Brithack

my old flatmate collects weird bottles of local liqueurs, which all his friends bring back with them from holiday. every now and then he goes off on a bender (which of us doesn't). the stand-out cocktail he made was banana liqueur, feni, creme de menthe and ouzo. i didn't try it - coward that i am - but it looked gross. at university we used to do yards of ale with creme de menthe, called Martians. and not alcoholic, but the sports mad ones at university had pints of orange juice and coke. they looked like mud.

there are lots of Asian grocers in Soho, of course, on Brewer St. But there's a clump of Malaysian shops on either Hogarth or Kenway Road opposite Earls Court tube as well.

I soak my clay pot before EVERY use, not just the first time. Aside from the fact that it makes all the food cooked in it extremely succulent (I imagine it steams a little because of the absorbed water), I've never had any problems with cracking.

Glasgow - Rogano's. It's a Rennie Mackintosh 1920s Art Deco dream of a place, and with good seafood. Skye- The Three Chimneys, I agree - but it's much more expensive than your budget allows. Great, though. The only place I've ever been that can make swede soup taste good. Edinburgh - Martin Wishart, though again will break your budget.

South Bank is not too far from Borough Market, though other than that there's not much around there... Marylebone is a great up and coming area. Also Northcote Road near Clapham Junction (on Waterloo train line one stop south) has a good weekend market, though that would mean living south of the river (whisper it - the horror...)

Its also known as a shoulder, picnic shoulder, Boston Butt or Fore leg of a pig. The rear leg is a ham (fresh or smoked.) Not a stoopid question. Did you notice the picture on the right? Its from a recent England v. Ireland rugby game. ← Thank you! wonder why 'butt' though if it's the fore shoulder...? maybe something to do with its shape? thought it referred to - you know - ass...

OK stoopid question. What's 'butt'? We don't have the expression in England.

Club Gascon and Smiths are good - but it really HAS to be St John. and don't worry - even squeamish eaters can find menu items to suit - it's not ALL offal!

I wouldn't bother with La Fromagerie personally. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Neal's Yard will suit you just fine. ← Interesting. What makes you say that quality of the cheese? Selection? I actually prefer it to Neal's Yard only because it has a much broader array of choices. I could see a very strong argument though for Neal's Yard Irish/British focus making it more essential for a visitor to London. ← I don't like it. The last two occasions I went to La Fromagerie some of the cheeses weren't in the fantastic condition the place's reputation deserves, whereas I've never had that problem in Neal's Yard. Another gripe - and I realise this isn't to do with the cheese - is that I find the staff at La Fromagerie cold and snooty - and quick to point out any gaps in one's knowledge - whereas the Neal's Yard team are always impeccable, accommodating, friendly - I just find it a more pleasant experience.

I wouldn't bother with La Fromagerie personally. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Neal's Yard will suit you just fine.

Only in morally inferior countries like the UK, Jack. ← What? We don't even HAVE cocktail mini-bagels here.

this is so true. i've vowed to myself that next time i go to london or paris or barcelona or rome for longer than a couple of days i'm going to get an apartment instead of a hotel room. we were just in barcelona for a week and the boqueria market was driving me nuts because i couldn't buy and cook anything. there's a stall in borough market that sells chorizo and arugula sandwiches that are so simple and so tasty that it's amazing. they're also cheap. ← that's Brindisa. great place. i'm a Wyndham Farm chicken wrap girl myself, though.

Just cooking Italian sausages with lentils, oregano and tomatoes. Yesterday did wild mushroom risotto with truffles and wild rocket (US = arugula). Yum. Friday had home-smoked chicken, rocket and mango salad with lime juice dressing.

Just an idea snowangel...: Everyone likes fish pie (in England anyway) and fish is quite Eastery. So as well as your ham, why not make a fish pie base the night before and grate on a rosti topping and bake off for lunchtime the next day? I have a fabulous fish pie recipe if you're interested?

Depends what you like. Lebanese tends to be good value, especially if you're in the Edgware Road area, as does Indian (though be careful - higher-end Indians can be as spenny as anywhere...) Tapas is also good - try Ole opposite Fulham Broadway tube station. If you want trad Brit, then fish 'n' chips - Brady's in Wandsworth old town is good - but you have to queue as they don't take bookings. There's also a mental steak house in York Road, Wandsworth/Battersea called Jack's Place - it's certainly... errrrm... eccentric - but fun. The sushi and noodle bars in Soho are quite good value, and it's good to explore the streets of Soho while you look for somewhere you like. I'd avoid Chinatown though - comically rude waiters and sub-standard food to flog to tourists. Also, London is famous for its 'gastropubs', and very good they are too. Check out http://www.viewlondon.com/eat_feat_gastropubs_best.asp . The food will be cheaper than in a restaurant and the atmosphere far more relaxed - this is also how most Londoners eat out during the week so you'll be joining the locals. If you're here on Friday then you MUST check out Borough Market - a very old food market near London Bridge. But you'll suffer frustrated cook syndrome if you don't have access to an oven. Eating here on the run is a good bet though - don't miss Wyndham Farm's chicken wraps, or Brindisa's jamon Iberico Joselito (though this is DEFINITELY not a budget ham!). Go in the morning - it gets very crowded at lunchtime with office workers looking for lunch/food for the weekend, and tends to start winding down after the lunchtime rush. Also if you want an English breakfast and an unforgettable experience go to Smithfield's Market. There's an incredible place there that caters for the workers at this meat market, offering beer and monumental fry-ups very early in the day (mostly used by those reprobate members of the public who haven't yet been home). Youhave to get there early - the market starts closing at around 8 - but if you fancy a pint and an artery-clogging place of protein then this is the gaff for you.

WHAT a shame! Shame on all of us. Afteroon tea is fab - but beginning to think it's only so if you're British. Criminal.

Me: crunchy peanut butter and raisins on wholemeal bread. Like Cadbury's fruit and nut without the chocolate. Yum... Boyfriend: last night's leftover takeaway curry - heated up - between slices of white toast. Eugh...

A great friend of mine - the gentlest soul in the world - is constantly tampering with her diet. She's stick thin, and has wavered between vegan, vegetarian and pescetarian (sp?) for all the years I've known her. Everybody has their talents, but cooking is not among hers. So I avoided all her invitations until I couldn't find any more good reasons, and went round to her flat for supper while she was in a vegan phase. She boiled up some wholemeal fusilli until it was soggy (with no salt in the water), mashed some parsnips without butter (animal fat - BAD) or seasoning, and mixed the two together, poured the slimy beige slop into a baking tin, dotted feta cheese on the top and stuck it in the oven for about half an hour. Which meant that I had 30 minutes to anticipate the horror of eating that creation. Vile.

Juicy pink roast rack of lamb from the fabulous Ginger Pig butchers, the first Jersey Royals (a fortnight early!), sweet mini carrots and buttered curly kale, with a lovely marsala and pan juices gravy.

At lunchtime - chicken wrap from Borough Market - the best food market in Britain - near London Bridge. Warm Label Anglaise chicken (move over inferior French poultry) with mayonnaise AND spicy tomato salsa. Mmm...

You can't do better than Nigella's Nutella cake (do you have Nutella in America?) Especially good for feeding annoying people who don't do wheat... It's wheat-free and you get to put in a WHOLE big jar of Nutella. In fact, Green & Black's 'nutella' is even better in it. Yum.