MobyP

In today's Guardian, a collection of articles on the failures of the food industry. Malcom Gluck writes about England's wines... Hsiao-Hung Pai - "Immigration crackdown in Chinese kitchens serves up jobs crisis for restaurants." "Whereas in most other parts of western Europe it does not require much money to eat well, in Britain good food is still the preserve of a minority of expensive restaurants and specialist retailers, writes Andrew Anthony." And Polly Toynbee: "Mostly the middle class stays the right side of dangerously obese. In the highest echelons, those superthin lettuce-eaters Tom Wolfe calls the social x-rays know that thinness radiates high status, as surely as bound feet did in old China. "You can't be too rich or too thin," said Dorothy Parker. But fat means poor and out of control.

"England's wines fail to live up to the grandiose claims often made about them, says Malcolm Gluck."

The best thing would be to start a relationship with a fishmonger who could look out for some black cod on their trips to Billingsgate - although if you fancied getting up at 4 am, it's a wild place to go. They sell mostly in bulk, but I believe the general public are welcome-ish on Thursdays. You just have to be careful of getting your legs broken from the men racing around with the carts. Don't expect much in terms of courtesy; but it is an amazing sight.

That sounds like a great meal. I've found lamb sweetbreads extremely diifficult to get hold of amongst butchers and the Borough mkt lot. I was told (by the Herdwick lamb people) that the sweetbreads are so small, they're not worth it to extract. Also, they go off faster than the regular meats - so you were lucky indeed to find them on the menu. How were they prepared?

It's one thing working closely with your husband/wife. But to break up and have to keep working - it must be unbearable. How much has the menu changed from the last time you were there (which was only a couple of months ago, no?)?

7. Make Bresse our 'Sister City' and promise free housing and fast track immigration to anyone who can make it here with 1,000 chickens!

6. Order the Territorrial Army to invade Leeds, abduct the staff and all equipment from 3 York Place and Anthony's, and bring them to West London where they so clearly belong, thus preventing those Yorkies from feeling too smug.

4. Restaurants would charge their food at 30% of regular prices, one day each month, in return for tax breaks (wine excluded).

The two things that characterize everyone who has eaten at Aikens are firstly that no one agrees with anyone else, and that everyone thinks everyone else is nuts. If you enjoyed your meal, the first person you talk to would have hated theirs. I have had cooking both delicate and bold, flavours quiet and loud, presentations brash and restrained - and almost all of it exceptional. But I couldn't begin to explain to you the animus his food inspires in others. As to the Michelin stars - everyone starts with one, with almost no exceptions. He will no doubt attain more, so long as Michelin doesn't send him more than one inspector to deal with.

Wine in the UK Press Tim Atkin - decides he'll drink 'Anything But Chardonnay'. Richard Ehrlich - wine shopping can still be one of life's great joys. Anthony Rose - English fizz chalks up points with champagne. Cellar notes #35: Made in England. Pint to pint: the Holly Bush Inn. Andrew Catchpole's Make the French connection. Super plonk. Joanna Simon - Sauce.

Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. This week's selection comes from: The Times The Independent The Guardian The Observer The Telegraph This is London Restaurants Jay Rayner - Yauatcha. Terry Durack - Le Cercle. The Pilgrims at Lovington, Castle Cary, Somerset. Jan Moir - The Greenhouse. Giles Coren - Cipriani London and Zetter. Matthew Fort - Due South, Brighton. Features Casilda Grigg meets two brothers whose cookery book could turn carnivores into vegetarians. Catriona Howatson on new cookery books. Food Mark Hix - It's time for food parcels to go first class. Xanthe Clay's making the most of seasonal produce This week: strawberries Alex Mackay Cooking almost anything en papillote brings out the taste wonderfully. Gordon Ramsay's Birthday parties. 3 Middle-Eastern dishes from Jill Dupleix. Nayla Audi - Lebanese picnic time. Heston Blumenthal - Suck it and see. Wine und booze Tim Atkin - decides he'll drink 'Anything But Chardonnay'. Richard Ehrlich - wine shopping can still be one of life's great joys. Anthony Rose - English fizz chalks up points with champagne. Cellar notes #35: Made in England. Pint to pint: the Holly Bush Inn. Andrew Catchpole's Make the French connection. Super plonk. Joanna Simon - Sauce.

I don't know if this tip is widely known, but it's possible to show up a few minutes before 12, and they keep some tables aside for sharing - so you don't have to reserve, but you may have to join someone else's table. There were three of us, and though the restaurant was 'fully booked,' we had no trouble getting a table.

