MasterChef judge, writer and former greengrocer, Gregg Wallace, reveals that the scale of production at Britain’s food units is mind-blowing. By Khushbu Kirti
Gregg Wallace, the writer, media personality and former greengrocer, is best known for co-presenting and judging MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals. He also has garnered two Rugby Union coaching badges. Wallace first watched Millwall and remains an avid supporter to this day.
Beginning his career in Covent Garden Fruit and Veg Market, in 1989, Wallace started George Allan’s Greengrocers, which he grew into a large and successful company supplying fruit and vegetables to London’s hotels and restaurants.
Following his business success and with a clear passion and expertise in fruits and vegetables, the MasterChef host was also invited to co-present Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks. This led to the presenting of the first series of Saturday Kitchen in 2002 and eventually to his role as judge on MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.
Some other key projects of his include Eat Well for Less, Inside the Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest, Supermarket Secrets and Who Do You Think You Are?.
The documentary, Inside the Factory, has the interesting concept of hosts visiting some of the biggest food production units in Britain and sharing details about the various processes that take place inside these factories. The presenters comprise Cherry Healey, Ruth Goodman and Wallace.
Read on for excerpts from an interview, about the forthcoming Inside The Factory Season 5:
Audience has loved the first four seasons and they’re so excited for the fifth one! Please give us an overview about Inside the Factory Season 5.
Inside The Factory is an incredibly successful format with the team of ours — Healy, Goodman and me. With exclusive access to a different factory in each episode, I get to uncover the astonishing processes that keep high-volume manufacturing on track.
What is new this season?
In terms of format, there is not much change. What we have been filming, that you may see at some stage is a lot of off-shoot, which is called Inside the Mega Factories, where we looked at the building of a train, a London bus and a JCB digger.
What is one thing the audience should look out for?
One of the things that were incredibly unusual in the mass production was the wax jackets — they are still handcrafted by a team of very skilled people. That’s what you should look out for because I found that quite incredible. In an era of mass production, so much there is handmade. Also, the ladies there realised that I was nice so they brought me sweets (chuckles).
You go into the factories to figure out the processing of food. What is your favourite part about that?
The favourite bit is the bit that you get at home — it’s just learning the facts and figures. The extraordinary scale of production astounds me and some of the technology just takes me by surprise. Basically, what we are looking at here is everyday products that we possibly overlook (we might enjoy them but we generally overlook them). For me, it’s just ‘wow’! I am left wondering how much technology goes into this stuff. The scale of production is just mind-blowing.
What is the worst thing you've experienced?
A lot of the food is uncomfortable. They are very often cold because of the refrigeration and then they are very often hot because of the cookery. The known food products are, by far, the most comfortable ones to film. Just so as you know, I spend three days inside each factory.
One of the worst bits is answering endless queries on social media on why it is I have to wear a hairnet... (sighs). It is not that I choose to wear the hairnet, anybody entering the factory has to wear all the protective equipment, no matter who is it. You could be decapitated, and you would have to wear the hairnet over the stump.
Appealing to a global audience — how is that achieved? Especially given that food has strong preference.
Well, I do not have any part to play in the creation of the content. I am what I call ‘a spoon for hire’. I just turn up and talk about things. However, I am guessing that a lot of the brands that we are discussing are global brands and are available all over the world. The scale of manufacturing is of interest, anyway, to everybody because I think there are tons of human stories.
It’s the passion of the people inside the factories, I think, that tells a lot of the stories.
Do you think the love for food is what brings people back to this show?
No, I don’t think it is. It is the finding out, it is the knowledge, it is the moments when you say ‘WOW, really!?’ It is this curiosity, I think that’s what it is.
It is also nicely shot. I think that the appeal is being able to wander around these factories from the comfort of our own sofa because they are all absolutely fascinating places to visit.
You've been around MasterChef for a long time and have been from a writer and media personality to a greengrocer. Do you think this is your calling?
It’s been amazing! MasterChef made me famous. It was extraordinary, I was a greengrocer, but now I am famous (laughs) ! It’s just been an incredible journey — a journey you could never plot or chart. I have got no idea how it happened. It’s just, I turned up for an interview one day about a food programme, and nearly twenty years later, I am still there.
And... no, I think if I have a calling, it is that I want people to lose weight and get healthier. I like entertaining people, that may be one of my callings. The other one is that I am healthier and fitter. Well, what I want to do is help people. That is what I feel a burning desire to do. Help people feel healthier. About myself, I am four and a half stone lighter, haha, if you look at the old MasterChef, you’d see how big I was. I want to help people — that is my burning ambition.