The River Cottage shows are worth catching on TV though. I don’t go all the way down Hugh’s organic lifestyle route but I do like the fact he is genuinely impassioned by good food and his determination to instil the same passion in others.

We saw a documentary of Floyd which was made not long before he died

…and, by coincidence, shown on Channel 4 the night he died, I think.

Steel toecaps? Just normal kitchen kit, same as an apron and decent knives. I wear these: http://www.notdelia.co.uk/clog-blog/

I’ve never yet dropped anything heavy on my feet, touch wood. But I should be safe enough if I do. If you drop a knife, as I have done occasionally, you jump back out of the way and whatever you do, don’t try to catch it.

The worst I’ve done is on a very rare time when I broke my own rules about decent footwear being essential in the kitchen, I accidentally spilled boiling oil from a roast tattie tray onto my feet. Ouch, that hurt! Never again.

Clogs are easy to slip off and on and can protect you from all kinds of accidents. A kitchen is a dangerous place. Better safe than sorry!

I remember Philip Harben and Fanny Cradock, but not the other two that Chris mentions.

ND why the steel toecaps? Are they common safety gear for professionals? Have you ever dropped anything dangerous on your foot? I’d guess that a knife would be more likely than a heavy pan…

I certainly know the names, though, as I have a huge interest in food and all of those who’ve influenced our cuisine.

I have Marguerite Patten’s “Century of British Cooking”, which pretty much does what it says on the tin. It’s fascinating from a social history point of view (servants, war years, etc) as well as for the recipes themselves. I love it!

Nice also to see the endorsement on the front cover, “the cookery icon of our time”, by Ainsley Harriott. I rest my case.

Fanny Cradock – and her hapless husband, Johnnie – make me laugh. Love the way she used to be wearing evening gowns and stuff. I wear clogs (with serious steel toe caps) and a commis apron even for home cooking.

Gosh, this is a great subject. Maybe I should delve more into this little bit of history. Thanks!

PS: sprouts, bah! I had a meal sent back from the catering college training restaurant because the sprouts weren’t “properly cooked”. It was mostly pensioners who used to eat there (cheap meal) and I made the “mistake” of not boiling the darned things to death.