"I don't like it when food gets hijacked by the middle classes"

Anna Haugh and Gregg Wallace discuss produce, what Gregg wishes he could ban from restaurants and the changes in cooking styles and techniques he has noticed over the years judging MasterChef.

In this week’s episode of Grilled by The Staff Canteen, Editor Cara Houchen was joined by co-host Anna Haugh, Chef Owner of Myrtle, and her guest Gregg Wallace, fellow MasterChef judge, TV presenter, writer and former greengrocer.

During the episode, the pair discussed everything from supermarkets versus local greengrocers, as well as Gregg’s buttery biscuit base.

Gregg is a writer, media personality and former greengrocer, who is probably best known for co-presenting MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC 2 and BBC 1.

Discussing his experience judging on MasterChef, alongside his co-stars Anna and Marcus Wareing, Gregg said: "I like to put myself into shoes of the everyman, because I like to explain to people at home not necessarily chefs. When I'm with people like Anna, their knowledge is far greater than mine is ever going to be so I'm really happy to take a backseat. I will tell you honestly I’m when sitting there watching Anna cook or Marcus (Wareing) cook, when they do their own dishes, that is a privilege that I think you would have to pay handsomely for."

In 2011, Gregg made headlines after a song titled ‘Masterchef Synesthesia’ produced by artist Swedemason, featuring his famous “buttery biscuit base” catchphrase, entered the UK charts peaking at number 38.

Commenting on the song’s surprising performance, Gregg said: "I'm proud to say that song made the top 40 in the charts about 10 years ago, and I'm also proud to say that every penny went to charity."

Born in Peckham, South East London, Gregg started his career as a greengrocer at Covent Garden Fruit and Veg Market. In 1989 he started George Allan’s Greengrocers, a company that built up to an eventual turnover of £7.5 million.

Following his early businesses success, Gregg was invited to co-present Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks, before eventually becoming the original presenter of Saturday Kitchen in 2002.

Gregg has also presented a host of food and non-food-based programmes including; Eat Well for Less, Inside the Factory, Turn back Time, Harvest, Supermarket Secrets and Who Do You Think You Are?

Discussing his journey into becoming a TV presenter, Gregg said: "There is no TV presenter that ever meant to be there. There is no educational route that you can take to being a TV presenter, if you decided right now that that's what you wanted to do, it's not easy to figure out how you would do it. Everybody is there by accident."

SUPERMARKETS VS GREENGROCERS

During the podcast, Gregg and Anna discussed seasonality and shopping habits when it comes to purchasing fresh produce.

“Why would you imagine that your local greengrocers would have local and your supermarket would have imported, it's interesting isn't it? I find people's shopping habits really interesting,” Greggs said.

Gregg added: "I get annoyed at chains of restaurants and hotels that put on their menu 'our chefs source locally and seasonally where possible,’ I would like to make that illegal if not true. We have to be careful, because I like a lemon and as far as I can see, maybe I think my mate Charlie his aunt had a lemon tree in a greenhouse in Hay-on-Wye, but apart from that I don't know how we're going to get a lemon."

Discussing his perceptions around food and what people expect from him, Gregg explained: “People make a number of assumptions, because I've spent so long in food, they think that I'm going to champion every small producer no matter what they do and they think I'm going to be anti-supermarket, and I'm so pro-supermarket. I like the egalitarian approach to food. I don't like it when food gets hijacked by the middle classes.

He added: “I won't necessarily support a couple of retired lawyers who now make disgusting cheese in Gloucestershire. I've never understood what makes an artisan Baker earning £150,000 a year more worthy than somebody in an enormous factory earning £28,000 a year and an almost bread factory.”

HOW HAS MASTERCHEF CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? 

Explaining some the biggest changes he’s witnessed in MasterChef over the years, Gregg revealed that the gap between amateur chefs and professional chefs is tighter than it’s been before.

"The cookery skill and knowledge of the amateur cooks is just getting better and better, and I think that's all to do with the internet. I bet if I quickly looked up, I could get a lesson from Anna cooking online. You've never been able to access chefs like this before, so people are now getting virtual one on one training online from great chefs,” he explained.

Speaking specifically about MasterChef: The Professionals, Gregg revealed a range of developments that have kept the programme constantly evolving over the years.

"I've seen a move away from what we used to call molecular gastronomy, I've seen a move away from machines, and I've seen a move towards what I would call old fashioned food skills of just using your senses and I like that a lot,” Gregg said.

THE THREE HORSEMEN OF THE GET BIG APOCALYPSE

During the podcast, the conversation turned to cookery skills with Gregg arguing the health of the nation depends on understanding basic cookery skills.

Gregg argued: "The lack of basic cookery skills in this country is the biggest threat to the nation's health, and it only takes one generation not to cook and that's it, it's gone. So, I don't know how we're going to get cookery education back but if we don’t, we are going to face an ever-growing obesity issue."

Over the years, Greggs has championed healthy eating and has even created a weight loss and health called ShowMe.Fit, which helped him lose weight.

Looking back at his own past diet, Gregg said: “Breakfast would be a fry up and then I'd be grabbing at crisps, chocolate bars, and so on. At dinners, lots and lots of takeaways, and boozing, boozing, boozing. As far as I can see there are three horsemen of the get big apocalypse; booze, snacking, and takeaways. If you can get a handle on those three, then the rest is easy but they're the three.”

Photo of Gregg courtesy of Steve Ullathorne