 | Westminster Kingsway Quality | My former college, Westminster Kingsway, has a great reputation not only for turning out successful chefs but also for achieving outstanding results in the field of competitive cooking. The latest rising star to emerge from the Vincent Square hospitality campus is Selin Kiazim - a competition multi-award winner and recent runner-up in the Young Chef of the Year contest. Click on the link to see Selin in action in the kitchen at one of my favourite London restaurants, The Providores.
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 | Oooh Mummy, Can We Have Some Umami? | Umami, or the "fifth flavour" is something I've understood for a good few years, but despite it being part of the vocabulary of the average Japanese 4-year-old, it's hardly part of popular culture in Britain. So I was amazed to see that a feature about umami had been shown at peak evening viewing time on BBC1. I've managed to get hold of the tv programme and edit out the 4-minute feature. Maybe it's the start of something really big in culinary understanding back home.
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 | Nelson Mandela, Che Guevera, Gandhi And... Carrot Crew | Check out this video for a good laugh, but also for a far more serious point. It's about youth rebellion and the insanity of school rules that make eating crisps OK but eating carrots an offence. It's about a school cook who thinks replacing hot dogs with fresh carrots is "disgusting". And it's about hope for the future and healthy school meals. I'm very grateful to the writer director Kate Rudkins for giving me permission to republish it.
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 | They Go Really Badly Together - Potato And Orange | Sense of taste, or palate, has a strong cultural component as well as an individual one. What tastes normal or even delicious in one culture can be totally unacceptable in another. Try durian, karela or asafoetida! I'd expect one of the world's top chefs to understand this and be a little more sensitive than to declare that oranges and potatoes should never be on the same plate. After all, they are the key ingredients of a much appreciated and classical local dish where I live and work. |
 | Is It A Bird? Is It A Pain? | Yes - it's exactly what you think it is. The chap skiing in centre frame is...well...an ostrich! And judging by the earlier efforts of Eddie The Eagle, one that would easily make the British squad for the next Olympics. I was researching ostrich farming in Britain when I came across this video and simply couldn't resist. Well, you wouldn't, would you?
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 | Teamwork Is Everything | In my profession, teamwork really is everything. A plate served to a customer may have involved as many as half a dozen chefs all bringing their individual elements to the pass at the same time for plating up. So if one of them fails to show up on time... the consequences can be unthinkable. The sort of thing illustrated in this video clip from an event a couple of weeks ago. |
 | Working-Class Gastronomy
(Having A Larf) | It's been a long time since I enjoyed a TV cookery series as much as the latest offering from "The Hairy Bikers". I haven't seen much yet - just a few edited clips prepared for me - but what I've seen has been great. Two lads from working-class backgrounds breaking down all the barriers, having a laugh, cooking with love and passion and showing that fine dining doesn't have to be the preserve of an elite few. Brilliant!
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 | Sugar Daddy | The other day I was privileged to meet one of Spain's greatest living pastry chefs, Francisco 'Paco' Torreblanca, when he came to visit the restaurant. I've written a post about this extraordinary man, his background, family, publications and achievements. Although there's very little about Paco on the internet, I managed to find a video clip that shows the master at work. |
 | Hop, Step, Jump, 17.73... Simples! | I've waited three years for a chance to post a video of Phillips Idowu winning world gold, but I always knew it would happen one day. Phillips and I both grew up in Hackney and went to Raine's Foundation School in Tower Hamlets. I've also posted a radio interview in which you can hear an interview with Phillips' PE teacher that tells you everything you need to know about building confidence, encouraging aspiration and working hard to succeed. |
 | Cambodian Food | In his latest series, Rick Stein visits Vietnam, Thailand and my favourite South East Asian country, Cambodia. When I visited a few years ago I was knocked out by the food, which combined strong Asian flavours with a subtlety and complexity of balance. Watch these two video clips for just a small insight into the cuisine of this amazing country. |
 | So You Thought It Was Easy, Eh? | And now for something completely different. A couple of edited clips from a reality TV series in which Nadia Sawalha cooks meals in Michelin-starred restaurants. Somewhat surprisingly, the programmes come closer to showing you what it's like to cook at this level than many more serious documentaries that I've seen. In these clips, Nadia cooks for Jean-Christophe Novelli at Restaurante Tragabuches in Ronda, Andalucía. |
 | The End Of The Line | Just a short promotional clip for the film The End Of The Line, but a shocking one all the same. Rupert Murray's film aims to bring the issue of unsustainable fishing into the public consciousness and shame governments around the world into action. Over-fishing means entire species of fish are under threat and the most important stocks will be in a state of collapse by 2050. The film points the finger at those most to blame - including celebrity chefs - and shows what we can do about it. |
 | Deconstructing Bourdain | If you have an interest in Anthony Bourdain (love him or hate him) and/or an interest in the El Bulli experience (love it or hate it) - then this video is for you. Watch as the smooth-tongued high priest of food writing is rendered almost speechless by the dishes of the high priest of molecular gastronomy. He makes a professional job of the post-production voice-over, but on the night...
