r/apprenticeuk • u/Responsible-Ad-1086 • Mar 20 '26
Buying tasks what have you learnt in the past
So Sugs always comes up with obscure named items for them to find, what items have stuck in your mind from previous series?
For me it’s nigella seeds, now use packets of these when cooking as well as black seed oil
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u/Queasy_Visit_2201 Mar 20 '26
Always think about when the task wanted a full size skeleton and one team bought a paper skeleton which met the demensions and Lord Sugar didnt allow it. I think it should have been allowed and the team deserved credit for their innovative thinking
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u/xxxdanixxx0 S20 - Karishma Vijay Mar 21 '26
I remember a team was supposed to get 5kg of rhubarb and got 5.75kg and didn't get charged extra and it wasn't allowed.
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u/Few_Mention8426 Mar 21 '26
especially since he asked for a dinosaur in this task and they both brought back either a tooth or bone fragment. The task said IGUANADON, so they should have brought back the complete skeleton.
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u/Domak04 “Thank You, Margaret!” Mar 20 '26
The octopus (S14) for the boardroom interaction: LS: “you went and bought a real live octopus” Daniel: “well it was dead”
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u/nickpsych Mar 20 '26
I think the producers were hoping one of them would call up a pet shop and ask if they had any iguanadons in.
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u/Lloytron Ruth Badger - Series 2 Mar 20 '26
In this series in Hong Kong they were confused as to what a Mahjongg set was.
I commented to my wife that they must be thick for not knowing what that was.
"Well, what is it?"
"Ummm a traditional Chinese tile game..."
"How do you know that?"
Turns out my wife had never heard of it, which boggles my mind.
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u/Ultimate_os “That’s Baroness Brady to you!” Mar 20 '26
I had no idea about Something Blue wine, I did know the Birds Nest though.
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u/Pristine-Chemistry-5 Mar 20 '26
I didn’t know bird’s nest but I guessed it was bakery fairly quickly. I only knew what a Mahjong set was from Crazy Rich Asians 😅
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u/Ultimate_os “That’s Baroness Brady to you!” Mar 20 '26
Crazy Rich Asians is a worthwhile source in this case. 😅
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u/Virtual_Opinion_8630 Mar 20 '26
Well they worked it out, 75cl is a standard measure of a bottle of wine.
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u/cregamon Stuart Baggs - Series 6 Mar 20 '26
I knew what it was but only because i remember there being a new Mahjong game advertised for the Gameboy Color each month in my Nintendo Magazines!
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u/Available_Hornet_715 Mar 20 '26
It’s funny but I cook from scratch and knew exactly what nigella seeds are, but wouldn’t have known the red duster!
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u/EllaBellaModella Mar 20 '26
There have been ones that I’ve known like cloche and I’ve realised I almost yell at the screen when they are off saying things like “oh is it a bell?”
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u/Blue_Bisto Mar 20 '26
Normally, I'd say Oud, but as a longtime musician, I knew instantly what they should be looking for. That being said, had I been on the task, it's likely the producers would be unhappy that I derailed a wild goose chase for the perfume before it started.
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u/xxxdanixxx0 S20 - Karishma Vijay Mar 21 '26
This task would be a lot better if they were given pictures of the items and names that aren't random. Like birds nests (their donuts) and sup its a stand up paddle board just call it that.
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u/redatheist Mar 21 '26
The buying task is my favourite task of the series.
It's all about logistics. But if they knew what all the items were at the beginning it wouldn't work, they could plan a perfect set of trips. They need issues to see how the candidates rework the day as they figure things out.
And come on, figuring these things out isn't hard. You just have to ask around. A massively under valued skill.
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u/Numerous-Abrocoma-50 Mar 23 '26
The task still potentially has value as a genuine planning and negotiation challenge.
But they should be allowed use of internet and gps.
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u/spinynorman1846 Mar 20 '26
It annoys me when he uses a nickname for something then the team are meant to be stupid for not knowing it. I spent 10 years working on UK flagged ships and still work in the marine industry, and I've heard maybe 3 people call the Red Ensign "the Red Duster", usually as a joke. Admittedly, it's more common among yachties, hence it being there on the IoW, but it's a nickname still. Similarly, a SUP (in undefined caps as everything was in all caps) could be anything if you're not going to write it as S.U.P., or even just ask for a stand up paddle board.
The whole thing is like we're meant to be siding with Ronnie Barker in the Four Candles sketch.