The Scotsman
By Emma Cowing
'AH!" SAYS the impeccably turned-out French maitre d', taking our coats. "You are the people who asked to see the chef's table, yes?" We confirm that we are. "That is no problem," he says, threading his way through the faux snakeskin chairs to our table as numerous, equally impeccable-looking French waiting staff hover nearby. "You will go after the meal, yes?"
Welcome to Abstract Edinburgh, the newest fine-dining restaurant to open its doors in the capital. You will have heard of Abstract. You will probably have heard of the chef's table, too. Most likely you will have heard of them in conjunction with the name Gordon Ramsay, as it was as a result of two visits by the fearsome chef to Abstract's first restaurant in Inverness, for his Channel 4 show Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, that both entered the media spotlight.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Foodie at large: Kale the chief. Why, at this time of year, Britons should bring out the brassica
The Times
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
TV chef leads fight against supermarkets
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the television chef and champion of small producers, is fronting a new offensive against the supermarkets which he portrays as a "bullying" force destroying British food.
The Channel 4 presenter will denounce the supermarkets at a public meeting in Westminster tonight and demand new powers to limit their growth.
Four campaign groups are behind the event, Supersized Supermarkets: Friends of the Earth, War on Want, ActionAid and the anti-Tesco website Tescopoly. They are asking the public to write to their MPs and the Competition Commissioner to make five demands, ranging from a new consumer watchdog to stronger labour rights.
The Commissioner is investigating whether the supermarket groups, which take 72 per cent of grocery spending in the UK, are abusing their dominant position.
Campaigners argue that stores harm the environment, diminish local communities and bully suppliers over prices and councils over planning permission.
Read more...
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the television chef and champion of small producers, is fronting a new offensive against the supermarkets which he portrays as a "bullying" force destroying British food.
The Channel 4 presenter will denounce the supermarkets at a public meeting in Westminster tonight and demand new powers to limit their growth.
Four campaign groups are behind the event, Supersized Supermarkets: Friends of the Earth, War on Want, ActionAid and the anti-Tesco website Tescopoly. They are asking the public to write to their MPs and the Competition Commissioner to make five demands, ranging from a new consumer watchdog to stronger labour rights.
The Commissioner is investigating whether the supermarket groups, which take 72 per cent of grocery spending in the UK, are abusing their dominant position.
Campaigners argue that stores harm the environment, diminish local communities and bully suppliers over prices and councils over planning permission.
Read more...
Prince Charles and the Abu Dhabi burger ban
The Times
By Alan Hamilton
As if the Middle East didn’t have enough conflicts already, a new one erupted yesterday between the Prince of Wales and the burger.
Visiting a medical centre in Abu Dhabi, the Gulf state that has the second highest incidence of diabetes in the world, the Prince suggested that banning McDonald’s could be the key to improving the emirates’ health.
The burger chain, which has six outlets in the largest of the United Arab Emirates, immediately sprung to its own defence, suggesting that the organic and environment-loving Prince was out of touch with current burger thinking, particularly in Britain. He was, the company implied, bordering on the ungrateful.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall on his ten-day tour of friendly Gulf states, the Prince was learning about new initiatives to improve Abu Dhabi’s health as he visited the centre backed and largely staffed by Imperial College, London. The royal couple watched a class of children being taught about food choices when the Prince turned to Nadine Tayara, a nutritionist who had put the children through their well-rehearsed paces, and asked: “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s? Have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”
Read more...
By Alan Hamilton
As if the Middle East didn’t have enough conflicts already, a new one erupted yesterday between the Prince of Wales and the burger.
Visiting a medical centre in Abu Dhabi, the Gulf state that has the second highest incidence of diabetes in the world, the Prince suggested that banning McDonald’s could be the key to improving the emirates’ health.
The burger chain, which has six outlets in the largest of the United Arab Emirates, immediately sprung to its own defence, suggesting that the organic and environment-loving Prince was out of touch with current burger thinking, particularly in Britain. He was, the company implied, bordering on the ungrateful.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall on his ten-day tour of friendly Gulf states, the Prince was learning about new initiatives to improve Abu Dhabi’s health as he visited the centre backed and largely staffed by Imperial College, London. The royal couple watched a class of children being taught about food choices when the Prince turned to Nadine Tayara, a nutritionist who had put the children through their well-rehearsed paces, and asked: “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s? Have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”
Read more...
Why Malta's men weigh in as Europe's fattest
The Guardian
By Marie Benoît
European Union figures released this week make grim reading for British men, 22% of whom, we are told, are obese. But it is Malta that has the dubious honour of heading the league table. Here, a quarter of men are at least 20% over their healthy maximum weight.
How can this be possible, you may ask, given the much vaunted Mediterranean diet? The fact is that, apart from olive oil, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, the typical Maltese meal also includes large amounts of crusty, slightly salty bread. The picture is made worse by big portions at every meal and the fact that most Maltese prefer buffet restaurants where you can fill your plate with portions verging on the obscene. But no one is embarrassed. It is the norm. Quantity rather than quality is what goes down well.
Read more...
By Marie Benoît
European Union figures released this week make grim reading for British men, 22% of whom, we are told, are obese. But it is Malta that has the dubious honour of heading the league table. Here, a quarter of men are at least 20% over their healthy maximum weight.
How can this be possible, you may ask, given the much vaunted Mediterranean diet? The fact is that, apart from olive oil, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, the typical Maltese meal also includes large amounts of crusty, slightly salty bread. The picture is made worse by big portions at every meal and the fact that most Maltese prefer buffet restaurants where you can fill your plate with portions verging on the obscene. But no one is embarrassed. It is the norm. Quantity rather than quality is what goes down well.
Read more...
Charles voices distaste for McDonald's food
The Guardian
By Matthew Taylor and Rebecca Smithers
It is unlikely that the Prince of Wales has ever sat at a plastic table in his local McDonald's and tucked into a Big Mac and fries. But yesterday the country's most famous organic farmer did not let his lack of firsthand experience deter him, suggesting that a global ban on the fast food giant was the key to improving children's health.
During a tour of a diabetes centre in the United Arab Emirates the prince asked a nutritionist: "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key." A spokeswoman for Clarence House, who was travelling with the prince and Duchess of Cornwall on their 10-day trip, said Prince Charles was simply promoting healthy eating and the "importance of a balanced diet, especially for children".
Read more...
By Matthew Taylor and Rebecca Smithers
It is unlikely that the Prince of Wales has ever sat at a plastic table in his local McDonald's and tucked into a Big Mac and fries. But yesterday the country's most famous organic farmer did not let his lack of firsthand experience deter him, suggesting that a global ban on the fast food giant was the key to improving children's health.
During a tour of a diabetes centre in the United Arab Emirates the prince asked a nutritionist: "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key." A spokeswoman for Clarence House, who was travelling with the prince and Duchess of Cornwall on their 10-day trip, said Prince Charles was simply promoting healthy eating and the "importance of a balanced diet, especially for children".
Read more...
