I know how they make it so creamy

So a quick post before my golden two weeks in Devon draws to an end. I can hardly complain as I'm about to fly off to Italy for a week with J and J (how confusing!) but it really has been absolutely wonderful here, helped undoubtedly by the balmy weather. J came down for a few days before and I took great delight in showing her all the lovely things to do in the area - we went for long tramps through the woods, to the beaches, the coves, the harbours, the pubs... Our best day was probably yesterday when we went to try out John Burton Race's restaurant The New Angel, as seen on Channel 4 (www.newangel.co.uk). It IS pricey - more so than anywhere else I've ever eaten - but oh my God, the food was amazing. Maybe I have a severely uneducated palate as a woman we got chatting to in the lounge area told us she was "most disappointed" and that her partner, Jean-Jacques, made far better foie gras. Not having Jean-jacques as my partner, I had to content myself with a wonderful, buttery, slippery, creamy rich foie gras courtesy of Mr Burton Race and his minions. This was accompanied by wonderful earthy black pudding, an incredibly honey sauce, and rocket that cut through the fat and gave a wonderful tang to the whole dish. J and I ate in rapt silence. For my main, I had the loin of pork, served with a wrapped pork belly, and lovely crisp cruncy apples and greens. Unfortunately it also came with beetroot (yuck) so J polished that off for me. She had the lamb - two generous size servings of best end, with a herb crust, and a pea puree that was minty with a real fresh kick - so good you could eat a whole bowl of it by itself. For pudd, I had raspberry millefeuille with pistachio ice cream and raspberry sorbet, and J had the cheese board (with incredibly pongy camembert). Our quibbles are that the foie gras was maybe a touch too rich - you really didn't need so much, and the starter at £12 could maybe have stood a bit of trimming in size and price. Also the staff (all French!), while v professional, did not explain the cheese selection well - a problem in most posh places (saying "it's blue cheese" is NOT enough. They should explain provenence, type of milk used, maturity etc). The wine list was v good too, and lots of reasonably priced bottles before you had to push the boat out.
The most memorable part of the evening was when we retired in manner of nineteenth century gentlemen to the smoking lounge. We got into all sorts of conversations, including one with a man who'd had a terrible motorbike accident (but my scar was better than his) and a gentleman who told us his three favourite activites in life were food, sex and cricket. He bought me a huge armagnac, so my head hurts today. But oh it was worth it, a real experience, and v good fun. We laughed all the way home on the ferry, and our peals of laughter drifted over the peaceful river and made me think that a good friend, a good meal, and a warming drink (especially when bought for one) are really the staff of life.