‘You’ve read the book, you’ve seen the film, now eat the pie.” Thus ran the joke when Watership Down, with all its cuddly rabbits, was in the news.

On a similar principle, Nick Funnell, chef at the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant at Stratford, has created the Titus Pie for sale there during the run of Titus Andronicus (which I review in Weekend today). This celebrates, if that’s the right word, the grisly patties served to villainess Tamora at the play’s climax. Her sons Demetrius and Chiron supply — indeed are — the filling. Mark’s pie (phew!) uses juicy steak and lots of kidneys, in a rich gravy with a topping of puff pastry. I tried one before the Press night of the show last week. It was delicious, and gave me a good lining for the stomach ready for the schlock to follow.

With it came a cocktail named for Tamora herself. This was created by bar manager Alice Cook, using vodka, pomegranate juice and shaved liquorice. As can be seen above, it looks suitably gory. My only reservation concerned the sticky ‘blood’ on the glass stem.

While eating, Rosemarie and I fell to discussing Titus; she couldn’t recall having seen the play before. I remembered that she had, just as we filed into the auditorium. “It was about ten years ago, and the title role was played by David Bradley.” As I spoke, the very man obligingly appeared right next to us. It was magic that would have done credit to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, where Bradley serves as caretaker Argus Filch.