Table talk
Always remember, it's quality, not quantity
So we think we know how to drink beer in this country? We must prepare to swallow our pride, because at this year's Oktoberfest beer festival held in Munich, beer guzzlers swallowed the equivalent of six Olympic-size swimming pools - or 1.34 million gallons - which by our reckoning is about 10,720,000 pints.
Mind you, 6.3 million people visited, so perhaps they could have tried a little harder. Another fact: there were 2,575 feet of urinals.
Play Des O'Connor and you'll probably go bust
According to new research, classical music played in restaurants makes people feel richer and spend harder. The tests were carried out by the University of Leicester, which played classical, pop or no music at all at Softleys restaurant in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, over 18 evenings. When Vivaldi or Ravel were played, customers spent £24 a head, this dropped to £22 for Britney Spears or Ricky Martin and to just £21.70 when there was no music at all. Researchers say it's all to do with how affluent and sophisticated the music makes you feel, with spend going up on luxury desserts and coffees. Or maybe it's just because Britney and Ricky are cheap.
Ready, steady rumours are rife
Contract caterer Charlton House might have stormed the European Catering Association's Ready, Steady Cook competition last week with by far the best food, but there were plenty of rumours that its team wouldn't have picked up a fair play award.
Gossip was that Charlton House's food innovation director David Cavalier breached the rules by briefing his team on menu choice before they started their 20-minute cook-off against teams from BaxterSmith, Aramark, Avenance, Baxter & Platts and Holroyd Howe.
It might be the second year running that Charlton House has won the challenge, but was it a hollow victory?
Teasing afternoon show is a TV blockbuster
Alex Bray, general manager of the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel in London, is doing his bit for the Tea Council.
So popular is his classic English afternoon tea, which includes scones called Bray buns, that TV crews from Germany, Italy, France, Japan and even Mongolia have flocked to film the event.
Presumably, such exciting television goes out after the nine o'clock watershed.
Wozza enjoys the crack of egg-a-day campaign
Antony Worrall Thompson is backing a campaign to encourage consumers to eat an egg a day.
A new "egg-a-day" logo will start appearing on packs later this month. The campaign is part of British Egg Week, which aims to communicate the health benefits of eggs. Worrall Thompson said: "Seeing a return to cooking with simple, good quality British ingredients is marvellous. Basic food commodities like eggs should be in everyone's store cupboard and yes, they should be part of our daily diet."
