Truly a great grid, which I loved:

Clever and diverse, although attempting to solve the two cryptic groups within the time constraints totally defeated me! Probably would have eventually got there, but the minutes zipped by too speedily for this addled brain :-)

Excellent explanations in answers, and I'll EVEN forgive you the terrible sushi joke...

Thanks and congratulations on a very brave attempt Amy. I will try to leave the terrible jokes to Blues. But you know, the habits of a lifetime...

Thanks very happy with my 5/10. I'm like Barry I don't know Barry let alone his brother and then my brain clicked.

Marvellous effort, and I, unlike Amy, thought the sushi joke wasn't such a damp squid... Which should be damp squib I know, but squib has no connection with sushi.

I personally preferred the Cook joke but that's just me. A very clever grid with cryptic clues to baffle and enjoy!

that was truly awful. A very self indulgent grid from the designer which doesn't even make complete sense when the answers are revealed. Shame cos I liked the best served cold link, probably cos it's the only bit I got

It does make sense!

Bit of a game-changer, this. Roll on the truly cryptic puzz.

Super clever grid! Very brain straining. I didn't get them all, but I probably should have. Great stuff.

The best served cold category was good. I nearly got the robin connections but did not click that cook a small bird would be robin cook, not sure about that clue really.. doesn't really work with the others. Got nowhere with the fully cryptic category

Lucy B. You surprise me a bit. The Cook a small bird clue was meant to be a reasonably straight-forward pointer because I thought that e.g. Early Hoodie in the same group was a bit too cryptic but you seem to have got the latter more easily. Well done for that. The fully cryptic line was deliberately tough and I intended this grid to be unusual.

it's almost there but some of the cryptic clues don't fully scan, the Littlewoods one, for example.

Heather. The bowls are those used in the game played on bowling greens. They are called woods. Hope that explains it.

Pile of

We didn't enjoy this one particularly I'm afraid.

:(

Tricky but worth the effort and the explanations are first class. Wiz is right - it makes sense 100%