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 | Part Of The Team | Within days of arriving here at Restaurante Ferrero I truly feel like part of the team. I quickly found myself Acting Chef de Partie for the Starters section and, just two weeks after starting my stage, I was asked if I would train to take on the role of Pastry Chef. I can't film the hotel, of course, but I managed to find a short promotional clip from Australian Channel 9 that gives you a good insight into just how elegant and luxurious the place is since it was refurbished. |
 | Barcelona - Oh, How I'll Miss You | On 8th October 1988, in the Plaça de Carles Buïgas at the edge of Parc Montjuïc, two singers stood on a stage and gave a performance that embodied the spirit of the capital city of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya in a way that nobody had ever done before and none have done since. Watching this video still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
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 | Gissa Job | I just published a blog post about the difficulties of finding paid professional work as a chef in Barcelona at this time of global economic crisis. I have no problem finding unpaid (or even low-paid) stages, but getting a full contract is proving very difficult. It all reminded me of the last major crisis, when Maggie Thatcher was British Prime Minister and the problems of finding work were portrayed so brilliantly by Bernard Hughes in the role of the likeable but deranged Yosser Hughes.
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 | Tampopo Wins Award For Best Picture | Timed to pre-empt the Hollywood Oscars, the CooksDen All-Time Culinary Cinema Awards "honour great movies that include food as a central component in their theme, plot or cinematography", with awards given in nine categories. Showing exceptionally fine taste, the award for all-time Best Food Movie went to my own all-time favourite, the late Juzo Itami's masterpiece Tampopo. I thought I'd show another couple of clips from this totally wonderful film.
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 | Abundance | Urban farming - in all its guises from anarchist guerilla gardening to corporate-sponsored food development programmes - is taking off globally at an amazing rate. The principle is simple - to help everyone to grow fresh, seasonal, organic food in abundance. In this post I show video clips from Hugh F-W's River Cottage Autumn and from Taja Sevelle's Urban Farming non-for-profit corporation which is developing rapidly across the US. |
 | Through The Cooking-Glass #6: Maki De Aguacate Y Bogavante | Here's another video clio from internet videoblog Ver y Cocina. This time, Chef Abellan demonstrates how to make our Grand Festival tasting menu dish Maki de aguacate y bogavante (Avocado and lobster maki) - one of the favourite dishes of our customers at Comerç 24. Once again, the mis en place for this dish was prepared by me.
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 | Through The Cooking-Glass #5: Sopa De Fideos (Redux) | After a year working at Comerç 24, I've only just discovered that Executive Chef Carles Abellan has posted some clips on internet videoblog Ver y Cocina (video clips hosted on YouTube), demonstrating some of his signature dishes. I've translated the recipes and reproduced the clips courtesy of Ver y Cocina. So click on the link to see one of Catalunya's most celebrated chefs prepare his classic Sopa De Fideos Vegetales. And, although I don't appear, the mis en place is by me.
