William Higham

There's also something of a debate about browning the meat or not. I've read old books that say it either way. But Simon Hopkinson makes a good point about the special sweetness of unbrowned lamb that's been slowly stewed...

In Russ Parson's How to Read A French Fry he gives a lovely cucumber salad to be served with salmon. We've long since been eating it on its own. It's peeling and seeding the cucumber and then slicing it into batons. Then its salted, rinsed and dried. Finally it's dressed with toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt, chopped coriander and dry-fried sesame seeds. Much recommended as a way to use up 2 or 3 cucumbers as part of a spread.

I'd recommend the chickens at Meat City, if you happen to be passing near Smithfields - you certainly have lots of other choices there too. http://www.meat-city.co.uk/ Not cheap, so it pay to use the bones for stock and coax as many meals out of the chicken as possible. But simply exceptional - so not at all overpriced. The chickens are from Essex, I think - rather surprisingly.

Last year I mixed up Pimms with the usual garnish but with homemade still lemonade and soda water. A hugely more satisfying drink. Tonic water, instead of a purely sweet mixer, is also worth a try.

If you are in a steaming mood, I'd recommend potatoes. I think the end results is marginally better than boiled - and I find the process easier to control and monitor precisely. The advantage of some dedicated steamer pans is having two trays, and, if you find rose petal steamers as fiddly as it do, have steamer tray robust enough not to tip sprouts around the kitchen...

I second the ice-cream thought. Plain crystallised ginger ice-cream made with a custard base goes wonderfully with a huge range pies and tarts.

It may just be supersition, but I think that hot-water crust pastry is crisper when made with 5-10g of icing sugar added to the flour. I have done it with and without and I think it's better with...

In Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, UK, the local artisan brewery near where we stay has resurrected stout made with oysters: http://www.ventnorbrewery.co.uk/ I have never tried drinking it with oysters. But a glass is a wonderfully soothing nightcap all on its own...

omg, blood oranges and rosewater are two of my favorite things!! please share your sorbet recipe!! thanks!! ← I got the recipe from the second Moro cookbook It's that rare sequel that's better than the original. I am pretty new to this site and ignorant about copyright on recipes. I don't know whether I can copy it out? It couldn't be simpler though. It's a syrup made with rosewater and sugar. Then the juice of blood oranges, lemon and some orange zest. Much recommended.

I have really enjoyed sorbets made with blood orange juice and a syrup with rose water. The fresh sharpness of the blood orange and the scented flavour of the rose water work better together than they have any right to...

I have just bought four tins of Welsh laver on a whim. There they sit in the cupboard. Other than making the cakes with oats, I have no inspiration. Has anyone experienced a good recipe or technique?

I'd recommend Meat City, http://www.meat-city.co.uk/, on the Farringdon Road. Nigel Armstrong runs it as a one man business. The meat is sensational across the board, and he really knows his stuff.

I see the observer food monthly as an extra and so am glad when it has a few good things in it - it's more than I would have otherwise. That means I can skip pass the purple prose, celebrity waffle and the endless promise of easy, quick receipes. If there is something good, that's good enough. The only bit that truly grates is the restaurant booking column, as mentioned, where people pretend to be calling on behalf of celebrities. I can't help but imagine the work experience person, or new graduate with flaming cheeks and shaking hands, making another embarassing call to waste people's time - and how is the end result truly different from one week to another? My reading highlight comes on Wednesdays, when the LA Times food pages are updated on the internet. Russ Parsons and his team almost always have something new to write about, and something for me to cook on Saturday. Midweek is when a lift is needed most, especially Wednesday, the saggiest day of the week.

Writing from the UK, I have never even heard of roasting potatoes from raw. I steam or boil them, cut into large even chunks, add them to a tray of oil not much short of smoking, toss and place in a hot oven. They always come off with generous planes of crunchy skin and tender flesh inside.

A little late in the day, I know, but Fortnums and Masons stock a small selection of verjus. I had no luck in many many other London shops.