Breaking the link

Another shrinkage in the electorate of one-off shops: the fine folk at Biggles in Marylebone Lane have squeezed their last kilo of mix, and have shut up shop. The imminent redevelopment of their block has prompted their closure (rather than try moving and re-establishing trade). We have been enjoying Biggles sausages for years, and their Toulouse were always our favourites for cassoulet. But there were so many good sausages there, from the calm simplicity of the Marylebone pork to the hedonistic Périgord, and their lesser-spotted chicken and lemon sausages were just outstanding. We came away on Saturday (final trading day) with some Toulouse, some pork-and-chestnut, and paprika-and-capsicum-loaded Californians, and trotted down to the warm and busy Tube at Oxford Circus. By the time we reached Regent's Park, everyone on the Bakerloo train had a Biggles memory!