John Gibson: Pick of the pudding race, right?

We live in a society where nothing’s sacred. Not even bread and butter pudding. For me life without it is unthinkable. What’s got my dander up is that my favourite pud is listed during National Pudding Week as one of the disappearing desserts.

It’s a man’s meal in itself and too many of them are too tired, too stressed helping the kids with their homework to stomach the delight after a hard day at the office. They mean too busy gawking at the telly soaps to bother about preparing a dessert?

Good taste prevails in these parts. You can still savour Barcelo Carlton exec chef Matt Parker’s mouth-watering version. Plain b and b with custard, using days-old bread of course. Alternatively his sweet brioche recipe with chocolate and banana.

Says Matt, pictured below: “That’s for folk looking for a touch of the ‘wow’ factor about their b and b. There’s never been a time in my 27 years cheffing when it’s been off the menu.”

Other raisins to be cheerful, I’m assured the top chefs at Le Monde and Mercure (Mount Royal) will gladly rustle up a bona fide b and b for you.

If I’ve got to campaign on the steps on St Paul’s to prevent traditional bread and butter pudding from vanishing from our menus, so be it.

Wood I say that?

For one day only. Veteran Glasgow-based Dorothy Paul’s doing her own show tomorrow at the Festival Theatre and she’s been telling my showbiz specialist colleague Liam Rudden: “The first review I ever got in Edinburgh was from John Gibson. I was principal boy in a panto and he said I was wooden.

“Then a friend of mine found another review in the archives that said the charmer of the show was Dorothy Paul.

“You don’t remember the good things, only the bad things. But it was a great panto.”

Dorothy, your recall could be letting you down. I’ve never said a bad word about anybody. Best of luck tomorrow.