Dear Truffler: ham on the bone, poppy seeds, Carnation milk ice-cream

Like a lot of people I buy ham on the bone from Sainsbury's and Tesco. Occasionally I coincide with the last slices and ask to keep the bone for soup. I was astonished the other day in Sainsbury's when I asked about the bone to be told it was plastic. Is this something new? Can ham be described as "on the bone" when the bone is plastic? How do they do it, and does it mean it's not actually a leg of a pig? I asked the assistant but she had no idea other than having been told not to sell it because it was not real.

Ros Hocking, by e-mail

Sainsbury's deli buyer was tracked down to explain what's going on. The spokesman assured me they haven't yet developed artificial bones, and all their ham comes from leg joints. But a plastic cap goes on the end of the bone to stop the bone piercing the wrapping. They can still give the bones away to customers. Sounds as if the assistant you spoke to had got the wrong end of the stick – or bone.

Recently someone asked you about poppy seeds. Dundee is the third largest city in Scotland but I can't get them. Neither Tesco nor Sainsbury's (them again) sell them to the public although they use them in their bakeries. I have lovely poppies in my garden, red and pale lilac with black centres, with lots of seeds. Are they edible? Can I use them in cooking and baking? And stay alive? Please let me know.

Mrs Madge Leese, Dundee, Scotland

I'm no horticulturalist (nor many other things) and asked Independent writer Ursula Buchan. She errs on the side of caution and strongly advises against using them. They are safe to use only if they are completely ripe, she believes. Is there no delicatessen in Dundee? She asks.

You mentioned in the "Bites" column that the restaurant 60 Hope Street in Liverpool serves Carnation milk ice-cream – with a fried jam sandwich. It sounds delicious but I'm nowhere near Liverpool. Is it difficult to make? Any chance they'd divulge the recipe?

Craig Orr, London SW11

Gary Manning, the chef at 60 Hope Street, says he used to have jam fritters with Carnation milk when he was little. That's where he got the idea and it obviously evokes memories for many people who come across it. You're not the first person to ask for the recipe. For the ice-cream you simply make a basic vanilla ice-cream, making the egg custard base as usual and replace the cream with evaporated milk or Carnation. Leave out the vanilla. The jam sandwich consists of good quality strawberry jam between two slices of brioche, dusted with icing sugar and then dipped in a thick Yorkshire pudding batter and deep fried. The icing sugar helps the batter stick. The restaurant cooks and serves the sandwich as two triangles, adds a strawberry coulis, scatters berries around and serves it with the ice-cream.

PJP Thomasson's question in the 27 April issue about making wine vinegar elicited several replies. Anne Kindersley writes, "You can easily make wine vinegar from left-over wine. Our cook in Belgrade taught me years ago. Take 1 pint of red wine vinegar. Pour on your surplus red wine and boil up until the whole mixture is reduced by half. Strain into clean bottles and leave for a month before using." Anne Mark also e-mailed to say, "Making your own wine vinegar is simple and delicious. You need a 'mother', a starter (rather like making yoghurt), which tends to get passed around from friend to friend. One can separate a 'mother' into pieces to give away "babies". You then place mother and some wine in a jar. This should be made of glass, or ideally the earthenware the French call grés. Vinaigriers (the special pots in which to make the vinegar) can be bought in department stores in France and in good kitchen shops. They have a removable lid, for adding the wine, and a tap at the bottom to tap off vinegar as you require it. In our household, all left-overs in bottles, and undrunk "fonds de verre" go into either the pot for red wine vinegar, or the other for white. A word of warning, do not use corked wine. The better the wine, the more delicious the vinegar. Allow 2-4 weeks to make your vinegar."

E-mail truffler@independent.co.uk or write to Dear Truffler, The Independent, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS. Sorry I can't reply to you all personally but I will do my best to truffle around for answers to your questions and reveal them here.