- It's like a school dinner Shepherd's pie.
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- Hi, my name's Vanessa, I'm a mom of three,
and today I'm trying other moms' Shepherd's pie.
- I like cooking Shepherd's pie
because you usually get two nights out of it.
So it gives me a night off cooking, (chuckles).
- Well, when I make Shepherd's pie for my family,
they wolf it down, if I don't taste it in the kitchen,
or have a spoonful of two, I don't get any.
- Being half Jamaican, I like to add a little bit
of spice to it, hot Maggi Sauce, and chilies,
and a bit of Jamaican seasoning.
I've got a thing for putting Philadelphia cheese
in my mash, and I did, loads of butter,
a tiny bit of cream, or maybe a lot of cream, I like cream.
- I put onion in the mash, so it gives a nice little bit
of crunch, I put a little bit of cheese on top,
so it just gives it a little bit of golden color.
I use the vegetable juice as the sort of stock base.
- I cook a lot of African type foods.
So the source will have sort of African spices,
that sort of stuff to zhuzh it up, to lift it up.
'Cause I think spices really brings something to a dish.
Otherwise, it's all a bit bland.
- If it's bland, mm-mm, I won't be feeling it,
and I will say, I won't hold back.
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What makes my pie the best is because I'm perfect
and everything I cook is perfection.
(laughing)
- Oh, at least this smells good, actually.
- It does smell really good, I think they've got tomato
in there, there is definitely some sort of tomato in here.
- I think green makes food pop,
a bit of veg, or herbs, or something,
so, shame there. - You know, presentation.
But it's not always about presentation.
Taste is more important, I think.
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- There isn't much seasoning in here, that's a shame.
- The meat is a little bit lumped together.
- The mash is too watery, there's no green,
no herbs, no, no, no flavor.
- I think the potatoes are a little bit bland, sorry.
But it's got a nice taste to it.
And I quite like the tomatoes in it.
- You've got to have spice in your food
to elevate it a little and there is no spice here.
The aroma attracted me and I thought,
oh, there's going to be something here.
But when I got to it, really there was nothing.
- It's like a school dinner Shepherd's pie.
(fire sizzling)
- I think this gets a five. (bell dings)
This gets a five. (lively upbeat music)
- I would say I would give this a six out of 10.
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- I wouldn't be borrowing anything from this recipe, no way.
(laughing)
- I think my Shepherd's pie is the best
because it's got lots of flavor.
- Hm, we will see. - Oh, (laughing).
(inhaling slowly)
Mm, I don't like the smell of that meat.
(laughing) It's bad.
I don't like the smell, it reminds me of my partner's mom.
- If I saw this, in a restaurant or somewhere,
I wouldn't go for this dish, it doesn't give me that come
and get me, there's a blandness.
There's something that's, it's just not doing it for me.
- It's really watery and I'm going to say
this it's cheap meat, the mash looks nice.
I like the browning on top, and that she'd
done the fork thing with it.
- Oh, that gravy's really thick.
- There we go. - Moment of truth.
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- Mm, it's really sweet, really sweet.
It's really sweet, it's like she put sugar in it.
- No, the mash isn't doing it for me, either.
- Her potatoes, her mash is really good.
I have to say, it's not a lump in it.
It's better than what I anticipated.
- This is lacking in spice, it's not seasoned enough.
That warmth in your mouth, something that pulls everything
together, it's not there. (buzzer buzzes)
There isn't anything I really like about it, sorry.
- Because of her mashed potatoes,
I'm going to give her a six. (bell dings)
- I'm going to be very kind to you.
I'm going to give it a four. (dramatic music)
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- I wouldn't order it for a second time
at a restaurant if I got it the first time.
- It's not on my cooking repertoire at all,
but when I do make it, it is good.
- This is a posh Shepherd's pie.
Most probably from West London, (laughing).
To the eye, it's aesthetically pleasing,
the little baby carrots, they look really cute.
- They've put an awful lot of effort into that.
I like the carrots on top, or do I?
No, I don't know if I do, actually.
And this one looks like it's got tomato
in it, as well, maybe I'm doing it wrong.
- Beautiful, but does it taste good?
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- It's just like mince and mash.
- It's got flavor, it's not sweet.
Even the color of the meat, you can tell she seasoned it.
- And the mince is a little bit chewy, it's quite bland.
- The mash is gorgeous, mine's an East London one,
this is a West London one. (lively upbeat music)
- In terms of the carrots, I think they'd be better off
in the Shepherd's pie, instead of on the Shepherd's pie.
- I would feed this to my family.
- I would serve this to my family,
but I think they might be a little bit disappointed.
- Grudgingly, I have to give this Shepherd's pie
a nine out of 10, I don't like this woman,
even though I haven't met her because it tastes good.
(chuckles)
- I would give this a five because I think it's lacking
a lot of flavor which is a shame
'cause it has got potential and they've really tried.
- You've got to give it to her.
I should have given the other one a four.
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(crowd cheers)
- Yes, my food had flavor, greatly presented, and delicious.
- Do you know what, I'm humble about this
because I have to say that that fancy
West London Shepherd's pie was beautiful.
- I'm a bit disappointed because I would think
that mine was full of flavor and goodness.
I don't know some people like bland food.
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