PS

Haven't used duck fat myself, as the tinned stuff is pretty expensive and I can't say I've roasted a duck recently. Of course, buying duck confit should give a decent supply of duck fat as well... I do know that chips cooked in duck fat at Comptoir Gascon in London are top notch. I have, however, got a plentiful supply of goose fat, having cooked a goose for Christmas the last couple of years - it's similarly good for frying just about anything, but especially steaks and such.

They're "tea towels" where I come from (northern England). Now I think about it, I'm not sure why... Anyway, I have used them on occasion when I couldn't find the oven gloves, but I've usually felt the heat coming through them a lot quicker than the gloves. Am I being amateurish in my folding or do you just have to move quicker when using a towel when getting roasts out of the oven? Anyine got any top tips on folding? Do you tend to go for just one fold (ie two layers of towel between your hand and the hot thing) or two folds (4 layers)? Cheers, Philip

When I read the title of this thread I was going to post a joke saying Lascaux, etc, thinking you were asking for wine cellars to visit... I visited a load of the prehistoric caves years ago when holidaying with the family as a nipper - I remember them all being good.

I was at Canteen last Autumn and I'd say it was alright - reasonably priced, Brit menu and all that - but I wouldn't have said I was particularly impressed by it all. The individual mutton pie I had, for instance, was a bit dry and had far too much pastry relative to the amount of meat/filling. The mash was a bit lumpy as well. However, it seems to have a lot of customers, and I guess most of them are Guardian/Observer readers, hence the OFM win. Given the choice between Canteen and St John Bread & Wine, I'd be at SJB&W every time.

Nice review. I'm looking forward to going to The Kitchin - it's just the sort of place Edinburgh needs. I take issue with Durack's comment about the rain: "It's raining, of course, but then, rain is as much a part of Edinburgh as the festival." Edinburgh's actually a pretty dry place, being on the East coast. Glasgow's where you want to go for a bit of rain.

Just chipping in with my vote for mutton as well. Cook it well and it is superb. It may not be best suited for some of the dishes for which spring lamb is good, but slow cook it in a Lancashire hot pot, tattie pot or even serve it on its own with capers and it is delicious. Can't help with US sources though - I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic again.

Got down to L’Enclume for our now traditional February visit last week and really enjoyed it. I’ll spare you too much detail, seeing as there are plenty of reviews already, but, in short, this was our first visit after Mr Rogan had changed the menu from the 14 courser (still not been there with anyone with a large enough appetite to tackle the full-on multi-courser – mental note, must get larger stomached friends to accompany me) and I reckon overall that I prefer the new format – what it loses in number of surprises, the new 10 course Tour option gains on balance. It builds from the usual first course of each-of-the-five-tastes – an impressive mix of colours and textures this time, all layered artistically on the plate and making a much-greater impression than you’d expect, through taster-sized soup, pig cheek, razor-reversal (with chicken rather than egg now), foie gras, scallop, onto a larger dish of sea bass, a great lamb dish, then you’ve got an option of French cheeses (all good) for an extra £12, then it’s the pre-dessert –refreshing pear, eucalyptus and coffee ice, and finally the dessert. To drink, this time we went for wines by the glass – champagne to start, then a superb SA sauvignon blanc, then a red which for the life of me I cannot remember what it was – which worked out very well with the menu. My only criticisms would be on the pork cheek which I felt was slightly under-flavoured – although the my other half really liked it, so it’s probably just my taste in seasoning – and the final dessert, which was a three-part gin and tonic theme, with a shot glass of essence of G&T, and an ice cream, which seemed a little too unsorbet-y to give that G&T refreshing quality and was a little too cold to melt quite right. I had a similar issue with the final dessert last time where it was a coconut themed if I remember rightly. On our first visit the dessert was a delicious very chocolaty affair, which almost ended us, so it’s difficult to say what’s best here. End result is that I feel I really need to break with the annual tradition and make this a twice yearly event, so we can sample some of Simon’s Spring or Summer herbal creations. Just a final note – from a quick Google, it’s clear that this news is out there, but I don’t think it’s been mentioned on eGullet: Penny told us that they will be opening a sister-restaurant in Henley-on-Thames later in the year to bring Simon’s cooking down to London as the age-old if-it’s-not-in-London-it-probably-doesn’t-exist issue is no doubt hindering the recognition of his talents and potential for repeat business. [What’s that about? – a trip to the Lakes and L’Enclume food should outweigh 4 hours’ travel any day…] No idea what this means vis a vis current operations, although in the press I’ve seen Simon’s been firm to say that L’Enclume will not be neglected and will continue as is. I certainly hope it will. And the breakfasts are still first class – the Eggs Benedict continues to excel. Cheers, Philip

I went to Vonnas and ate at George Blanc's Auberge (the off-shoot restaurant) about three and a half years ago. It was superb - really clean sharp flavours, simply done. Great value too. He wasn't cooking in there but he rocked up (I suspect to speak to another couple of diners whom he clearly knew) and made the effort to speak to everyone in there to see how they liked the food. Hats off to him for staying and attempting conversation with us, as our french was pretty limited. A really good experience and I'd love to get back to try the main restaurant before he retires (although I'd imagine his son will keep the business going). Can't say I was too upset by all the GB branding around the place - I doubt the village was ever a jewel in the first place and the food more than made up for it.

