Started my seasonal food show viewing with a few older British shows and a couple of current U.S. ones...
UK Christmas Cooking Shows
Nigel Slater’s Simple Cooking Christmas Special
Nigel takes a trip to Scotland for a real highland Christmas in an actual castle.
The venison steaks look delicious, as does the duck, and I do like a bit of game around the holidays but the one recipe from this I might make this year is the crisp winter slaw. Of course, I'll take any excuse to get a bit more Stilton on a plate
Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas
More Slater with a bunch of recipes highlighting the flavors of the season. Lovely production values as always, Brit cooking shows leave our American offerings in the dust, and Slater is both a master chef and presenter. It's nice when a program treats its audience like educated adults rather than social media besotted teens or sugar charged 8-year-olds.
More ideas to play with here than recipes I'll actually look to add to our festive lineup. Goose is something I haven't tackled in ages and watching Slater's did light a bit of a spark in that direction.
It's the old “new twists on traditional dishes” trope because all the cool kids hate tradition. Though thankfully, the twists aren't too obnoxious or even that twisty.
Despite the occasionally frantic editing, this was an enjoyable watch.
The turkey cracker looks cute and tasty, but I imagine might be a bit messy in practice.
Denise Van Outen’s Christmas (x2)
Guest celebrity chef Lisa Faulkner shows one of her fave vegetarian dishes for the holiday. Vegetarian dishes, or what we like to call side dishes.
I don't know about your veggie family and friends but why is it with mine that when they host us the very idea of meat in the meal is unthinkable but when I host them I either have to make a parallel meal to their specifications or forgo meaty goodness entirely?
Also, nut roasts are leavings from Satan's litter box,
Anyway back to the episode... it's mostly clips from other cooking shows like Ina Garten’s “ The Barefoot Contessa”. The main recipe is cauliflower steaks, which I like, usually grilled as a side, and if you need a more substantial offering for veggie guests it’s not a bad choice. Warning this recipe includes Marmite. I know, right?
Next episode...
Denise's guest this time, baker Eric Lanard, makes a clementine and pomegranate cake. Plus more clips from the likes of Anna Olsen.
I don't mind clips in cooking shows if they're in between recipes a la Saturday Kitchen, but here they break up the one main recipe Denise and her guest are making.
Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas
A lovely tribute to Stein's Cornwall during the festive season. I quite like the Smoking Bishop punch inspired by Dickens a Christmas Carol.
Rick Stein’s Christmas in Spain
Terrific overview of Spanish cuisine against a holiday backdrop. Not super Christmassy but a fine show nonetheless.
Back to the USA now...
It's taken years of diluting and warping their original concept but Food Network may have finally achieved the bar lowering nadir of quality they've been striving for with the current season of Holiday Wars. The networks holiday competition series have always varied in quality but wow, this is a dumpster fire. Will it improve beyond the initial pair of episodes I watched? I'll never know, life's too short for garbage tv.
While by no means a masterpiece, Holiday Backing Championship is far more palatable than Holiday Wars. It at least feels like a professional product featuring talented competitors. My wife loves the show, I just about tolerate it..
