Farewell, Keith Floyd

It is with a heavy heart - though little surprise - that I read of Keith Floyd's demise this morning.  Throughout the '80s and early '90s his TV cooking programmes redefined the format.  No longer tied to a studio kitchen, Floyd and his production team took cooking out on the road (or sea or air or... anywhere really).  Part travelogue, part cooking show, part pure entertainment, the Floyd series got me into the kitchen at an early age.

While the obituaries are bound to focus on his four failed marriages and his drinking, the one thing that stands out for me is his passion for food and cooking.  Sure, there was a glass of wine on hand in all of his 'sketches' as he used to call them, but it was the food he was telling us about.  TV cooking hasn't been the same since he stopped making programmes but his style and legacy have influenced almost every cooking show since.

Rest well, Mr Floyd, I admired you.  And thanks for the entertainment.

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