beaker

Any further thoughts/updates on Brighton food scene - am down there this coming weekend on a last minute trip?

Went here for lunch the other day with a few colleagues from work. Nice buzzy atmosphere at lunch time and great steaks (we only went for mains and everyone had steak). Only downside was the service - an hour and a quarter to get the food (admittedly we were a table of 7 but still it seems a bit long, particularly at lunch) then a couple of the steak orders came out wrong (as in not cooked to order). I'd ordered rare and was given a steak that was medium. I mentioned this to the waiter (politely, I'm quite a shy type!) presuming I'd been given the wrong order, who preceeded to argue with me and insist it was rare. The person next to me pointed out that it was clearly more well done than her medium to rare but for some reason he continued to insist it was rare. I'd actually (partly due to the wait and also because I didn't want to spoil the meal for everyone) just have just eaten the medium steak, but his attitude in continuing to claim it was rare was bugging me. Anyway as he is standing there have this slightly ridiculous discussion another waitress came over and stated "rare steak - we sent out a medium by mistake". So they swopped it over - but no apology. As i said the steak itself was fantastic, but I do think that when you are a specialist steak joint your waiters should be able to see whether a steak is rare or not (or admit to a mistake). Hopefully a one off, as feedback from most other people I know who have been there has been great.

Thanks everyone!

Hi all I'm meeting a friend for lunch in Peterborough next week and, not being an area either of us really knows, was wondering if anyone could suggest somewhere for a casual but good lunch?

Will do - had actually booked for next weekend but am having to have my wisdom teeth out instead now

Your observation is pretty much right - there are good pubs for drinking but eating often isn't that great. Any particular bit of Northumberland (i.e. the north (nearer Berwick) or south (Morpeth/Bamburgh etc)?I've always tended to head into Newcastle - if you give me a bit more of an idea as to area I'll have a think. On the plus side there are an increasing number of farm shops etc with good produce springing up

I went to the Black Door brasserie at the Biscuit Factory for lunch the other day and was pleasantly surprised - the food had a lightness of touch and subtlety that lifted it above standard newcastle "brasserie" (for example what was previously offered by Barn there - which i liked but was much more robust) and made the 16.50 three course lunch deal really good value. Staff were still bedding in but exceptionally friendly and helpful. I haven't been to the main restaurant but have heard good things about it from people whose opinion I usually trust - definitely somewhere I'll be trying next time I'm back up there.

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It is legal to sell unpastuerised milk for the farm gate but not, I believe, through other outlets. How did we come to this? I think you can also get it mail order from some places - I order unpasteurised goats milk and get that delivered to London, I'd imagine somewhere must do the same for cows.

Why on earth would you want to give yourself food poisoning? ←

For food poisoning - teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a small glass of water

I am similarly a bit strapped for timing and fine the abel and cole boxes are really good because of that - saves the weekly schlep to the supermarkets. We are a household of two who get veggies, meat, eggs, fish etc from abel and cole and then probably go to Waitrose once every three weeks for bulky stuff, and that seems to work fine. Only thing I have found though is that it does mean you have to be quite disciplined in using all the abel and cole stuff - even if it isn't what you particularly fancy that evening, otherwise you can end up wasting vegetables.

He still is about the place - had dinner downstairs twice recently and both times he was around - not actually shucking but chatting to customers about what they thought about the food and just generally. The bar has a great atmosphere.

I went to Le Caprice (over a year ago now though) and found the service perfect with no distinction between celeb and non celeb - Bill Clinton and family even turned up and it still didn't miss a beat.

Highchef - just athought re Edinburgh places to stay (and London) - have you had a look at the Alastair Sawdays special places to stay website (just google it)? They often have good recommendations for B and B's which are centrally located and some of which are very much like boutique hotels but a lot cheaper - some I even think allow you to effectively rent out a whole appartment for a couple of days - might be an option with a big family? You can't see the full review on the website but it does give links to the places own websites.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions - believe me they are needed

Hello All Just recently got engaged ( ) and am inevitably trying to find a wedding venue for next year. Being a bit of a foodie myself and also on the observation that all the weddings i've enjoyed most have been ones where the meal has been more than just edible I'd really like to try and find somewhere where the food is of a decent standard (which seems to be a bot of a radical requirement from the places I've been so far). The main problem with my quest is that my other half would like a biggish wedding (70 - 100 people). I appreciate this is a bit of a wide request but was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations at all? Budget is quite generous -ish (and the food will be the main spend - I'm skimping on the other stuff to get a good meal). Ideally we were looking either in the North east (where I'm from but seems pretty hopeless) or South west london/thames valley (i.e. places like Henley) - but if there was something great elsewhere would also be prepared to move. Any help appreciated!!

South African food: There is a restaurant on Upper Richmond Road (the east putney end) in Putney (not too far from Chiswick) called Chakalaka which I'm pretty certain does South African food. Never been there but have heard it isnt bad from a few friends who have eaten there. It is painted in zebra stripes so pretty much impossible to miss!

Pannis on the keyside is a pretty cheap OK Italian cafe, along with the cafe at the Tyneside live theatre (up a side street from the keyside). Cafe Paradiso also used to be relatively inexpensive for lunchtimes (it used to be split with one floor cheaper than the other - don't know if it still is) - it is up a side street off gray street/dean street near the Theatre Royal. There also used to be an OK place above one of the shops on what we called "the hippy field" - mind is blank as to its proper name but it is the square of grass between the back of the main bus station and the back of Eldon Square shopping centre. There also used to be (and I think still is) a Chinese supermarket opposite the marks and spencers/bus stop (across the main road) which had cheap groceries and used to do a 10% student discount - incase he decides to shop for food!

I completely agree with that - look at all the problems abel and cole have had getting enough organic chickens because apparently the market has gone crazy. I also rang and asked them about the amount of produce imported - apparently the majority is UK produced but they felt (correctly I'd imagine) that customers demand other none UK produce for variety. I do think you have to treat the order as a bit like supermarket shopping - going online each week and adding various extras in line with whatever is in the box - to get the best out of this type of shopping. Although i do try not to change the likes/dislikes too much each week as I understand one of the biggest problems for organic producers is getting a regular order so that crops can be planned to maximise profits/minimise wastage.

They sent out a letter about asparagus the other week (you can find it in past newsletters on their web). It isnt that it is out of season (website slightly confusing) but that they have had difficulty finding an organic asparagus grower who can meet their requirements - in both quality and quantity. They have therefore been working with a prospective grower but because asparagus plants take a long time to develop (apparently) they wont have any until next year. I've been using them ofor about 1 1/2 years - most of their veg and fruit is UK grown and of pretty good quality - the times it hasnt been when I have contacted them they have been pretty good and refunded.