***
George Egg is surely not the first cook to appear at the Fringe. Ainsley Harriott probably did Edinburgh as part of his double act The Calypso Twins. But Egg must be the first cook to knock up a three-course meal onstage. Certainly the first one to prepare it using bog standard hotel equipment.
In Anarchist Cook Egg shares the knowledge he has gained touring the UK over the years and finding himself peckish in a Premier Inn or hearing his tummy rumble in a Travelodge. In his own inimitable style he has worked out ways to utilise not just the kettle, but also the iron, trouser press and more.
This is an ingenious, playful show that frequently feels more like a TV programme-in-waiting than a stand-up comedy show. It would be a shame to give away too many trade secrets but somehow he succeeds in cooking an extremely tasty feast in one hour with extremely limited resources. I couldn’t do that in my own kitchen.
Alongside the bruschetta, poached fish and pancakes there is, of course, a side serving of humour too. Egg has a Bill Bailey-ish sense of the offbeat. He looks a little like Bailey too as he scuttles around the ironing board that he uses as a surface.
This is good, family-friendly fun though sometimes the structure needs a little tweaking. Just when you think the show is building to a big finish after two courses Egg leaves the stage and a short film is screened. It’s a neat, funny French movie pastiche, but the momentum slightly dips.
He also tantalises the audience’s tastebuds by handing out forks to everyone on the way in. At the end the food is offered around but there is no way everyone can have some – and as it happened on the day I was in it looked like the people holding the plates did a runner with it. Which I guess is a recommendation.
Perhaps there is not quite enough here to earn Egg a top rating on a comedy website, but it could be the first Edinburgh Fringe show to get five stars in the Michelin Guide. Only three stars here, but I can still recall the whiff of those delicious pancakes. Certainly the best-smelling show in this year’s Festival
Until August 31. Tickets here.
