area51novel Chapter 91 The Most Amazing Kitchen in Britain
Chapter 91 The Most Amazing Kitchen in Britain
Chapter 91 The Most Amazing Kitchen in Britain
The little elf let out a delighted squeal.
"It really is Mr. Lucas McGregor! It really is you! Lance has been looking forward to meeting you!"
He bowed again to Lucas, his large, pointed nose almost touching the stone floor.
The little elves around them gathered around, cheering in high-pitched, thin voices.
"Professor Sprout brought Mr. McGregor! So Mr. McGregor is a Hufflepuff!"
"We were right. With Mr. McGregor's culinary skills, he'll definitely be assigned to Hufflepuff."
"Great! We're delighted to serve Mr. McGregor of Hufflepuff!"
Professor Sprout laughed in surprise: "Lucas, I didn't know you were so famous in the Hogwarts kitchens?"
Lucas was also puzzled. He had learned from various books that house-elves were not naturally occurring species, but rather the most perfect alchemical creations and artificial life forms of wizards.
House-elves and the Philosopher's Stone, which grants immortality and the ability to turn stones into gold, are both pinnacle creations of alchemy. However, the contributions of house-elves to the wizarding world far exceed those of the Philosopher's Stone, which was held solely by Nicolas Flamel.
It is said that the method of creating house-elves is based on mysterious ancient magic, which is why they possess various magical abilities, but the method of creation has long been lost.
Fortunately, as a perfect artificial race, they can maintain their population through natural reproduction; otherwise, house-elves would have disappeared by now.
A deep-seated, unwavering loyalty passed down through generations; powerful and unique spellcasting abilities; and a core mission dedicated to serving wizards...
A perfect creation, a perfect... slave.
But how do they know me?
"The great Hogwarts allows us to read the newspaper! Mr. McGregor!" exclaimed the house-elf, Lance. "Lance has collected all the articles about you. Wait a minute, sir!"
With a snap, Lanchi disappeared in front of Lucas. With another snap, he reappeared, this time holding a newspaper.
"This is the latest report for today, sir! Lanchi has read it many times!"
The Daily Prophet's headline, written in exaggerated bold font, reads "Rising Star Boards the Hogwarts Express Today!", with the subtitle below, "Diagon Alley's Genius Chef Finally Departs, Other Chefs Rejoice."
Lucas's eye twitched at the sight of the sensational headline.
Sure enough, the author is Rita Skeeter!
Lucas took the newspaper and quickly glanced through it. It had been published this morning, but he hadn't seen it while he was on his way to school.
In this report, Skeeter once again went all out, mainly dividing it into three parts.
The first part briefly reviews Lucas's illustrious achievements. In particular, Minister Fudge's praise of Lucas, calling him "the brightest young spark," fully demonstrates the Ministry of Magic's strong commitment to nurturing young wizards, its extreme emphasis on magical education, and Minister Fudge's care for the younger generation.
The second part is a serious tale of nonsense, featuring interviews with vendors who share stalls with Lucas near Gringotts, as well as managers and chefs from some of the best restaurants in Diagon Alley.
Everyone said that because of Lucas's presence, their businesses had become precarious, and they had been trembling in Lucas's shadow throughout August. Now that Lucas is finally gone, the Diagon Alley food scene has immediately been filled with celebration.
In particular, there was an interview with Armand Dubois, the manager and head chef of the famous French restaurant "Night at Starlight".
In Skeeter's writing, Dubois is like a little girl, screaming and crying, feeling ashamed and fearful in the face of Lucas's criticism and severity, and extremely grateful and admiring of Lucas's guidance.
At first glance, you could tell he had Stockholm syndrome.
The third part is complete distorted nonsense. For example, it finds several so-called social celebrities to predict Lucas's future, and the final conclusion is that Lucas will rule the Hogwarts kitchen and turn Hogwarts into a "new Western culinary school".
The last paragraph made Lucas's eyes twitch.
"No witch who has ever met Lucas McGregor can deny his amazing charm as a rising star, a young hero, and a genius chef."
"Besides his childhood sweetheart Hannah Abbott and his gentle senior Nymphadora Tonks, Lucas has gained a new close female friend who is always by his side, Allie Jane McFastie."
