I HAVE just returned from a family holiday in northern France and while visiting William the Conqueror's castle in Caen, we came across 'Dolly's English Teashop.' My partner was desperate for a proper English cup of tea, so we went in.

The menu contained all kinds of traditional English dishes -- shepherd's pie, fish and chips, toad in the hole and so on.

But what caught my eye was the specials board. The two 'plats de jour' (dishes of the day) were lamb rogan josh and chicken korma.

Clearly, the idea that curry is now our national dish is spreading far and wide.

COUN DAVE HOLLINGS (Sunnyhurst Ward), Sudell Road, Darwen.