erica graham

"Schadenfreude" Now there's a word I'm going to save for anothertime!!!

We get asked this question when we participate in offers, although we can't afford the 2 course for £5 one!! The answer is as given above, it lets new guests try us out for minimal risk, and we get a good percentage of return visits!! Also its good for everyone (kitchen and out front) to be busy in traditionally quiet periods of the year. I must say though I'm amazed how far people will drive to get a good deal !!

I always find that a good national review is good for you to get out on a bad day to make you feel better, but you don't always see an enormous response straight away to a review, although everyone who comes in over the next few months will tell you that they saw you in a paper (although they normally will mention one that you know you haven't actually been in!!) So I'd say they are better for keeping momentum going rather than "making" a restaurant.

I have to agree here about national reviews. We've had a fair few this year, but what makes your business work, is concentrating on those bums on your seats day in and out. Its great to read about yourself, but in the countryside word of mouth does it the best every time. Guide books are basically good for press releases, and displaying to all you know( and reading everyone else's entries, but TBH the only guide book that we know brings them in is GFG, normally because they can't help telling you (and we offer the £5 voucher scheme).

We are tiny, but only take cash tips, no service charge, and the tips get equally shared out throughout the staff (including wash ups etc) once a week. As the majority of the staff are full time and on salary, this keeps it fair and transparent. Personally, I prefare our higher wage percentage and clear conscience regarding service charge- especially as out of London it is not seen as acceptable, and as when I worked as a waiter, I never believed that tips or service charge were shared fairly, and was proved right on many occassions. The staff much prefare this, as the tips jar is glass, everyone can see whats happening (in fact they do the sharing out!!), and our staff have been with us between 3 years and 9 years, so I can see that it works for us!!

I always add marmite to any mincmeat recipe- cottage pie etc, and to gravy....can't say I'm as mad about it as the rest of my family...they fight about it. Recently bought a squeezy jar, but you still get some left that you can't quite get to!!!

Didn't know if anyone knew, but there are websites out there listing which restaurants are serving the foie gras that they want to ban so much, and there are some very aggresively active protestors too!! Can't say it's stopping us though!!

It always seems to be the week before Michelin, to try and "steal a march" so to speak...BUT they always say that every guide is out of date the day after its released, so perhaps they are just trying to keep it all as up to date as possible......not!

As a child I would be taken as a treat to little chef on the way back from visiting Blackpool Lights- I would always order the Jubilee Pancake!!

Bit busy this weekend!!! However I'll hit the internet on my day off and let you know!! But Santa's been busy this year and I love Sous Vide Joan Rocca and Frederic Bau's new Chocolate Fusion book!

Brilliant, thats sorted out one christmas present for me- thanks!!

I was just looking at them and wondering if they were "before" or "after" publicity shots !!

nobody deserves to work that hard for so long for so little return ← I must quickly add that I was laughing at my hubby, and his inability to pass the V&B shop and ebay. I am certainly in no position to laugh at the couple, as we work similar hours each week- only we close two days a week to make it all worthwhile. I'm not that horrid- honest!!

I recorded it and showed it to my old man- God I laughed my socks off!!!!!! Especially when I saw the plates saved on a shelf for use on "another dish" ( although we do use ours a bit more than that, so they don't actually get cling filmed!! Did I ever tell you the one about the water bath we bought from ebay.................

IMHO I'd vote for Simpsons!! Edited to add that new 2007 GFG gives Simpsons a higher rating (6) to Jessicas (5) and I think that the review reads better....

The problem is with Honey Fungus that some people will get a upset tummy as a reaction with Honey Fungus, no matter what you do! The Beef steak mushroom has to be soaked in milk to get rid of bitterness. The cepes are all Boletus, but not all Boletus edulis!! Complicated I know!! But they taste and smell amazing! Will have more tomorrow BTW!! Edited to add that apparentley, 60% of the population are allergic to Wood Blewit too!! (it will make you throw up !!! )

We'll give it a try with baby rice, I'll let you see a picture of how we get on!! many thanks for all the help Erica

like baby rice?

sorry- not trying to sound stupid, but in UK no-one has heard of it! Cream of rice is Rice Pudding over here!!!!!!! We are going to make the chocolate coulant with caramel center as and when we solve the cream of rice mystery!

I am trying to track down the creamed rice for this recipe- any ideas?

Clifton are exhibiting at The Restaurant Show this week, not sure about all the other manufacturers, but I expect they will be demonstrating aswell.

We had the tasting menu too- my 6 yr old loved it!!

Alternatively, you can create something very cool by removing the brined skin and flattening it out betwen two silicione pads and crisp it up in the oven to create 'crispy chicken skin crisps'. We use these for either decorating the chicken (adding a different texture to the sous-vide chicken) or we use them as part of an amuse with a 'ratte potatoes puree with espresso' (its devine believe me!) ← I ate something similar at Tragabuches in Spain recently as an amuse topped with a raw quails egg yolk- very scrummy!

my guess will be Bacchus?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PS Just seen a non-commercial vac pac machine for sale for £99.99 from nisbets, not sure how long it would last though as it looks like its a third of the size of our commercial one, but considerably cheaper if you wanted to have a go at home, and have some worktop space left! www.nisbets.com

Seen it!!