"According to reliable sources, this Miss Ellie is the youngest princess of the mysterious MacFastie family, the rulers of the Black Dragons of the Archipelago. She possesses stunning charm and is known as the Dragonfire Rose of the Archipelago. As for her romantic story of falling in love with Lucas at first sight, we will report on it in more detail later."
"Now that Lucas has started attending Hogwarts, the young ladies at Hogwarts should be careful, especially the older students. After all, Lucas has an amazing effect on older witches—"
Rita Skeeter!!!
Lucas resisted the urge to crumple the newspaper into a ball and handed it back to Lanchi, whose big eyes were blinking.
"Mr. McGregor is a genius chef with absolutely amazing culinary skills! Everyone raves about him!" Lance exclaimed. "And he's only eleven years old!"
"Lanchi idolizes Mr. McGregor!"
Other house-elves also expressed their fondness for Lucas, especially since Lucas even became a member of Hufflepuff.
Because the first generation of house-elves at Hogwarts were brought into the castle by Lady Hufflepuff, they were especially enthusiastic towards Hufflepuff's students.
"To be honest, Mr. McGregor," Lanchi said dejectedly, "I saw a picture of the chrysanthemum chicken soup you made, and even with magic, I tried for a long time but couldn't make it. But the newspaper said you only used your own hands."
Lucas laughed: "It takes a lot of practice and precise skills. If you have time, I can teach you."
Lanchi was stunned. He stood there blankly, his big eyes wide open, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
Then, his little body trembled, his eyes filled with tears, and he cried out in a choked voice, "Oh my God! Mr. McGregor! Mr. McGregor is willing to teach such a precious skill to lowly Lanchi! Mr. McGregor doesn't look down on Lanchi for being a house-elf!"
"Mr. McGregor... truly a wizard as great as Hufflepuff!"
He kept bowing, tears streaming down his face, and the little elves around him looked at Lucas with emotion.
Lucas had no idea that a simple remark would elicit such a strong reaction. He tried to comfort Lanchi, but Lanchi cried even louder.
"Mr. McGregor is so kind..."
'
Professor Sprout said softly, "Alright, elves. Your Mr. Lucas McGregor missed the opening banquet, and he's hungry. Could you make him something to eat? Of course, I'll have some too."
Upon hearing this, Lanqi immediately stopped crying, and the gathered elves fell silent.
Until a little elf shrieked, "Professor Sprout and Mr. McGregor, they, they're hungry!"
The huge kitchen immediately erupted into chaos.
Three or four little elves rushed towards the storeroom at the same time. Two elves were making the stove fire burn brightly, while another elf, carrying a large white napkin, ran over, tripped, and almost fell headfirst into Lucas's arms. The napkin flew up and automatically folded into three neat squares, laying them out on a small table that appeared out of nowhere.
Lanchi pulled out two chairs from the table. "Mr. McGregor, please have a seat! Professor Sprout, please have a seat!"
He wiped away his tears, raised his head high, and shouted, "What would Mr. McGregor like to eat?"
"Today we've prepared roast beef, roast chicken, roast pork chops, roast lamb chops, roast beef steaks, boiled sausages, fried sausages, roasted sausages, pan-fried sausages, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, potato chips, French fries, apple pie, syrup pie, cream pie, chocolate muffin, jam muffin, cream muffin, jam donuts, cream donuts, chocolate donuts, liqueur-soaked jam pudding, strawberry pudding, cream pudding, rice pudding... and various flavors of ice cream!"
The long list of dishes made Lanqi dizzy and almost caused him to faint from lack of oxygen.
Upon hearing the seemingly abundant but actually meager menu, Lucas quickly said, "Thank you, Lanchi. Just give me a grilled steak and fried sausages, and for drinks, I'll just have a glass of warm water."
What secrets does the great Hufflepuff kitchen hold? I must taste it carefully to find out.
"I'll have the same one too," Professor Sprout said with a smile.
"Okay, coming right away!" Lanqi shouted joyfully, and then disappeared with a crackle.
"House-elves are truly amazing creatures. They possess a magical system completely different from that of human wizards, and even without wands, their magic is still precise, efficient, and magical," Professor Sprout said. "For example, within the Hogwarts grounds, a very strong anti-Apparition Charm is in place, and only the headmaster has the authority to Apparate. However, as you can see, the house-elves are unaffected and can still move freely."
