Janice

One of my favourite childhood teas was mince rolls - browned mince with onions in a soft, floury, Scottish morning roll. Tomato ketchup optional. Love Plain bread too...

Thanks very much - I'd come to more or less the same conclusion about Zaragoza after a lot of searching and finding little. We haven't actually made the booking yet - but we have decided to go for this hotel http://www.donamariako.com/ingles/home/home.htm in Navarra for all 3 nights. It looks like a trip to Rioja would be do-able from there, as well as all the usual spots around Donostia-San Sebastian. One point that I would very much like some advice on: the film festival will be on while we are there. Does anyone know what kind of impact it has on the town? Would we be mad to drive into Donostia? Would we be able to get in anywhere for lunch if we do?!! Janice

I am in the process of planning a 3 day for 21-24 September starting and ending in Zaragoza. Zaragoza was chosen largely for the very cheap flights and although I've since done some reading, I don't know much about the area. We will be renting a car, so one option is to drive towards the coast and hit the area around Donostia-San Sebastian, but I wondered if anyone had any suggestions for places we shouldn't miss that are closer to our starting point. We've been to the Basque country before and will go back again, so we don't need to go there this time if there are good alternatives that will require less driving. We are interested in everything good from Michelin 3 star downwards, but especially rural places with rooms or accommodation nearby. Thanks in advance for any suggestions Janice

Sadly, quality at Cellar Gascon is not as consistent as it was - I also experienced some less than fresh tuna recently. I will continue to go there because I work in the area and for the wine, but I wouldn't cross town for it. On the other hand, I had a great lunch in the bar at St John last week - Welsh Rarebit, Anchovy toast, lentils with goat's curd and an outstanding blackcurrent pavlova (shared between two of us).

Okay, so we went to Maze on Saturday evening... Expectations were fairly high because of all the positive reviews, but we tried our best to keep them under control. We were feeling lazy so decided to keep things simple by letting them choose the dishes, but to be honest I didn’t find the menu as complicated as some of the critics have made out and if I went back would probably choose for myself. We were offered a choice of 6, 8 or 11 courses and opted for 8 – 11 seemed a little OTT but as it turned out we could have managed it easily. The first three dishes arrived together – pea, broad bean, wood sorrel and truffle risotto, tuna carpaccio with daikon and olive paste, and beetroot with Sairass cheese. This was fine but given the number of staff, I think they could have brought them one after the other. All of the dishes were beautifully presented and the flavours were lively and interesting, but a theme for the evening began to emerge – the dishes seemed to be either under or over salted. In particular, the soy on the tuna overpowered the dish and the risotto could have benefited from a little more salt. Lobster was next – tasty but nothing hugely exciting, one of the more conventional dishes on the menu. Then the quail – perhaps the biggest disappointment – the quail itself was perfectly cooked, but both it and the accompanying foie gras were again overwhelmed by soy and the concentrated peach and saffron chutney that was less than subtle. Next up were the most successful dishes of the evening - lamb with ras el hanout and cinnamon sweetbreads for two of us and pork cheeks with cloves and coco beans for the third. Both dishes included interesting spicing without it overwhelming the flavours of the meat which was moist and delicious. Desserts were a trifle in a shot glass with a small Madeleine on the side, tasty but nothing special, then a combination of pineapple and a rich coconut sorbet which was more exciting but hardly ground breaking. Service-wise things could be improved – some of the staff seemed inexperienced and ill at ease – but the maitre d’ made up for it by being super-friendly, showing us the kitchen and giving us some bread to take home to have with cheese in response to our very cheeky request. The bill was £80 a head including aperitifs, one £48 bottle of Alsace Pinot Gris and three glasses of New Zealand Pinot Noir. So, overall, slightly disappointing but an enjoyable meal nonetheless. I would go back, but will probably leave it a couple months and not make a special occasion out of it. A drinks and a couple of dishes by the bar might well be the way to go.

I'm going next Saturday. There'll be four of us so we should be able to try a good range of dishes.

I see our mistake now... Next time I will remember to drink much more!! I agree, as a neighbourhood place it's not bad, but there are much better ways to spend £100 on dinner in London, although probably not in Hampstead.

I went here on Saturday night with my friends and found the food dissappointing and over-priced - £29 for three courses. We were eating downstairs in the bar which may have had an impact on the overall experience but the main courses in particular were poor - both the duck and the steak were spoiled by an oversweet sauce. Gary, how did you get on?

How about some of these - they are not very glamorous but extremely tasty and would be perfect for your sale if you can face any more baking. Or maybe you could you make and sell lemon curd if your family doesn't like it? MELTING MOMENTS 4 oz butter 3 oz sugar 1 egg yolk A few drops of vanilla essence 5 oz self-raising flour Crushed cornflakes or rolled oats A few glacé cherries Oven temperature: 375°F, 190°C Yield: 20 biscuits Lightly grease two baking trays. Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg yolk. Flavour with vanilla essence and fold in the flour. Form into a stiff dough and divide into 20 portions. Form each piece into a ball and roll it in crushed cornflakes or rolled oats and place on the baking trays. Top each with a piece of cherry and bake towards the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool on the baking tray for a few moments before lifting on to a wire rack.

I had a good meal there just after it opened but that was a couple of years ago now. Fairly traditional French, much more of a restaurant than a pub. Some friends have just moved to Hampstead so I might make a return trip in the near future. Please let us know how you get on...

I would go for the Almeida if you can't get into Morgan M. I also love the charcuterie trolley and their trolley of tarts (you can sample a small slice of two or three). The service is what I feel let's them down most but not catastrophically. I had a fairly good post-theatre experience at Ottolenghi last night but I don't think I would choose it for a special occasion. If you don't fancy the Almeida I'd be tempted to go further afield - possibly to Clerkenwell for Moro, the Zetter, St John or Club Gascon?

