Comments on Mat Follas - The Wild Garlic blog: Masterchef 2011 (why I will be watching)

Thanks for sharing your perspective; it made for a...

2011-02-14T07:56:16.746Z

Thanks for sharing your perspective; it made for a most interesting read. I live in a country where we don't have our own MasterChef show (Canada) so I have to make do with those episodes I can catch online from UK, Australia, and last year's USA launch. The UK version is hands down the best. As always, I'm keen to see if there will be any Thermomix spotted this season... can hardly wait! Cheers,

Well I wasn't going to watch it. but now I am...

2011-02-14T07:48:12.564Z

Well I wasn't going to watch it. but now I am!

I hope it doesn't go the way of the Australian...

2011-02-13T23:54:33.408Z

I hope it doesn't go the way of the Australian show. I heard and read so much about how they picked the first contestants for the first series, I was disappointed from the start. I watched the first two episodes and had to turn it off. I know my fellow Aussies love the Australian version, but they probably never saw the UK version.

Lovely writeup Mat. We won't get to see series...

2011-02-13T22:55:58.025Z

Lovely writeup Mat. We won't get to see series 7 here in NZ for a few months yet. I do so very much hope that the format hasn't been revamped too drastically - the Aussie and NZ versions are terrible and to me unwatchable. The food and cooking takes a second place to the artificially inflated drama and competition. The reason I love the UK version is that it's all about the food and the cooking.

PS - But part of me does wish that they would stop...

2011-02-13T20:07:19.144Z

PS - But part of me does wish that they would stop tinkering with a pretty classy show. In fact, when I auditioned for the first time, I remember thinking I was going to be on the 6.30 - 7.00 PM show. Now that was a real hunger inducing slot.

Mat, I read Grace Dent's TV OD on Masterchef, ...

2011-02-13T20:05:16.399Z

Mat, I read Grace Dent's TV OD on Masterchef, and sounds to me that they have taken a lot of elements from the Indian version too. Now that makes me nervous.

That said, I am going to be watching [illegally, so don't ask me for too many details :-)]

With professional, celebrity, junior and the main ...

2011-02-13T19:57:41.914Z

With professional, celebrity, junior and the main amateur Masterchef, the program format gets a lot of airtime - and for that reason I do think it needed a little bit of freshening up. I just hope that the baby hasn't been thrown out with the bath water. One of the great things about the show is the fact that the cooking isn't marginalised for the ample human drama (unlike some other food programmes - eg. Hell's Kitchen in which the cooking has become incidental).

The 'audition' thing makes me very nervous - from the trailers I've seen I think it's all gone a bit too Simon Cowell for me - but I won't judge it till I've seen it!

All that said, I can't wait for the new series. I still harbour an ambition to go on - but I won't do that unless I think I can do well... the trouble is that every year the standard seems to go up and up and I feel further and further away!!

thats a grand write up youve made there mat,i love...

2011-02-13T17:57:07.963Z

thats a grand write up youve made there mat,i love the series and i know more men have taken an interest in the kitchen since the program began, im privaleged to have eaten at the wild garlic and taste for myself what good food is all about, and also the first taste of venison ever for me you whipped up at the food fest up here,keep fighting the good fight and hopefully ill get a holiday this year again in dorset, :)