Donât know if you have been watching Nigel Slater (cook, author, The Observer food columnist) in his new series for the BBC â Eating Together? Nigel, who describes himself as “a cook who writes” is someone who we have followed for some time, he travels the world, in culinary terms, cooking, tasting and meeting those who have bought such a wealth of flavours and cultures to the British palate. If you havenât yet seen it you can catch a BBC One promo clip and taster for the series at www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone – we have and for a very special DeanWye reason!
Donât jump up to put the kettle on immediately the next episode ends, but wait for the credits. Right there, if youâre quick, youâll see the name Yvette Farrell! Thatâs right, the Yvette Farrell, our own local food hero, foraging Queen, Principal of Harts Barn Cookery School and this yearâs Forester Business Person of the Year as well as being champion of all things local and wonderful (see previous feature).
The opportunity came about through a mutual acquaintance who happened to know that Nigel was one of Yvetteâs all-time food heroes. Pretty soon she was signed up, amidst total secrecy, for a gruelling week long schedule of 10/12 hour days cooking for Nigel and the crew during filming. Yvette got to work behind the scenes of the new series, which started this week on BBC1 and will continue every Monday night at 7.30pm. She appearing in the credits of the show and her main role was to prepare food and catering for Nigel and the crew during the long days of filming.
âIt was a great honour to work with my food hero, Nigel and he was every bit as likeable and caring as I had imagined he would be. His approach to food and cooking is very much in line with my own beliefs and ethos â one that I try to bring in to the Cookery School every day. My highlight was Nigel saying I made the best Flatbreads he has ever tasted â which is a great boost as I have plans to develop the Forest Flatbread for production and put the Forest of Dean on the map in the same way the Cornish Pasty has  done for Cornwall!â Yvette commented.
âI run a âHire A Chefâ catering service as part of the Cookery School, so I was well prepared for the hard work and the rewards really were fantastic,â she continued.
The new series sees Nigel Slater meet devoted home cooks across multi-cultural Britain to discover how food in this country has never been so exciting. From noodles, to dumplings and custard there are some dishes we all love to cook wherever we originate from in the world. In this series Nigel gathers inspiration from the distant cousins of some of his favourite recipes, finding out culinary secrets from across the world and discovering what makes different cultures within Britain tick.
For more information www.hartsbarncookeryschool.co.uk or contact Helen Hayes:Â helen@hartsbarncookeryschool.co.uk
@NigelSlater Instagram.com/thenigelslater