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The producers of MasterChef USA have found themselves with egg on their faces after it emerged that they used computer trickery to double the crowd at the show's auditions.

In the opening sequence of the cookery show, which is presented by Gordon Ramsay, shots of large crowds were shown with a voiceover saying "thousands upon thousands" of hopefuls had lined up.

But an eagle-eyed viewer has spotted a massive blunder as in the scene several groups of people in the crowd can be seen twice in the line-up. Oops.

Producers have now been forced to apologise for doctoring the shots of crowds. Reveille Productions, who produces the series along with Shine TV, told Entertainment Weekly: "We have reviewed the footage and it's clear that the scene was enhanced in post-production. We sincerely apologise to our viewers and hope that they still enjoyed the show."

Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsay's film debut has been rather poorly received by the critics. The film, Love's Kitchen, which sees the celebrity chef star as himself, has been widely panned by the critics, with the Metro describing it as "deliciously bad"; the Independent calling it "amateurish"; the Guardian labelling it "a grisly, unfunny mess"; and the Daily Mail saying it's a "Kitchen Nightmare".

Probably best if Ramsay sticks to barking orders in the kitchen than making appearances in lame films.

The first episode of Michel Roux's Service aired on the BBC last night.

Over the coming nights, chef Michel Jr will attempt to transform a motley bunch of yoofs into passable waiters. Fred Sirieix, restaurant manager at the Hilton Park Lane's Galvin at Windows restaurant, plays Robin to his Batman. It's already clear that our Dynamic Duo has its work cut out. The only qualification their pupils seemed able to muster was Ashley's Asbo - though it became clear that if a GCSE in swearing existed they'd all be A-students.

The show had its amusing moments - Nikita offering diners a glass of prosciutto while they perused the menu; members of the team making up non-existent table numbers - but its underlining message was a sobering one: Too many youngsters have been let down by our education system, and are left on the cusp of adult life lacking even the most basic social and communications skills.

At the end of the first episode, Twitter burst into life as thousands of hospitality workers voiced their support of a show which is sure to give much-needed profile to the unsung heroes that work front of house. Among those who tweeted was chef John Benson Smith, who called the show "the first constructive Catering TV programme for 35 years".

What did you think of the show? How would you define service standards in the UK currently? What can we do to encourage more youngsters to consider service as a career of choice?

Most importantly, who will win one of the two Academy of Food and Wine Service scholarships up for grabs?

Nigel Haworth and Craig Bancroft have announced the line up of the 2011 Obsession food festival at their Michelin-starred Northcote in Lancashire.

The 10-day gastronomic celebration, which will run from 24 January to 2 February 2011, will feature some of the UK's most talented chefs, who will each cook an exclusive 'one night only' menu.

The line-up of participating chefs includes Michelin-starred chefs Martin Wishart, Martin Burge (Whatley Manor), Simon Rogan (L'Enclume), Lisa Allen (Northcote) and Sat Bains, as well as Kenny Atkinson (Rockliffe Hall), Claire Clark, Vivek Singh (Cinnamon Club) and TV chefs James Martin and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (River Cottage).

Bancroft, managing director of Northcote commented: "The event develops its own momentum, in a way it's a thank you to our customers for supporting us. It is also an opportunity for the staff to gain invaluable experience from some of the greatest chefs in the industry."

Tickets for the event, priced £100, are available on 01254 244508.

Liverpool chef Claire Lara has been named the winner of the BBC's Masterchef: The Professionals 2010.

30-year-old Lara, who is the first woman to win the title, was crowned the winner after a gruelling final under the watchful eyes of judges Michel Roux Jr and Gregg Wallace in which she beat fellow competitors David Coulson and John Calton.

The judges praised Lara for her brilliance and consistency throughout the competition. "Claire has an immense amount of talent. Her cooking skills are a revelation," said Roux. "We started this competition looking for a talent and we have uncovered a diamond. She has that exceptional talent that will take her to stardom."

A speechless Lara said: "I am so happy. I thought everyone was pretty good. This is brilliant."

The final of Masterchef: The Professionals comprised a series of tasks, which included a patisserie challenge judged by acclaimed French patissier Pierre Hermé as well as a service at René Redzepi's Noma in Copenhagen, which was this year named the best restaurant in the world.

Another challenge saw the contestants create a three-course menu at a dinner held at London's Pearl restaurant for some of the UK's most acclaimed chefs with more than 40 Michelin stars between them. They included Pierre Koffmann, Alain Roux, Michael Caines, Brett Graham and Phil Howard.

The Masterchef: The Professionals final culminated in a cook off during which the chefs each created a three course meal.

Lara's winning menu comprised a starter of crispy skinned sea trout with apple purée and caper and cider beurre blanc; followed by a main course of roasted boneless pigeon on mashed potato and peas and pancetta with quince jelly and a red wine sauce. Her dessert comprised raspberry and white chocolate millefeuille with lemon thyme discs and raspberries.

The winner and finalists from the BBC's MasterChef competition will cook at a pop up restaurant hosted at D&D London's Meza next month, as part of the London Restaurant Festival.

MasterChef winner Dhruv Baker will be joined by finalists Tim Kinnaird and Alex Rushmer at Soho's Meza during the festival, which runs from 4 to 18 October 2010.