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 | The Novice, The Master And A 1981 Corton-Charlemagne | It's been a long time since I posted a clip from my all-time favourite food film, "Tampopo" (Dandelion). The movie is an allegory that weaves together tales of the global threat to traditional Japanese culture, set against the theme of the powerful relationship between food and sex. The two clips I've chosen both address the novice/master relationship... but in very different ways. Enjoy!
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 | F*** Working In A F***ing Kitchen For A F***ing Living | Judging from the viewing figures on YouTube and initial comments, this little clip looks destined to become one of the most popular I've ever posted. From The Armstrong And Miller Show, this clip parodies a certain executive chef, famous world-wide for his use of the F-word. I'll leave you to watch the video and see what happens to him, but I'll let you in on the final lines - delivered with perfect comic timing. "Chef makes a fine casserole." "Doesn't he, though."
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 | A Quarter Of A Million Visitors | I've just celebrated the 250,000th visitor to my YouTube account, on which I host video clips almost exclusively for use in this blog. Click on the link to find out which clips have been most popular and which one of my clips had nearly 100,000 viewers this Spring and has subsequently doubled that visitor count. |
 | Grocery Store Wars - May The Farm Be With You | Only a six-minute short, but a totally brilliant one. Produced for The Organic Trade Association by Free Range Studios, this video reveals how the food market has been taken over by the forces of the Dark Side. With advice from Obi Wan Cannoli and help from Ham Solo and ChewBroccoli, Cuke Skywalker learns the ways of The Farm and defeats Lord Tader and the Egg Troopers and returns the Empire to a happy, pesticide-free Princess Lettuce. |
 | My Honey's Waiting For Me To Come Home | A gorgeous, seductive blonde who recently won a beauty contest shown on national television is waiting for me to come home and wrap my lips around her. Why was she on TV? Because this honey beat Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's honey in a blind tasting competition held in Broadway Market, just round the corner from my home in Hackney. |
 | Whispering Wind | Although there has been lots to enjoy in Ray Mears' latest TV series 'Ray Mears Goes Walkabout', one piece has stood out for me so far. It's the story of Australia's forgotten hero Syd Kyle-Little. In this amazing clip, Syd explains how, as a policeman in Arnhem Land after WWII, he rejected the rifle, handcuffs, neck-irons and chains and lived and worked amongst the Aboriginals of the Northern Territory on their terms. When you recognise just how unique such an attitude was in its day, you realise what a very special person Australia has in the shape of Syd Kyle-Little, or Whispering Wind.
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 | The Knives Are Out | Writing a really serious piece about the war of the chefs in Spain over the use of chemicals in molecular gastronomy, I simply had to lighten things up a bit. My own conclusion was that the whole affair was more to do with self-promotion and selling books than about health and safety or the direction of modern cuisine. So when I sound this clip from local Catalan TV channel TV3's satirical show Polonia in which Santi Santamaria promotes his latest cookbook in the middle of a TV cooking programme with Ferran Adrià, what could be more appropriate!
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 | Realising Your True Potential | I wrote about Foxes Academy a year ago, but when I saw the Channel4 documentary about it recently I just had to post about the place again and upload an edited clip from the programme. I know only too well just how hard it is for someone like me to achieve the level of discipline, focus and effort required to succeed in the hospitality industry. So when I see the achievements of this college for special needs students I am truly humbled. Watch the video clip - I'm sure you'll be impressed. |
 | Trusted Faces | At last, a video involving me, after a long run of other people's clips. On a fortnight holiday back in London I was cornered by TrustedPlaces - a global social networking site devoted to eating and drinking out. Having been on a couple of visits with Walid of TP before, I had no hesitation in agreeing to pop into their offices to be interviewed on working in Spain, my favourite chefs, restaurants and food and my plans for the future. |
 | A Cook's Tour Of Spain | I couldn't post a whole episode of this fantastic new series about Spanish regional cooking on Channel4. but I've edited 20 minutes from episode 1 and uploaded it to give you an introductory taster. I'm not crazy about the presenters, but the subject matter and attention to getting the detail correct is excellent. I didn't include scenes of matanza (ritual pig slaughter) because I didn't want this to become the focus of comment. But the woman sticking her finger in the fresh blood and checking it for seasoning should give you a flavour. |
 | Viva Alimentaria | This is a post about Alimentaria 2008, Europe's largest food and hospitality industry show which came to Barcelona this month. Most of the post was a description of what went on at the exhibition, with a Flickr photo display drawn from various sources on the web. But it also includes a video clip of the Chef Of The Year competition, won by the only female finalist - 26-year-old Beatriz Sotelo, co-proprietor of Restaurante A Estación in Cambre, A Coruña, Galicia. |
 | If At First You Don't Succeed... | One if the first posts I ever published before this first became a food blog was about Phillips Idowu, who went to the same school as me. Last Sunday evening Phillips smashed Jonathan Edwards' indoor world record to win triple-jump gold in Valencia. Our school equipped us with something very special - the self-esteem and self-belief to keep on trying until we make it to the very best of our ability. I've posted a video clip of the winning jump.
