Masturbation - according to religious fundamentalist John Harvey Kellogg - was the greatest of evils. Luckily, he had invented the ‘cure’. Erm....breakfast cereal. That’s right, Tony the Tiger’s grandad believed that - in a world full of sins that needed erasing - a...
Oliver English makes films. I’ve got to know him a bit recently. And he’s become something of a hero. Take a look at the trailer for his film Feeding Tomorrow below, and I think you’ll see why. So - we are not alone.We...
Until very recently, every man, woman and child in the country would have been all too aware that this time of year was challenging, food-wise. We’re now firmly in the ‘Hungry Gap’. It’s the period between the last of the produce stored...
I was very alarmed when I read (in Kimberley Wilson's brilliant book) that human brains are getting smaller and less effective.It's because lots of folk don't get enough Omega 3, apparently.Luckily, it's fixable.Eat sardines.And anchovies.And other oily fish that are...
A hogget is a sheep that is between a year and two years old. Older than lamb, but younger than mutton. (Never thought I'd identify so much....) But hogget is arguably the best of both worlds - a lot of the rich flavour...
Not all olive oils are equal. And I don’t just mean the importance of buying Organic, Extra Virgin and so on. I’m talking about freshness. Because what I didn’t realise until I went to live in Spain is that olive oil diminishes with...
There are two schools of thought as to the origins of the word ‘larder’. One is that it’s an anglicization of the German word ‘lager’ (which for speakers of the language of Goethe means ‘store’ or ‘store room’, not fizzy beer). The...
Twice in the last month I’ve been asked by pals precisely what it means when a vinegar comes ‘with the mother’. They were both (un)lucky enough to be in my house, so I’d showed ‘em. I’ve been making my own vinegar for...
No, not like that. Honestly. I’m talking about soil. (Obviously.) We have the enormous luck to live on a planet that has a six inch layer of topsoil. Along with the rain, those six inches are literally what keeps us alive. I bang on a...
Elf Dalla. Much as this might sound like one of the little magical folk who helped Father Christmas dish out the toys last week, it ain’t. It’s advice. A mnemonic, in fact. Over breakfast with a family member last month, I asked how...
Recently I’ve been defaulting to dripping. Using it to fry an egg. To soften the onions for a stew. Spreading it on toast. Where I might previously have used olive oil or butter without a second thought, I now stop to wonder...
The revolution will not be televised. It will be quiet, thoughtful. And it has already started. You know that, because you’re part of it. Together, we are beginning to change the way that food in this country is bought and sold. Together, we are saying...