Chips are down at last!

WHAT is it about

MASTERCHEF (BBC1, 8pm) that never grows stale? The cook-off has become as much a part of British life as Sunday roast: TV comfort food at its finest.

John Torode and the evershrinking GreggWallace (what’s his secret?) remain genial judges who seem never to tire of sampling grub of variable quality that surely must also be cold by the time it reaches their mouths.

Their passion for food is obvious, especially when Gregg breaks into a little jig of joy when he’s served up a nice pud, and Torode’s expertise teaches us a little bit about flavour combinations worth trying.Although, let’s be honest, I’m more likely to be satisfied with a toastie than turn out five items for dinner like this lot do.

Tonight, the contestants tackle two challenges – they must invent a dish on the spot from unpalatable-sounding ingredients like mackerel and squid.Then food critic Grace Dent tasks them with serving up a carb-tastic plate of food based on the humble spud.

Hope she gets some decent chips in the mix.

Also on the cookery theme, the professionals are battling it out every night on GREAT BRITISH MENU:THE FINALS (BBC2, 9pm).

Tonight, guest judge Alison Steadman, of Gavin And Stacey fame, joins the tasting panel to decide which chef’s dish will be the main course in the final, star-studded banquet on Friday.

During the lockdowns of 2020-21, many thousands of people found themselves embracing the quieter life forced upon them. I know I enjoyed the stretchy loungewear and cheaper cocktail hours at home, for starters.

The legacy of that time for some is craving a simpler sort of existence, which is what makes THE SIMPLER LIFE (Channel 4, 9pm) so timely.

OK, you may not want to go live like the ultra-religious Amish sect with their rigidly patriarchal society and back-breaking chores, but it’s still a fascinating social experiment.

Watching the group of Brits volunteering to give up all modcons – not just iPhones but cars, computers and shopping – to join a rural community in Devon for four months is thought-provoking and uplifting.

Idyllic in one way, the lifestyle forces participants to put “we” ahead of “me,” which ends up causing no end of turmoil.

Tonight, Hazel’s struggle to churn butter causes upset when she asks for money to buy some.

To say Hazel doesn’t appreciate younger group members offering advice on how the budget should be spent is an understatement.

There’s a shock towards the end when the Amish hosts, the Millers, make an announcement that changes everything.