Gratuitous Gushing about River Cottage Everday, Thurs 8pm c4

[pelmetman]

No one could beat Keith Floyd for hitting the bottle, by the end of his show you couldn't understand a word he was talking about.

Sue

[Millymollymandy]

I watch cooking programmes to get inspiration - not these Masterchef type things which bore me senseless but the 'seasonal veg' type programmes. I particularly like a chap called Valentine somebody who presents 'what to eat now' (or similar title). OK even he uses a lot of lobster and silly things the average person can't afford but the veg and fruit type recipes are great and seasonal. Also Nigel Slater's simple suppers although he does irritate me but the food is good, and relevant.

Just googling for recipes doesn't do it for me really. But then neither does just watching cooking on telly for the sake of it either - hence can't stand Nigella who probably wouldn't know a season if it hit her as she spends her entire life indoors cooking or pigging out from her fridge in the middle of the night And I really doubt she'd get her fingernails dirty digging up a veg cos doesn't she buy them all ready sliced from M&S anyway?

[pelmetman]

If you want cheap lobsters go to Cromer £10 each, fresh as a daisy and delicious. We like going that way on short breaks and the seafood is wonderful, nearly as wonderful and cheap as in lovely France MMM.

Sue

[Millymollymandy]

Ummmmmm but that's not cheap Sue. There is nothing cheap in France either apart from mackerel (which I don't like much ), sardines and local mussels but only when on special offer. Otherwise we eat tinned tuna from Lidl.

[pelmetman]

Oh dear have to admit we haven't been over there for a couple of years and here we are talking of driving over in the camper then onto Spain to get some winter sun.

My sister has a place in Brittainy as does a cousin of mine and they reckon on prices being more or less on par with GB these days. Perhaps I'm a bit out of date as it has been a couple of years since we last visited.

Whatever I still love France.

Sue

[Millymollymandy]

Sue the prices may well be the same for fish and shellfish but you reckon £10 is cheap for a lobster which will feed, what? two at a pinch whilst my idea of cheap is getting sardines on promo at about €2-3 a kg and a kilo will feed us two meals each!

Obviously if we eat out I'll push the boat out and often eat bass (especially if someone else is paying ) but we never, ever eat shellfish other than mussels, because well quite aside from the fact I don't like half of what they put in a plateau de fruits de mer (oysters/whelks ) they cost about €35 -70 (for 2 people). The french don't seem to have a problem paying this kind of money though.

[pelmetman]

We only eat lobster occasionally when on holiday, its not the sort of thing we would eat for our average meal And I still don't think £10 for a fresh lobster, as a treat is that expensive. We would have paid at least double that when living in Essex (probably why we never had them) . Actually living in Lincolnshire don't think I've ever seen a lobster its more a cabbage and swede county

Although we do get a man that calls once a fortnight selling fish from Grimsby that really is reasonable (but no lobsters ). Its usually cod, haddock, salmon or fresh tuna occasionally, now that really is expensive.

Sue

[MKG]

I notice that Old Tree Man is staying very quiet on the lobster debate!!!

I'm not surprised, though, because I happen to frequent his haunt - Whitby - too. And there's a fishmonger there who would beat those prices for lobster into the ground. So next time you're walking down Sandgate, take a look.

Mike

[oldjerry]

It seems that I'm in a minority, yet again
As I find watching any celebrity chef on television about as interesting as watching paint dry and a tad insulting to boot.

This is no good,just when I've seen the light,and am seeking true wisdom at the shrine of his holyness HFW,you guys come out of the wood work.
Actually I agree with everything Odsox has said except the 'tad' (I'd say massively).Actually I reckon loads of people watch these cooking programmes as a sort of substitute for actually cooking.

[mockturtle]

I Think i must be a different brand of ish. I could only dream of spending £10 on a single meal. I get excited about discovering aForgotten cut of meat at the butchers which produces a meal at well under £1 a head, Poor Me i bet your thinking, not, but thats unemployment for you. Better still Free mushroom stroganoff, soup,omlet....... My current fave find ox heart at about £3 a kilo slow cooked in gravy mmmmmmmmm wouldnt turn my nose up at a lobster though?

[boboff]

I know a joke about getting Lobster at home, and being married, but I don't think that this is the time or place......

[Millymollymandy]

Right. Two things. First I tried the beetroot roast as he showed it on TV - beetroot cut into chunks. It doesn't work like that - took forever and we were eating the rest of our dinner (roasted toms, pumpkin, onion and garlic with feta) whilst the beetroot was still cooking! So I think he must have cooked it first then roasted the cooked beetroot. I think I have some very chewy cold beetroot for my dinner tonight along with very seared garlic.

And 2nd. To our sceptics about TV chefs, Odsox and Oldjerry. What about this fella then?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/andy_ha ... -list-chef

[Green Aura]

There are always exceptions! Especially as he didn't get the chance to bombard us with bullsh!t - barely finished a sentence with everyone shouting over him!

[Susie]

I don't know how much lobsters cost generally because I've never bought one, but I don't think £10 is too awful for an occasional special meal. People spend more than that on takeaways for 2 people, and often they're rubbish (I know ishers don't ;-) ). I love Cromer! I shall look out for lobsters when I'm next there!

(Congrats Andy on TV-chef-dom! ).

[oldjerry]

If you think £10 is a lot for a lobster,buy a boat,pay the yearly licence,buy a lot of pots,risk your life going out in all weathers...............and catch your own.