Ice cream 'helps increase chance of pregnancy'
The Independent
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
For a woman trying to conceive, the best prescription could be a knickerbocker glory. It might play havoc with her diet but the old-fashioned confection, made with cream and ice cream, could help her get pregnant, according to a study.
Researchers have found that women who drink whole milk and eat full-fat dairy products are more fertile than those who stick to low-fat products. The findings could help explain the growth of infertility in the West as fashion-conscious young women trying to eat healthily and stay slim have shunned full-fat dairy products such as whole milk.
Eating two or more servings of low-fat dairy products a day - which could include a portion of cottage cheese and a low-fat yoghurt - increased the risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation by 85 per cent, the researchers found. But women who ate at least one serving of high-fat dairy food a day cut their risk of infertility from this cause by 27 per cent.
The more ice cream the women ate the lower was their risk of infertility. Women eating ice cream two or more times a week had a 38 per cent lower risk of infertility than those who consumed ice cream less than once a week. In the US, ice cream is made with full-fat dairy milk. Low-fat versions, sold in Britain as ice-cream, are called sherbet in the United States.
The study involved more than 18,000 women aged 24 to 42 who had no history of infertility and had tried to become pregnant between 1991 and 1999. They were part of a larger study of 116,000 women called the Nurses Health Study II in the US.
Jorge Chavarro, of the Harvard School of Public Health who led the study published in Human Reproduction, said women wanting to conceive should examine their diet."Women should consider changing low-fat dairy foods for high-fat dairy foods, for instance by swapping skimmed milk for whole milk and eating ice-cream, not low-fat yoghurt," he said.
Even substituting one glass of whole milk for skimmed milk a day made a significant difference. The changes should be made without increasing the total amount of saturated fat or calories in the diet by making small adjustments elsewhere. Once pregnancy was achieved it was wise to switch back to a low-fat diet because it was easier to limit the intake of saturated fat and calories.
The advice runs counter to official US dietary guidelines, which recommend adults should eat at least three servings a day of low-fat dairy products. Similar advice is issued in the UK.
Dietary fat has an impact on hormone levels and this was the most likely explanation for the effect, Dr Chavarro said. Whey proteins added to low-fat milk have been found to have androgenic (male hormone-like) effects in animals which could suppress ovulation. Whole milk and other high-fat dairy products have higher concentrations of oestrogen (the female hormone) which promote ovulation. Dr Chavarro said: "It is possible that the trend to eating more low-fat dairy products in recent decades could have increased infertility rates but more research is needed."
Chris Barratt, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Birmingham, said: "It's a very comprehensive study, and because of the large number of patients you can have some confidence in the results. Diet clearly has a big effect on fertility in both men and women."
Read more...
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
For a woman trying to conceive, the best prescription could be a knickerbocker glory. It might play havoc with her diet but the old-fashioned confection, made with cream and ice cream, could help her get pregnant, according to a study.
Researchers have found that women who drink whole milk and eat full-fat dairy products are more fertile than those who stick to low-fat products. The findings could help explain the growth of infertility in the West as fashion-conscious young women trying to eat healthily and stay slim have shunned full-fat dairy products such as whole milk.
Eating two or more servings of low-fat dairy products a day - which could include a portion of cottage cheese and a low-fat yoghurt - increased the risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation by 85 per cent, the researchers found. But women who ate at least one serving of high-fat dairy food a day cut their risk of infertility from this cause by 27 per cent.
The more ice cream the women ate the lower was their risk of infertility. Women eating ice cream two or more times a week had a 38 per cent lower risk of infertility than those who consumed ice cream less than once a week. In the US, ice cream is made with full-fat dairy milk. Low-fat versions, sold in Britain as ice-cream, are called sherbet in the United States.
The study involved more than 18,000 women aged 24 to 42 who had no history of infertility and had tried to become pregnant between 1991 and 1999. They were part of a larger study of 116,000 women called the Nurses Health Study II in the US.
Jorge Chavarro, of the Harvard School of Public Health who led the study published in Human Reproduction, said women wanting to conceive should examine their diet."Women should consider changing low-fat dairy foods for high-fat dairy foods, for instance by swapping skimmed milk for whole milk and eating ice-cream, not low-fat yoghurt," he said.
Even substituting one glass of whole milk for skimmed milk a day made a significant difference. The changes should be made without increasing the total amount of saturated fat or calories in the diet by making small adjustments elsewhere. Once pregnancy was achieved it was wise to switch back to a low-fat diet because it was easier to limit the intake of saturated fat and calories.
The advice runs counter to official US dietary guidelines, which recommend adults should eat at least three servings a day of low-fat dairy products. Similar advice is issued in the UK.
Dietary fat has an impact on hormone levels and this was the most likely explanation for the effect, Dr Chavarro said. Whey proteins added to low-fat milk have been found to have androgenic (male hormone-like) effects in animals which could suppress ovulation. Whole milk and other high-fat dairy products have higher concentrations of oestrogen (the female hormone) which promote ovulation. Dr Chavarro said: "It is possible that the trend to eating more low-fat dairy products in recent decades could have increased infertility rates but more research is needed."
Chris Barratt, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Birmingham, said: "It's a very comprehensive study, and because of the large number of patients you can have some confidence in the results. Diet clearly has a big effect on fertility in both men and women."
Read more...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Anton Mosimann: Master chef turns 60
The Independent
The napkins have been pressed; the cutlery polished. In a ballroom off Park Lane, staff are dusting fine bone china, and performing other luxury hotel alternatives to putting up the bunting. The Dorchester is preparing to honour its greatest living son.
Anton Mosimann, OBE, boasts a place in history as the man who created the modern hotel kitchen. Arguably, the world's first celebrity chef, he also invented a school of cooking that is now standard restaurant fare, and became one of the first top restaurateurs to share his secrets with the masses via television.
Today, he's 60, and some of the world's top foodies have come to London to celebrate with an old-fashioned banquet. Three hundred guests will tuck into an eight-course meal, drink double magnums of vintage plonk, and smoke the finest Havana cigars.
You may not have eaten his food, stepped into his discreet Belgravian club, or seen his face adorning a new range of kitchenware. But without Mosimann we would not be living in the era of Jamie, Heston and Gordon.
Read more...
The napkins have been pressed; the cutlery polished. In a ballroom off Park Lane, staff are dusting fine bone china, and performing other luxury hotel alternatives to putting up the bunting. The Dorchester is preparing to honour its greatest living son.
Anton Mosimann, OBE, boasts a place in history as the man who created the modern hotel kitchen. Arguably, the world's first celebrity chef, he also invented a school of cooking that is now standard restaurant fare, and became one of the first top restaurateurs to share his secrets with the masses via television.
Today, he's 60, and some of the world's top foodies have come to London to celebrate with an old-fashioned banquet. Three hundred guests will tuck into an eight-course meal, drink double magnums of vintage plonk, and smoke the finest Havana cigars.
You may not have eaten his food, stepped into his discreet Belgravian club, or seen his face adorning a new range of kitchenware. But without Mosimann we would not be living in the era of Jamie, Heston and Gordon.
Read more...
