offcentre

Yes, congratulations Gary - a great achievement. Been reading the thread and checking out your website regularly with great interest. You are obviously a busy chap but can you find time to do a weeks blogging on here - it'd be good to see the food and behind the scenes?

I'm a big fan of the hughster and whilst his new show has too much of the reality-show dribble for my liking, I think he's doing something important. On the first show we saw, albeit only fairly briefly, battery, free-range and organic chicken farming, his own chicken's conditions and a slaughter in some detail. Last night lamb got the same treatment - if you didn't see it you missed a still-jerking lamb having its head cut off and thrown into a box. You also see the reactions of the participants, which helps to drive home the impact of the slaughter. In addition it is confronting people who don't cook and showing them how simple and economical good home cooking can be. Its a shame we don't get more information on basic cooking techniques, or at least more info on how to cook the few dishes that are shown. With all the debate on Sir Heston I think HFW deserves a bit of credit.

Went to Food for Friends on Saturday night - vegetarian restaurant in the Laines. Its been going for 25 years - used to be good - canteen style but has, in the last few years - as has much of Brighton - gone upmarket, and is now a nice-looking restaurant with 3/4 interconnected dining rooms. Average platter of middle-east bits and bobs was shared to start. I had a truffled parmesan and spinach beignet with roast butternut squash. Good flavour to beignet but it was soggy and cloying and looked like dog poo. It also came plated with two sauces and melted emmenthal cheese. Was far too rich. We ordered a bottle of organic 'cloudy bay' sussex white wine. I was a little dismayed, when it came, to find that it was made by the final year students at Plumpton College's wine making course, although it was pretty good if a little sharp. An alarm kept going off every 5 minutes for the first 40 minutes we were there which had the staff running around looking confused - was it a fire alarm, smoke alarm, intruder alarm? No. It was a diners bloody mobile phone beeping. I could have slapped her. Partners sweet potato fritter thing was pretty good but I won't be going back if I can help it. If you want decent vegetarian fare in Brighton go to Terre a Terre. Or better still to Kambi's.

The Indy thinks its okay - best they had was marlena's red one.

There is a good description of this method in Gordon Ramsay's first book, Formulas for Flavour. I have read this, but it is in John Campbell's Formulas for Flavour I believe. Never tried to cook it though so would be interested in the results - although I can only assume its pretty bloody good judging by the rest of the book.

it wasn't that funny.

I agree that its a bit monotonous, but pasta isn't. I don't get it.

from the website.... Menu Gourmand This will go on to feature a 'crème de la crème’; my classics and best loved dishes; so you will never be disappointed Menu Découverte (Discovery Menu) More and more of our guests want the total experience, to be delighted, to feel a sense of adventure that simply can’t be achieved by the usual three-course meal, no matter how beautifully prepared – and to be entertained. Today’s guests also want to do away with the protocol of old fashioned grande cuisine and eat in a less formal environment – having fun has always got to be on the menu. Seasonal Specialities à la Carte We are remodelling the existing à la carte menu to create a shorter list of specialities (starters, main courses and desserts). Combining a hearty, rustic note that reflects my own roots, along with dishes that exemplify the elegant, interesting and sometimes surprising fl avours for which we are celebrated.

there have been changes

Tracey MacLeod liked it though

For what its worth, article from todays Guardian.

wow - the room looks lovely if you ask me.

I didn't see these last two posts before I left for london, which is a shame as they both look lovely. I went to St John B+W as I got to London late and was at Liverpool St. Nice food - Bacon, Snails and Trotter; Ducks hearts, pickled walnuts and watercress; Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese, but rather disappointing atmosphere and room - cafe-style big white room and about 6 other people. In fact there was more staff than punters. As I don't go to London often I came away feeling disappointed that I'd missed a good opportunity to sample more refined fare. Lovely bread tho. thanks for the recommendations.