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 | The Appliance Of Science In Portugal | Portuguese TV is showing demonstrations of molecular gastronomy techniques. Here I show a clip in which alginate and chloride solutions are used to make redcurrant spheres and liquid nitrogen is used to make instant ice cream and to demonstrate Heston Blumenthal's nitro-green tea and lime mousse creation. I've also linked to a set of clips from a regular TV series about the science behind food products and processes, featuring my friend Professor Mata of the Superior Institute of Agronomy at the Technical University of Lisbon.
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 | Alchemy Not At Home | I found a clip of spherification on a commercial scale - El Bulli's apple caviar, as demonstrated to a delighted audience at Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía 2003 in San Sebastian. In this video clip, accompanied by a full recipe, you see how the mixture is loaded into a rack of pipettes and dropped into the bath, creating large quantities of apple caviar.
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 | Doing "Something A Bit Different" | This post is built around the edited video clips my dad produced showing an 18-year-old contestant winning the first round and quarter-final of Masterchef. The reason for the interest was that she is neither a classic traditional cook nor a 'have-a-go' experimentalist. Emily has the exceptional ability to visualise tastes, aromas, textures, shapes and colours and create recipes from these thoughts. That's a talent bordering on genius, or is it madness?
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 | Alchemy At Home: Spheres & Siphons | I've started to experiment at home with Texturas - the chemicals developed at El Bulli to produce such dishes as spherical ravioli, melon caviar and hot cranberry foam. I shot two brief video clips. The first video shows my friend and fellow chef Michael using a syringe to drop rose water in tiny pearls to make caviar. The second shows me rupturing a larger rose sphere to show that the inside is still completely liquid. I'm hoping to be able to shoot some longer videos for future posts of Alchemy at Home.
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 | Doing What You Do Best | Another brilliant parody by Rory Bremner. This time it's Gordon Ramsay's advert for BT, in which he demonstrates the chaos that can ensue when you stop doing what you do best and try to install a new phone. In Rory's version, chaos ensues when Gordon starts doing what he does best - using his phone to arrange new TV series and advertisement appearances for BT.
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 | A Date With Alícia | No, it's not Alicia Keys. The Alícia I'm off to see is a steel and glass research campus in the Catalan village of Sant Fruitós del Bages, near the town of Manresa. Alícia is where Ferran Adrià has been focusing his efforts recently. Imagine a combination of the S. Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants editorial team, the Food Standards Agency, Jamie Oliver's School Dinners campaign and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and you're coming somewhere close to Alícia. I found the promotional video in English and posted it here.
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 | What Women Want | My view of Marco Pierre White was transformed when I watched him as the new host of Hell's Kitchen and I posted some video clips and the piece linked below - I Never Thought I'd Hear Myself Saying This. The responses that came in were astounding. Over 20,000 people viewed the video clips in the first two months and literally dozens of women submitted comments offering everything from a one-night stand to marriage. Not to me, of course. To Marco the Gorilla. Weird!
