STAR EMAIL
Subject: A taste of grey squirrel
From: David Watkins
Eating squirrel is more common than Lindsey Harrad believes [Jul, p130]. It’s just that they don’t taste very exciting… I was first served squirrel in northern France 30 years ago at a restaurant that specialised in traditional terroir food. Many of the dishes were described using regional dialect words that even my French-graduate wife was unfamiliar with. I ordered l’écureuil, which I thought might be a variety of deer. What arrived was a casserole of squirrel (as I later discovered from my dictionary at the hotel!).
At the time I thought it might be jugged hare – similar flavour, although it didn’t taste that strong. I’ve also seen squirrel on the menu at lodges in rural America and pubs in rural Dorset. I’m not tempted, but chacun à son goût (each to their own taste).
Les Dunn’s lament over boring restaurant decor [Jun, p130] inspired agreement
From: Maxine Campbell
Each time a pub is given a ‘changing rooms’ makeover, an old regular loses their place in its world. Many don’t live up to their ‘gastropub’ moniker and give decent pubs with good food a bad name.
From: Ellie
I teach design, and the whole point is to set a business apart. Individual restaurants and pubs hang local art and souvenirs, and smarter restaurants use actual designers to create bespoke spaces rather than interior fitters who follow a template. Long live the quirky and irregular – but please do up the loos.
From: Veronica
Unfortunately, I think this blandness has crept into our homes too, with one suburban home looking just like the one next door. Where have individuality and creativity gone?
Subject: Stylish on a budget
From: Linda Sloan
Karen’s Hotlist is always a go-to section for me, but while these items have been lovingly made, would most readers be able to afford such luxuries? I’d love to see a budget feature with beautiful items under £10, or even £5.
EDITOR KAREN REPLIES…
There’s a challenge! I try to balance mass-produced items with more unusual gems, and of course the craftspeople who make things by hand need to earn a living, which makes a £5 price tag tricky. But, as ever, we need balance in all things, and I’ve now introduced a bargain buy each month. Thank you.
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