Celeb chefs putting their name/face on deeply average food?
Discussion
Am I the only one that is baffed with all this 'celebrity chef endorsed' guff, especially given that the product is inevitably not very good at all.
I think the straw that broke my back was the Greg Wallace potato wedges. You must have seen them in the supermarket, an unsuspecting pack of seasoned potato wedges with the harrowing image of Greg Wallace, who could quite easily pass for Heston Bloominghells fat little brother, staring at you with a cheesy grin in his glasses that don't suit his fat face.
I would have walked on past, but they were 50p, and I didn't think I could go wrong....
But I did. They were crap potatoes with a nasty mass produced flavourless sauce on them. Infact they even tasted a bit stale. Even lashings of dipping sauce failed to turn them around. Deeply disappointing.
So, why has this guy, a celebrity, a reknowned food critic, and a judge of cooking at the very highest level, sold himself to a crappy bag of 50p mass produced potato wedges that aren't even any good anyway?
And he is not the only one....
Put aside his crap vastly overpriced BBQs, Ginger Beardy does a range of organic soups. I was given one at work. Organic chicken and spring veg. Sound nice. It was vile.
Same goes for Ainsley 'I'm a kitchen cleaner' Harriott. Deeply average cuppa soup.
And Aldo Zilli seems to have sold his soul to Thomas Cook, and after a barely readworthy article in the on flight magazines shamelessly plugs his £1.80 a pop cuppa soups.
What next, a Marco Pierre White endorsed pot noodle? Or how about a Raymond Blanc ketchup.
Put aside food that at least slightly resembles proper food and ingredients, like Lloyd Grossman sauces, which incidentally are selling that well at their vastly overinflated prices that you can buy them half price in Asda at the moment, these people are endorsing cheap, nasty convenience food.
Why? Are these people really that greedy for cash that they are willing to devalue their reputation as discerning foodies and top chefs by endorsing what is basically crap?
If so, I'm off to buy some James Martin knives to cut my wrists with. Hopefully they will be sharp enough and the blade won't fall off the handle mid flow...
I think the straw that broke my back was the Greg Wallace potato wedges. You must have seen them in the supermarket, an unsuspecting pack of seasoned potato wedges with the harrowing image of Greg Wallace, who could quite easily pass for Heston Bloominghells fat little brother, staring at you with a cheesy grin in his glasses that don't suit his fat face.
I would have walked on past, but they were 50p, and I didn't think I could go wrong....
But I did. They were crap potatoes with a nasty mass produced flavourless sauce on them. Infact they even tasted a bit stale. Even lashings of dipping sauce failed to turn them around. Deeply disappointing.
So, why has this guy, a celebrity, a reknowned food critic, and a judge of cooking at the very highest level, sold himself to a crappy bag of 50p mass produced potato wedges that aren't even any good anyway?
And he is not the only one....
Put aside his crap vastly overpriced BBQs, Ginger Beardy does a range of organic soups. I was given one at work. Organic chicken and spring veg. Sound nice. It was vile.
Same goes for Ainsley 'I'm a kitchen cleaner' Harriott. Deeply average cuppa soup.
And Aldo Zilli seems to have sold his soul to Thomas Cook, and after a barely readworthy article in the on flight magazines shamelessly plugs his £1.80 a pop cuppa soups.
What next, a Marco Pierre White endorsed pot noodle? Or how about a Raymond Blanc ketchup.
Put aside food that at least slightly resembles proper food and ingredients, like Lloyd Grossman sauces, which incidentally are selling that well at their vastly overinflated prices that you can buy them half price in Asda at the moment, these people are endorsing cheap, nasty convenience food.
Why? Are these people really that greedy for cash that they are willing to devalue their reputation as discerning foodies and top chefs by endorsing what is basically crap?
If so, I'm off to buy some James Martin knives to cut my wrists with. Hopefully they will be sharp enough and the blade won't fall off the handle mid flow...
