Well, we're back in Masterchef territory, celebrity Masterchef to be precise with contestants such as: actress Sophie Thompson, former model Jodie Kidd, astrologer Russell Grant and TV fashionista Susannah Constantine, competing against each other.
Much like amateur Masterchef, celebrity contestants think they have broad enough cookery skills, the first round commenced and actually taken out of their comfort zone, faced with a selection of ingredients not usually in their repertoire and given the command 'let's cook' contestants went to pot. We saw Susannah, red faced and flustered crying out for a valium, Russell burnt his hand but didn't place it under cold running water and went for a lie down, Jodie admitted all she could make was 'a really good salad', leaving the star of the show, Sophie, who on first impressions had an air of Ruby the accident-prone, dishevelled scullery maid, in the drama Upstairs Downstairs, actually proving to be a very hands on cook.
The next test was the knowledge and skills test whereby the contestants had to identify four different biscuits and four different creams and then make two brandy snaps with ginger cream. Neither Russell, Jodie or Susannah had ever made biscuits before, Sophie on the other hand became quite emotional, she spoke about her mother baking brandy snaps at Christmas and how one year they had gone wrong and her mother had cried.
The next test saw the contestants going to a sorting office to cook lunch for 120 posties. Suddenly Russell was sparked into a deeply detailed recall of his mother and grandmother baking, like Sophie he became quite emotional and went on to produce, out of childhood memory, a wonderful steak and kidney pie.
The final test was for the contestants to cook a two course meal of their choice. Russell embraced this as he was mentally back in the soothing and comforting place that was his mother's kitchen. This non-cook rustled up toad in the hole, followed by crumble and custard. Susannah however didn't have a clue, inspite of being a mother she had obviously spent their childhood mwha mwhaing her way around the Christian Lacroix set rather than cooking with her kids, she even confessed at one point 'that's what supermarkets are for dahhhhling.'
Sophie though was the one who embodied what cooking is really all about. The Thompson's, (father Eric narrated The Magic Roundabout, mother Phyllida Law and sister Emma both famous actresses) are a close knit family, so close that mother and daughter's live in the same street. Totally unpretentious the women spend time cooking and eating together, family values exceed social climbing, Sophie's excitement at getting through the first round was because she couldn't wait to tell her boys!
Many of life's most intimate details come flooding back at the sight, smell and taste of particular foods. Chef Nigel Slater wrote his bittersweet autobiography, Toast, about the complexities of his childhood where he was often left alone to cook his own meals and how he sought affection through food. Food is emotive and clearly our childhood relationship with what our mother's made, our dining experiences and whether it gave us a sense of place affects us for the rest of our lives.
Ice cream will always resonate with my childhood memories, an absolute treat when at the seaside or cinema (in a little tub with a wooden spoon.)
Of course ice cream is no longer a luxury and comes in all sorts of variations, however, I found an ice cream from my childhood in a supermarket recently
Relive your childhood through food and I'm sure it will evoke some wonderful memories!
'In childhood, we press our nose to the pane looking out. In memories of childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking in.'
-Robert Brault
Love Donna xxxxxxx
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