Also this week and in light of comments about Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant in France, his rhyme might be something along the lines of: "Even a good meal in Versailles can't keep the French food critics at bay."
First, the health benefits that k
eeping a cat can bring and then Mr Ramsay's attempts to win the hearts, minds and stomachs of French gourmands with the opening of his new restaurant.
Dog owners have always argued that a dog is man's best friend but cat lovers have always countered this by saying that a cat is man's most intelligent friend.
In Ancient Egypt the most highly developed and advanced civilisation of its time, cats were revered and accorded high status.
As a long time cat owner, I have always considered cats to be ideal pets. The current cat queen of the croft (pictured on her 'throne' top right) is Tigger - a beautiful, intelligent, tiger-striped seven year old that certainly would have graced any catwalk in Ancient Egypt.
However, cat owners have now had independent confirmation from a research project at the University of Minnesota that cat owners appear to have a much lower risk of dying from a heart attack than their feline–spurning counterparts.
Researchers looked at 4,500 adults and found that cat ownership was related to a 40% lower risk of suffering a heart attack.
The research team speculated that having a cat may reduce stress and anxiety and so protect against cardiovascular disease although the researchers warned against impulsive cat purchases as everyone is not suitable to own a cat.
Gordon Ramsay fared no better with the French food critics than he did with their New York counterparts when he opened his new restaurant in Versailles in France last week.
Although there was some condescending praise for "le bad boy de la cuisine anglaise," by and large the French critics treated Gordon's new venture with scorn.
Some food critics even advised people not to bother even venturing to the new establishment.
Chef Ramsay's menu is a mixture of new dishes and some tried and tested favourites such as his trademark ravioli of langoustine and lobster.
One of the main dishes on offer — milk fed rack of lamb with ratatouille — was a classic French dish so Gordon is apparently hedging his bets by mixing and matching his dishes.
One thing that Gordon Ramsay can never be accused of is running away from a fight, although he has a tough challenge on his hands this time convincing French gourmands that he is a genuinely great chef.
Perhaps Chef Ramsay thought that it might be easier breaking into the French market on the back of the Auld Alliance but so far this ingredient doesn't appear to have made much difference to the Gallic palate.
Navarin of LambINGREDIENTS2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato puree
About 8 small onions, peeled but left whole
115g peas
900g/2lbs boneless leg of lamb cubed
4 fl ozs dry white wine
2 tablespoons plain flour
3 small turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly
12 baby carrots, scraped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sugar
8 oz chicken stock
2 bouquet garnis
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
METHODPre-heat the oven to 160C/325F
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and cook the lamb in batches till browned.
Transfer the browned lamb to a casserole dish.
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and cook gently for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes - stirring all the time till it becomes lightly coloured.
Add the stock and wine and stir until sauce thickens and bubbles.
Stir in tomato puree, sugar and salt and pepper.
Add the bouquet garnish and cook covered for half an hour.
Add the rest of the casserole and cook for about an hour.
Ten minutes before the end of cooking time, remove the bouquets garnis and add the peas.
Just before serving, add in the chopped parsley.
The French would serve this with chunky bread but mashed potatoes would be my preferred option.