A warm glow: entrepreneurs start up 'farmers markets without the draughts'
The Guardian
By Angela Balakrishnan
Situated on a bustling high street in south-west London, Farmers' City Market appears to be just another shop. The only clues to what may lie within are the two white statues of cows. A glimpse inside and it soon becomes clear that this is not your average store.
But nor is it your average farmers' market. This is a venture that aims to provide all the quality and reliably sourced food of other farmers' markets but without the draughty surroundings and temporary stalls. More ambitiously, the three founders, Jana Satchi, Stephen Wilkinson and George Beach, say they want to redefine food shopping.
Read more...
By Angela Balakrishnan
Situated on a bustling high street in south-west London, Farmers' City Market appears to be just another shop. The only clues to what may lie within are the two white statues of cows. A glimpse inside and it soon becomes clear that this is not your average store.
But nor is it your average farmers' market. This is a venture that aims to provide all the quality and reliably sourced food of other farmers' markets but without the draughty surroundings and temporary stalls. More ambitiously, the three founders, Jana Satchi, Stephen Wilkinson and George Beach, say they want to redefine food shopping.
Read more...
Saving St Lucia: UK supermarket sweeps up 100m bananas
The Guardian
By John Vidal
Just seven years ago the banana farmers of the Caribbean Island of St Lucia were hanging up their machetes and ready to turn their steep hillsides back to forest. UK subsidies for their fruit were doomed, they couldn't compete with giant "dollar" bananas from South American plantations, and a dying industry seemed to provide only back-breaking work for scant reward.
Today, the island where bananas are not so much a crop but a way of life is celebrating. Just about every St Lucian banana sold for export now commands a premium price and European supermarkets are queuing for more. Money is going into run-down schools, the banana sheds are being repaired and the farmers can scarcely believe the turn round in their fortunes.
Read more...
By John Vidal
Just seven years ago the banana farmers of the Caribbean Island of St Lucia were hanging up their machetes and ready to turn their steep hillsides back to forest. UK subsidies for their fruit were doomed, they couldn't compete with giant "dollar" bananas from South American plantations, and a dying industry seemed to provide only back-breaking work for scant reward.
Today, the island where bananas are not so much a crop but a way of life is celebrating. Just about every St Lucian banana sold for export now commands a premium price and European supermarkets are queuing for more. Money is going into run-down schools, the banana sheds are being repaired and the farmers can scarcely believe the turn round in their fortunes.
Read more...
Cadbury's graveyard stunt falls flat
The Guardian
By Richard Luscombe
As a marketing promotion, it seemed like a splendid idea: hide a coin worth $10,000 in a well-known place, and tantalise treasure hunters by offering the finder a chance to win up to another $1m. But even the most well intentioned public relations plans sometimes come a cropper, and yesterday Cadbury Schweppes was forced to apologise for its "tasteless" stunt.
Choosing an historic graveyard to hide the coin proved the undoing of the idea; a cemetery that contains some of America's greatest revolutionary heroes.
Read more...
By Richard Luscombe
As a marketing promotion, it seemed like a splendid idea: hide a coin worth $10,000 in a well-known place, and tantalise treasure hunters by offering the finder a chance to win up to another $1m. But even the most well intentioned public relations plans sometimes come a cropper, and yesterday Cadbury Schweppes was forced to apologise for its "tasteless" stunt.
Choosing an historic graveyard to hide the coin proved the undoing of the idea; a cemetery that contains some of America's greatest revolutionary heroes.
Read more...
'I was entirely alone'
The Guardian
Anorexia is seen as a 'women's problem'. But eating disorders in men are widespread and on the increase. Tom Dodds, 19, tells how his quest for a 'manly' body became an obsession that almost killed him
Read more...
Anorexia is seen as a 'women's problem'. But eating disorders in men are widespread and on the increase. Tom Dodds, 19, tells how his quest for a 'manly' body became an obsession that almost killed him
Read more...
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Glenfiddich award: Restaurant critic competition
The Independent on Sunday
The Independent on Sunday has teamed up with the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards to launch a search for a talented new restaurant critic. Winning a Glenfiddich is regarded as the highest accolade in the food and drink industry. Every year, it celebrates the best in food and drink writing and broadcasting by giving out 10 highly sought-after gongs. Categories include food writer, drink writer, TV presenter and restaurant critic.
This new prize was introduced for the first time in The Sunday Review last year and was enormously successful. One of the runners-up, Andrew Shanahan, submitted his first-ever restaurant review, which helped him land a top job as food and drink editor of Time Out Manchester and a stint at reviewing restaurants for the Metro newspaper in the North West.
Read more...
The Independent on Sunday has teamed up with the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards to launch a search for a talented new restaurant critic. Winning a Glenfiddich is regarded as the highest accolade in the food and drink industry. Every year, it celebrates the best in food and drink writing and broadcasting by giving out 10 highly sought-after gongs. Categories include food writer, drink writer, TV presenter and restaurant critic.
This new prize was introduced for the first time in The Sunday Review last year and was enormously successful. One of the runners-up, Andrew Shanahan, submitted his first-ever restaurant review, which helped him land a top job as food and drink editor of Time Out Manchester and a stint at reviewing restaurants for the Metro newspaper in the North West.
Read more...
Packing for your alcoholidays
Scotland on Sunday
By Will Lyons
AS A rule, I have usually avoided non-alcoholic alternatives to wine. Why pretend to be drinking something when you're not? The expansive range of fruit juices, concentrates and cordials are all very well for a hot summer's day or a garden party, but when it comes to accompanying a steak or a poached salmon I would rather stick to the hard stuff.
February in my household is dominated by cups of tea and water as I fidget my way through a month of abstinence. It's a practice I was introduced to by the great Edward Demery, chairman of Justerini & Brooks, who for three blissfully happy years was my boss. Demery's theory was that January is just far too busy to abstain. February, by contrast, is relatively quiet and short - a whole 12 days fewer than Lent. "A lot of my friends give up in January," Demery explained, "but it's 31 days long! Go for February instead, Wills, but beware the leap years."
Read more...
By Will Lyons
AS A rule, I have usually avoided non-alcoholic alternatives to wine. Why pretend to be drinking something when you're not? The expansive range of fruit juices, concentrates and cordials are all very well for a hot summer's day or a garden party, but when it comes to accompanying a steak or a poached salmon I would rather stick to the hard stuff.
February in my household is dominated by cups of tea and water as I fidget my way through a month of abstinence. It's a practice I was introduced to by the great Edward Demery, chairman of Justerini & Brooks, who for three blissfully happy years was my boss. Demery's theory was that January is just far too busy to abstain. February, by contrast, is relatively quiet and short - a whole 12 days fewer than Lent. "A lot of my friends give up in January," Demery explained, "but it's 31 days long! Go for February instead, Wills, but beware the leap years."
Read more...
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Foodie at large: Kale the chief. Why, at this time of year, Britons should bring out the brassica
The Times
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
Food detective: sugar
The Times
By Sheila Keating
Sugar has come in for its fare share of demonising recently, and it's true most of us eat too much. But beyond the issue of the quantity of sugar we consume, is its quality. Most of the sugar used in the food industry is refined white sugar, which comes from sugar beet, whereas the kind preferred by chefs and aficionados is unrefined, which comes from sugar cane.
