1. Death of legendary television producer David Pritchard….

The death of David Pritchard from cancer last week marks the complete closure of one of televisions greatest cookery double acts and a significant dent in perhaps the best current cookery/travel series on British television.

His ground breaking programmes with Keith Floyd turned cookery programmes on its head with it’s care less attitude and banter between presenter, cameraman and director. Until then cookery programmes were made with the view of the housewife in the role of housekeeper, it was stuffy and pretentious and not in keeping with the developing role of women outside the confines of the home. Pritchard sensed this change and the desire for travel and gave British cookery programmes the kick up the backside it needed.

I suppose between Floyd and Alan Whicker they sparked my interest in travel and Pritchard deserves great credit for enhancing the nation’s cookery as well as travel exploits. He himself was a lover of fine food and wine, he loved travel and knew what he wanted from his programmes, with Floyd he mixed the gourmet with the ‘throw it in a pan’ and it really worked. It was Pritchard who made Rick Stein a household name and forge a very successful working relationship with the Cornish chef producing many wonderful programmes filmed in India, South East Asia, France, Mexico, Italy, Australia, Sri Lanka and many more gastronomic hotspots.

Floyd was difficult to work with and Pritchard parted company with him but not before giving us moments to relish. Those programmes were made before chefs began using tweezers and water baths, it was a time of crepés flambeéd at your table, of dishes with French names nobody understood and chefs half shot on the cooking wine. Watching Floyd and now Stein we all too easily focus on the presenter but it was Pritchard who put these programmes together and television will be the poorer for his passing.

I suppose between Floyd and Alan Whicker they were the two, alongside books, which sparked my interest in travel and Pritchard deserves great credit. He was himself a lover of fine wine and gourmet food, he loved travel and knew what he wanted from such a programme.

It was Pritchard who would make Rick Stein a household name and forge a very successful working relationship with the Cornish chef producing many wonderful television programmes filmed in India, France, South East Asia, Mexico and much of Europe.

Floyd was difficult to work with and Pritchard soon parted company with him but not before giving us moments to relish. Those programmes were made before chefs began using tweezers and water baths, it was a time of crepés flambeéd at your table, of dishes with French names nobody understood and chefs half shot on cooking wine.

Watching Floyd and now Stein we all too easily focus on the presenter but it was Pritchard who put these programmes together and television will be poorer for his passing.