Try it my way ...

From Ms Eleanor M. Jardine

Sir: For the past few days I have been confined to barracks with a sprained ankle, and my copy of The River Cafe Cook Book has been a constant source of pleasure. It is quite beautifully produced and is full of inspiration. It seems sad that so many years after the late Elizabeth David did the same thing, it is still so necessary to emphasise the importance of the very best ingredients - and sadder still that your writer should question this ("You must add a pinch of Maldon salt", 10 July). Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that it is often necessary to adapt recipes for a variety of reasons, but does this mean that there should be no recipes to adapt?

Yours faithfully,

Eleanor M. Jardine

Hertford