Anna Mckay shares a recipe perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year
Ding Huang demonstrates the art of paper cutting
A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
Laura Reynolds looks at the habits of exam-weary students
The truth is that I find food programmes hugely therapeutic. One is able to experience the joys of cooking without having to lift a finger. The celebrity chef performs with awesome expertise, and we, the food voyeurs, sit back and watch.
Everything happens perfectly: just as it should, and long periods of cooking time slip away miraculously into nothingness, so that we are not even required to wait around patiently for the finished result. Plus, there is no washing up: what a blessing! Dirty bowls, wooden spoons and measuring jugs slip away, unnoticed, into an invisible world of washing-up-to-be-done. Now I come to wonder: did our top celebrity chef lick the bowl clean?
It feels indulgent in itself, to watch Nigella going through the ritual of sneaking down to the fridge ‘at the dead of night’ and gorging on whatever devilish treat she has just shown us how to make. Today’s concern with obesity has prompted a much needed push for healthy eating, but it is wonderfully refreshing to watch someone so utterly decadent making it her responsibility to persuade us (as if we need persuading!) that life is a little too short not to smother our food in double cream.
The only problem with such programmes is that they are always hunger-inducing and never actually reap any edible results. But programmes about food - food that is being made so lovingly and with such panache - are programs that are often inspiring. And I cannot resist jumping to my feet and raiding the cupboards to see what culinary delight I can whip up as soon as the end credits appear.
So cookery programmes are everywhere: whether their focus is to educate viewers on healthy eating, or perhaps, at the other end of the spectrum, to tempt viewers to be a bit naughty. Often, at the heart of the programme is the personality, or unique style of the celebrity chef. This new breed of celebrity chefs means that we are constantly bombarded with egos.
Gordon Ramsey has charisma and talent but I find his entire swearing act tiresome. I admire Jamie Oliver’s chaotic, slap-dash style and I like the hearty, no nonsense meals he cooks. On the other hand, I find Heston Blumenthal’s precision and meticulous approach to cooking fascinating. While they have unique styles, it seems that celebrity chefs have something in common: their passion for food and good quality ingredients.
While we may find the sheer volume of cookery programmes overwhelming, and come to dislike certain ‘alpha male’ celebrity chefs, I maintain that they are generally inspiring. Perhaps the high number of such programs simply reflects the fact that food is always going to be an essential part of our lives, whether we perceive this in a positive or negative light. I have to say I’m with Nigella: food is pleasure.
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