It's a few months since I have been, but my last visit was dissappointing - I was hoping it was a one off. One of my friends is desparate to go back so I'm sure I'll try them again soon. The Zetter is another possibility you might want to think about?

St John? Club Gascon?

Very jealous of your trip! I spent a week in the Baztan valley near Elizondo last September and a weekend in Bilbao and San Sebastian last month. Elizondo was a walking holiday rather than a foodie experience and the meals we had were simple but tasty. The handmade chocolate is a must though. If you fancy an excursion it is a short drive to St Etienne de Baigorry (in France but only just!) where Hotel Arce is a lovely spot by the river with good food - local trout, lamb etc. The style of cooking is different from what you get in Spain but still has a Basque flavour to it. You can also try some of the local wine - Irouleguy - from the co-op there. On the recent trip to Bilbao we went to Andra Mari in Galdakao which is 15-20 min from the town centre. It was the highlight of the trip and the style of the restaurant was fairly relaxed so should be fine for a well-behaved four-year old. We had the nine-course tasting menu which included anchovy lasagne with garlic ice cream, foie gras with smoked bread and a salty cherry jelly, monkfish and lamb, a wonderful chocolate and citrus dessert which succeded in being rich yet light enough to manage at the end of nine courses! It has one star but doesn't seem to get as much attention as some other restaurants in the area - when we were there it seems like it was mainly locals dining. We also had a great meal in San Sebastian at a mid-priced place in the old town but I will have to consult my notes for the name....

I tried Zigni House last night having read the Time Out review. We stuck to the buffet (£8) since we were told dishes ordered from the menu would take half an hour and we were starving! There were a range of meat and vegetarian dishes on offer with rice and cous cous available as alternatives to injera. The injera was not at all what I expected - like a light, sour pancake rolled up into a spiral and serve cold. Everything we tried was very tasty and the staff were friendly and helpful and took time to explain the food to us. Will definitely be back to try the menu - lots of interesting looking dishes.

A friend and I went there as a try-out for a birthday dinner she was organising - the food was good and the setting very attractive, but it was eye-wateringly expensive for relatively simple dishes (c. £15 for smoked haddock chowder, £19 for a pork chop).

Cafe du Marche have a cafe next door to the main restaurant called Rendezvous that does good simple light meals and the prices are reasonable. Dishes are things like steak-frites, grilled fish, etc - all are very French in style and come with a green salad. Service is usually very friendly. I like Smith's, but often find the second floor too noisy for conversation to be easy.

A friend and I will be in Bilbao from 7-11 April and would be grateful for any recommendations for restaurants in or within a taxi ride of the city. Our rough plan is to book somewhere 'serious' for lunch on the Friday, do a side trip to San Sebastian on the Saturday, and probably stick to pintxos in the evening. There's lots of suggestions in the threads on San Sebastian but less on Bilbao so any help that anyone can offer would be welcome. Janice

Yesterday lunch - Cellar Gascon, lots of lovely sausage and foie gras - I've come to the conclusion I prefer the wine-bar to the restaurant next door Monday lunch - De Santis, pasta and panini place on Old Street, respectable lasagne Friday lunch - Lanes, Middlesex Street in the City for work Christmas lunch, seemed pretty good at the time but was ill that evening which always makes you wonder...

Scottish potato scones are about 1/4 inch thick and are shaped like farls. Both the recipes look similar to the way we made them when I was growing up, although more often we bought them from the baker. The scones should be cooked until they're a fairly dark brown. Delicious thickly spread with butter or fried in bacon fat. One of those light and healthy Scottish delicacies....

I have had an excellent oyster tartar that was a mix of about 50/50 with raw scallops. I can't remember if there were any herbs - I suspect not.

You might want to think about the Almeida in Islington. They have a private dining room and their food is sufficiently reasonably priced to have no problems coming in under £50. The restaurant is very smartly presented which I think helps for weddings.

We were there last week. They were closed on Sunday but served us a fixed menu of pork and foie gras terrine, sole, and raspberry tart since we were staying in the hotel. They were open on the Monday night and the full menu was available. I would definitely call ahead though - there were only 12 people in the restaurant on Monday so I could easily see them closing if they didn't have any bookings.

We have just come back from the Basque Pyrenees and your itinerary sounds fantastic. It's a great area for hiking and should be almost completely tourist free in October. We stayed at Hotel Arce in St Etienne de Baigorry about a year ago which was excellent - the location is particularly attractive and the food was good too. We also had lunch at the Hotel des Pyrenees in St Jean Pied de Port and although the meal there was probably better than Hotel Arce, it doesn't really stand out one year on so I wouldn't worry about skipping it. The gorges are east of Larrau so it would be better to fit them in on the 17th. We went to the Gorge of Kakoueta. You pay 4 euros for entry but it is well worth it as the gorge is stunning. You have a 2km walk on paths and walkways along the side of the gorge to the waterfall and cave, but it feels like longer since you are clambering over rocks at various points. They have a system of alarms and emergency radios in case of floods or accidents. Etchemaïté was one of the options we considered this year but we ended up staying in Hotel Chilo in Barcus instead and it might be worth considering it for the 18th . We had the 60 euro 6 course tasting menu which was really more food than we could eat, so I would recommend going for the Carte or one of the shorter menus - the fish courses and desserts were the highlights for us. Hope you have a great time!

I always like the food at the mid-level on Smiths but also have problems with the loudness aspect. Is good for a group but I wouldn't go there for a romantic dinner. If you fancy a quick snack of foie gras rather than the full Club Cason experience then Cellar Gascon is good - they do other food as well including some great pates and sausages and a wide range of reasonably priced wine from the South West.