Walter McGinley's Cooking Hour
Walter McGinleys Cooking Hour was a one-hour Australian cooking show hosted by Walter McGinley in Collaboration with SBS 2.
The show first aired 7 September 2011 on SBS 2 at the controversial timeslot at 11pm with Walter the loveable kimono wearing Aussie Rambler who is known in small circles for travelling and "Cookin' up a storm". The genuine support for the series is in part due to its original format and its eccentric host. The food is not prepared in a studio but executed on location outdoors, at a mobile kitchen often situated at road stops. The host showcases different regions and dishes of the Australian subcontinent. .
Seasons
The show ran for 4 episodes over September, 2011. A second series was mooted, but was not subsequently funded. Trade media speculated that this was due to the recurrent outbreaks of listeria in Episode 3.0 - 'Bogong Bounty.'
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Port Augusta to Portland" | September 7, 2011 |
| Walter sets out on his culinary circumnavigation of Australia - heading south-east from his home on the Eyre Peninsula, through south Australia to Victoria. Along the way he examines the benefits (and pitfalls) of the mining boom, and the strong Cornish and Irish culinary heritage of the region. In Warnambool he cooks the first of many dishes that suggest a transfer of skills and knowledge from indigenous Australians to the new settlers - using local eels caught in the local manner. | ||
| 2 | "Sibling Rivalry" | September 14, 2011 |
| Walter examines the rival culinary traditions of Sydney and Melbourne. He seeks out the best mobile barrista in both cities, and makes links between the development of both cities and their resulting tastes. The episode culminates in a cook-off between Banh-Mi and Souvlaki cooks from Sydney and Melbourne, respectively. | ||
| 3 | "Bogong Bounty" | September 21, 2011 |
| Walter heads to the high country to unpick the complex migrant cuisines that percolated through Australia in the post-war era. Along the way he maps the feasting and ritual food-ways of the local Yuin people, including the annual consumption of the Bogong Moth. | ||
| 4 | "High Tablelands" | September 28, 2011 |
| Walter outmaneuver through the landscape of the tablelands and the northern coast - encountering hippy communes and generational dropouts. In Nimbin, he cooks a roadside mess of crayfish. | ||
Impact
The show has been credited with the uptick and prevalence of food-vans in major Australian cities - the show coincided with strong lobbying of local councils for a new approach to food van licensing and regulation.[1]