Similar to yours and Beeker's experiences,
my parents were taken out to dinner a few years ago by some friends in that delightful part of the world that is Essex. (Saaarfend, I think it was) Amongst the culinary crimes they witnessed that night were:

Paté: Well, at least it was a paté, though it had less in common with a foie gras than it did with Sainsbury's Basics Pork Liver Paté (£0.30 and packaged as though it were a sausage). Tastefully served with a sliver of rocket on a piece of toasted white sliced.

Duck breasts in a plum sauce: a hurriedly defrosted lump of something which had once been attached to a duck, burnt to buggery and served with a spoonful of plum jam.

Cheeseboard: a couple of Jacob's cream crackers accompanying a few lumps of cheddar

I'm sure there were a couple of other howlers, unfortunately I can't remember them at the moment.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 16 Jul 2010, 13:52, Reply)