ravelda

This is a fantastic cheese, the Granddaddy of all stilton. 3 nice ways of using it would be 1) top figs with it, wrap in pancetta and grill - delicious, 2) in a salad with rocket, pea shoots and red wine poached pears and a basil vinaigrette, and a slightly unusual combination that I discovered recently 3)Lobster salad with rocket, walnuts, walnut oil and the stilton - I was dubious about this but the creamyness and strength of flavour of the stilton is offset perfectly with the texture and sweetness of the lobster. Happy eating!

WEll Gary, my colleague thought the place was fantastic and has said that she will spread the word. They all loved the ambience and said they would come back and stay at some point soon, so thanks for that!

Nice menu - I only wish that I was going! I will have to trek over at some point soon!

No probs at all Gary - from Bapi and Andy's recommendations it was a no brainer!

Well, on the back of so much praise for the Blacksmiths Inn, whilst I have (sadly) not been able to pull myself over to York, when a colleague asked for a good restaurant in York for tomorrow evening for 6 people, I naturally recommended you Gary, and I believe she is now booked in with 6 people tomorrow! I am sure I will be very jealous when I hear about what a fantastic time she had!

Am off to Pied a Terre this evening, so will post later on in the week along with a run down on my meal at RHR last week, and La Noisette a couple of weeks before - it will be interesting to see how they all compare!

Thanks for that MobyP, I spotted it about an hour after I posted that on here! Looks like I am going to dip my toe in with some Mauviel Copper pans for the tidy sum of £600!

Thanks a lot for all these responses, and the advice. I am planning on looking around for a while and deffinately wont be paying standard prices, and then when I find the exact pans i want I will search for deals. I will be sure to look at that website as well Octaveman - thanks for that.

Since my new thread has for some reason been removed (I would guess duplication of an earlier thread, but who knows), I thought that I would repost my question here. I am looking to invest in some new pans that I would hope will be with me for a significant part of my life. I currently have some Meyer Analon pans which are great, but despite the sales pitch that they are fine with metal utensils, having seen others who have ruined their pans using metal in them, I have never gone down this route, but this can be quite restrictive. I am therefore looking for some advice/recommendations for a new saute pan, omelette pan and frying pan, as well as any advice as to whether opting for copper-based pans is worth the extra money. Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated!

I know similar threads have floated around the site, but I wanted to get peoples opinion about copper base pans vs stainless steel, and whether it is worth the extr cost. I am looking to make a big one-off investment in some new pans that will last me a lifetime. I currently have some very good analon pans, but to be honest I do not risk using metal utensils as I have seen these pans ruined by these despite the claim that they are suitable to use with analon pans. I would love suggestions for heavy duty use both in pro kitchen and home kitchen. Any thoughts?

I'm off to Pied a Terre next Tuesday for dinner so will be interesting to see how it compares to your experience Chris - I must admit I have only had good meals there, but I haven't been for about 6 months. I do tend to feel that this place is the more exiting of the 4 two michelin starred restaurants in London

I tend to agree with you all round Jon, I went a couple of weeks ago (I have been meaning to put up a full review - will get around to it later on!) and thought the food was very good 1*+ with potential for future 2*, but I was not a huge fan of the room and like am dubious about the site - a poisoned chalace and not overly accessible. Time will tell I guess! Hope it lasts as I am a fan of Bjorn.

I agree Jon and I'm not knocking it, merely commenting on the lack of 2 stars pushing the boundary for 3 - one star places seem to be more interesting at the mo.

Agreed with the above, I went to the square about 2 weeks ago and felt that the protions were miserly, and I just did not feel that the food was at all inspirational. I think this is a problem with most of the 2 star places in London, The Square, Le Gavroche and The Capital, the only exception in my mind being Pied a Terre. I find some of the one star places like Petrus and Tom Aikens far more interesting, and I wonder if that is because they are trying to push the boundaries to get up to 2 stars, whereas the Square etc have are at this level and therefore are taking the safe steady-eddy approach in order to ensure that they don't loose their accolade - thoughts?

