A Year in Provence (Provence, #1)

by Peter Mayle

But of course, he said, it is well known that the English kill their lamb twice; once when they slaughter it, and once when they cook it.

Sadly, although the general opinion of English cooking has improved a great deal, we shall always be known for overcooked lamb. In the same vein, I remember well going to The Côlombe D’Or which, to those who know it, must be one of their favourite restaurants as, indeed, it was ours. A very dear English friend who did not speak French ordered a steak adding that he wanted it ‘well done’. The thin-faced, bushy-eyebrowed, seen-everything waiter in his proper attire, white shirt, black waistcoat and apron, lent forward very slightly and said ‘à la Michelin, Monsieur’.