Henry Harrris has a new cookbook out: A Passion for Protein (Quadrille). From Today's Telegraph: "Henry Harris is the chef-patron of Racine restaurant in Knightsbridge, London. He had never thought about dieting until he watched the pounds drop off his wife after she went Atkins. Harris's answer to Atkins is outrageously luxurious: it is hard to believe that starting your day with devilled kidneys (butter, cream, brandy . . .) is any contribution to weight loss. You might proceed to avocado, crab and cucumber salad for a light lunch and a veal cheeseburger in a mushroom bun followed by raspberries and cream for dinner. It's probably just as well Harris doesn't mention the calorie content of these delectable platefuls, although he does point out the importance of regular exercise. This is the perfect gift for a recovering potatoholic. "

The foie gras last year was cooked perfectly (well, can't account for the entire year, but not for lack of trying). Sorry to hear about your meal, Ruth.

I can't believe how brilliant everyone has been. My thanks to all. As to the importation of foreign organic goods, I think this might be part of a wider political discussion that I'd like to develop on the boards, perhaps a series of them, but I'm not sure where a good starting place would be. If anyone has any notions, feel free to PM me. I'd like to open up the UK boards (or maybe TDG) to the politics of European food production and consumption. Over the Summer period, perhaps. Marco - fantastic, thank you. I'd love that recipe (as I heard that you happen to know a thing or two about Korean food). BTW, I cheated recently with a bowl of pasta, and felt absolutely terrible afterrward. Drugged. My system was so unaccustomed - after only a few weeks - I might as well have drunk a bottle of champagne for the effect it had on me. The first organic box arrived, and apart from the selection being slightly dull, the quality of the produce was far superior to anything I've seen in the supermarkets. The broccoli - fleshy and firm. The carrots and apples - really vivid and sweet. Good, firm onions. Everything was clean, and packaged so as not to cause any damage - and the package is returnable to the driver on the next pickup. I was secretly hoping for some broad beans, but no luck. Still, a good investment, I think. And I'm looking forward to finding unfamiliar ways to use of all this stuff. I've become a compulsive soup maker for some reason - my new hobby of the moment - as I always have plenty of chicken stock in the freezer (and my butcher saves me the organic bones). Tarka - I had the same problem with mushrooms when I first started cooking; the flavours are so pronounced, and the price high, it seemed like a commitment to jump in at the deep end. Then I became completely besoted by them at exactly the same time that Kate became intolerant. Oh well.

Sometime in August then?

Neal - welcome to eGullet.

Apologies - there will be no digest for the last weekend 22nd/23rd May. Programing will resume next week.

I was at that table - but I can't remember if I was drunk, wet, or whispering.

That looks brilliant - congratulations! There was a Gordon Ramsey show on last night, and one of the guest cook (Belinda Carlisle) kept breaking the ravioli from boiling them too hard.

My apologies, NulloMod, for misinterpreting. I know a young family, the husband of which does most of the cooking. When their son was still quite young, one or two, I was amazed at the 'strong' foods he not only ate, but relished: pasta puttanesca loaded with anchovies, for example. When I asked how they had managed it, the husband said: "he likes to hang out with me in the kitchen. He's in one arm, while I'm stirring the pot with the other; and so he gets excited about whatever excites his daddy." I saw them a couple of years later, and the son, now four, wouldn't touch any of those foods. Just chicken nuggets etc. I'm not sure if the dad knows why. I guess the son has had time to develop preconceptions.

I'll try that John, thank you. And my first box from Abel and Cole should arrrive on Thursday, so Ill report back.

Thank you thank you thank you - just returned from Sushi Hiro and an excellent and mind-bogglingly cheap meal. £36.50 for two - and we ordered a large amount of food. Given it was Sunday, and the fish at least a day old, it was by far the best I've had over here. I can't wait to try it when it's straight off the boat. It's not quite the sublime experience of the top places in LA (Sasubune, Nozawa etc - although the decor was far fancier in Hiro), but a definite recomendation. I'm not sure it's worth comparing with Nobu - they're such different beasts. We had the largest selection of sushi (at only 12 quid!), plus a chef's selection of sashimi, and three more orders of toro, one yellowtail, and a tuna roll (six pieces). The toro (labled tuna belly on the menu) - which at its best rivals any mouthful of white truffle in my estimation - was only a fraction below the best I've had. Notable was the mackeral (sublime, tender and perfumed, not rubbery and over-strong), and the squid (which had the texture of scallop, amazingly). The eel was the best I've had (including the LA places). And the salmon, much fresher than the stuff you find in LA (apologies for my limited experience in all this). The other customers were all Japanese families. This is just the sort of place I'd steal away to if I lived any closer, and I might do anyway.

Is it the supermarkets, or customs that sprays the imports? I would be seriously pissed off if I found out it was the supermarkets. Actually, I'd be pretty mad either way.

The first UK 3 star. I think he's doing something very different from EB. Interestingly, he might be heading more towards bourgeois French than he was with the proposed selection of new dishes (i.e. sole veronique et al). I don't know if he's thinking of serving them pureed up in a shot glass with a syringe full of liquid squid spleen - but we can only hope!