PS

Yes - just on the hob on a low flame. I'm not sure about the chemistry of all this, but maybe the fact that it's creme fraiche means that it doesn't split? There is certainly a lot of creme fraiche involved, but it's worth it! I had quite a sizeable amount of sauce left over at the end, which proved to be a good sauce for serving up some sauteed mushrooms in the next day (and even for spreading for on some bread )

I'd agree Hest - the HK food courts are superb.

Glad you liked it Sarah It is indeed a lovely place.

I'd second Chartier - good fun and decent, reasonably priced food (can't remember what I had, but it was offal of some description) - and wine (by the pichet).

Does anyone know any butchers/fishmongers that stay open late, say to 7pm? If I leave work bang on time (5.30pm) I can get to my local butchers (just) and just about get to the fishmongers, although most of the slate has been cleared by then. If, however, I'm delayed for a few minutes at work then I'd better have something in the fridge at home as nothing is open. I know butchers/fishmongers tend to open early and are often family concerns, but surely they are missing a lot of custom if they are only open when most of us poor sods are cooped up at work. They seem to still be working on the out-moded model that assumes the wife of the family doesn't work and so does the shopping during the day. Currently, I buy bulk dry goods like washing powders, toilet rolls, etc from the supermarket online as I don't have a car, but anything resembling decent food comes from, eg, the local butcher. But I guess I'm lucky to live in the centre of Edinburgh where a) cars aren't necessary (for my lifestyle, at least) and b) there are decent butchers and delis within walking distance.

Lucy - thanks for the translation advice! I tried it again with on-the-bone breast/wing pieces and it was much more succulent. I can see Cuisine en Famille getting much more use over the coming months. I hope I've managed to stick my name in the signature below to avoid anyone having to call me by my username, which was chosen far too quickly - select in haste, repent at leisure.

So long as the food's good, I am not fussed where the idea came from.

Great photo as ever Lucy - Les Halles in Lyon has got to be one of the finest markets on Earth! I wandered round there last October and wished I was staying self-catering rather than in an hotel... Inspired by all this, I attempted an approximation tonight, using skin-on chicken breast fillets and half measures of the ingredients suggested in the book. It was pretty damn good, if I say so myself, although I think the chicken was a little bit overcooked and somewhat lesser to the Poulet de Bresse (a barn-reared beast from Angus in East Scotland, I'm afraid). Judging from your photo, I suspect the sauce has enjoyed a blitz from a bar blender to lighten it up a bit - that's what I did anyway, and it helped lift it. I didn't have any cock's combs either. I feel a pleasant glow of success tonight - cooking in French! If my high school french teacher could see me now!

When I went in October, we stayed in one of the cheaper rooms above the shop (perfectly acceptable room, if a bit on the pricey side. We did it for convenience's sake though, and the breakfast was very good). George Blanc's domination of Vonnas did strike me as being similar to Rick Stein's effect on Padstow, but I have no problem with that at all. We had dinner in L'Ancienne Auberge, and the poulet a la grandmere Blanc as depicted above was delicious. I forget how the rice was done - was it just boiled rice with butter? It was simple, yet ideal for getting to grips with the sauce. It's all in the sauce, but as bleudauvergne points out, the bird has spent a good hour or so bubbling away flavouring that sauce. If nothing else, the AOC should provide the buyer with confidence that the chicken has been raised in a humane way to a reliable standard. It was quiet in L'Ancienne Auberge on the midweek evening we were there - maybe only 3 or 4 couples, but Georges Blanc rocked in (presumably while things were a bit quiet in the main restaurant) to speak to a couple who were obviously his friends. On the way over he spoke to each couple in the restaurant, which I had to admire as he managed a good minute talking with us despite our schoolboy-standard french. Seemed like a nice guy on the basis of our in-depth chat! I bought Cuisine en Famille from his shop. It's been very good so far - helps my french food vocab and proved very easy to follow once I got attuned to the idioms.

Settle-Carlisle is the wrong side of Cumbria. From Preston along the West Cumbrian coastal railway is the one to go for - not the most frequent rail service in the world though.

Taking this to the other end of England, two great pubs/inns serving very good food in Cumbria: The Punch Bowl in Crosthwaite - run by Steven Doherty, former Head Chef at La Gavroche. Haven't been for a while, but I remember a huge seafood platter that was a meal in itself. The Drunken Duck, Barngates - good pub lunches during the day, like decent fish and chips, bangers and mash, then in the evening it goes more restauranty and continues to be of a high standard. And it's got its own brewery, producing some very tasty beers...