My mum always adds a teaspoon of marmite when she's making mince and, as a result, so do I. It adds a certain depth of flavour to it all without the slightly synthetic taste you can get from stock cubes.

I bought a set of Laguiole steak knives from Forge de Laguiole, which is the company that got Philippe Starck on board and (if you believe their publicity) started the reniaissance of Laguiole knives. They are fixed knives (ie not a pocket knife) with horn handles and they are not only absolutely beautiful but also practical - they cut through steak like it was butter. I also bought a sommelier's knife, which is a thing of beauty - basically a waiter's friend in the Laguiole style. Now for the unfortunate part - I bought them at the main Forge shop at Laguiole itself (NB, I wouldn't call it a city - more of a small town up in the Auvergne mountains). They also have a shop in Toulouse and a couple in Paris, but that's all as far as I know, and the stock at those shops are a bit limited. You may be able to buy through their website: http://www.forge-de-laguiole.com/ Your best bet is to go to Laguiole itself (not great for those of you in the US, but if you are holidaying/vacationing in that part of France it's worth a look - there are some great restaurants in the town) and the Forge de Laguiole shop is superb - a huge range of knife-related products, including a Laguiole carving knife (slkinsey take note!), which was basically a giant pocket knife. It looked great, but it certainly wasn't cheap. That's the only brand of Laguiole knives I'm really familiar with - there may be other decent manufacturers, and no doubt some that offer much better value for money, but the FdL knives look and work great.

With regard to books in French, I'm a fan of Georges Blanc's Cuisine en Famille. It's a very clearly set out set of recipes for food from the Bresse region and I've found it straightforward to follow.

Great view. We're just back from a similar holiday - 5 days in San Francisco, then a week driving around to the north, in Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa. It's been pretty hectic since I got back, so I haven't had the time to post about it, but we covered some similar bases - Bouchon, Yank Sing, Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant (loved it in there!) - and a few others - The Girl and the Fig, The General's Daughter, Bistro Jeanty, Lychee Garden, Swan's Oyster Depot... We had a superb time and hope to head back sooner than last time (6 years ago). On that subject, we stayed in a hotel this time but thought a rental apartment might be a better bet in future - do you mind giving details of how you found it, cost, ease of use etc? Thanks Philip

Did I miss McGee on the TV (I didn't think I was being that inattentive, but it had been a long day... ), or was he on the Sunday Times DVD?

Well, the smoking ban's been operational in Scotland for a while now and I have to say I'm a big fan of it. While punters enjoy their food/drink in a smoke-free atmosphere and are able to avoid coming home smelling of pub (ideal for those post-work sly pints ), smokers just pop outside the restaurant/bar/pub for a smoke. At least in France there should generally be less need for umbrellas/wasteful patio heaters to keep them dry/warm...

To stick my oar in: I'd characterise the love of ice as an American thing, not the lack of this trait as a French/European/wherever thing. Ice is fine as a couple of cubes in your glass of water, or as required in a cocktail, but I've never been a fan of the huge amount of ice you get in fast food-style outlets - it becomes too cold to be a pleasant drink (assuming it ever was in the first place) and quickly becomes watery pish. It's unnecessary and wasteful. Moving on to air-conditioning: I think the secret is that people become acclimatised to the ambient temperature of a place (I have friends in Hong Kong who barely sweat while the stuff's running off me) and/or they adapt their lifestyle to accommodate it - don't venture out in the midday heat, lots of terraces, shutters on windows, take it real easy. Why buy a/c units when you can instead just chill out and enjoy the summer?

Other decent boozers in Edinburgh: - in the New Town, there's The Cumberland in Cumberland Street: some good real ales, good atmosphere, and one of the few beer gardens in the centre of town. Very genteel... - in Victoria Street, just down the road from Finnegan's Wake is the Bow Bar - one room pub, with good real ales. - in the Old Town, the Jolly Judge, up a close (a narrow passage) off the Lawnmarket/Royal Mile just down the hill from the castle - another one roomer. Better in the winter when the fire's going, but still a decent place. At the style/expensive end of the market, Tiger Lily in George Street is a good 'un. Newly opened, they've spent a lot of money on the decor, but (unlike Le Monde at the other end of George Street) they've spent it with taste. Lots of continental lagers. For a pub crawl, I'd much prefer Broughton Street than the usual tourist suggestion of Rose Street, which is, by and large, crap. And if you can get in, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on either Queen Street or in Leith (there are two branches) is worth a visit for cask strength malt whisky flavour, swiftly followed by oblivion if you're not too careful. The food there is pretty decent as well - both the bar menu and the restaurant. Edinburgh's one of the most beautiful cities in the world in my book, so I hope you enjoy it.

