Name: Barry Roughan
Age: 33
Cooking experience: Toast and cereal
Decisions, decisions!!! Upon checking out the Ministry of Food recipe choices, I decide to choose the good old fashioned fish pie (any excuse to tip my cap to Captain Birdseye). Surely a proud moment in any parent’s life – hearing their youngest utter the immortal line: “Mum, Dad…..I baked a pie!” – cue fanfare and mackerel shaped bunting.
Right, fish market here I come. I grab my ‘Collins Dictionary of Cockney Market Phrases’, and dash out the door with a skip in my step and tuppence in my back pocket.
…..home now, happy to have procured the said fish, though slightly deflated as my Waitrose didn’t appreciate my fishmongers’ line in patter and my bartering attempts fell on deaf ears. Anyway, still on track……all going well……what next….ah yes, the cooking……cooking……..b*llocks!!! Oh, for a world where a staple diet of cornflakes and (slightly burnt) toast with jam is both nutritious and actively encouraged by governmental ministers. But this time it will be different, I’m sure! I can cook, I WILL cook!! I’ve got Jamie O behind me.
COOKED!….and how I enjoyed it, all much simpler than I had imagined and hugely rewarding to boot. I was slightly nervous as to what would await me upon opening the oven door (as if the fish-gods, riled, would unleash hell upon my kitchen and it’s surrounds), but was delighted with the results and received resoundingly positive feedback from the taste-test. I was surprised at the pride that I derived from this meal, and I really felt a great sense of achievement with the end product (that’s the pie, not the compliments). The final part of the process was to teach the recipe to two friends. I chose my flatmates, both equally as illiterate in the ways of the kitchen as myself. They also really enjoyed the cooking and seemed to respond to being taught by a fellow novice (I kept my Anthony Robbins-style motivational claptrap to a minimum).
The three of us now spend our days lounging in blue and white checked trousers, reciting Muppet re-runs in a Swedish accent – the Cap’ain would be proud of us!
What do you think of Barry’s attempts? Tried Jamie’s recipes yourself? Comment in the user comments.
Comments
Be the first to comment - fill in the form below. Don't worry, we don't display your email address
Leave a comment
* Required field.