Famous Five book as subject for UK cookery show recipe!

[timv]

Five Go Down To The Sea featured as one of the 'famous children's books' which the chefs have to choose as inspirations for their dishes in the annual UK BBC cookery competition, 'The Great British Menu', in the episode shown at 8 pm on 15 April on BBC 2. For those unfamiliar with this or not in the UK, this is an annual series where an assortment of chefs from different regions of the UK - eg London and SE, the SW, the Midlands, the NW, the NE, Wales, Scotland and N Ireland - compete over four courses, usually cooked in two shows shown on two successive days, for two of them to go through to a regional final each Friday . There a panel of professional 'foodies' (mostly food journalists plus special guests connected to the year's theme) select a winner to go through to the national final at the end of the series, with one winner for each course; the winners of those then cook at a special 'national' banquet with the same overall theme , cooked for scores of guests from the relevant work or leisure career connected to the theme. Past themes have included the BBC's own 'Children In Need' celebrating their 30th anniversary, which seemed a bit too much like the Beeb promoting themselves, and the Prince of Wales' Trust.

This year the theme is children's literature, as supposedly reflecting 150 years since the 'first important novel featuring a child hero' ie Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. The dishes served up in each episode have to reflect a theme connected to children's literature or a specific book or series, and the 'special guests' who help judge each Friday are current children's authors (most of whom I've never heard of). The guests at the banquet at the end will presumably be authors, publishers, library staff, and children. I do question whether Oliver Twist would count as the first child-protagonist book, though I suppose it was the first famous one, and it was not really a book for children (not younger ones anyway); there were various, rather over-moral books written for children in the C18th. The first books that have ended up as a children's classic were surely 'Robinson Crusoe' , though not written for children at the time, and ditto 'Gulliver's Travels' - 1720s.

I only dip into this series from time to time, as it can get a bit irritating - the connections between the dishes and the 'theme' are often a bit stretched and implausible, the shows are rigidly choreographed to have the same camera-shots, music, script, and supervision of the competitors by expert chefs as judges (usually past winners of the show) at exactly the same second of each show. It is not exactly spontaneous, and the repetition of the same cliches and 'buzz-words' by the presenter (comic Susan Calman this year - why are so many comics given these jobs?), chef judges etc make you want to shout at the TV 'Oh, say something different for goodness' sake!' The script lacks imagination. The judging can be rather subjective too, depending on whether the competitors so what the chef judges are expecting or want - it lacks consistency. But it is some 'light relief' if a bit predictable, and yesterday's show featured the NW heats round one, ie fish dishes, with Lake District (Cartmel) chef competitor Tom Barnes doing a fish dish under the title of Five Go Down To The Sea'. Nice to see Enid and the FF referenced, by a youngish chef too. As usual the connection between book and dish was a bit stretched, but it was meant to represent a 'rock pool on a beach' - with turbot, turbot mousse, clams, crab and oyster. (A Cornish recipe to fit the book's setting or a mock-up of a smuggler's boat or the Wreckers' Tower would have been more relevant; past chefs doing 'The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe' have recreated a wardrobe.) The recipe did get a 10 out of 10 from the chef judge - Angela Hartnett? Earlier this series a chef did a dish on the theme of 'The Faraway Tree', but the connection seemed more tenuous.

Interesting to see someone tackling a Famous Five 'theme', even if a bit tenuously; it gives me an idea for a special Blyton Commemorative Banquet for some future anniversary specific to Enid , eg 70 years since the publication of the first Five book, in 2022. Perhaps an idea for Hachette and the Society to collaborate on, in fantasy anyway? Then people who know more about cookery could come up with ideas for recipes relevant to various Blyton books...

[Katharine]

That sounds interesting Tim, I'll see if I can watch it on i-player.

Although as you say, the link between the Famous Five and the dish served sounds a bit stretched, but at least it keeps Enid Blyton in the public's mind, and it makes a refreshing change for them not to serve up something with 'lashings of ginger beer'.

The Faraway Tree sounds great, I wonder if they managed google buns or pop biscuits?

An Enid Blyton banquet sounds lovely - it would have to include hard boiled eggs with salt to dip them in.

[Anita Bensoussane]

...yesterday's show featured the NW heats round one, ie fish dishes, with Lake District (Cartmel) chef competitor Tom Barnes doing a fish dish under the title of Five Go Down To The Sea'. Nice to see Enid and the FF referenced, by a youngish chef too. As usual the connection between book and dish was a bit stretched, but it was meant to represent a 'rock pool on a beach' - with turbot, turbot mousse, clams, crab and oyster. (A Cornish recipe to fit the book's setting or a mock-up of a smuggler's boat or the Wreckers' Tower would have been more relevant; past chefs doing 'The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe' have recreated a wardrobe.) The recipe did get a 10 out of 10 from the chef judge - Angela Hartnett? Earlier this series a chef did a dish on the theme of 'The Faraway Tree', but the connection seemed more tenuous.

It's great to hear of recipes inspired by Blyton books, Tim. There are some nice-looking Faraway Tree cakes here:

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