Last week saw the last in the “Supersizers” series on BBC2. As is so often the case the schedulers decided to force viewers into making a choice between the Giles Coren and Sue Perkins duo and the Gordon show by running both the Supersizers and the F-Word in the same time slot. For those of us un-anoraky enough to distain recording one of the programmes for watching later (this stuff is interesting, but not that interesting) it ends up as trial by remote. This is the strange situation when you watch one programme until you feel your attention wandering, then switch to the other channel for a bit until that in turn pales, whereupon you switch back. By this (admittedly unscientific) measure I can say that in terms of minutes watched the Supersizers won by about 65% - 35%.

Despite the crash bang wallop attempt to keep energy levels high in the F-Word kitchen everything seemed a bit predictable and “the medicine as before”. Here are some of the recipes featured -  scallops with quails eggs and pancetta; escalopes of chicken; raspberry soufflé; angel hair pasta with clams; spiced pork chops with crushed sweet potatoes; apple tart fine with caramel ice cream; seared beef salad with pickled ginger; herb crusted fillet of brill; soufflé pancakes with rhubarb compote – aside from catching yourself wondering how many housewives will be knocking up scallops with quails’ eggs and pancetta even for a dinner party, doesn’t it make you feel that you are trapped in pretentious gastropub? Gordon also seems to have been tailored to his part, he swears on cue; he flaunts his competitive side; he bundles and bustles everything along. This series needs something new.

Meanwhile BBC2 offered the Supersizers, a concept that has grown out of what was originally a single programme and has now been developed as a look at the food and eating habits of various periods in British history: Wartime, Restoration, Victorian, Seventies, Elizabethan and Regency. This made good television for a number of reasons. Firstly it was surprising to see what a good double act Sue Perkins and Giles Coren turned out to be. Perkins (a vegetarian forced to sample sheep’s head – respect!) dived into the spirit of things, and there has always been a streak of Byronic excess about Coren which was well suited to beer for breakfast and claret with lunch.  For once the worthy and historical side of the equation was handled gently, and the director had some good ideas. I particularly enjoyed the conceit of sending Giles, in costume, into a coffee shop – a simple device but one that graphically  linked then to now. The chefs who tried bravely to recreate the excesses of the past also did a good job, Allegra McEvedy trapped in wartime austerity, Rosemary Schrager and Mikael Weiss, who manfully (and largely successfully) tried to replicate Careme’s intricate sugar work, all stood out.

The difference between the two shows is that in one the skill of cookery was acknowledged, while over at Gordon’s the general feeling is that anyone can do anything and that all food is something of game show. Does anyone believe that Ramsay can take a brigade of celebs and that with minimal training they can turn out a professional standard meal for 50 customers? Then we are asked to believe that a high percentage of those customers will happily pay the going rate for that food?  I would rather be pondering the strains and stresses of the Regency diet.

Charles Campion