17 FEBRUARY 2001, Page 28

Our £10 feast

From Mr Michael Bray Sir: When we read restaurant reviews in your columns, we are amazed at the high prices quoted in London and elsewhere.

We have just had an invitation to the annual banquet of our local farmers' shoot, where we live in the deep French countryside. The menu reads as follows:

Soup Fish course Grilled wild boar Venison stew Vegetables and salad Norwegian omelette Local wine Coffee and Armagnac

The cost of this feast is 100 francs per person (just under f10, and there is no service charge). No wonder we avoid London.

Michael Bray

Plaisance du Gers, France