Edited by bazking69 on Friday 7th August 14:31
bazking69 said:
Why? Are these people really that greedy for cash that they are willing to devalue their reputation as discerning foodies and top chefs by endorsing what is basically crap?
Yep.Food manufacturer delivers a wheelbarrow full of cash, 'top' chef/foodie type has their picture taken and its slapped all over the same s
t that food manufacturer has been shovelling into jars for years, but now with added coriander and 30% increase in price.Edited by dougc on Friday 7th August 14:34
And there was me thinking that a reputation earnt through years of graft, attention to detail and food perfection and sometimes culinary genius would be valued....
I can understand knives and the like, or at least putting you name to something decent, foodstuff or not, but cuppasoups and 50p potato wedges...
I can understand knives and the like, or at least putting you name to something decent, foodstuff or not, but cuppasoups and 50p potato wedges...
Edited by bazking69 on Friday 7th August 14:47
Look at who it is though:
Ainsley Harriott - TV cook who names his condiments
James 'I'm a Northerner me' Martin
Worral-Thompson
Grossman - not even a chef
Aldo Zilli
Not exactly raking it in through their 2+ Star restaurants are they?
When was the last time you saw Tom Aikens or Michael Caines on a jar of Pesto?
Ainsley Harriott - TV cook who names his condiments
James 'I'm a Northerner me' Martin
Worral-Thompson
Grossman - not even a chef
Aldo Zilli
Not exactly raking it in through their 2+ Star restaurants are they?
When was the last time you saw Tom Aikens or Michael Caines on a jar of Pesto?
I've had the Marco Pierre White chicken/bacon/cabbage soup and it was really good. So good that I took a note of the ingredients and made a mahoosive home made batch the following week 
I have to laugh though about Gordon Ramsay. I'm sure I watched one of his shows from years ago where he poured scorn on Worral-Thompson & the like for selling all manner of crap with their name on, and said that he was a chef first and foremost, and would not sell out like this. Imagine my surprise to get "Hell's Kitchen for Wii" game in my Christmas stocking
(PS the game is bobbins, and was played only once)
As for being greedy, all these chef's are doing is following mainstream fashion -and the simple pleasures of cooking & eating have become so fashionable recently. I doubt any of key designers from any of the big fashion houses have ever even seen their t-shirt/jeans/boxer shorts/fragrance line, let alone actually design them.
Bearing in mind it's their personal reputation on the line though, they really should at least make some attempt that the pish that's being produced actually tastes ok and is 'on message' with their own brand - ie for Greg Wallace = quality & flavour is paramount - it's not unreasonable to expect his potato wedges to be among the best you can buy?
I have to laugh though about Gordon Ramsay. I'm sure I watched one of his shows from years ago where he poured scorn on Worral-Thompson & the like for selling all manner of crap with their name on, and said that he was a chef first and foremost, and would not sell out like this. Imagine my surprise to get "Hell's Kitchen for Wii" game in my Christmas stocking
(PS the game is bobbins, and was played only once)
As for being greedy, all these chef's are doing is following mainstream fashion -and the simple pleasures of cooking & eating have become so fashionable recently. I doubt any of key designers from any of the big fashion houses have ever even seen their t-shirt/jeans/boxer shorts/fragrance line, let alone actually design them.
Bearing in mind it's their personal reputation on the line though, they really should at least make some attempt that the pish that's being produced actually tastes ok and is 'on message' with their own brand - ie for Greg Wallace = quality & flavour is paramount - it's not unreasonable to expect his potato wedges to be among the best you can buy?
Noger said:
dougc said:
When was the last time you saw Tom Aikens on a jar of Pesto?
Because screwing a shed load of small suppliers by putting your business into receivership and then getting it bought back by a private equity firm so you can keep running it is so much better than selling out 
I just picked a name I knew with a star for the purposes of comparison.
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff