Steve Martin

You can get some here Clots It is from Devon and, would you believe, in jars. It won't be any good Jersey cows will do the trick, if you feed them lush grass. Not everybody realises the quality and range of dairy in Britain (and Holland). The French, for instance, can't do cream.

You had better read it again, Marco. Lard is an ingredient of Cornish ice cream and the pig farmer's most lucrative market. The original poster was asking the difference between Devon and Clotted, as they see it in their market. The Cornish put the cream on last, because it isn't butter. Just to explain to a wider audience, Thunder and Lightning is clotted cream with golden syrup. Would that be Rhodda's?

Absolutely right, Stigand, though, in Plymouth, it could well have been Cornish cream. I have bought some further up in Devon though and it is excellent, though I haven't seen other than Cornish exported oop north. Both counties milk a good proportion of Jersey and Red Devon cows, so average buttermilk is high. I am Cornish, by the way, though I can't stand the place.

Gels and jellies here. Masterclass 27C would be a nice warm room though.

Devon have pushed pretty hard to get their name associated with clotted cream. Most of the clotted you find is Cornish. Between 55% and 60% fat, by the way. A bit of background here: History of Cream Devon cream tends to be pasturised jars unworthy of egullets. The famous Cornish ice cream relies on the quality of Cornish cream....and lard, of course.

If we are talking Italian, boil the lasagne for 8-10 minutes and cool. Layer and cook uncovered. It should not be soupy and some more flour in the sauces may be necessary. Some restaurants serve it sizzling hot, but this is a mistake. Let it rest and serve it a bit cooler. If it is firm and well seasoned, it is nice tepid - Greek style. I understand that home made lasagne should be pre-boiled, as well. Only about 4 minutes though.

What temperature for roasting and should I add any juices/liquid to the roasting tin? If you are going for the quick cooking method, crank your oven up to 230C and have some oil or good lard. You could add a knob of butter for the last couple of minutes. Start with your stuffing at no less than room temperature and don't pack it in too tightly. Season well. You could try different methods, in batches, but you can cook an octopus in two hours

They say squid should be cooked for 40 seconds or 40 minutes; nothing in between. Stuffing will stretch this 40 seconds up to several minutes, depending on density and wetness of the stuffing. The long slow cooking is best for large squid bodies. Turn them inside out to clean them, by the way. Your small squid should be stuffed and sealed with a wet toothpick and fried or roasted for 3 to 6 minutes. In this case the stuffing should be pre-cooked.

Absolutely. It's trying to be Spanish. Is he saying it's the first European 3 star that hasn't tried to be French, or the first UK 3 star?

I don't agree that garlic should be put in at the beginning and have all the life burnt out of it. I take the advice of Chef Alastair Little and add it nearer the end of cooking. Ginger likes to be early though.

We thought the famous Baffetto was excellent. Go early and drink beer. Not far from you either. Est Est Est! is also famous and the oldest, but our last visit was rubbish.

It is described twice in this thread, Tarka. By the way have you heard about the Chicken Tarka dish. It is like Chicken Tikka, but it's a little otter. especially moderation.

I don't think we are in complete disagreeance, Gary. Set menus are, indeed, always more economical. A choice of set menus is my ideal as well, and not for economy's sake. I tend to dine abroad more these days and the amuse is usually a gift from the chef to everyone and often presented as such. An argument could be made that the people who allow the chef to set their menu deserve more reward than those who insist on an a la carte. It is similar to my air travel, whereby I get a deep discount but am discriminated against because of it. They lure people in with a cheap option and then make them feel less welcome. Once you have got them in the door, you should butter them up, with or without parmesan. I mentioned earlier that I don't think that Anthony's menu should be described as an a la carte: it is more like the French "menu". In my ideal world the chef would tell you what to eat and the lack of the waste that a la carte produces would bring prices down.

