in Britain: Gordon Ramsay's restos are places where you pay 400 canadian for three courses. But now Ramsey's joining the casual trend and plans a series of $60 canadian gastro pubs featuring such english comfort food as lamb stew, steak and kidney pie, grilled mackerel....

From today's Guardian...

Red tape has ended the annual pancake race in the North Yorkshire city of Ripon.

The race, which sees a team of choristers and often portly clerics take on the pride of the town's school and businesses, goes back - with regular interruptions - to pre-medieval times. Its origins are supposed to lie in a Saxon trick played on invading Danes, who accepted alcohol-drenched pancakes from local women who then stabbed them to death while they slept.

"Sadly, we've looked at things very carefully this year and decided that it can't take place," said the current dean, and race co-organiser, the Very Rev Keith Jukes. "The big reason is healthy and safety.

"Any organisation which runs an event like this has to go through a number of risk assessments. The insurance companies demand it and in the end you have to work out whether it's a risk you can take.

"It puts people off helping. It's just one thing after another."