28. Great British Menu Returns - Transfusions Or Black Pudding?

  I am depressed to read that The Great British Menu will return to BBC Television on 13 August for its 13th season in a completely unchanged format what with it featuring a tedious over-riding theme (this year, the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service - what else could it be? - lauding, one expects the 'heroes' of the NHS - nowadays everyone's a hero - whilst insisting that chefs prepare food related to the subject though hopefully not at all like the monstrous food which the NHS itself serves up to its unfortunate prisoners - sorry, patients). Perhaps the starter will have to have the flavour of disinfectant about it or the main course made up from offal which could otherwise be used as potential material for organ transplantation or any cheese used should be covered with a a fine penicillin - the possibilities are legion.

  The tired old format continues with the same old faces being used as the chef judges who give advice to the contestants for the first four days which is completely contrary to what the 3 judges want to see in the Friday final. And by the end of the 8 weeks or so one has grown tired of watching the same variation on a theme from the contestants. Last year, everyone had to do a strawberry dish, the theme being Wimbledon (see Blog 8); this year the theme being the NHS, perhaps everyone will feel the need to build a dish around black pudding in honour of blood transfusions.

  And most annoying of all is that the Central region is once more represented by chefs who do not work in our region. There is Marianne Lumb who was working in London when the series was filmed, Ryan Simpson-Trotman who works in Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire (Home Counties) 

and Sabrina Gidda who again works in London. It may be the case that the featured chefs were born or perhaps trained in the Midlands or East Anglia but I'm sure many of us Mercians or East Anglians would enjoy getting a view of what our restaurants are turning out not yet another look at a chef who has chosen to move out to the alien south-east.

  I can't see myself getting too obsessional about watching The Great British Menu this year - it's tired, dull, clichéd and viciously London-centric at the cost of the British regions.

  Meanwhile this glorious summer of, er, Gin continues. Our local Sainsbury in Longbridge is promoting the equally glorious Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla which is truly and magnificently delicious 

when served with Fever-Tree Elderflower tonic water and a slice of orange.

  Finally it's worth recording that the chef with most Michelin stars to his name - 28 in all - Joel Robuchon died today at the age of 73 from pancreatic cancer. No connection at all, as far as I can see, with Birmingham but clearly a notable individual in modern cuisine with restaurants scattered all over the world including the 1 starred  L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in London.