London name for the longest, finest cut from a haunch of venison or lamb.

from bos (Latin: ox) and vril, the term applied to the life force in Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Forgotten Race (1871).

long green vegetable with slightly bitter but mild and refreshing flavour; there are smooth-skinned green-house and ridged cucumbers.

Dr Johnson: 'A cucumber should be well sliced and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.' Tour to the Hebrides (1785)

coffee made by forcing steam through finely ground coffee beans.

once a popular dish in England, today eaten only in South American countries.

small cube of sponge or butter cake, dipped in thin chocolate icing and desiccated coconut; named for Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland (1896-1901) AUSTRALIAN.

cultivated in mediaeval monastery gardens, the bright orange flowers were used in possets, broths and drinks, and may be used in salads or as an alternative to saffron in rice dishes.

adjectives chosen to woo a prospective buyer into purchasing foodstuff, including: Auntie's, baby, bitesize, chef's choice, chef's kitchen, creamy, crispy, crunchy, crusty, encrusted, enrobed, farmhouse, Farmer's wife, free range, fun size,golden, golden brown, Granny's, healthy, Home Farm, homemade, hoenydew, luscious, Milkmaid, Mother's, mouthwatering, nourishing, nugget, nutty, platter, rich, smooth, traditional, velvet — often demonstrating a triumph of hope over experience.

cereal grass which can grow in more marginal environments than other cereals. Johnson's Dictionary: 'A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.' (1755)

century-old meat extract, formerly Liebig's Extract of Meat, sold first as a liquid, then in a compressed cube; the name now extends to chicken Oxo, curry Oxo, etc.

substance or method used to introduce air or gas into bread, cake, pastry or puddings to make them rise during cooking.

Wilbur Scoville devised a hotness unit for chillis expressed as the dilution required to reach the threshold of taste. Habanero chillis rate 200,000—300,000 Scoville; jalapeño averages a mere 3,000. A more accurate measure is now afforded using high-pressure liquid chromatography.

leaf of a tropical evergreen shrub of the genus Camellia, used to make an infusion with boiling water; originally the steeped leaves were eaten; the word is now applied to a variety of infused beverages eg camomile tea, more properly described as a tisane.

bread browned on both sides under the grill, in a toaster, or in front of a fire (using a toasting fork); it may also be prepared by toasting a slice of bread, cutting the crusts off, and slicing it in two half-toasts before toasting the untoasted faces thus revealed.

more popular name for the merrythought bone; fowl's furcula or fused clavicle; by custom, each of two people grasps an end in the little finger and pulls; the one getting the larger part makes a silent wish.