Same age as Martel Smith. Great article. My wife felt cheated by the lack of amuses with the set lunch. I am not at home to cross examine her on whether this was explained on the menu. I feel that 'consistency' would be better achieved by treating all the guests to this hospitality. I usually avoid an a la carte because I think the set menus are more likely to be a closer communion with the chef and feature the freshest produce, not because they are cheaper. Of course, it is no coincidence that Gueller's Rascasse was the only restaurant in the country to have a star and a Bib Gourmand at the same time. A bare bones option must always be offered in Leeds. Or indeed Harrogate, where he had to degrade from restaurant to bistro. So, Anthony, be sure and keep them amused ;-)

Fearnley-Whittingstall on Slater: "I applaud the chefs and food writers who have demonstrated that cooking great food from fresh ingredients of quality and integrity doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. Most notable of these (by far) is Nigel Slater. His distinctive brand of "high-speed real cooking", always prescribed with infectious enthusiasm, is one of the most important contributions to the literature of modern home cooking. Nobody does it better, and I would urge any Slater virgins, vegetarian or carnivore, to pop their cherry with him at the earliest opportunity."

It is tiresome and not entirely unlike this board. I imagine the back-slapping is to compensate for the self-promotion. I would prefer just the self-promotion.

I particularly like the scallops. What sort of caviar is that?

I have had my own mixed results with octopus. The 'Japanese' method was a failure. Octopus Perhaps refreshing in ice water during the scaring would amplify the process? Maybe if I had sliced it much thinner it might have been edible, but it is hard to imagine. I'll keep trying.

My hot tip for York! The Tasting Room, 13 Swinegate Court East. just off Grape Lane. Very good kitchen and interesting wines by the glass. Also some of the best espresso I have tasted, including Rome. Neither my wife nor I like the Blue Bicycle. Meltons Too is good, but it is best to choose from the blackboard. Meltons itself is excellent. He puts too many ideas on one plate, but they are all interesting. Very nice in Rish, but we have not been recently to see how their new chef (from Winteringham Fields) is settling in. Desserts and coffee not very good here, so far. The Lime House, Goodramgate is pretty good as well. Good chef and interesting wines. Have a nice time.

Hello Shaun, Poaching turbot is something of a classic and I generally prefer it to the drier cooking methods. I peel the skin off afterwards. You didn't mention it and I wonder what you think of this method? With most other fish, however, I am quite aggressive , using high heat and robust saucing. Turbot is usually treated very gently, but how far have you gone the other way with saucing?

chalk & cheese though isn't it? there's always going to be food made to a cost, this is food made to a specification. if you want bigger portions and plenty of offers, room next door is the place to go. gary We don't compare chalk with cheese. Anthony is underfeeding his guests and I don't want his business to suffer because of it. Certainly the chalk at Gagnaire, Bras and even Roellinger was more copious. You'll also find top floor at Harvey Nicks is more than a sandwich store.

How would I use up a last little piece of oxtail and its very rich sauce? You never make risotto anymore, she says. Doh! The oxtail broth was from hung Angus. It was very tasty and featured star anise. I made the risotto with nano rice sauté with spring onion and garlic. Some white wine (another inept NZ attempt that tasted of asparagus) and then the broth in true risotto method. Our golden marjoram is threatening to take over the garden so some was added with the flaked oxtail, near the end. Then rested with a manticare of butter and pecorino. I used a bit too much cheese. Followed this with raspberry and balsamic tiramisu. Promising, but I think the usual espresso would have been a better match for the rasps. Perhaps strawberry and balsamic. Needs work, anyway.

My wife revisited Anthony's last Saturday lunchtime. Very quiet. Good cooking, but still a bit stingy. He'll have to bulk up a bit in Yorkshire. She was back to Harvey Nicks on the Sunday. Better value, she said.

I didn't think much of the St. Georges. I'll stick to foreign names in future The Chef Club have just sent out an email offering free morels to members! I've ordered some turbot, because they say it is at its best now. They also say they supplied Alice Waters with ingredients for her Manoir sessions. I hope she liked the St. Georges.

Christened my new plates with a grilled fillet of trout and a rasher of streaky bacon, cooked flat. Bashed new potatoes with spring onion, tomato and basil. Broccoli and a few chives dressed with lemon juice and sea salt. We actually finished the dry Touraine wine the next day with a lovely Saint Maure de Touraine. It tasted of honey and mustard. Good goat's cheese tends to taste of honey and the drier ones can be enhanced with a trickle of honey. This cheese has a straw through the middle, to help it keep its shape. By the way, we never, ever put cheese in the fridge, except our parmesan for grating.