Imagine yourself on a weekend away at a British country-house hotel, and thoughts of afternoon tea on the terrace and reading the papers over a full English breakfast may well spring to mind. But those traditions have now been supplemented by some of the most modern cooking happening anywhere in the country.

"OH JESUS." Such is the two-word response fired back at me by a friend on receipt of my latest invitation to be a gastronomic guinea pig for this column. But then, to be fair to her, she was present at my inaugural Cooking the Books dinner, aka "The Gwyneth Paltricide"; this time, I assure her, I'm dealing with a far more benevolent recipe provider, namely Bruno Loubet.

The following is a list of current prisoners serving whole-life sentences, and the date they were given the tariff. Some of the prisoners, such as Peter Sutcliffe, received an initial sentence for their crimes long before the whole-life tariff was imposed.

Amol Rajan finds bad upholstery undermines good food at Eric Chavot's newest spot

We’ve had crisps made from beetroot, parsnip, sweet potato and even carrot but the latest vegetable to be sliced up, cooked in oil and served as a snack at middle-class dinner parties is asparagus.

Mr Justice Morgan questioned chef's 'intelligence' in bringing the claim

Our food culture was a laughing stock until 20 years ago When rationing ended back in 1954, British food had a lot to catch up on. As a teenager I used to save up loads of money to go to France and spend it all on good food there. It may have been only 21 miles from England, but Calais tomatoes were a completely different proposition from Dover ones. On one exchange visit, instead of buying cigarettes and alcohol, I spent my money on juicy steaks from a butcher and delicious potatoes at a grocer, and had a feast.

Dragon's Den judge James Caan is reportedly considering a bid for the Little Chef chain of roadside restaurants in a move that could safeguard the future of the brand.

Little Chef has been put up for sale by the private equity group Rcapital and bidders, believed to include McDonald’s, Costa Coffee and KFC, are said to be unlikely to retain the brand

Lisa Markwell checks out Jamie Oliver’s reinvention of the classic diner.

Gordon Ramsay will reportedly give Hollywood star Bradley Cooper a “crash course in cookery” for his role in the upcoming film Chef.

The hotel

The American invasion of London continues. It seems only yesterday that Keith McNally opened a simulacrum of his New York brasserie Balthazar, to reviews that found the food pedestrian. The Shake Shack burger franchise will soon explode upon Covent Garden, along with the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co in the Trocadero, Piccadilly, while the hip New York hotelier André Balazs will open a new joint with a fancy grill in Marylebone. Soon you won't be able to move in London for luxuriantly-priced USDA steaks, seafood platters and ingenious deployments of quinoa.

Jamie Oliver has compared unhealthy packed lunches with child abuse and said the Government should do more to improve school meals.