Experi-mental

An avid follower of the great chefs of history, he was attracted to some of the old traditional favourites, using ingredients long since passed over, like mutton, chitterlings and faggots. He would be a retro chef.

He scoured antiquarian booksellers in London for inspiration. Larousse, Beaton and some lesser-knowns provided it. Providers of more unusual ingredients were not so easy to find though. Extemporisation was required.

He tried making calf's foot jelly - an old Ashkenazic speciality - without the calf. Delicious! Tasting over, he realised he'd been far too experimental on the ingredient front. He'd put his foot in it!