I and some similarly drunken friends founded the Edinburgh University Pie Society back in 1995 (I think), but being students we didn't have the will-power to see through our vision and it died through lack of application. Pies are great, but as has been mentioned above, not really restaurant food. More home cooking, shop prepared (Crombies' ready steak pies in Edinburgh are marvellous) or pub food (like most pub food, rarely any good - although I'll post a disclaimer here to say I refer to re-heat merchants, rather than the far too few honest food preparing landlords). J Sheekey in St Martin's Court in London does a fish pie, but I've never had it on the occasions I've eaten there as, perhaps foolishly, its cheapness makes me think something more expensive will be better or something else on the menu catches my attention.

I had a wonderful Poulet de Bresse meal at George Blanc's L'Ancienne Auberge bistro in Vonnas. I think it was Poulet a la mere Blanc (excuse my shaky French) - chicken done in a creme fraiche sauce, served with rice. Absolutely delicious, and as noted above, very moist. The recipe is in his Cuisine en Famille book, which is highly recommended, even with my sketchy grasp of the language. You could always try Blanc's La Splendid in Lyon? I am sure they will do plenty of Poulet de Bresse recipes there.

I did read that before I went, John, and, I think, John Whiting's review, where he had a bad experience with the staff in particular, so I feared the worst. However, for our meal the staff were relaxed and friendly and the food hit the spot.

La Grand Colbert was *okay* when I went there a year or so ago. Great interior, entertaining sites of 70 year old Parisian males dining out with 6 foot-plus blonde goddesses, food not bad, but not as good as could be had elsewhere. I had a very good meal in La Pamphlet, 38 rue Debelleyme, Tel:01.42.72.39.24 in February. Good food, good, friendly service, good value. It's an easy walk to the north of the Marais.

I'll second what Andrew said. This is an extremely helpful service for those of us who can only get to Paris once or twice a year. I don't suppose there's any word on how La Regalade is doing without Yves?

The Honey Shop in Victoria Street has closed I think. There's a decent fish shop in Marchmont - Eddie Tse's Fish market in Warrender Park Road. I think it got the thumbs up from Rick Stein.

The cover seems to be the same porker as Jane Grigson's Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery (the classic pig book in my book). That's one popular, good-looking pig. I take it Henderson's book has more than just pig in it. The squirrels in the Botanic Gardens better watch out...

The Punchbowl's really good (http://www.punchbowl.fsnet.co.uk). I'm also a big fan of The Drunken Duck Inn (http://www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk) at Barngates on the way to Hawkshead - good food and brews its own very good beer as well. Both should be taxiable from Bowness, though the Punchbowl is closer.

Are there many lunch-only brasseries in Paris? If so, are they successful? If not, what do you reckon are the chances of it being a success? Are we to take from this that he's decided he can make a decent go of this place and put his feet up in the evening? And, as a result, can we assume that the new restaurant will be considerably more expensive than La Regalade on account of being able to serve fewer meals? Questions, questions, questions...

It wouldn't be the first time a listings magazine has got its facts wrong if indeed L'Ourcine is open for lunch and dinner. Let's just wait and see...

Last time I went to La Regalade I had a heavy and greasy(ish) cassoulet. It was magic ! No complaints at all. As you suggest, Bux, if you go to a restaurant with too many preconceptions you've got a good chance of being disappointed (especially if your preconceptions have little basis in reality), even when it's a great place. Was this American party expecting a diet Bearnaise cuisine? A contradiction in terms in my experience... I'll be interested to see what happens at La Regalade, as I've had nothing but good experiences there.

Lyon's great, isn't it? There's so much good stuff in Les Halles that you've got to question your own culture when you get home (assuming you're not French).

Mm-mmmm! Black pudding and fried egg is the filling of choice for me. Is them boys tasty! You've got to be precise about the rolls as well - they are what are known as "morning rolls" which are soft, floury baps. I think, in the good old days (I may be wrong here) they were linked with the dairies - either you bought them from the dairy or your milkman delivered them. Nowadays you can get them from local newsagents in Edinburgh.

Could be, if the Scotsman misprinted it, which is always a possibility. The relevant paragraph is as follows: "Around the corner at 25 rue Jacob is a perfect bistro called 25, serving staples such as cassoulet and tarte Tatin. With one waitress, one chef, one room, no phone and one or two options per day, it’s like eating in a bohemian’s front room: cheap and atmospheric. Set lunch 8. " "Around the corner" from the Le Bon Marche, apparently. Must be a particularly long corner if my memory of the geography of Paris is correct.