Why are so many people afraid to criticize food that makes them feel ill? Don't we remember what happened at The Fat Duck with Hester Blumenthal's Molecular menu? Watch and learn...

Are people so timid that they follow these trends like sheep and are afraid to say what they really feel - that they would rather have a nourishing, less challenging meal?

I don't think that food should be 'a challenge' at all. If God had meant us to eat Molecular then we would have been born with test-tubes (only joking).

P.S. And does this mean that MO are pursuing Molecular now, given that Hester has been installed at MO Hyde Park?

Seriously though, Pierre Gagnaire's challenging menus are more about marketing than cuisine. To me, his food is more designed for a party of dissectionists. Maybe he should have called the restaurant Vivisection.

Food should not be about challenge, just as it should not present a health hazard. Equally, we should not think that if a meal costs $500, it is good. Believe me, great food is not about this. Smoke and mirrors...yes