In the weekend edition of the Financial Times, Sir Simon Rattle enjoys (or perhaps endures) 'Lunch with the FT' in the person of Andrew Clark.
No restaurant, no Barenboim-style personal chef - the versatile Sir Simon whips the whole thing up himself at the Provençal villa he makes his temporary home during the Aix Festival.
Sir Simon follows "a platter of cherry tomatoes and salami slices" with a shoulder of lamb “because they didn’t have a leg”. The lamb we are told was marinated overnight and cooked on a low heat for four and a half hours in an "old French oven", then served up with "an aubergine ragout spiced with garlic, ginger, onions and Thai fish sauce".
Red wine (Château Yon-Figeac 2003) of course.
And he cunningly stashes the summer berry tart brought by the reporter so he can scoff the lot later. "A bowl of sliced melon" is the disappointing substitute.
Finally, he proffers coffee with the alarming rejoinder that “Every drug helps”.
Oh, and there's even some stuff about music in there too.
