Meet the Finalists: Nice Glass

The next of our Nom Nom Nom finalist interviews sees the pairing of Victoria Glass and Miriam Nice aka Nice Glass (can you see what they've done there!)

What makes you two the perfect NomNomNom pairing?

Victoria: The first time we met, it was over a six course meal and we haven’t looked back since. We’re very similar in our attitudes to food – we both started hosting elaborate dinner parties in our early teens - and although we haven’t actually cooked together yet, we’ve talked about food so much it feels like we have. If all else fails, Miriam’s background in design will ensure our food looks beautiful if nothing else!

Miriam: What Victoria doesn’t know about food isn’t worth knowing. This is a woman who in 1 year has single-handedly cooked her way through the entire alphabet producing sensational banquets of epic proportions because she fancied a bit of a challenge. So creating delicious dishes is not going to be a problem for someone with such a comprehensive repertoire! I’m raring to go too - with experience of private catering I know what it’s like to be thrown in at the deep end; to make pancakes without a pan, to make pastry without weighing scales and produce a 3 course meal for 70 people whilst wrestling with an oven that won’t switch on.

Bring it on!

What impact do you think social networks and bloggers have had on the world of cooking and/or restaurant reviewing?

Victoria: It’s great that things are so interactive now and everything’s accessible at the click of a button. With Twitter especially, you can ask for recommendations and tips on where to eat or what to do with what’s in your shopping bag or even get in touch with your favourite food writers to ask them questions about their latest recipes.

Miriam: I totally agree, the internet is getting much more intuitive and is allowing you to link your online presence together so that foodies at home can have just as much of their work online as the top chefs and writers. Right now I think this is a good thing as I certainly prefer getting recommendations from an unbiased customer than from the company selling me their product.

What’s your most memorable kitchen disaster?

Victoria: When I was about 12, I spent several hours carving a watermelon into an ornate “basket” with a handle (I think I’d seen it in my mum’s Jane Asher cookbook). It looked pretty cool until I picked it up by the handle, the bottom fell off and the kitchen floor was a sea of macerated melon balls. That was a sad day.

Miriam: For a special family meal I found a recipe for a ham terrine, I can only have been about 11 and it looked so beautiful in the book. Great chunks of ham were impossibly suspended in the clear glassy jelly presented elegantly in an exquisite summer picnic setting. We bought an oblong glass dish specially for it because it had a lid so was easily transportable to the beach or garden (I was certain that this terrine would become a staple picnic favourite). I followed the recipe to the letter and the finished result looked almost as good as the picture and everyone was delighted. Apart from the fact that it tasted bloody awful! My parents still have the ovenproof dish we bought for this recipe and I cannot help but scowl and shake my fist in the air each time I see it sitting smugly in their kitchen cupboard.

If you were marooned on a desert island, what food couldn’t you live without?

Victoria: Potatoes. I really love potatoes.

Miriam: Smoked Salmon. I know that sounds reet posh but I really could eat it all day

And finally (aside from bribery), what is the special element that will ensure that your team wins?

Victoria: Greed and attention to detail will hopefully see us through.

Miriam: Fighting spirit and resourcefulness.

Really pleased to see that Victoria & Miriam only had kitchen disasters when they were 'tweens'. I'm sure they're now equipped to handle Sunday's events admirably!