Matthew Grant

I've slow cooked a fair bit of meat and would advise that it's not going to be to everybodies taste. Although it cooks evenly and comes out perfectly rare it takes on a different (I hesitate to use the word funny) texture and taste, I think that was evident from seeing the beef on the show.

It is on! Taking it off gives the same result. Anyway thanks NOT due to Fisherman as obviously I had done a google search and even with that I haven't tracked down a current supplier based in the UK

I've never tried it on beef and I have to say that I think it was done for dramatic effect, why not just brown it quickly in a hot pan?

???? 5th one down 2nd page for me!!!!!

Olga Köszeghy at Orchedeus has mailed me with the following details They have also provided a list of restaurants currently using the the oil:

The Organic pigs was interesting although it seemed a little confused in that it mistook pigs for a lot of space as being organic. I'm sure there are pigs with plenty of space that aren't organic.

Wonton wrappers I believe! Available in Chinese groceries in the frozen section. Program is still awful (apart from Corrigan) Is it actually live or merely filmed "as live", there are so many awkward silences?

I can't find anybody that seems to sell it in small quantities and I am loathe to buy it from an aromatherapy supplier unless they can gurantee its safety for culinary uses. I want to make a Lobster dish in the Michel Bras cookbook. Prune Oil

Anybody know where I can get Plum Kernel Oil in London or the UK? I think it may also be known as Prune Kernel oil.

Following on from our discussion on the use of MSG: Observer Food Monthly article

Agree entirely, Johnson is meant to be hosting the show and when HB was in the studio last week he left long silences as he didn't have relevant questions to ask. Then when he did ("where is the gravy going to come from?") he proceeded to make HB look completely at a loss as it was clearly not rehearsed. Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful. Also, there was no real information given in the HB roast beef. Cook at a low temperature - how low, how long. They talked about using a thermometer, what temperature should the meat be at? Personally I find the pre-recorded bits pretty bloody awful as well. Corrigan's trip to see the Welsh lamb ended suddenly as though filming had been cut short by a Union dispute or something.

Almass, the snails are cooked for 3 - 4 hours in the chicken stock before they are sauteed in the butter. The resulting stock is used to cook the oats. I've eaten and enjoyed the dish although I'm sure HB will be the first to agree that the press it gets comes mainly from the name.

I think the program is toe curlingingly bad. HB was a better than his studio performance last week. I like Corrigan (which is a turn around for me), Merrilee is bloody awful, "I'm making xxxx, this week, get ingredient yyyyyy and put it in the zzzzzz. Actually, we've been testing zzzzzz ths week and this machine came out best" As for Richard Johnson he seems to be in a continual state of disinterest. Was he contractually opbliged to make the show or des he really enjoy food. It would be nice if he could show some sort of enthusiasm. I also blame him entirely for HB's poor live performance last week. Incidentally after 3 weeks of eating food in India earlier this year I can confirm that on the whole food equal to or better than that available in North-West India is available in London. From what I hear the best food is only available in private houses.

Personally I think its a rather unforgiving fish in the wrong hands, slightly overcooked and it is useless. Anyway, back to MPW, I never ate at the Restaurant but did get to the Oak Room while MPW was still there. Exemplary service and food. I still remember a red mullet soup and a dish for two of Guinea fowl with Black truffles. The room was a real temple of gastronomy and a little sombre but the Maitre D' looked after us superbly. Personally, these times were the most exciting to be eating out in London. Nico, MPW, Pierre Koffman all at the top of their game, Ramsay starting out on the path to greatness. Fantastic.

I've always viewed the use of MSG as similar to the way non-chinese chefs would use salt, it enhances flavour, am I wrong? I'm sure we've all cooked dishes, tasted them , added a little salt and noticed a big transfromation. Why is MSG viewed as such a baddy yet salt is OK? If MSG is used effectively who complains about it's use? My guess is that it is only people that suffer an adverse reaction to it.

I don't think its always the case that you can taste the salt if the dish is well balanced, I think that people would be very shocked to see how much salt goes into a lot of dishes in a restaurant.

Wow! That's the same symptons of too much salt!

This isn't what Ramsay was getting at. Ramsay was addressing the issue of keeping standards high whilst lowering both the costs for the restaurant and also lowering the cost for the customer in the hope that lower prices would encourage people to visit the restaurant. Sure the current dish sold to the few people in the restaurant but to them cost obviously wasn't an issue in the first place.

I think a lot of it was a matter of pride for the owner. He clearly wanted to own a higher class establishment and didn't want to lower himself to compete with the cheaper local alternatives. Like previous posters I am flummoxed as to why you wouldn't listen once Ramsay was ther, the only thing I can think of is that the restaurant thinks that they will get free advertising from it - not much good if Ramsay is slating it. Why can I never get Scallops like that The biggest scallops I have seen have always been in restaurants

While we're talking about pronunciation and spelling I think you'll find that's restaurateur

I'm not sure that you need to be with Chinese people to get the good food, in my experience at Hunan I have eaten pretty similar food to Origamicrane (most tables have slight variations). Mr Peng has asked "What you not like?" and then proceeded with multiple courses until we can't eat any more ("You still hungry?"). If you see something on an adjacent table that you like the lok of, ask for it. Can't gurantee that it will work but it does sometimes.

Boned Quail stuffed with a mixture of Pork fillet, cream, mushrooms and some shallot. I served it with an apple dressing/sauce made by boiling 2 chopped apples with some sugar and cider vinegar. Unfortunately I completed neglected to think about what I would serve this with so ended up with a small salad and some dried apple slices. Sea Bass with a salad of new potatoes, asparagus, fresh peas, baby roasted pepper with EVOO. Should have served the sea bass skin side up

No, but I would pay to shut.....actually I'll stop there before I get into trouble.

3 of us ate a total of 4 dishes each. We covered the entire starters and one starter from the lunch menu. We all ordered mains from the ALC, one of us ordered dessert from the Lunch menu. That's 12 dishes in total with 2 from the Lunch menu. I don't believe I claimed the menu was expensive, just that it was now comparable with London prices and as such it was fair to compare the cooking. We had a melon and grapefruit cleanser, pleasant but not earth shattering. Amuse was a dish with half covered in Pomello and the other half with roast sweet corn - good quality corn. The bread was as reported a hundred times before. I don't believe I had the almond butter before, it was OK. Parmesan butter still the best. I can't remember the pre dessert. So what if one of the dishes was a Beef Ravioli? My last visit I ordered a dish with Cannelloni - it was different, the pasta was in fact pork fat and that is what distinguished it from other restaurants. I don't think it was unfair to order a Beef Ravioli at Anthony's and expect it to be something other than a run of the mill Beef Ravioli. Same for the Rice Pudding, sure it's off the lunch menu but it was a poor rice pudding by anybody's standards. Well Rodizio Rico has Chicken hearts on the menu and I don't think that St. John would think twice about putting heart or Pigs Lung and Maw on the menu I can't believe that you are even asking where might serve Jabugo Ham with squid Unusual ingredients do not make the meal, the finished product, in my mind, tasted very similar to a lot of other restaurants. Incidentally I did say: Finally what we ate wasn't poorly cooked, and Anthony's isn't a bad restaurant but compared to my last visit it wasn't pulling its weight. For me this thread is developing a feeling of Deja Vue, something to do with a poor El Bulli review I think......