Well - we went. Very hot. Agreed with you - Gavroche was good but very ordinary (enjoyed the stewed beef and mashed pots). Hartnett's pud was lovely and she served us herself, very polite but not friendly like Gary Rhodes, who wasn't there this year. Met Michel Roux, who was very friendly and talkative. We liked everything we tried but the do was sold out and there was no running water in the toilets by the time 3pm came and they had a vile smell into the bargain. Not very hygienic for a food show. Looked at the Harrogate book stall but were tired by that time. Noticed there were no copies of El Bulli on sale, which was gratifying. Bought a couple of knives each from Jay, the knife man and were delighted with them. Went to the wine tasting lecture at 12 noon, and enjoyed that tremendously. Bought the little book. Met a couple who live a few doors away from us! The organisers had underestimated the demand for tickets and we found you had to buy far too many crowns (we quickly ran out of our £18's worth that came with the ticket) and had to queue for far too long for them. We halved a set with the man standing in the queue in front of us. Waitrose had tasty smoothies, the liquidisers being powered by bicycle power, which was fun. There was a good vanilla stall from Gloucestershire and I shall certainly sentdfor their mail-order produce when I run out (10 vanilla sticks in a nice tin for £8 is very good).
We didn't see 'needle with a fork'. Nor did we see Ramsay or Zilli and as you said, the chefs were a bit thin on the ground.
Best use for microwave 673On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 18:37:06 GMT, morningglory Beyond zapping ready meals of various sorts about all we use ours for is heating...
Anyway, next year will be our fourth time, if we decide to go, (IIRC yours will be no 5, Mike). I am not sure whether we will bother again. Too many people there.
defrosting questionsOn Thu, 15 Jun 2006 11:15:39 +0100, "fourmations" Hi all couple of questions: I have always thought to defrost things very slowly (in the micro on low or out...
We rounded off the day by a visit to M&S in Whetstone, where we bought smoked salmon, salad, two lots of wild scallops, mashed potato (yes - that is sad but we were tired), asparagus tips, strawberries and cream, merlot and Pimms plus ingredients. Ate at daughter's flat. Lovely meal - the best I've had in weeks, including at a Good Food Guide restaurant - but then daughter cooked it and as she is a naturally great cook, I just had to be served. Lovely.
Ended the day by watching the DVD of The Constant Gardener, which was a great film but too thought-provoking, sad and a bit too near the truth for my liking. And just to think, I had 'Phantom of the Opera' in my overnight bag! -- June Hughes
