Polly Mourns The Loss of Keith Floyd...

In a world where celebrity chefs seem to be ten a penny the world mourns the recent loss of Keith Floyd. At the peak of his popularity Keith was deemed to be something of an expert on food and a drunkard. His unique selling points were his insistence on wearing a bow tie, and quaffing what seemed in those days to be vast quantities of fine red wines all the while narrating his culinary adventures around the world.

I grew up in a world where celebrity cheffing was virtually unheard of. The two exceptions to this rule were Graham Kerr aka The Galloping Gourmet and Fanny Craddock; although I am sure there were more on the go, these are the ones I remember! In the mid-eighties came the resurgence of the celebrity chef and Keith Floyd was one of them...

It was thanks to the whacky English gentleman's relaxed approach to food and his eccentricities that I took it into my head to find a decent recipe for chili con carné. Nothing much to it, except that somehow it always turned out like my spaghetti sauces evil twin brother! Something had to be done, because I liked the dish and just could not figure out where I was going wrong.

Welcome Floyd's American Pie - the book of the TV series produced by the BBC in 1989. Nestled alongside prison kitchen sized recipes for my favourite Tex-mex dish lay recipes for Pecan Pie and Key Lime Pie and all sorts of exotic delights which had yet to be adopted into the Great British Cuisine.

This is Keith at his best. Beware - this information is as relevant today as it ever was...

While these days I am not inclined to watch a lot of TV, in those days I was probably too busy working shifts or socialising with my colleagues afterwards. I did used to make an effort to catch up with the somewhat dotty Keith Floyd. These days I can't be bothered to watch TV much at all and rarely sit down to watch anything until well after 9pm.

For an example of how Uncle Keith touted his wares and got into shed loads of trouble along the way why not check out his slightly outdated blog. Written in the manner of his speech, this is Keith Floyd warts and all...

Maybe tomorrow I'll post my favourite recipe for one of my favourite dishes. First I'll have to make it in order to figure out the quantities, etc! After years of experimentation, I believe that I've finally hit on the jackpot. I'll give you a clue

balsamic vinegar!