There was the vodka poured freehand, the over-generous provision of Worcestershire sauce, the omission of lemon juice, the highly unorthodox use of horseradish, and a few correctly mixed drinks whose makers ­ if they were adept at everything else ­ went on to the finals. While chefs get much of the glory, the skills involved in serving food are often overlooked, and Truffler has nothing but admiration for waiting staff. Winner of the competition was Anne-Sophie McKenzie, a Frenchwoman married to a Scot, who works at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. She revealed that in the dining room where she works tables must be laid with the folds on the cloths all facing the same way I know I'll never make the grade.The Aussies are coming. This week at the Lanesborough Hotel on Hyde Park Corner in London, Luke Mangan cooks some of the dishes that helped bestow best-new-restaurant status on his beautifully designed Salt restaurant in Sydney last year.

Sesame-grilled rabbit tart with polenta and shiitake mushrooms, or roasted wild barramundi with cauliflower pur? courgettes, pinenuts and currants are two examples of Mangan's style, honed after training in Asia and Europe, partly with the Roux brothers. He's at the Lanesborough (020-7259 5599) until Saturday 26 May. A two-course lunch or dinner is £22.50, five-course tasting menu £49.50, and main courses on the ?a carte menu are £20 plus.David Thompson is Australia's unchallenged authority on Thai food, a subject about which he is so knowledgeable he's employed as a consultant at the Thai cooking institute Suan Dusit in Bangkok. His Darley Street Thai restaurant in Sydney has closed, and Thompson is coming to London as he has no other commitments In July he opens his restaurant at London's Halkin Hotel.

It's a change of direction for the hotel, where Stefano Cavallini, who has left to concentrate on his own shop and catering business, I Sapori, cooked sublime Italian Expect top Thai instead, come July.. A big green salad that combines finely sliced raw vegetables with tender green beans, with Parmesan and lemon juice to enliven things.200g fine French beans, topped and tailed 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and outer sheaf discarded, halved and finely slicedhalf a red onion, finely sliced juice of 1 lemonextra virgin olive oilsea salt, black pepper2 avocados (ideally Hass variety)2 punnets mustard and cress, cut50g very finely sliced ParmesanBring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the French beans for 3-4 minutes until just tender Transfer to a sink of cold water using a slotted spoon. Once cool remove and drain on a tea-towel. Toss the fennel, French beans and red onion in a salad bowl with the lemon juice, three tablespoons of olive oil and some seasoning. Quarter the avocados, remove the skin and cut the flesh into long thin slices Carefully fold these into the salad and pile on to plates. Place the mustard and cress on top, scatter over the Parmesan cheese and pour over a little more olive oil.. A doctor who uses an "alternative" treatment for thyroid disease has been told to stop treating patients, amid claims that he is the victim of a "witch-hunt" and "political tyranny" by the medical establishment.