grahamR

Marmite Cheesecake – what an interesting idea. I’ll second the vote for recipe, or pictures of you in A&E

Where might I buy cocoa butter (for the home making of chocolates).

You might be interested in this. Also, if you're ever in London, head up to Islington where Paul Young makes a Marmite Chocolate. (I hate it! )

Leon has good stuff. Agra I remember being excellent and good value, but I'm not sure if it's quite under a tenner. The Rock and Sole Place Good chippy, where you can sit outside in the summer. (Do try their Mushy Peas, even if you don't think you like mushy peas.) greasy sppons ahoy! : New Piccadilly A classic. The Lorelei An experience.

That, sir, is a very useful thing to know. Cheers!

I don’t feel insulted or patronised by the OP and although I don’t agree with the conclusions I find the thoughts stimulating. I’ve had far too many occasions eating at the Little Chefs –my parents love booking cheap rooms at Travel Lodge when we’re visiting. The quality of Little Chef food is grim. When the omelettes arrive in a van you know that fine dining is not the top priority. I’m not sure the failure of Little Chef is that its food isn’t healthy, simply that it’s bad. In greedier moments, a greasy spoon cafe (“caff”) can be perfectly wonderful. Just what the Doctor wouldn’t order – but honest, cheap, filling and tasty. It’s do-able. If they can run one by South Croydon bus garage they can run one on the side of the motorway. That said, M&S Simply Food stores in the service stations are decidedly a step in the right direction. I don’t think there will ever be a South Mimms Services Farmer’s Market, but we can live in hope.

Look closely. Very closely... Look into the eyes... Not around the eyes, look into the eyes...

I would so enjoy seeing Dennis Nordon introducing that clip.

Last week, Ramsey made one of the two sisters cry. The lady was an antiques dealer, which I suppose could easily be confused with gangster. No signs of tears though from the man with more money than he could reaonably spend if he lived to be 1000 years old. I'm not sure what could make him cry? His tax bill? Being made to actually write his own books? Being made to eat those chocolates he sells through Tesco!

And the situation is even worse with one of these babies! It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The horror of Tesco Cassoulet simply pales into insignificance when faced with the true Godzilla of crap: Iceland's "Famous" King Prawn Ring (only £3). It looks more suitable as a site for pagan ritual than as something you'd eat. It might almost make an amusing Christmas Wreath were it not for obvious health, safety and cat issues.

I think they are exactly pitching for the omnipotent Gordon image. Hence the CCTV installations going on in his kitchens.

Given that he’s just a presenter – you’d think he could take his £67 million, get off the f**king telly and give someone else a job. The greedy bastard. And if he could stop making those bloody awful “chocolates” for Tesco I’d be really, really grateful.

The pizza episode seemed to have less to say than the previous three. The use of a pressure cooker offers some interesting possibilities, but the thing with the upside-down pan looked like the start of an episode of Casualty. (Turn the pan the other way up, perhaps?) On the plus side, at least he wasn’t banging on about that daft sense-memory stuff. While many people have, quite strong, associations with food I can’t help but feel he’s exploring an intellectual dead-end. Our childhood associations, which he seems most interested in, are deeply individual. My memory of my grandmothers lamb stew (which contained turnip, pearl barley and black pudding) would be meaningless to almost everyone else. For more common associations – the smell of a fish and chip shop – it seems a lot easier to go to a fish and chip shop!

I didn’t “get” the steak method: burn the outside with a blowtorch (for our lovely Maillard reaction), cook on low for ages (don’t want to denature those proteins), cut off the outside of the steak, fry it again. The Maillard reaction as induced by a blowtorch is a surface reaction. Why brown the surface of the meat, cut it off, then brown it again?

I assume the mad scientist glasses were a gift form the BBC in lieu of giving him a proper scoliotic assistant. They really are special.

I'm gearing up for making Christmas Puddings. I have one large basin and four smaller ones, which I need to steam for about 8 hours. Rather than do it in two batches, can this be done in the oven? I was considering using a baking tray 1/4 filled with water, a trivet, placing the basins on top, then baking at 120C. It's a fan oven.

Only Delia has that honour. (Please don't resent her knockers too.)

I thought the BFG episode was a gem. The full detail on those recipes can't really be done on TV, so for once it's a book spin-off that's worth it... And apart from the thing with the hoover, I'd try that at home. (Anyone want to set up a business supplying pre-aerated slabs of quality chocolate? )

Paul Rankin did that on the tele years ago as a tip to prevent bbq'd sausages being burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. ← Now you come to mention it, Ainsley Harriot did a lot of work with dry ice in the early 90's. I think he was playing Abanaza at the Doncaster Playhouse.

poached then fried... d'you know, I might try that with some Porkinsons!

Bob Ross? btw: his only academic qualification is honorary.

Minus 200C is the temperature of liquid nitrogen, which he uses at the fat duck and used for the first demo. Dry ice is minus 80, which is what he recommends for use at home as it’s easier to get. (Suppliers listed in the book.) I found HB much more at ease on the broadcast show than the DVD. So I take back the “clunky” comment.

The Times is publishing the recipes.