a few hours ago in LA.

Was it deliberate we wondered?

Probably not if the reaction was anything to go by. "You're joking? We'll have to look at that..."

Perhaps they should look at the Man in the Mirror and Beat It before making such Bad and Dangerous musical choices. There will be Blood on the Dancefloor.

Yasmina Siadatan becomes Sir Alan Sugar's TV Apprentice

2009-06-08T07:40:18Z

Finally, we have a winner for the Apprentice role - and she works in hospitality.

Restaurateur Yasmina Siadatan, owner of Mya Lacarte restaurant in Caversham, Reading, beat favourite Kate Walsh for the top job.

She strikes a blow for catering - despite the derogatory comments about the profession last week and the quality of her winning product.

In a final which asked the two contestants to produce a box of chocolates - because real life is like that - Yasmina triumphed with her cheaper, more mass market version.

Kate's were, everyone concurred, delicious and in fact, during filming for the promotion of Yasmina's chocolate brand, one of the models spat out a chocolate after a shoot.

It brings to mind one of the earliest tasks, when she was in charge of a contract catering task in which her food was likewise of very poor quality.

Strange for someone who runs a restaurant.

Sir Alan's other concern with Yasmina was that she'd find it hard moving from being self-employed to working for someone else - "two years in from running my own business I was set up for life," he said.

"Also will I be putting 20 people out of work?"

But Yasmina said that her brother was now taking over the running of the restaurant, and reiterated that she definitely wanted to work for him.

And, thanks to Sir Alan going on his "gut instinct", she will be now.

Lexington Catering - making the world a better place

2009-06-03T15:43:31Z

Caterer Lexington held a gathering for a select few recently to celebrate its placing in the Sunday Times Best 100 Small Companies to Work For 2009 list.

Held at law firm and client William Smith's stunning new offices in London's vertiginous Bishopsgate Tower in the City.

Lexington chief executive Mike Sunley gave a quick thank you speech where he'd picked out a few of the more unusual findings from the staff survey carried out as part of the Best Places process.

The finest, delivered with a chuckle by Sunley, has to be that "70% of staff thought they were helping to make the world a better place" working at Lexington.

You'll have to agree that that's not bad for a contract caterer.

Lexington trainee wins 2009 Olive Barnett Award>>

Contract caterers caught up in G20 protests>>

A Minute on the Clock - Mike Sunley>>

AA Gill on tipping

2009-06-01T08:02:47Z

As is AA Gill's wont, he'll do anything except get down to the business of reviewing. This week in his procrastinatory preamble before the main event, he tells us all how bad he is at championing causes before (Westminster politician-like) seemlessly taking credit for the government's recent announcemnt of changes to the law on tipping.

Un-Westminster-politician like, though, he does admit and then revel in the smugness and sanctimony of his words, and thus we are endeared to him once more, before he then slams Ba Shan in Soho into oblivion with a no star review.

A good read...and obviously a cause I identify with, having also been at the forefront of campaigining for waitresses' rights - in my own inconspicuous, back seat way..

Nobu warns diners off blue fin tuna at Berkeley Street and Park Lane

2009-05-27T08:08:11Z

Nobu has placed warnings on its Park Lane and Berkeley Street menus that the blue fin tuna it is offering is "an environmentally threatened species, please ask your server for an alternative".

It's the kind of politically correct non-speak that calls short people "vertically challenged" - when blue fin tuna is in fact on the brink of extinction.

It also appears that in real speak the restaurant is saying is "don't eat our food"

Very strange, and the fact the chain hasn't removed the fish has bemused conservationists. "They shouldn't sell an endangered species. They should change their menu to incorporate a fish that's sustainable", said senior fishers policy officer for WWF, Giles Bartlett.

However, blue fin tuna is one of Nobu's three top-selling fish, and to get rid of it would make a serious dent in profits - that's probably what lies behind this major fudge. And the advice doesn't appear on any other Nobu restaurants around the world, just in London.