The Lowdown: Snackmasters

Don’t they have KitKats in France then?​
Evidentially not. Or at least if they do, there’s clearly no etiquette on the ‘proper’ way to eat one; as demonstrated in the opening episode of Channel 4’s new competitive cookery programme ‘with a twist’ Snackmasters.

So what happened?​
The show, which sees two chefs go head-to-head each week to meticulously recreate a beloved British snack, opened its first episode with Galvin at Windows general manager and increasingly ubiquitous TV personality Fred Sirieix waxing lyrical about how much we Brits love our KitKats (amazingly, they’ve been around since the 1930s). Everything seemed to be going well, until Fred proceeded to hold one of the beloved four-fingered KitKat bars aloft and snap it down the middle​​ so as to emphasise “the sound of the snap”. Suffice to say, given that this is a country where some people will quite literally call the police when KFC runs out of chicken, this moment of biscuit-based barbarism led to a communal outcry on social media.

What have people said?​
Many took to Twitter to express their outrage. One disgruntled viewer called Sirieix a “monster”, while Daily Mirror’s TV critic Ian Hyland described him as “pure evil”. Even fellow Frenchman Michel Roux Jr got involved, albeit in a more restrained way, saying: "Even I know that's wrong."

Hell hath no fury like a public scorned. Did the show redeem itself?​
It made for an entertaining spectacle. We followed Midsummer House head chef Daniel Clifford and Cinnamon Club chef director Vivek Singh as they each explored ways to create a convincing four-finger KitKat facsimile in a kitchen environment, which was juxtaposed with segments where viewers were given a guided tour of the KitKat factory in York, and taken thorough each stage of the confection’s construction; from making the wafers to encasing the individual fingers in chocolate. Then at the end, each chef presented their own interpretation to a judging panel of KitKat experts, who then decided which bar most closely resembled a proper KitKat.

Certainly sounds like a novel idea, who else is taking part?​
Chefs confirmed to take part include Bibendum chef patron Claude Bosi and Cornerstone’s Tom Brown, but the snacks in question are being kept under wraps, so to speak. Based on the first episode, though we expect them all to be firm favourites; so think Jaffa Cakes, or maybe Tunnock's Teacakes. The trailer for next week confirmed that the focus would be Monster Munch, which Sirieix will presumably grind into his forehead. We can also expect yet more online controversy when people once again debate whether the shape of said crisp resembles a monster claw, or – as was suggested a couple of years back – a mini monsters with large arms and short legs.

Nonsense, it’s obviously a claw…​
Are you sure?