Irishman impresses Nigella on The Taste

Irishman Barry Johnston had the best dish on The Taste last night and we’re not even being biased – they were the exact thoughts of judges Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson and Ludo Lefebvre.

His delicious dish of cured and grilled mackerel with pickled beetroot, wasabi mayonnaise and tempura samphire went down a treat with the judges and they all fought to win Barry for their teams, with Bourdain emerging as the winner.

Barry, from Ballinasloe, joked that “his friends would kill him for not choosing Nigella,” but that his dream had always been to work with Bourdain, an American food critic.

So what is different about this new cooking show? Well, contestants can only cook a mouthful (or a taste, if you will), of their chosen dish to impress the three judges.

Nigella is the judge Irish audiences would be most familiar with; however, the other two are far from dull. Lefebvre, a French chef based in LA is hilariously dramatic, while Bourdain provides us with that no-nonsense dry humour we all love to hate.

Catch The Taste on Channel 4 Tuesdays at 9pm.