Lucas also marveled at the extraordinary magical power of house-elves; if it weren't for their unwavering loyalty to wizards etched into their bloodlines, ordinary wizards would likely be no match for them.
After exchanging a few words with Professor Sprout, there was a loud thud, and little Lanchi appeared out of thin air carrying two large trays, then placed the plates steadily in front of Lucas and Sprout.
"Have a taste, Mr. McGregor!"
The rich, alluring aroma of meat filled his nostrils, and his stomach rumbled listlessly, but Lucas wasn't in a hurry. He first picked up the glass of warm water, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp, rinsing his mouth with it. This was not only to quench his thirst but also to awaken his taste buds to their optimal state.
Lucas's gaze suddenly turned stern, and Lanchi's smile froze. He involuntarily straightened up, revealing an expression of fear and trepidation.
Mr. McGregor—he's different now.
Lucas reached out to feel the temperature of the plate, nodded, and then carefully examined the food on the plate.
not bad.
The perfectly sliced steak, with its thin crust, was a mesmerizing caramel color thanks to the perfect Maillard reaction.
The fine oil melts as it's grilled, seeping into the meat's texture, and still sizzles almost inaudibly on the plate, garnished with a few grains of coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
The fried sausages lying next to it, their plump bodies scorched with golden-brown marks, their casings glistening and slightly shrunken from the frying oil, seemed ready to burst out with scalding juices at the slightest touch of a knife tip.
The rich and pure aroma of meat fat, mixed with the scent of spices, rushes straight to the nose along with the heat.
Lucas thought for a second, mentally gave himself a score, then picked up his knife and fork and cut into the steak, making Lanchi even more nervous.
The blade grazed lightly across the crispy crust, producing a soft crackling sound. A few drops of translucent juice flowed down the beautiful rose-pink cut surface, while more juice was locked inside the meat fibers.
Lucas put the piece of meat into his mouth, and Lanchi nervously swallowed.
With his first chew, Lucas let out a delighted "hmm".
The outer shell is crispy and caramelized, while the inside is tender and juicy, offering a rich and complex texture. During the grilling process, the heat penetrates evenly and powerfully through every muscle fiber, locking in the juices. The rich and savory flavor unfolds, and this steak is clearly a top-quality cut, carefully selected from the finest ingredients.
He savored the taste, swallowed the steak, then sipped warm water to refresh his mouth, before carefully cutting off a piece of fried sausage.
The sausage casing crackled between my teeth, and then the hot juices mixed with spices and meat fat splashed on my tongue. It was delicious, fragrant, and rich. The meat filling, with its perfect balance of lean and fat, was chewy and oily but not greasy.
Lucas sighed contentedly, and just as he was about to cut a second piece, Lanchi timidly handed him a plate of crisp, green pickled cucumbers.
"Mr. McGregor, although you didn't order this, Lanchi felt—yes, I'm sorry!" Lanchi bowed hastily, "Lanchi shouldn't have made that decision on his own!"
Lucas laughed: "Great, Lanchi, you're very thoughtful. In fact, a qualified chef should indeed consider things that customers haven't thought of."
Lanchi's eyes widened, and he watched Lucas take a bite of the pickled cucumber with a heart full of emotion.
"The refreshing tang and crisp texture are a perfect match for grilled meat and sausages. Thank you, Lanchi."
.
Good heavens, Mr. McGregor thanked me!
Lanchi was so excited that he completely forgot that staring at a wizard eating was extremely impolite, and stared blankly as Lucas devoured his steak and sausage in one go.
Another house-elf nearby said urgently, "Mr. McGregor, could we have another one?"
Lanchi immediately snapped out of his daze and glared at him angrily.
What?! I'm clearly Mr. McGregor's waiter!
"No need, I'm already full. Thank you, but even if it's delicious, I can't eat too much," Lucas said with a smile.
"It sounds like you're quite satisfied with this meal, Lucas?" Professor Sprout, who had also finished eating, smiled. "Then, would you please give us your evaluation, you genius chef?"
The little elves swarmed around them, and Lanqi tensed up again.
The newspapers say that Mr. McGregor made the head chef of the most famous French restaurant in Diagon Alley cry!
Lucas put down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth.
He laughed.
Yes, I understand now. This kitchen, created by the great Hufflepuff himself, has just as many advantages and disadvantages.
"If I had to give it a score, I would give it this score."