fisherman

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Lincat if you go for one, I very nearly got one myself.

I just bought a bog standard domestic model from John lewis, my reasoning being that the larger commercial models use far more oil, and hence cost more to run, my (3 litre) fryer happily takes chips for two, or tempura etc for more.

Not strictly speaking Lunch at Basildogs, but close enough..... A couple of friends got married in Padstow in May, so I arranged a pre wedding meal for 6 of us at Margots, the passage of time hasn't been kind to my memory, so I can't tell you exactly what we had but everyone was seriously impressed by the food, the service and the atmosphere. Shame we live hundreds of miles away but we'll be back soon enough.

Had a really good dinner at Custard in May, we only went as a last resort as nowhere else was open on a Monday night but we were really impressed by the food and service, not the best meal we had in Padstow that week, but maybe the second best.

Cheers for that Bertie, I'll take a couple of glasses with me then We were going to have a week somewhere hot, but thought we'd have a week closer to home getting fat instead, most places are new to us, I went to Gilpin years ago and have fond memories of it, but I think the place I'm looking forward to most is Hipping Hall, though we're only there for one night unfortunately. Northcote should be intersting too, we're taking advantage of the Gourmet offer, so 5 courses to start the week as we mean to continue!

News just in from my local butcher, he sells Ox cheeks from local sources so whatever bans may have been in place in the past no longer apply.......

Does Hipping Halls corkage charge apply only at the table or in the rooms as well? The website isn't clear but I look forward to the argument if they try and charge me for drinking my own wine in a room I'm already paying too much for......

Had a superb lunch at Anthonys at Flannels the other week, three top notch courses for £18 can't be bad, in fact, thinking about it, I had four course as I asked for pudding and cheese and they didn't charge extra. Felt more impressed by the cooking there than at the main restaurant which is slightly odd. The only downside was we had to wait far too long for anyone to ask us if we wanted a drink before we ordered, apart from that, service was as good as the food.

We've booked a week in the lakes in September, starting off with Northcote Manor which is on the way, then on to the Punchbowl, Hipping Hall, and finishing with a couple of nights at Gilpin Lodge, reports will surely follow.....

Fair enough and I apologise for my flippant comment that started this exchange. Turned out nice in the end

only "foodies" travel to find good restaurants, branding a place by saying it has a pretty poor reputation is not cricket if you havent been for yourself to make up your own mind or maybe you only go and dine at places on other peoples comments and thats only if they are good comments. suburban closterphobia is something i definately not suffer from as my career path has taken me to london for 2 years and also to belfast . ←

As if the prawns, peas and carrots wotsit wasn't enough, those flecks of brightly coloured veg in the bread around the lamb last night were straight out of the '70's I'm sure it tasted good, but his presentation is old school country house hotel through and through

Who said I was a 'Foodie'? If anyone said that to my face I'd punch 'em in the nose I actually live in Harrogate, I lived in Alderley Edge for a year 2006/2007 and struggled to find anywhere worth eating, all the places you mention appeal to their local market, who wouldn't know decent food if it hit them in the arse, the two I am more than familiar with (Alderley Edge Hotel and London Road) are the kind of over priced, under performing places you expect to find in affluent suburbs. Stanneylands has, I'm sorry to say, a pretty poor reputation locally, I'm sure things have changed recently, but news hasn't filtered through yet to the locals. As for Mancunian closterphobia (whatever that is) It's nothing compared to the suburban claustrophobia you appear to be suffering from. I travel to find good restaurants, and always make the effort to seek out places worth trying wherever I happen to be.

Quite possibly true, I should have made it clear I was talking about Pigs cheeks.

I've had frozen meat sent successfully in the past (One of the Buccleuch estates very nice steak boxes, sent as a surprise but very welcome Christmas present) If you wanted to take the risk of it arriving OK I could get you some, freeze it and send it to you. (The Buccleuch box was individually vac packed, then packed with blocks of dry ice (but freezer blocks would do as well) then cased in polystrene) I reckon I could package it pretty well.

Any butcher can supply them, assuming that is they're proper butchers who take in whole animals and butcher them, and if they don't do that, you shouldn't be using them in the first place!

Oh yeah, thingy, I know the one you mean, the one just off the bypass, what's it called now?

There's hardly anything in Styal or Wilmslow, in fact nothing I can think of off hand.

Crikey, I better not tell the story about the time I stayed in the Brittania in Manchester and after the upset of opening the curtains and looking onto a window painted on the wall (which may or may not have had a view of the New York skyline, I can't remember) I got in the lift to find I was surrounded by Trekkies who even made all the swishy noises every time the lift door opened. I'm not sure which left deeper scars. Hotels like the Brittania and the Adelphi are a mistake to be made only once, anyone who returns deserves all they get, painted views, Trekkies and all.

I didn't say they WERE part of a three course meal, I said they SEEMED to be parts of a three course meal. Fuck me, if I hadn't grasped how many course they were cooking by week three of series three then I'd be as much of a twat as most people seem to think i am. My point was Nigel seems to be a starter, meat and two veg, pudding type man, no criticism inferred or implied I hasten to add.

One thing I noticed is that Nigels dishes very much seem to be parts of a three course meal whereas Anthonys are better thought of as part of a tasting menu.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy The Mayflower, never having heard of any of the others I'm in no position to comment on them, but I've eaten at The Mayflower every time I've been in Liverpool for years and it's never disappointed, and I can't think of anywhere in Liverpool I'd rather eat.

Mayflower, Duke Street. See, I told you I'd remember

I know of one excellent Chinese in Liverpool who's name escapes me, soon as I remember it I'll be back

We were watching this last night, with our recent meal at Anthonys fresh in our minds, and Jo said to me 'I think it's just that Anthony isn't really a people person, he just seems to want to get on with the cooking' I'll commend her on her insight and perception soon as she gets home from work I must say I much prefer Anthonys serious side to Nigels outdated fat northern chump approach, and speaking as a fat northern chump I feel I'm ideally placed to make that observation. I'm not interested in Nigels bemused face as he totally fails to understand the 21st century. GBM only really seems to work when Sat or Atul are on, Anthony is a welcome addition to that list, with Sat you get top notch modern cooking and a genuine sense of humour, Anthony may come up short on the latter, but the former is there for all to see.