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 | The Prime Minister Calls | As Britain's top catering college, Westminster Kingsway never had much trouble attracting celebrity visitors. Amongst the chefs I encountered during my diploma course were Gordon Ramsay, Raymond Blanc, Jean-Christophe Novelli, Giorgio Locatelli and Anthony Worrall Thompson. I also met several restaurateurs, food writers and assorted dignitaries from outside the world of hospitality. But one person I never met at Westminster Kingsway was the Prime Minister. The other day Gordon Brown turned up and I posted a video clip of the visit. |
 | It's More Kushti At Home | In Jamie Oliver's latest series - Jamie At Home - the cheeky chappie was looking relaxed and happy at last, playing with fresh vegetables in the back garden, well away from the politics of school dinners. But that didn't mean that he didn't have something to say about his fellow celebrity chefs. Or leastways, Rory Bremner certainly did on Jamie's behalf. Very funny. |
 | The Future Of Food Is Here Today | These amazing shorts were produced by Observer Food Monthly as part of a special feature "The Future Of Food". They profile four of Britain's most talented young chefs, cooking 21st century food heavily influenced by Ferran Adrià (pictured left). I've had the pleasure of meeting two of these chefs and eating their food - Nuno Mendes of Bacchus and Daniel Clifford of Midsummer House. The series also features Anthony Flinn of Anthony's and Simon Rogan of L'Enclume.
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 | Splitting My Hashi | Another professional video clip I've posted is from the hugely popular Japanese comic duo, The Rahmens. Their series "The Japanese Tradition" comprises a set of hilarious spoof instruction videos that start you off thinking you are in for a serious lesson in Japanese culture and etiquette and leave you rolling around in hysterics. In this clip, The Rahmens explain the rules associated with the use of hashi, or chopsticks.
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 | Hats Off To Westminster Kingsway! | Students from my former college Westminster Kingsway often cater at hospitality shows such as The BBC Good Food Show. This year they designed a particularly interesting East/West fusion menu for the Restaurant Show. Although this clip focuses on Tom Aikens and his latest venture, it gives you a quick glance at what it's like to be working in The Restaurant Show kitchens as a student chef. |
 | From Angry School Dinners To The Good Life Home Cooking | After a lot of frustration and controversy in recent TV series, at last Jamie Oliver settles to doing something relaxed and enjoyable in his new series Jamie At Home. As this clip shows, it's good, simple and excellent home cooking. |
 | I Never Thought I'd Hear Myself Saying This | I can't claim these videos, either. They are resumé clips from ITV's latest series of Hell's Kitchen. The reason for by blog post was that my impression of Marco, previously not too high, was transformed by watching these programmes. Putting aside the less pleasant aspects of Marco's personality and the many contrived aspects of the TV series, what I saw was a master at work in the kitchen - a man with great kitchen leadership skills, great training skills and, above all else, the charisma needed to manage a large and disparate team to deliver food to customers. Now I understand how it was that he trained more top chefs than anyone else in British history.
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 | In Pursuit Of My Dream | The video clip I've posted will tell you where I'm heading soon in pursuit of my dreams. On the 8th of October 1988, when I was just less than one year old, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé gave the final performance of this iconic song in Montjuïc Park, just a mile from the restaurant where I will be working. Barcelona! |
 | Ugly Fruit And Carbon Footprints | Waitrose supermarket has taken a stand against the massive waste brought about by traditional supermarket rejection of fruit and vegetables that fail to make Class 1 status. From now on they will be selling ugly fruit and unattractive vegetables - equally tasty but so often wasted. |
 | Retro Food That's Past Sell-By Date, But Still Wobbles And Wiggles | I wish I could claim this masterpiece of film footage, but it's way beyond anything that I'm ever likely to achieve. This is the late great master of broadcasting, Richard Dimbleby, discoursing on the spaghetti harvest in the Swiss canton of Ticino on the first day of April 1957.
