I don't often watch it but when I do they are always making super sophisticated lovely food made from the best, crab, salmon, land or whatever.
I think to show versatility and ability they should be given free rang on ingredients but they are all the cheep value branded goods. From salmon and crab to peas or whatever. Even the 'staples' such as flour and butter etc should be value brands.
Let's see how skilled they are at making sophisticated lovely food from the cheapest ingredients.
They've had them cooking with fish heads and leftovers and all sorts of things that most people would go nowhere near. Personally, I'd rather they didn't do it but they do. Regardless of how fancily its presented I wouldn't want to eat any of it.
last night's program where they were at the basque restaurant made me want to puke. The food wasn't real food that people actually want to eat, surely? tempura fried egg yolks? celery foam? quinelle of yardy ya urgh.
Those with money can afford to try more experimental food. There's definitely an audience for adventurous chefs. Like any job or career, there must be a desire to keep trying new things.
I have to admit...the tempura egg yolks intrigued me.
My current pet hates: puréed veg served as a flat splurge over the plate, foams, tiny blobs of whatever dotted all over the plate, the fashion to turn everything into a "quenelle" (what's wrong with a spoonful?), too many different things on the same plate all vying for attention.