Grate. Grate. Grrrrate?

If anything is testament to the power of online communities and the democratisation of the web it's Nom Nom Nom. Fact.

Food has long been the remit of sweary, intimidating chefs, smug food critics and up-their-bums restaurateurs. The truly wonderful thing about food online is that it celebrates cooks, cooking and everyday nominess.

The foodie community is a microcosm of bigger digital culture: it's open, it's social and it's accessible. But perhaps most significantly, it's a really vivid example of how the web has completely re-framed the way communities are formed. Gone are the days when geographical proximity made you a part of something. Today it's about a proximity of passion. If you love food, you're part of the gang. And this, I think, is a beautiful thing.

So yes, without sounding too cheesy, it was the taking part that counted. Of course, I say that because our Grate Grate Grate meal wasn't so great afterall, ahem. We were way too ambitious and to a point, that was intentional. We threw ourselves face first into a menu that we reckoned would be worthless attempting if it didn't give us a bit of fear. And fear we did.

If you can't take the heat - Sharon and I in action.

Sharon and I were in a state of shock when Nom10 came to a close

The one thing that we agree worked out quite well was the lamb. So here's a little bit of instruction on how to make a big hunk of meat just like ours if you so fancy:

Feed it to your face.

First, marinade the beasty. Literally drench it in huge dollops of Greek yoghurt, honey, cumin, lemon juice and lashings of good quality olive oil. Walk over to it regularly to check that the drench is still drenchy. Then, after about an hour, whack your grill on to burning, firey hot. I mean absolutely scorching. Your eyeballs should feel like they're drying out when you open the door. Take your hunk of meat out of its marinade, leave a smidge of it on and stick it under the grill. Relax until the top of the meat is all gooey and caramelised. Flip it over. Do the same thing again - you don't want it under there for more than 10 minutes. Take the meat out, let it rest. Slice it thinly. It'll be full of sticky goodness on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. Feed it to your face. Nom.

Big thanks to TikiChris for taking pictures. You can see the rest of his deeeelicious photostream on Flickr.

Also, a loving shout out to the Cookery School who taught me how to cook duck years ago and a mere handful of weeks ago, showed me the way of the pastry. If you're into food, you're into them.

A mahooosive thanks to the legendary AnnieMole for organising it all, all communities young and old need a shit-hot leader, she is ours and we heart her.

And finally, don't forget to talk about, give money to and be interested in Action Against Hunger. Those guys do an incredible job.

Vote for Grate Grate Grate here