There were lashings of the stuff in two big tureens. It's actually remarkable there was enough to cover the copiousness of the food. For those who can't eat gluten, like my dining companion ...

Mine was an oblique induction into Brecht’s poems. Often in my teens I’d go for long walks in the Westphalian forests with my (English) father, who knew his German poetry, and if we were starting out ...