Warming seas have made British waters more attractive to the common octopus. We report on a migrant influx that has delighted gastronomes. It is not often a British chef gets to cook freshly caught octopus with aromatics for two hours until tender, slice it, use a blowtorch to give it a smoky flavour and then serve it with fresh tomatoes and an olive brine.
Another cook in our report notes that people in the UK tend turn up their noses at octopus; he hopes to change that.
• How a flood of cheap British octopus is changing restaurant menus
We wonder if he is missing something. Many people who have read Peter Godfrey-Smith’s book Other Minds, or seen the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, may think twice about tucking into one of these enigmatic creatures. You do not need to know about their amusing escapology skills or squirting of disliked researchers to wonder if they deserve better than to be sliced up for salads.
Apologies if we have put you off our lunch. You could always try the squid.