Dear Saturday Kitchen - An Open Letter To Aunty Beeb.

Dear Points of View.

Re. Saturday Kitchen

I am writing to express my frustration, not at a BBC programme in general, but at a regular feature of every edition.

Whilst I enjoy Saturday Kitchen whenever I get the opportunity to see it, I am always astounded by the insistence that, as each meal is prepared by the guest chefs, it is followed by the wine specialist paying a visit to a supermarket, often in a home counties market town, where they peruse a number of options before selecting a bottle of plonk they suggest would perfectly accompany the dish in question.

Whilst I don’t doubt their experience and judgment, this does pose a few questions, namely: where does this sit within the BBC’s policies on promoting specific brands and retailers?

Another is that, in the majority the wine is from anywhere but the UK. Whenever a wine from the UK is chosen, it is always with a condescending “you may be surprised to find” tone.

However, my biggest gripe is, quite simply: why does the food always have to be paired with wine?

The UK has a very healthy craft brewing industry, producing truly world class beers. Beers which pair with just about any meal you can imagine and - in my and many people’s opinion - can compliment the food far greater than any wine.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that your guests on the show sit down and start quaffing a pint of lager as an accompaniment to their food (that said, I could point you in the direction of a lovely British lager that would go beautifully with spicy Thai crab cakes…) but I do believe that suggesting beer as a beverage to compliment a fine meal would demonstrate progressive thinking by the BBC.

British beer is no longer the realm of pot-bellied and bearded 50-something men: it is appreciated by a younger, well educated audience as well as larger numbers of discerning female drinkers (using the Campaign For Real Ale’s membership for reference, over 23% of it’s 125,000 members are female).

It can also be argued that, more so than tea, beer is our national drink: so why aren’t we doing more to celebrate and support it?

If it’s a “fine dining” issue, then I can happily point you in the direction of a number of Michelin-starred chefs and restaurants where beer is included as an integral part of the offering - and I’m not just talking about beer battered cod or steak and ale pie - or with a comprehensive “beer list” which sits alongside the wine list.

In these austere times, beer also makes financial sense for the man and woman at home: a bottle of award winning and world acclaimed beer can be purchased from most supermarkets for a couple of pounds - better than three or four times that for an average wine. My partner and I often share a bottle of beer with dinner in the same way we might on another evening also enjoy a bottle of red.

Beer is also being drunk differently: may I respectfully suggest you pour a craft beer into the same glass you’d use for red wine, in similar measure and paying the same attention to serving temperature as you would a good vintage.

Get your nose in there, inhale (again, as you would with wine) and, depending on the beer, you’ll discover aromas that will knock the socks off any Merlot or Chardonnay.

So, what am I suggesting: Supporting a British industry in the same way the programme supports wine-makers from around the world? Educating your viewers? Saving them a few quid?

Yes. In a nutshell.

There are also plenty of personalities in British brewing who would enhance Saturday Kitchen and bring a refreshing alternative to the show, as well as celebrity chefs who, I’m sure, would appreciate the inclusion of British beer.

I do hope you will give this some consideration and pass this on to the appropriate persons at Saturday Kitchen.

Thanks.