Oxfam Warns Of Food Crisis

The average price of staple foods will more than double in the next 20 years, leading to an unprecedented reversal in human development, Oxfam has warned.

The world's poorest people, who spend up to 80% of their income of food, will be hit hardest according to the charity. It said the world is entering an era of permanent food crisis, which is likely to be accompanied by political unrest and

Is it time for a Nouvelle Cuisine revival?

Britain's restaurants throw away more than 600,000 tons of food each year, or 22 tons per eatery, which means that half a kilo of food is wasted every time someone eats out, according to the first detailed waste snapshot of the sector. Nearly one-third of all wasted food comes back from customers' plates, suggesting that British restaurateurs are following the lead set by their American

Boris Misses The Point

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has launched a major initiative to convert London's food waste into eco-fuel to cut landfill rates and carbon emissions.Every year, London produces  nearly three million tonnes of organic waste, mainly from food. Nearly two thirds of this waste is currently burnt in incinerators or buried in landfill, which produces potent climate change gases. £31million has

Morph My Food

Five students from Imperial are taking part in a competition, called ‘Thought For Food’, against 9 other leading European universities. The aim of the challenge, set up by Syngenta, is to find innovative ways to help feed the world’s predicted 9 billion people by 2050. Each team must create a project that can be implemented at a local level.
The team was selected from multiple disciplines from

Ratatouille

This classic French dish is ideal for using up vegetable leftovers. It is a simple vegetarian stew but one of those dishes that fills the kitchen with aromas that will have diners chomping at the bit.The classic recipe includes onion, tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and peppers with garlic, olive oil and herbs. The vegetables should not be cooked so long or chopped so small that they lose their

Eat Breakfast Like a King

Each year we waste 183,000 tonnes of cooked starchy foods (rice, pasta & potatoes) – suggesting that we cook too much.Out of all the food we waste 43.45% is left over on our plates.With all this surplus of food it is not surprising that the country has an obesity epidemic. We no longer eat what we require, we eat to capacity and then some.Ironically it is often our busy lifestyles and skipping

Asparagus Tips

The British asparagus season which only lasts 8 weeks is well underway. Delicious, nutritious and healthy, what is there not to like?The first tip is how to avoid the woody ends without loosing any of the delicious stems. Simply bend the asparagus close to the cut end and it will snap at the point where the stem starts to go stringy. You can now cook the vegetable knowing that everything that

A Magic Ingredient – Smoked Paprika

Tonight saw the last of the weekends butterflied leg of lamb disappear.On Sunday it was served with creamy mashed potato, which I deliberately made twice the quantity of.Yesterday we had slices of the lamb with potato cakes. Mix the mashed potato with a beaten egg and some plain flour, shape into disks about 2cm thick and then gently fry. For a slight difference I added some chopped Rosemary

Freezer R.I.P. - Help!!!

Not technically a cooking disaster but potentially a huge waste of food - What can you do if your freezer fails?Don't Panic!
Keep the door/lid of the freezer shut.
Check that it is switched on at the mains.
Replace the fuse.
Check with friends and neighbours to see if they can store your frozen food.
Call an engineer - if the engineer is likely to be prompt keep the freezer door closed.

Food waste is a good thing…..

….if you are a Seagull.
Not that is such a thing as a “seagull”, because they are found inland just as much as the sea. Essentially, gulls are water birds, primarily pale in plumage, with a sharp, multi-purpose bill and webbed feet. They fly supremely well, and can swim and walk capably, making them ideal all-rounders.

The Gull population has been linked to man’s activities for centuries. Up

Is Organic Sustainable?

Everyone has heard of Organic produce as a healthy option but are there any benefits when it comes to sustainability?The Soil Association has probably the highest and most comprehensive standards for organic production and processing in the world. Organic farming recognises the direct connection between our health and the food we eat. As well as animal welfare issues and a ban on GM organisms

A Surplus of Poppadoms

Having had fun making the video showing how to make poppadom baskets I was left with a surplus of the things, especially as I already had the evening meal (boiled ham) planned.Luckily there were a few family over for the meal and some of the poppadoms went out as nibbles.This still left a few over for this evening.I often do a chicken and ham pie on a Monday. If we had chicken the day before I

Springwatch 2011 Update

The spring onion roots are coming on strong. They should be ready to harvest again in about six weeks. Here is the original post ‘Springwatch 2011.’Next to them are the last two of the original batch of spring onions, still happily growing on the windowsill. That is 6 WEEKS sine I bought them. OK, so I have kept them going just to make a point and have bought more in the meantime.


Microwaved Poppadom Baskets

Watch the video to see how quick and easy it is to make Poppadom baskets.


These baskets are ideal for filling with leftovers to turn them into an appetising snack.

Mix some curry paste with mayonnaise and add some shredded meat like chicken, pork or lamb.

Shred some lettuce, onion and tomato and place in the bottom of the basket with the mayonnaise mix on top.

Serve with some mango chutney

Killer Bananas

Most fruit naturally produces a gas called “ethylene” which can cause other fruit to ripen. It’s an invisible gas, but the more of it there is, the quicker your fruit will ripen. If some fruit starts producing the gas then other fruit will start producing more of it and so it goes on increasing the amount of ethylene gas until the fruit is over-ripe and needs to be thrown away. Certain fruits

Coating in Breadcrumbs

This is an excellent technique for making food more appealing. You are adding extra colour, texture and flavour and sometimes disguising something that might not look so appealing. The process is relatively simple and the results are well worth the effort.The basic technique requires a bowl of seasoned flour, a bowl of beaten egg and a bowl of dried breadcrumbs. The secret is to keep one hand