How is sugar refined?
In the case of beet, which is grown in the UK and Europe, the beet is sliced, cleaned and soaked to produce juice, which is filtered and boiled to form a syrup and crystallise. The crystals — always white, though they may be coloured brown later — are separated from the liquid, which is known as molasses. Beet molasses is too bitter for human consumption.
Read more...
By Sheila Keating
Sugar has come in for its fare share of demonising recently, and it's true most of us eat too much. But beyond the issue of the quantity of sugar we consume, is its quality. Most of the sugar used in the food industry is refined white sugar, which comes from sugar beet, whereas the kind preferred by chefs and aficionados is unrefined, which comes from sugar cane.
How is sugar refined?
In the case of beet, which is grown in the UK and Europe, the beet is sliced, cleaned and soaked to produce juice, which is filtered and boiled to form a syrup and crystallise. The crystals — always white, though they may be coloured brown later — are separated from the liquid, which is known as molasses. Beet molasses is too bitter for human consumption.
Read more...
Friday, February 23, 2007
TV’s new junk food rules allow chips with everything
The Times
By Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
Anomalies contained in new rules limiting junk food advertisements during children’s programmes mean that cheese and porridge cannot be promoted during Bob the Builder but fast-food restaurants have free rein to advertise during Dancing on Ice or The X Factor.
The rules, published yesterday by Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, have left parents, health campaigners, food manufacturers and the advertising industry all unhappy.
The consumer watchdog Which? predicted a rush of advertisements for oven chips, chicken nuggets and sugary breakfast cereals during early-evening family viewing.
There is concern that while characters such as Shrek or Postman Pat cannot be used to endorse food products on TV, companies can continue to use brand characters, such as Tony the Tiger on Kellogg’s Frosties.
Read more...
By Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
Anomalies contained in new rules limiting junk food advertisements during children’s programmes mean that cheese and porridge cannot be promoted during Bob the Builder but fast-food restaurants have free rein to advertise during Dancing on Ice or The X Factor.
The rules, published yesterday by Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, have left parents, health campaigners, food manufacturers and the advertising industry all unhappy.
The consumer watchdog Which? predicted a rush of advertisements for oven chips, chicken nuggets and sugary breakfast cereals during early-evening family viewing.
There is concern that while characters such as Shrek or Postman Pat cannot be used to endorse food products on TV, companies can continue to use brand characters, such as Tony the Tiger on Kellogg’s Frosties.
Read more...
In praise of ... hummus
The Guardian, Leader
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
In praise of ... hummus
Leader
Friday February 23, 2007
The Guardian
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
It is best made at home, but bought versions are not to be despised. In the Middle East it is a dip about which there are many schools of thought. The supersmooth hummus of Beirut is different from that of Damascus, lighter than that of Cairo, and a world away from the rougher product of Cypriot kitchens, while the Israelis tend to skimp on the olive oil. Apart from using good oil, the most important difference is to do with the chickpea skins, which must be rigorously rubbed off, or else grittiness ensues.
The process through which hummus, pesto and salsa have become essential lubricants of British life, displacing the old trinity of salad cream, tomato ketchup and brown sauce, has been a beneficial one. But while pesto divides and salsa inflames, hummus soothes. May it soon return to the aisles.
Read more...
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
In praise of ... hummus
Leader
Friday February 23, 2007
The Guardian
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
It is best made at home, but bought versions are not to be despised. In the Middle East it is a dip about which there are many schools of thought. The supersmooth hummus of Beirut is different from that of Damascus, lighter than that of Cairo, and a world away from the rougher product of Cypriot kitchens, while the Israelis tend to skimp on the olive oil. Apart from using good oil, the most important difference is to do with the chickpea skins, which must be rigorously rubbed off, or else grittiness ensues.
The process through which hummus, pesto and salsa have become essential lubricants of British life, displacing the old trinity of salad cream, tomato ketchup and brown sauce, has been a beneficial one. But while pesto divides and salsa inflames, hummus soothes. May it soon return to the aisles.
Read more...
Thursday, February 22, 2007
A woman's place: France rocked by Michelin's latest three-star chef
The Guardian
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
It has been lampooned as a stultifying snapshot of France's most pretentious places to eat - a testosterone-charged arena of stress-ridden alpha males catering to conservative businessmen on expense accounts. But the French Michelin guide, the influential "little red book" of gastronomy, appeared to take a step into the modern age yesterday by awarding its top three-star accolade to the first female chef in more than 50 years.
Anne-Sophie Pic, 37 - a petite, softly spoken and revered chef who has headed the kitchen at La Maison Pic in the south-eastern French town of Valence for more than a decade - is only the fourth woman to win the top award. A specialist in fish, her signature dishes include sea bass caught in coastal waters and steamed over wakame kelp, served with gillardeau oyster bonbons, cucumber chutney and vodka and lemon butter sauce. But although she came late to haute cuisine, the chef, who prefers to mix textures and flavours rather than radically alter ingredients, comes from a gastronomic dynasty. Both her grandfather, famous for his crayfish gratin, and father had three stars in their time.
Read more...
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
It has been lampooned as a stultifying snapshot of France's most pretentious places to eat - a testosterone-charged arena of stress-ridden alpha males catering to conservative businessmen on expense accounts. But the French Michelin guide, the influential "little red book" of gastronomy, appeared to take a step into the modern age yesterday by awarding its top three-star accolade to the first female chef in more than 50 years.
Anne-Sophie Pic, 37 - a petite, softly spoken and revered chef who has headed the kitchen at La Maison Pic in the south-eastern French town of Valence for more than a decade - is only the fourth woman to win the top award. A specialist in fish, her signature dishes include sea bass caught in coastal waters and steamed over wakame kelp, served with gillardeau oyster bonbons, cucumber chutney and vodka and lemon butter sauce. But although she came late to haute cuisine, the chef, who prefers to mix textures and flavours rather than radically alter ingredients, comes from a gastronomic dynasty. Both her grandfather, famous for his crayfish gratin, and father had three stars in their time.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Bon appetit - and now we're growing our own
The Guardian
By Tim Hayward
Britain produces more mozzarella than Italy and air-dried ham to rival Parma's. On the way are olives and single-estate tea.
Talk to a foodie about food miles these days and you will probably get an enthusiastic response taking in local suppliers, independent traders and the simply super organic veg box they get from a little man just outside the M25. It has become cool to think and act local. But what about all that French cheese and charcuterie, that Umbrian olive oil and single-estate Darjeeling? In the dark days of our culinary past we learned to love the imported foods that tasted so much better than our own and now, in order to be green, it seems we may have to learn to live without them.
Read more...
By Tim Hayward
Britain produces more mozzarella than Italy and air-dried ham to rival Parma's. On the way are olives and single-estate tea.
