Heston Blumental famously said that you would get a more intense experience if you bit into a tea leaf then sipped some hot water than if you steeped the tea leaf in the water. Sure, but sometimes I want a cup of tea and sometimes, I would even like a little milk in it.

Weekend before last, I poached the beef brisket in beef stock, spooned the roasted red peppers (only lightly pulsed in the blitzer) over and drizzled basil oil around before dusting with parmesan shavings. Not sure if it would have been better if I had stewed the whole lot together.