Mike Hunt

Totally irrelivant waste of time which can detract from the time and effort put into what you order in the first place. Of the pre starters/desserts I've tasted in the past only the very highly skilled can pull it off in term of giving something startling, fresh or thought provoking. The rest just makes you wonder what crap is coming next.

If you do nothing else, make sure you visit the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry. It's small, doesn't get a lot of visitors (which is a good thing) and produces (OIMO) the best whisky to come out of Scotland. You can also go on the Speyside Tour which takes in about 4 distilleries. From memory they go to Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glen Grant and a cooperage at Craigellachie. There is a Whisky Heritage Centre in Edinburgh but that's a bit of a tourist attrocity.

Family reunions, boil in the bag omelettes, this is a very subtle joke, right ?

Luckily there's still people aound like you Mike, with taste and standards, for the rest of us to look up to and learn from. ← Good to know that you know your place in the great pecking order

This just goes to underline that there is absolutely no accounting for taste (or the lack of it).

When I saw this on T.V I was impressed..I was thinking to myself, this thing is going to be huge.. I have no desire to eat it, but its a smart idea.. Its kind of like what I used to feed my dog. I would do a bottom layer of rice, then vegetables, then meat on top...Then cover the whole thing with either the meat juice or water.. America is going to love this thing.. ← Which says it all .........

Strawberries + Bruschetta ................. I'm sure there's been some sort of crime being committed here.

Last of the heats I think. The problem with this dross is they've tried to make a little content go a long, long way. If you just watch the program broadcast on a Friday you've virtually missed nothing at all. Who gives a damn about where they 'source' ingredients as most individuals with more than 2 braincells will know anyway. BTW - That bloke Rimmer who used vegetarian black pudding needs a good kicking for that alone.

Not really sure if this is the correct route, however, I'd dump the egg in favour of chilled sparkling mineral water. This has worked for me on anything I've deepfried.

Thanks for the compliment. I enjoyed the mustard... but now I've got to ask what piccalilli is! I mean, I'm going to have to try making pork pie again, so I'd better know... ;> -J. ← Loosely speaking piccalilli is pickled vegetables (cauliflower, gherkin and onion) in a mild mustard based sauce. http://thefoody.com/preserves/piccalilli.html The best raised pie I ever made was very similar to your first effort, however, I split the pork mixture with a few chicken breasts and covered that with rest of the pork. Once you've mastered the pastry you can virtually use any type of meat. Another variation is to omit the top crust and cover the pork with some cranberries that have been soaked in a light sugar syrup.

Ditto. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that is a good pie. Don't know about the mustard though, I would have chosen a nice piccalilli.

Smoked Eggs.......deeeelish.

A bit of an urban myth. True the first low quality supermarket type pizzas were deep fried, but never battered. (maybe only as a one off joke) The curious thing is that the people who deep fried these pizzas were of Italian decent. Work that one out !!! ← Not an urban myth at all: they were definitely battered and on at least one occasion included the plastic wrapping. Specifically it was a chip shop in Brechin where we used to stop off when returning from school trips down south. I'm not telling you something which happened to a friend of a friend: it happened to me. ← I'm beginning to suspect this is a bit of an East of Scotland affliction Never seen them battered in the West. On a more healthier note, I was in a chippy in South Queensferry about 15 years ago who offered tempura veggies !!!

Wouldn't repeat your last comment near the vicinity of Valvona & Crolla

Ah the Peoples Republic of Edinburgh. That explains everything. I thought we were referring to Scotland. All kidding aside, I've never seen them battered, however, that still doesn't explain why Italians would deep fry a pizza.

A bit of an urban myth. True the first low quality supermarket type pizzas were deep fried, but never battered. (maybe only as a one off joke) The curious thing is that the people who deep fried these pizzas were of Italian decent. Work that one out !!!

......... and what about a 'Fish Tea' ?

Ditto. I thought supper was something that was consumed at home after 22.00. What about the Scottish term 'Fish Supper' when referring to Fish & Chips ? What's that all about ?

Four days have passed since I sent that email note, and no response yet. At this point, I think we'll just not "darken their doorway" again and have tatin elsewhere. ← Well done sir.

Good point! Shouldn't it be served with/after coffee as a petit four? (By the way, I also think they should be eaten with your hands..!) ← Completely agree. I consume chocolate as same as the next person, however, I never have it as dessert and tend to think of it as a bit of cop out from chefs with no talent.

This raises another question, can chocolate presented in this fashion actually be regarded as dessert ?

Both article and certificate, Mike Hunt! Kinda like that old joke: First prize: a week in _____ hotel Second prize: three weeks in _____ hotel ... ← Yes, if in doubt tell an old joke I've only even been in a TGIs once. I was taken aback (as most Brits) by the servile (purile) style of waiting. This poor girl covered in button badges announced that she was our server for the evening then got down on her knees. Didn't know what was going to happen next

Which one is the bad news ?

More than 2 menu items not available or that old standby ... an A4 sheet on the door/window saying closed for re-furb.

beef dripping ?