Search - The F Word - Series One on DVD

SHANA R. (LynniePennie) from CLAYTON, NY
Reviewed on 3/17/2009...

Great show with the F word being FOOD (not the other 4 letter one Chef Ramsay likes so much!). This series is from his restaurant The F Word in London. He follows the food from being raised to being set upon the table. Chef Ramsay explores where our food comes from and it's one side that American TV doesn't explore too much. Chef Ramsay and his family raise turkeys, lambs, etc., to serve in his restaurant.

Also, included are cooking contests where an amateur cooks against Chef Ramsey & the winner is chosen by customers, amateur chef contests to see who can serve the most people in service in the F Word. If you like Chef Ramsay you'll most likely enjoy this one.

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The Real Gordon Ramsay?

P. Tsai | Chicago | 02/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this show and catch it on BBCA whenever I can (I'm watching season 3 on my DVR at this very moment). Here you can see the real Gordon Ramsay at work with real people. Yes, he's demanding in the kitchen but it's not the over dramatized Fox version we see in the US.

The F Word (which is Food, not that other four letter f word he likes) is a variety show set in The F Word restaurant. Every week he invites a brigade of amateur cooks to serve 50 people each weekend, then rates them based on how many customers pay at the end of the day.

Throughout the cooking service there are segments that include: a run through of the recipes being cooked, a check-in with a British celebrity guest, making fun of celebrity chefs, alternative food sources (e.g. haggis, squirrel, horse milk), teaching busy people to cook, celebrity cooking challenge and other food related topics.

I especially like the honesty from a culinary point of view, particularly the segments about where our food comes from, something we Americans aren't always so keen to know about. In Season 1, Gordon takes the viewer through the experience of raising his own turkeys and then processing them for a meal in his kitchen. You get to meet his wife and four kids in the process too. Season 2 follows pigs and Season 3 follows sheep.

Being a program from the UK, they do show a lot more than most American shows (e.g. during the butchering process), but if you're willing to learn a bit more about your food and would like to see more of the real Gordon Ramsay, give this series a chance. If you're not sure, find someone who has BBCA and you can catch the occasional re-run or new Season 3 episodes (Winter 2009).

BTW, I ate at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road (his three Michelin Star flagship in London) in October. It was most excellent, though the weak dollar was a bit of a bummer."

F is for fantastic

Reine des Coeurs | New York, NY USA | 02/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Gordon has a real passion for food. This series, in my opinion, gives viewers a better opportunity to see how strongly Gordon takes his commitment to good food. Quality is integral to fresh, well-produced fruit, vegetables and meat and I think it's a very positive thing to know exactly what we as consumers and home cooks should be looking for as we make a stronger effort to eat better, support local economies and commit to a better standard of living.

In this particular series, Gordon (together with his children) raise turkeys and garden veggies. At the same time, he starts his controversial Get Women Back Into the Kitchen campaign with several celebrity guests (including Joan Collins, infamous in Ramsay's backstory as she was kicked out of one of his restaurants together with a warring food critic). He's got an excellent recurring segment in which he shows you how to prepare the very meals being served in the show's restaurant.

The only thing that I disliked about the DVD itself was the editing of Gordon's other favorite 'f' word. Anyone familiar with Ramsay, his shows or his personality would know before purchasing any of his DVDs that this word is an integral part of his lexicon. The edits are annoying and unnecessary, in my opinion.
"

The human Gordon

Cheri | California | 03/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love to see this side of the Hell's Kitchen Gordon and the Kitchen Nightmares Gordon - this is the family man Gordon - the dad, the husband, the friend. You see the vulnerable Gordon, the funny Gordon. You also get good cooking ideas and with this show you actually see Gordon support his staff of the day when he feels the critisism of the diners is too harsh."