Mince wi' yer tatties

'“Yes, but can she cook mince?” A young Scotsman extolling the beauty and talents of his intended bride to his family was invariably asked this question. Mince is such an important dish in Scotland that it is virtually written into the wedding contract.’
Sue Lawrence, in her book, Scots Cooking, gets to the heart of Mince and Tatties, and provides a fine simple recipe, though she cooks her tatties separately from the mince, which is flavoured with marmite and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Finding myself with a handful of minced beef, some mushrooms and some left-over tatties the other day, I borrowed an idea from Hoppy (or Simon Hopkinson as he is also known) and used the mushrooms in the mince mixture, and then finished the dish with an idea from Fergus Henderson's wonderful book, “Beyond Nose to Tail”, and stirred some Macroom oatmeal in after the mince and its mixture was half cooked. The result was curious – savoury minced beef, pieces of potato, shards of mushroom and the tender bite of the oatmeal – rich, and delicious, a winter dish for souls who have just gotten back from a long country hike. I realise that putting pieces of potato in the mix is positively sacriligeous, but I was lost to the established faiths a long time ago.

Your trip to London

Our good friend and Bridgestone editor, Eamon Barrett of the Waterford parish, managed to get some time to grab a bite to eat on a recent London trip, herewith his reports on Rowley Leigh's rebirth and Fergus Henderson's unique, uncompromised cooking. And to think that a mere decade ago London was in the restaurant doldrums.

On Sunday we ate in Le Cafe Anglais in London, Rowley Leighs much publicised return to the stoves. In a lovely room - an old McDonalds apparently - above a shopping centre, the place was jammed with people. Two huge rotisseries dominate the room's open kitchen and throw out quite a kick of heat so summer eating there will be t-shirts only. The menu is extensive and very well priced. We had three hors d'oevres between us, of which a super smooth chicken liver parfait was the best, though the chunks of octopus were undeniebly tasty too. Ju had soft roes on toast for starter, and a fine piece of black sole for mains. I had foie gras terrine and then glazed partridge, complete with shot pellets. Queen of Puddings makes a return on the dessert menu and lovely it was too. Might be because of the heat but I liked it more than Ju as a destination.

Star of the trip was dinner in St John, Fergus Hendersons spartan restaurant in the City. It's the simplest of spaces, so trimmed down it could be a canteen. For starter I had venison heart with beetroot and walnut, an amazing dish, the heart sliced paper thin, it's delicate cut offsetting the strong flavour. I almost went for the chitterlings but the waiter recommended the tripe and sausage as being particularly good, and so it was, a lovely stew with white beans. Ju had slow roasted lamb, beautifully pink. The dessert was a pear and treacle steamed pudding for two, served with a large jug of hot homemade custard, just amazing. Definitely on the list of London places we would go back to.

Finished up with lunch on Tuesday in St Alban,: paperdelle with venison and chesnut was deep and dark and very tasty.