Talk to a foodie about food miles these days and you will probably get an enthusiastic response taking in local suppliers, independent traders and the simply super organic veg box they get from a little man just outside the M25. It has become cool to think and act local. But what about all that French cheese and charcuterie, that Umbrian olive oil and single-estate Darjeeling? In the dark days of our culinary past we learned to love the imported foods that tasted so much better than our own and now, in order to be green, it seems we may have to learn to live without them.
Read more...
Buying organic food ‘can harm the planet'
The Times
By Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter
Buying organic food grown locally may sometimes be more damaging to the environment than nipping down to the supermarket for produce that has been driven hundreds of miles across the country, a new study suggests.
Research looking at the environmental impact of food from farm to the plate and beyond suggests that locally-grown food may not be as environmentally friendly as it’s said to be.
Similarly, long-distance transportation may not deserve the demonisation it has received for the emissions of carbon dioxide it generates. However, scientists questioned the growing use of aircraft to carry foods around the world.
The findings, from a study commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to guide policy on which types of food production and consumption to encourage, prompted a furious response from the Soil Association, which promotes and certifies organic food.
The report concludes that so little is known about the overall environmental impact of any food produce that it is impossible to say which are the most environmentally friendly.
But while the merits of some organic products were recognised by the study, researchers pointed out that others cause more damage than non-organic items.
Read more...
By Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter
Buying organic food grown locally may sometimes be more damaging to the environment than nipping down to the supermarket for produce that has been driven hundreds of miles across the country, a new study suggests.
Research looking at the environmental impact of food from farm to the plate and beyond suggests that locally-grown food may not be as environmentally friendly as it’s said to be.
Similarly, long-distance transportation may not deserve the demonisation it has received for the emissions of carbon dioxide it generates. However, scientists questioned the growing use of aircraft to carry foods around the world.
The findings, from a study commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to guide policy on which types of food production and consumption to encourage, prompted a furious response from the Soil Association, which promotes and certifies organic food.
The report concludes that so little is known about the overall environmental impact of any food produce that it is impossible to say which are the most environmentally friendly.
But while the merits of some organic products were recognised by the study, researchers pointed out that others cause more damage than non-organic items.
Read more...
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Hell's Kitchen's Marco Pierre White criticises fellow chefs
The Times
Marco Pierre White was unveiled as the new star of TV show Hell's Kitchen today - and immediately laid into fellow chef Jamie Oliver.
White dismissed Oliver's school dinners campaign as a "cynical" publicity stunt which has failed to improve children's food.
He also stoked up his simmering feud with Gordon Ramsay, saying: "He doesn't enrich my life in any way."
And he slammed celebrity chefs who put their names to expensive restaurants but never cook there.
White will put 10 celebrities through their paces in the new series of ITV1 reality show Hell's Kitchen, to be broadcast later in the year.
Read more...
Marco Pierre White was unveiled as the new star of TV show Hell's Kitchen today - and immediately laid into fellow chef Jamie Oliver.
White dismissed Oliver's school dinners campaign as a "cynical" publicity stunt which has failed to improve children's food.
He also stoked up his simmering feud with Gordon Ramsay, saying: "He doesn't enrich my life in any way."
And he slammed celebrity chefs who put their names to expensive restaurants but never cook there.
White will put 10 celebrities through their paces in the new series of ITV1 reality show Hell's Kitchen, to be broadcast later in the year.
Read more...
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Food Of The Week: China
The Independent
Take advantage of the variety of cooking styles on offer in this vast country. Andy Lynes flexes his tastebuds
Read more...
Take advantage of the variety of cooking styles on offer in this vast country. Andy Lynes flexes his tastebuds
Read more...
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Hummus food scare widens
The Guardian
By Dan Bell
Supermarkets across the country emptied their shelves of hummus yesterday after salmonella was found in dips from one of the UK's main suppliers.
The recall was initiated on Wednesday by Marks & Spencer after routine testing at its supplier discovered salmonella contamination in two hummus products. M&S said there had been no complaints or reports of illness from customers.
But the company's supplier, London-based Katsouris, a unit of Icelandic food group Bakkavor, also decided to pull its hummus from Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-op.
Read more...
By Dan Bell
Supermarkets across the country emptied their shelves of hummus yesterday after salmonella was found in dips from one of the UK's main suppliers.
The recall was initiated on Wednesday by Marks & Spencer after routine testing at its supplier discovered salmonella contamination in two hummus products. M&S said there had been no complaints or reports of illness from customers.
But the company's supplier, London-based Katsouris, a unit of Icelandic food group Bakkavor, also decided to pull its hummus from Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-op.
Read more...
Friday, February 16, 2007
How eating fish during pregnancy could make baby brainier. (Just stay off the shark)
The Guardian
By Alexandra Topping
A study of 9,000 British families suggests that women who eat seafood during pregnancy could have brainier children. The research suggests that those who avoid fish or do not eat enough of it risk depriving their unborn children of important nutrients that are needed to help brain development.
The advice contradicts previous warnings by health experts suggesting pregnant women should limit the amount of fish they consume because of potentially dangerous pollutants in seafood.
Read more...
By Alexandra Topping
A study of 9,000 British families suggests that women who eat seafood during pregnancy could have brainier children. The research suggests that those who avoid fish or do not eat enough of it risk depriving their unborn children of important nutrients that are needed to help brain development.
The advice contradicts previous warnings by health experts suggesting pregnant women should limit the amount of fish they consume because of potentially dangerous pollutants in seafood.
Read more...
A bagful of cress a day may keep cancer cells at bay, study suggests
The Guardian
By Alexandra Topping
It contains more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than milk. Watercress may be better known as a decorative garnish, but a study published yesterday said the salad leaf could significantly cut the risk of cancer.
The study suggested that eating 85g of watercress a day could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even kill them. Scientists at Ulster University found that the watercress reduced the damage caused by cancer cells to white blood cells by 22.9%. Watercress also raised levels of antioxidants which absorb so-called "free radicals", molecules which some experts believe damage the body's tissues.
Read more...
By Alexandra Topping
It contains more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than milk. Watercress may be better known as a decorative garnish, but a study published yesterday said the salad leaf could significantly cut the risk of cancer.
The study suggested that eating 85g of watercress a day could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even kill them. Scientists at Ulster University found that the watercress reduced the damage caused by cancer cells to white blood cells by 22.9%. Watercress also raised levels of antioxidants which absorb so-called "free radicals", molecules which some experts believe damage the body's tissues.
Read more...
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Consumers misled by food labels - report
The Guardian
By Felicity Lawrence
Industry criticised over controversial new guidelines on fat, salt and sugar
The food industry's new nutrition labelling scheme makes its products look healthier than they really are and is fundamentally flawed, a report published today says.
The manufacturers' labelling scheme has been adopted and promoted by at least 21 leading food companies and supermarket groups since January in opposition to the traffic light labelling scheme proposed by the government watchdog the Food Standards Agency.
But the new industry labels, which tell shoppers how much sugar, fat and salt products contain as a percentage of their total "guideline daily amount" (GDA), use figures that are "misleading", the National Heart Forum says.
Read more...
