culinary bear

Clive Dixon... that's the badger...!

Cracking pictures, not only of the food, but of the kitchen. The stoves look wonderful; I cook on a 15 year old Bonnet stove which although a joy to use, is a bit of a temperamental beast. Would you be willing to give us a run-down of the major equipment on the kitchen?

It wasn't when JC was in the kitchen, I'm pretty sure of that. I'll ask Mike for the details. edited to add : I agree with the quality of the brigade.

I'm pretty sure LOTM had a star in the past when one of my former head chefs was a CdP there. It has three AA rosettes, so a star might not be unexpected.

Quite a stellated group of foodies - I'll definitely have to go and look. I've no idea...

Matt and I were clearly thinking, given the pre-dinner beers, that we were seeing double and halved what we saw in order to get what we thought was an accurate count.

The words "low fat" or "Ainsley Harriot" on the cover.

I actually quite like Pusser's. The worst, in my experience, is the following : Sang Sem Similan International Rum, Export Quality Thai Rum. It's bearable for drinking hot as a toddy if you have the mother of all colds, but apart from that it's pretty dire...

One might not like that fact that 'unauthorised' (i.e. unprimped, untouched, un-fucked-around-by-food-stylist) photos abound of your food, but the question remains : If you object to this degree, what are you hiding?

Christ, I wish the use of cups wasn't so prevalent in the US; it really confuses us Britishers. It'll depend on the Bloom rating of the gelatine you use and the liquidity of your ingredients, but barring factors like acid coagulation of proteins and the aforementioned emzymatic activity of certain fresh juices, I find that the following usually works : 750ml (about three cups) whipping cream (in the UK, about 40% butterfat) 250ml other liquids 150g sugar 2.5-3 sheets soaked gelatine. Points of variation : 1) Acids will help firm up your mixture. 2) Higher fat content (either a heavier cream or using more whipping cream in proportion to everything else) will firm it up. 3) Gelatine generally takes up to 12 hours to set properly, and from then on will stiffen gradually. Restaurant pannacottas that could double as squash balls are usually the result of too much gelatine in the first place, or a pannacotta that's been lying around for a few days. If you use sheet gelatine - and most professionals do, certainly over here - then you need to soak only enough to swell the sheets. Squeeze thoroughly to expel excess water before adding to your warm mix. Oversoaking or a lack of squeezing can considerably increase the amount of water in your mix and upset the gelatine balance. Good luck on the next run!

I've been threateing to do so for a while, but I'll be making the trip to Cheltenham for the Champion Sausage together with a stout companion. Should really eat at Northcote too - one of the commis at work is best friends with one of the chefs there and I hear good things about the kitchen.

I still think Goya's "Saturn Eating His Children" is one of the most impressive paintings I've seen... I doubt there'll be anything earth-shattering in the uppermost reaches of the starry firmament this year; all the fun seems to be on the no-stars / one star threshold. More pubs or less formal places getting stars, perhaps?

Does anyone have the release date for the 2006 Michelin Guide?

It's just the soft tripe I'll be dealing with to begin with... I have to pass my City and Guilds 8171/2 in Advanced Abomasum and Mesenterium Management before they'll let me touch the honeycomb tripe.

I feel the need for another meal there before I up sticks and move

I wonder if anyone has read a copy? Any surprises lurking within?

What, apart from arranging my stage for when your kitchen was all but closed? Good to see you on here at last, Matt.

and owners.

It rhymes with the thing ships use to stop them moving about when they don't want to.

But everything's faster over there, Moby.

I don't know if stars matter horribly much, to be honest... but more in the North would certainly be a very welcome thing.

Make sure that when you do, it's not under a nom de plume, there's a good chap. So would you categorise Psaltis' remarks and observations in the book as fair and reasonable comment, in as much as they tally with your own experiences?

You know, I think that's just about the best thing I've read on the whole subject. Thank you.

As an addition to my above post, I should also point out that in the UK it is not the custom to use 'Chef' as a personal title. One would almost never hear someone addressed as or referred to as Chef Blanc, Chef Heathcote, Chef Ramsay, etc.

My name is Mr Brown, Mr Guy... Allan will do, too. I concur with the majority of what you've said; perhaps it's just that I'm a bit old fashioned in some things (read: eccentric/British). You've given a clear example of how argument and opinion can differ, but that difference is not always so well defined. Of course, consensus and accommodation are the building blocks to understanding, and here's where discussion boards can shine. Occasionally you'll see a value-based argument, where beliefs are fairly hard-wired and you're not going to get much in the way of give and take - sometimes to the point of not even understanding the other person's right to hold that opinion. I try my very best to try and understand why people hold the opinions that they do, or how they've arrived at the position they take in an argument - reading between the lines, if you will, or reading around the post - and therefore seek out background information, trying to get more of a picture of the person, and therefore gaining a more complete understanding of their argument or their opinion. Names, biographies, occupation and the like all help in this aim, and that's a large part of the reason I find myself more able to accept the views of those who choose not to anonymise themselves.