MyDish.co.uk

Hi there, Dan here. I wanted to take over Carol’s blog and write a post about the legendary Keith Floyd who died yesterday aged 65.

As someone who grew up in the eighties, Floyd was often on the box cooking up elaborate and exotic meals from all over the world. It was before the current vogue for British cuisine so it was natural that Keith Floyd would look overseas for inspiration.

And in so many ways that’s what attracted me as a young boy. He’d race off to somewhere wonderful in a car or a boat or a plane. We weren’t usually being taken to meet a Prince or an illustrious personage but rather the proprietor of the local taverna. The aristocracy can’t be trusted with the proper grub Keith had his eye on rustling up. Floyd cooked his dishes up in the village square and not the squire’s kitchen.

Keith Floyd was so different from the other chefs on the TV at the time. Most were cooking everyday domestic stuff and it was all aimed at housewives. It was usually little more than a home economics lessons on the telly. Floyd was different.

For a lot of chaps I know, Keith Floyd single-handedly persuaded them to cook. Here was an exuberantly dressed bloke, with a fine command of language, putting together amazing hearty meals. Chaos often ensued.

Floyd was flames and flamboyance to us little boys of the eighties. And as we’ve grown up, we have come to love his philosophy. It’s one glass of wine for the pot and another for the chef. Up here, Clive. Let’s have a little drinky!

But at the heart of his cooking was authenticity. Amazing ingredients cooked well and served up with pride. I was flicking through one of his books earlier and was not surprised to see how many of his dishes are served up simply with fresh bread, salad or seasonal veg and that’s how it should be

A clip is in order, and I looked at loads before choosing this one. Unusually it’s indoors and with an another chef. But it captures Keith Floyd’s blustering, saucy style so well, I couldn’t resist it.