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Monday 23 July 2018

Lettice Cooked on MasterChef?

Another fairly old recipe book,  fairly old because it only dates back to 1992.    It was brought out in association with the baking competition, MasterChef which, at that time,  was hosted by Loyd Grossman.     


I haven't cooked any recipes from the book, but it has earned a place on my bookshelves because one of the contestants is a fellow blogger.     

You may well already know her...    Lettice of Idle Thoughts.  

Over 2000 people applied to take part that year;  the judges tasted almost 350 dishes and travelled the length and breadth of the country in search of talented contestants.    Lettice sailed her way through the preliminaries with her usual style and panache.

She reached the regional heats for 'The North', I'm not quite sure of the geographical definitions for that one, but never mind.

Her menu:

Hot Smoked Wild Salmon Sauce on a Green Salad

*  *  *

Oxtail in Port with Root Vegetables and Hedgerow Jelly
Bubble and Squeak Parcels

*  *  *

Baked Bramleys with Cobnut Stuffing and Cardamom Custard

...described by the judges as being 
"Sublime"
 "Brilliant"
 "Yummy"
  "Gosh that's good"


Judges were John Harvey-Jones, Josceline Dimbleby and Loyd Grossman.


Lettice won the heat and went through to the semi-final.

Her menu:


Spinach and Anchovy Pate with Wholemeal Soldiers

*  *  *

Pheasant Pie with Potato Pastry
Creamed Butter Beans
Carrots flavoured with Caraway
Broccoli Puree

*  *  *

Lemon and Lavender Sorbet


"Wonderful"
 "A good experience"
 "Scrummy"

Judges were Sue Lawley, Anton Edelmann and Loyd Grossman.


Once again, Lettice's food was judged to be the best and she won through to The Final.


Cream of Lime Soup with Coriander Croutons

*  *  *

Fillet of Beef with Cherry and Berry Sauce
Parsley Profiteroles with Horseradish Cream
Asparagus with Chive Butter
Mashed Eddoes

*  *  *

Carrot Tart with Ginger Sauce

*  *  *


..."An invention worth inventing"
 "The Beef and Horseradish Profiteroles need little else" 
 "Great looking rustic, honest pudding".


Judges were Richard Shepherd, Clement Freud and Loyd Grossman.


Lettice just lost out to another contestant this time.

If you happen to stumble across the book you will find a few more details about each of the contestants, their menus and all the recipes...and if you are puzzled because there is no one called Lettice in there ... well, the menu would give it away!

Who would have thought it?     Our delightfully crazy, flighty, dreamy extrovert bloggy friend is not only inordinately fond of question marks, but is also a tip-top cook?      There's lots more, but those stories are not mine to tell.

So when Lettice tells you that she has had the builders in, and that she has fed them, she won't just have made them a quick sandwich or fed them a manky shop-bought pork pie,  they will have been fed like royalty.   








Which leads me to wondering about the rest of you, your hidden talents and claims to fame...







19 comments:

  1. Oh Fame indeed! and all those recipes sound extremely delicious

    I shall now have to spot the book in a charity shop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Sue, You never know, I come across all sorts of brilliant books that way. I'm glad this is the season of salads and stir-fry meals, that is about as far as my culinary skills stretch! I do enjoy baking, but only when I don't have to do it!

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  2. She did write about it earlier this year. April I think.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Cathy - and welcome. Indeed she did, which is when I put two and two together. (I did ask her permission before writing this post.)

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  3. All seems such a long time ago now. So much came about after me being on Masterchef and I didn’t even win! I will write about the many and various and some I ought to say exciting things that happened... one day!

    LX

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    Replies
    1. I look forward to it! I used to enjoy watching Masterchef back then, I only wish my brain could remember you and your cooking, all that remains in my head is the echo of Loyd Grossman's "Gosh, that's good!" ...undoubtedly referring to your food.

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  4. Those menus are divine! Scrummy indeed. Much more imaginative than the last Greek MasterChef which all gourmet fluff.
    Going to look up your famous friend

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    Replies
    1. Ps no claims to fame here. Very dull people that we know

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    2. You sparkle as brightly as the sea around your lovely Greek island...and your food always sound delicious, despite the occasional 'evil eye'.

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  5. menus sound like something in a high priced restaurant. I concur with judges even with tasting. no unsung talents or claims to fame here either unless typing with one hand counts. on that subject I am very tired of this temporary handicap. couldn't pick up granddaughter at her 1st birthday. did get her placed on my lap for a photo. no photos for blog because of daughters social media restrictions. may find one with no front face visible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That must have been a lovely celebration, Marcia. I'm glad you managed to hold your little granddaughter and have a cuddle. I hope you are soon free from all those bandages and fully restored to fitness.

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  6. The menus sound amazing. There is no claim to fame here.

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    Replies
    1. They are pretty impressive - and the great thing is that they would taste even better!

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  7. Ohhh my, it's late afternoon, and I am reading about all this stupendous food. Oh sighhhhhhhh... I am so hungry now. And it's not yet dinner time. Ohhhhhh sighhhhh...

    Oh yummmmmmmmmm...

    No claim to fame here, either. :-)

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    Replies
    1. You are too modest, Luna. Sorry about making you hungry - I h ope you managed to hold out until dinner time.

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  8. Oh wow! That is something. I looked at her blog. I like her! No claim to fame here...all I ever accomplished was being voted quietest of the senior class sixty years ago. :)

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    Replies
    1. You and I sound very similar, Henny!! Lettice would make you laugh, she has a great sense of humour and likes to find the funny side of things, plus she is always prepared to laugh at herself!

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  9. Gosh, I can't cook like that. Those recipes sounded absolutely marvellous.

    My 5 minutes of fame was achieved when I was joint winner of the Royal Archaeological Institute Undergraduate Dissertation Prize back in 2000. I went up to Burlington House to collect my cheque and it felt WONDERFUL! I am still pleased I could manage to beat even the Oxbridge entries (if there were any!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, my word! That is a brilliant achievement. I imagine your family must have been thrilled and proud of you. (Crikey, I feel proud of you.)
      Somehow, I think any meal that Lettice cooks would taste sensational! She enjoys cooking. I only enjoy it when I don't have to do it, if you know what I mean.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.