Hi chrise
Agree with you completely - could only get 8/6 by Googling - be amazed if anyone got this from the clue alone (unless they knew the number) - wordplay is dreadful. Vegetarian starter - V = 5 in Roman Numerals; mixall oddly - MXL = 1,040 - so we have VMXL but this is not how Romans would write 5,040 (MMMMMXL) so we are being asked to guess V/5 M = 5,000 and add XL.