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While you're at it avoid RBS Home Insurance as well - basically the same experience

Direct Line and RBS insurance are basically the same thing, as Direct Line is part of RBS.

Oh I wish! I use this one as I find it isnt as sweet as others. I like the almost sourness of its taste
http://www.knightsmeats.com.au/product_images/y/746/Al_Rabih_Pure_Pomegranate_Molasses_600ml__87563_zoom.jpg

Cheers.

Slightly different but in the same vein, top 5 Kitchen tools that you cannot live without:

1. 30cm Wusthof chef knife.
   
2. Boning knife.
   
3. Moulix.
   
4. 30 cm Circulon hard anodised frying pan
   
5. 30 cm cast iron round le cruset casserole
   

Xanderh, do you make your own pomegranate mollasses?

Yeah. But they are all indispensable for different favourite recipes of mine.

This is literally driving me mad cannot stop going over the list in my head.

^ Tricky question, finding it really hard to limit it to just 5, but the first five that spring to mind are:

1. Olive oil.
   
2. Sesame oil.
   
3. Rape seed oil.
   
4. Fresh nutmeg with mace still on shell (does this count as 2?).
   
5. Oyster sauce.
   

I'd definitely be up for something like that.

^Can't be, there is no catheter taking the urine directly from his cock to his mouth. The patented Bear Grylls "natures' own Camelback"

A380 grounded after taxi fail

^ Almost forgot make sure there are no air bubbles at the bottom of the pastry cases under the custard, if there are the filling can "explode" all over the oven.

i know i want to too. But until i get a chance to go there, can you suggest a recipe please?

This is the best recipe I have found for Portugese custard tarts it is not as good as bought ones, from a good Portuguese deli, but very nearly there. I would always use the best quality vanilla extract you can find and would suggest this as the very minimum standard:

Alternatively Raymond Blanc showed a very good recipe for making your own vanilla paste in the latest kitchen secrets tv series which can be found here

Preferably North/West ish

Don't know for certain, I would imagine the North London Tavern would be a good bet.

Where do you get 40 day aged beef?

I didn't buy it, was at a dinner party round a mates house. I used to work with him years ago in Edinburgh; He aged it himself at home, its not difficult to age your own meat especially beef, lots of restaurants do it. However it is hard to be sure of how old a steak is when you buy it best to find a butcher you trust first. If you are going to age beef at home in the fridge make sure that ALL SIDES of the steak are able to breath otherwise the side it is resting on will spoil and turn, I find the best solution is to put it on a trivet of bones, much the same as if you were roasting a great joint and were after primo gravy. Also bear in mind when the steak is ready to eat you will have to trim about 1/3 of the meat off, so it is important to factor this in when you buy your cut. Aren't you Texan? I thought that this shit came naturally to you guys.

I'm not just got back from dinner:

40 day aged cote de beouf with triple cooked chips mixed salad and roast tomatoes washed down with a 1995 Ciacci Piccolomini, Brunelo di Montalcino

To follow;

Cherry Clafoutis with a delicious banyuls red dessert wine

Oops didn't read xanderh's post in my pissed state!

The ottolenghi in islington is much better and less crowded, although much further for you guys to go.

Prancer and I went to Ottolenghi, Ledbury Road today.

Having chopped, sliced, ground, squeezed, grated, mixed, sautéed, baked, grilled and chilled my way through nearly all of the veggie recipes in their books over the past few months, I felt as if I was on a pilgrimage to my kind of food heaven. Hell, even James was looking forward to it.

Alas, nothing though could prepare us for the disappointment we experienced. How quickly and completely were our expectatations shattered.

The front of shop, where mounds of beautiful food is laid out (not that we could can actually see it past the crowd of gormless Notting Hill trendies there today), is so flippin' small and poorly designed you have to shout, elbow and point somewhat blindly to get your order taken.

The staff are snooty and impatient to the point of rudeness. I even got a sigh when I asked for a top-up of one of my salads. We felt so rushed we literally gave up adding to our orders.

After managing to make my way to a till (without even a fleeting look at all the other sweet and savoury goodies avaliable) I was quite frankly shocked by how much two average sized takeaway boxes and a slice of cheesecake came to - 35 quid! That's roughly £15 for a glorified salad for Christ's sake!

Having paid and grabbed some wooden cutlery (which incidentally snapped in my mouth while I was eating) we retreated to the nearest park to eat. In fairness, the food was mostly delicious - a variety of vegetables tossed and cooked with distinctive blends of spices, yoghurt, lime and herbs. James' only complaint was about his solitary bit of chicken, which was totally over cooked.

So that's my rant over. Although I will continue to use the books, I'm sure as hell not going back to the shop any time soon.

A noobie just posted some of his bikes on the welcome thread am jealous.

You guys are the arbiters of bike porn taste, discuss.

Sorry I'm not that knowledgeable about bike parts, I just enjoy riding them! However you will be able to find plenty of people on here who no doubt can appreciate your lovely bikes on the same level as you.

I especially like the BRG lo pro.

I really want to see the rest of this video........ In slow motion!

^ 'Dem bikes is perrty!

Not at all, this may sound a bit dark, but I find that there is something very therapeutic and relaxing about breaking down an animal into different lovely bits of meat, it is especially rewarding if the animal in question is game that you have bagged yourself. It's always best to learn from a good butcher and from what I understand the ginger pig course is very good, if you do not get it let me know and I can recommend some books that you should be able to learn a lot from.

Disclaimer: don't watch this video if you are squeamish and going to moan.

Another disclaimer: the butcher in this video is American and the cuts will be from slightly different places to British cuts with the same name.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InFgwUMBO4o

My pleasure.