Starter Or Dessert?

Whether you’re a starter or dessert person can tell you a lot about who someone is. If given the choice, would you prefer a plate of crunchy fried things to kick off your meal or a wedge of cloudy clafoutis to end it? I’m obviously a starter and dessert type of person but, if I was forced to choose, there’d be no doubt in my mind that I’d go for a starter over a dessert every single time. While I’ve got the willpower to turn down a bowl of homemade ice cream, I’m simply powerless to an order of freshly baked pita and smoked cod’s roe. Sue me.

I’m obviously always right about everything, but we need a bigger case study than that to work out which is truly superior, right? So, in the name of science, I had an ask around the Mob office to find out where the members of our food team stood on this highly contentious topic.

"I am a firm believer that the first part of the meal is always the best. Salty, juicy oysters with a sharp dressing. Chewy bread, likely these days served with some sort of whipped compound butter. Something deep fried with a generous dollop of aioli. Maybe even a quenelle of good old-fashioned paté. I’m a savoury gal and, to me, these are the menu items that make me do a happy dance in my chair. I almost always shun pudding in favour of stuffing myself to the gills with all the crispy, salty, juicy delights on the first third of a menu. How could I not when starters are the most exciting bit?"

"This one is easy for me – my sweet tooth rarely extends beyond a good piece of fruit, and because I don't live in the Bay Area, a good piece of fruit is rarely on the menu for dessert. I think good desserts are impressive, clever and difficult but, much like speed metal guitar solos, they're just not for me."

“It's starters over desserts for me. All day, every day. Generally, my palate leans savoury. The sweet things I enjoy usually have a salty edge – shoutout to my Miso Brown Butter Baklava, Salted Caramel Profiteroles and every other sweet recipe I've developed for Mob, which all contain a pretty punchy salty element. My preference for salty foods aside, I also think that on the whole, starters are much more exciting than desserts, in terms of flavour (depth, complexity, the whole nine yards), texture, and variety. The list goes on. At the end of the day though, it all boils down to a simple formula for me: salt > sugar. End of.”

"I’m almost certainly in the minority here, but it has to be dessert. A wedge of tiramisu or a fat slice of lemon meringue pie trumps anything you can write in the top third of a menu. The joys of the pastry section are endless, and when done properly, perfect desserts deliver incomparable pleasure. Perfectly soft whipped cream, salty caramel, nutty, rich crisp pastry, smooth silky gelato, and f**king chocolate. Beat that.

NB. In the interest of fairness, 99 times out of 100 I’m having both. Bin off the main if anything."