The dish was called Cubism in foie gras because the pieces of liver were shaped - one was a cube and another was like a little tiny liver. I was quite amused by that, but I guess you either like that sort of stuff or you think it's pretentious pish... Can't say I've struggled to reach Cartmel, but then where you're starting from tends to have a bearing on the accessibility of a place, I suppose.

We stayed near Gaillac for a couple of weeks last year and really enjoyed it - a very relaxing time. So much so, in fact, that we're heading back there in September. We enjoyed the Gaillac wine - we see it very rarely in the UK, but with the help of the Hachette Guide we tracked down some bargains, particularly Gaillac doux wines. What else did we do down there? Well, day trips to Laguiole for knife purchases and food (Hotel Auguy); the Tarn Gorge, Millau viaduct and Roquefort; Toulouse; Carcassone; Albi - spectacular fortress-like cathedral; Cordes sur Ciel and Le Grand Ecuyer resto. We also chanced upon Chateau de Salettes - the restaurant was closed (can't remember why) but we had a light lunch down by the pool which was simple but pleasant.

I'm also a big fan but find I have to replace every 2-3 years or so - but I do use them more as roasting tins rather than just on top of the stove ← Mine have worked a treat for the past 5 years both on the stove and in the oven (the smallest skillet - maybe 15cm diameter and good value as a starter/tester pack when I bought it - is excellent for roasting 2-3 portion sized roasts). They've got a few scratches on them now, but that doesn't seem to effect the non-stickiness. That said, my fried eggs had recently started to stick, but I think that was due to burnt-on flour from the traditional weekend fry up of potato scones. A good scrub seemed to improve matters anyway.

I'm sure Riedel do a lovely looking beer glass in their ouverture collection. It'll not be cheap, mind.

Anyone tried it with duck fat? I don't have a deep fat fryer, but am considering getting a small one for my new kitchen. However, if I want to fry in the main in animal fat (I'm including goose and duck in that definition) am I better off just getting a thermometer and doing the frying in a pan?

How much of that is down to the quality of her reviews or the fact that the Metro probably has a larger and more general readership (and it's a wee bit slimmer than other papers, so bored commuters, who might not normally be interested in restaurants, are more likely to end up reading it)? I have no idea as I don't read the Metro - besides if her reviews are just in the London edition then I wouldn't see them even if I did read it.

I have to say that I find JBR very entertaining. I'd imagine if you got his banter all day long it might become tiresome, but it's only a half hour programme. Sure, he's doing all the chat for the cameras, but it is a TV show after all. He did seem to get cheese all over the asparagus though, which seemed to be taking his admiration of rustic style a little too far...

For what it's worth (probably not a huge amount considering your stated preferred locations), the best food at any wedding I've been to was at Northcote Manor, near Blackburn. The sit-down dinner capacity was, I'd guess, around 40, but they also did a great bbq later on, and the nibbles to soak up the photo-accompanying drinks were excellent (mini cones of fish - salmon if I remember rightly - and chips). Lovely location as well - great for a country-house hotel style do.

Ah, Ullswater... sounds like a nice trip over the Kirkstone Pass beckons - I hope there's enough snow for it to be picturesque, but not enough to make it slippery. We've found the portion size to be well-judged, so if you're of reasonable appetite it shouldn't be a struggle, but I'd certainly go relatively easy on the full english on the morning ahead of it. The wine choice is tricky and I'll throw in the caveat that my wine knowledge is amateurish to say the least. They don't have a glass per course pairing, but unless you can really knock the stuff back there's no way you can manage a wine to each course as they keep coming at you fairly quickly (otherwise you'd be there all day). Also, the flavours/themes of the dishes tend to move around a bit as well, so it would be difficult to tie two or three consecutive dishes together wine-wise. What we've done on our visits is take a bottle of something sparkling (a cremant de Loire first time, a Pol Roger second time) to serve as an aperitif and to see us through the initial courses, then a glass of red to accompany the main course, the cheese and desserts. It depends on your drink-rate, but that worked for us on the Intermediate menu (I think my other half managed a dessert wine as well). The restaurant staff must get asked that question everyday though, so I'd bow to their superior knowledge anyday. Have fun! P