Mum knows best

So who do chefs most dread cooking for? The man from Michelin perhaps? Newspaper critics? High-profile celebs?

I wouldn't dream of embarrassing anyone by naming names, but one of Birmingham's best chefs tells me that the person he most hates cooking for is his dear old mum.

"She always finds something wrong," he despaired. "She tells me I should have added a bit more of this or a bit more of that."

He accepts, however, that she helped set him on his career path.