Table Talk

Taken for a bride
It was a joyous day for Mark Parfait, Avenance development chef for the City, when he tied the knot with his beautiful young bride in Cambridgeshire. As is traditional, the bride was late. The immaculately groomed Parfait and his guests, a curious blend of high society and drunken chefs, all waited patiently for the ceremony to begin. Finally, the registrar announced: "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the bride…" All eyes swivelled 180 degrees to see a cheerful dreadlocked East African man bounce into the room. Compass head chef Dennis Mwakulua had arrived with impeccable timing. The great day was complete. Caterer wishes Mark and Dennis a very happy life together.

Chef likes a bit of rough
The peril of the typo hit Michelin-starred chef turned hotelier Michael Caines. At this month's Acorn Scholarship judging, where Caines, a former Acorn winner himself, was one of the panel, he admitted a past indiscretion. While selecting a suitable image to autograph and print, the chef opted for one he described as "flowery" because "my fans are mainly women". He wrote his reason on the proof and sent it back to the printers. Unfortunately, he left the "i" out of mainly and didn't realise his mistake until the quote: "My fans are manly women" had been passed from the printers to his staff.

Cabbage cure for bird flu
According to a report in the Sun, sauerkraut may cure bird flu. Scientists in Seoul believe the German cabbage dish contains a bacterium that fights the disease. Researchers fed 11 out of 13 chickens infected with avian flu with fermented cabbage - the chickens showed signs of recovery within a week. Professor Kang Saouk said: "The feed helps the fight against bird flu and other flu viruses."