Tonight you're cooking. Four guests are coming at seven, Nan's stained recipe card is on the table, and the cupboard has what it has. Pick a starter, a main and a pudding the table will love. Every guest has their tastes and their quirks: Uncle Ray wants a pint with his main, Our Kath won't eat meat, Nan wants it piping hot, Big Sam will do anything for fresh bread. The card shows who will love each dish, who isn't keen, and who won't touch it. Then cook it on two burners and an oven, with one pair of hands. The clock only moves when you do something, so there is no rush, only a plan: the stew wants an hour, the oven can take one dish at a time, and a dish served straight off the heat is the one that gets "Seconds, please!". Leave it on too long and it overcooks; take it off too early and it goes cold while the table finishes the last course. Stout goes in the pot and in the glass, and there are only so many bottles. Keep one back and the cook gets a pint at the end. Every plate gets a reaction in the guest's own words, and the table's verdict says what went well and what to try next time. A new table and a new cupboard every night, a daily menu that is the same for everyone, and "Same table again" to cook a table until you've got it right.
Leaderboard
Loading…
