Table talk
Test your foodie knowledge
Congratulations to the Independent newspaper, which beat all comers last week in a quiz to mark the publication of the latest Time Out Eating and Drinking Guide. The industry press did not do so well, but were only two points behind the chefs' squad, which included Raymond Blanc and Antony Worrall Thompson. See how well you'd have done with questions like these: Which vegetarian abandoned the practice late in life and died in 483BC after eating pork? Which pur‚e was named after one of Louis XIV's field marshals who is said to have adored onions? And would you have known who, before he died in 1916, had a last meal of teacakes and wine laced with cyanide?
Attracting some paternal interest
A former fishing lodge, eye hospital, newspaper office and mock-Tudor castle have all recently been judged hotels of the year by the AA. And the transformation of a Barclays Bank in Reading, Berkshire, into a La Tasca tapas restaurant has a special significance for the chain's boss, James Horler: his father worked as a cashier at the bank in the late 1950s. Horler Snr was able revisit his old place of work at the restaurant's launch party this month.
Farewell to an ideal employee
Nico Ladenis has firmly put paid to any suggestions that the departure of his long-serving chef Paul Rhodes was anything but amicable. The great chef-restaurateur said last week: "You must bear in mind that we have no grudge against Paul. He was always reliable and always loyal. I wish him lots of good luck. He was very happy to do everything I told him."
No need for the rubber ring, then?
Fancy a romantic encounter on a rock jutting out of the sea? If so, head to the island of Madeira and the recently opened Royal Savoy hotel. The rock, dubbed the Island of Love by locals, has long been a venue for necking couples who can walk out at low tide but have to be fit enough to swim back if they get caught by rising waters. The Royal Savoy (no connection to the famous London hotel) has now constructed a walkway to the island so that couples of all ages can enjoy a liaison without having to worry about their swimming prowess.
Five queazy pieces
A lady from the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen had some startling statistics for diners during a special dinner at Livebait in Fetter Lane, London, last week. She pointed out that the charity, which cares for the families of those lost at sea, was faced with 11 British fishermen being killed every month. Their average age is 32. But what really got the diners' attention was her story about one poor chap who recently fell into the on-board filleting machine. "He fell in in one piece and he came out in five," she told everybody, starkly. Do enjoy your next fish dinner, won't you? Contributions can be sent to the mission at 42 Nottingham Place, London, W1M 4BX.
