Cookaholics Bulletin Board

We have been enjoying The Great British Baking Show. It is on our local PBS station Sundays before Downton Abbey and previous shows may be available using the PBS on demand app with your streaming device.

Populated by Excellent bakers, friendly hosts, and supportive judges this is clearly not an American food competition, but there was a soft ice cream scandal last evening during a baked Alaska segment.

I liked that the judges talked about mistakes made by the contestants and the specific affect on recipes. A learning experience.

Mistakes in recipes are important in British television; the following disaster occurred on Downton Abbey which also provides a learning experience. Mrs. Patmore is having a long discussion with Mrs. Hughes. Daisy burst into the room and tells Mrs. Patmore that she better run to the kitchen before her hollandaise curdles. Walking away from a cooking hollandaise is a recipe for scrambled eggs.

Tim

I've been impressed by 17-year-old Martha's ability to compete with the rest (although it's unclear how much offscreen time they have to prepare a recipe before the competition).

There was an American spinoff a year or two ago. The BBC series judge Paul Hollywood was a judge on the US series (notoriously he had an affair with another judge during the production)

I'm enjoying this series as well. I do love the British, especially the lovely sense of humor they seem to share.
I'm an avid sewer and have particularly enjoyed the two seasons (so far) of the Great British Sewing Bee - the series is SO well done; none of the BS infighting that's usually part of this type competition in the US. The contestants are really lovely; friendly and humorous and genuinely kind to each other. I can't wait for the next series to begin.

Hi Linda, I'd love to see the sewing competition as well. I am just starting to get back into sewing (my mom was a seamstress) and would love to have some inspiration. So if you can let me know when it starts.

I am loving the baking one. I've always wanted to make a lemon tiramisu. I loved the sponges. I remember doing Victoria ones in cookery class as well as a parkin. Prefer them to most of our style of cakes. I was so impressed with the baked Alaskas. Good time of the year to try them. I am cheering for Martha.

I missed how the one competitor's baked Alaska ended up not in the freezer but didn't another contestant say something about "you've got you're own freezer over there"? It was the closest thing to infighting I've seen but aside from hom throwing in the towel it never went anywhere from there.

Alina, (and anyone else interested)
Here's the trailer for Season 3 of the GBSB!
Great British Sewing Bee
[url]http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=-ZxO86zHEdU
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(I usually have to download the 'Hola' add-on in order to watch it on BBC.)