Photo of
December 30, 2009
Greg Wallace: face of fun or face of evil?
Greg Wallace: face of fun or face of evil?

As ever, The Guardian’s Word of Mouth blog makes for entertaining reading with this entry about the worst food trends of the Noughties. I’m with Mr Majumdar on the proliferation of tapas but think he is being a little Scrooge-like with some of his other pet hates. Masterchef has become rather repetitive as the TV execs milk the formula to death but it’s a million miles better than the sneering, snobbish tone of Come Dine With Me.

Apart from Come Dine With Me, if I could sling any food trend into the dustbin of history then paying a separate charge for veg would be fairly near the top of the list. Restaurateurs would argue that it’s a way of improving customer choice. I say that the chef should have the confidence to serve the appropriate accompaniments with the centrepiece of each dish and charge accordingly.

Next up would be rubbish food scares and over-hyping miracle foods. Eating a bacon sarnie won’t kill you just as eating acai berries won’t make you live forever. I understand the need to sell newspapers and the temptation to polish up a story but a little perspective would be appreciated.

My other pet hate is overly fancy crockery in restaurants that haven’t thought it through. Good restaurants sometimes have unusual plates and bowls because they suit the food that they contain either by keeping it warm for longer or making it easier to eat. That they sometimes look striking is a bonus. Less thoughtful restaurants use eye-catching crockery because they are aping Michelin joints. The result is food that is hard to eat and which looks like one of the Ugly Sisters’ hoofs forced into Cinderella’s slipper.

OK, grouch over but what food trends would you like to bung in your restaurant room 101?