Apart from your good selves that is. Mine are from television, the great Kieth Floyd, and a toss up between Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith. Off television, and maybe an obscure one for some folk, Elizibeth Lambert Ortiz, who specializes in Latin American cooking. She's done a lot of books over the years and they're worth looking out for. She did one on Japanese cuisine sometime back too.

i like mary berry and Ina(barefoot contessa) best but jamie oliver and rachel allen come a close second to name a few!

I really love the barefoot contessa too

I like the hairy bikers, I've seen them live too :D

Jamie.

Still love watching the Naked Chef, wish they'd repeat that more. And I loved what he did with the school dinners etc. He doesn't care what people think of him as he knows he's always going to have knockers and his heart is in the right place. I generally get him. His ministry of food is dead easy to follow for numpties like me as well.

I like Rick Stein. Can't stand Gary Rhodes and Heston Blumenthal is just a pillock.

I like Nigella, I always find her recipes the most do-able of all the TV cooks.

Jamie, but I like the majority of chefs on TV.

Hugh and Gordon are the other two who have influenced my own cooking and outlook on food the most after Jamie.

Seen James Martin live and he was really funny, entire crowd was in hysterics.

I also like Nigel Slater, the Observer's cookery writer.

I would say my auntie's father is a great cook. He understands the techniques pretty well, and tries very hard to make the recipe the best it could be. I like that mentality. I sometimes learn off him. :)

Out of the tv chefs, I do like Keith Floyd, Yan Can Cook, Heston Blumenthal, and Marco Pierre White. I do like the biker's chefs too. At least they seem to focus so much on the authenticities, or making something tastes better, or to follow decent techniques rather than add their own, which often than not, degrade the cuisine itself. I personally don't like that. Don't call it a chicken dish, when it is not chicken etc.

The rest is just fluff. I don't like Nigella, cos she copies recipes from people, Jamie Oliver is an amateur chef, whose USP, is that he is young and he made it a bit hip, Gordon Ramsey (is just a trained chef on French cuisine, but he flops in other international cuisine), Delia Smith is okay, she is more domestic, than a trained chef.

To me, I rather judge chefs for their techniques, and their skills, rather than the entertainment factor of the chef, or their personal lives.

I would say my auntie's father is a great cook. He understands the techniques pretty well, and tries very hard to make the recipe the best it could be. I like that mentality. I sometimes learn off him. :)

Out of the tv chefs, I do like Keith Floyd, Yan Can Cook, Heston Blumenthal, and Marco Pierre White. I do like the biker's chefs too. At least they seem to focus so much on the authenticities, or making something tastes better, or to follow decent techniques rather than add their own, which often than not, degrade the cuisine itself. I personally don't like that. Don't call it a chicken dish, when it is not chicken etc.

The rest is just fluff. I don't like Nigella, cos she copies recipes from people, Jamie Oliver is an amateur chef, whose USP, is that he is young and he made it a bit hip, Gordon Ramsey (is just a trained chef on French cuisine, but he flops in other international cuisine), Delia Smith is okay, she is more domestic, than a trained chef.

To me, I rather judge chefs for their techniques, and their skills, rather than the entertainment factor of the chef, or their personal lives.

Jamie isn't an amateur, he's a trained professional chef. Following catering collage, and a spell in France, he was head pastry chef at Carluccio's (reasonably well known) and then made it to the River Cafe in London, a highly respected michelin starred restaurant. It was there he was spotted while they were filming a documentary about the restaurant.

ok peoples whos reicpes I enjoy reading and would be more likely to try out are :
nigel slater, hugh fernley whittingstall, jamie oliver, nigella lawson and rick stein

Ilike Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Hairy Bikers and that man off something for the weekend - Simon Rimmer I think he's called? Also the irsh guy - big guy Ricahrd Corrigan??

I quite like Gordon Ramsey, or Richard Corrigan, both do great food. But my fav is Simon Rimmer, who is just great on "Something for the weekend" the liverpool thing is just a down side lol.

I love Nigel Slater's recipes in the Observer. They all appear home cooked as opposed to restaurant kitchen cooked

I also like fergus henderson

Jamie isn't an amateur, he's a trained professional chef. Following catering collage, and a spell in France, he was head pastry chef at Carluccio's (reasonably well known) and then made it to the River Cafe in London, a highly respected michelin starred restaurant. It was there he was spotted while they were filming a documentary about the restaurant.
I still think that is an amateur chef. He may be trained and is skilled in one area, but he is not a true chef in my eyes. There is a difference between learning simple things and follow it through by A , B and C. Yet, there is also the creative side of knowing your ingredients and making the best out of it, and so forth. Chefs of this calibre is what I call real chefs.

I know his background, and if you note what I wrote, I also do not rate Gordon Ramsey either. Gordon Ramsey once commented on a chinese dish, which is the basic of basics, and he said that it takes so much effort and creativity. I thought to myself, if this is a high standard in his eyes, then exactly just what does he do in French cuisine?

I sometimes love the French chefs' mentalities, which is that you do not serve something that you are not proud of. People fight over a Michelin star and reputation. Some of the recipes that are being commercialised by Jamie is not really anything exciting. I know that he also recently opened his own gourmet deli too, selling just fused items which taste nice, but can be so much more for a high price. It says a lot about ourselves as a modern society and how we view food.

I also like fergus henderson

I'll second Fergus Henderson. St John is my favourite restaurant of all time and the guy has been hugely influential on British cooking.

He was in Sheffield last year, with Anthony Boudain. Did you see them Komal?

forget celebrity chefs (except for Jamie) my mother in law is the best especially her sunday roasts :)

I'll second Fergus Henderson. St John is my favourite restaurant of all time and the guy has been hugely influential on British cooking.

He was in Sheffield last year, with Anthony Boudain. Did you see them Komal?

no where were they?? I love anthony bourdain read all his books

no where were they?? I love anthony bourdain read all his books

They were doing a Q & A session at the crucible. They were both v. funny and signed books after.

Depends on what mood I'm in, generally Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver, James Martin.

Got to say I think Saturday Kitchen's the best programme on the telly at the mo.........although I have to leave the room when Floyd's on cos I can't stand him.

Anthony Bourdain, legend.