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I take biscuits very seriously. A good cup of tea and a biscuit can be the only thing which keeps me going at half past three in the afternoon. They are a great source of debate – how much chocolate coating can a biscuit have before it becomes an item of confectionery?  Is the Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? And why do they still insist on putting Bourbons into Family Favourites tins when no-one likes them?

Something… Continue reading | 3 Comments

Frogs are one of my all-time favourite creatures. They’re right up there with cats, primates, whales and the slow loris for me. So I was quite concerned to read how human consumption of frogs is having a devastating effect on populations around the world; up to a billion frogs a year are taken from the wild for us to eat.

I suppose I’d presumed that frog-eating nations (for it’s not just the French – America buys almost as many) had… Continue reading

I was alarmed to read an article on the Independent’s site today about local produce and food miles. It refers to a Defra report which says that it is more environmentally-friendly to import certain produce from overseas than it is to grow it here in the UK.

Along with Pimms and Wimbledon, the British strawberry is something to really look forward to in summer. When they come into the supermarkets, I can’t bear to leave them… Continue reading

I’ve just commented on William Skidelsky’s column on guardian.co.uk about food waste.

I try to be careful with my shopping, and am pretty good at cooking big batches and freezing meals for later in the week. But all it takes is for my evening plans to change last minute, and I end up with a fridge full of manky vegetables by the weekend. There’s also all the peelings, tea bags and left-overs that end up in the bin.

Skidelsky’s column prompted me to look at how… Continue reading

I did ‘Meat Free Monday’ again this Monday (and Tuesday in fact). I wrote about it last Monday and how the idea, supported by Macca et al, has its critics.

I’ve since found an interesting article on Treehugger relating specifically to beef, which says eating beef could actually slow climate change.

Humans produce more methane than cows, the writer maintains, and the grass they graze on sequesters carbon:

“Cattle must be saying, “Stop pointing fingers!  You single-stomached humans are contributing more methane emissions than… Continue reading

The ‘Meat Free Mondays’ campaign was in the news again recently, as Paul McCartney gave it his backing.

I think it’s a really great campaign – something everyone can achieve with little effort – and I have gone meat-free again today.

The difference that reducing meat consumption can make is staggering. The main factor is deforestation in Brazil for grazing. The Food and Agriculture Council of the United Nations said in 2006 that livestock’s contribution to gaseous emissions and climate change “currently amounts… Continue reading

The alarming decline of honeybee populations has been in the news a lot recently. The Isle of Wight Festival chose to support a bee project, Give Bees A Chance. as part of its Eco Action Partnership this year, and Jordan’s Cereals is running a Big Buzz campaign, giving away bee-friendly plants.

I first got interested in the global honeybee crisis when I was working on a feature for Australia and New Zealand magazine about honey in those two countries (click the thumbnail to… Continue reading