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 The Best Way to Stir Porridge
Daily Express, 4 September 2004
It’s amazing how just about any everyday activity has a scientific angle. Even stirring porridge can be turned into a scientific problem, as I found when I investigated the properties of the mysterious “spurtle” that is used to stir porridge in Scotland. With the aid of world porridge-making champion Duncan Hilditch and my physics colleague Jeff Odell, I worked out that this implement makes smooth porridge by creating the ideal stresses to break up lumps but not to disrupt the individual oat grains. “Fletch” would surely have approved. View image of article.
 Scientists Get the Art of Dunking Down to a T
The Daily Telegraph
One of the best media stories about the physics of dunking a biscuit. Unlike some newspapers, the Daily Telegraph actually got the equation right, and also explained just what it meant extremely well. Conclusion: Many journalists are really keen to help put over what science is about. It is really up to scientists to help them more. View image of article.
Len Fisher on Dunking
BBC Radio 4 "Today" programme, November 1999
 Inflammable Jelly
In one of my incarnations I am involved with chefs and food writers who are interested in using science to improve gastronomic techniques. At a conference with this group at Erice in Sicily, the subject of jellies came up, and I started to think just how alcoholic one could make a jelly. The answer was “very alcoholic indeed”, and eventually I succeeded in making inflammable jellies, as the above story shows. View image of article.
 Great shakes
The Guardian, October 2002
Kir Royale jelly: This is interesting because it manages to keep the bubbles in the jelly itself. My friend, the chemist Len Fisher, devised the clever technique of preserving the bubbles more than in a regular champagne jelly. The crème de cassis and sugar seem to reduce the volatility of the champagne...
Gravy Boffin Uses His Loaf
BBC Radio News, December 2001
A Bristol-based scientist has carried out extensive research to work out the ideal bread to mop up gravy. Dr Len Fisher, a research fellow at the University of Bristol, has determined that the Italian crusty bread Ciabatta soaks up the most sauce...
 Great Gravy Saver Sum
Daily Mail, 30 November 2000
My next venture (with colleague Peter Barham) was also at the request of a publicity company, and again I imposed the condition that it should let me show how scientists think. This time it was for Bisto gravy, who asked me to work out how much gravy was absorbed by a Christmas dinner. The resulting equation produced the immortal headline “You’ve got to be Bisto kidding!” View image of article.
 Cold Milk Takes the Biscuit
BBC News, November 1999
The best way to enjoy a biscuit is not with tea or coffee but with cold, chocolate-flavoured milk, according to new research. Scientists at Nottingham University have found milky drinks trap the biscuit flavours in the mouth, whereas hot drinks tend to "wash away" the experience before the mouth and nose have had time to fully appreciate them...
Good Dunking Guide
Daily Mail, November 1999
The publicity company came back for a second bite the next year. This time I looked at what liquid you should dunk you biscuit in. It was a simple but substantial bit of science, using a remarkable instrument developed at the University of Nottingham and called MSNose. It measures the concentration of aromas released as one chews, and I discovered that fatty materials like milk (especially chocolate milk!) are best for dunking because the fats and oils retain the flavours in the mouth for longer. I have since used this discovery when helping leading chefs to design flavoursome recipes. View image of article.
 The Optimum Cheese Sandwich
Another project that used MSNose was to work out how much cheese there is in the ideal cheese sandwich. This project produced a real scientific surprise – there is no gain to be had by adding more cheese above a certain thickness, because this does not produce any more release of flavour. I am still trying to work out why!
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