Very taken with Ivry Gitlis's 1977 traversal of the Paganini caprices. Caprices, one feels, suit Gitlis's nature. I don't think I'd like to hear him in unaccompanied Bach, or in Mozart, or in the Beethoven violin concerto. But in quirky music Gitlis is supreme. An odd violinist; but a great technician and one who comes into his own in the right music, at the right time. Paganini's caprices certainly come alive in this recording. Thank goodness Gitlis at last consented to its release.

Gitlis was preceded by an excellent foie de veau, courtesy of Marks & Spencer's new shop in Cirencester; an establishment that threatens to revolutionise my eating habits (and my bank account).