AnythingButPlainChocolate

I'm guessing, rather than a corky lump than penetrates the skin, it's like a hard dark brown/black flake that can be picked off or brushed off? If so it's a fungus known as potato rhizoctonia, or black scurf. (Info can be found here.) It doesn't cause a problem to taste, but it is quite common on home grown and potatoes sold unwashed.

This is a new book out on chocolate, has anyone read it/is it worth investing in?

I actually bought that book last week and have started plodding through it for ideas, thanks Chris. And thanks for the advice Edward. I'm hoping to come up with something involving pumpkin oil, so will just tinker with it.

I'd love to start playing with different oils in chocolate fillings, does anyone know of any books that cover this subject? Also, as an aside, I went to the Speciality Chocolate Fair in London this past weekend and saw a presentation by Damian Allsop from Damian Allsop Chocolates making a water-based mouse, he gave out some of his fresh mint chocolates which use the same technique, and the flavour was very very clean. Apart from going on a course he'll be setting up at some point next year, does anyone have any pointers on chocolate and water?

Dependant upon the month count me as a Maybe, I've got a little one due the end of January so not sure if I'd be up to transatlantic travel early in the year.

I tend to use kale as a savoy cabbage substitute. Very good thinly shredded and used in a summer soup like a minestrone.

My other half is veggie, and, being a lazy cook, this makes me mostly veggie too. I can't say I miss it all that much, I might eat meat once a month or so, or if we eat out. Never been overly fussed with meat, I OD'd on meat when I was living with my parents as my mother believed you had to eat meat every day at least twice a day. I find pasta and pizza are always very easy to accomplish without meat.

Roast them up in the oven and turn into pretty much any Italian pasta sauce.

Fishermans Friend. Throat lozenges, but absolutely awful.

I'm a grower of tomatoes and usually cook the vast majority. Last year I turned 10 lbs of toms into preserves for people for Christmas. I've not encountered this opinion with tomatoes, but then I've never been given any home grown toms either.

I've seen those whisks a lot in the UK, here's a seller, at least it gives you the brand name to search for online now!

Next week I'll be in Leominster/Ludlow/Hereford and the surrounds. Does anyone have any recommendations for the area?

Or carry an olive de-stoner and use it on the cherries before you eat them. When I'm freezing mine I use a machine to de-pip them like this one.

Hi all, I've been given some Felchlin Cru Sauvage as a sample by a supplier and it is delicious, however I know it's (understatement alert) meant to be a bit of a pain to temper. Does anyone have any hints or tips for handling this chocolate? Sorry if I've posted this in the wrong forum.

Thanks for that, it seems such a niche market for somethig so popular. I can get magazines on bacon or sausages, but chocolate...

Does anyone know of any chocolate/confectionery specific publications available in the UK? There's lots of magazines that have it as a sub-section, but I'm unaware of any specifics. Does anyone know of any?

My guilty secret - Jamie Magazine (Jamie Oliver).

Proper cherry season won't be in the UK until late June sadly, as it's my favourite season. A few years ago I found a cherry tree near an old office of mine that's laiden with cherries that no-one picks and they're the best cherries I've ever had. I've been growing a handful of the pips from them every year for the past few years in the hope I can secretly plant up the cherries and get them closer to home. As it's a wild tree I have no idea about the type, but it's a dark sweet cherry, maybe related to a Morello.

Thanks for the advice all, you've convinced me, melters are the way to go as I can continue to use them in the future if/when I expand. I'm glad I posted! And especially thanks lapin, it's nice to have some regional-specific advice. The heat in my place isn't a problem with 3 foot thick stone walls (I live in an 1800's school house) but the humidity is worth noting. I was going to buy a de-humidifyer for the room and a wine chiller with de-humidifying salts to store the chocolate in for that very reason.

I wasn't sure how well a water-based melter would work with the chocolate (not wanting to ad extra moisture into the chocolate), but the decent melters I did find were about the same prices as the small temperers, although naturally the melters could hold more chocolate. Are the melters accurate enough to hold in temper for a long time while doing a lot of dipping? I'm happy enough with manually tempering as that's how I learnt.

So I've noticed. I've been looking into it for a few months now (hence the jealousy at what's unavailable). I was hoping for something larger than the Rev2, but am realistic that until my sales pick up, it's going to be that or a less well-known (to me) brand. I've tried looking around my area to find a kitchen I could rent with chocolate making equipment, but have so far lucked out. So I'm hoping to spend as little as possible with the hope that once I start networking with others either kitchen availability or more money will come up and I can move out of my kitchen into something a bit more suited. My turn-over is likely to be small to start with (as with before, I have to be realistic, even if I hope for better) so a 1.5lb unit will be sufficient. I've been looking around and have seen a few different makes available in the UK, but it is but a handful: ChocoVision (a well known make), Chocolatier Electroniqu (an unknown for me, not been able to find out much about them) and Chocolate World.

I did read the John Lewis thread with interest yesterday, but purely from a tummy rumbling point of view rather than thinking about tempering. I can see how, with a bit of practice it's eminently do-able.

My father used to be a chef and used to use a mixture of Marmite and British (hot) mustard in the gravy for meals. Years later I only found this out after serving him the very same thing due to cooking veggie gravy for my other half, sneaky beef(ish) taste.

My favourite thing to cook in my PC is rice pudding. Rather than cooking for hours in the oven I can make this sweet treat in about 15 minutes! Very nice with Amaretto drizzled in and crushed Amaretti biscuits on top!

It looks like it might be a bumper crop of Elder Flower this year, I've already filled up a freezer with it and it's only just started blooming! Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just Bristol and the surrounds?