Lords and Ladles

John_Rambo

Anyone watching this?

Super, fascinating stuff. I'm a sucker for historical and pre-history food and cooking. When I read a historical book, I pay particular attention to the food, how it was caught, cooked, served and eaten. My favorite food to cook is game cooked in traditional ways.

Birr Castle looks amazing. So much history.

Lots of hunting, foraging, traditional joints and unusual, forgotten foods. I happen to know (through family and work) Catherin Fulvio and (separately) the gent that is Derry Clarke, both powerhouses in cooking.

Great viewing. A must for modern hunters! Enjoy.

Eddie B

Haven't seen it but have it recorded! Sounds great!

I agree with you that we've sort of lost a lot of tradition ways to cook different game to get the best out of them!

Anyone who hunts game should watch, and even record good programs like this, for reference on how to cook game properly!;)

Suckler

It could have been much more interesting but the production was dated and shoddy.:mad:

The "chef" Paul Flynn looked like a clown in the kitchen, not knowing what was going where, the grill on instead of the oven, inability to prepare oysters, everything seeming rushed (for the cameras maybe/create some excitement?) Bemusing stuff. It was like they got a cooking novice in as some sort of challenge type show to prepare the meal. He was acting like he was given something completely alien when preparing the meats! A professional T.V. chef leaving a truant cocktail stick in a serving is not good enough.

Derry Clarkes involvement was bemusing, dressed in the chefs get up to walk about the place.

Catherine Fulvio was as lost in the kitchen as Paul Flynn. The worst part was when she was picking mushrooms and was so hesitant about tasting "raw" mushrooms. Ridiculous carry on from someone married to a Sicilian and working as a chef. Tasting raw veg is one of the most rudimentary skills and tests a chef will undertake when prepping a meal.

The narration was cheesy and childish - "In olden times rich people used spices" with some ridiculous sense of wonderment attempting to be portrayed. Condescension was all I got from it.

As for the "hosts" - Lady Alacia Parsons was in need of a swift boot up the arse when requesting, in her poshest of posh accent, that the help "please bring it (pigs head) to my father as he hasn't seen it properly". Insolent wench, the aul codger was sitting a few feet away from the end of the table where it was placed and could get off his backside if he wanted a look.

All brought to a crescendo with the cooks telling their heroic tale about how they pulled it all together. It was a bodge job in the end, they had the old recipes and methods there and could have sourced the right ingredients but went with an off the cuff attempt just omitting as they pleased. :mad:

From RTE website - The series features three of Ireland's finest Chefs: Derry Clarke, Catherine Fulvio and Paul Flynn who are as oddly complimentary as the Top Gear trio, with egos to match.
What a load of sh1te. Trying to compare themselves to Top Gear??
The only ego on display was the antiquated sense entitlement of the Parsons....Sorry Lord and Lady Rosse:mad:

Eddie B

Well that doesn't sound good! Have to admit, that Paul Flynn lad turn's my stomach! He's terrible in every program he does, but I was hoping he wouldn't make a ball of this one!

A well, i'll give the first episode a chance, and deside after that, whether or not i'll keep watching!

John_Rambo

Yeah Suckler! A few good points there! I didn’t mention Paul Flynn in my initial post! I just don’t get him and he did seem all over the shop.

I fully expected the “poshness" accents of the hosts to drive certain types of people in to a demented rage.

Amazing building full of amazing stuff, food was interesting too, the rabbit looked excellent.

tikkahunter

Have done a few classes in Catherin Fulvio's cookery school, very nice lady and her dishes where excellent .

Suckler

John_Rambo wrote: »

I fully expected the “poshness" accents of the hosts to drive certain types of people in to a demented rage.

It wasn't the posh accent even it was the gall of ordering the help to go carrying this lump of a pigs head around because his lordship wouldn't take three steps to look at it himself! It just smacks of antiquated mentality of trying to impress and serve the upper classes.

John_Rambo wrote: »

Amazing building full of amazing stuff, food was interesting too, the rabbit looked excellent.