By Felicity Lawrence
Industry criticised over controversial new guidelines on fat, salt and sugar
The food industry's new nutrition labelling scheme makes its products look healthier than they really are and is fundamentally flawed, a report published today says.
The manufacturers' labelling scheme has been adopted and promoted by at least 21 leading food companies and supermarket groups since January in opposition to the traffic light labelling scheme proposed by the government watchdog the Food Standards Agency.
But the new industry labels, which tell shoppers how much sugar, fat and salt products contain as a percentage of their total "guideline daily amount" (GDA), use figures that are "misleading", the National Heart Forum says.
Read more...
Sugar rush
The Guardian
From fresh fruit to ready meals, from baby formula to sausages, the food we eat is getting sweeter. Why? And should we be worried? Felicity Lawrence examines the sugaring of the British palate
Read more...
From fresh fruit to ready meals, from baby formula to sausages, the food we eat is getting sweeter. Why? And should we be worried? Felicity Lawrence examines the sugaring of the British palate
Read more...
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Cadbury facing prosecution under health laws following contamination of chocolate
The Guardian
By Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent
Confectionery giant Cadbury is set to be prosecuted under environmental health laws over last year's food scare involving chocolate contaminated with salmonella, the Guardian has learned.
The national health alert, in which dozens of people became ill with food poisoning, led to the Birmingham-based manufacturer being forced to withdraw more than 1m bars of chocolate from retailers and loss of consumer confidence in one of Britain's best-known and most valuable brands. The company has since revealed that the scare cost it £30m.
Sources close to the investigation have revealed that officials are close to finalising the lengthy and complex process of interviewing and evidence-gathering, and hope to announce a prosecution before the end of this month.
The company is expected to face charges of producing food unfit for human consumption. It is also likely to be prosecuted under European laws, accused of failing to tell the authorities in good time about the extent of the problem.
Read more...
By Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent
Confectionery giant Cadbury is set to be prosecuted under environmental health laws over last year's food scare involving chocolate contaminated with salmonella, the Guardian has learned.
The national health alert, in which dozens of people became ill with food poisoning, led to the Birmingham-based manufacturer being forced to withdraw more than 1m bars of chocolate from retailers and loss of consumer confidence in one of Britain's best-known and most valuable brands. The company has since revealed that the scare cost it £30m.
Sources close to the investigation have revealed that officials are close to finalising the lengthy and complex process of interviewing and evidence-gathering, and hope to announce a prosecution before the end of this month.
The company is expected to face charges of producing food unfit for human consumption. It is also likely to be prosecuted under European laws, accused of failing to tell the authorities in good time about the extent of the problem.
Read more...
Monday, February 12, 2007
School meals tsar has 'just three years' to win minds and stomachs
The Independent
By Richard Garner, Education Editor
The school meals tsar Prue Leith admits today that she has just three years to convince Britain's seven million schoolchildren to adopt healthy eating habits.
Otherwise, she fears that people will "lose faith" in the campaign to improve school meals.
If that happens, nutritional standards in school dinners could slip back to the level of neglect that has dogged the service for the past two decades.
The food writer and cookery expert, appointed by the Prime Minister to chair his newly-created School Food Trust, spoke to The Independent as thousands of school dinner ladies prepared to spend the half-term holiday training in the skills needed to deliver the Government's new nutritional standards .
The School Food Trust - which is responsible for introducing healthy eating standards in schools - is organising nine regional conferences for school dinner ladies this week, backed by a £15million grant.
Read more...
By Richard Garner, Education Editor
The school meals tsar Prue Leith admits today that she has just three years to convince Britain's seven million schoolchildren to adopt healthy eating habits.
Otherwise, she fears that people will "lose faith" in the campaign to improve school meals.
If that happens, nutritional standards in school dinners could slip back to the level of neglect that has dogged the service for the past two decades.
The food writer and cookery expert, appointed by the Prime Minister to chair his newly-created School Food Trust, spoke to The Independent as thousands of school dinner ladies prepared to spend the half-term holiday training in the skills needed to deliver the Government's new nutritional standards .
The School Food Trust - which is responsible for introducing healthy eating standards in schools - is organising nine regional conferences for school dinner ladies this week, backed by a £15million grant.
Read more...
A menace to science
The Guardian
For years, 'Dr' Gillian McKeith has used her title to sell TV shows, diet books and herbal sex pills. Now the Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in. Yet the real problem is not what she calls herself, but the mumbo-jumbo she dresses up as scientific fact, says Ben Goldacre.
Read more...
For years, 'Dr' Gillian McKeith has used her title to sell TV shows, diet books and herbal sex pills. Now the Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in. Yet the real problem is not what she calls herself, but the mumbo-jumbo she dresses up as scientific fact, says Ben Goldacre.
Read more...
TV dietician to stop using title Dr in adverts
The Guardian
By Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Gillian McKeith, the You Are What You Eat presenter, has agreed to drop the title Dr from her company's advertising after a complaint to the industry watchdog. She has made millions from book and health food spin-offs, but her credentials have been questioned by some experts.
After the Advertising Standards Authority came to the provisional conclusion that the honorific was likely to mislead the public, McKeith Research said it planned to drop it from its advertising, obviating the need for a full investigation. The complaint was brought by a Guardian reader who learned of Ms McKeith's academic credentials from a recent Bad Science column by Ben Goldacre.
The self-styled health guru has consistently argued she is entitled to call herself a doctor because of her distance learning PhD in holistic nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition.
Read more...
By Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Gillian McKeith, the You Are What You Eat presenter, has agreed to drop the title Dr from her company's advertising after a complaint to the industry watchdog. She has made millions from book and health food spin-offs, but her credentials have been questioned by some experts.
After the Advertising Standards Authority came to the provisional conclusion that the honorific was likely to mislead the public, McKeith Research said it planned to drop it from its advertising, obviating the need for a full investigation. The complaint was brought by a Guardian reader who learned of Ms McKeith's academic credentials from a recent Bad Science column by Ben Goldacre.
The self-styled health guru has consistently argued she is entitled to call herself a doctor because of her distance learning PhD in holistic nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition.
Read more...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
The truth about aphrodisiacs
Scotland on Sunday
By Ruth Walker
TO ENSURE your dinner à deux goes with a swing, don't go to all the bother (and expense) of preparing a lavish meal for your loved one. Cut straight to the final course. No, not the business in the bedroom - dessert.
Research has found that British men get the biggest boost not from traditional aphrodisiacs like oysters and caviare, but from the sweet whiff of apple pie, custard and doughnuts. According to Jill Fullerton-Smith, the Glasgow film-maker behind the BBC series The Truth about Food and the accompanying book (Bloomsbury, £15.99), scientific wisdom maintains that many supposed aphrodisiacs gained their reputation simply by association. "Oysters are reminiscent of vulvas, for example, while carrots and bananas have more than a passing resemblance to sturdy, erect penises," she says.
"Similarly, the word avocado comes from an ancient Aztec word for testicle. Virgin Aztec girls were banned from the avocado fields during harvest time because of the provocative appearance of the ripe fruits."
