Merrilees Parker
Encyclopedia
Merrilees Parker is a British celebrity chef
and TV presenter. She is mainly known for presenting television programmes combining food and travel (Planet Food and Full on Food) as well as various more traditional cookery programmes. Parker is also renowned for the menu she presented working for the pub The Lansdowne in Primrose Hill
in London
.
Parker's distinguishing characteristics are her no-nonsense cooking style and her passionate method of presenting. Many of her recipes are freely available online.
's programme Kill it, Skin it Wear it.
. She also researched for Channel 4
.
She began presenting in 1997 on a TV programme called Barbecue Bible, in which she was credited as the Home Economist. Parker became a familiar face as a TV chef in 1999 on a long running BBC series Anything You Can Cook, which she presented together with Brian Turner
.
In 2001 Merrilees was the regular chef on the BBC day-time show House Call.
In 2005 Parker presented the BBC programme Full on Food, together with Heston Blumenthal
and Richard Corrigan
. For this programme she travelled to various cultures to sample their traditional cooking. Amongst the most memorable and inspiring locations she visited for the programme Merrilees mentions Hanoi
(in Vietnam
) and Peru
.
For the programme Planet Food she made several more travel and cookery documentaries. As one of the presenters for these 50 minute programmes, Merrilees travelled one country or region per episode, met with interesting local chefs and tasted local (food) culture. Amongst the locations visited by Parker are Japan
, Malaysia, Caribbean
, Germany
and Scandinavia
. Planet Food was made by Pilot Guides and broadcast around 2006 by several TV stations worldwide including Travel Channel
and Food Network (USA)
.
Parker also co-presented Orgasmic Organic and Great Food Live
. For Sky
she appeared on Taste and for the BBC she has appeared on Saturday Kitchen
.
For UKTV Food
Parker co-presented Food Uncut
in 2006 with Stefan Gates
and Jean-Christophe Novelli
. For ITV
, she appeared as a guest chef on Daily Cooks and Saturday Cooks in 2007, and in 2008 appeared regularly as a contestant on Daily Cooks Challenge.
In 2007, Parker was a judge on ITV1
cooking show Soapstar Superchef
.
On Sun 10 Aug 2008 on Channel 4 - Merrilees presented a documentary called 'Kill it Skin it Wear it'. The publicity for the show stated: "Chef Merrilees Parker admits to liking fur, but can she kill it, skin it and still wear it? She wants to find out if it's possible to source ethical fur as we source ethical food." She's quite comfortable with fur after visiting a fur farm and a trapping line but when she's shown images of cruelty, she comes to pieces. She is shown images of abused animals on a farm in the United States but according to Fur Commission, an organisation for mink-farmers in the US, is not told that it was a scent farm, that the animals were so poorly cared for that any fur the owner attempted to sell never sold and that he was prosecuted for cruelty. She is shown video of animals being skinned alive, something that Fur Commission states makes no sense at all since it would ruin the fur, never mind the ethical and legal implications of engaging in such cruelty. http://www.furcommission.com/news/newsC7.htm
. Upon returning to the UK, Merrilees worked for The Eagle
, which was the first gastropub
in London
. Later she opened her own gastropub.
Parker has been the chef at the The Lansdowne in Primrose Hill
in London
. Here she developed her personal cooking style and received good reviews. Parker was head chef at The Greyhound in Sonning Common
.
While working for Wiz Events, Antony Worrall Thompson
's company, Parker provided consultancy for his restaurants and catered for several events and cookery demonstrations. She now runs her own catering company called Pink, together with Bernadette Fitzpatrick, also of the Antony Worrall Thompson stable.
While cooking on TV, she focusses on how people at home can easily follow that recipe, as well as on the benefits of good and organic
ingredients.
as well as representatives of the charities and a journalist. The participants went on a challenging sponsored trek to the Arctic, on husky-powered sledges.
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
and TV presenter. She is mainly known for presenting television programmes combining food and travel (Planet Food and Full on Food) as well as various more traditional cookery programmes. Parker is also renowned for the menu she presented working for the pub The Lansdowne in Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Parker's distinguishing characteristics are her no-nonsense cooking style and her passionate method of presenting. Many of her recipes are freely available online.
Early life
Parker was already passionate about cooking as a young girl, at which time her grandmother assisted her in the kitchen. Her mother is half-Portuguese and her sister, Hannah Foster. She lives in the United Kingdom and speaks French fluently. She was married previously but the marriage has since ended, as mentioned on Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's programme Kill it, Skin it Wear it.
Career as TV presenter
Parker started her career in TV in 1996 as a researcher on the BBC cookery programme Ready Steady CookReady Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
. She also researched for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
She began presenting in 1997 on a TV programme called Barbecue Bible, in which she was credited as the Home Economist. Parker became a familiar face as a TV chef in 1999 on a long running BBC series Anything You Can Cook, which she presented together with Brian Turner
Brian Turner
Brian Turner may refer to:* Brian Turner * Brian Turner and field hockey representative* Brian Turner , drummer for the Seattle-based band Schoolyard Heroes* Brian Turner , British celebrity chef...
.
In 2001 Merrilees was the regular chef on the BBC day-time show House Call.
In 2005 Parker presented the BBC programme Full on Food, together with Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
and Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan is an Irish chef born in Dublin but raised in Ballivor, County Meath.Corrigan achieved a Michelin Star in 1998 and has been awarded many other culinary accolades, including Outstanding London Chef at the London Restaurant Awards. He is Chef/Patron of Corrigans in Mayfair...