I'm in london this saturday for lunch and am looking for somewhere good but a bit more relaxed than the Capital or high end hotels. I'm considering St John but would welcome any other recommendations for something <£35. I'll be at Earls Court but will travel. thanks..........ross

I've never really come across sous vide before and have never knowingly eaten anything cooked this way. I am finding this very interesting and will read the more in-depth threads. It got me thinking about raw foodies, who don't heat anything above 68 degrees or something like that. My partner has recently experimented with 'going raw', much to my displeasure, and has combined this with a move to vegetarianism too. However, if I can cook her a nice piece of salmon at 50 degrees I don't think she's going to complain. Very interesting folks.

that does indeed answer my question - very interesting - thank you.

someone please enlighten me - whats so good about their mashed potato?

I agree with kutsu that his campaign to get families to eat together is worthy of our support, and I'm not sure that improving meals in schools is any more worthy than improving family cohesion and cooking skills - after all we all eat far more meals at home than we ever do at school. ← That part of the program comes across as quite half-hearted to me. I don't think people will see that piece and think 'Oh yeah...thats how its done, I'm going to try and cook that on sunday'. I have enjoyed this program in the past despite the fact it teaches you next to nothing about food or how to cook. In my opinion Delias How to Cook series was much more likely to get people cooking.

Absolutely nothing but its vaguely connected with the word "fish" and its a tv food program. Didn't realise we'd become so strict.

I have finally tired of this program and don't watch it anymore. Too much abuse of his crew and bandwagon issues. Getting the country to cook - rubbish and too much like Jamies school dinner campaign, which was better and more worthy. As for the meat issues, read Hugh's Meat book and all this is old news.

I flicked on to cooking on the wild side or something last night only to see the fool bashing a baby tuna's head against the side of the boat trying to kill it. Didn't hit it hard enough, the fish slipped off the hook and back into the water bloodied and bruised. Horriffic. Wish someone would've done the same to him.

Not much that a raw foodie can eat there I'm afraid. Maybe substitute the bread for some dehydrated crackers or something. Raw tuna is not on the diet as, in my experience, most raw foodies tend to be vegans as well. Capers are probably cooked too aren't they? Uncooked rice? Now sprouted chick pea hummous is something my partner has had some success with. It turned out a bit bitter, but I think with with a bit of tweaking it could be pretty good. Raw chocolate isn't too bad - made with raw cacao nibs, soaked nuts and seeds and dried fruits blended together with some fruit like banana. Well, it doesn't taste too bad, but the texture is obviously nothing like. I agree, its easy in this weather - we have always eaten a lot of salads, made juices and smoothies. The salads would have been supplemented by some protein or carbs, now thats pretty much out for her. I

Yeah - this is the kind of thing I am hearing on a daily basis. Ignoring the obvious crap in these articles, it basically boils down to... cooking/eating cooked food: a. destroys much of the protein, vitamins and minerals and all the enzymes. The remainder being more difficult for the body to utilise. b. depletes our bodies enzyme potential and drains our energy reserves. c. suppresses the immune system (something about an increase of white blood cells after eating cooked food?) d. is harder to digest than raw.

Is that right? I had read that it is big in California. I hear a lot about Woody eating all raw, this raw chef dude Chad Sarno being a bit of a superstar, and raw restaurants opening by the dozen. Thanks for the responses - I have ordered Nina Planck's book as instructed and will be reading it with great interest. These are the main reasons cited for eating raw 1. Raw food is more easily digested. 2. Life force (as seen through Kirlian photography) of raw food is beneficial. 3. Increased levels of energy and health. 4. Reduces strain on pancreas as body does not need to produce enzymes to digest the food - the enzymes are still in the food when eaten. Its this fourth one I'd like to be able to shoot down - for some reason. She did eat a nice french onion tart and a little roquefort last night though. That sweet smell of caremelising onions got to her in the end!

yes, beans are sprouted. I'll steer her away from kidney beans then! Chickpeas, adzuki beans, lentils are all very nice sprouted though. No adverse affects from these.....yet.