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drxx:

Further to our conversation last week about electronic aids, I decided to try this week's offering without any. Almost managed it - needed the nudge for my final two. Although if I'd spotted my one mistake, I might have not looked so intently for an Italian pastry dish, and managed the full thing!

Not sure whether I necessarily enjoyed the process more, but I did have more "aha!" moments, which is always good.

And thanks Mr E - some good clues, and a fun endgame which made me smile

adeano - I think those 'aha!' moments are more satisfying (cumulatively) than the simple pleasures of hitting the jackpot. They stay in the memory longer too.
Getting fixated on a particular idea led me astray with the IQ this week - I convinced myself there had to be a typo in the clue, when it worked perfectly well as it was (as had to be pointed out to me).
Taking time to enjoy the clues gives us a better chance to appreciate the personality behind a puzzle (how I miss Schadenfreude's personality!). It usually takes me around 2 to 3 hours before I even start on the endgame... by which time I've usually grown quite fond of the setter (with the odd exception, of course - but who wouldn't be happy to spend a few hours in Mr E's quirky company?).

I’m late getting a chance to look at the Listener this week and not sure if the thread is still open. I have a full grid. The third letters spell out a message of sorts and I have the 16 letters but I am completely baffled by the final step. Any hints would be welcome.

I think the hint given by the third letters is crucial - in fact, I think there's no way you'll complete the puzzle without it.
Luckily, it's a straightforward hint - the first part tells you what to look for in the grid (and, as no letter is repeated in the 3 word phrase, many words can be dismissed immediately).
I found a likely candidate early on and wasted some time on it - look for a longer word and you should get the phrase pretty quickly.

Thank you, Drxx. I am not at all sure I have message from the letters correctly. Will have another go tomorrow if time permits.