Down with the Roundheads! Long live the Cavaliers!

Many thanks for the correction. Important to get these things right...

Hi David, and thank you for your kind words. Funnily enough I've been on instagram for a few years now (please find me!), and getting a much better response from it. But my Facebook ban has been carried through to instagram by default, so I'm blocked from putting up a direct link to The Greasy Spoon. All I can do is to point readers in the direction of the blog. It's slightly frustrating. I'm kinda fascinated by the Cradock's Georgian Dower House near Watford, of all places. Rather pretty countryside on the fringes of suburbia. You can see it from the road. Whereabouts in outer West London did you live? Outer-outer, semi-rural London has a strange captivation- we're very much in Iain Sinclair territory, I think. I've had a few comments about Dan Farson- another 20th century character. I've just discovered his autobiography on amazon. With best wishes, Luke

Dunno. But it's just occurred to me that "Fanny" has an unsavoury connotation in the world of the internet. Facebook's wretched- loathe the thing, so I'm not especially bothered- although I did have a small, perhaps older, readership through it. I'm also banned from linking the GS on instagram by default, as of course, instagram is owned by Facebook. I like instagram, although, I do sometimes wonder if it's really just a more sophisticated version of Facebook, and actually is just as tiresome as the rest. You realise, of course, that they take all our quirks and habits- and then sell them on- Big Brother style- to advertisers. We give them content for free- and they make money from it. Perhaps I should just carry on with the good old fashioned blog, enjoy writing it for its own sake: ignore the lack of comments, and ditch the rest.

Yes. Exactly. And ahead of her time. I'm also a champion of her French food which seems to have gone out of fashion. The fad for the diet of the Mediterranean peasant seems to have been with us since the 90s- and shows no indication of coming to an end. Maybe the success of Otto's restaurant in the Grays Inn Road shows that the cause is not entirely dead.

Couldn't agree more. It's that depressing herd mentality. And the self-obsession. So tedious.

I once tried it with vodka- a Hugh Fearley-Whittingstale effort, but have to say that- for me at least- it didn't work. And next year I was back to gin. I find that a teaspoon of almond essence does wonders- gives it that Amaretto kick.

Excellent news. The way ahead with Wild Garlic, I think, is not to overcook it, otherwise it goes a bit grey in colour. Delighted it worked out.

Thank you. Really kind, and best wishes for the New Year. With hindsight, wasn't entirely convinced by the Paul Levy Brussels recipe- the shredding bit was fine, but the ginger and chilli clashed with everything else. Too 'fusion' for my taste. A better idea might be to shred the sprouts and cook them in a wok on a high heat with olive oil, bacon, chestnut and a splash of dry white wine?

Best wishes for the New Year! Knackered this end...

Hi Jennifer, Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. As you know, I'm a fan of Southern Cooking. A baked ham is delicious, especially if soaked for a day before cooking. I have to admit- in secret- that I prefer it to the ubiquitous turkey. Is there a special Southern way of cooking it at Christmas? Best wishes, and thanks for reading, Luke