'Just cook it!' Frustrated mothers bemoan TV chef Nigel Slater's habit of STROKING food... but some insist they love the way he 'caresses' his ingredients

  • A rerun from Slater's Eating Together series divided mothers tuning in
  • One took to Mumsnet to complain about him caressing food 'like it's alive'
  • Sparked a debate among viewers on the forum, with some praising his habit 

By Kerry Mcdermott For Mailonline

Published: 02:50 EST, 31 July 2017 | Updated: 13:10 EST, 31 July 2017

His deft way with a pork chop has seen him become one of Britain's best known television chefs. 

But it seems Nigel Slater's habit of fondling food as he prepares it doesn't always endear him to viewers. 

An episode of the floppy-haired food writer's Eating Together series divided female fans tuning in on Sunday, with one taking to Mumsnet to wonder aloud why Slater insists on 'caressing' ingredients as though they were 'alive'. 

The mum said that, while she loved watching the chef cook, she occasionally had the urge to 'slap him and tell him to just f***ing cook it'.  

A re-run from the TV chef's Eating Together series caused quite the stir on Mumsnet 

A re-run from the TV chef's Eating Together series caused quite the stir on Mumsnet 

One mother who tuned in took to the forum to complain about his habit of 'caressing' food 'like it is alive'

One mother who tuned in took to the forum to complain about his habit of 'caressing' food 'like it is alive'

Her comments prompted a flood of replies from fellow viewers, not all of whom echoed her feelings - such as one who said she found his on-screen stroking 'so soothing'. 

The Mumsnet debate appeared to have been sparked by an episode of Eating Together which aired on BBC Two on Sunday afternoon. It followed the chef as he visited Trowbridge for an insight into the culinary traditions of one of the UK's largest Moroccan communities, and tried his hand at a spicy Indonesian fish dish. 

It saw Slater handling roughly hewn carrots for a Sunday roast and squeezing prunes for a spiced duck - as well as bemoaning a 'slippery' garlic clove that escaped his pestle.

Mumsnet user SheWhoDaresGins2 posted: 'I love watching what Nigel Slater cooks but my god the man has to f***y on with the food!' 

Still, her irritation was not so great as to make her switch off altogether. 

'On the flip side his food always has me salivating,' she wrote.  

Other viewers agreed that the TV chef was occasionally guilty of 'faffing about' with food 

Other viewers agreed that the TV chef was occasionally guilty of 'faffing about' with food 

Some fellow mums echoed her thoughts on Slater, with one admitting she and her husband used a phrase of the chef's - 'dropping a little scone' - as code for 'faffing about unnecessarily'. 

Another declared him 'dithery' and 'much better in print than on the telly'. 

But other fans jumped to his defence, including one woman who declared that she loves 'the way he caresses and respects the ingredients', and even said she found it 'soothing'. 

User Annelovesgilbert felt the same, adding: 'I find his gentle faffing really relaxing.' 

Viewers divided: Some fans were irked by Slater's 'faffing' - but others found it 'soothing'

Viewers divided: Some fans were irked by Slater's 'faffing' - but others found it 'soothing'

Some mothers insisted they found Slater's 'gentle faffing' to be 'soothing' and 'relaxing' 

Some mothers insisted they found Slater's 'gentle faffing' to be 'soothing' and 'relaxing' 

Other TV chefs were dragged into the mix too, with one mum, who said Slater was her favourite chef, chiming in: 'I can't take too much of Nigella practically mating with her food.'

Another suggested Mary Berry's 'straightforward' kitchen manner was behind her success. 

Other viewers were too preoccupied by the TV chef's enviable kitchen to notice how he handled the food, with one remarking on his 'neatly labelled glass jars' and another admiring Slater's 'lovely bi-fold doors'. 

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