Table talk
It's teeth-crunchin' good
The shortlist for this year's Turner Prize includes works by artist Keith Tyson, who makes installations inspired by an interest in science. His most notorious project was a computer called Artmachine. He fed data into the machine, which randomly selected a series of artistic creations for him to make. Among other things, the machine told him to make a set of lead models of every item on a Kentucky Fried Chicken menu.
Suddenly, mushroom-picking is lots of fun, guys
Epping Forest is so seriously threatened by mushroom gatherers that its owner, the Corporation of London, is to introduce its first system of licensed picking. For centuries the forest has been one of the country's richest supplies of edible mushrooms, raided only by a knowledgeable few. But since BBC chef Antonio Carluccio popularised the delights of funghi, eager new converts are picking away and jeopardising the woodland's ecological balance. Forest conservation officer Jeremy Dagley said: "Until recently, the British weren't really that keen on mushrooms, so demand was never that huge. But since TV chefs like Mr Carluccio came along, the forest has more collectors than it can cope with." The corporation intends to grant 500 licences on a trial basis, limiting collectors to 1.5kg per visit.
Suppose they ordered the blazing saddle of lamb?
Veteran restaurateur Roy Ackerman bows to no man in his admiration for Elena Salvoni, the doyenne of London restaurant managers. At a dinner last week Ackerman recalled one occasion when he was eating at Elena's L'Etoile and had left some papers on the table next to his. Elena came up and asked if he would mind terribly moving them, as she needed the table. Naturally, he complied. Five minutes later the new diners arrived, both of whom knew Elena well: Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. Not a bad pair of impromptu dinner guests for Ackerman to chat to for the rest of the evening.
Cue for a spot of favour-currying?
Ackerman discovered even more about the eating habits of the famous when he met the Duchess of York at the finals of the World Master of Culinary Arts, held in Paris recently. Asked whether she liked Indian food, the Duchess replied, astonishingly: "I don't know. I have never eaten at an Indian restaurant, nobody has ever asked me." As Ackerman observed, once this story gets out she is unlikely to be short of invitations from the formidable army of restaurant PRs.
Love, peace… and Dimbleburgers
Jonathan Dimbleby will be serving up his own burgers at this year's Glastonbury music festival. The television presenter says the burger van is a sideline for an organic shop he runs at his estate in Bath. Dimbleby, president of organic food group the Soil Association, said: "McDonald's had better watch out. The Dimbleburger is here. We hope to get it down to Glastonbury and other events and I'll have it set up for the Jubilee. At the moment I am not qualified to work as a chef but I hope to learn. If I get myself trained soon enough I would love to go to Glastonbury and flip some burgers."