Fullerton-Smith drew on the findings of scientists who had researched what happens to men when they inhale the scent of various foods - in particular what happens to the blood flow to the penis. The effects were surprising. For instance, while pumpkin pie and oranges elevated proceedings by 16% and 12% respectively, chocolate resulted in a disappointingly flaccid 3%. The top result - with a whopping 24% rise - came from the aroma of, bizarrely, apple cake.
But for those left deflated by the knowledge that a Mars a day only helps you work and rest, Fullerton-Smith has encouraging words. "Chocolate may not have any real aphrodisiac properties, but its melt-in-the-mouth texture makes it a very sensuous food." And the same goes for the likes of strawberries and cream, honey, yoghurt and ice-cream.
But don't chuck out the oysters just yet. The molluscs have been found to contain the chemicals D-aspartic acid and NMDA, which encourage the release of testosterone and oestrogen. They also contain a lot of zinc, which is important for male fertility.
For assuring a good performance, men need not turn to Viagra. Garlic, nature's equivalent, acts in the same way by encouraging the body to produce nitric oxide, which relaxes muscle tissue in the penis. "This opens up the vessels and increases the flow of blood into it," says Fullerton-Smith.
But there's bad news: to get the most from this erotic but pungent food, you must eat at least three cloves a day, preferably raw. So if you want to get close to your lady love, don't forget to chew some parsley afterwards.
Read more...
By Ruth Walker
TO ENSURE your dinner à deux goes with a swing, don't go to all the bother (and expense) of preparing a lavish meal for your loved one. Cut straight to the final course. No, not the business in the bedroom - dessert.
Research has found that British men get the biggest boost not from traditional aphrodisiacs like oysters and caviare, but from the sweet whiff of apple pie, custard and doughnuts. According to Jill Fullerton-Smith, the Glasgow film-maker behind the BBC series The Truth about Food and the accompanying book (Bloomsbury, £15.99), scientific wisdom maintains that many supposed aphrodisiacs gained their reputation simply by association. "Oysters are reminiscent of vulvas, for example, while carrots and bananas have more than a passing resemblance to sturdy, erect penises," she says.
"Similarly, the word avocado comes from an ancient Aztec word for testicle. Virgin Aztec girls were banned from the avocado fields during harvest time because of the provocative appearance of the ripe fruits."
Fullerton-Smith drew on the findings of scientists who had researched what happens to men when they inhale the scent of various foods - in particular what happens to the blood flow to the penis. The effects were surprising. For instance, while pumpkin pie and oranges elevated proceedings by 16% and 12% respectively, chocolate resulted in a disappointingly flaccid 3%. The top result - with a whopping 24% rise - came from the aroma of, bizarrely, apple cake.
But for those left deflated by the knowledge that a Mars a day only helps you work and rest, Fullerton-Smith has encouraging words. "Chocolate may not have any real aphrodisiac properties, but its melt-in-the-mouth texture makes it a very sensuous food." And the same goes for the likes of strawberries and cream, honey, yoghurt and ice-cream.
But don't chuck out the oysters just yet. The molluscs have been found to contain the chemicals D-aspartic acid and NMDA, which encourage the release of testosterone and oestrogen. They also contain a lot of zinc, which is important for male fertility.
For assuring a good performance, men need not turn to Viagra. Garlic, nature's equivalent, acts in the same way by encouraging the body to produce nitric oxide, which relaxes muscle tissue in the penis. "This opens up the vessels and increases the flow of blood into it," says Fullerton-Smith.
But there's bad news: to get the most from this erotic but pungent food, you must eat at least three cloves a day, preferably raw. So if you want to get close to your lady love, don't forget to chew some parsley afterwards.
Read more...
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Choc and awe - the way to a woman's heart and imagination
The Telegraph
Belinda Richardson on the Valentine's Day gift that offers richly romantic rewards.
Whatever the origins of February the 14th, most of us would agree it has become far more than a simple day for exchanging love messages.
Box of tricks: chocolate has long been associated with aphrodisiac qualities
Now a multi-million pound industry, with an overwhelming number of cards, presents, over-priced red roses and pink teddy bears being sold the world over to celebrate the occasion, the concept of another Valentine's Day understandably makes some of us reach for the proverbial sick bucket.
Read more...
Belinda Richardson on the Valentine's Day gift that offers richly romantic rewards.
Whatever the origins of February the 14th, most of us would agree it has become far more than a simple day for exchanging love messages.
Box of tricks: chocolate has long been associated with aphrodisiac qualities
Now a multi-million pound industry, with an overwhelming number of cards, presents, over-priced red roses and pink teddy bears being sold the world over to celebrate the occasion, the concept of another Valentine's Day understandably makes some of us reach for the proverbial sick bucket.
Read more...
Thursday, February 08, 2007
How a cheeky nibble can stimulate desire
Evening News
By Sandra Dick
IT was way back in the second century AD that the Romans identified oysters as an aphrodisiac, with one satirist describing how wanton women used to down large quantities of them.
Ever since oysters have been seen as the food of love, a romantic culinary treat which will send pulses racing and hearts a- fluttering.
But according to Dario Pacifici, of catering experts The Devil's Kitchen, the Romans may well have been on to something - oysters really do have the vital ingredients to give men a boost where they need it most.
"Oysters are full of life-enhancing minerals such as copper, iron and zinc - critical to male fertility," he says.
So how did the Romans know all those centuries ago that oysters contains vital elements for good romantic health?
Read more...
By Sandra Dick
IT was way back in the second century AD that the Romans identified oysters as an aphrodisiac, with one satirist describing how wanton women used to down large quantities of them.
Ever since oysters have been seen as the food of love, a romantic culinary treat which will send pulses racing and hearts a- fluttering.
But according to Dario Pacifici, of catering experts The Devil's Kitchen, the Romans may well have been on to something - oysters really do have the vital ingredients to give men a boost where they need it most.
"Oysters are full of life-enhancing minerals such as copper, iron and zinc - critical to male fertility," he says.
So how did the Romans know all those centuries ago that oysters contains vital elements for good romantic health?
Read more...
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
'We can fit you in after 10pm'
The Guardian
It's hell trying to book a table, chefs and waiters hate serving up lovey-dovey food and restaurateurs see it as an easy way to rake in the cash - no wonder Valentine's is the worst night of the year to dine out, writes Tim Hayward.
Read more...
It's hell trying to book a table, chefs and waiters hate serving up lovey-dovey food and restaurateurs see it as an easy way to rake in the cash - no wonder Valentine's is the worst night of the year to dine out, writes Tim Hayward.
Read more...
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
10 courses, 18 Michelin stars - and £15,000 a head
The Guardian
By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
Not everyone can say they spent a million on a meal. But this weekend a lucky few with deep enough pockets will ascend to a luxurious Bangkok hotel's 65th floor and scale the culinary heights.
True, the million in question is 1m Thai Baht. But at around £15,000 a head, not including service charges and tax, that is still the kind of restaurant bill that buys a lot of bragging rights. It also buys some of the world's finest, freshest and most tantalising ingredients specially flown in from 35 cities around the world, accompanied by rare and expensive wines.