Hi Ludja, I couldn't agree more about the amazing recipes and ideas that are being posted - thanks all for your rapid responses. You know it really does make me marvel at what a wonderful resource this is - a global network of people brought together over food, sharing ideas and inspiration all bound together with a good serving of passion. Considering that the origin of language and culture is based around food with humans forming language whilst being around campfires at meal times and progressing from symbols to grunts and then on to more advanced dialects, this site is wholly appropriate and a reflection of the benefits of the internet. Please keep the posts coming with inspirations and recipes, with so many wonderful squashes available, and hearty home cooking taking centre stage as we move into the cooler winter months (well cold at least if you are in the UK as I am), the more recipes and ideas the better!

Endive works really well with a little sliver of foie gras ballotine and a honey mustard vinagrette, otherwise you get a good boudain noir, remove the skin and saute with butter and garlic puree, and sit a seared scallop on the endive, other, top with a quenelle of the boudain and serve with a sauce of caremelised calvados apple puree and a small piece of crispy Alsace bacon

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will deffinately give them a go. The recommendations for the pumpkin ravioli and the risotto reminded me of a couple of version of these dishes that I did last year with some pumpkin and truffles. I am really looking for a nice stew-type recipe, ideally with Moroccan or Asian twist, and ideas?

There is a fair Japanese restaurant come noodle bar in the arcade directly opposite Liverpool street station. You can get away with a decent bowl of ramen or Vietnamese Pho and a drink and some siu mai or something like that for around £15. It is also a good place for a solo diner. Otherwise I can wholeheartedly reccomend St. John's B&W and Canteen as well.

thought some may find the below article from Hotel and Caterer interesting Gordon Ramsay set to take on first pub (20 September 2006 12:12) Gordon Ramsay’s first gastropub is set to be the Narrow Street Kitchen and Dining Room in London’s Limehouse. The celebrity chef has agreed terms to take over the lease of the property, which is owned by the Waterside Pub Partnership, the joint venture between British Waterways and Scottish & Newcastle. Gordon Ramsay Holdings, which already operates nine restaurants in London, is set to acquire the leasehold for the East London-based pub from current lessee Spirit Group. A spokesperson for Spirit said: “We have conditionally agreed the sale of the company’s leasehold interest in the Narrow Street Pub and Dining Room to Gordon Ramsay Holdings. This is subject to the consent of the landlord which Spirit hopes will be forthcoming soon.” Landlord, the Waterside Pub Partnership, was not available for comment. Ramsay said that although his pubs would sell beer and spirits, their primary role would be to serve high-quality food. He has reportedly decided against increasing his haul of seven Michelin stars by opening any new restaurants in the UK.

I have got two lovely looking pumpkins sitting at home that a friend gave me, and I have to admit, other than soups, I have never really cooked with this vegeatable, and so I was hoping that I may get some good recipes from people here on eGullett that I can used tonight. What I really fancy is a recipe for a nice stew with some spices like nutmeg or something similar. So can you help me reach a happy dinner solution?

I agree with Kutsu, Ramsay at Claridges do a fantastic and reasonably priced lunch. With prior warning I am sure they will cater for vegetarians, and you can't get more "brand named" than Gordon Ramsay, or Claridges for that matter!

Thanks again Erica, I will remember that. Are there any brands or things that I should look out for on the water bath at all, and what other kit do I need? Best, David

Hi Erica, thanks for the info, I will get ebaying!

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has a good kit a) what you need, b) what brands and where to get the necessary kit, and c) overall cost? Any ideas Matthew?

I must say, I am quite a purist on this one. I would recommend preparing immediately prior to eating, otherwise the meat begins to break down quickly as there is more surface area exposed to the elements. It is best to finley hand slice (using a blender can ruin the texture), and to leave the meat in the fridge until you are ready to cut and then serve. Mix the meat with finely chopped capers, cornichons or gherkin (finely chopped), finely diced shallots, tabasco, salt and pepper, and a couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce. mix with a cold spoon, plate up, and add a whole egg yolk on top (make a well in the mixture to allow this to sit on top). Serve with fresh melba toast - divine!