[Closed] BBC recipes gone

I'm kind of puzzled as to how keeping the pages there costs them that much money. They're basically static pages and hosting them really can't be that expensive. Storage costs would be peanuts relatively. Maintenance would be low if they're just kept as archive. Only thing is they're thinking the traffic on them is huge and that's costing them a lot, so get rid.

It seems like the digital equivalent of book burning to me. It's part of the national record and I see no point in destroying it.

There will be a cost of holding it, but it's small and surely worth it.

I think your last statement is perhaps the real reason unfortunately.

I've got to admit that I was a bit mystified by this. How much does it cost to have a website with some recipes on it?

Mind you... I reckon that like most houses in the UK we've got a whole bookshelf heaving under the weight of various cookery books, that have never, ever, ever been used, apart from 2 which are dog-eared and covered in ingredients, because you consult them all the time 😀

It is a shame as it is a brilliant resource.

Raymond Blanc’s Chocolate Mousse

Serves 2
100g chocolate
4 egg whites
20g caster sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water.
Whisk the egg whites and lemon juice until you get peaks.
Add the sugar and whisk again until stiff (the eggs, not you).
Whisk 1/3 of the eggs into the melted chocolate. This has to be done in the warm chocolate bowl otherwise lumps will form.
Fold in the rest of the eggs.
Put into ramekins, martini glasses, whatever.
Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

Amaze the missus with your genius.
Retire to the bedroom with a wooden spoon and beat until stiff.

Just spite

It's a real shame as there are some brilliant recipes on there. Can't see a reasonable reason why they're going bar opening space for commercial operations to do the same.

That'll be another one of those valuable BBC resources that are conveniently ignored by people who say [i]"But I don't watch the BBC why should I pay a license fee?"[/i]

Like most things, we'll only really appreciate it when it is gone.

It's a real shame as there are some brilliant recipes on there.

Fortunately I have printed out many of my favourites and have them at home in a folder but it is one of my 'go to' resources when I want inspiration.

Because it's in 'competition' with other recipe providers 🙄

Have we not paid for these with the license fee

Aye, we are paying for all these services from the BBC through our license fees and the BBC's commercial arms, I'd quite like to continue receiving these services and the govt to jog on now.
C4, ITV et al are paid for by commercials and their websites have adverts on them to fund them.

Just seems petty and spiteful and I can't understand the motives - unless it's a distraction from something else.

EDIT: Though I did read last night that Good Food won't be affected - well, that's because it's run as part of Beeb worldwide. I think it's even mentioned on the site that the site doesn't use license fee money - I suppose in case some right wing nut job gets tumescent at the thought of something not making a profit.

In the meantime, another online public resource is anonymously put to sleep. Hang on a minute...just need to sort out my Sky subscription...

I imagine armed insurrection is being planned on Mumsnet.

"You can take our libraries, our schools and our NHS but you remove our recipes for a quick family meal at your peril!"

It does seem utterly counter productive.

Every other news story is about how people can't cook, don't know how to cook, and are getting fat on ready meals. You'd think that maybe leaving cooking that upto commercial entities is part of the problem and the BBC should be there to push the alternative (i.e. home cooked meals which make no money for the big corporations paying for the adverts).

What next, cancel sewing bee because it's in completion with Philip Green's sweatshops?

Probably a shrewd move, pisses off a lot of people which will raise awareness of the impact of cuts on the BBC by the Tories.

The idea being that opinion changes to be anti Tory cuts rather than anti-BBC licence fee...

I agree, the reasons they are giving seem a bit pathetic, something about content having to be high quality and distinctive?

Petition!!!!!!

Pietition!

Good take on it here, apparently George Osbourne singled it out as being unacceptable (to have recipes).

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/17/cuts-bbc-recipe-website-final-straw

There already is a petition on Change.org at 25k so far....

It's a real shame, it's one of my go to resources when looking for a recipe. Bloody hate tories 👿

The Mash has it spot on as usual:

Culture secretary John Whittingdale said: "I knew it was close to impossible; just one man, the entire press and a wealth of regulatory powers against the might of a subsection of a website. "

"But somehow, against the odds, we triumphed and ensured an extraordinary victory for free market forces. Best of all, this will save the licence payer £120 a year."

"Not individually. In total."

-- from http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/media/nation-rejoices-as-tyranny-of-free-bbc-recipes-ends-20160517108897

I imagine armed insurrection is being planned on Mumsnet.

They best pick their targets well:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-entertainment/if-you-touch-cbeebies-we-will-destroy-you-parents-warn-government-20160512108802

the internet is a big place, why not just go to another recipe site and just forget about the BBC recipes, is it really that unique?

the internet is a big place, why not just go to another recipe site and just forget about the BBC recipes, is it really that special?

SiB - Member
the internet is a big place,

that just got a wee bit smaller

can we make a parallel with, y'know....

[img] [/img]

[i]is it really that special? [/i]

Maybe there's less repeats?

