Baker brothers, Tom and Henry Herbert, speak to SHAlINI SAKSENA about how Britain has great dishes and that cooking is all about eating with your eyes on their show The Fabulous Baker Brothers on TlC
We have seen the two of you banter and compete in the shows on TV. Are the two of you just as competitive in real life as wellIJ
Tom: Well, Henry’s actually a chef and I’m a baker but I have more wisdom. I’m an enthusiastic cook and eater, and I think that sometimes, it’s easier for me to imagine a dish and then Henry has to figure out how we’re going to make it.
Henry: Tom is a much better baker, so if we would have a bread-off he’d probably win, but if we would have a cook-off, I’d probably win. But if we were the same, there probably wouldn’t be room for both of us, I’m younger, I’ve got a longer life to lead, so that wouldn’t be so great for Tom. But because we’re different and we have two different opinions, we hopefully lead to something greater than the sum of our parts.
Britain is not really known for its food. Was it very difficult to put this series togetherIJ
Tom: We’re very proud Brits and we love where we come from. I guess we’re very conscious that people come to Britain and say ‘we love your country, your kings, your queens and everything like that — but your food’s rubbish.’ And we know there are parts that are terrible and there probably is some bad food in Britain but if you look in the right places, it can be really delicious. We want to show to people that it’s not so bad — and it’s getting easier, and better. We’ve had the dark ages but now it’s now better. Our show demonstrates that as a country we’ve got great meat, fresh fish and all from traditions that go back centuries. If you’re visiting Britain, be interested, get a guide book or Tweet Henry or Tom and just look for the food.
What are some of the things that you learnt during this show — A Bite of BritainIJ
Henry: What we liked about this series is that everything had to stay basic — fire, gas, bar-be-cue — not much else; and then there was the question of what we could do with limited cooking equipment. If someone gives you fun bits of kit to play with, you can have a go with it, but for the people watching it, the home cook, it becomes a bit of a disconnect, as not everyone watching will have professional equipment. So cooking with basic stuff is a challenge, but it makes it more exciting, and in the end more accessible to the end user. I enjoy thinking ‘What can we create, on a beach, where it’s windy, and we’ve only got a the basics — plus it’s got to look beautiful.’
How does food act as a bond between two culturesIJ
Tom: I just love food and bread. It has a great ability to pull people together. Sharing a meal, for me, is the best part of life. We work hard, and then when the day is finished, you create a nice meal, and you can share life together. That’s the best thing about food: its ability to pull people together.
Food is a very tangible part of our culture; it’s something that you can ingest. So for us, cooking a story, it should look like a painting; it looks beautiful, so you can eat it with your eyes, and then it does tell a story which helps us to remember it and tell other people.