Amazing building and grounds alright, historical stuff was interesting, amazing to think that for a significant period, Birr was the leading astronomy site in the world!

tikkahunter wrote: »

Have done a few classes in Catherin Fulvio's cookery school, very nice lady and her dishes where excellent .

I'm sure it was, I doubt she's running a successful cookery school for charity and good intentions.
This is what disappointed me, when you get these chefs on you want to see the techniques and tips/tricks on selecting & cooking different things.This is why this show appealed to me, old recipes and game. Sometimes game can be a bit strong for those not used to it so it would've been better to find out why they had selected herbs and sides i.e. what compliments what in the full dish.

As I said, it seemed to be calamity added for drama in the kitchen with a few problems thrown in for a "will they make it in the end" finale. I'd forgive them if it was a transition year class production as a project.

J.R.

Suckler wrote: »

Amazing building and grounds alright, historical stuff was interesting, amazing to think that for a significant period, Birr was the leading astronomy site in the world!

They mentioned 1810 & 1825 for building the scope........when you see the amount of food, recipes and the furniture & decor it is hard to believe that some people were living in such luxury in this country twenty years later while the local peasants, outside the walled gardens, were starving from famine and living in thatched mud houses, if they had avoided eviction.

Suckler

J.R. wrote: »

They mentioned 1810 & 1825 for building the scope........when you see the amount of food, recipes and the furniture & decor it is hard to believe that some people were living in such luxury in this country twenty years later while the local peasants, outside the walled gardens, were starving from famine and living in thatched mud houses, if they had avoided eviction.

Good point

Goldengirl

This post has been deleted.

recipio

It was all about a Tom and Jerry routine between Flynn and Clarke - he must have cracked the joke about Flynn not having caught his perch a dozen times. Catherine is always a pleasure to see. Pity, because they are all great chefs. More cooking and less wisecracking please !

Suckler

recipio wrote: »

It was all about a Tom and Jerry routine between Flynn and Clarke - he must have cracked the joke about Flynn not having caught his perch a dozen times. Catherine is always a pleasure to see. Pity, because they are all great chefs. More cooking and less wisecracking please !

Catherine was better in this episode I thought. cooking element was better than last weeks nonsense.

Tom & Jerry show I'd agree to a point, Derry wasn't so bad but Flynn was just there for "comic" relieve. How many times did he have to harp on about the testicles or "goolies" to use his cool slang chat. Everything he seems to have to handle seems to be alien to him. Did he train in a takeaway?

it's typical RTE dated tripe when they come to picking the names out of the hat as to who will be taking what roles, stop trying to build suspense and just tell us that you're going to rotate the roles every week.

HeidiHeidi

Aww, I think it's great!

I won't claim to be a huge foodie, nor a history buff, but I find this very entertaining.

I'm watching ep 2 now, having seen ep 1 and 3 - and I think it's hilarious! (Maybe I'm easily amused.) Found the first one a bit stilted, but that seems to be their gait of going and I'm enjoying it now I've got used to it.

Full marks from me anyway

John_Rambo

Suckler, you've half ruined it on me. I can't help but concentrate on the badness you've pointed out. I'd have happily ignored it before you highlighted it you little boooolix.

Forty Watt

Well Suckler you have saved me the trouble of watching it.

HeidiHeidi

Despite my earlier enthusiastic post, I lost the will to watch/live sometime during episode 4, and had to turn it off.

They were all just too samey, my eyes glazed over in the end.

Eddie B

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Despite my earlier enthusiastic post, I lost the will to watch/live sometime during episode 4, and had to turn it off.

They were all just too samey, my eyes glazed over in the end.

I still didn't get around to watching it! Have all episodes recorded, but now I don't think i'll even bother!

HeidiHeidi

Eddie B wrote: »

I still didn't get around to watching it! Have all episodes recorded, but now I don't think i'll even bother!

Ah one or two were interesting - especially Castle Leslie which is full of characters and a great back story.

If you happen to know any of the houses featured, watch them.

But all six was definitely overkill.