. For this programme she travelled to various cultures to sample their traditional cooking. Amongst the most memorable and inspiring locations she visited for the programme Merrilees mentions Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
(in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
For the programme Planet Food she made several more travel and cookery documentaries. As one of the presenters for these 50 minute programmes, Merrilees travelled one country or region per episode, met with interesting local chefs and tasted local (food) culture. Amongst the locations visited by Parker are Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Malaysia, Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Planet Food was made by Pilot Guides and broadcast around 2006 by several TV stations worldwide including Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
and Food Network (USA)
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
.
Parker also co-presented Orgasmic Organic and Great Food Live
Great Food Live
Great Food Live, formerly Good Food Live, was a British magazine programme hosted by Jeni Barnett and broadcast on UKTVFood part of the UKTV Network between 2001 and 2007. Jeni Barnett was joined every day by a chef co-host...
. For Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
she appeared on Taste and for the BBC she has appeared on Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. It is currently presented by James Martin; previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV...
.
For UKTV Food
UKTV Food
Good Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
Parker co-presented Food Uncut
Food Uncut
Food Uncut is a programme being shown on UKTV Food and was presented by Merrilees Parker, Stefan Gates and Jean-Christophe Novelli....
in 2006 with Stefan Gates
Stefan Gates
Stefan Gates is a British food writer and television presenter.-Early life:As a child, Stefan, along with his sister Samantha, were photographed for knitwear patterns and appeared separately in commercials and TV dramas, including Poldark. They were the child models on the cover of English rock...
and Jean-Christophe Novelli
Jean-Christophe Novelli
-Life:Born in Arras, Northern France, in 1961, in a family with Italian roots, Jean-Christophe Novelli left school at age 14 and worked in a bakery before, at the age of 20, becoming a personal chef to the Rothschild family....
. For ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, she appeared as a guest chef on Daily Cooks and Saturday Cooks in 2007, and in 2008 appeared regularly as a contestant on Daily Cooks Challenge.
In 2007, Parker was a judge on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
cooking show Soapstar Superchef
Soapstar Superchef
Soapstar Superchef was a cooking show on the ITV Network, where soap stars from Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Neighbours compete to be crowned "kings" or "queens" of the kitchen.Their culinary efforts are judged by an expert panel of three judges...
.
On Sun 10 Aug 2008 on Channel 4 - Merrilees presented a documentary called 'Kill it Skin it Wear it'. The publicity for the show stated: "Chef Merrilees Parker admits to liking fur, but can she kill it, skin it and still wear it? She wants to find out if it's possible to source ethical fur as we source ethical food." She's quite comfortable with fur after visiting a fur farm and a trapping line but when she's shown images of cruelty, she comes to pieces. She is shown images of abused animals on a farm in the United States but according to Fur Commission, an organisation for mink-farmers in the US, is not told that it was a scent farm, that the animals were so poorly cared for that any fur the owner attempted to sell never sold and that he was prosecuted for cruelty. She is shown video of animals being skinned alive, something that Fur Commission states makes no sense at all since it would ruin the fur, never mind the ethical and legal implications of engaging in such cruelty. http://www.furcommission.com/news/newsC7.htm
Career as a chef
At the age of 17, Parker worked as a chalet girl in France, where she impressed the chefChef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
. Upon returning to the UK, Merrilees worked for The Eagle
The Eagle
-Athletes:* Eddie Belfour, the Canadian ice-hockey goalkeeper in the NHL* Michael Edwards, better known as Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, the British ski jumper-Entertainment:* The Eagle , a silent film starring Rudolph Valentino...
, which was the first gastropub
Gastropub
Gastropub or Gastrolounge refers to a bar and restaurant that serves high-end beer and food.The term gastropub, a portmanteau of gastronomy and pub, originated in England in the late 20th century. English pubs were drinking establishments and little emphasis was placed on the serving of food. If...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Later she opened her own gastropub.
Parker has been the chef at the The Lansdowne in Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Here she developed her personal cooking style and received good reviews. Parker was head chef at The Greyhound in Sonning Common
Sonning Common
Sonning Common is a village and civil parish the Chiltern Hills west of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It is on the B481 road between Reading, Berkshire to the south and Nettlebed to the north.-History:...
.
While working for Wiz Events, Antony Worrall Thompson
Antony Worrall Thompson
Henry Antony Cardew Worrall Thompson is a British celebrity chef, television presenter and radio broadcaster.-Biography:...
's company, Parker provided consultancy for his restaurants and catered for several events and cookery demonstrations. She now runs her own catering company called Pink, together with Bernadette Fitzpatrick, also of the Antony Worrall Thompson stable.
Magazines
Parker has been contributing to the print magazine BBC Good Food since 2002 and also contributes to Olive.Presenting style
Parker's presenting style is passionate, open and positive. In her travel documentaries she tastes local foods even if they may sometimes look unappealing to western eyes. She does not believe eating from street restaurants is risky: if something is cooked in front of you in a hot wok it's less likely to give you food poisoning than something that has been sitting on a lukewarm buffet.While cooking on TV, she focusses on how people at home can easily follow that recipe, as well as on the benefits of good and organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
ingredients.
Cooking style
Parker's cooking style has been described as no-nonsense. She also emphasises the need to adapt to the target audience, mentioning that for a children's birthday party she creates food that is visually interesting and fun to eat, rather than being geared towards adult palates. Her company Pink promotes as one of its distinguishing features its range, going from posh clubs via corporate events to children's parties.Charity
In 2007, Parker joined the Westminster Arctic Challenge. This charity event raised awareness and money for several causes. The participants were besides celebrity chef Parker, several UK MPsMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
as well as representatives of the charities and a journalist. The participants went on a challenging sponsored trek to the Arctic, on husky-powered sledges.
External links
- Recipes by Merrilees Parker on UKTV FoodUKTV FoodGood Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
- Recipes by Merrilees Parker on BBC site
- Recipes by Merrilees Parker on BBC Good Food magazine site