😉

I think 30 days is a bit short, should really be leaving them on the website for the entire run of a series and 6 months thereafter.

I kind of agree with them on removing older recipes though, do we really need 4,000 recipes for quiche, you kind of get lost in the vast amount of it all. Better to focus on either the current ones, i.e. align with current programming, which is kind of the purpose of the BBC, and maybe a few special ones.

All about allowing competition as private publishers weren't happy. TBF I kind of see their point, the BBC isn't there to publish recipes it needs a hard look at itself and focus on core activities, there are plenty of other food resources out there.

there are plenty of other food resources out there.

There are plenty other childrens' tv channels.
There are plenty other news channels.
There are plenty other documentary channels.
There are plenty other Saturday night talent competitions.

It's a downer for sure but I really like this site now https://www.reddit.com/r/GifRecipes

TBF I kind of see their point, the BBC isn't there to publish recipes

Isn't it? So they shouldn't have cooking shows then?

Teaching the population to cook sounds like a pretty useful thing for a Public Service Broadcaster to be doing.

The six Public Purposes defined in [url= http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/about/how_we_govern/charter.pdf ]the BBC Charter[/url] are:

(a) sustaining citizenship and civil society;
(b) promoting education and learning;
(c) stimulating creativity and cultural excellence;
(d) representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities;
(e) bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK;
(f) in promoting its other purposes, helping to deliver to the public the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services and, in addition, taking a leading role in the switchover to digital television.

I'd say cooking, particularly regional cooking, matches a, b, c, d, and e of those. And having the recipes online matches f.

do we really need 4,000 recipes for quiche

Just checked. There are 37. Oh the waste. The horror. A commercial website would never have such dross.

Food.com: 1631 recipes for quiche
allrecipes.com: 215 recipes for quiche
thekitchn.com: 848 recipes for quiche
foodnetwork.com: 251 recipes for quiche

It's great, so much choice on the commercial websites, not just a choice of 30 odd like on that commie BBC. 🙂

Of course it is Osborne's fault or is it?

BBCs 'give us more money or we shoot the puppy' strategy is getting very old.

They won't be deleted just not optimized for google - no doubt someone clever will come up with a "portal" so that they can still be found.

deadlydarcy - Member

There are plenty other childrens' tv channels.
There are plenty other news channels.
There are plenty other documentary channels.
There are plenty other Saturday night talent competitions.

Maybe the BBC could branch out and start publishing train timetables to go alongside Portillo's train programme, or start listing all the tailors he uses to make those jackets. Or perhaps they could create a database of artists and sculptors and auction prices to let people judge their own stuff compared to what they see on antiques roadshow and the likes?

Maybe the BBC could branch out and start... blah blah.. hyperbole.. blah..

The entire point of most cookery programmes is to teach you recipes.
Having those recipes available for reference isn't much of a stretch - the rest of what you suggest is.

Maybe the BBC could branch out and start yada, yada, yada, reductio ab absurdum

How much of the BBC's output is Portillo's train programme? how much is food or cookery based? Is there a demand for timetables other than those found on the National Rail enquiries website to look up train times, which while not completely independent, is reasonable enough. Although, if you're getting that absurd on page 1...

The entire point of most cookery programmes is to teach you recipes.

Which they give you in the programme, and now for 30 days. Do you really need them for 4 years after, given you cant then see the programme that inspired them?

now for 30 days. Do you really need them for 4 years after

Err.. yes? Do you generally only try new recipes for 30 days and then stop?

Has anyone blamed Thatcher yet?

They will still be on the net according to Metro and not delted

[url= http://metro.co.uk/2016/05/17/bbc-is-removing-11000-online-recipes-and-people-cant-cope-5886733/ ]Don’t panic! BBC ISN’T removing 11,000 recipes after all[/url]

Lot of fuss over nothing 🙄

Of course it is Osborne's fault or is it?

Well, given this:

Last year, the beleaguered chancellor, George Osborne, slammed the BBC for having “features and cooking recipes”, arguing it was evidence of the corporation’s “imperial ambitions” and meant it was becoming “the national newspaper as well as the national broadcaster”.

I'd say yes....

It's all a Rupert Murdoch conspiracy!
https://tompride.wordpress.com/2016/05/17/who-benefits-from-the-tory-decision-to-axe-bbc-recipes/

They will still be on the net according to Metro and not delted

Don’t panic! BBC ISN’T removing 11,000 recipes after all

Lot of fuss over nothing

But... you can only access them if you know the URL!? WTF.
Hopefully someone will build a site linking to them all.

[quote=CaptainFlashheart said]Has anyone blamed Thatcher yet?

I was waiting for the Thatch, Gove, Boris, Dave, Gideon pentangle of blame to be constructed.

The entire point of most cookery programmes is to [s]teach you recipes[/s] sell a pile of celebrity chef cookbooks at Christmas

Pentangle?

LIZARD OVERLORDS!

I blame the Queen. She's the one who hands out the royal charters.

Maybe there's less repeats?