Baker, who will be heading up the kitchen every night with Kinnaird and Rushmer joining him every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, said: "We're so excited that we've got the opportunity to work together again."

D&D London marketing director Simon Willis added: "Nearly seven million people watched Dhruv become this year's MasterChef champion and the three finalists did capture the hearts of food lovers across the country.

"We're delighted to be working with them to provide the platform for their first 'pop up' together and particularly during London Restaurant Festival."

John Burton Race is leaving the Michelin-starred New Angel restaurant in Devon.

The celebrity chef, who first opened the Dartmouth restaurant in 2004, is departing from his role of executive head chef to focus on consultancy projects and his TV career. He will leave the restaurant on 5 June.

Former Ledbury sous chef Nathan Thomas has been appointed as his replacement and will join the New Angel at the beginning of June.

The New Angel was famously closed by Burton Race's ex-wife Kim while he was appearing on ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in November 2007. It later collapsed into administration and was bought by travel entrepreneur Clive Jacobs, who previously backed Burton Race when he was at the former two-Michelin-starred L'Ortolan in Berkshire.

See Caterersearch for the full story.

Celebrity chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli and Matt Tebbutt are set to star in a new TV series designed to get families to cook healthier meals.

Family Food Fight with Flora, which will air on Channel Five later this month, will see the chefs teach families how to cook healthy versions of old family favourites.

The two families will then go head to head and cook the dishes for diners at a central London restaurant who will then choose a winner.

Novelli said: "More and more chefs are being asked to cater for different types of diet and, with health a key issue for consumers, chefs need to be more aware of the healthy alternatives available."

Flora is calling on professional chefs to support the show by supplying healthier versions of well-loved recipes for a minimum of one week.

 

Dhruv Baker has been named the winner of the BBC's amateur cooking competition Masterchef.

The 34-year-old Londoner beat follow finalists Alex Rushmer and Tim Kinnaird to the title following an intense cook off.

During the Masterchef series Baker, who described his win as "mind blowing", faced challenges like cooking in the heat of the Indian desert and preparing a meal for celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse.

In the final, Baker and his fellow competitors were asked to create a menu from a box of mystery ingredients. They were then taken to a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe, before cooking their final three-course meal for the judges.

Baker's winning menu consisted of a starter of saffron and ginger poached lobster tail with celeriac purée on blanched fennel with a beurre noisette foam; followed by a main course of venison with a potato brunoise, sugar glazed carrots on a carrot and cumin purée, confit chestnuts and a venison jus. His dessert comprised a trio consisting of poached pear in sauterne and star anise, Marsala ice cream, and a chocolate truffle with a pistachio topping.

Baker credited celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay as his inspiration to take up cooking. "He was so passionate about it and so talented and he was one of the celebrity chefs I first noticed," he said. "I bought all his books. He's gone from that to being a global superstar."

Judge John Torode said Baker had a "talent that very few people will ever have".

Fellow judge Gregg Wallace added: "Dhruv, I've got to say, is probably one of the most amazing talents I've ever seen. He has the palate of an angel."

Baker said he now hopes to open his own restaurant. "I hope that winning Masterchef will allow me to pursue my dreams of a career in food and to continue learning and improving as a cook," he said.

Middle-class supermarket Waitrose has followed in the footsteps of its less glamorous competitors Sainsbury's and Aldi by enlisting the help of celebrity chefs to boost sales.

But where Sainsbury's long-running partnership with Jamie Oliver and Aldi's ad campaign featuring Phil Vickery rely on just one famous face, Waitrose has outdone them both by appointing two celebrities.

And an unlikely pair they are: domestic goddess Delia Smith and culinary wizard and three-Michelin-starred super chef Heston Blumenthal.

The pair has been appointed as "food ambassadors for the Waitrose brand, sharing their expertise and showcasing recipes". Which basically means that, over the next three years, they will appear in TV and print ads enthusing about Waitrose's range of products.

In a first for British TV, Waitrose will broadcast a new advert every week for the rest of the year demonstrating a new recipe, which will run for the entire length of the ad break. The campaign will kick off on 15 March. 

The partnership, a first for Waitrose which has never before used celebrity chefs, may come as a surprise to hardcore Delia fans who will no doubt remember her rant against celebrities endorsing products. 

The deal also comes just months after a leaked BBC report alleged Delia had "limited appeal" relegating her to the "occasional sparkle" category.

Everybody loves Raymond Blanc but his latest tirade has left even one of his biggest fans (moi) slightly bewildered.

To grab a few headlines and promote his latest cookery show, Raymond Blanc's Kitchen Secrets which kicked off on the BBC last night, the French chef has lashed out at the TV industry for sensationalising food.

The two-Michelin-starred chef patron of Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire said he had refused offers to appear on reality TV shows including ITV's Hell's Kitchen and the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

"I did a lot of shows in the 1980s, but I chose to stop because TV started sensationalising food," he told the TV Times.

"I don't want to be remembered as a prima ballerina; nor do I want to beat people around the head. That's not cuisine - it's sensationalism!"

Raymond clearly has a point here but has he forgotten his very own TV show The Restaurant which gives people with absolutely no hospitality training or experience the chance to run their own restaurant?

Isn't that just a tiny bit of sensationalism too?

Raymond Blanc's The Restaurant winners JJ and James unpopular choice