Fervent foodies lift culinary standards

As an internationally acclaimed chef who has worked in top restaurants around the globe, Manu Feildel is a true connoisseur when it comes to food.

Growing up in Brittany in the north-west of France, in the Feildel household cooking was not just a necessity but a passion that stemmed from a long line of family chefs.

But when the cheery Frenchman moved to Australia 15 years ago, he was stunned to find a widespread lack of interest in cooking, as far as home cooks were concerned.

"When I arrived in Australia, the cooking industry here was not developed as such, and home cooks pretty much weren't really interested with creating more than meat and three veg," he recalls.

It was only in the past five years that Feildel began to notice a change sweep across Australia's culinary landscape which saw a renaissance in home cooking.

Feildel credits this revolutionary movement to the deluge of cooking programs on TV which centred on amateur cooks trying their hand at creative culinary techniques that would otherwise be applied by trained chefs.

"Now everybody talks about (food) and I think it's fantastic for the new generation of Australians, they're going to be brought up with some great food," he says.

In his five years as a judge on Seven's reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules Feildel says he has never been disappointed by the calibre of fervent foodies who have appeared on the show.

"I think the point of difference is more and more people watch the show and more and more people are cooking at home and are interested in food, so every year we get better cooks with different techniques and new techniques," he says.

"They're no longer the home cooks who used to just cook bolognaise or lasagnes, they've now got the skills to create amazing dishes.

"And we've seen some of the contestants from last year have written cookbooks, which is really nice to see that they are following their passion because when they come on the show we ignite that passion even more."

Feildel takes his role as judge seriously and considers it a "full-time career" despite the show filming only six months a year.

"It's pretty much become a full-time job for me," he says. "And it gets more and more interesting every year. No dish looks the same and there are different cooks and different personalities, so it's still very exciting for us."

My Kitchen Rules was again a ratings success last year - the fifth season was Australia's most-watched regular program, dethroning former No.1 show The Voice Australia.

With its sixth season starting next week, the series looks set to again deliver, no doubt thanks to this year's mix of colourful contestants, which includes quirky personalities (cue Sydney's meat-lovin' Texan cowboy Robert and his upbeat daughter Lynzey) and, of course, the signature villains (perhaps Victorian food snobs Ash and Camilla, if the TV promos are anything to go by).

Having spent the past few months filming the show, Feildel has already formed strong opinions of the contestants, including the two teams flying the flag for WA - engaged couple Katherine Donald-Hill and Andre Pagano and workmates Eva Lean and Debra Ch'ng.

"Kat and Andre are fighters," Feildel says. "Eva and Debra are bringing some great food from a family background which is Singaporean and Indian, so it's really fantastic.

"It's brilliant to have a multicultural mix, it really makes the show colourful and for us, the judges, we travel the world without even moving."

But how would he describe the contestants overall?

"It's a little less bitchy than we've seen so far and there are some really great cooks," he says.

Outside his judging role, Feildel has been busy exploring his homeland in his travel/foodie series My France with Manu.

Following the success of the first season, Feildel returned to eastern France in June to film two more episodes - to air in the coming months - and is planning to make another trip back this year.

"I'm going back again this June for another two, so that's interesting for me as well as different shows to work on and it's all about food," he says.

Between filming the two TV shows, Feildel already has enough on his plate.

But life will get more hectic for the French chef and his fiancee Clarissa Weerasena with the impending arrival of their daughter.

"It's the calm before the storm," he laughs. "I'm sure it's going to be hard work and that's the way life is."

Nonetheless, expanding his brood - he already has a 10-year-old son, Jonti, from a previous relationship - doesn't mean he'll be relinquishing his judging duties anytime soon.

"Like anything in my life, if I get bored with something then I do something else but for the time being I'm enjoying what I'm doing and I'll keep doing it."