Russellers, refried

John Brennan (“A premier notion”, Letters, 24 April) welcomes the proposal by Poppleton University’s Georgina Edsel for a new name for low-ranking members of the Russell Group of universities and suggests calling it the “Premier Group”. I believe that a slight modification of the existing name would more precisely capture the nature of the Russell Group.

It should be renamed the Rissole Group.

A rissole comprises a thin, golden crust enclosing leftovers. As the purpose of the golden crust is to make the warmed-up leftovers palatable, the Rissole Group perfectly describes the educational dish being served up.

Healthier, more nourishing options could be made available across the whole educational menu. But that would require chefs who know how to get the best out of all the available ingredients, rather than those who have a vested interest in claiming that a half-baked rissole is the ne plus ultra of educational cuisine.

Edward Fordyce
Twickenham