Masterchef judge and south east Londoner Gregg Wallace entertained diners in Surrey last week as he hosted ‘An Evening With’ at The Tree on Box Hill.
It was the second in Gregg’s on-going tour of the home counties where he’s delighting food fans with anecdotes, quiz questions (with plenty of wine given away as prizes) and the chance to ask him anything.
Gregg, who ran Wallace and Co in Putney and Gregg’s Bar and Grill in Bermondsey, said: “It is something I enjoy doing and it is a really nice way of spending some nice summer evenings – none of them particularly far from where I live in Kent.”
Over a dazzling four course dinner at the picturesque The Tree pub – “I particularly like the parfait,” he said, “I think it is very clever indeed” – the host captivated the intimate crowd with tales from his career and foodie facts.
Here’s seven things we learnt...
The nicest thing he’s eaten on Masterchef...
“The nicest thing I ate on Masterchef was a Pair Belle Helene cooked by (2007 winner) Steven Wallis.
“It was pear poached in dessert wine and then vanilla. Then he added chocolate ganache by melting really good chocolate into double cream and served that with Chantilly cream – more vanilla – so it was a lovely thing.”
Sometimes the food on Masterchef is totally inedible.
“You try to have a nibble around the edge,” said Gregg. “I know you expect it to be an odd concoction but it’s actually not – it’s a disappointing answer – it’s always when something looks cooked but it’s not.”
He’s bullish about Millwall’s chances
You don’t get a bigger Lions fan than a man with the crest tattooed on his chest. Gregg Wallace is that man and he’s optimistic.
He said: “They haven’t bought in a great deal of players but I have a great deal more confidence in the manager this year than I did last year, with Neil Harris at the helm.
“He had a very good end to the season. I’ll be down there this season.”
Masterchef doesn’t just find great cooks, it makes them
“It takes three months to film a series and I used to worry we wouldn’t get the calibre of contestants we had the year before,” he told diners at The Tree. “I have realised now after 12 years of Masterchef, it’s us that produces the brilliant cooks.
“If we took anyone here and said ‘right, all you’re doing for the next three months is cooking and you’ll get advice and help from us and then we’ll step it up and you’ll get advice and help from the best Michelin-starred chefs in the country’.
“Of course, they just rise and rise and they don’t realise how good they’re getting.”
His favourite celebrity chef...
“I’m very, very fond of Michel Roux Jnr,” Gregg told the audience at The Tree. “We’re big, big mates.
“Have you ever eaten at La Gavroche? If you don’t want to eat the food, take it home and snog it. It is an unbelievable restaurant.
“There’s none (celebrity chefs) I don’t like. When they get to that level, they’ve got nothing to prove.”
His Masterchef food isn’t cold
Even though contestants’ food has to be filmed and then tasted one-by-one, a process that takes about eight minutes, Gregg told the crowd at The Tree it isn’t too cold to eat.
He said: “We’re not eating our dinner. We’re simply eating a mouthful and the taste, texture and appearance won’t change.
“Here’s the thing I really want you to consider: it’s not cold. We don’t stick the dinners in the fridge. They are room temperature. That is exactly the same temperature as every single plate of food you have ever finished.
“You don’t eat hot food. You just think you do. If it’s hot, you can’t eat it.
“How long will it take you to serve and finish a roast dinner? How long will it take you in a nice restaurant to finish a plate of food? 15 minutes, 20 minutes? That’s not hot.
“You’re eating it at the same temperature we’re eating it.”
Gregg Wallace with Vibe's Jim Palmer at The Tree
You’re not the only one sending him pictures of your dinner
“I’m on Twitter,” he said. “Just so you know, about 30 times a day I get sent a picture of someone’s dinner.”
And it doesn’t end there.
“At least five times a day,” he said, “I get sent a picture of someone’s relation or friend with a bald head and glasses. Five times a day.”
Gregg Wallace is touring south east England for A Lunch or Dinner with Gregg Wallace, including Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge on Friday (August 14). Find out where he’s appearing at greggwallace.com
Find out more about The Tree on Box Hill at thetreeboxhill.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel