The Great British Baking Show

I first learned about this British show from one of my favorite book blogs: Stuck in a Book. Between book blogging, Simon has done recaps of every show airing in the U.K.  The recaps were fun, but not having seen the show I couldn’t really understand the UK obsession –

until now…

Produced in the UK under the name The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Baking Show is now airing on PBS.  After watching the opening episode (the show airs just before Downton Abby) I must confess — I’m hooked.

I’m not a fan of competitive cooking shows — here in America they tend to be glaringly star-studded, overly wrought and focused on the competition versus the actual food.  They contrive to whip the contestants into hysteria and seem to encourage unnecessarily ruthless competition.  Ugh, count me out.

So I was surprised to find myself both enthralled and charmed by this program.   The Great British Baking Show takes place in a huge white tent oddly planted in the park at Downton Abbey.  (The Earl and Countess of Highclere – the real Downton Abby – are certainty cashing in.)

The judges are the two pictured here, Paul and Mary, and there are two sidekicks, Mel and Sue who give instructions to the contestants with cringe-worthy puns.  The competitors range in age (the youngest is 17), occupation (there’s a builder/contractor) and appearance (a few clearly lack a good dental plan) and yet, they are all very endearing.

The judges don’t overwhelm in these programs, they let the contestants and their baking shine as the stars of the show.  Mary is especially kind while Paul can border on pedantic.  The show is reserved, not frantic, and the drama is low-key but addictive.  Even during the Baked Alaska challenge when their ice cream centers were melting in the heat of the tent, the contestants (with the exception of one poor guy) remained calm and collected.

There is a delightful British wit and charm throughout. Each challenge is given with a cheery “on your marks, get set, bake” and the judges advise the contestants with typical British understatement  –“bakers need to be vigilant…”

This is a kinder, gentler cooking competition.  There is a naturalness between contestants and judges.  All the contestants smile genuinely when the others get accolades and each departing contestant gets hugs from both fellow contenders and the judges.  This program actually cares about the baking process and respects the contestants as craftspeople.

Happily the recipes have been converted to American cooking measurements and temperatures (no need to convert “gas mark 6”) and can be found HERE.

See if you can view the shows from the beginning – via on-demand or on-line HERE – so you can watch the progress of each contestant, and if you’re like me you’ll find yourself rooting for all of them equally.

N.B.:  Each contestant has their own cooking station equipped with stoves that have a clever slide away door that drops down and then slots out of the way underneath the oven — preventing those nasty shin bruisings  –I want one!

 

(and we even know where some of them are)

Throwback Thursday

From 2012 — celebrating bookstores with the best signage and sense(s) of humor. HERE

Only He Knew My Page Number…

An oldie but goodie

All those perfume ads interrupting my Hallmark holiday movies…(don’t judge), reminded me of this gem from the Library of Congress. 

Share with your book friends.

Now “let me read”.

 

How to delight this reader

When it comes to gifts, I am transparent and quite easy to please.   Those who love me are so generous with my favorite things, all of which make me extraordinarily happy.  Gaze upon my lovely Christmas gifts. Click on photos to view larger.  

 

A few books that I don’t own and haven’t read.  Many have given up attempting to find me books — but a steadfast few continue to surprise me with these unknown and exciting gems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very cool vintage potpourri book.  I make potpourri from my rose petals which I thrust upon unsuspecting friends and family.  This is full of great new concoctions to try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anything with roses, especially for serving and enjoy tea and biscuits.  The plate is a gift from my Mom and is from her lovely china collection.  The new cup is comfortably BIG — unlike my other dainty tea cups that are so pretty but are empty in minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some new music for the season and some to read by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A gift subscription to my favorite cooking magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful soft-as-a-cloud throw for my reading nook – it’s snuggly and warm.  Now I can retire the light weight blanket I swiped off a Swiss Air flight.  (I despise heavy, itchy afghans).

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally in honor of this special night – Season 5 of Downton Abbey begins @ 9PM, in case you’ve forgotten. Luckily I’m here to remind you.  I continually strive to provide a valuable service here at Book Barmy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So best wishes for a lovely beginning to 2015.  I’ll be parked in front of the television, sipping my Downton tea in my new rose cup underneath my new throw.   Ahhh-hhh life is good.

 

 

New Years Eve

We don’t venture out on this “amateur night” but prefer to stay home, put on our most comfortable lounge-around-the-house clothes, watch a movie and enjoy some wine we saved just for the occasion. 

Back in the day, we thought nothing of dressing up and going out for New Years Eve, but we always regretted it the next day.  We finally realized we never actually enjoyed ourselves. Now we light a fire and have a Quiet New Years Eve.

Once the television is turned off, I will do this – only instead of coffee it will be some tea I got for Christmas or perhaps another glass of wine. 

Hope this New Years Eve finds you home, warm and safe.

Christmas Isn’t Over People!

It can be difficult to maintain the Christmas mood…in San Francisco there’s no snow, temps are mild and like everywhere else in the USA, Christmas seems to stop the day after.  The radio music stopped at midnight, some trees, already taken down, lie sadly abandoned at the curb and the after Christmas sales scream from every corner.

We are people who leave our tree up until the Epiphany (January 6) and are dispirited by the abrupt ending of Christmas on December 26th. So I have my little collection of Christmas CD’s to keep the Yuletide spirits going.

I own CD’s of typical Christmas music, you know Bing, Nutcracker and such.  But at night, while reading, I prefer early music — Renaissance and Medieval.  While I’m not especially religious, I also enjoy what is considered music of the sacred choral genre.

These are my three favorites, all English (natch).  If you’re tired of the same old Christmas music, make yourself a hot drink of choice, grab a book and relax to some very different Christmas music.

Song of Songs, by Stile Antico  While not exactly Christmas music, this early music voice-only ensemble from the UK is astounding. The term ‘stile antico’, literally means ‘old style’. It was coined during the seventeenth century to describe the style of Renaissance church composition and choral singing.   It is also called polyphonic (many-voiced) music.  I find it soothing and lovely.  Take a listen at their website HERE Click on the music player button upper right.

Christmas Music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe, by The Sixteen:   This collection ranges from the 14th to the 16th Century and will transport you far away from the trite music of today’s modern Christmas (Taylor Swift  — really?).  This choral group — The Sixteen (named such because the group consists of four treble, four alto, four tenor and four bass choralists) provides beautiful harmonies.  The Coventry Carol will give you goosebumps. See more about them HERE

Christmas Carols from Kings College:  Kings College, Cambridge (founded in 1441 by King Henry VI !!)  is known for its Christmas Eve service, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which is broadcast every year in the UK by the BBC.  The service includes carols and readings from the Bible. The opening carol is always ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, and there is always a new, specially commissioned carol.  I watched it once, but it does go on.  This CD is just the carols sung by the world famous choir.  Here’s a  video of a 2011 concert in the beautiful candle lit chapel.

There you have it  — my favorite music and a way to carry on Christmas till you’re ready to welcome the New Year.

To all my thousandsreaders, I’ll be back in the New Year with plenty of new books to share.  Merry Christmas – ’tis the season and it’s still here.