Cod Cheeks at The Albion Pub, Islington.

Cod cheeks. Cod cheeks. Cod cheeks. Cod cheeks.

Cod cheeks have been on my mind since I ate them on Saturday night at The Albion Pub, Islington. They were simply phenomenal. So much so that in under 48 hours I have returned for round 2, with one family member in tow and the family dog, Guji. I even called on Sunday evening and again this morning to check the cheeks were in. Like Gatsby, with one hand on the ticker, I'm going back to relive the moment. By noon, I should be washing them down with an equally wonderful tipple of Black Sheep Bitter, pulled from the Albion pump.

And that is exactly what I did.

The Albion is a great pub. It is so for a number of reasons: the food is fab; the bar well stocked; they allow dogs; and with 72 hrs notice they will do a suckling pig that you will talk about for many a day to come. It has a garden for the summer and real fires in the winter.

Back to cheeks again. Cheeks seem to be appearing on menus with increasing regularity. Or could it simply be that now I know I like them I'm beginning to take note of their existence. Either way, I have to get to the bottom of this dish so I can fully satiate my urge to eat them every day. Skate knobs are another delicacy to master too, but more of that later.

There is no easy way of extrapolating recipes from chefs. It can be done, but god knows I've tried and failed on many an occasion. I sometimes wake at night in a cold sweat over a green tea ice cream I had in Cape Town: for neither love nor money would the chef budge. I fainted, I fawned, I fluttered my eyelashes but nope. Nada. At the Albion, my father's dog Guji disarmed them before I went for the jugular. You can read the recipe here, or better still, go there and have the dish proper. It's a steal at £6.50.