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 | Soup For Overgrown Children | Just because you use a lot of ingredients in a dish doesn't make it difficult to make. Here I show you how to prepare a pasta broth, using a dozen or more ingredients from across the globe. Together they combine to give a fantastic rich and balanced flavour and a texture that balances silky smooth with crisp and crunchy. |
 | Ratatouille À La Popcorn | This clip shows a "behind-the-scenes" interview with the guys at Pixar about the complexities and delights of producing CG food for the film 'Ratatouille'. See just how much effort and expense was applied to making cartoon food look like the real thing, so you'd believe it and want to eat the screen. |
 | TV Food Shocker Hits Britain | Adults all over Britain are being scared witless by the latest children's TV show. Parents are hiding behind sofas as Big Cook and Little Cook do their dastardly deeds. |
 | Borough Market Tour Video | This is foodie heaven, or Borough Market as it is known to us Londoners. Trustedplaces recently organised a gastro tour, which I took part in. Here's the tour video. |
 | Going For An English | What do you do on a Friday night in Mumbai? Get tanked up on lassi and go out for an English, of course. A brilliant parody of British racist attitudes in Indian restaurants. |
 | The Food In This Zoo Is Terrible! | According to the official news report, "an orangutan escaped from Shaoshan Zoo in Taiwan and terrified patrons at a nearby restaurant on Wednesday, overturning picnic tables and motorbikes and forcing terrified diners to cower inside the eatery." I think he was just complaining about the poor food. |
 | We Live In A Beautiful World | We need to reinforce the message that junk food is bad for you and it's time to return to wholesome, naturally grown food. KGI is a nonprofit global organisation with a mission to empower people to achieve food self-reliance through the promotion of kitchen gardening, home-cooking and sustainable food systems. Video clip accompanied by Coldplay. |
 | Finger Lickin' Chicken Splittin' | In this video I show in detail how to break down a chicken into its individual cuts. As well as the slow demonstration version, I also include an express version and a clip of outtakes. |
 | Hold The Mayo! | Making mayonnaise is relatively simple and generates a product far superior to commercial offerings. Here I show how to make your own mayo.
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 | Sex, Food And Gustav Mahler | A clip from my all-time favourite food film, Juzo Itami's "Tampopo" (Dandelion). Original, witty, edgy, brilliantly acted and directed and with a Gustav Mahler soundtrack. Sex, food and videotape all rolled into one. |
 | New Year's Resolution - No More Tears | In this video I demonstrate the correct way to chop an onion, so that you don't end up in floods of tears.
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 | Living Off The Land: Mother Nature's Larder | In this post, about survivalist Ray Mears and Australian traditional cooking, I include a brief video clip showing how to cook the Aboriginal staple damper bread using the classical technique "cooking in the ashes". |
 | Fast Food Nation Arrives | Fast Food Nation, described as the "most overtly political American film since Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11", has arrived in Britain. I posted the video trailer and a short interview with the film's director, Richard Linklater.
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 | Eat Drink Man Woman | After the fun of posting a clip from my favourite foodie film Tampopo, I couldn't resist a short extract from Ang Lee's erotic foodie film Eat Drink Man Woman. Cooking at its most brilliant, simple best. |
 | Holy Cow! | Here's another video I shot in college - this time a demonstration of how to break down an entire hind quarter of beef. Bear in mind that this is a demonstration by a lecturer - not an exhibition of butchery by a properly qualified master butcher. So don't be too hard on the technique! |
 | There's Only One Way To Skin An Eel | Here's a video clip that I shot in college - a demonstration by one of my lecturers showing how to skin a live eel. Not one for the squeamish! |
 | Dandelion And Noodles | One of my all-time favourite films is Juzo Itami's Japanese spaghetti western "Tampopo" (Dandelion). In the clip I posted, gourmet vagrants break into a hotel kitchen to cook a rice omelette for Tampopo's hungry son. |
 | Video Cooking Made Easy | Celebrity Masterchef was my very first video post, but this was the one that started my regular video features. In this post I recorded my dad impersonating Delia Smith, demonstrating how to boil an egg in the fictitious TV series "Cooking Made Easy". |
 | Celebrity Masterchef Poaches My Recipe | The first video clip that I posted on my blog was from Celebrity Masterchef - Toyah Willcox demonstrating her culinary skills. In this episode, Matt Dawson made butternut squash and shiitake mushroom soup. It caught my eye because I'd only just posted a recipe for the very same thing! |
