Who Wore It Best - Mary Berry Vs Jessie J

It's Great British Bake Off day ladies and gentlemen! And just in case that isn't enough to make you smile, here's a little something I stumbled across on my Instagram feed a little while ago. I can hear Fashion Police's Joan Rivers husky tones exclaim: "Bitch Stole My Look!".

So guys, who wore it best? Pop singer Jessie J, or Bake Off's darling judge Mary Berry?

Masterchef Australia Is Back!!!

I literally squealed with excitement when I was scrolling through the TV guide and discovered that yes, Masterchef Australia has returned to British shores. This show is amazing! Its judges are over the top, the contestants are irritatingly enthusiastic and the challanges are of epic proportion! I'm not sure if a show of this format would go down quite as successfully here in Britain. Although our version of Masterchef boldly claims that it changes its format every year, I think it's quite misleading. It seems to me that the BBC are serving up slightly tweaked variations of the same thing. An invention test. A professional restaurant test. A mass catering test. A 2 course critics test. But just in a slightly different arrangement.

 I'd love for the British version to take a leaf out of the Australians book, maybe not quite to the same extent as I think us timid Brits wouldn't be keen on playing up to the cameras as much. But the tasks and challenges asked of the Australian contestants are brilliant! I know this is pedantic, but even the colour scheme of the set is more exciting and inviting. Masterchef HQ UK looks almost clinical! The Australians have some kind of kitchen arena going on, with a mezzanine for onlookers and a designated grocery store room full to the brim with ingredients.


(Judges from left to right: Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, Matt Preston)

The contestants are thrown right in at the deep end. They are awoken at the crack of dawn, in what seems to be a large barn/barracks set up, by one of the judges banging a copper pot in their faces. They quickly make themselves presentable and then run like headless chickens to partake in the first challenge. I mean, hello! The greatest spectacle we get from the British Masterchef is watching the timid contestants cook a shepherds pie for a couple 100 public servants. A ballsed up bread and butter pudding is about as crazy as it gets for us.  Big freakin whoop!

So the contestants are competing in some kind of preliminary boot camp. They're split into boys and girls and are faced with the task of having to tag team butcher an entire lamb. One of the ladies, however, was more intent on butchering her arm than she was the lamb carcass. The losing side (of course it was the ladies, one of which is now missing a limb) then had a cook off with the cuts of meat they had previously butchered; cue the frantic, nail scratching, brawl for ingredients. It's a high octane, intense, emotional roller-coaster. So much so that one contestant was balling her eyes out over her fresh pappardelle pasta lamb ragu (it was of sentimental value...). Sunday night's instalment involved another tag team task of shucking oysters, peeling prawns and filleting fish. The team that completed the challenge the quickest were safe from the impending elimination! Dramatic!

I really do think our version of Masterchef needs to take a look at the Australians. I mean we invented it and they're doing it so much better! No two episodes are the same. If you haven't tuned in before then you'll probably have to series link it because you get a whopping 6 hours served up a week (ain't nobody got time for that! Well, me being the exception... because I have no life).

Masterchef Australia is on at 7pm Monday to Friday and Sundays on WatchHD (Sky: Channel 107)

What's Cookin'! - Upside Down Pineapple Cake

With Great British Bake Off in full swing, I felt inspired this week to whack out the mixing bowl, pre-heat the oven, and get to baking! I have this shameful habit of asking for cook books for Christmas and then spending months ogling at the pretty pictures, thinking to myself; yeah I'll make that! But I never actually muster the effort to go through with it. Well, this bad habit is about to change!

Last Christmas I was gifted Lorraine Pascal's 'Home Cooking Made Easy'. I love her cooking shows and can't wait for the latest series to air, which I believe she is currently filming. So I was sifting through the pages and stumbled across a marvellously camp looking upside down pineapple cake. A vintage recipe, replacing the classic Glacé cherries with zingy raspberries.

Here's my creation:

It's not quite as flawless as Lorraine's, a bit rough around the edges. I can't fault the recipe though. The cake was so deeelish my mother and I were fighting over the last slice! Thank you Lorraine, I am now hell bent on creating an upside down fruit cake of every variety!

FoodScape - Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival

This weekend just gone (14th-15th Sept) saw the return of the annual foodie festival showcasing some of the greatest locally produced food and drink. Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival has been running for the past 8 years now and is becoming an event many locals highlight in their calendar. The newly generated open space at the Stade is a perfect location for the food celebrations as it's tucked away between the juxtaposed backdrop of the weathered net huts and the sleek architecture of the Jerwood art gallery. The festival's focus on seafood highlights Hasting's impressive heritage as a fishing town, as well as its current accolade of being the largest beach launched fishing fleet in Europe.

Not only was there a around 30 food and drink stalls, but also a tasty music menu, from Jazz breakfasts with renowned jazz singer Liane Carrol, to the Reggae/Ska/Soul band Kobo who closed the festival on the Sunday evening. Over the course of the two days there were cooking demonstrations run by Sussex Coast College and local restaurateurs, as well as wine tastings. 

With so much choice I had to do a couple laps of the stalls before I could decide what to feast on. In the end, I decided to go for the non-seafood option, I'm still not that brave. I simply believe cockles, mussels, and the like, are vessels for vinegar, which I'm also not a massive fan of either. I know, I'm a rubbish seasider! Ultimately, I found myself drawn to Mamma Putts, a stall specialising in Caribbean and African cuisine. Jollof rice, a sufficiently spicy stew sauce and jerk chicken, with a token dumpling thrown in too.

Next we visited the bhaji and pakora stall, which I return to year after year. Half the fun is trying to identify the vegetables hidden beneath the tasty batter. This serving consisted of carrot, beetroot, onion, cauliflower and sweet potato. Accompanied by a delicious dollop of mango chutney.

And if that wasn't enough, we also got a portion of deep fried sprats with tartar dip. Considering I'm not a massive fan of seafood I can surprisingly stomach these babies. Essentially they're a grown up version of fish fingers, but instead you consume heads, tails and bones in one satisfying crunch. Yum!

Other stalls were serving up beautiful cupcakes, speciality breads, soup in a roll, and local wines and ales. There was a lot of people walking around, all be it reluctantly, sipping a pint of cider that looked like radioactive berroca, but tasted like paint stripper. Always ask for a taster guys!

I have to highlight the beautifully renovated double decker bus, kitted out as a mobile cafe with upstairs seating and tables. Well done 1066 bakery, this is genius! Love it!

One of the best combinations on offer has to be the Mackerel and Mojito or the Calamari and Cava deal, the latter of which is my mothers personal favourite. We debated as to whether the former was in actual fact a mackerel flavoured mojito... I was too scared to ask in fear of ridicule so it shall remain a mystery!

This festival is yet another example that demonstrates Hastings Old Town knows how to throw a party. Although we failed in our recent city of culture bid, I can foresee this town being a strong contender in the future, providing events like these continue to expand and attract visitors from all over the south east.