Preparation of the extravaganza is in the hands of six chefs with three Michelin stars apiece who have also jetted in from their restaurants in France, Italy and Germany, eager to present their signature dishes. No expense has been spared to ensure the 15 gourmands who booked Saturday's one-off dinner will be able to show themselves off as "Epicurean Masters of the World", as the event's title boasts.
Read more...
By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
Not everyone can say they spent a million on a meal. But this weekend a lucky few with deep enough pockets will ascend to a luxurious Bangkok hotel's 65th floor and scale the culinary heights.
True, the million in question is 1m Thai Baht. But at around £15,000 a head, not including service charges and tax, that is still the kind of restaurant bill that buys a lot of bragging rights. It also buys some of the world's finest, freshest and most tantalising ingredients specially flown in from 35 cities around the world, accompanied by rare and expensive wines.
Preparation of the extravaganza is in the hands of six chefs with three Michelin stars apiece who have also jetted in from their restaurants in France, Italy and Germany, eager to present their signature dishes. No expense has been spared to ensure the 15 gourmands who booked Saturday's one-off dinner will be able to show themselves off as "Epicurean Masters of the World", as the event's title boasts.
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Monday, February 05, 2007
Mars will stop advertising to children
The Independent
By Thair Shaikh
One of the largest makers of chocolate bars whose brands include Mars and Snickers is to stop marketing to children younger than 12 by the end of the year.
It is the first time a major foodmaker has set out to stop targeting snack foods to such a wide age group. Masterfoods, which also makes Maltesers, Topic, Revel and Twix, said: "We have decided to make an official policy change to a cut-off age of 12 years for all our core products."
The measure reflects mounting concerns about the links between advertising and childhood obesity and follows moves by some public authorities to bring in tighter food regulations.
The company already has a policy of not advertising to children under six and, earlier this year, said its chocolate bars would display calorie counts on wrappers. A spokesman said the firm had written to Robert Madelin, the European Commission's director-general for health and consumer protection, outlining its new policy.
The letter said the policy, which will apply to all advertising, including online, will be adopted by the end of the year.
Read more...
By Thair Shaikh
One of the largest makers of chocolate bars whose brands include Mars and Snickers is to stop marketing to children younger than 12 by the end of the year.
It is the first time a major foodmaker has set out to stop targeting snack foods to such a wide age group. Masterfoods, which also makes Maltesers, Topic, Revel and Twix, said: "We have decided to make an official policy change to a cut-off age of 12 years for all our core products."
The measure reflects mounting concerns about the links between advertising and childhood obesity and follows moves by some public authorities to bring in tighter food regulations.
The company already has a policy of not advertising to children under six and, earlier this year, said its chocolate bars would display calorie counts on wrappers. A spokesman said the firm had written to Robert Madelin, the European Commission's director-general for health and consumer protection, outlining its new policy.
The letter said the policy, which will apply to all advertising, including online, will be adopted by the end of the year.
Read more...
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Ramsay's 'cloying, gummy' turbot leaves New York cold
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Gordon Ramsay once joked that Frank Bruni was so important he was going to have his face printed on the pillows of his waiters. Alas, the efforts of Britain's most famous chef to please the restaurant critic of The New York Times have been dashed.
Three months after Ramsay opened his first US restaurant, the London NYC, on 16 November, Bruni has finally delivered his verdict. It was critical and not a little humbling for a chef determined to crack America.
Out of a maximum four stars, Bruni awarded the London NYC just two, "very good" - well short of the "excellent" or "extraordinary" to which Ramsay would have aspired. The central failing Bruni identified was the timidity at the "icily" decorated restaurant - the first of three Ramsay eateries in the US.
Bruni made much of Ramsay's reputation for being foul-mouthed in his television shows, but he suggested the brashness had not been matched by boldness in the kitchen.
In a 1,400-word review, he wrote: "For all his brimstone and bravado, his strategy for taking Manhattan turns out to be a conventional one, built on familiar French ideas and techniques that have been executed with more flair, more consistency and better judgment in restaurants with less vaunted pedigrees."
He complained: "Most ingredients are predictable, most flavours polite, most effects muted. "Mr Ramsay may be a bad boy beyond the edges of the plate but in its centre, he's more a goody-two-shoes."
Read more...
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Gordon Ramsay once joked that Frank Bruni was so important he was going to have his face printed on the pillows of his waiters. Alas, the efforts of Britain's most famous chef to please the restaurant critic of The New York Times have been dashed.
Three months after Ramsay opened his first US restaurant, the London NYC, on 16 November, Bruni has finally delivered his verdict. It was critical and not a little humbling for a chef determined to crack America.
Out of a maximum four stars, Bruni awarded the London NYC just two, "very good" - well short of the "excellent" or "extraordinary" to which Ramsay would have aspired. The central failing Bruni identified was the timidity at the "icily" decorated restaurant - the first of three Ramsay eateries in the US.
Bruni made much of Ramsay's reputation for being foul-mouthed in his television shows, but he suggested the brashness had not been matched by boldness in the kitchen.
In a 1,400-word review, he wrote: "For all his brimstone and bravado, his strategy for taking Manhattan turns out to be a conventional one, built on familiar French ideas and techniques that have been executed with more flair, more consistency and better judgment in restaurants with less vaunted pedigrees."
He complained: "Most ingredients are predictable, most flavours polite, most effects muted. "Mr Ramsay may be a bad boy beyond the edges of the plate but in its centre, he's more a goody-two-shoes."
Read more...
Pressure over world stocks leads Japan to cut bluefin tuna quota
The Guardian
By Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Japan yesterday agreed to cut its quota of Atlantic bluefin tuna by almost a quarter over the next four years, in the latest attempt to save the fish from commercial extinction.
Environmental groups said Japan's huge appetite for the raw delicacy is largely to blame for numbers falling to dangerous levels, and warned that growing demand from other countries would increase the threat to world tuna stocks.
Japan has agreed to cut its quota by about 23% from 2006 levels to about 2,175 tonnes in 2010. The overall tuna catch in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean will fall by about a fifth from 32,000 tonnes to 25,500 tonnes under an agreement reached last autumn by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
Conservation groups claimed that the measures did not go far enough, but officials in Japan, which consumes more than half the global bluefin catch, said they would help maintain stocks while avoiding dramatic price rises.
Read more...
By Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Japan yesterday agreed to cut its quota of Atlantic bluefin tuna by almost a quarter over the next four years, in the latest attempt to save the fish from commercial extinction.
Environmental groups said Japan's huge appetite for the raw delicacy is largely to blame for numbers falling to dangerous levels, and warned that growing demand from other countries would increase the threat to world tuna stocks.
Japan has agreed to cut its quota by about 23% from 2006 levels to about 2,175 tonnes in 2010. The overall tuna catch in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean will fall by about a fifth from 32,000 tonnes to 25,500 tonnes under an agreement reached last autumn by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
Conservation groups claimed that the measures did not go far enough, but officials in Japan, which consumes more than half the global bluefin catch, said they would help maintain stocks while avoiding dramatic price rises.
Read more...
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