Getting ready for winter

The secret of a good dish is a great stock and today I have spent the day making two.

The first stock is a curry essence which I will add to a home made mayonnaise and serve with lobster for lunch tomorrow. The recipe is by Anton Edelman who was maître chef des cuisines at the Savoy until 2003. I ate this dish (or something similar) in The River Room in the mid eighties. It's going to be my starter for Christmas lunch so I am trying it out again.

The second is a lobster stock. My fishmonger in Notting Hill prepped the crustaceans to my specification and the remaining shells and bits of flesh are simmered together with vegetables and herbs to make a distinctive reduction.

I have huge resect for lobsters (who live to a good age before being prepared for the table). I will use every bit of the beast to its best potential.